eBay Collectibles Hosting Reddit AMA About Trading Cards
eBay is hosting a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) session October 6, 2022 with Director of Trading Cards Bob Means and Director Product Management Collectibles Rick Ung.
What’s up, Reddit! Bob and Rick here from eBay. If you can’t tell yet, we live and breathe collectibles, which is why we can’t wait to answer your questions about where The Hobby is headed, collecting vs. investing, high-growth categories, the eBay vault, and more. By “anything,” we mean ANYthing, so let’s get into it!
It’s never too early to get your collectibles questions in, so drop them down below now, and we’ll see you here on Thursday, 10/6 at 11am ET!
With almost 70 questions already, here are some that I found interesting and can't wait to see the answers to!
What’s a trend that you’re seeing in the hobby right now that you know will fizzle out? And what’s something you’re excited about that’s not getting the attention it deserves?
How's the usage of eBay vault? I personally may never use it as I feel collectors would want to be able to touch/see/appreciate their own cards.
When hiring and building your corporate team, how important is it that they have prior familiarity and knowledge in the collectible space?
How soon will AI/computer grading take over? What effect will AI grading have on sports card collecting?
Are there any plans to allow eBay Vault sellers to keep funds on their account for other on-site purchases?
Will there be any chance a user can remain anonymous to the public when selling through eBay vault? It seems like seller history would not be as relevant when the item is being fulfilled and authenticated by eBay.
With competition as tough as it is:
What are the benefits of a long term collector holding in the EBay Vault over it’s competitors?
Why would someone store in the vault with the current fee structure advertised in the future?
Will eBay continue having the highest barrier, in terms of Why does eBay vault have the highest barrier to entry?
As a follow up question; why is the vault being advertised to the masses when it seems to price out the everyday collector?
Will eBay acquire a known auction house to expand its current offerings to best make use of the advertised vault and holdings?
For the premium offerings, will there be advertising for when a vault item is about to set current lows compared to its non vault peers?
Will the vault be able to be separated into custom subcategories/collections outside the scope provided?
Can vaulted items be paired together to be sold as a collection?
Will the customer service policy on trading cards remain as it is?
Will there be a toggle or filter option to search for vault options exclusively?
I've been really interested in what the inside of the vault looks like for months now. Any possibility of getting a picture sometime of what the inside looks like outside of the sole 3D render given?
Rick, does eBay use formal sprints to manage development activities and what are some examples of epics or features that product managers are responsible for delivering?
Will you ever expand the ebay standard envelope program to other categories of small paper items that fit in a letter envelope like photographs, etc?
What is eBay doing to prevent bad buyers/sellers, bots, and shill bidding? I see no satisfactory answer anywhere.
I get it's tough. eBay has TWO end customers to please and encourage to do further business. But too many good people doing things the right way are getting shafted both buying and selling. I pulled all my stuff off due to this.
I'll be tuning in tomorrow to catch the answers - in the mean time, what questions would you have for Bob and Rick? Let us know in the comments below!
