eBay Live Now Available On Desktop & Mobile Browsers
eBay Live livestream shopping has finally come to the desktop browser experience after almost 2 years of in-app exclusivity.
When eBay Live launched in June 2022, live events could only be viewed via the eBay Android or iOS apps and only allowed Buy It Now listings.
Initially, these live shopping events focused almost exclusively on trading cards, but eBay have since expanded to include sneakers, jewelry, watches, collectible toys, coins, handbags and fashion and now offer an Auction format as well.
Liz Morton
And now, eBay Live streams can also be viewed and engaged with on desktop too!
The eBay Live experience on desktop shows all of the seller details, including feedback, and allows users to chat during the stream as well as bid on or buy the items being offered.
Auctions through eBay Live allow the seller to run a "soft-close" or "popcorn auction" to extend the auction and provide extra time if a bid is placed in the last 5 seconds.
How do auctions work on eBay Live? What are extended auctions (also known as “popcorn auctions” or “soft-close auctions”)?
Sellers can choose to list their items as fixed-price listings (Buy It Now) or as auction listings. If the Seller lists an item as an auction, the Seller may choose to enable extended auctions, which provide extra time if bidding is still hot at the scheduled close of a listing. If a bid is placed in the last 5 seconds of an auction on eBay Live, an extra 5 seconds will be added to the auction’s duration.
During the live auction, the high bid and bidder’s username will be displayed just above the comments section. The winning bidder will receive an in-app notification and a message in their eBay inbox.
Bid increments for eBay Live auctions are also preset, rather than allowing buyers to enter an exact amount.
While eBay has now expanded to allow more buyers to access livestream events, and introduced eBay Live to the UK market, many US sellers are still frustrated with the almost 2 years long "beta" phase that has limited use of the feature by invite only and with the lack of any detailed communication about a timeline for when the broader seller base might be able to actually use the feature themselves.
It's still limited to "select" sellers and only in focus categories, with a clear emphasis on bringing social media influencers and those who sell on other marketplaces to the platform.
ebay
Express your interest in live selling with eBay
eBay Live is currently in beta with select sellers. Please let us know if you’d like to experience eBay Live selling and we’ll notify you as soon as you’re eligible to start selling live.
eBay Live is currently available for live selling in Collectibles and Luxury categories. Collectible items include sports trading cards, collectible toys, and comics. Luxury items include watches, handbags, and jewelry.
Meanwhile, Whatnot has been busy with updates and improvements to their livestream selling marketplace, including a Seller API, improved discovery, new ways to refer new sellers and tools to help new sellers get comfortable going live.
They've also introduced Multicasting, allowing sellers to stream to multiple platforms at once to engage existing followers and growing their audiences on Youtube, Facebook and Twitch, and have recently expanded their non-live shopping options with Auctions and Video listings.
Liz Morton
While it's good to see some progress being made on eBay LIve, the pace of innovation may not be fast enough to capture significant market share as other marketplaces continue to beat eBay to the punch.
