eBay selling has made its mark on our cultural landscape as a virtual garage sale and want ads service. If eBay were a retailer with a bricks and mortar store, it would be the 10th largest retailer in the US. eBay selling is a huge phenomenon. It has allowed many people to make a living by working at home or opening their own small business, complete with staff that photographs items, writes text descriptions, and ships items to buyers.
eBay selling has created a new consumer mentality and economy. Before many people buy an item, they frequently check eBay for a better price than what they could get from a retail store. The impact of eBay selling is across the board. Consumers can get virtually anything on eBay, including cars and trucks.
This new cultural behavior is having a positive effect on the consumer because eBay selling has created an environmentally friendly movement toward recycling products that were previously thrown away. It has also allowed consumers to think about the residual value of what they are buying-will they be able to dispose of it later by reselling it? Overall, eBay has had a very positive impact on our economy and values as consumers, moving this culture away from disposable to reusable.