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To: Proud_Infidel who wrote (10801)	3/10/2002 12:27:28 PM
From: techanalyst1	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 57684

I don't have a position in it either Brian, but I think they've done pretty well at locking up the auction biz. I've bought a couple things on Ubid but they don't sell collectables. I've looked at Bidville, but there isn't much in the way of buyers, so even though they have no fees to sell and presumably sellers can offer goods cheaper, what good is it if there isn't much action? I haven't really noticed that they have cheaper prices either. Yahoo auctions last time I looked weren't all that great... expensive and not many unique sellers. Same with Amazon. If ebay were to continue to raise fees, then maybe someone else could gain share. Corporations even use ebay. I suppose they can open their own auctions, but ultimately sellers go where the buyers are. Just like in real estate.... location, location, location. TA

To: Proud_Infidel who wrote (10801)	3/10/2002 10:57:23 PM
From: Bill Harmond	Respond to of 57684

>>It's business has virtually no barriers to entry That same argument was heard five years ago. If Amazon and Yahoo can't take on eBay here and win then I doubt anyone will. Yahoo Japan is a bit of an exception because Yahoo Japan had a long lead and a high-profile domestic partner. I think the Street rightfully believes eBay has taken it, and that's why the stock traded sideways for the last two years. At some point the franchise itself becomes the barrier to entry by others. There are low barriers to entry in all sorts of business and products, but when the leader is so heavily entrenched then no one will fund a startup to compete. Look at portals. Using the low barriers premise, one would have thought that Disney or General Electric could have smoked Yahoo. With all those resourses, even those two Dow Industrials went down.