Ebay, The more absurd the better

Facebook, itunes, wikipedia, flickr, basically any web 2.0 service what do they all have in common.  CONVENIENCE!  Sure we might say that we need most of these services now after we have become so dependent on them for the past couple of years, but honestly do we need any of them. I would argue that we do not.  As hard as it is to believe, the world was still turning 5 years ago before a majority of these companies became big. 

Ebay is no exception.  Of all the web 2.0 companies, ebay might be the greatest beneficiary of the convenience factor.  But it is more than just the convenience factor, it is what i like to call ”the absurd factor”.  And by no meas do i mean this in a degrading way.  I think some of the smartest people have been able to realize the power of ebay and take advantage the “absurd factor”.  By absurd factor I mean the ability for a vender to realize  a certain niche in the market and take advantage of that niche. 

Lets be honest, most of us are obsessed with something.  Whether it is a sports team or a car brand, most of us will do anything to own something associated with that obsession.  Ebay allows for the obsessive consumer to find everything and anything on that particular subject.  Ebay venders have truly taken advantage of the adage “one mans junk is another mans treasure”.  As we have all probably learned, anything can be found on ebay.  And just as anything can be found on ebay, in a global market, you can usually find someone to bid on it.  After doing some research and looking at some of the other blogs, it is comical to see what certain items are purchased for.  How can a dixie cup that elvis presley drank water out of one time be sold for $455.  Or a 10 year old grilled cheese said to bear the image of the virgin mary sell for $28,000.  To me this seems absurd.  But after thinking about it for a little, how absurd is it really?  Im sure there are things that i would be willing to spend money on that someone might also laugh at or say is absurd.  It is all relative.  But that is the beauty of ebay.  As one product might seem ”absurd” to one person, the other might have found their treasure.  One thing is for certain, no matter how absurd something might seem, there is always someone out there who will value it.  This unity of the global market has been a large reason ebay has been so successful.