@Raj Ji: Sir, you took my Mall example too literally. As far as what i wanted to say, mobile-phones-etc said it perfectly: "point is not what you sell, point is how you sell."
But within the context of your reply, here is an example:
Nirmal Lifestyle Mall in Mulund, Mumbai houses a Shopper's Stop as well as an exclusive Zodiac outlet. Shopper's stop itself houses a small section where Zodiac products are available. NLM could be eBay here and SS could be one seller with several verticals, whereas Zodiac outlet is a seller with a single vertical.
Now, when i, the buyer walks in to NLM, and i buy a Zodiac shirt from SS instead of the exclusive outlet just because i happened to walk into SS first and i saw it on sale, and it turned out it had a problem, and the SS executive says to me 'You are a fool customer. Don't buy from me again', does that make me a senseless buyer, OR does it make the executive arrogant?
Not a water-tight comparison i agree, but then we are talking about offline and online transactions.
eBay customers, due to eBay's own marketing come here for a deal. When they see a listing that promises just that, they go for it.
eBay is not helping matters by allowing only stock photos to be used in the listings. For the more experienced folks, it may be obvious, but for a new buyer attracted by eBay's promise of a deal, it all makes sense!
-- Signature: I am Jack's complete lack of surprise.
-- Signature: I am Jack's complete lack of surprise.