I don’t “eBay.” I mean, I have a few times, but only to sell. I don’t have the patience to sort though thousands of things and then bid on them to buy what I want, I’m much more into instant gratification. And I HATE the proliferation of fakes – handbags, watches, you name it, it’s faked, and sold on eBay. With that, and the fact that scouting eBay is so overwhelming, it’s no wonder that sales have decreased, and who can blame them for trying to appeal to a more fashion-conscious shopper with the launch of their new blog, The Inside Source.
But what a fail. I was intrigued when I first heard the news, and clicked straight over to the blog, which was totally underwhelming. The design is blah, it’s not that easy to navigate, and IMO, there’s too much celebrity focus (YES, when the image associated with the featured fashion story is of two “celebrities” that’s too much celebrity focus IMO).
And to tell you the truth, I just assumed before I even looked at the site, that eBay would have hired already established fashion bloggers to write content for them (I’m not the only one), speak about their favorite eBay tactics, scope out daily finds, etc., and did they? Nope. They stuck to more traditional media types – one of the fashion writers is a former editor from In Touch magazine – and the editorial director, Meridith Barnett came via Store Adore and was originally with Lucky Magazine. I’m not discounting these ladies’ experience and knowledge of the space, but I would have liked to see actual movers & shakers in online media included more prominently (I can think of a few bloggers who would have been PERFECT for this…)
Fashion bloggers bring credibility, a built in audience, authority, excitement, interest, and a knowledge and ability to write for the space that is second to none. Their writing reflects their personalities and passions in a way that others can relate to; a successful fashion blogger writes from heart and gives it everything she has. And I’m sorry, but The Inside Source reads more like a MAGAZINE. And not even Lucky Magazine. There’s no emotion there, no desire, no interest, even. Just dry copy. B O R I N G.
I don’t know…I was interested when the news hit – I thought there was some potential, and that eBay had a good idea launching a “digital magazine,” but honestly, a fashion blog would have been better. It could have worked, and I would have visited, but what I see at The Inside Source doesn’t make me want to come back. What about you?
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