The answers showed a shift in trend that is consistent with other e-commerce activity across the Web. In particular, the answer to the question "What products are you interested in sourcing for your online business?" generated a vastly different response than it did three years ago.
In 2008, more than 50% of respondents said that their search for sources included locating niche markets. The survey conducted three years ago yielded considerably different results: Only 20% of respondents mentioned niche markets. At that time, the majority of sellers wanted access to hot items such as iPods, Xboxes, and designer brand clothing.
The second question category that witnessed the greatest movement was "Where are you planning to sell your products?" In 2005, most respondents were selling on eBay and had eBay storefronts. In 2008, this statistic has changed dramatically, and there has been a visible shift away from eBay with most now setting up their own stores and using Craigslist, eCrater and other online auction venues to sell their goods. High seller fees and the changes at eBay were only mentioned twice in the survey, making it hard to draw a correlation between the apparent mass dissatisfaction with eBay and the move to other venues.
