What's wrong with eBay?

[bk400]

So there are a lot of threads that decry eBay as a platform for sellers. But as a buyer of largely postwar vintage cards, I'm am not finding many disadvantages to eBay relative to the auction houses. I don't have a pay a buyer's premium. I don't have to wait as long for auctions to begin and end.

I look at mid-1950s HOF rookies in the 5-8 grade (so desirable and relatively rare, but not super rare), and the inventory for sale on eBay actually is very similar, if not even better, than what I see for sale in the auction houses. Maybe when you start getting over $10,000 in list price the inventory thins out, but below that, it seems pretty good.

Are there buyers of that class of postwar vintage who will not buy through eBay or do not check eBay listings? If basically all the buyers with the auction houses also check and use eBay, why wouldn't a seller prefer eBay when trying to sell that inventory?

EBay seller fees seem to be similar or lower than the auction houses, and buyers aren't subject to a premium, which means that they can bid higher, in theory.

Yes, there are well documented areas where eBay is buyer-friendly, but I would have thought that those disadvantages are outweighed by the fact that the buyer should be able to bid more.