Today I got an invitation to peruse 11Main.com. This is Alibaba's new market place targeting the US. This in theory should give Amazon a run for its money. Not so much from sales siphon but from margin pressure. If 11Main manages to have decent margins then I believe that the street will press Amazon to do the same.
I drew a green crayon arrow pointing to what I believe targets the sellers' market. This brings Ebay into the fold. I went through a few pages looking for things I currently need but prices didn't strike me as deals I can't pass up. I will give it another whirl tomorrow.
The site has the feel of an upscale store. This is not to say that Amazon feels run down... this 11main feels like a Gucci store (form over function) and Amazon more like a Macys during the holidays (function over form).
I think it's nice that they put pictures of their executives in the about page. Gives the site a personal and 'American' touch.