> The reason there is no huge Amazon.nl is the same reason there's no huge eBay.nl; there's already a large local competitor: Bol.com (and Marktplaats.nl).
eBay has owned marktplaats since 2004. I think they’re conceptually the same.
I’m also unsure if eBay’s modus operandi has ever been to acquire and transition local platforms to their eBay platform, which is probably for the better.
Marktplaats is not an auction place, it is a market place (kind of like Craigslist). They never changed that, and eBay Netherlands has always remained a niche.
You can also do auctions on Marktplaats, though it's much more freeform than eBay. I auctioned a 1980s Transformers toy there ages ago, and I got such weird vibes from the two top bidders that I was happy to sell to a third bidder that showed up.
My pet theory is that eBay acquires/operates classified marketplaces and lets them dominate enough to prevent a competitor from appearing and taking marketshare from the more profitable eBay platform.
