posted on July 10, 2001 05:56:24 PM
Dear gottaknow88
I appreciate your comment about our layout. We take pride in our site, and the effort of our staff. It is definitely not my intent to make any empty promises, but rather to answer the questions posed in this thread as completely and truthfully as possible.
To clarify matters, we did not solicit this thread, but we are definitely grateful to its readership and to AW for letting us be an active participant.
Bingo! The market you describe is exactly what we plan to address as we ramp up.
We are aware that most experienced sellers leverage their inventory against several sites - triage them, as you call it. We are offering Carnaby as an alternative for this part of their inventory.
posted on July 11, 2001 03:50:23 AM
I appreciate the honest answers, and the site looks/sounds nice, but frankly there is NO WAY IN HECK I plan to work to help build another site with plans to go public. FORGET IT! I already have 3 wonderful opportunities to play second-fiddle to stockholders; they are called, ebay, amazon, and yahoo.
posted on July 11, 2001 08:03:20 AM
Yesterday while cruising through the new site, I came upon a techincal glitch...e-mailed support and received a personal response within 10 minutes...several e-mails back and forth throughout the rest of the afternoon pinpointed the problem and the tech team is working to correct the problem...I'm impressed with their pro-active stance towards helping sellers.
KUDOS!
posted on July 11, 2001 08:35:17 AM
CAgrrl >
I appreciate the honest answers, and the site looks/sounds nice, but frankly there is NO WAY IN HECK I plan to work to help build another site with plans to go public. FORGET IT! I already have 3 wonderful opportunities to play second-fiddle to stockholders; they are called, ebay, amazon, and yahoo.
I am looking for some auctionsite, *any* auctionsite, to evolve into an effective competitor to the big boys, such that when wannabe-auctionsite.com comes out with 20 cent listings, the leaders are put in a position of lowering their own rates or risk losing market share.
I want competition, not the monopoly that essentially exists today.
We definitely understand and share your frustration. I think we can all agree that as an industry, the online auction marketplace is still in its infancy. We are rooting - just as you are - that a healthy dose of competition gets introduced in the industry. It benefits everyone, including providers like ourselves. It forces the "players" in the marketplace to become leaner, more efficient and more concerned with service and support.
Healthy competition is the key to improved product quality AND lower cost. At Carnaby, we welcome the challenge.
posted on July 14, 2001 08:59:09 PM
I downloaded the bulk lister for beta-testing. Wow! I am completely impressed. This program is absolutely loaded!
-----------------------------------
I took a look at Carnaby and I am impressed. A wonderful site. I signed up with the intent of using you as a referral, but, alas, it would not "take". Why? I just now discovered why. Because I put your id in as Wallybog! I will have to go back and email cc to see if they will give you the referral!
I tried to list an auction but that would not go either. It kept saying that I must sign up first. I did! I feel that they must check the credit card or something first???? I'll try again tomorrow.
In any case, I tried! After that, I spent the rest of the time chasing the monkey around, finding the pages that he would appear on.
Wonderful site!
Good luck Carnaby ~ with a carnival feel to it!
Good luck on the upcoming sale ~ I hope it all goes smooth!
posted on July 16, 2001 05:08:47 AM
I like the site too! However, the main drawback is the fact that their fee structure is almost identical to eBays (listing fees and FVFs). With that kind of fee structure I'd rather list on eBay hands down due to the massive traffic it generates! Carnaby has no appreciable traffic and may not for months or years.
I wish they'd offer something like the first million listings FREE (keep the FVF) or another promotion along those lines. You need a massive item base to entice prospective bidders to frequent the site, and not too many sites have a million listings. Otherwise it's gonna be a slow crawl in pursuit of eBay!
Regardless it's a great site and off to a good start!
posted on July 16, 2001 08:33:47 AM
__________________________________________
I am looking for some auctionsite, *any* auctionsite, to evolve into an effective competitor to the big boys, such that when wannabe-auctionsite.com comes out with 20 cent listings, the leaders are put in a position of lowering their own rates or risk losing market share.
____________________________________________
dimview...this is the most sensible suggestion I have seen so far for any new auction site that really wants to be competitive.
"Always Free" is not going to make it, and the usual "25 cent listing and 5% FVF, will not make it either, because as already stated here, sellers will stay where their stuff is selling. Better a 15 or 20 cent listing and a 2.5% FVF, or only one fee or the other.
The main thing is mega marketing! New auction sites absolutely cannot rely on the sellers bringing in the buyers...it just doesn't work no matter how much, or how hard we push the new site. It didn't work at Gold's and it's not working now with any of the other newer sites. It is a "catch22"...we need the buyers, but the buyers need the sellers and a large variety of items to bid on, or they just go back to you know where! And sellers who rely on auction income for part or all of their income to survive, can only list and relist for a short time without seeing results. If there is no profit, they leave, also.
posted on July 16, 2001 09:31:13 AM
eSeller004 >
their fee structure is almost identical to eBays (listing fees and FVFs). With that kind of fee structure I'd rather list on eBay hands down due to the massive traffic it generates! Carnaby has no appreciable traffic and may not for months or years
I'd rather have a competitive rate structure as well.
I wish they'd offer something like the first million listings FREE (keep the FVF) or another promotion along those lines. You need a massive item base to entice prospective bidders to frequent the site, and not too many sites have a million listings. Otherwise it's gonna be a slow crawl in pursuit of eBay!
I know of another auctionsite that has about 700,000 listing that were "free." The large "inventory" has done nothing to "entice prospective bidders to frequent the site" and, as a result, that auctionsite isn't in a "pursuit" of any auctionsites at all.
ladyjane >
dimview...this is the most sensible suggestion I have seen so far for any new auction site that really wants to be competitive.
Thus far we've only seen auctionsites that appear to be uninterested in evolving into competition for the big boys.
"Always Free" is not going to make it, and the usual "25 cent listing and 5% FVF, will not make it either, because as already stated here, sellers will stay where their stuff is selling. Better a 15 or 20 cent listing and a 2.5% FVF, or only one fee or the other.
Sounds like an "introductory offer." I like it. Works well for alot of businesses, maybe an auctionsite should try it.
Yeah, but these guys, unlike Bidville, plan to advertise, or so they say. Why not get a million listings up there before you start a large advertising campaign and invite bidders in? Bidders aren't going to stay if the selection is sparse. It's too easy to walk over to eBay. If bidders don't remain then sellers will become aggrevated and the advertising will have gone to waste. It's a vicious cycle!
I'm not saying Carnaby shouldn't charge some sort of listing fee, but then why not just use Yahoo who has a smaller listing fee and no FVF and probably many times more traffic to their auction site even by accident?
posted on July 16, 2001 09:56:37 AM
Dear eSeller004
We have noticed quite a few comments about our Free Listings policy, and have decided to make an official statement in this forum.
Our Current Policy
We are currently offering free listings but will apply closing value fees if an item sells. Members of the "Max Loader Test Drive" can apply listing enhancements to their items for free through September 30.
Future Plans Regarding Fees
At this time we do not have a date marked on the calendar where Carnaby plans to implement listing fees. We are more concerned with building a relationship with our charter members, ensuring that the site's features are performing up to par and implementing a successful marketing program. In our opinion, it takes two parallel campaigns and a lot of patience for an upstart auction site to succeed - we must gain the confidence of our sellers AND generate enough traffic to make them successful.
We must first be convinced that our marketing program - once it's in full swing - is drawing the traffic and sell-through ratio that justifies a review and implementation of listing fees. When these conditions are met, we'll review and establish our fees with advanced warning to our membership.
As I commented earlier in this thread, right now I'd only consider Carnaby for listing duplicate items as a seller. But as a buyer at eBay, why would I take the time to see if something I want to buy on eBay is listed on Carnaby as that seller's duplicate.
Thanks for being upfront about that. If you guys can help sellers achieve a 30+% sell-through rate then you certainly deserve whatever reasonable listing fees you want to set up. I just hope you guys don't copy eBay and the way they're alienating sellers with incessant fee increases and harsh policies.
As long as there's no listing fee, sellers can offer say Buy It Now items a dollar or more cheaper (for $25+ items) on Carnaby versus eBay (not counting featuring). It's not much but something. This works nicely for people like me who have a near unlimited supply of particular items and small margins on products. Plus chances are you'll face less competition on Carnaby than eBay for a particular item which many sell. In the beginning you can use Carnaby sales to augment eBay sales as many times there may not be overlap in bidders. This last statement is a hunch since I've noticed some people pay more for my items on other auction sites than they will on eBay, although I list the same item simultanously on both.
posted on July 16, 2001 01:55:41 PM
I certainly like what I've been hearing in this thread. I'm curious if any auction sites will consider Bargain and Haggle's fee structure (or at least their present fee structure)? There are no listing fee charges, but FVF's are reasonable and have a $0.50 minimum. While the minimum might be a bit steep, it does allow listing lower-priced items without the fear of what happens if it's listed twice and doesn't sell. Maybe eventually a listing fee similar to Amazon's $0.10 and a FVF when sold could be implemented.
Just some random thoughts from someone whose tried so many sites the last few months that his head is spinning.
posted on July 16, 2001 02:57:11 PM
I have an item to list for $20. Because there's no listing fees right now, that will only allow me to reduce the opening bid by fifty cents to $19.50 and I'm not sure that's enough of an incentive to attract bidders.
But if that 5% final value fee were 2.5% instead, then I could then further reduce the opening bid by another fifty cents to $19, but just how much of an incentive to bidders need?
posted on July 16, 2001 03:50:56 PM
Help...Mr/Ms Carnaby.
I have been trying to register all afternoon. I have an email with my registration code, however after I finish filling out the form, I get apage that tells me my time has expired for that service. I sent an email to customer support, but no one has answered me.
I see a few people from here already registered..any suggestions? I'd really like to hop on board and go for a test run.
posted on July 16, 2001 04:15:19 PM
Dear ladyjane,
I am not sure if it is appropriate to address a customer service issue here, so I ask that you please try our support email again, or reach us by using our "My 2 Cents" feature. We have no indication that our email services are malfunctioning.
We performed some light maintenance on our system around 12:30 PM eastern time but had it back shortly afterwards. If your registration was started at that time, it may have been affected. I apologize for the inconvenience, and await for a communication from you so we can get it resolved.
posted on July 16, 2001 04:49:00 PM
Dear ladyjane,
It does look like your registration was processed at exactly the same time we performed the maintenance on the system (a security upgrade to our registration code). We are correcting your record as we speak.
Your email never reached us because it was addressed to "customersupport" and not our "support" email address. We have just created an account with the name customersupport since other users of the site may try to send mail there.
I like your idea about a 10 cent listing fee and a FVF! Why not a 10 cent listing fee for ALL items? No staggered listing fee pricing like eBay which makes you question whether it's worth listing higher priced items that may or may not sell. Amazon's pricing is fine, but the problem is they won't advertise the auction site. Take Amazon's pricing structure and maybe institute a lower FVF AND advertise and you could have a KILLER auction site! A 10 cent listing fee across the board and say a 3.5% FVF would beat eBay hands down! There is no way eBay could compete with that pricing structure as a public company answering to shareholders demands for increased revenues and earnings! 10 cent listing fees aren't going to kill anyone and it's nearly as good as free listings, plus it generates needed income for the site. Say Carnaby is able to maintain 1 million listings with regularity --- that's a RECURRING $100,000 in income at 10 cents per listing which could be used to pay operating expenses and promote the venue. If Carnaby generates a 30+% sell through rate as they mentioned they expect, then we'd have another REAL alternative to eBay --- something nearly everyone wants!
Glad to hear you liked that idea. I've tried out several different auction sites over the last several months and I think all have great points to them. Sometimes I wonder if taking the best of several different ideas and putting them together would result in a viable and more affordable alternative to eBay. Personally I love Amazon's subscription service - but I've read from others that when this became offered it basically killed Amazon auctions. I still list there and do OK, but it's only because you can basicallly list unlimited items for $40 a month. Sell-through is not good because the site is not advertised, and it might be it's not advertised because the $40 per month doesn't create enough revenue.
I love Bidville and will always list there as long as it's free - but I need to find higher sell-through rates to meet my goals. As long as it's free it will be virutally impossible to really advertise on a national or worldwide scale. I think it will be difficult for any site to ever charge listing fees that approach eBay's without the traffic to match it. So, maybe a compromise between the established leader and all the free sites would be the ideal?
Personally, I don't mind Amazon's FVF -to me a site should procure a fair fee when an item sells.
I read somewhere that before the subscriptions were started by Amazon they charged a 10-cent listing fee with one free re-list (you can still list there for 10 cents if you don't have the Merchant Account, but I don't believe the free re-list still exists). 10-cent fees, one free relist, along with a reasonable FVF would provide funding to help market and grow the site, but it would also attract those sellers that don't feel they can afford eBay's rates and also need to see a higher sell-through rate than what free sites can offer. Personally, at 10 cents per listing, a free re-list, and a FVF I'd be much more willing to roll the dice on items I won't even consider with eBay. I think there is a real potential for this type of auction site. I'm curious what Carnaby thinks about some of the ideas discussed here.
posted on July 17, 2001 01:12:50 PM
Just wanted to let you all know that we are taking all ideas into consideration regarding the implementation of listing fees on our site.
I would also like to reiterate that as of now, there are NO listing fees on our site in order to let everyone try us out at their leisure.
If and when listing fees are implemented, we will do our best to make sure that they are reasonable and fair for both the sellers and ourselves, so neither one of us has to go out of business!
We do not want to mislead anyone: we are in it for the long haul. Our goal (and dream) is to create the most friendly and successful online marketplace on the web, and our team works day and night in order to provide just that to our members.
posted on July 17, 2001 02:15:29 PM
Wow! This thread is really picking up steam. I listed 18 auctions on Monday. As of last night two of those closed with the Buy Now feature.
I forgot to use any of the free enhancements that come with beta-testing Max Loader--I'll have to remember to do that next time, LOL.
posted on July 18, 2001 05:12:38 AM
I read about this site at Bidville and checked it out. I like the way it looks and feels and all the seller incentives they have going, the cash cow and Max Loader.
I registered and got everything going but had trouble downloading the Max Loader. Allen, one of the service people stayed with me, via email, and we worked together to try and find out what the problem was. It was discovered to be on their end and they mailed out a CD of the loader to me. I should get that today or tomorrow.
I know that the promotions that they have now to get sellers on board is not only fun but profitable (considering the money you save, verses other large sites). And we all know that getting people to list on a site is not a problem, it's getting the bidders there to buy.
A suggestion would be to have some sort of reward program going for the bidder as well. I like the hats, pens, banners, whatever that you can win in some of the trivial games they have going in the chat rooms. I have seen where the seller gives a "Bonus" but to draw people to bid on a site offering a lets call it a "Cash Cow" deal, wouldn't you go and check it out? Maybe the Cash Cow is for everyone who registeres. Didn't think of that? Is it?
posted on July 18, 2001 06:11:05 AM
Nice looking site, one question for the Carnaby rep--
how long was the site in the development stage? I see the copyright notice on the home page states 1997-2000.
Why not get a million listings up there before you start a large advertising campaign and invite bidders in? Bidders aren't going to stay if the selection is sparse. It's too easy to walk over to eBay. If bidders don't remain then sellers will become aggrevated and the advertising will have gone to waste. It's a vicious cycle!
