posted on August 4, 2001 07:28:52 AM new
Here's some recent datapoints. The order is date, total listings, sportscards listings and percentage of total listings, and listings in all other categories.
A Premier or Premier Plus membership is required to use Bidville's image hosting (in excess of twenty), as announced on July 27 and effective August 1. For those without a Premier or Premier Plus membership, Bidville will begin deleting their images September 1.
08-03 694,629 372,154 (53.6%) 322,475 @ 7:00 AM ET
08-03 695,097 372,520 (53.6%) 322,577 @ 1:30 PM ET
08-03 695,256 372,901 (53.6%) 322,355 @ 4:30 PM ET
08-03 696,589 374,229 (53.7%) 322,360 @ 8:30 PM ET
08-03 696,297 374,583 (53.8%) 321,714 @ 11:00 PM ET
08-04 695,944 374,929 (53.9%) 320,894 @ 10:20 AM ET
Sportscards listings continue to increase, the exodus of "all other categories" listings continues at a steady rate.
twinsoft,
As AuctionWatch's only "restricted" participant, I'd suggest that this arrangement is *not* working. I'm planning a vacation (Newport, R.I.; Boston, Mass., and Yarmouth and Halifax, N.S.) but will taking a critical look at making these AuctionWatch "exclusives" less exclusive after I return. Hopefully, we can muddle through until then.
stavecards,
Time permitting, and if this thread is still open, I'll provide the explanation you asked for concerning my reasons for tabulating sportscards as a percentage of all auctions.
typo.
[ edited by dimview on Aug 4, 2001 08:07 AM ]
posted on August 4, 2001 08:11:26 AM new
Enjoy Halifax. I was there last month for a National Fire Code meeting and it's a great place. Check out Peggy's Cove and the Swissair Monument while you're there.
posted on August 4, 2001 08:22:16 AM new
I went to Halifax last year, and thoroughly enjoyed it, and all of Nova Scotia. Went to the Maritime Museum in Halifax, as well as visits to all the usual Titanic sites, and many that are seldom seen by tourists in Halifax, Dartmouth, Liverpool and Yarmouth. Last year was largely using the "fast highway" with side trips to the coast, but this year will be mostly be the "slow coastal highway" between Yarmouth and Halifax.
I was at Peggy's Cove on family trip as a teen, but what and where is the SwissAir monument?
posted on August 4, 2001 08:41:12 AM new
Hi, Dimview. Have a nice vacation. I think stats are useful, but I also think you're fueling a pointless argument. If sellers don't like Bidville, they won't list there. (I don't.) If you're trying to illustrate trends, there's no need to post stats three times a day. I don't enjoy seeing this forum hijacked by Bidville cheerleaders and bashers. JMHO.
posted on August 4, 2001 08:43:52 AM new
How often are statistics tallied for the other small sites you cover dim? Weekly?
Daily? Every other day? When things get too quiet?
posted on August 4, 2001 08:54:08 AM new
GettaLife,
I generally try to take a "snapshot" twice a month, but more often for the two largest free auctionsites, Bidville and ePier, even more frequently when I find interesting trends like the current "image hosting" issue at Bidville or the fizzled CRAZY DAZY sale at ePier. I have also put up numbers on occassion when requested by another AuctionWatch user for a site I don't regularly follow.
Hope that answers your questions.
One interesting underlying trend, for instance, is the continuing decline in "all other category" listings, which so far today have declined by more than 1,000 listings.
08-03 696,297 374,583 (53.8%) 321,714
08-04 695,944 374,929 (53.9%) 320,944 @ 10:20 AM ET
08-04 695,617 374,979 (53.9%) 320,638 @ 11:50 AM ET
twinsoft,
Then my taking a serious look at this data and the likelihood of making it available elsewhere will be more to your liking.
I find it strange that there was not a single objection to my making continuous updates on the Yahoo!Auctions debacle, but here its another story. Strange indeed.
[ edited by dimview on Aug 4, 2001 08:57 AM ]
[ edited by dimview on Aug 4, 2001 08:59 AM ]
posted on August 4, 2001 09:03:20 AM new
Hello Everyone,
I'm just dropping in to let you know that we are asking dimview to only have one thread per auction house on stats... ie. this thread will stay open for all Bidville stats until it gets closed by a moderator or by a request from the originator. The requests by originator will be honored depending on the circumstance (ie 20 pages in length, new month etc)
posted on August 4, 2001 09:05:17 AM new
Now Dimview I have to take a small issue with you. You say that Bidville and Epier are the two largest sites. Epier is #3 behind a site that cannot be talked about here due to the brain lock of AW managment. But that fact doesnt mean that the site which will win a suit against ebay does not have more listings no matter how you interpret their front page #'s. Now before anyone jumps ME, I LIKE Epier. Although I do find their image hosting method a hastle. I keep a few items there and community is terrific.
http://ballsandstrikescollectibles.beckett.com/
posted on August 4, 2001 09:09:17 AM new
I think when stats are provided impartially, they are valuable. When the statistician has an axe to grind, they are less valuable. What exactly do you think "listings are down over an hour ago" proves? It shows you are biased and damages your own credibility.
posted on August 4, 2001 09:15:06 AM new
Dim ... The SwissAir Monument is just a few kliks past Peggy's Cove going from the Halifax side. It is very tastefully done and fits in nicely with the landscape. We actually stayed in Dartmouth right beside one of those toll bridges that goes over to Halifax. My wife and I are heading over to NS again next year for a vacation this time. We're going to travel the Cabot Trail and head over to the big island via the new bridge and ferry back.
Also, check out the Russian subs in the harbour (if they are still there) - the ones used in the upcoming Harrison Ford movie. The "coming up through the ice" scene in this movie was actually filmed in Gimli, Manitoba - about an hour north from where I live.
posted on August 4, 2001 09:29:59 AM new
Have a nice vacation DimView. The stats are interesting but I'm sort of glad that AW is confining them to one thread.
posted on August 4, 2001 09:35:21 AM new
As I understand it then, there will be one monthly thread for BidVille Stats with updates contained within the same thread unless the thread is closed due to length or other circumstance as determined by the Moderator.
posted on August 4, 2001 09:54:10 AM new
Well Dim, I disagree but since you started the post with "I Believe" I understand it is only an opinion and that you are not stating it as a fact.
http://ballsandstrikescollectibles.beckett.com/
posted on August 4, 2001 09:56:04 AM new
I don't see what you are accomplishing by posting counts every hour. You can put any kind of spin on an hourly count. Or, for example, you could say that Bidville auctions are actually up when you compare listing at the same time today and yesterday. But that wouldn't be consistent with the axe grinding.
posted on August 4, 2001 10:10:41 AM new
yankeejoe >
Or, for example, you could say that Bidville auctions are actually up when you compare listing at the same time today and yesterday. But that wouldn't be consistent with the axe grinding.
Interesting, because I have fill-in-the-blank paragraphs set up and simply input the numbers. I *did* give the overview stats for three trends in the now locked thread, and folks objected. Now in this thread I *didn't* give the overview stats for the three trends and, again, folks objected.
So who's the axe grinder then?
Since you raised the issue here's the fill-in-the blank paragraph with the recent numbers inserted, you know, in the interest of completeness.
Three trends at work here since the "announcement": (i) an overall decrease of 10,251 listings, or -1.5%; (ii) an increase of 11,471 sportscards listings, or +3.2%; and (iii) a decrease of 21,722 "all other categories" listings, or -6.3%.
Hope this helps.
UBB.
[ edited by dimview on Aug 4, 2001 10:11 AM ]
[ edited by dimview on Aug 4, 2001 10:11 AM ]
posted on August 4, 2001 10:46:49 AM new
As I understand the new auction numbers ruling the originator of the thread has the option to close the thread as well as the moderator. This does not mean that bashers or cheerleaders can maliciously have the thread locked up to deny DimView the right to post the numbers does it?
posted on August 4, 2001 11:38:59 AM new
On more than one occasion it has been said that there was a lot of auto-relisting going on at BidVille. I would think an hourly update is a bit of an overkill taking all factors into consideration. At the current update rate it won't take long for this thread to reach 20 pages!
Whoever it was that conveyed the following was absolutely correct... even at BidVille's current numbers, and taking into consideration the vast selection of hard to find sport trading cards available there, BidVille blows Yahoo out of the saddle when it comes to a large selection of non-sports related items. Half BidVille's listings are sport-related items (GOOD NEWS SPORTS FANS!), but the total number of non-sport listings still far exceeds the total of all categories combined on Yahoo.
I have no problem with Yahoo or any other site. Anyone choosing to sell there should be able to do so without being continually throttled and publicly debated.
I request that you do a deeply penetrating analysis of what is happening at BidVille to include counting the pots, pans and silverware. Do it hourly if you'd like, then please feel free to compile your data and post one, even two reports a day if you feel the need. Maybe the stats would have more meaning then. As it stands I would bet I'm not alone when I state.. "I don't even read them."
A final note: I have asked before what your findings were when The Giant or Yahoo, The Sleeping Giant made changes in policy anytime in the past. Was there a drop in their listing's? I think a comparison study would shed some light and serve a greater purpose.
posted on August 4, 2001 12:24:41 PM new
GettaLife >
I would think an hourly update is a bit of an overkill taking all factors into consideration. At the current update rate it won't take long for this thread to reach 20 pages!
Now let's see. You posted your latest "contribution" at 11:38 AM PT (2:38 PM ET), objecting to what you say are hourly updates, yet the latest update was at 11:50 AM ET, which is about three hours ago.
Just a mistake? Or a deliberate misrepresentation?
For the record, I update them four times daily. On August 2, that was at 9:40 AM, 1:00 PM, 5:15 PM and 10:00 PM; on August 3, that was at 7:00 AM, 1:30 PM, 4:30 PM and nothing later because the thread was locked; and thus far today August 4, 10:20 AM and 11:50 AM.
Whoever it was that conveyed the following was absolutely correct... even at BidVille's current numbers, and taking into consideration the vast selection of hard to find sport trading cards available there, BidVille blows Yahoo out of the saddle when it comes to a large selection of non-sports related items. Half BidVille's listings are sport-related items (GOOD NEWS SPORTS FANS!), but the total number of non-sport listings still far exceeds the total of all categories combined on Yahoo.
Let's take a look at this statement. The latest posted stats show sportcards listings to be 54% of all listings. So simple mathematics would dictate that non-sportscards listings are 46%.
This is *not* half, that is *less* than half.
I think "good news" for sports fans and non-sportsfans alike would include a discussion of the "quality" of the items and the disparity of sell-through rates of the two auctionsites you mentioned.
I have no problem with Yahoo or any other site. Anyone choosing to sell there should be able to do so without being continually throttled and publicly debated.
There is *no* participant at AuctionWatch that has any control over the auctionsite on which a seller chooses to list items. I don't see how sellers could be "throttled" and its clear they engage in "public debate" because they want to.
I request that you do a deeply penetrating analysis of what is happening at BidVille to include counting the pots, pans and silverware. Do it hourly if you'd like, then please feel free to compile your data and post one, even two reports a day if you feel the need. Maybe the stats would have more meaning then. As it stands I would bet I'm not alone when I state.. "I don't even read them."
I believe "pots, pans and silverware" are included in the "all other categories" listings in my tabulations. I will let the moderators decide if they want to place a further "frequency of participation restriction" on me. And I find it interesting that there's so many replies within numbers threads that you "don't even read."
posted on August 4, 2001 12:37:17 PM new
I understand some people will not like to hear this Bidvilles front page listings are going backup. This is the bad news it is only because the sports card listings so far has increased but the over all listings are decreaseing (We must face facts).
Dimview, I believe one post aday is enof that way it will show the day by day figures. Over posting could be overkill. But if AW allows it and you want to do it go ahead.
posted on August 4, 2001 12:48:40 PM new
telwil,
I actually jot the numbers down *very* frequently while doing other computer work, but I find four times daily shows the datapoints quite well. I think its interesting watching them on Bidville's auctionsite because you'll see the overall number jump up by several hundred and then scroll down and find all of the increase is sportscards, or find a decrease of several hundred to find that they were non-sportscards that simply expired, or some combination of the two.
Another interesting facet of the story is that, roughly, for every non-sportscard expiring and not relisted, there's two sportscards listings replacing it, so the overall listings are not changing all that much.
That's why its important to look at not only the overall listings, but a breakdown of the sportscards and "all other categories" listings as well.
posted on August 4, 2001 12:52:14 PM new
telwil/wiltel
I understand some people will not like to hear this Bidvilles front page listings are going backup.
I think that's great news, and I'm not even a Bidville cheerleader!
I happen to believe that the on-line auction fad is slowly turning into an on-line shopping mall. Therefore, IMHO, any increase of true "let's bid to the end" auction listings (not the buy-it-nows or those with reserves or ridiculuous starting bids, but real deals like we used to see on eBay) on any site is good news
Bidville seems to have captured the "Dollar Store" corner of the mall ...
This is the bad news it is only because the sports card listings so far has increased but the over all listings are decreaseing
It's good news if you happen to be into sports cards. Right from the beginning, again IMHO, Bidville has been primarily a place for sports card enthusiasts to hang out and trade their stuff. For those not into sports cards, there's not much reason to go there - the other listings don't seem to change much from day-to-day, week-to-week, or month-to-month.
posted on August 4, 2001 01:11:55 PM new
Dimview, I must admit the numbers are very interesting (I dont like them) but they are interesting. I hope things turn around bidville needs more then sports cards.
RB, I hate to say it but going buy the numbers bidville is lossing the Dollar Store items also. Like all sites bidville needs good high ticket items that will bring the buyer back.
I collect sports cards myself but I was hopeing bidville would have a lot of different things for people to choice from (I believe that is why a buyer stays). Like some have pointed out to me it is still early in the game things could turn around.
posted on August 4, 2001 01:13:56 PM new
08-03 694,629 372,154 (53.6%) 322,475 @ 7:00 AM ET
08-03 695,097 372,520 (53.6%) 322,577 @ 1:30 PM ET
08-03 695,256 372,901 (53.6%) 322,355 @ 4:30 PM ET
08-03 696,589 374,229 (53.7%) 322,360 @ 8:30 PM ET
08-03 696,297 374,583 (53.8%) 321,714 @ 11:00 PM ET
08-04 695,944 374,929 (53.9%) 320,894 @ 10:20 AM ET
Interesting
08-03 696,297 374,583 (53.8%) 321,714
08-04 695,944 374,929 (53.9%) 320,944 @ 10:20 AM ET
08-04 695,617 374,979 (53.9%) 320,638 @ 11:50 AM ET
Even more interesting
I read where there were only 3 updates for August 3 because of a thread being locked, yet I see 5 specific times for August 3 updates in this thread. Additionally, I see where the numbers changed by 50 for the exact same time on the exact same date -- 10:20 AM ET, August 4. I now question the validity of any and all datapoints posted in these threads.
caveat emptor
[ edited by Excalibur131 on Aug 4, 2001 01:14 PM ]
posted on August 4, 2001 01:31:29 PM new
ex .
I read where there were only 3 updates for August 3 because of a thread being locked, yet I see 5 specific times for August 3 updates in this thread. Additionally, I see where the numbers changed by 50 for the exact same time on the exact same date -- 10:20 AM ET, August 4. I now question the validity of any and all datapoints posted in these threads.
As I mentioned, I tabulate the numbers *very* frequently, but not all of them are posted. Yes, I only post an initial one in the morning and three updates throughout the day. When the thread was locked, I continued the tabulations for my own datafile which is why you saw the extra number this morning. And every day, I delete all the daily numbers in my datafile except the last one of the day.
As for the "50" difference, I noticed a subtraction error and corrected it. You can easily verify all the numbers I report. The "total listings" number are in Column 1. The "sportscards listings" are in Column 2. The percentage of sportscards to total listings is in Column 3. The difference between total listings and sportscards listings, which are the "all other categories" listings, are in Column 4.
Since I am tabulating the numbers on a "best efforts" basis and making corrections when I find a math error, you could tabulate them yourself in order to follows the upward/downward trends.
And since this is as good a time as any, here's the late afternoon update ...
08-03 696,297 374,583 (53.8%) 321,714
08-04 695,873 374,979 (53.9%) 320,894 @ 10:20 AM ET
08-04 695,617 374,979 (53.9%) 320,638 @ 11:50 AM ET
08-04 695,454 375,122 (53.9%) 320,337 @ 4:30 PM ET
Double-checked the 08-04 10:20 AM ET numbers with my handwritten sheet and found several errors, now corrected. Problems, problems.
posted on August 4, 2001 02:07:44 PM new
Question -- in a trend analysis does it matter if the data points are not at the exact same time (within a few minutes) each day?
posted on August 4, 2001 02:11:18 PM new
Ooooops ... that was a serious question. I guess what I'm thinking is that if the data points aren't taken at pretty much the same time each day that they might be skewed one way or the other by some small margin.
[ edited by Excalibur131 on Aug 4, 2001 02:11 PM ]
posted on August 4, 2001 02:14:53 PM new
If you were graphing the listings (x-axis) you would need only the corresponding times (y-axis) to discern the trend. The daily numbers, without regard to the specific hourly times, over the period of a month or two, would also be sufficient to discern what has to be considered a "slow motion" trend.
