posted on September 11, 2000 08:55:34 AM new
kitsch1 said: "Upon registering to bid or sell there would be a notice to expect a phone call before registration process could be completed. Sure it would cost AWAuctions a bit...."
I would be willing to pay a small fee for your time to authenticate each member. No money out of AWAuction's pockets there.
*****A Public Notice*****
I hereby apply for the new "head link reader" customer service position. AWA will have one I hope! When a member emails CS I will actually read all links to auctions, legal documents, etc. before replying. [But wait, you probably won't have automated canned answers anyway!]
Irene, I would bet that AWA will concentrate on the little guys. Single mom's making an extra buck, retired couples supplementing their income, college students AWing part time would all be welcomed. Love it, love it, love it! Think I want to apply for assistant PR honcho too!
posted on September 11, 2000 09:51:03 AM new
While we are likely 200,000 listings and 25 million dollars short of sufficient numbers to launch a site with any chance of success, it is nice to see the regard shown to AW and the spirit among a small but concerned band of users.
I can't begin to comprehend all the issues involved and I'm sure a frank discussion with the people who started Gold's would be an eye opener.
A huge factor is getting the buyers to even know a site exists no less make purchases there.
An existing site that "merged" with unhappy eBay users might offer an opportunity for free press coverage, as an ongoing story, that bridged some of the communication issues.
If it spoke to legitimate concerns of sellers and buyers, provided some substancial differences and was inclusive, it might be able to accomplish with public relations what can not be afforded thru advertising budgets alone, establishing critical mass of buyers and sellers.
Using the search engine approach to connecting seperate sites with some common goals, dare I say forming an allience, may increase reach while allowing for diversity of interests.
Themes of charitable contributions, supporting the little people, a gateway for the disadvantaged to, thru hard work, improve their lives and us against them all attract an existing segment of the potential market in which these concepts of purpose are already established.
When the "us" are made real by expended stories like already shared in other threads here at AW and the "them" are multi-national corporations with billionaire owner/managers, the attraction is strong.
I'm not blind to events like MSN network and Amazon auctions but Goodwill is having success as a cause and this whole game isn't over. In fact it's just starting.
No one can compete against eBay with money, they have first to market advantage but cause and purpose can find a place in this new world of people to people thru the Internet.
We might, if we kept the primary focus positive, be surprised who would surface as our 'friends" either because they believed in our cause or maybe even had issues with eBay's present management.
The Founder has pledged to give away almost 4 billion dollars over the next seven years. Wouldn't it be ironic if he supported a people to people movement, paralleling his origional dream, with ebay created dollars.
Just the thought makes me smile.
posted on September 11, 2000 10:07:40 AM new
Irene: NONE of the vulture capitalists are interested in the INDIVIDUAL microbusiness working from the kitchen table. NONE of the so-called online auction venues are interested in US, they are simply interested in eBay profit margins.
eBay achieves its profit margins because it IS interested in microbusiness.
I would seriously doubt that there are ANY plans for an online auction by AW for the liddle widdle seller - AW has made many many many high powered deals which align well with a major deal with Alta Vista at shopping.com for BIG eBiz to do B2C auctions.
BIG FAT KORPORATIONS do not see US as worthy of their time and concern, much less money.
Notice how Auctions.com, FUNDED BY NEWSPAPER MONIES (!!!!) has closed down. What eBay does requires ALOT of money and a dedicated customer service staff.
eBay now has 1400+ employees, and as each month goes by, they get better & better & better at their jobs.
eBay is UNSTOPPABLE
+ + + + + + + + + + + + +
$27.8 Million to AuctionWatch.com
- AuctionWatch.com Message Center
posted on September 11, 2000 10:11:10 AM new CMGI pulls horns, drops plans for global fund (Reuters Securities)
"CMGI Inc., until recently the star among Internet investment firms, Thursday pulled the plug on a highly touted $1.5 billion deal to form an international Web venture fund and said it would whittle its small army of operating units down to half a dozen or so."
posted on September 11, 2000 10:15:28 AM new
While it is not the proper face to present to the public I do hope that somewhere buried in the small print there will still be room for "We're Not eBay".
The one restriction that I feel is important is that any merger, partnership, etc. with eBay is immediate grounds for seperation from the co-op subject to review for at-arms-length deals that do not compromise our purposes.
I have no problem with people receiving rewards for their work and accepting the best offer from the richest buyer but they can't be working for both sides.
PS I had good sales on eBay this past weekend, still hope they will come around to do the right thing, appreciate the opportunity they provided me and, even more, appreciate they are a major source of income while I struggle against them.
posted on September 11, 2000 10:31:44 AM new
Radh:
Of course eBay is unstoppable. It would be silly to try to compete with them head to head. Does that mean that a flea market has no chance of success in against a department store? I think not.
What is so remarkable about eBay's competition is the lack of imagination shown. They simply try to duplicate the eBay site and only become very pale imitations.
For example, one comment that I hear a lot here is that eBay isn't fun like it used to be. How come no other site tries to make auctions FUN. Creating a fun site doesn't have to cost much money. Examples:
- create fun contests which encourage bidding e.g. select a name at random from all bidders that have bid between 6:00 am to 10:00 am on a specific Thursday one week or all bidders who have bid more than $200 during the week, etc.
- give a free listing for every 10,000th listing in a day
- when a seller achieves a new star, give him/her one free featured listing.
Irene
edited to add: - Hold scavenger hunts which require hunting through listings to find items.
[ edited by stockticker on Sep 11, 2000 10:49 AM ]
posted on September 11, 2000 10:57:26 AM new
Hi, Irene. You mention the excrutiatingly blatantly obvious, LOL, to wit: "What is so remarkable about eBay's competition is the lack of imagination shown. They simply try to duplicate the eBay site..."
~ ~ ~ ~
The so-called competition has ONE interest, ONLY --- the profit-margins of eBay's bottomline.
The so-called competition has NO clue on how to operate a successful online auction house, notta clue!
It takes BIG BUCK$ to operate eBay.
It takes dedicated people to operate eBay.
It takes visionary people like Pierre, Jeff and Meg to have kept eBay AFLOAT while the rest of ecommerce was a big fat zer0 of dot.coms, now dot.gones.
It is a mark of the sheer excellence of eBay founders & staff that eBay not only did NOT go down the tubes with the rest of eBiz, not merely managed to survive, but actually was able to post profits.
The times, they R a changin', and FAST-FAST-FAST, and although there will be errors & mistakes, as eBay is a H-U-G-E endeavor with over 1400+ employees and 15+ MILLION registered userids --- eBay will not merely survive, but will actually thrive in the years ahead.
Anyway, I agree with you that the so-called competition of eBay was uncreative, but I contend that that is because, unlike eBay, they NEVER gave a thought to, nor felt any concern about the Microbusinesses that are the heart & soul of eBay, providing the ambiance and customer service that the resta eBiz utterly fails in.
Vulture capitalists NEVER EVER thought that eBay would ever be anything more than a small biz; vulture capitalists are concerned about returns on their investments, returns should be in the BILLIONS of dollars, in order to even rouse their mild interest.
No one can compete without MONEY, which ain'ta gonna be there.
No one can compete without dedication to US, but only eBay is concerned about Micro-eBiz.
posted on September 11, 2000 11:07:42 AM new
IRENE - I like your suggestions. Hope you continue sharing them and that it encourages others to contribute ideas.
KRS - I know I would enjoy hearing what you think would be fun. Why do I feel we might have to take it to email?
Let me add - A daily award for the transaction where parties are furthest apart. Let some sniper type figure out where is exactly half way around the world from them. Darn, can't find a globe but I think I would have to sell to someone in a boat.
posted on September 11, 2000 11:53:11 AM new
kitsch1: "Hope springs eternal..."
I offer that perhaps the adage that it takes one to know one is applicable here, as truly -- I personally ranK so high on the Idealism Scale, (if such exists), that it sometimes actually brings real tears to dh's eyes, whose firm cynical jaundiced critiques of all manner of things help to keep my own idealistic nature firmly planted waY down here in harsh bitter cruel reality.
lol.
However, although I am idealistic to a FAULT, my idealism based upon naivete with a big component of gullibility thrown in...... I just wanna make it clear that in my research of this entire issue, not only did I find out that eBay virtually has NO competition in online auctions, but that virtually NO ONE is interested in person2person microbusiness with the exception of eBay.
Worse yet, BigBiz ain'ta gonna be toooo *happy* when they finalllly realize that eBay is HERE to stay.
eBay, in that regard, is US --- you and me, among the millions now operating successful profit-making endeavors outta our homes on eBay.
eBay realizes this.
eBay, however, must also ensure that it SURVIVES, in order to continue to provide us and our children a viable means of livlihood, years from now.
That takes a l-a-r-g-e, visionary business plan, a panoramic view of factors that you and I have neither the expertise, education or TIME to figger out, waY ouT here, where we are, not anywhere close to the brains behind eBay, and besides EVEN the financial analysts and journalists ain't gotta clue, yet, LOL......
It's just a matter of time before really good investigative journalists piece this entire thing together and figger out that eBay has changed EVERYTHING, lol!
Meantime, I think it might be wiser were we to channel our Ideals into some constructive channels, such as the email addie, [email protected]
Incidentally, I bet that this season is gonna be BIG for us, as soooooooo many e-tailers are going kapuT, as they are clueless how to sell goods on the Net whilst turnin' a profit.
I gotta get back to w0rK, as I foresee a realllllllly busy time for alla us this year end, continuing through sometime next summer.
c Ya lateR, keeP the "faith" & all that, but don't let any rose-colored glasses lead U too far astray, oKaY??
posted on September 11, 2000 12:17:38 PM new
One thing about hoping alot tho is you come down hard. Always bounce back but that coming down part really sucks.
posted on September 12, 2000 03:47:08 PM new
WHAT A GREAT IDEA!!
May I suggest getting rid of the evil "watch this auction" and also the " its now this item, thought it was that item, but I guess its really another item, yet similar to those items, doesn't even matter anymore item, because dang I can't even find the category for the item, general" categories?
