posted on October 5, 2000 10:11:56 PM new
I've probably purchased 300 or so items via Ebay and a couple other auction sites. I've sold a few things, but I've not gotten into enjoying that process. Heck, I the manager of antique mall and I'm not a dealer.
I'm good at buying and collecting though. I have gotten tired of the auction format. It was fun and exciting at first, but it's gotten old. I'm at the point that I know how much I want to spend on an item. I don't want to bid and wait. Instead of anticipation, I'm just wanting to buy the thing.
Much easier to buy at stores and malls. Much easier to decide if I want something now. And, while I've not been completely burned an any item, lots of items are not quite what I expected, no matter how accurate a description.
I rarely bid now. I use ebay as a research tool and because I enjoy seeing merchandise I don't see all the time.
posted on October 6, 2000 12:45:52 AM new
That's pretty much the situation with all Buyers luculent, I think. Unless it is some really rare and collectable item, buying on eBay is a tedious thing . . . especially if you are buying retail, common stuff. In those cases, I am sure that all Buyers who decide that they would like it would jut much rather have a "Take It" price than waiting out the whole time. I know that it isn't the auction format espcially, but this is the direction that many Sellers and Buyers are taking eBay (see my post on the previous page near the bottom). It's too bad that eBay is so blind to the change in their Venue that is completely out of their hands. Either eBay realizes that the format has changed and accomodate it accordingly, or eBay's competitors who aren't trying to hold back Change will overrun them in the long run.
posted on October 6, 2000 02:44:04 AM new
I wonder if there is a difference in satisfaction level between those of you who treat eBay as a business [yes, PayPal, I do consider some sellers businesses and others NOT] and those of us who do it part-time as a hobby.
I am very satisfied. I can't believe the week I'm having. I get all my merchandise dirt cheap from book sales and the like. Sold a book pulled from the library booksale bin and it made 3 digits (very unusual for me!).
But I am more tickled that I sold my daughter's outgrown Halloween costume for $11. That just doesn't happen anywhere else! PLus, my buyer seems just delighted! As I am, for winning a Pikachu backpack for MY daughter at a great price without having to drive from store to store.
Many people say Yahoo is great, too, but I'm not seeing that so far. eBay is the place to be.
Have you tried Yahoo? They allow first bid wins and buy prices. That may appeal to you more if you hate the wait.
I think if Ebay would just CAN the watch feature so that people will bid early and often, it would be more exciting. I agree that with the lack of bids, even as a buyer, it isn't as exciting to buy on Ebay anymore. It's like going to a mall or superstore, looking at an item and not being able to find a salesperson to get it out of the case for a week. The brisk bidding was what was so appealing on Ebay.
The buy now feature is what is so appealing at Yahoo I think.
posted on October 6, 2000 06:40:12 AM new
I think the instant buy feature is a good idea and would like to see that implemented on ebaY.
It does a number of things it gives the buyer an idea as to what the item is worth.
They can buy it there and then eliminating the week wait.
If you have a reserve on a item it gives them an idea as to where the reserve is at.
I use reserves and low opening bids its the only way I can get bids going on the more epensive items.
I just put 2 books out at a set price no takers as of yet with 2 days to go.
If I put out a low opening bid and reserve I get bids and most will hit reserve.
The two items I have for sale with a set price I can find other book dealers selling the same item at 3 or even 5 times my price on ebaY.So I am not over priced.
Nor am I going to start an item worth 1500 hundred dollars at a 1c with no reserve and sweat bullets all week.
I have done this and its not fun sometimes it works other times it does not.
But I think the offer of an auction or instant buy is a definite positive.
posted on October 6, 2000 07:02:39 AM new
I am definitely gonna have to try something different! My hits are down. I could live with the lower bids and try to see what I might do to change my ads, but the hits are definitely way off right now. They are 1/2 or less of what would be "typical".
I keep reading that the "experts" are predicting slow sales this year in retail. Perhaps that bleeds over into our auctions.
I was hoping it would be the opposite. That though storefront sales are slow, auctions would be up as people shop for "bargains!" and the unique items for loved ones.
I used to use lower opening bids with reserves and more than 90% of the time it would reach the reserve. After they instituted the "just a dollar" reserve fee, I tried cutting back on the reserves which meant that I either had to start higher, sweat bullets that it would make it to a good point or take a chance on using a reserve and hoping that Ebay would not forget to refund my reserve--which they did last spring, but they did fix it.
I just hate having to watch every reserve auction so that I can mark it off the list when I get my fees refunded. Pain in the patootie!
But, the higher starts are not working well and if they get a bid, it isn't as good as starting lower and getting them to fight over the thing!
Yahoo has helped with the buy price and first bid wins if I want to set a price, but I have not had success over there with the true auction format. Of course, Ebay is not having much success for me right now with the true auction format either, so both may pick up in that area. I miss the heart pumping excitement of people sniping each other and bidding like crazy people over my items!
Ah well, back to the drawing board for a new strategy...
posted on October 6, 2000 10:09:37 AM new
I've used the "buy it now" prices at other sites. (I'm a grandma. Wasn't EToys invented for grandmas?) I have never liked shopping. I go to a store, get what I want, and leave. I utilize the on-line catalogs of JC Penney and other stores I'm familiar with. I know what to expect from them. I see it, pay for it, recieve it in a couple days.
On Ebay, I like searching just to see what's out there. It is not fun anymore to put in a bid, wait a week, mail a payment, wait again for up to a month. And not be sure what I'm getting no matter how great a picture or description.
It was exciting at first, now it's not. It's tedious. I love being on-line and having the whole wide world available.
Ebay has become a tiny part of that as I go farther afield.
posted on October 6, 2000 10:22:20 AM new
Novelty has definitely worn off, and way too much second-rate merchandise, high reserves, etc. as have been mentioned before.
As a buyer (antiques)I have had less and less interest in plowing through thousands of listings. My search for my particular collecting areas is getting pretty sporadic as well, where I used to be addicted and would check through the entire antiques category each morning!
Will still use for selling, but only for items that would not find ready buyers in my area, or have more collector demand becuase of specific pattern or form. I have not done any selling on ebay since April.
The group shops where I sell locally however, have had outstanding results this year. I think many people still want to handle the item personally before buying. So maybe disillusionment with on-line is good fo me?
posted on October 6, 2000 10:27:37 AM new
every time I think there is a buyer shortage I find out I'm wrong. Every now and then I have an item that is really a great seller...I list it even though I think there's no-one out there to bid on it, and...wow, 3 bids in the first hour.
I think sometimes I'm not selling what they're buying right now. I think many things sell seasonally and some things sell whatever time it is. I held something for half a year and relisted it and it sold for a crazy amount.
vintage and collectible Christmas ornaments are bringing in good money right now. It's just a matter of having the right stuff to sell or the right time to sell it.
posted on October 6, 2000 11:17:54 AM new
Howdy everyone this isn't a reply to specific thing that was said in the discussion. It is more of a summary with a possible answer at the end.
Yeah the Garage Sale Mentality, (I think I invented that new auction buzz word.) Hurts good sellers on ebay, along with dead beat bidders and whole lot of the other things that are a part of person to person online trading.
Recently a group my closer associates were conversing about ebay. Everyone seems to want know about that litigation. But we were discussing investing and valuation of markets for profitability. In the discussion this very interesting idea was thrown into the conversation.
What If ebay is and was really only a fad?
Think about it, what if ebay for the average buyer, especially during the surge of 1998 to early 1999. Was only something to do once or twice just to be able to participate in conversation about ebay at a dinner party. What if the fad had the capability of being more but the creators lacked vision? Way back in 1998 during the early days of the Sepetember IPO. I was in the ebay Q and A talking about the stock and the potential for profits to everyone. I was called silly people said the value won't stay that high etc and so on. We also talked about ways for ebay to grow and capitalize on their obvious position of strength in the industry. In November 1998, I posted a possible growth plan for ebay.
1. Get in the Credit Card Processing Business before 2nd Quarter 1999.
2. Keep traditional retailers and wholesalers at bay by spinning off a seperate site for them under the ebay brand.
3. Reinforce ebay with core operations that complement ebay's current formula.
4. Invest today for the expansion of tomorrow to meet the usage demand of growth.
Here we are in 2000 it is October two years later. They missed the credit card processing concept altogether by a whole year and lost critical market advantage to paypal. They refused to keep traditional retail and wholesalers in a seperate group thus causing a tremendous flooding of the market. Then they ruined the plan by spinning off ebay motors which was the wrong direction of the seperation concept. They have purchased core operations that do not create a synergy with the True ebay user base. Butterfields is a primary example. They failed to enhance the equipment to meet the needs of growth remember the outages during the usage surge of late 1998 to mid-1999 which still continue to this day.
See for the average person ebay is a fad. The catch is to lose the fad appearance ebay had to offer more. Instead of offering more they advertised they were more when they weren't and aren't. They went for image of more instead of the reality of more. And like the auction with the inaccurate descritption they are suffering for it.
posted on October 6, 2000 11:29:06 AM new
very good...
but there must be a real need for ebay, or something like ebay...because it is surviving, should I say thriving? Ebay is almost as good as a search engine...you can search completed items to get information and an idea of the value of thousands of items, many with pictures...I can't get that from Kovel's.
Maybe it's being kept alive because of the need of the buyers and sellers, in spite of what ebay does we just keep it going because we need it (or something like it).
I still believe it isn't an auction at all, just a modified classified section that lets you sell to the person willing to pay the most. The buyer pays what he/she's willing to pay and no more...the seller gets big profit on small investment...buyers find items they can't find in their location...and the owner gets a fee for the service.
posted on October 6, 2000 12:17:18 PM new
I agree with this garage sale mentality. I find that most buyer in gemstones are not willing to even pay wholesale. I saw a diamond for sale that had got 25% of appraised value. The appraisal was very conservative and I am sure the seller took at least a 20 to 30% loss. I have sold many stones at loss in the spring but I was selling volume so I was at least making enough of a profit to continue but I sure was not going to get rich on the items.
People who a few years ago who could never touch gemstones for wholesale are now unwilling to pay wholesale. They want things for less than cost. They want gem quality for commerical prices.
I don't blame the buyers only. Too many sellers misrepresent the value by inaccurate photos and false retail values. There are too many sellers out there who are in this for a quick buck. I know in my prime catagory the number of sellers has increased by 6X from last year at this time. The buyers can't tell whats real and whats not.
posted on October 6, 2000 02:00:56 PM new
This thread is definitly headed in the right direction, in my opinion.
Undeniably, the eBay Watch feature has killed eBay for both Sellers and Buyers.
eBay, instead of deleting the Watch feature and trying to restore the atmosphere of "auctions", instead told everyone to "Go Eat Cake" and instead concentrated on ways to saok more money from users instead of ways to increase sales.
eBay CEO or whomever is in charge of Direction seems to think that they are the ones who sets the direction of the company. What a laughable notion! Even a first-year economics major could tell you that it is the Customers who really set the direction in most cases (governement regulations do have an effect when they apply).
Now, both eBay and its Users are feeling it. Too Pig-Headed to get rid of the Watch feature problem, they act like the governement and try to tax their way into prosperity by rasing fees when possible, by creating new features that have nothing at all to do with buying and selling; i.e. that Chat Room; or when they do create a new feature, it is an In-Your-Face cost feature.
eBay could be fun once again. It does not have to be "just a fad". We could all have a great Selling and Buying season this year if only eBay would pull their heads out of their posteriors.
posted on October 6, 2000 02:03:25 PM new
overworked
I still wonder what happened to all those that invested life savings in Beanie Babies.
Smart people didn't spend their life savings on Beanies. I purchased them and sold them for enough to buy more.
The ones I was left with and have been slowly selling off have been paid for many times over. I don't care how much they sell for at this point. I've moved on.
"I have sold many stones at loss in the spring but I was selling volume so I was at least making enough of a profit to continue but I sure was not going to get rich on the items."
What?
Must be the new economy.
Get that volume up there and you could be the next amazon.com style billionaire.
posted on October 6, 2000 06:19:37 PM new
We talk to many people each day and if the subject of ebay ever comes up the most common comment we hear is "Great place to sell but I would never buy there."
Today I received a few more of my purchases and one plate that was described as "excellent" has a chip that has been reglued into it. When I wrote to the seller about it he did not even apologize. This is his response: "I would give a refund of $5.00 for plate. What do you think?" I paid over $20 for the plate plus S&H and it matches the other plate I bought from him.
A depression glass vase from another seller has had the base and edge ground but there is still a mark where the chip was. When I opened it my husband looked at me and said "When are you going to learn? ebay is a great place to sell but quit buying there."
To be fair I have been buying for almost two years and almost every few days since spring and have also had excellent sellers send me the items I expected to get when I bid on them. Many sellers I did repeat business with. The best items I got were from very new sellers with feedback under 5. Yes, buying is very tedious when things go wrong. I am not in a great hurry to bid on anything again as too many items in the glass and china categories that I favor are not described as well as they should be. I also sell on ebay.
posted on October 6, 2000 07:46:54 PM new
Not sure there is so much a shortage of buyers over all.
I am finding many no feed back buyers.
buyer are looking mainly at price not value. also because of the flood of items out there on Ebay people have forgoten That the supply of many of these items is not as endless as it seems.
Many of the antiques and collectable out there are limited in number and can not be had for a buck ebay dont have a yard sale mantality no more it has a dollar store mantality. not only do they want that Rare kings james bible at $1 start bid no reserve but they want it insured so they can claim damage and get there $1 back after they get it.
I have a few of these old kings james bibles dateing one dateing 1700 era the other 1820 I think I will hang on to them for a bit I dont have a problem with selling at all on auction and I dont have a fear of getting dead beat But even after A year I have a fear of placeing Really High end items up with a reserves and all the reserve auction I ever ran usually dont go well.
posted on October 6, 2000 08:04:05 PM new
there are more items being listed in the golf shirt category that is for sure and not an increase in buyers sooo prices are dropping. I do feel my new shirts will sell well at Christmas time next month..Gas is $2 a gallon. I do like my buyers..The number of bidders are down...Preppylady
posted on October 6, 2000 11:46:20 PM new
There are some reasons for the decrease in buyer numbers that haven't been mentioned yet.
MANY, MANY early ebay buyers were antiques/collectibles DEALERS who bought merchandise to sell in their shops, malls, and shows. When the price was right (and the merchandise was as represented), it was EASIER to buy on ebay than to hunt through dozens of garage sales, flea markets, thrift stores, auctions, etc., and the VARIETY of offerings was much broader on ebay. They also bought things for themselves, to add to their own collections, and often paid high prices just to be able to buy something they couldn't even FIND locally.
As ebay grew, the dealers found their OWN sales steadily declining in their shops, malls, and shows. THIS RELATIONSHIP WAS NO COINCIDENCE. The MORE their customers bought on ebay, the LESS their customers bought at shops, malls and shows. And as ebay grew, the more the dealers GOT BURNED on their purchases from ebay---if you don't think so, go back and read the thread here about "would you buy on ebay?".
Pretty soon, those dealers DIDN'T TRUST ebay purchases to be "as described", and they didn't NEED to buy more merchandise because they were no longer SELLING anything anyway. In fact, sales got so bad they pulled out of their malls, closed their shops, and quit doing shows altogether because they were LOSING MONEY on the rent and expenses.
Left holding all this merchandise they couldn't sell locally, what was there to do but buy a digital camera and start selling it all on ebay?
The only problem was that ALL THE OTHER DEALERS from around the country had done the exact same thing, as well as TONS of new-merchandise dealers selling everything from diamond rings to diving rings....and all their former "pickers" who quit selling locally because they could get more on ebay....and all the thrift stores they used to scour....and all the flea market vendors....and all the auctioneers....and everyone who USED to have a garage sale but now sell on ebay instead.
As all these people started selling on ebay instead of BUYING on ebay, the listings count grew and grew and grew but the number of previous buyers declined. What you have left are a limited number of long-time buyers who haven't yet been BURNED on their purchases enough, who haven't yet completed their collections enough, who haven't yet lost ALL their customers....and newbies to the internet.
And ebay can't attract ALL the internet newbies, because Yahoo, Amazon, Gold's, BidBay, and countless other auctions, as well as thousands of web stores, are all vying for the same internet dollars.
Just remember, the THRILL of the online auction purchase is gone from the newbie THE FIRST TIME he opens a package from a seller and discovers that he's been burned.
[ edited by granee on Oct 7, 2000 12:03 AM ]
posted on October 7, 2000 12:21:10 AM new
I'm not seeing a lack of bidders. I had a very good summer and started to worry a bit in September when I had a couple of bad weeks. The last 2 weeks have been the best ever for me since I started selling on Ebay a little over a year ago. I had two days this week that have been incredible. Several items have had 10-15 bids and a few surprised me and were in the $100-$200 range. I now list less stuff on Ebay and only list the best of what we have. The rest goes to Yahoo.
posted on October 7, 2000 02:15:06 AM new
I NEVER NEVER set a reserve or a minimum bid over $5. That is on items ranging from $1 to $1500 final price! I ALWAYS get what I hoped for, usually more. I tell people to set the minimum on valuable items at $5 with no reserve. The simple fact is that if you set it that low with no reserve, YOU GET WHAT THE ITEM IS WORTH. If you don't get it, then 99% of the time it wasn't actually worth what you thought it was! Ebay has been great for me lately. You have to play the game. Every once in a while a lose a bit. Seems like the bargain people are never as happy as the people who paid too much. It is bizarre.
YOU ARE RIGHT ABOUT SELLING - I do the same thing. I have been on eBay since 96, and I keep an e-mail list of all buyers, bidders, divided by the category they purchased in; we too send an extra gift with their auction buy, have an update mailing list in specific categories that is sent out from time to time, and an introduction to our Web Site flier is also sent with every item shipped.
On any major holiday we send greetings to all of our former customers, it is easy to do and appreciated.
There is more to successful selling than posting on an auction, follow up and making these bidders long time customers is true selling.
I also agree with you about Yahoo. I do a tremendous business on Yahoo, and totally based on 1st Bid Wins. Fast turn over, no cost, quick close, and move on.
^^^^
I also agree with the person who said the market at eBay was flooded with "newbies." It probably is and that is what advertising brings in. Greed! People see selling on line as a "get rich quick" avenue, and don't conceive of the time and investment it takes to have a continually growing business. After a few auctions, and they discover that this actually takes work, they drop off and another "newbie" shows up to try their hand.
This is WORK and it takes a mountain of time if you are running a great deal of auctions, and handling a full web site. If you don't enjoy it, and can't put in endless hours, don't quit your day job!
^^^^^^
I started selling customer to customer on the old Prodigy before any one knew anything about on line auctions; then I moved to the Usenet Newsgroups, and then the auctions. Naturally, back then, I did all the photographing, ad writing, posting, wrapping, shipping, etc.
With the advent of eBay and such, our volume exploded quickly, and I hired an assistant full time, she has now been with me 3 years. My assistant handles all shipping, wrapping, etc. We are now at the point of having to get her a helper. I still handle all other aspects, with a couple of exceptions which I have turned over to my better half because I just didn't have time to keep up certain areas of our web site.
Sounds wonderful doesn't it, and you are ready to run out and start posting, well let me share this, I love on line, I love typing, and I am also a multi-published author, which means I love to write. Before you jump in realize I happily spend about 15 or more hours EVERY DAY, week in and week out, in front of the computer or photographing, that is EVERYDAY!!
It is work, but for some of us it is pure fun too.
