posted on May 16, 2001 12:35:13 PM
Hi Dottie. I agree with your assessment. I don't think the average Mom & Pop seller is causing eBay to lose much income from off-eBay sales. Unfortunately, eBay's solution to problems always seem to be blanket ones which include the entire community, not just the source of the problem.
In this case the problem is with SOME but not ALL of the LARGE volume sellers and there's no question that the previous linking rules (or lack of) create the possibility for abuses of the auction listing page which will cause eBay to lose money through off-eBay sales. Also, as you've already noted, the BIG GUYS that eBay wishes to snare will most certainly abuse the present system. I understand this and think the linking problem needed to be addressed by eBay. However, I think their solution will further harm and alienate the Mom & Pop sellers and so I have to really wonder if this is their intention. I can't help but feel that eBay doesn't envision the small seller as being a necessary part of their site in the future and I believe this to be a major mistake on their part.
IMO, the Mom & Pop seller is eBay's very backbone and by continuing to alienate them by imposing broad site rules that impede their ability to make a profit on the site is a serious blunder. The eBay "suits" that make these decisions are either incompetent OR they know exactly what they're doing and I'm not sure which scenario is worse. Either way, the small seller is the loser.
If eBay values the Mom & Pop seller then why don't they do something that will benefit THEIR business for a change?
posted on May 16, 2001 02:06:05 PM
Dottie and Blanche, very well stated!
I don't think the problem with the eBay suits is incompetence necessarily, but I also do NOT believe they "know exactly what they're doing." I think the problem is that a general lack of understanding/knowledge on their staff about mom-and-pop selling, or even more specifically, selling of collectibles/vintage/antiques. They are attempting to impose blanket policies that are probably more appropriate for the mass marketeers and larger scale "abuses" that may take place, but without taking into account the important distinctions between the different selling genres.
I've said this in other threads -- I don't believe eBay has done their homework. They are operating on faulty premises that somehow website hoppers are taking something away from eBay -- that website visitors would otherwise spend that time on eBay, or would otherwise spend those dollars on eBay. As a website owner of unique vintage items and an eBay Bronze Level Powerseller of same, I can say with assurance that there are very important distinctions in the clientele between the two selling venues, at least with the kinds of merchandise I sell. That has an impact on how I determine what to list on eBay vs. my website.
Perhaps this new linking policy will not have an appreciable effect on my website sales. Time will tell. If it does, does eBay really think that will somehow induce me to market my better items through them -- incurring many reserve dollars, listing fees and photo gallery fees -- rather than my website? Does eBay really think I will be tempted to use their storefront? Not a chance. I will either find more effective ways to draw traffic to my website (and perhaps the time has come to do that anyway), or I might become even less willing to risk listing certain items on eBay if I don't have the ability to draw sufficient traffic to my website, or I might decide that returning to the corporate 9-5 work world is the thing to do. For the past two years I've enjoyed having website/eBay as my primary income, as it has given me the flexibilty to spend more time with my son before he graduated high school, as well as have more time to play at things I want to.
Certainly this is eBay's "sandbox" and they can do whatever they want, but once again, they are attempting to impose a "solution" without having adequately identified and researched the "problem."
posted on May 16, 2001 09:55:10 PM
maybe the "BIG" Guys are trying to OUST the Webtv. people...! Honesty.com has done the same thing...NO Webbers we helped them by telling others about them, and this is the "thanks" we get..we're getting the squeeze out first! So this way Stock will be cheap,
and the BIG GUYS come in and "steal" the Company...(and we'e out on our ear) My Webtv. did exactly what I wanted it to do,
Sell on eBay, Image Host with Honesty, and Answer Emails... Now, I have to think about a Computor..NOTHING IS OUT THERE FOR US WEBBERS SINCE HONESTY.COM KICKED US OUT!
Anyone out there that wants to Start A Business with Computors, this would be a GREAT STARTING PLACE..."A Site for Webbers"
where we can host images like we did on Honesty.com....Crowhack!
