posted on May 25, 2001 12:07:10 AM new
Sorry. I don't know anything about half.com because I have never been in there. I don't think I would like that. I like the friendships that I have made and with ebay sending out EOA's that would stop and I don't think I would like that.
posted on May 25, 2001 05:27:42 AM new
YES!!! If you want to see where eBay is heading with thier venue (format)... take a look at Half.com for the answer!
eBay will eventually roll out their own storefronts, and of course they will eventually offer their own automated check-out.
One day, (in the not to distant future) sellers (including the "big boys" will not have the opportunity of providing their own individual check-out services to accomodate their own customers OR the ability to UPSALE without eBay's greedy fingers directly in the profit pie.
One step at a time!
I will continue to list on eBay while I build up my customer base on other venues. Yesterday, I spent time listing on www.sellyouritem.com and today I will spend time listing on www.epier.com in addition to maintaining some listings on www.ebay.com because it's important to ME to let my winning bidders (customers) NOW be aware that there ARE other venues. Sure, it's some extra effort on my part... but as many folks have pointed out, it's WORK to grow and change with the times. We need to SEE what's happening and stay ahead of the game.
Not going to depend on ONE venue to sustain me, when there are a variety available right now... and RIGHT NOW, I can still find ways to inform my customers of those other venues. That might not be true in a month or two.
posted on May 25, 2001 05:28:46 AM new
Dottie- The person who answered your question probably has no idea about TOS for these big outfits.
The TOS for the USPS was stated as "private" when a reporter inquired.
I also noticed something strange on another sellers bid history on a closed Dutch auction - which I haven't seen before or since. After each bid was a link for payment and shipping information. It would appear that eBay was experimenting with a method of eliminating the EOA email. It is done through Bidpoint. : Pay Now/View Order Details
Seller:View/Update Order Details
There is another change on the listing page also, a picture hosting set up. What eBay will do is eliminate all linking before it is over. There is no way eBay can police the site, so the answer is to eliminate the ability to have links to pictures or otherwise.
[ edited by reamond on May 25, 2001 05:35 AM ]
[ edited by reamond on May 25, 2001 05:40 AM ]
posted on May 25, 2001 05:50:50 AM new
What is an "appropriate" source at eBay ? You still get different answers from different people for the same question at eBay.
But his/her answer still doesn't resolve how the big outfits can re-list a removed infringing item 4 times and not be booted off the site, nor how they can link to home sites featuring alternative purchases.
eBay is on the verge of buttoning up the site to secure "leakage" of revenue. However, they will claim it is to stem fraud.
No outside picture hosting, no EOA emails, payment only through an eBay payment system. eBay will exclusivly do everything but have possession of and ship the item.
AW, Paypal, and others are going to be put out of business. However, if Paypal was smart they would start their own auction site, they already have a lock on streamlining payments.
Many don't realize all the things a seller can do with just a "picture" link. You can change what that link is anytime even with bids. At one moment it can be a picture, the next a pop-up utility, at the next a link to off site sales.
[ edited by reamond on May 25, 2001 05:53 AM ]
posted on May 25, 2001 06:49:05 AM new
reamond: Upper Level Management.
Remember that I specifically asked about the LINKING POLICY and whether or not the Big Boys have been or will be able to negotiate their way out of abiding by them. THAT is the portion of the TOS addressed.
AND THE REST OF THIS IS JUST MY OPINION:
However, as you can tell by my other posts... I agree it's time (long overdue, in my opinion) for sellers to seriously consider incorporating other venues into their online sales.
It's TRUE that "money talks" and as a BUSINESS, eBay will follow the money - and the money is in the big businesses bellying up to eBays Platform.
I strongly believe that eBay will eventually incorporate automated check-outs, which WILL eliminate the ability of BIG BUSINESSES as well as Mom & Pops to correspond directly with thier customers in EOAs... thus effectively haulting UPSALES on outside websites.
It would also seriously change the importance of many "auction assistance" related services currently being offered around the world wide web. (some of these sites offering auction services should be honey-fuggling up to the smaller START-UP auction sites and pray they succeed... because eBay sellers will NOT have any use for them in due time, so if they're not partering on their own level to provide services to sellers on some of these smaller sites, they will simply parish).
But it's clear that eBay realizes the benefits of "tiny steps".... the big boys are no exception to this phenomenon. Clearly, eBay is still warming up to the Big Boys... WOWING THEM with the Open MarketPlace (on the backs of Mom & Pops) traffic and visions of drawing customers to their own businesses (websites). It would be foolish of eBay to bolt the doors behind them and "lock them in" too soon... before they have grown accustomed to depending on eBays "venue" (PLATFORM) for a portion of their quarterly earnings.
Just like it would have been foolish of eBay to risk seriously upsetting the Mom & Pop Sellers with restrictions (some of what we have been seeing recently) being implemented before being properly positioned to sustain any potential negative consequences that may have resulted.
I love eBay. I enjoy trading on that site... and have done very well in the past... even continue to do fairly well in some categories from time to time. As far as I can tell, eBay will ALWAYS be a part of my own sales plan. It would be foolish (especially at this point) to shun the benefits of eBays WORLDWIDE MARKETPLACE for my offerings.
This is NOT about "dawging" eBay. This is about being honest regarding the potential for long term success as an individual in Online Sales. The choices we make RIGHT NOW, will definitely effect our ability to have choices later on down the road.
Incorporating other venues into my mix of offerings is my CHOICE PLAN for long term survival via interenet sales. Even if I were enormously successful on eBay, this would be my plan. The way I see it, if there is a clear market for my items on eBay... then I'd be just as adamant about growing that success in other venues too! (think of it as a successful CHAIN of stores) *smile*
SOooo while I do believe that the Big Boys will be responsible for abiding by the new policy on links... I recognize that the revenue they will bring to eBay is going to put the Mom & Pops at a disadvantage early on, when it comes to AFFORDING the eBay Storefronts, and Banner Ads linking directly to those eBay hosted storefronts... ultimately, Automated Check-outs from the Storefronts, Buy It Nows and Regular Listings will squelch the UPSALES for these big businesses, but not before they are HOOKED... (and perhaps, if they've "negotiated TOS contracts" they might not be in the position to WALK AWAY from eBay as easily as the Mom & Pops can).
posted on May 25, 2001 08:22:44 AM new
I agree with Dottie.
Paypal, AW, and other could get shut out real quick - like over night. And not having or wishing to use a credit card for online purchases is not an problem. eBay's payment system will clear checks and MOs too.
posted on May 25, 2001 11:14:45 AM new
No doubt bigger corporations will get some perks, like discounted listings. But to suggest that eBay will allow any seller to offer trademark-infringing items is incorrect. That's what the DCMA is all about, and eBay would assume liability. In the case of the USPS, they may get a few more nudges and warnings than the rest of us, but not license to sell what amounts to illegal items.
I, too, will list a few items on SYI.com. It looks like the best alternative at this point, and maybe within a year or two it will be a "real" auction site.
posted on May 25, 2001 11:30:19 AM new
A few observations on how the major corporations handle their inventory.
Wal~Mart and the rest of the "big boys" have
a truly unfair advantage over nearly any small enterprise because they do not pay for their inventory, until it is sold.
For example Wal~Mart sells a blue widget for $10.00 they order 1,000 of these and they receive them into inventory.
They pay $7.50 for the widget same as I do.
They have net 30 days to pay. If at the end of the 30 days they have not all sold Wal~Mart returns the unsold portion.
Of course, they do not really send them back. They are listed (on their computers and the wholesalers computers) as returned and then (again only on the computers) ships the same blue widgets back again.
This means since Wal~Mart does not have any of their cash at risk or tied up in inventory. They can afford to sell their widget really cheap.
The wholesalers sell to Wal~Mart at the same price as any other customer, to keep from getting unto trouble with the FTC and other regulatory agencies.
No I can't compete with this, no one can. I have hundreds and hundreds of dollars tied up in inventory. I am not a 30 day net customer, I am not allowed to return anything without paying a restocking fee.
posted on May 25, 2001 12:27:32 PM new
twinsoft- my suggestion regarding reposting infringing items after they have been pulled was not to suggest that the big outfits are "permitted" to sell infringing items.
My point was that if any small seller made such a "mistake" several times, they would have been history on eBay.
will not have the opportunity of providing their own individual check-out services to accomodate their own customers OR the ability to UPSALE without eBay's greedy fingers directly in the profit pie.
