posted on June 3, 2001 07:20:36 PM new
Hi Reston Ray!
I am in the middle of a huge project myself but would like to help if I can. I own a large screen printing and fundraising company. If you need tee shirts and the like at a discount, please email me. We are also corporate trained fundraisers. Although we normally deal with schools and charities, perhaps I can help somehow.
Either way, I would still be interested in signing up. Good luck to you!
Remember - two people had to sit across a table and say, "Wouldn't it be neat if we could have auctions on the internet?"
posted on June 4, 2001 03:00:27 AM new
This is really great! It is not only a great idea, but the thread is loaded with a lot of very positive enthusiasim. Count me in and I would love a T-shirt AND the all important coffee cup! Any friend of Bill's is a friend of mine! My email is [email protected].
posted on June 4, 2001 04:11:29 AM new
I think it is a good idea to start expanding and refining. I love it!
Just a thought Ray. Imagine some dealers at the Chantilly Big Flea wearing your t-shirts or passing out brochures to their friends at the other booths? Maybe
taking a stack back to PA, New Jersey or
Delaware to spread the news at shows there?
I don't sell at the Flea or other shows because so many have new chemical finishes on their antiques. But, I can "fetch 'n carry" and wouldn't mind getting the items to a couple dealer's motel rooms before the show, or meeting them the morning of one of the shows.
posted on June 4, 2001 10:54:04 AM new
I haven't seen this much positive energy in one place since MAM was taking hold.
Before any misunderstandings become established I would like to clarify a few points.
This is not my idea. It is only my expressing some of the collective thoughts and opinions that I have benefited from reading and hearing from other sellers.
I don't have answers. In many cases I don't even fully understand the questions.
There is a movement of sellers taking place, with or without me, and the most I can be is a waterboy that helps them on their journey.
No one needs or wants self appointed leaders. But someone who provides a room for you to meet in and makes coffee might be appreciated.
Doing this wasn't in my plans a week ago. I don't have the knowledge, experience or money to get it done. That's fortunate because I will have to let you do it. Among you is all the talent and desire that will be needed to make this happen in whatever form the concessus reaches.
I'm opening a web site, hopefully within the week, that will allow you to have a place to continue on in reaching a concessus of what you want.
I will give it some structure and an initial outline so that there is a starting point but you will have to change and shape it into whatever it becomes.
Thank you for the offers of help. There is so much to do that I don't know where to begin and I'm not clear even on what to ask for help to get done. This will work its self out and I'll be knocking on you door for assistance before long.
This is only about you working together to bring about what you want. The rest is just background noise and minor details.
If I left tomorrow something would still happen. I hope I can stay for a while and enjoy being part of where you're going.
"Nothing happens unless first a dream."...
Carl Sandburg
In my opinion the first thing that needs to be done is to unite and organize our community. We need ONE meeting place and I suggest the non-profit site ONLINE AUCTION USERS ASSOCIATION (aka OAUA).
posted on June 8, 2001 12:50:00 AM new
Rather than reinventing the wheel, you might want to take a look at SmoothSale.Com and see if you can utilize the tools they already have in place to accomplish what you want. Since they have a button that can be placed on auctions (still OK on ebaY because if the seller is offline it just leads to an email form - still legal on ebaY). They might be interested in working with you on this idea, and I would be happy to help present your ideas to them. -Rosalinda
TAGnotes - daily email synopsis about the Online Auction Industry http://www.topica.com/lists/tagnotes
I have been wanting to personally email with you for sometime.
You do a great job on your site and I loved your suggestions in your article titled ebaY Cuts The Threads of The Web? FIGHT BACK!!!
I want to know how I might be able to assist you in finding all the ebaY owned companies and corporate partners, and then their user ID's.
I spoke with Dave at AuctionBytes and he sent me to SEC but when I look-up ebay filing I really don't know what I am looking for but here is one link that seemed to list quite a bit of information.
posted on June 8, 2001 06:23:08 AM new
I am using one niche auction, which is producing for us as well as eBay - of course this is a niche auction, so 90% of our items don't fit there, but we are very pleased.
We are also posting on almost every, ever heard of small auction, and are also getting sales through these.
We limit our posting on eBay, particularly since they stopped allowing us to have a link to our web site - this for us is the straw which broke the camel's back, so to speak.
We could hang with eBay’s fees, and lots of other eBay’s ridiculous rules, but stopping our web site link was it…..we will post on eBay but it will be very limited compared to the past, as we have 2 strong selling web sites, and a new one just starting, and we could and were willing to put up with eBay fees, and put up with some of their rules to get our web site links before the buying public, but without that, eBay is no more enticing than any niche auction, in fact less as all the other auction sites we use allow links, and one even shows you how to put in a link to your web site!
As a side note I see many sellers are still blatantly and in defiance of eBay’s new rules, posting their link to their web sites on eBay.
posted on June 8, 2001 06:47:54 AM new
The following is one of a series of emails I have had with ebay concerning their nolinks policy and the drival the are using to explain it. They have told me it isn't about greed, it's about protecting the public who go through ebay to another site and get burned. Like American airlines is responsible to what happens to you in LA after you leave the airport!!
""""""Thank you for your reply Pascal, as I look at over my $450 ebay bill for the month, I find it unacceptable. I understand that prethought responses have to be made up and dictated to people but your arguments are illogical and without merit. The fact ebay users could leave ebay and expect to be covered by ebay protection is illogical.
The fact remains your direct customers and the people who pay your salaries are THE SELLERS, ebay needs to lose it's enforcement arm and get an arm that helps THE SELLERS. Do you guys even read auction watch? It would bother me that the people who pay my bills were refering to me as "Big Brother Ebay" and complaining about rising fees. I still can not believe I can't get mamagements attention, I'm sure I'll be kicked off for rocking the boat, but given my fees I pay, who cares. Again, no insult toward you intended Pascal, but this policy is a slap in the face of your customers, the reasons given and the direction ebay is going is Pathetic. I realize it's human tendency to dig your head in the sand due to large market share and laugh about people going elsewhere but you would think the lessons learned in the last 30 years would sink in. I have a BS MBA, have been the VP of a fortune 500 company and a Nasdaq 100 company. Surely someone at your company can look up how Ford, US Steel, Hertz, Swiss Time piece Mfg, Pizza Hut, Burger Chef, all surrendered huge chunks of their market. I await a better response. Thank You"""""
posted on June 12, 2001 10:32:45 AM new
I'm bumping this thread because some people have expressed interest and I wanted to point them to this board/thread so that they could easily find what got this started.
It's a lot easier to say "I want a house on the side of a hill" than to build it. That said, I'm finding doors keep opening that I never knew existed.
I don't want a tent that will blow over in the first strong wind so it will take a while for things to get in place but even if it's just one brick laid ever day we're heading in the right direction.
More soon.
Help Make eBay # 2 (by making ourselves #1)
[ edited by reston_ray on Jun 12, 2001 10:49 AM ]
I knew I "cottoned" to you for a reason (any friend of Bill's is a friend of mine). I posted to your threads on another board but couldn't resist also posting here.
This is such a great idea and the response you are getting makes even the MAM movement look small.
I have been at eBay since Summer of 1998 and each year that goes by has hurt my sales more and more. For the first time ever, I have not listed a thing at eBay for 2 months and am seriously thinking that maybe I never will again. I make a lot less at Yahoo and other sites, but at least I am stress free from the constant watching over my shoulder because something (ebay greed machine) is overtaking me.
I do not have a B&M, or a tax id yet, and I sell from home. I left a job o Wal;l St. to do this just before the bottom starting falling out at eBay. Now I have to do the 9-5 routine once again to make ends meet (so be it...it is in my son's store for just above minimum wage..but is Wall. St. stress-free).
I want very much to be a part of this and you can couont me in. I also will purchase all the promotional material you get your hands on, will pay fees, if necessary and will help out in any capacity I can (I'm real good at making coffee and bringing the cake to the church basement).
Don't let this drop, Ray, please.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another friend of Bill's (25+)
My email is