posted on June 5, 2001 10:21:49 AM
Have any of you been using Goto since they became Channelfusion? What do you think of the service? Is it more reliable now that they use the eBay API?
posted on June 5, 2001 12:54:44 PM
I think they made a movie...
Anyhoo...in all seriousness:
We ARE NOT ALLOWED to comment about AW's competition.
My personal opinion (derived from 18 mos of experience) is as follows:
1) The API makes a HUGE difference. I would never NOT use it ever again!
2) eBay will (in the near future) make it close to impossible for 3rd party mgmt programs to launch sans the API...therefore...
3) EVENTUALLY, all will have to ante up the moola for it!
posted on June 5, 2001 09:37:06 PM
tomwiii is a %$#$%@ who made %$#$%@ comments and %$#$%@ demands at Channelfusion. I wouldn't pay any attention to him. The service they offer is somewhat different than the service here at AW. You should try each one of them yourself and evaluate which one would be more appropriate for you. I find value in each service.
[ edited by petertdavis on Jun 5, 2001 09:38 PM ]
posted on June 6, 2001 04:30:00 AMjoice: THANKS for the clarification; seems news to me!
petertdavis: ??what "demands"??? That they provide the level of service they had been providing?
I use CF for everything! And I use AW for the FIXED-PRICED storefronts.
I like to launch from CF because the launches are INSTANT due to their API subscription. However, over the past 6 weeks, all other aspects of the site have SLOWED dramatically for myself & many others -- mainly, I think, cable & DSL users, and nobody is quite sure WHY!
posted on June 6, 2001 09:46:12 AM
IMHO, CF is giving better service than they had been providing. It's just in your head that things are slow, or whatever else it is that you think is wrong. Probably a result of the fact that they started charging for their service. You should realize, though, that any internet service, whether it's CF, AW, or whatever, that gives away their product/service for free isn't a good business to bet on. One of the reasons I use CF more now than I did in the past is because of their fees. A set monthly fee is far more viable as a business plan than listing fees or final value fees like AW charges. I don't know how AW's CFO can project any kind of income when they're completely dependant (for their income) on when and how much their customers list items for auction.
You are very correct about the API. I too suspect that services that don't use the API are going to become less reliable, and maybe even cease working. However, there are still some things that AW does much better than CF, like these forums for example.
posted on June 6, 2001 12:37:38 PMpetertdavis: sorry, but I kinda disagree. Up until 6 wks ago, ALL cf pages loaded FAST for me on my cable connection.
With the move, the pages have dramatically SLOWED-DOWN for me and many others. Launching is still INSTANT & that's what keeps me with them.
Very few OTHER sites of any type load as slow as CF does for me -- most pages are lightning fast...I love cable!
posted on June 6, 2001 07:22:43 PM
petertdavis: I find your posts on this message string VERY disrespectful of another AW member and wish you would stop attacking individuals and address the issue.
I've found CF to be VERY slow, too. And it's just "not in my head".
As for pay or free, I think CF was a much better product when it was free. It seemed to work faster and better than it does now.
There's also the expectation and promise that, now that people are paying for the service, enhancements would be added and they have not.
And those thoughts seem to be shared by other CF members and are clearly evident on their discussion boards.
Before anyone considers CF, I strongly suggest you talk to a sampling of people who use it.
posted on June 6, 2001 09:32:58 PM
ecom, if you find my remarks in this thread offensive you might want to consider getting rid of your internet connection! There's far, far worse stuff out there on the internet. Beside, I think that most people realize that my use of "%$#$%@" was a satirical reference to tomwiii's first post on the subject, and not a personal attack.
The main purpose of my post is to point out that I believe that what was posted about CF is disinformation. CF problems seem to happen to a vocal few people, with most of the users being unaffected. As I stated, in order to make a decision on which service(s) to use, everyone should actually try them out in person. tomwiii and I disagree about the level of the problems on CF, and anyone who is considering useing that service should realize that there are two sides to that. By only reading what tomwiii (and any others who agree with him) says, you're getting a distorted view.
One question for tomwiii (or anyone else who has an answer). How are you launching your auctions with CF, but using AW's storefront? I've actually tried to figure out how to do this, but was under the impression that auctions had to be launched from AW to get them into the AW storefront.
posted on June 7, 2001 04:48:07 AMpetertdavis: to clarify...I use the AW Storefronts for FIXED-PRICED ITEMS only. Very nice! For my eBay gallery, I use MY AUCTION GALLERY -- looks very classy & has EXCELLENT cs from the owner, Steve. For my Yahoo gallery, I use Auctiva Showcase. Thus, all my Galleries are separated & none of the venues can b***h!
posted on June 7, 2001 05:03:26 AM
I went in to relist auctions 8 days before the fees were to begin, and was blocked from my account until I registered my CC#.
I liked the fast launch, but disliked the amount of screens I had to go through to list.
posted on June 7, 2001 07:53:30 AM
Thanks for the clarification Tom. Yes, CF is playing catch-up on the storefront thing. As of right now, I like the AW storefront best, though I haven't used it a whole lot. I'm not sure what exactly the benefit would be, launching auctions from CF and having a fixed price storefront on AW. You can't advertise it in your eBay auctions. I have a regular website anyway, which is just as easy to set up and maintain.
I was also remembering what you were saying about the slowness of CF. IIRC, it was the people who have thousands of images that were experiencing slowness. I usually buy items by the hundreds, and sell them off one by one, so I don't have a whole lot of different images slowing down my load times. This may be something to consider if you're thinking of using CF as a host for thousands of images. I don't know how the image hosting at AW compares, I haven't heard anything about it either.
posted on June 7, 2001 08:14:01 AM
Hi there,
I don't have any images on CF and yet the site was slow for about a week, even on my DSL line. Anyway, things seem to be back to normal. In my opinion, CF is the best auction manager for the money. For me, the main thing is that I have 1000's of auctions on Amazon that are set to auto-relist. CF will import these auctions for me which allows any invoicing, etc. that is needed on the successful auctions, even though the auctions were not listed thru CF.
posted on June 7, 2001 10:42:12 PM
I use CF, and the instant launch is awesome. They are behind AW on the storefront, and I've thought of using tomwiii's method for fixed price.
I've read the threads about CF slowness, though I haven't experienced it at all. I don't agree with peterdavis that it is all in user's heads. I think that CF has just instituted a project to discover the cause of the slowness. Like any internet service, they have trouble identifying intermittent problems.
peterdavis is right, the only way to tell is to try the services. Each has strengths and weaknesses. I don't know if AW will get the API (direct access to eBay's database), but there will continue to be frustrations if they don't.
posted on June 8, 2001 08:31:41 AM
Like it. Have used it for over a year. Got the $10.00 per month flat rate and NO final value or other fees!!!! I usually have 60-100 auctions running with hundreds of photos in storage on their site. May have some faults, but all services do, for the price it suits me fine.
posted on July 25, 2001 11:24:02 AM
Ok just signed up for CF and compared to AW it sucks BIG TIME. Worst part is the speed or LACK OF SPEED on the site. It takes forever to get anywhere on the site. DONT WASTE YOUR TIME ON CF!!! Im glad its free right now bcuz I wouldnt pay anyting for that service. They could improve alot....
Best thing about them is the price. Other than that its a waste of internet space.
posted on July 25, 2001 01:10:54 PM
Like many auction services, Channel Fusion has a set of terms of service which are totally off-putting. Basically they take no responsibility for anythng that happens at anytime for any reason and can boot you off without notice and keep all your work.
I emailed their legal department to ask what happens to my money and work should they go under, using the link in the tos, but to date have not heard a thing.
Ever since the Photopoint debacle in which for five days we had no idea if our photos were gone forever, I am extra wary of all these services. And I am totally aggravated that the tos are so one sided. They want my credit card and money bad enough. But as long as these outfits take little responsibility for running their services reliably, and usually lack fair recourse for non delivered services. I will use them as little as possible.
If I ever get a legal clarification from Channel Fusion on customer safeguards, I will consider their services.
posted on July 25, 2001 01:35:11 PM
litlux, the things you mention about their terms are standard. Any company can decide not to do business with you at any time, without the need to state a reason. You have the same problem if ANY company you're dealing with goes out of business, whether it's CF, AW, or your local power company. If you pay month to month, the most you can be out is one month's fees, same with any of these services. You should keep a backup of your important files, whether you use a service or not, your hard drive is as likely to crash as a business is to go bankrupt (especially if you use a Quantum hard drive).
I'm not sure why you would expect more of a "legal clarification" from CF than you would with any other company. You're using ebay, right? Do you really expect any company to do you over any worse than they do?
If you want a faster, better answer from CF, you should e-mail their customer support and ask for Steve. As always, I suggest people to try both CF and AW, and decide which one works best for you. Both services have their strong points and weak points.
posted on July 25, 2001 08:19:59 PM
The fact that Channel Fusion's terms are typical is subject to debate. I am one of the few who reads things before signing them and I think the lawyers went overboard. Of course, I don't have to do business with a company that states terms that are excessive.
Indeed, I chose not to do business with Channel Fusion, and several other companies based not only on their terms, but their response to my inquiry.
The fact that Channel Fusion has not replied is damning enough by itself; while I appreciate your referral to customer service is appreciated, the tos are clear that nobody is allowed to change any of their terms.
What I am trying to get at is whether a company is customer oriented or not. It is clear to me by the lack of response to my query, directed to the proper department that Channel Fusion is not.
How quickly Channel Fusion would remind me "caveat emptor" should it suit their purposes; I am simply exercising due diligence before handing over my money.
Unlike some (not all) brick and morter entities, dot coms tend to go out of business without any notice at all; I am looking for companies that will provide assurances of advance notice of major changes, a fair thing to ask in this volatile marketplace.
I may be unrealistic in my expectations, but as the saying goes, screw me once, shame on you, screw me twice, shame on me. Like many others, I have been screwed on line, and my attitude has changed to one of cautious reluctance.
[ edited by litlux on Jul 25, 2001 08:25 PM ]
posted on July 26, 2001 06:43:43 AM
litlux, if you explained how ChannelFusion "screwed" you, you might appear a bit more sane to those of us who don't understand why you're going off on this tangent.
posted on July 26, 2001 09:16:33 AM
I have been very happy with CF's services. Peter has the best advice - try it and see if it works for you. I used AW for years, too, and it has it's strengths. CF's strength is in its support and open communication. The API interface is great, and AW will have that soon, too. We'll have to see if either organization follows eBay into supporting the big retail giants over the small sellers.
posted on July 26, 2001 09:28:04 AM
...whatever...
CF works great for me! If ya want to pull out, they refund a pro-rata portion of the yearly fee.
I like the auction creation & launch aspects. And the PSM works for my needs, as they give you a CHOICE (buyers can go to a page & enter info; or ya can simply send emails...which is what I do).
There are NO ADS! No pop-ups or pop-unders, or popping-fresh!
The major problem recently has been speed of navigating the site for many (it seems like only) BROADBAND users! Some days CF is slow & some days it's fast! Seems to be related to a server move they did about 2 mos ago -- but nobody knows for sure!
