victoria
|
posted on July 24, 2001 08:55:39 PM new
So, should we start a pool as to when AW will kick its fees up another notch? I'm betting before the Christmas rush, say halfway through September?
Victoria
I don't mind that the dot.coms think I'm stupid. It doesn't matter to me what they think.
I just wish they'd stop TELLING me they think I'm stupid.
|
REAMOND
|
posted on July 24, 2001 09:14:18 PM new
Moderator- this thread is inappropriate for this forum - please move it to the AW Services Board.
|
joice
|
posted on July 24, 2001 09:22:06 PM new
REAMOND,
Whenever there is a big announcement in a change at AW it usually is announced on this board. Sorry you disaprove. Please email the moderators rather than post to this thread if you wish to discuss it.
Joice
[email protected]
|
kiawok
|
posted on July 24, 2001 09:27:35 PM new
|
uaru
|
posted on July 24, 2001 09:31:49 PM new
They caved in to eBay. So what? Welcome to the real world.
You don't mind if some of us feel sad about it. It is a loss for everyone in the long run (excluding eBay.)
|
REAMOND
|
posted on July 24, 2001 09:49:34 PM new
When the elephants dance, it is the ants that get crushed.
|
kerrigirl
|
posted on July 24, 2001 10:13:18 PM new
ALRIGHT! YEA!
Another company to fold to ebay's wishes!
We should ALL celebrate, sometime next year we will be seeing...
AUCTIONWATCH.COM: An EBay Company.
Way to go, AW! Your stockholder will be happy sometime next year!
|
nanntique
|
posted on July 24, 2001 10:21:14 PM new
OK AW
When will we see the inproved interface with eBay listing take effect?
When and what other services are anticipated and expected timeframe for cut-ins?
And finally, when should we be expecting you to raise your rates to cover you eBay service payments????????
|
paulgoodmanjr
|
posted on July 24, 2001 10:39:12 PM new
For the past 8 months I have used AW search at least 8 hours every day in buying my inventory. It was the best search engine I have used. Today is a dark day. AW obviously does not see it comming. I predict that within 13 months from today that AW will be in bad financial trouble or for sale or closed. They have just killed their goose that was laying their golden egg.
|
tomwiii
|
posted on July 25, 2001 03:00:32 AM new
I really think you guys should be doing a HAPPY DANCE about this change!
Everyday I read the threads about "processing...processing..."
The change you're going to see is extremely DRAMATIC!
Category changes and other eBay landmines will roll off your backs! You'll laugh at other sellers, as your auctions launch flawlessly each & every time in ONE SECOND!
Search may be dead... but the API will make you
[ edited by tomwiii on Jul 25, 2001 03:01 AM ]
|
NothingYouNeed
|
posted on July 25, 2001 04:29:43 AM new
I think the importance of the Universal Search feature to AW's bottom line is being a bit overstated in this thread. Yes, lots of people use Universal Search and lots of people love it. But they don't pay for it. AW's financial health depends on providing fast and trouble-free auction launching and management services which people do pay for.
Yes, in the short run, AW will lose some goodwill and some revenue (probably inconsequential) from advertising on the search pages. This will presumably be more than covered by a growth in paying customers using the auction management services plus the huge increase in satisfaction on the part of current customers.
I personally think this was a no-brainer decision for AW.
Gerald
"Oh but it's so hard to live by the rules/I never could and still never do."
-edited for early morning typos-
[ edited by NothingYouNeed on Jul 25, 2001 04:31 AM ]
|
ebaypowersellergold
|
posted on July 25, 2001 05:04:15 AM new
NothingYouNeed, OK, so how DOES AW make their money? People listing auctions. People shopping at AW stores, etc.
If you give up the BIGGEST driver of traffic to your site (universal search), how long do you think it will take before shopping at AW stores decreases?
As they take on extra cost of API & pass it along to auction listers, how long do you think it will take to drive people away, especially when they're no longer selling things from their storefronts because traffic is down?
AW has a "niche" that is on shaky ground. They need traffic. It's nice to offer inventory management, convenient auction listings, storefronts, etc., but those are all available from many other places (all at fairly low cost.) TRAFFIC, TRAFFIC, TRAFFIC keeps buyers & sellers on a site. They just gave up TRAFFIC DRIVER #1! We'll see. I predict the death spiral will now take 1-2 years, but is now inevitable.
Start hedging your bets those of you "reliant" on AW. Expect fee increases. Expect lower traffic. We'll see who's right. It may take a year or two, but we'll see if AW made the right decision.
|
NothingYouNeed
|
posted on July 25, 2001 05:39:57 AM new
I would imagine that most traffic to the AW site comes from links in eBay auctions posted by AW users. Once in the site, they are free to search storefronts and can come back directly to search storefronts at any time.
Everyone I know uses Universal Search to look for stuff on all the other auction sites because searching them individually is a waste of time. But they all start with eBay and do their searches there because it is productive.
A faster more efficient launching service will attract more sellers to AW. More sellers with links in their eBay auctions will mean more traffic to the AW site. More visits to the AW site will translate into more people coming back directly to AW to search storefronts.
I only use eBay and don't use Buy it Now or sell stuff directly from a storefront, so maybe I'm not in tune with the type of seller who does business via the storefront. But this is just my opinion and only time will tell if I am right or not.
I still think eBay is making a mistake by forcing AW to stop putting eBay listings in the Universal Search. And I think the sellers should be screaming at eBay and not AW for blocking the hits and sales that result from the Universal Search. I still don't buy the explanations of why eBay is opposed to it because they make no sense to me.
Gerald
"Oh but it's so hard to live by the rules/I never could and still never do."
|
capotasto
|
posted on July 25, 2001 06:39:43 AM new
"Whenever there is a big announcement in a change at AW it usually is announced on this board. Sorry you disaprove."
And when the rest of us post a topic that only relates to ebay in a tangential way we are told to get over to some other board.
"Please email the moderators rather than post to this thread if you wish to discuss it. "
As I said...
|
dervari
|
posted on July 25, 2001 06:49:34 AM new
If someone is soliciting information about other search engines which search eBay, how are they a competitor? Since you don't search eBay anymore, they would be offering a totally different service.
|
petertdavis
|
posted on July 25, 2001 06:52:35 AM new
I see that mostly everyone is focusing on the loss of the universal search. I, however, want to ask for some clarification on the following statement:
"As a Preferred eBay Provider, AuctionWatch will also launch several new services for our larger customers. AuctionWatch is dedicated to building exceptional sales management tools for the entire spectrum of sellers on eBay. We are continuing to support, maintain, and enhance our current tools - Auction Manager and Auction Manager Pro to meet the needs of each of our sellers. As we broaden our product offering, we will still be working on and building quality tools and services for our existing sellers."
-Does this mean that only AW's "larger customers" will be offered the level of service associated with the ebay API?
-When you say AW will continue to "support, maintain, and enhance" Auction Manager, will that enhancement include the integration of the ebay API?
-When you write that you will "broaden our product offering" does that mean that there will be different levels of service, for example, the "larger customers" getting the API and the smaller customers getting the continued support of Auction Manager?
I hope I'm just reading too much into this, it would be nice to see what AW can do implementing the ebay API into Auction Manager.
|
ATFL
|
posted on July 25, 2001 04:17:54 PM new
UNIVERSAL SEARCH - WITHOUT EBAY - FORGET IT!
What? No eBay in the search results? This is madness! My main reason for using AW was the Universal Search tool. As eBay comprises the vast majority of the results this tool has become next to useless. I am horrified and feel betrayed. By no stretch of the imagination can it be called "UNIVERSAL SEARCH" any more.
I used to recommend AW widely - but this is a disaster and I now feel I want to avoid people I introduced to eBay.
AW signed an agreement with eBay? It sounds more like and out-of-court settlement! It is quite obvious that the customer comes last.
Yours very disappointedly.
Alwyn
|
rubys100
|
posted on July 25, 2001 05:46:06 PM new
Oh Lord, I can see the next news flash now- "Ebay buys AW!"
That would resolve ebay's imaging problems and Mister Lister, etc., etc.
|
cdnbooks
|
posted on July 25, 2001 05:51:31 PM new
[ edited by cdnbooks on Jul 26, 2001 05:31 AM ]
|
Microbes
|
posted on July 25, 2001 05:53:48 PM new
AuctionWatch and eBay announced today
Well, it might have been the Wall Street Journal (where most ebayers get their news  ), but NOWHERE on eBays site could I find them announcing this.
I'd say this marriage is off to a good start.
Who Need's a stink'n Sig. File?
|
tuition44years
|
posted on July 25, 2001 10:26:23 PM new
I don't use Universal Search because the last time I did (awhile ago) hardly anything but ebay items came up.
What I would love to see is the addition of some of the small sites that have been around X amount of time or have X number of listings (or meet some criteria) included in search.
AW always said there was no room for those sites .. well, I would expect they have PLENTY of room now.
Given the number of ebay sellers that are looking for alternative auction sites, this would be an excellent opportunity for AW to draw that rather large group here. I WOULD use Universal Search if it included SYI, and ??? (can't even think of the names of other sites right now). Think about it .. how many buyers, not to mention sellers, know these sites exist? How many who do are going to go to each individual site and search for a particular item more than once when the result of searching 5 sites (for example) turns up 6 items total .. all at the last site they search.
If I want to search ebay, I go to ebay. I'd LOVE to be able to do a one stop search for OTHER sites.
Just my 2 cents!
Lynne
|
paulgoodmanjr
|
posted on July 25, 2001 11:50:25 PM new
I have left 4 messages and none show up. I am paying $15 a month for a foreign search engine. I would have paid AW. The team group or cabal at AW has missed a huge source of income in not charging a little something for their search program and they are signing their own death warrent as the lack of traffic to their site will adversely effect their small sellers. When you go in to the barn yard and step into something you can admit that you messed up or you can put out a one party press release saying we wone but we are loosing a huge part of our audience. Regards, PG.
|
tiggressoflove
|
posted on July 26, 2001 04:56:21 AM new
e-mail on
|
kafy4x4
|
posted on July 26, 2001 05:33:57 AM new
I agree with 44yrs, now that eBay is not going to be part of the universal search, there is lots of room to add the new sites and older ones that don't get caught in their search. Let eBay become isolated in their own little world. I for one would like to see such sites a Bidville, Bargin and Haggle, Carnaby, ePier, and some of the others added to the mix. Lets spread this market a little wider than just one dominating, over bearing, pusy, demanding, constantly changing, expensive site!
|
deckbuilder
|
posted on July 26, 2001 07:16:03 AM new
Why is AW doing what they are doing. Once you put aside the unionistic view that it's us against them "down with the capatilist pigs" and look at things the way they really are, - businesses looking out for what's good for them. That goes for both Ebay and AW. AW needs to legitimize, ebay needs to secure control.
Bandwidth is a problem - but not the issue for Ebay. It's control of their property. In their view, our auctions are their property. They are the basis of their business, the core of their market value. Legally, if they don't defend their rights (the ones they have and the ones they claim) - they lose them.
BTW: The whinning about someone copying our (uncopyritten) auction descriptions and images is the shoe on the other foot.
Conclusion: Our auctions are the basis of ebay worth. They do need us. Ebay is the basis of our business - we need it. This arena is going to continue to evolve and there is no stopping it. Case in point ebayStores. It will take work to refocus, but there is really an opportunity there to mutually benefit - work on it.
Every chage has opportunity - look for it. AW's listing tools are about to improve. Isn't that great news!!!
I can't believe I said That?!!
|
veebee
|
posted on July 26, 2001 07:43:57 AM new
I read yesterday that auctionwatch is coming out next month with a plan for large sellers.
I can't remember which newsgroup i seen it on..I thought there would be something on these boards about it, but haven't seen a thing.
i start out at refdesk and read all the tech news from various sources and i spotted it on znet or cnet or somewhere.
|
and25cents
|
posted on July 26, 2001 07:54:38 AM new
Here's a link to a short Wall Street article on the Ebay Preferred Provider Program - AW is mentioned in last paragraph (may be where you Veebee saw the Large Seller snippet)
http://public.wsj.com/sn/y/SB995935919901004131.html
and here's an interesting little article about a court case Ebay vs Auction Search Site
Things are becoming much clearer now
If these links are against AW rules to post, I apologize in advance. I'm still learning
Rosie
|
and25cents
|
posted on July 26, 2001 07:57:30 AM new
oops.. either it was immediatley edited out or I forgot to paste - here it is again - and if it doesn't show, then I guess it's a no-no
http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/7883.html
|
and25cents
|
posted on July 26, 2001 07:58:51 AM new
[ edited by and25cents on Jul 26, 2001 07:59 AM ]
|
tomwiii
|
posted on July 26, 2001 07:59:57 AM new
...won't even getcha a cuppa joe anymore!
|
