posted on May 11, 2001 04:24:49 AM new
We all know that BidBay promotes a ton of different contests and games with prizes. Bidville did one contest in the beginning, but has done no more. I have not seen any contests on Epier, but I am not sure, if they have ever had any. Yahoo is having a contest, right now.
My question: As a seller, would you rather the auction site promote in a different way?
My answer: I would rather that the alternative auction sites promote business thru advertising. This brings up another thought...why would you run a commercial only in the state of California? I have sold many times to people in California, but no larger a percentage than some of the eastern states.
Another question: As a buyer, did these contests bring you to this auction site and are they the reason you stay or have left?
My answer: These contests and games seem childish to me. They do not lure me in, as a matter of fact, they turn me away.
posted on May 11, 2001 05:09:49 AM new
I actually agree with deichen. What is this world coming to??? The majority of those contests are just scams. What Bidville contest are you referring to, the referral bonus program? That was actually a pretty good one, all be it very brief.
posted on May 11, 2001 05:37:22 AM new
Yes, the Bidville one was about referrals, they had $25,000 (I could be wrong on the total) and when it was gone, it ended. I guess it really wasn't a contest.
posted on May 11, 2001 06:24:19 AM new
I can, perhaps, see these second tier auction sites favoring contests with the idea of attracting users, rather than conventional advertising.
And, heck, even Yahoo!Auctions isn't "advertising", having failed to attract users from across their network as promised. They are now comfortably running a "contest" in recognition of their second tier status.
posted on May 11, 2001 07:06:24 AM new
I would prefer cash sales to contests. People have a better chance at winning the lottery than one of the contests at BidBay, for example. (I don't know of any other site that runs contests, because they are illegal in some states)
There are too many variables. You have users that sit home 24/7 and click on auctions to find a piece of clip art (that, btw, doesn't even look like the clip art they tell you to look for and it's not even in the right place!) These same users are the ones that list 5000 common sports cards for .10 and 5000 copyrighted recipes from books for funny money to win contest after contest every month. You can almost know beforehand who the winners are going to be. To tell users they are doing a random drawing is just plain ludicrous. They're no more doing random drawings than they did before. The same people are winning the randoms.
Do they have licenses in every state to run these contests? Some states say contests are illegal. Are they aware that they are promoting illegal contests in some states?
eBay doesn't run any contests. Rather they reward people for answering questions on the boards. It saves them time and money to have users help each other and it's a nice incentive for the user to help. The money is credited to the account. Many people have never had to pay fees because of this nicety.
But it's not a contest! It's a random, unannounced reward.
posted on May 11, 2001 07:37:02 AM new
The contests are a joke and show the mentality of the entire sight. Most of the folks there that are somewhat serious sellers are in favor of doing away with the contests. Actually the idea behind the contests in the beginning was to draw in new bidders. It did not work. Now the only bidders are the sellers. They could maybe call it "Bidbay swap meet?" But now the contests are there to appease the masses and to distract from the real issues. Massive problems???? Image hosting problems? people complaining about no sales? Hey let's appease them with a new contest and that will buy a little more time. Bidbay would have been better off to have spent that contest money on a reputable ad agency to promote their sight and bring in new bidders. The car tour was supposed to do the same thing, but of the people selling, have you noted anyone saying they received a mass of new bidders from the tour or even at ALL? NOT!! What a total waste of money. IMO it ended up being a social trip for the members to meet each other, very poorly planned and very unproductive. It can be a wonderful social area, Bidbay. Until they get mad at you, one can really feel a closeness with the members who post but when you say something they do not agree wit, watch out!!!! Ever seen two mad dogs in a fight? The sight had potential in the beginning but because of poor management it has little to none now IMO, but is a joke to the auction world. I would MUCH rather sell atEbay and pay small fees for basic listings and have traffic, sales and bidders. As always just my opinion and you may not agree but oh well.
[email protected]
>^,,^^,,^<
MEOW pft pft
posted on May 11, 2001 05:23:55 PM new
Personally I think contests are for the birds. They are not a profesional way to do business..well at least the way I;ve seen then running. I'm sorry but I have no desire to win phoney money. I list auctions to sell for cash and cash only!
Now, there are many ways to provise incentives to buyers and sellers alike, but I do not think finding a billy in an auction is the way.
Also, it seems like the same people win over and over at the contests at BB. Sorry I work full time and do not have much time to devote to the contest thery. I'm spending my time to post new acutions!
posted on May 11, 2001 06:55:19 PM new
I believe that if a contest or sweepstakes is well run and well promoted, it can be of tremendous benefit to a company. That's been proven many times over by major players in the retail, entertainment and restaurant industries. It's worked well for eBay too. Some companies/websites were built on the concept, such as the search engine iwon.com. People like to have a fair chance to win. Just because a company runs a contest or sweepstakes doesn't make that company unprofessional.
I have seen a variety of auction websites and related payment sites have contests and sweepstakes in the past few years including the ones at BidBay, eBay, Yahoo, PayPal, PayDirect, BuyIt, BuyBidWin, ClubCiti and CollectingNation. Some promotions have been incredibly effective, some not so. I know for a fact that a few of my eBay buyers are paying me by Billpoint so they can have a chance to win 10 grand and that's cool by me. I know that a couple of my BidBay customers originally came to BidBay via contest and although they don't participate in contests now, they're still active.
If money is available for targeted marketing and contests, I'd say have both. As long as the contests don't interfere with other advertising and marketing opportunities, they can be great for retention. Sure there will always be people who participate for the contests only but they're a very small percentage of any site's membership base. I have run a few sweepstakes on my website and have a mailing list of "professional sweepers" who enter my contests time and time again. I just know that they're only entering to win but that's okay. There's room for everyone as long as they're respectful. I do know though that many of those people whose hobby is sweepstaking have also turned into customers.
Everyone is a consumer. Eventually if they see something they like they'll buy if you have developed an ethical and friendly relationship and offer something they need.
If money was only available for contests or advertising, I'd definitely say go with the targeted marketing via industry trade shows, trade mags, collectibles shows, clubs, etc. If money was available for both, I'd say hire a firm who specializes in putting together a strong promotion (i.e. Marden-Kane, D.L. Blair) so that you wouldn't have to deal with the administrative headaches.
Best wishes,
Karen
[ edited by countyourbeans on May 12, 2001 04:17 PM ]
posted on May 12, 2001 12:18:55 AM new
Contest are just a way to run up the numbers for the front page and it also makes the Bidbay sellers think Oh goodness I had 250 people look at my auction yah right they were looking for Billie. Also if a bidder does stumble in, I believe they think the bidder will say wow look at all those hits I better buy it "It just dont happen." So I say be a auction site or be a game show site but do one or the other. Have a nice buying/selling day.
posted on May 12, 2001 04:01:36 AM new
Ditto, CountyourBeans,well said. I replyed on another thread about Bibays "Pink dog tv ad" and ,then it was locked?
posted on May 12, 2001 06:18:01 AM new
OMG...a thread that had managed to stay on topic!
I think that the contests are a decent idea. While I have not personally won any of Bidbay's contests, nor even found one little Bidbay Billy, I think that they provide a great incentive to increase the site numbers in some cases and they do increase views on auctions. Several of the items that I have sold were from bidders looking for the elusive Billy. The way I see it, if you're listing or bidding anyway, why not have the chance to get a little extra something in the process? Since all of the drawings for the 4 contests are random, the volume of listings or bids does not directly affect who always wins. Many of the past winners have had no listings and very few bids or vice-versa. The expense of 4 digital cameras is actually very little compared to the benefits from them being given away. Besides, with the many impulse buyers out there in cyberland, the more hits on my auctions...the better!
posted on May 12, 2001 06:27:16 AM new
ROFL!!!!! To my knowledge there is virtually NOBODY who bids at Buddybay that isn't an active member of the clique and the chat board! Does anyone ever just bid because they are searching for an item and "just dropped in".....Not to my knowledge. And the posters are always complaining, and rightly so, that they have no bids. As Judge Judy says "Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining" LOL
>^,,^^,,^<
MEOW pft pft
posted on May 12, 2001 08:33:49 AM new
With all the money they have wasted on contests, doesn't anybody wonder why another techie or two could not have been hired instead, to maybe, keep the site running better, well then again, with no bidders, except these few mentioned above, maybe not, as we now know who the top site bidder is, don't we.
crychek only here, no where else,
P.S. A little birdy told me, "asking them to explain "randomness", you get a cold, dark, deep, non-response."
But of course if I was a bidbay cheerleader I wouldn't have time to post here, all that fast and heavy sells volume would sure keep me to busy listing new items the CEO buys and collecting my sells reciepts to be here, but what do I know, strange you don't cheerleader on your own board, or comment there about your great sells, strange days Indeed.
Adding, this is JMO
[ edited by crychek on May 12, 2001 08:36 AM ]
[ edited by crychek on May 12, 2001 08:42 AM ]
posted on May 12, 2001 10:00:06 AM new
Bidbay does seem to have more than their share of technical problems. But like Allykat always says: the answer to all of their problems is have another contest!
Seriously, I really do not think it has brought bidders, maybe a few more page views, but not bidders.
Another thing, I have heard the elusive Billy freezes some computers. What good does that do anybody?
posted on May 12, 2001 01:33:12 PM new
Interesting and well put crychek:
"strange you don't cheerleader on your own board, or comment there about your great sells,..."
Oh but the big comment of the year is:
"BidBay Rocks"
I ask you, is this adult? I have never heard an adult actually say something rocks! This is an adolescent term used by the under 16 set. My son who is 19 doesn't even say that phrase. Of course, he's got a very high IQ, so that must account for something.
This post is not directed at any one particular person or chat board. It's a simple observation and my opinion only.
To stay on topic, contests run there are boring. Someone pretends to be a drunken cowboy and puts all the Billy's into one person's auctions. My kid found over 20 in one guy's auctions in a matter of 5 minutes. He said he never even saw what was up for auction, he just clicked, scrolled to the bottom and clicked on the Billy, then got out and went to the next one.
posted on May 12, 2001 04:15:42 PM new
Thanks Sara,
I would like to repost it without the link and without the tag line so I appreciate you forwarding it to me for editing. That wouldn't have been much fun to retype.
I apologize for the violation and will resubmit it without the links.
posted on May 12, 2001 04:19:32 PM new
Again, we have a real BidBay Cheerleader who is a real good seller and member of BiddyBay, however, you also sell at other sites, and advertise *HEAVILY*, just like BiddyBay, take a look at MSN's search engine, plastered by BiddyBay, upon the web, anybody who looks will see your advertisements, will they not; they are easy enough to find, and If I told you, everything you ever won at BiddyBay, Including your Millionaire status, was a fraud and scamming promotional, not that you didn't deserve to win, but because you were ("chosen", "not randomly picked", would you still be cheeerleading so loudly, me thinks not, If your the true honest seller you seem to present yourself as here and I think you are.
posted on May 12, 2001 04:25:45 PM new
Allykat, you said above, "To my knowledge there is
virtually NOBODY who bids at Buddybay that isn't an
active member of the clique and the chat board! Does
anyone ever just bid because they are searching for an
item and "just dropped in".....Not to my knowledge."
-----
I respectfully disagree. I can understand how sellers who have never sold to someone off of chat might come to this conclusion but you have to go beyond chat to
really find the site's CASH bidders.
I would agree that when a person posts something on BidBay chat, people visiting the chatroom are more likely to click his/her auctions and see what they have and then perhaps place a bid. However this isn't
just a BidBay thing. It is also true that most active chat board members at ANY site are sellers who are networking with each other. This type of bidding from chatroom seller to seller is very common and shouldn't
just be chalked up to buddies or cliques
buying/selling.
I would say that quite a bit of BidBay's cash bidding from chat board SELLERS primarily goes to other chat board members but most of the site's cash bidding from
BUYERS primarily comes from outside the chat board postings.
As an example, if you take one look at the bidding statistics at BidBay for the month by visiting their website, you'll see that the vast majority of bidders are NOT chat board participants. I can't post names here but I can list a couple dozen sellers with no problem who have at least a 25 rating whose ratings come from buyers you've never heard of. Compared to eBay this is small but compared to other free listing sites, this is a really great start for a company that is less than 18 months old.
Again, the bidding doesn't compare to eBay but it is certainly comparable to other auction companies that offer free listings.
BidBay also has cash to invest in marketing and promotions. The key is smart investing and marketing. I honestly don't know what the resources of these other free sites are except word of mouth among sellers.
In my own experience, I have had 85 cash auction sales at BidBay since 3/11. Only 1 person hasn't paid. I'd say at least 50% have never posted on the chatboard to
my knowledge. Probably another 15-20% post on the chatboard occasionally but not more than maybe once or twice a week. Because of my family and business which are my priorities, I don't have much time to spend on chat but I do try to allocate an hour or two among 10 minute increments every few days just to see what is going on.
Of these 85 sales, at least 3 non-chat customers came in from contest advertising. (I ask new customers their source so I can tell if they came from my advertising, BidBay's or another source.) Sure, that
isn't a heck of a lot and perhaps it isn't working effectively for others but that doesn't mean that the sweepstakes concept can't be tweaked a little to make it more appealing and effective for everyone.
This isn't meant to self-promote. I am not a "clique" member or a "cheerleader", at least not in the derogatory sense of the word that people here imply. I just want to state an alternative opinion.
It seems like every time that anyone tries posting anything positive about BidBay here, they're met with rudeness or are accused of being an employee, a cheerleader or a Kool-Aid Kid. It comes across to me looking very bitter. An articulate argument is much more effective than attacking someone.
I'd much rather just debate professionally. Anyone who follows any of my postings knows that I am not afraid of posting constructive critique about BidBay or any site. I will not bash anyone though because it serves
no productive purpose and can cause hurt and bad will.
I just don't understand why threads here have to be locked all the time because of name-calling and personal attacks. Can't people respectfully agree to disagree?
Back to the initial topic of contests, some of the contests BidBay has run have been successful. Some they have run have been not so successful. They do try to change to appeal to their userbase, unfortunately
some of their users aren't always the most
well-intentioned.
Their current monthly contest is the most fair of any I have seen and the participants entered are in plain view. It may not yet work to bring the kind of bidders they like to the site but a lot of that is because
they need to promote the contests and promotions through more effective targeted advertising. For example, I could have a promotion on my site to give away free dolls but if I didn't tell anyone, chances
are the only people that would find out are people in freebies groups and sweepstakes groups. However, if I promoted a national campaign through targeted marketing, it could be a tremendous success.
Right now, I believe the key is marketing their promotions to the right audience. There are some fantastic sellers with great bargains at BidBay. There are people I've done business with (on chatboard and
off) that offer fantastic pricing and top notch service. Get the buyers to those people and they'll help cultivate repeat business and positive word of mouth.
Well, if anyone read through all of this, I apologize for the length but not for the content. If you disagree, I don't take it personally, however I would not appreciate an attack on my character. We're all
entitled to post our opinions with respect and dignity.
Good luck with your sales and your bidding, wherever that may be.
posted on May 12, 2001 04:26:38 PM new
I have to interject here. I know CountYourBeans as she is a repeat customer of mine on both BidBay and eBay and she presents herself as an extremely professional person.
I've never taken issue with what she says because her opinions do have merit.
I do believe, however, that by staying on her present course with the site she has chosen, she is letting herself in for alot of future problems.
Hopefully I'm wrong, but I don't think so. Hopefully she has enough business sense to look ahead and I think she does.
And you know, I don't consider her a cheerleader. I consider her a woman sidetracked by the glitz and glitter and free listings, but she will find her way out eventually and will be happier for it.
posted on May 12, 2001 04:37:14 PM new
My humble apoligies If you were offended;
I stand corrected If I presented a different view; I believe she is an honest seller also, I believe you both, and hope I have offended neither of you, and that the path once lost, Is found again; have a great evening.
posted on May 12, 2001 05:25:08 PM new
Crychek,
I assume the cheerleader comment above was directed toward me. If you want to debate, that's fine, I'm cool. I've respected much of what you've said in many of your posts but I don't need to be labeled please. I do accept your apology and am not upset.
Thank you also, MtnMama for what you said. Our transactions have always been friendly and professional and I wish you well with your business, health and personal life.
I try my best not to get into a defensive type of position because I am open to new ideas but I do want to say something.
If you check out a few months of chat on the tech board at BidBay, you will see that I am not afraid to speak up if I have a concern about something. I am a proponent of positive change. There are many times I'm sure people there would just wish I'd shut up, go back to work and stop bringing up issues. I do believe in trying to make a positive impact so that the more people can find success at the site. I believe in the good of the whole and not the few. If people don't like me for that, well then, I guess we don't need to exchange Christmas cards.
A lot of the meanness at the BidBay chat boards has been depressing and unprofessional. I've told myself that if I spend time dwelling and posting in regards to other's negativity, I would never be successful. So for the most part, I have stayed away from chat and post a LOT less than I used to last year. When I do post, I try to help others or make suggestions. Admittedly, I miss a lot of what is going on.
You're right, I do list many places and I do try to advertise quite a bit. It's cheaper for me to list at BidBay than any other place and so I do try to bring people there and help support the site.
I'd be a fool as a businesswoman if I put all my eggs in any one basket. I'm there for the SALES, not the contests. Because I have multiples of what I sell, I can afford to list at many places. I may have come in initially through a promotion but I stayed and have stayed because I sell there, it's cost-effective and I've met some nice entrepreneurs, sellers and buyers along the way. Yes, I've won some stuff there and it's been exciting. I'd be a fool if I didn't say it wasn't fun to win but if you're implying that I was chosen versus honestly winning, I'd like to see the proof.
Yes, the management and staff have treated me very well and with respect. You often get what you give, in my experience. We're all entrepreneurs and I wish them tremendous success. We certainly don't always agree but I have to commend and respect them for being so generous to so many people they have never met.
I think they have good hearts but sometimes get sidetracked because they try to please everyone and not everyone has the best of intentions or the experience to really assist. I think the staff wants to have a community where people get along and their members are successful. It's their baby and like any new parent, they have to learn the best ways to raise a healthy child. Some other parents will surely give advice but not all will be helpful.
The problem is, they can't make everyone happy because everyone has a different idea of how to help them succeed.
I am a work at home Mom who is trying to do the best I can. My husband is now at home too and we're making a go of this together for our son, for ourselves. We're sending our baby to college as MtnMama said. The majority of our money will come in business to business sales and through relationships we have developed with auction customers. It won't be through any one auction site or website but every little sale and interaction contributes to the pie.
Anyway, I know some people here may not agree with me, may not like me or may not even care however I believe that every one of us who is successful and honest with our own auction businesses helps the next. Probably my biggest fault here and there is that I am not more succinct.
It's family time but I wish you all a good evening and success wherever you sell and buy.
Karen
[ edited by countyourbeans on May 12, 2001 05:28 PM ]
Me offended? LOL! Nope, not the case. But I did want to say that I didn't believe CYB to be a cheerleader. I've seen her go at it just like anyone else.
She's just more eloquent than most
I've been very, very good today and very, very bad.
I walked almost 3 miles this morning which was excellent and then had (don't tell my docs) BBQ pork ribs this evening. I couldn't help myself. We were going to save them for Mother's Day but grilled them early. I just had 4 little ones though, because tomorrow I plan to walk 4 miles and pig out!
posted on May 13, 2001 09:32:45 AM new
Interesting.......when we did the cheerio thing a bunch of us got cereal names. After it was over we were all told to d/c the cereal names and not post under them anymore. Now there has been one that is allowed to continue....and posting an auction under a cereal name etc.......more favoritism!!!!!
>^,,^^,,^<
MEOW pft pft
, would you still be cheeerleading so loudly, me thinks not, If your the true honest seller you seem to present yourself as here and I think you are.