posted on September 10, 2000 12:34:37 AM
Well, here it goes.
I see hundreds of eBay sellers complain about this and that, here is a suggestion.
Why don’t a 1000 top eBay sellers who pay hundreds every month in fees bond together and create their own site. While selling on eBay, send a link to the new site with every EOAN and in a year or so, you’ll have them flocking.
Any successful company that is a fraction the size of eBay would be worth a couple of B$, so investing 100.00 /month from each for a couple of years would be very rewarding.
Consider that a top seller would have at least 250 open any time and multiply that by a 1000 and you would have a site with 250000 items to start with.
Any other way would not work in my opinion, because you need sellers with thousands of products to make it work.
posted on September 10, 2000 01:09:54 AM
In another situation, I would agree with you, but with the way eBay is heading to, you're going to end up with the bones and eBay with meat!
[ edited by trueuser on Sep 10, 2000 01:10 AM ]
posted on September 10, 2000 04:52:57 AM
Then there's the feedback thing. Many "top" sellers have a mediocre ratio of neutrals and negs to the positives.
One example: 3004 total positives against 231 combined negs and neutrals.
Another well known "boutique" seller charges 31.00 to ship a book! It was even stated in the auction about the 31.00 charge and it sold anyway. Unfreakingbelievable. This seller has much crappy feedback as well.
Oh, but they are "top" aren't they? Not to me. I'd never bid on their stuff.
A "top seller" is one that offers good merchandise and provides good service. It doesn't matter if they have 30 feedbacks or 3000 or if they offer 5 items a week or 500.
posted on September 10, 2000 06:48:33 AM
You need to be more ambitious. The top sellers on eBay list many 1000's not 100's.
Unlike other sellers these top sellers have direct relationships with eBay. Some have a dedicated support person. That is a person hired by eBay whose only job it is to keep these people happy.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these sellers have deals or contracts with ebay and pay "different" insertion fees and or final value fees. It would have to be a really sweet deal to lure these people away from eBay.
posted on September 10, 2000 07:04:12 AM
The idea is very interesting. I don't know how easy it is to implement though.
I would start small with sellers who sell similar things so that the people you draw to the site find more of what they are looking for. If sales on the site are good it would encourage more people to join.
posted on September 10, 2000 05:30:25 PM
I might have not made my self clear, I am like many sellers a full time eBay seller, and have sold $1000's of dollars on eBay. But I am thinking why not tap into the stock thing rather than just stroll along since time is running out.
I have seen many auction sites fade away for the lack of products and high start prices.
If a 1000 sellers bond and baby this project, they benefit from owning the company, and the worst they could do is recovering their money.
When you have a site with 200,000+ listings to start with and rock bottom prices, well, I am all but 100% sure people will visit it.
Most failed auction sites are backed with a lot of investment money but lacked the most important ingredient: sellers who are committed to list items.
Like most people, if there is no incentive (profits or share in the company), most drop out after a month or so.
In my suggestion, sellers are part owners of the site and its success will reflect on them. And I am sure the benefits will be very rewarding.
Recently, www.Boxlot.com rumored to be sold for several millions. Considering the #of listings the suggested site will have, worse comes to worse the 1000 part owners would have made 10 times of their investment.
In short, this project is an investment where each put $100.00 a month, lists few hundred auctions and the returns are immeasurable.
[ edited by trueuser on Sep 10, 2000 05:30 PM ]
[ edited by trueuser on Sep 10, 2000 05:31 PM ]
posted on September 10, 2000 05:40:21 PM
trueuser
posted on September 10, 2000 01:09:54 AM
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In another situation, I would agree with you, but with the way eBay is heading to, you're going to end up with the bones and eBay with meat!
[ edited by trueuser on Sep 10, 2000 01:10 AM ]
amy
posted on September 10, 2000 01:19:24 AM
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I disagree with your prediction.
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Let's called sylvia Browne and see what she predicts! Oh dear just remembered we'd have to get about 7.75 power sellers to contribute $100. each for her to give us the prediction.
