posted on February 9, 2001 08:48:57 PM new
Anyone remember how ebay used to be, before they went public? i.e. before they sold stock?
For those of you who remember the "old" ebay, a few questions:
1) Would you rather have ebay the way it was, or the way it is now? (Perhaps the only change being stable systems.)
2) Were you better off then or now?
3) Any doubt in your mind that ebay would be financially better had they left things alone?
4) Of all the dozens (hundreds?) of changes implemented on ebay, a few probably made things easier for you. Would you gladly give up those beneficial changes, if you could erase all the other changes?
5) This hits the ol' pocketbook: Would you have been willing to pay, say, double the fees, if ebay had left things alone (except, perhaps stable servers)?
6) Ebay is awfully fond of the word "community." Why did they opt out of that "community?" When did honesty go out the window in favor of money grubbing tactics?
7) Any doubt that when (not "if" ebay gets a serious competitor, there will be nothing ebay could do to retain their customer base? i.e. not even a "free listing month" will keep folks from abandoning ship to a
company that addresses their concerns.
posted on February 9, 2001 09:05:33 PM new1) Would you rather have ebay the way it was, or the way it is now? (Perhaps the only change being stable systems.)
Well of course but you can't go back.
2) Were you better off then or now?
Most definitely.
3) Any doubt in your mind that ebay would be financially better had they left things alone?
Plenty of doubt. eBay is not exactly needy.
4) Of all the dozens (hundreds?) of changes implemented on ebay, a few probably made things easier for you. Would you gladly give up those beneficial changes, if you could erase all the other changes?
Yes.
5) This hits the ol' pocketbook: Would you have been willing to pay, say, double the fees, if ebay had left things alone (except, perhaps stable servers)?
No. Regardless of what eBay did or does, it was the influx of sellers that changed the complexion of eBay.
6) Ebay is awfully fond of the word "community." Why did they opt out of that "community?" When did honesty go out the window in favor of money grubbing tactics?
eBay's largest failure was in not recognizing that it was the "experience" that made them unique. They were short sighted, it was a phenomenom not likely to be duplicated, and they failed to capitalize on it in favor of short term gains. It's over - get past it.
7) Any doubt that when (not "if" ebay gets a serious competitor, there will be nothing ebay could do to retain their customer base? i.e. not even a "free listing month" will keep folks from abandoning ship to a company that addresses their concerns.
Phenomenons just happen, they can't be manufactured. See #6).
posted on February 9, 2001 09:08:14 PM new
I like ebay!
I like ebay circa 1997.
I like ebay before all the whiners, and cryers started making other peoples business's and lives THEIR business.
I liked ebay when you weren't put out of bussiness because a competitor snitched to ebay from many different alias's about some minor infraction, such as posting in a "wrong catagory".
Hell, there WAS no wrong catagory...post anywhere!
I liked ebay when bidders paid, and when you were NARU, it was only AFTER they contacted you to try and work things out.
I like ebay back when fee's were low, and sales were high.
When Pierre was accessable, and running things.
Before the VeROs and PowerSellers, and Voices, Net Rats, and stockholders.
I like ebay when "I" was important to them, and "I" helped to build them.
When a REAL person answered my emails.
When you could sell ANYTHING without some boob complaining that it was "Politically Incorrect"
Back when bidders trusted sellers, and with good cause, because buyers and sellers treated each other with decency, fairness, and trustwortheyness.
Back when you paid only with a money-order or check, and shipped exactly the item you advertised.
Back when I didn't need to hang my head in shame when telling people that I was selling on ebay.
That's what I like. That's the site I wanna sell at.
posted on February 9, 2001 09:14:59 PM new
I remember the eBay Help Chat, like the support chat...when it was actual eBay employees working the chats to help the sellers/buyers with questions and problems they were having.
posted on February 10, 2001 12:23:43 AM newBack when bidders trusted sellers, and with good cause, because buyers and sellers treated each other with decency, fairness, and trustwortheyness.
posted on February 10, 2001 04:02:12 PM new
Everything pocono said.
Also, I liked eBay better when it was really just a venue and didn't interfere with my business, my TOS and my customers!!
I don't think I even need to mention how much better I liked eBay before they climbed into bed with DoubleClick and their ilk, before they thought of the community as "markets" and "targets" who could be sold out to the highest bidder and before they started SPAMMING our customers in their EOA emails!!!!!!
I guess I just liked eBay better when I felt it was worthy of my respect.
Blanche
[ edited by bhearsch on Feb 10, 2001 04:09 PM ]
posted on February 10, 2001 05:04:39 PM new
I think it is pointless to look back.
I am thankful I was there for the early run. It was sweet, but it is gone.
posted on February 10, 2001 09:53:21 PM new
1) The way it was.
2) Then
3) Don't know.
4) I would have to say no.
5) Yes
6) $
7) No doubt -the key word is "when" Location location location. If my buyers are standing on street corner A, I put my store on street corner A not Z. Whenever you go I will follow....
posted on February 10, 2001 10:39:35 PM new
1) The way it was!
2) Better off then! Up until about the middle of 1999 you could sell anything. People just seemed to be happy to win an item ,they didn't even care what they were bidding on!Every single thing put up on ebay got multiple bids! Those were the days!
3)Don't know about ebay but I would have been.
4)Of course.
5)No.
6)Not sure they opted out. Maybe they just got too big too fast.Can't really answer.
7)People like familiar things. Not sure they would all jump ship. Some would, not all.
posted on February 11, 2001 05:44:43 AM new
Ebay is like the rest of the internet, it has MATURED. Before mid 1999, virtually anything would sell, now I have had to mature as a seller in order to keep changing with the market. Selling mainly collectibles. I have to constantly stay informed with what is " hot", as well as keeping the highest quality items to list. Anything below these standards go to the Sunday flea market.
posted on February 11, 2001 06:30:44 AM new
I liked eBay in the 'good ol' days' when Sellers could be trusted to properly describe their items (often without the benefit of pcitures), when Bidders purchased what they thought they were bidding on, and when, if a dispute arose, it was dealt with by the Seller in a fair, honest and polite way.
ebay gets a serious competitor, there will be nothing ebay could do to retain their customer base? i.e. not even a "free listing month" will keep folks from abandoning ship to a
Please, save us...