posted on May 21, 2001 11:39:33 PM
Is anyone else keeping their links on ebay? To me, it's the only thing that makes it worth paying their fees. If they want to cancel my auctions they can and thousands of others.
I purchase space on your site for a fee... this is my blank canvas to create and sell from. If you interfer with my space I shall interfer with your profits... I will leave.
Am willing to bet that I could sell a truck load of my items on any 2nd tier auction houses the old fashioned way. I'll send out a email to my past thousands of very happy customers and then I'll go visit a few chat rooms and message boards. Lets see, If I did one mega sale a month I could pull it off. I'll keep trying these 2nd teir sites till I find one that has, that has that.... oh you wouldn't understand what "that is" or you wouldn't be putting me thru such grief.
posted on May 22, 2001 06:27:24 AM
I still have my links on eBay - it is one of the only reasons I post on eBay. Naturally, I am not waving it in their faces but I am keeping them in.
posted on May 22, 2001 11:02:12 AM
I just got suspended for keeping my links on Ebay. Frustrating that after 4 warnings about 4 SEPARATE issues, to which I complied each time after being warned, they decided to suspend me. The issues in question all related to my wanting to direct people to my web site through my auctions. No matter how subtly I phrased it, they would close my auction and send me a warning. They wouldn't even allow a "For more information about me and my auctions visit my website" link. Thus far Yahoo hasn't given me problems, so I'll be using them exclusively during the suspension. Plus their "feature this item" feature is way better and cheaper than Ebay's. Ebay is getting too big for their britches, in my opinion.
posted on May 22, 2001 04:01:15 PM
I think the no links policy is a good thing if you want to advertise on Ebay BUY SOME BANNER ADS.
They are just protecting themselves from offsite sales.
I see this in the same way certain workplaces don't allow their equiptment & supplies (computers, phones, copy machines, etc) to be used for non work related things.
If it doesn't profit Ebay and it does profit the seller you are doing the same thing as those people at the office.
posted on May 22, 2001 04:07:46 PM
MFc, you are still allowed to have links on your About Me page.
Only on May 31st will I remove the links from my auction pages, but I will encourage buyers to visit my About Me page! I will just wait and see whether the link policy has an appreciable effect on my website sales, since I do get traffic from sources other than eBay.
HOWEVER, given the diminishing returns for listing on eBay, I will be paring down considerably if my website traffic IS affected. For me, listing some of my items on eBay was ONLY justifiable because of the traffic it brought to my website, so if that changes, then I will no longer be willing to pay reserve fees, Gallery fees, etc. I will be listing ONLY that stuff that I want to unload at whatever price I can get (junk lots, repair items, run-of-the-mill stuff), or those higher-end items that I know will be fought over by collectors. That leaves out a lot of stuff, but hey -- the website is where it's at.
The debaters can debate away about whether it is a good policy or not -- but I can say with assurance that eBay will at least lose a goodly portion of my business if the policy hegatively affects my website traffic.
posted on May 22, 2001 04:13:53 PM
I'll only be interested in rattin' on the BIG BOYS that don't follow the rules regarding the new policy on LINKS.
I suspect that many Mom & Pops will be scouring the listings and turning in every BIG VOLUME SELLER they can find who is in violation of the rules. If the folks in Safeharbor or Community Watch stay busy enough policing the BIG BOYS... maybe they won't have enough time to pick on the little guys! *wink*
posted on May 22, 2001 04:22:20 PM
I happen to agree with the masses We pay to use Ebay this is not some free auction site Ebay is takeing to many libertys and chargeing you for it.....
By the way the ebay listing fees are far higher then most banner advertizeing you can buy veiw for veiw banner advertizeing would cost far less.
Yep! Just dug out my net cop hat today. Haven't used it in a long time. Mom & pops are safe. The big boys are not if they don't follow the rules to the letter as we small fry are being forced to do.
Safe harbor is going to get sick of me, and if they suspend me for doing the right thing, the press will know. I will then just clone myself and continue bitting on the heals of the "big dogs".
I recently retired and it is wonderful of eBay to give me something to do with all the spare time I now have.
[ edited by noshill on May 22, 2001 04:52 PM ]
posted on May 22, 2001 05:42:12 PM
I use to think that people were all good at heart and when they graduate High School they would start to grow up in some way , but after I have read this post and here about you people that are going to gang up on the big sellers YOU MAKE ME SICK!!!! I am a large seller and I abide by all ebay rules and if I don’t follow them they let me know . You are all up in arms that ebay has taken away your links , well if it is that big of an issue why do you bother to list your items?? Why ? Would you waste your time crying to ebay about someone that has WORKED HARD at what they do on ebay ? If ebay doesn’t like there links they will suspend them with out the help of all you cry babies . I sell on ebay so I can have extra money for my kids education and other thing that they may need. I guess I have vented enough , but the next time you are sitting around on your computer and the DEVIL starts nagging at you to whine to safe harbor , I ask you to say to yourself is it worth my time and effort to be ROTTEN!! This is written from the Heart for someone who thinks that all people are good at heart , but just need to be reminded a little good goes a long way.
Can we check back with you when a really big seller -- like, oh say Home Depot starts selling on eBay and gets to link to its web site while you don't?
posted on May 22, 2001 05:56:13 PM
tooltrader: No offense, but I don't think you're big enough to worry about. Mom & Pops are worried about the really BIG BOYS (such as GMAC, Overstock.com & the WAL-MART types).
Go about your merry little way... selling as much as you can for a decent profit... until HOME DEPOT joins you in the listings on eBay. *sigh*
posted on May 22, 2001 07:39:14 PM
As for me, I wouldn't even think of turning someone in to ebay's safe harbor. I don't have a problem with any other sellers, even my direct competition. I have a problem with Ebay's new no link policy. Until a site like libertybid gets going I will continue to list auctions WITH LINKS on ebay until they suspend me!!!!
You mean the way eBay made an exception to the USPS posting and reposting fake Oakleys last week? That was just a small example of what is to come.
There will be segregation by class on eBay. The corporate sellers will have free reign, while the mom & pops will have to abide by the rules. That is what this is about, not an individual or small business that posts many listings.
To clarify my position of the link issue, I don't have a website, never did. So, this doesn't affect me one way or the other in that respect. What it does do, is chip away at the freedoms all small sellers on eBay have enjoyed. eBay is little by little making it more difficult for the smaller seller to survive.
I see this in the same way certain workplaces don't allow their equiptment & supplies (computers, phones, copy machines, etc) to be used for non work related things.
I don't work for eBay, I rent space from them.
It can't be MY "fault", I've NEVER owned a "fault"!
posted on May 23, 2001 06:06:31 AM
For every rule or law, there is a legal loophole...
In the case of the new no-link policy, it states that you can still link to your site provided it links to a page that provides more information about the product being offered or information about your policies. On this page, you are also allowed to advertise the fact that you also have other items for sale and provide a link to them. Provided these items are priced higher than your opening bid or BIN price, it is all legal.
We have been linking to our websites since day one. From our homepage, the visitor has an option to go to our "policies" section, our "reference" section, or enter our "store". Ebay has reviewed our site and links many times over the years and has only occasionally objected to the words used in the link. ( never the destination )
I suspect that after the change we will need to direct the links to the actual article on our site that relates to the item on auction, but I doubt that will reduce the amount of money we make from Ebay click-throughs.
The solution is very simple for the people that wish to continue to attract visitors to their sites. Add a page that provides additional information about how the item is made or the history of such items. Then put a link at the bottom that says "click here to see all of our widgets"
posted on May 23, 2001 10:14:49 AM
Naw.... EOAs with a link to the OTHER venues AND personal website for check out would probably be the best solution.
Once there, sellers can upsale by offering additional items, Opt-In eMail lists etc. to THEIR CUSTOMERS.
That's what the big boys are gonna do... and that's what I'm going to check into. Gonna look around for some shopping cart program and incorporate it onto my website.
Also... diversifying... offering items for sale on other venues with direct links to website AND EOAs that include a direct link to the website for check out from those venues!
Even if eBay goes to automation for check out on listings & their storefronts, I'm confident there will be ways around it.
(might have to give up the volunteer feedback exchange, but since the feedback forum doesn't necessarily reflect actual experiences due to traders not being able to edit their own comments OR the real total of all trades, due to the "Unique User" limitation... it would be a fair exchange).
In the meantime... I'll be keeping my links on items that I feel will truly benefit me to have them available for my customers and my own profit.
