posted on May 30, 2001 03:50:15 PM
art & antiques.- 1812, 4 with bids
clothing.......- 5385, 22 with bids
audio/video....- 529, 5 with bids
stamps & coins.- 2495, 45 with bids
books & mags...- 7621, 26 with bids
comic books....- 2495, 3 with bids
jewelry/gems...- 5932, 46 with bids
baseball cards.- 2481, 0 with bids
posted on May 30, 2001 03:54:14 PM
My personal opinion is that most people should be going somewhere..at least if they plan to continue online 'auctioning'!
I'm at sellyouritem.com .. we each have to choose somewhere so while epier isn't for me I know some people are happy there!
posted on May 30, 2001 03:59:38 PM
I went to sellyouritem and personally list more jewelry items in 2 weeks then they have on their entire site.
There are only 3407 auctions on the entire site!
I tried Bidville and ran 30 auctions for 3 months with 5 sales. the items I listed were doubles to what I sell on Ebay and listed price was HALF of what I sell them for Ebay and still no sales.
I think I'll stay with Ebay fees, restrictions and all.
posted on May 30, 2001 03:59:48 PM
Thats better biding then bidville and the other new sites all put togeather.
Epier might not be #2 in the numbers right now but I believe if you surf the sites epier is your second best bet for actually selling your item after ebay.
I See in the not to distant future the odds will be shifting for sales as ebay charges small sellers off there site.
posted on May 30, 2001 04:12:15 PM
What's really dangerous in the long run is putting all of your eggs in one basket.
Diversification is the key.
Epier, sellyouritem, bidville may not be much right now -- but what's the harm in parking a few items there?
I listed four items on sellyouritem.com three days ago. All are the same quality items I sell on eBay and Amazon and all are at the same starting price.
One already has a bid.... all have multiple hits.
They allow web site links, so it's free advertising-- even better, it's free targeted advertising for my site.
The more eyes that see my wares, the better for me.
posted on May 30, 2001 04:18:33 PM
I don't know if I should say this too loud, but Bargainandhaggle.com blows away all the other new sites AND Amazon in terms of sell-through. Items just sit on sites like ePier, Bidville, Onlineauction.com, etc. I've totally given up on Amazon until they start marketing their auction site properly. You actually sell items on bargainandhaggle.com. They take roughly a 4.5% FVFee. I'm also getting better prices than on eBay. You do have to barter with your customers though. Very nice site layout too. They'll likely be bought out by a larger player before too long since they're focusing on a niche market no one else is.
posted on May 30, 2001 07:33:34 PM
Yes, I really do want to go to ePier. It is a great site, excellent category selection and lots of excellent listings. It will definitely take time to challenge eGoliath, but its well on the way to becoming a first class site.
Bargainandhaggle is also an excellent site. Great concept! Some items do well there, but the category selection is a bit limited.
posted on May 30, 2001 08:25:09 PM
Actually, I think the numbers are quite impressive all things considered.
ePier is still not widely advertised. Many people do not know it exists as yet. Also, we are into a busy outdoor time of the year when most auction bids and sales are on the decline, even at eGod!
However, and it's a big however, I do think sellers need to take it a bit easy on their opening bids and reserve prices. I know they are protecting their investment, but prices are quite a bit higher there than on eBay, and that doesn't do much to attract potential buyers.
Also, there are still not enough buyers to make it a true auction, so perhaps the powers that be need to implement a buy-it-now feature to help sellers generate sales.
When you check the number of times items have been viewed, there have been quite a few hits on the site, so people are visiting and looking things over.
Time will tell. I like this site and intend to list there, but am just too busy at the moment to list anywhere.
Give time, I think this site has excellent potential to give eGod a good run for its money!
posted on May 30, 2001 11:18:07 PM
I have been to a few sites and find ePier to be the most friendly in the way you list. Soon someone will have to get busy and promote their sites and maybe the buyers will go to them. I like the idea about advertising your websites, AW storefront and even have your email address there.
I list in a catagory where all my items should sell. I have listed 5 items and have binds on 2 and it ends June 1. Unless the shill bidders are there I am sure this is the way it is going to end. Why not try someplace else, costs nothing so I figure what can you lose.
posted on May 31, 2001 08:43:56 AM
Goldensands-You mentioned that the prices were high on Epier. I can only tell you from a person that has dealt mainly in rock videos,that when you go to a site that has no listing fee-the prices will be higher.Why? because if theres no listing fee you have nothing to lose by charging a higher starting bid.If you dont sell it-just relist it with no fee involved,you have nothing to lose-however if you have a listing fee your starting bid will be lower because you want to sell it,becuase if you dont its going to cost you.I noticed this with yahoo and ebay. When yahoo had no listing fee the video tapes were higher then for the same tape on ebay. Now that they have a listing fee,there tapes have come down to ebays prices-as i said,i deal mainly in rock videos,i dont know if thats true for other items.
posted on May 31, 2001 09:22:08 AM
Hey! Another MUSICMAN! Cool!
Anyway, I just put my 1st items on Epier and I can tell you that there is a definetly a positive feel to the site. I love the "sell your item" page, so simple and uncluttered. Although, I haven't had any bids yet(I posted the auctions yesterday) I can say that Epier has the making of a great auction site.(no, I don't work for them, just happy to have SOMEWHERE to go other than Egreed.) You have to remember that we are starting from scratch here. You can't expect to get Ebay profits from any of these sites, yet! But from what I've seen around here and other message boards sellers are slowely on the move from Ebay. I know we are.
I checked out sellyouritem.com and liked the site alot but they only give you $15 in free credit to start and then you have to pay a kinda high posting fee and fvf. Which I don't have a problem with if their sell through rate warrants such fees, at the present it does not.
posted on May 31, 2001 09:41:42 AM
Basic listing fees are being waived at sellyouritem.
I just took another look at completed auctions. Out of 1361 completed auctions, 43 had at least 1 bid. Bid range was from a low 25 cents, up to a high of 31.95.
posted on May 31, 2001 10:55:23 AM
MUSIC...: You are probably right on the money. However, I can't help but wonder at the mentality of sellers who do this.
Online buyers want to buy, not just browse through tons of listings. They won't buy if the price is not right.
ePier is a great site, but if sellers don't put reasonable prices on their listings then how on earth do they expect to attract buyers.
I realize sellers have to protect their investments. The best way to do this is to list with a buy-it-now price, or go back to eGod and hope for the best.
I, for one, would really like to see ePier succeed. It is a great site, its fun to shop there, and there are lots of good listings. But buyers need to be wooed, not pushed away because sellers are "resting" their items on the site until something better comes along.
Sellers should take advantage of the fact that there are no listing fees and DROP their prices, not raise them.
posted on May 31, 2001 01:54:15 PM
I wonder how long before eBay sues ePier for "look and feel"?
I looked at a couple of the categories in which I'm interested, and in the Barbie listings were "vintage 1966" Barbies which were made about 3 years ago and almost everything under Japanese animation was bootleg goods. Not a big inducement for me to return either as a buyer or as a seller.
posted on May 31, 2001 02:41:19 PM
Actually if you do your home work you will find why epier will not be sued by ebay for its look alike ways Epier has been around with its look since 1998 and looked the way it does now before Ebay got the color scheme and look.
so you could really say Ebay looks like epier not the other way around.
posted on May 31, 2001 05:51:41 PM
Good point dman3.
Also, very good comment Goldensands. Sellers should take heed!
Personally, I really like ePier. It looks like ePier and SellYouItem are both good choices, and it will be interesting to see which one might become a serious challenge to eBay. Perhaps they both will. BargainandHaggle may also be a contender, but the site is a tad bit more cumbersome to navigate, so time will tell what develops there.
thanks! this one actually is geared towards antiques, hollywood memoriabilia, vintage and designer clothes. and other stuff, i guess. i got excited when i saw they had vintage clothes, as the others really don't.
a nice site, with some promise. interesting and fun articles. the people who run it seem to have good senses of humor - a plus! not much of interest - to me anyway - in the present vintage listings, but who knows?
i like the name 'epier,' and the look. but it's not good for what i usually sell.
i'd go for a smaller site that had a healthy selection of what i do sell. it occurred to me today as i was looking around popula that smaller and more targeted might even be better. as a seller, your listings can get lost on ebay. as a buyer, there are so many listings, i get overwhelmed and give up sometimes. hadn't thought of that before. hmm. the nature of things to come?
posted on May 31, 2001 07:45:02 PM
I want to know where the buyers are. I do okay actually a little better then okay on Ebay most weeks. I do okay on Yahoo not complaining. I have watched these threads for months and I see about where the sellers are and a few buyers. Trick is to where is there another site with a GOOD sales ratio that is cost effective to time. I also sell on my site and Half.com.
I am looking to leave Ebay. I do well there I am not complaining about that but I am tired of all the changes. Tired of feeling more and more I am working for them instead of myself and my customers etc. . . so it is time to look at moving on. The key for all of us is where will the buyers go and what will entice them out of ebay to other places that in the end will open up more capital for the "little" guy as ebay makes it harder for the little guy (or girl).
Who bought the lamp last weekend at that yardsale that has a genie in that will tell us that ; ) ?
posted on June 1, 2001 07:49:19 AM
Me! I bought the lamp with the genie.
On ePier!
I've already moved there so in answer to the question posted as the topic of this thread the answer is YES! Bigtime!
But goldensands has an excellent point. Lots of sellers have exorbitant prices on stuff there. But look at the number of view each auction is getting as well. The buyers are certainly there looking.
posted on June 1, 2001 08:02:54 AM
Nobody really WANTS to go anywhere! But we're being forced to expand our options. If ebay continues for the next year the way it has for the past year then it will be impossible to stay.
As a site decreases your options and freedom, other sites will grow.
I have to laugh at those who expect everyone else to grow a site for them and then and only THEN will they move to it. Get Real! Nobody has to leave ebay, just put some of your extras on other sites. From what I read on the threads most of us have houses,attics, basements and sheds full of stuff. It doesn't have to be an either/or, but it would be good if it was an either/and!
posted on June 1, 2001 08:56:01 AM
A lot of auction sites might look like other auction sites because they purchased the same commercial software, which they then customize with their logos, etc.
As for BargainandHaggle.com, it's a nice site but I noticed one huge problem. There isn't a very good site tutorial, and this is a glaring omission for a site that's introducting a rather new online selling/bidding/buying procedure. Unless they changed this since I wrote a site profile on them, it's still a problem that I hope they fix.
posted on June 1, 2001 10:27:47 AM
ePier is free! Who can argue with that! List on ePay, but also on ePier and Bidville. Free is free, and I am bored today, is raining and I can't go out and garden. I have listed my widgets, learned some html coding, has been a good morning. I would like to see AW support ePier and Bidville.
posted on June 1, 2001 11:28:42 AM
Easy choice for me. When I see some serious advertising for one of the alternative sites, that's where I'll start listing my items.
posted on June 1, 2001 12:20:28 PM
What site is going to waste money on a big advertising campaign until it has enough quality listings to show buyers?
That would be throwing money down the toilet.
I'm listing the same quality goods I sell at eBay on other auction sites -- with the same starting bids I have at eBay.
None of these sites will thrive unless we take the initiative to list with them.
posted on June 1, 2001 07:14:32 PM
Got my first sale on epier today! I listed it a week ago when I joined. Yeah, it's only a cheap book, but it's a start. And it DIDN'T sell on ebay!
posted on June 2, 2001 06:53:41 AM
I have been following this thread with interest, as I too am interested in ePier as an alternative to eBay.
Deco100: You make a good point. I don't really want to leave eBay, but am in the process of doing just that. I really believe that the writing is on the wall for the small-time seller like myself. Having looked at other sites, the two with the most appeal are SellYourItem and ePier. I also like Bargainandhaggle but for shopping purposes, I like ePier the best. I just bought something there for the first time and it was a good experience. I find that I now browse ePier as much if not more than I do eBay. Next step will be to post some items for sale and see what happens.
As Vargas (and others as well) pointed out, diversification is the key and to my way of thinking the time has certainly come to do just that.
Edited to add that I would really like to see ePier put a buy-it-now and/or make-an-offer option on the site. As a buyer, I really like those features. If they were to do something like that I would certainly do most of my buying and selling there for sure!
