posted on August 2, 2001 07:49:29 PM new
I've read a few posts tonight and looked at the Boycott website. I don't see much substance supporting the boycott. I also don't think it would much effect.
We have been selling on eBay for over a year and having a lot of fun. We love the cause and effect relationship of our effort versus our resulting profit. There is no other site that generates as many buyers as eBay. While I don't always agree with the fees and decisions made by eBay, I respect them and hope they just keep growing and staying strong (unlike a few other companies over the past years).
This is a free enterprise system and I support any decision eBay makes. When I stop supporting them, it will then be time for us to move on to something else.
In the mean-time, we will continue to have fun and make money selling on this format. I see alot of complainers on this site and not enough compliments and praise of eBay. I only wish I would have invested in them 4 years ago.
Show your support for eBay and Boycott the Boycott!!!
posted on August 2, 2001 08:00:27 PM new
laetemp--let's not go over the deep end here.
There are real issues why people want to boycott ebay.
Having lots of fun is "kewl", but some of us depend on this venue to pay the...bills.
I applaud and join your enthusiam for ebay --but this venue has a bit to fix!
Glad it has worked out for you and you are having a blast selling. Please understand- there are some unhappy sellers. Give them their due--who knows what may come of it.
posted on August 2, 2001 08:23:58 PM new
Well, I won't be Boycotting. Ebay has been good to us too, but it seems like they are slowly but surely making it harder to make the money we did a few years ago.
As much as I like them, some of the changes really bother me. It isn't a "community" any more.
It's not just eBay either, the whole net is changing. Just like eBay, the net is getting bigger and bigger, and loosing that "Small Town" feeling, where everyone knows everyone else. It feels like the "Big City" any more, where you have to watch your back, or someone will put a knife in it. You have to run a fire wall, or the dotcoms will invade your privacy. You have to take precautions, or you get a virus in your computer. Everywhere you look, is advertising.
But, just like the hayseed that goes to the big city, we adapt.
posted on August 2, 2001 08:35:49 PM new
eBay seems to satisfy the small time seller. It's another story with large volume sellers trying to make a living. It's hard to relate to their problems, & they are most certainly are real, when you only list a few things a week. Imagine working at something for 2, 3 of 4 years only to see your income steadily decrease.
Something is wrong when eBay doesn't care enough about the sellers that made them so successful.
The sad thing is if you want to sell on line there is nowhere else to go.
[ edited by mcjane on Aug 2, 2001 09:18 PM ]
posted on August 2, 2001 09:11:09 PM new
There are other places to go, go back to where you came from before there was an ebay! its simple, just go back to what you were doing before ebay existed and forget all about this big horrible corporation that is no longer a community.
I'm sorry but some of you people just like to whine, ebay is NOT a community, it is not a family, thank god it doesn't have that small town feeling, it is a business, get over it, just sell your stuff and don't expect everyone to hold your hand, its a big bad world out there, get used to it. If you aren't making what you used to then go do a flea market to make up the difference or get a real job or change the way you do business, better yet go Boycott it will give the rest of us higher bids on our stuff
posted on August 2, 2001 09:37:29 PM new, thank god it doesn't have that small town feeling
Ok. Small towns are places where you can trust most everyone. Where you can leave your door unlocked, and not worry about being robbed. Just read some of the threads about the rip-offs that are happening on ebay. More and more of them all the time.
If this is what you want, you should be tickled to death by some of the changes that have happened in the last few years. Payment services that make it easy for buyers to rip sellers, eBay hiding everyones email addresses do Sellers can Shill their Auctions without getting caught.
posted on August 2, 2001 10:09:04 PM new
I wonder what some will say when ebay increases listing fees again. Or when they ban something you sell ( I had stamps ended from Germany because they had Hitlers face on them) Does Ebay make me money? sure. Does that mean I am going to kiss their a$$? No. They make money off of me as well. If everyone would stop kissing their a$$ maybe they would become more seller friendly. But now that so many bend over everytime Ebay does something, they will just keep going.
http://ballsandstrikescollectibles.beckett.com/
[ edited by ballsandstrikes on Aug 2, 2001 10:09 PM ]
posted on August 3, 2001 03:46:07 AM new
Back in 1998 and 1999 I have read here that it was very easy to make money on E-Bay. Almost anything you put on would sell at nice prices.
Just like most great things though, more people want to get in the field, which creates competition and lower prices. Things change and you adapt.
posted on August 3, 2001 04:54:58 AM new
I agree with microbes, it's change and adapt, change and adapt. We've gone full circle now from a brick and mortar to the internet and now to a brick and mortar again.
We may never get the prices on the internet again that we got in '98 but we can get more from a customer who can take it home today and not pay all that postage and insurance.
And those few things that will bring more on ebay can still go on the net. It all depends on what you're selling.
I've got a dealer (not a customer- a wholesale dealer!)who is willing to pay me more than what my items didn't sell for on ebay. There is a life without ebay, you just have to find it.
posted on August 3, 2001 05:30:06 AM new
Remember when websites were free, ISP charges were low and ebay was within reason. Well we are in the new Millenium and things are going to change. It is reported that companies are laying off, putting more jobs on the rest of the employeess and paying less. In my opinion ebay isn't the problem the buyers and sellers are. There are more reserves and more sniping. Sellers don't want to give away their products and bidders don't want to bring attention to the item so that they can snipe it for a low price. I won't boycott ebay but there is a chance I won't be listing also as I usually only list every other week. Until some one comes up with a site like ebay, advertises like ebay. Ebay will be the auction site to use. There is no free lunch anymore......Have a good day
posted on August 3, 2001 05:36:01 AM new
laetemp
maybe if you were selling on ebay 4 years ago like i and many more were you would understand the problems a bit more. ebay is out of control and sellers like you and i are no longer their concern, they want the big boys. gone are the days of ebay being what it was started to be, a place for the common man to buy and sell his "junk".........junk not being a derogatory term. as for the boycott, i am not sure if i will participate or not.
posted on August 3, 2001 06:07:20 AM newBack in 1998 and 1999 I have read here that it was very easy to make money on E-Bay
I can vouche for that. I was into a catagory back then where I was making easy money. I was buying stuff for 1 and 2 dollars, and gettting $10 ~ $250 a pop. I would buy a truck load of stuff a week. That catagory was real good to me up to about the end of 1999. I can't really lay the blame on eBay for the problem (if it is one) with that catagory.
2 things happened:
1. for the most part, the collectors in that catagory have already found all but the rarest peices. Prices have dropped like a stone on any of it that isn't truely scarce.
2. people like me scoured the country finding the stuff, and now you can't find nearly as much of it.
Before someone asks, that catagory was "Vintage Computers". There where lots and lots of really old (well, pre PC days anyway) computer equipment setting around that people couldn't give away, but if you knew what collectors wanted, it was easy money.
I sell in a totally different catagory now, and struggle to double my investment. But I still make decent.
[ edited by Microbes on Aug 3, 2001 06:10 AM ]
posted on August 3, 2001 07:16:41 AM new
I agree with Microbes on this one - adapt or move on. I've been selling collectibles part-time on ebay since '98 and I've been making more profit with each successive year, despite fee increases on all sides. I've certainly made more in any given year than I did prior to ebay when I was selling from antique mall and flea market booths.
I read over the petition and, while there's some points that I agree with, I really didn't feel a need to sign it or participate in a boycott. It really seems to me that the creators of this petition want to mold ebay completely to their will and won't be happy until it does so. Ebay has other interests to look after, namely the bidders and the stockholders. The sellers can't expect ebay to bow down to their every demand. The very fact that they've provided us with useful new tools like dual-category listings and BIN, and they are currently taking some steps to crack down on bid retraction abuse shows that they do not ignore seller suggestions. We probably wouldn't be dealing with crackdowns on in-auction links and the new email-via-ebay-only rules if not for the minority of sellers who were abusing ebay's former warm & fuzzy "small town" environment.
Besides, I'd have a little more respect for the boycott if they put their money where their mouths were and scheduled it during the peak Christmas shopping season. Or if the signers would just make it an ongoing boycott - vote with your feet until ebay succumbs.
posted on August 3, 2001 09:51:43 AM new
skeetypete I was selling on ebay in 1996 before most of you heard of it so I think I can relate very well to any changes, problems, etc, the answer adapt, nothing stays the same, thats life, stuff happens. I am so sick and tired of the crybabies and whiners on these boards moaning about bad old ebay and how horrible they are to sellers, so go somewhere else and just try and get the traffic you do on ebay, good luck
posted on August 3, 2001 10:50:36 AM new
Well, there are a few issues here for me. First, there was easy money to be made on eBay several years ago. That has steadily declined. There have been several studies including one I think by AuctionBytes which showed the average price for collectibles dropped 1/3 last year. That decline is a fact, and it's on top of the increased number of items that didn't sell.
I found a really nice Disney collectible, a hardcover book distributed at Disney World to celebrate the 20th Anniversary. I looked around the web and saw it listed on several Disney collectibles sites for $25-$40. Checking eBay's closed auctions, one copy of three was sold (for $7). Another copy at $5.99 didn't sell. There are 20 pages of Disney books listings alone. So how collectible is the book any more? A seller can't give it away. (And this is a beautiful coffee table book with lots of nice photos.)
Second, there is eBay's attitude. eBay promoted itself as a community. But they turned away from that. I sell auction management software and have from the start. I guess I've seen more seller-unfriendly policies than most. Like the time eBay banned auction management software from the Featured category. My sales went from 50-100 per week to five. The reason is simple. eBay developed their own software, and used their power to suppress my (and other) sellers products. The reason eBay gave for banning AM software was that there were too many Featured listings on the front page. Well, now Featureds are in their own category, that category is 50 pages long, but AM software is still banned.
Third, there is customer attitude. While most of my customers are still great to deal with, the whackos and unfriendlies are definitely increasing. I suppose with so many items, buyers can afford to take an attitude. But it sure takes the fun out of it for me. Rather than "adventurers" and "pioneers," eBay buyers have become shoppers. They want K-Mart selection and convenience, Macy's service, and expect to pay half of wholesale to boot!
No, I don't want to adapt to the new eBay. I don't want to sell bootlegged software, ginsu knives or fat burner pills. I don't want to become another faceless Half.com middleman. And that's exactly what is happening at eBay.
Raglady, "... so go somewhere else and just try and get the traffic you do on ebay."
Find me another business that feels a $1,000 a month paying customer isn't worth the trouble.
. Internet Pioneers
posted on August 3, 2001 11:03:19 AM new
raglady
my 5th yr anniv will come in feb 2002, i knew of ebay before that but was just a buyer and "scared" to enter into selling. the money back then and even up to about 18months ago was OUTSTANDING!!!! now it is just ok, i blame that on the popularity of ebay, more sellers of like merchandise etc........
posted on August 3, 2001 11:19:27 AM new
If you run a RL business there is seldom a "community" either. No matter what anyone promises or says, each guy is out for himself. Competition is fierce. Things change and you adapt or die.
Yes, ebay has changed. But some sellers are also putting their energies into changing and adapting instead of whining and boycotting. But it doesn't hurt to vent a bit now and again though.
You will meet whackos and weirdos everywhere in this world. Some days there are more of them than other days. Some of my whacko customers are my best ones.
posted on August 3, 2001 02:31:23 PM new
Kiara I have to agree with you on the whacko customers! I have had some pull some very strange things but I worked with them and they have become some of my best customers, as mom always said, when life hands you lemons, made lemonade. Don't think for a minute that ebay has the exclusive on non-payers, scam artists etc, I ran my own shop for quite a few years and I thought I met them all but they will always be with us, whether in brick & mortar shops or on the internet, people don't change just because they are seated at a keyboard.
posted on August 4, 2001 04:22:32 AM new
NearTheSea - "I don't know the numbers of this 'boycott', let them do it, makes for more bidders for the sellers that don't participate"
I agree with you. The buyers aren't going to boycott. The more sellers that do boycott the less competition I have for at least one week.
posted on August 4, 2001 04:59:46 AM new
I'm upset with the things that support my e-bay business more than I am with E-bay. 3 post office increases, Paypal increases, companies like Auction Watch wanting a cut of the pie.
I've managed to survive o.k by charging a little extra for shipping and handling, learning how to host images on my own, and develop my own templates and auction management system. I am also happy that I've seen some E-bay/AOL advertising on T.V. this was long needed. I had a record month in July sales and profit wise, I've been selling 2 1/2 years. My advice learn how to do as much as possible on your own and give the best customer service possible, then reap the rewards.
posted on August 4, 2001 05:30:22 AM new
[ i]Put an [ i] before your text and then a [ /i] after your text and then it will appear in italics. Be sure to take out the spaces before doing that.[ /i]
posted on August 4, 2001 01:02:12 PM new
Raglady
I know there is a lot of kvetching about ebay, but it is warranted...
I liken ebay to the American Revolution... There are some loyalists and some rebels but the majority of the people are not happy, but not willing to make a change that will hurt them, so they complain, but take no real action...
I am in the process of stepping down from ebay now.. I expect I will still sell items part time through them for a couple more years, but I am starting my own website for my own specialized items simply because I am fed up with ebay. Yes I kvetch about them, but I am also taking action by gradually denying them my sales. The present boycott and that jacket auction a few weeks back are symptoms of a very unhappy people lashing out at ebay... in a timeline perspective, we are only somewhere around the Boston tea party right now... but I think ebay is going to have to smarten up if it wants to continue to see increases for its stock holders because we the sellers ain't happy...
