posted on September 18, 2001 04:52:18 PM
After selling successfully on Ebay for over 3 years, I am considering discontinuing auction selling. The final straw was the Auctions for America campaign by ebay. Bidding has been very slow over the past week. I was hoping that things would pick up over the next few weeks, but I have my serious doubts since now we'll be competing with AFA auctions where buyers don't have to pay shipping charges.
I have donated several hundred dollars to the Red Cross already and can't afford to donate my auction items also. Now, Ebay is making it the auction arena more competitive by forcing us to compete against charity auctions that offer free shipping. I can't see this as having anything but a negative impact on holiday sales. Any opinions?
posted on September 18, 2001 05:16:12 PM
Plenty of bids here too...on both regular auctions and AFA items. I don't see any competition here.
In times of trouble, people take their minds of the problems of the day often by buying...buying to forget...buying to assuage their feelings...buying to help out others.
posted on September 18, 2001 09:41:30 PM
How many sellers are doing the charity auction? I, for one, cannot afford to give all my things away. My heart bleeds for all the families who have been affected. We gave a generous donation to the Red Cross last week and for now, that will be it. They said on TV today they do not need anything at the moment. Of course, I realize money will not perish. Is all of this money just for the victims' immediate families??? Sure is a lot of millions of dollars with more benefits to come from Madonna and some other superstars.
Ebay has joined with Yahoo, Microsoft, Cisco and Amazon to raise money. Can you imagine??
posted on September 18, 2001 10:31:26 PM
Greetings:
We are not participating in AFA. We have already done our thing via contributions of cash and blood.
My partner suggested that we start a fund raiser and I nixed the idea right away. We aren't really equipped to handle such a thing and really neither are a lot of the other entities that are trying to be charities right now.
We are asking folks in our sphere to give cash to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund (800-HELP-NOW) and to give blood not just now but also in the weeks and months to come by calling (800-GIVE-LIFE).
Perhaps the United Way would also be a good charity to give to right now too. They will be able to fund ongoing relief to families in the areas well after other disaster relief has run it's course.
Those organizations are best equipped to deal with the situations our country is experiencing from a disaster relief point of view...they work hand in hand with FEMA.
As for who actually will get the money all these other people are collecting; well, who knows. My guess is that in their rush to become charitable providers they don't have the answers either.
I am never sure how much and when non-charity third parties are turning over funds and what percentage of funds they are turning over. Always nags me.
Cheap (Free) Advice: Stay the course, continue as before, give to concrete charities, keep the faith in your heart....we will see brighter days.
Dee
[ edited by fetishtemple on Sep 18, 2001 10:35 PM ]
posted on September 19, 2001 06:37:23 AM
you will NEVER make it in any business vebture with an attitude like that. competition comes in all forms...i say to you BA BYE
posted on September 19, 2001 07:31:23 AM
While I might have put it differently than soothsayer, I agree with the prime sentiment.
You have to be flexible. You've been selling on eBay for 3 years. Are you still selling the same types of things? Do you sell at other venues? Do you do research to see what sells on eBay?
ALL markets change. When I first had to go back to work after my last divorce, all my skills were 10 years behind the times. I went to a temp agency and learned MSWord, PowerPoint and Exel, and was shortly making very good money.
When I started selling on eBay, I made about every mistake you can make, but now I'm doing better. And I sell in other places.
The AFA thing won't hurt you if you're selling something people want.
You can quit. Or you can adapt. Only you know if you like doing this enough to keep trying to attain success.
posted on September 21, 2001 06:22:49 AM
Pocono, to me it's very telling of your
own character that would judge someone's charitable intentions without knowing their situation.
No one is downplaying the heinous acts that occurred at the World Trade Center or the effects it had on the victims. The nation's collective heart goes out to these people and their families. I, as well as many other people, have chosen to give through various charities of our own choosing rather than through AFA. That's
a personal choice and I'm happy to be able to make a small contribution to a very worthy
cause. My criticism of Ebay's AFA has nothing to do with my level of concerns for the victims.
I certainly don't think I'm alone in my efforts to contribute to this tragedy. There are many people who have done ALOT just like
you, but haven't chosen to advertise it on the message boards. I don't think anyone should the right to criticize anyone else's efforts or intentions, especially at a time like this.
posted on September 21, 2001 06:50:52 AM
Very timely thread.
I've been off ebay the past 2 weeks due to the 9/11 tragedy & an unanticipated emergency surgery.
Last night, a couple of emails from former customers & some new ones popped in my inbox asking when I'll be back selling.
Signaled to me there are still customers out there waiting for items. Things may be a bit slower & a bit harder to sell with all the uncertaintly but life does go on.
posted on September 21, 2001 07:01:32 AM
Well - people are leaving for a number of reasons. I know I have migrated to other venues and outlets over the past year. The AFA program is just another example of a poorly planned program coming out of Ebay.
They are hyping it up on the national media for free advertising - but the people who know _-- the SELLERS -- are not falling for this one. The message boards are proving it. But for anything to be done the message boards need to become part of the national media coverage.
posted on September 21, 2001 07:10:36 AM
Basically, although being an eBay Power Seller, I left eBay going on 2 years ago, and started spreading the auctions around. When Yahoo went to heck in January of this year, we had to work harder to locate functional auctions for our selves, apart from eBay, and in time we have found them.
We occasionally post on eBay, but are far from dependent on it any long.
The straw which drove us away from eBay was their ban on links to one's web site. That did it. Even with eBay slow, we would have posted there IF we could add our link, but without it - we post on a multitude of niche auctions, who allow links, and have provided us not only good auction sales, but continual activity on our web sites.
I think this slow period should be expected because of 9/11/2001 - but on our other auction sites things are picking up again. I am not willing to risk eBay again, as yet, why pay, when I can sell for free elsewhere?
I think we will see a slow down because of the enormous lay offs which are occurring. To forget problems people may shop/buy as someone above said, but without jobs they have no money, and without money they can’t buy!
I think it is time to stay in a position of having many auctions spread over many auction sites in hopes of reaching those who are currently capable of buying.
I see eBay's charity auctions as just one more PR spin.
posted on September 21, 2001 07:30:49 AM
"Perhaps you DID do something, but PLEASE, do not be so self-absorbed that you think that you have done "Enough"
====
Perhaps I haven't done "Enough" in the eyes of some folks, but at some point one has to say "Enough".
With my blood donation last week I became a proud member of the "10 gallon club", I am fast approching 8,000 volunteer hours as a caregiver who visits terminally ill people, I am on the board of directors of a local nonprofit theatre company who's sole existance is to send children living with HIV/AIDS to a camp retreat to escape the daily stress of this horrible disease, and I donate monthly to the local food bank.
The hefty(for me) check that I wrote to the Red Cross was "Enough" in my mind, because it's time to turn my attention back to taking care of me. I still have a mortgage and a family to take care of. You may think what you wish of my character, but I'm comfortable with my contributions...
back on topic...my auctions have begun to pick up too, so hang in there Kristie.
posted on September 21, 2001 08:06:07 AM
Why leave now? Sept through Dec. is traditionally the best time for sales with Christmas shoppers. Wait until after the holidays and then see how you feel. By then we should also be able to see how this war situation will affect sales.
posted on September 21, 2001 08:12:53 AM
I don't think it is just the AFA auctions that will affect Ebay bidding. Seems that the whole economy will be affected. Lots of layoffs anounced, stock market down. Spending will be different on-line and in B&M stores.
I received and spent my $300 tax money. Next week is the last week for distribution of that money. Lots of people used that money as "extra" spending money.
I don't see AFA as the bad thing others do, but I do feel it has a limited life as sellers who listed will eventually stop after they have donated enough as far as their postage fees. Donations are a good thing, but at some point, living expenses have to be paid also.
