zippoholic
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posted on September 24, 2001 10:38:12 AM
I usually stay very calm. I am now getting very nervous. I averaged sales of a little over $300 a day last Monday through Thursday. Then it just stopped.
I the past few days I have averaged 20 - 30 dollars. I have never experienced this before in my 4 + years on Ebay.
Seems to me it is absolutely imperative that we support a "second" auction site. Only when Ebay is motivated by competition will they begin to service their users as "customers" and attempt to keep those customers by offering them real "value" for their hard spent dollars, instead of mandating to us whatever their whim dictates.
I lost me RJ (real job) 5 months ago due to downsizing and have been supporting my family solely via Ebay sales ever since. I have invested approx., 12 thousand dollars in merchandise in order to offer my customers variety.
My family is operating week to week - we cannot afford a bad Christmas season. It could force us out of online auction sales (and Ebay) for good.
Can anyone tell me what efforts are being taken by sellers to draw customers to another venue? We need to do something. Just as America bands together to overcome our enemy, we sellers can bring about change if we also band together.
If anyone has information regarding and viable options - please post.
Thank you
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barbkeith
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posted on September 24, 2001 10:56:33 AM
zippoholic, I too am starting to get nervous. I am not the major breadwinner in the family though. However, I just quit my job in August to do this full-time and I've got 6 months to make a go of it. As I posted on another board, Ebay shot 3 of my 6 months in the foot.
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dman3
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posted on September 24, 2001 10:59:46 AM
Try surffing yahoo and amazon for where there active bidding is happening, other then that listing on the free sites will be a big waist of time there is no effort hardly left to support free sites.
hang in there with ebay My sales are still good in fact better then ever at this time.
I see in one category that is geared to collectors as well as home entertianment and I am doing very well my sales have tripled since 9/11..
http://www.Dman-N-Company.com
Email [email protected]
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zippoholic
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posted on September 24, 2001 11:05:44 AM
Yes, I read your other post. When I lost my job we decided to make a go of it (Ebay) full time - have done well ever since but have incurred much debt in order to "stock" merchandise for sale.
We need to form a "sellers union" or move en masse to another venue. We need to somehow stick together. We are Ebay - yet we are treated as though they are doing us a favor.
I can only think that the person who came up with the bright A4A idea, is beginning to get nervous themselves right now. What looks like a great idea on the surface will likely cause Ebay their greatest difficulty to date. I am only one seller but if I cannot find a way to pay my $1,000 + monthly Ebay bill (namely, continued reasonable daily sales) - I will be an instant loss in that amount to their balance sheets!
zippoholic
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zippoholic
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posted on September 24, 2001 11:09:28 AM
Thanks dMan,
That is encouraging. I cannot figure out why the bids have just stopped though. I sell in a very active collectible area and I don't think its A4A as there are not many items listed there from my main catagory.
It is unsetteling though!
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jeanyu
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posted on September 24, 2001 11:25:47 AM
Hi zippoholic. Got a light?
I was at my wits end about two weeks ago. But have started to list vintage Christmas and things are picking up. Maybe dig into the Christmas boxes and see what you have.
Good Luck!
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tomwiii
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posted on September 24, 2001 11:32:39 AM
REALITY CHECK...
Within the next week, you will realize that feeBay's AFA boodoogle has totally 100% wiped out your auction business for the next 100 days!
I'm so happy that this is just my hobby -- now meved to BooHoo and Carnaby!
For yowse who depend on GreedBay...it's going to be a long cold XMAS season! 
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peiklk
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posted on September 24, 2001 11:33:13 AM
It takes sellers to get buyers to move to a new site.
It takes buyers to get sellers to move to a new site.
This is worse than negotiations with some foreign countries. When both sides won't budge until the other side budges.
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tomwiii
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posted on September 24, 2001 11:35:13 AM
Thankfully, I've been cultivating my buyer base on BooHoo for the past six mos to the point I now have approx. 40% sell-thru rate -- don't compare to my pre-AFA eBay rate of 80%...but better than GIVING MY ITEMS AWAY FOR NOTHING!!
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jeanyu
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posted on September 24, 2001 11:38:47 AM
It is weird, it is strange, I don't understand. Not taking Billpoint, thought that was the end of eBay for me.
But that has not happened. I am successfully selling.
The A4A has its place. Serious, gotta pay the bills, eBay sellers have their place. And it looks, from this local perspective, we just might be able to co exist.
To me, the worse threat is our national stability and what is to come next.
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rarriffle
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posted on September 24, 2001 12:03:54 PM
please remember that this is JMHO.
AFA is new.
Everyone in America is looking for a way to help right now.
How many sellers will keep donating week after week for over 3 months?
My bet is not too many.
How many buyers will keep buying just the items with the AFA emblem?
My bet is not too many. They will start looking for items they want again soon.
This is my hope, and JMHO
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kliggin
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posted on September 24, 2001 12:51:10 PM
I'm concerned too. I wanted to go full time, but am not too sure about the market. I'm not sure if AFA has affected my auctions or if consumer confidence has fallen.
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krazykeri
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posted on September 24, 2001 12:58:33 PM
I listed all my new items on Yahoo! today instead on feebay. And I will continue to list there (and other spots) until feebay ends it's 100 days of "misery". I'm not throwing my money away!
Still Krazy- but not on ebay!
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packer
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posted on September 24, 2001 01:01:00 PM
rarriffle,
My HOPE is that I HOPE your right.
My last auctions went off shortly after the WTC disaster and they ended less then I had hoped.
I have not listed anything since.
I'm keeping a close watch on the categories I'm ready to launch in and let me tell ya....SALES ARE PATHETIC.
I'm scared too, I've got a lot of saved inventory earmarked for the christmas season. But I refuse to give it away just to get rid of it.
packer
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Ellis747
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posted on September 24, 2001 01:26:02 PM
I believe consumer confidence has more to do with poor sales than A4A. I checked out Yahoo for bids in my catagories...it's not on fire there either. Hopefully as we get into October, TIME, the great healer, will take hold. I hope so. I know the feeling. We stocked up for the Season and now this.
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peiklk
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posted on September 24, 2001 01:31:01 PM
Glad I didn't get a bunch of stuff listed last night.
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traceyg
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posted on September 24, 2001 01:38:31 PM
Since the tragic events here in Pa, in New York and Washington my sales on Yahoo have been going up and surpassed Ebay both weeks. Sales on Ebay have declined.
I have done what I could and will as time goes on to help this nation do what we must. Like many of you all my on line activity is most of my income. I also have a web site and sell at a few different placess E-bay keeps getting bigger and more heavy handed I have been moving to other areas of the web to make my living. I also sell on their half.com for me it has been dead.
I feel very much for all the victims of the terroist (and have put some of my money where my mouth is so to speak) and all that will come because of it but I have to make a living. I can't compete with some of the A4a auctions. I won't be forced into using billpoint. I will still sell on Ebay but not near as much. I need those items the money from them to pay my bills. If I can't get a fair price at Ebay there are other places I can.
I was thinking actually I was going to sign up for billpoint until this and I have just never like bullies. I think Ebay is a big bullie. If I thought Ebay was really doing this for America I would be right behind them. I don't I believe that. Ebay is doing this for Ebay that is it.
I am glad that I have cultivated a few places to sell on the net. I have never put all my eggs in one basket because it just doesn't make sense.
my advice spread you eggs around. it may take a few weeks or months to build a customer base at the new places but after you do it is worth it.
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thepackratsattic
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posted on September 24, 2001 02:01:16 PM
Let me tell you, those of us with B&M's aren't feeling real confident either! The economy is being seen as way-soft and people are holding the cash close to their vests!
My biggest fear at this point is that WHEN the A4A falters too much (IE: EGG ON MEG'S FACE!) how much pressure will sellers and buyers begin to feel to help make the $100Mill goal they set for us? Do you REALLY see 40,000 auctions PER day with bids of $25 EACH closing for the next 100 days???
"Newbies" are already almost being forced into A4A auctions ONLY off the home page and of course all you NON-participating sellers without "THE flag" in your auctions must be some kind of UNpatriotic businesspeople...what's next for the people trying to survive?
I had planned on starting to sell some of the slow-movers from the B&M on eBay so I could HAVE a Christmas this year....now I am not too sure what to do!
"I am not as interested in BEING the "top dog" but I would sure like to QUIT being the fire hydrant!"
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MaterialGirl
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posted on September 24, 2001 04:41:51 PM
I cannot, for the life of me, understand the mentality of sellers who constantly look for other auctions sites to sell at.
It's like jumping from one sinking ship to another, constantly looking for another ship and not just going to shore.
From a business perspective, every market has a maturity cycle. When it's new, it's booming, as more and more people jump on board, it gets tougher. Then you get to a point where it is cutthroat. Everything is like this, department stores, discount stores, ecommerce, there is no difference in the online auction model.
So if you DID find another site, the same thing would happen there, and it probably would even happen a lot faster than it did on eBay, because the market IS mature.
So the ultimate resolution is not to keep looking for the next auction site, but rather, to diversify such that you are able to adapt to the fluctuations of such a fickle market. If your business is 100% eBay, then you are so vulnerable to their every move, but if your business was only 10% eBay, you could probably care less what they did.
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krazykeri
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posted on September 24, 2001 04:53:59 PM
MaterialGirl:
Jumping from site to site keeps your items "fresh". Nothing worse than "stale" listings. Also everything eventually sells.
And if you can't get top dollar for your item at one site where you've paid to list you can at least sell it at another site where you don't have to pay listing fees!
Keri's still crazy- bless her heart!
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torley
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posted on September 24, 2001 05:03:18 PM
I don't know what some of you are talking about??
Our sales have been Awesome! Never Better!
As far as AFA.......Most sellers are not using their best merchandise for that...Most likely it is stuff they couldn't sell before.
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packer
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posted on September 24, 2001 05:11:40 PM
I sure wish that the people that get on here and BRAG about how great thier sales are doing, would at least say what type of merchandise they sell.
Everybody knows it depend on what you sell as to the amount of business you may be doing.
So how about it.....at least tell us what the heck you sell.
I sell vintage/collectables and right now there is absolutely no market for it.
packer
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outoftheblue
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posted on September 24, 2001 05:21:33 PM
I agree with rarriffle. I believe A4A is at its peak now and it seems to me that the listings in certain categories have already started to decline. So much for $100 Million in 100 days.
I can't wait till this 10000 pound gorilla is off our backs and we can get back to making a living. It will probably last about 1 more week before listings slow to a trickle.
Unfortunately we may have a problem making the rent this month. Things were tight before this all happened, now they are going to get a little worse..
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gina50
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posted on September 24, 2001 05:28:40 PM
My ebay sales are doing very well.
I sell mostly vintage clothing and gently used woman's clothing.
My sales are way up after a long slow summer 
I think that clothing is a pretty safe thing to sell on ebay if you can purchase at a low price
I have listed some items on Bargain & Haggle but have only sold one item there in about 2 months time
Not gina50 on ebay
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MAH645
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posted on September 24, 2001 05:42:08 PM
I guess I'm like packer,I must have ALL the wrong thing to sell right now, and I've got a big variety to sell.I was selling almost everything I listed before this A4A thing. Now T-Shirts are selling o.k. as long as they are Patriotic but everything else sucks.When the new wears off the Patriotic stuff I wonder how sales will be then?
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vargas
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posted on September 24, 2001 06:00:21 PM
My eBay sales have just about tanked, but my web site is doing better than ever.
Go figure.
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cassiescloset
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posted on September 24, 2001 06:09:25 PM
I am going to list an AFA item but am not sure if I pay shipping or does buyer pay? Ebay isn't clear.
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tomwiii
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posted on September 24, 2001 06:17:46 PM
feeBay is 100% CLEAR --
YOU CassieSeller pay the shipping! How nice!
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fountainhouse
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posted on September 24, 2001 06:42:11 PM
I sell antiques/collectibles too, and while I definitely agree the market has softened, it is far from dead.
My sell-through rate has dropped 10%, to 75%, from pre-9/11 levels. Not outstanding, but good enough.
.99 unreserved auctions would be suicide right now, but I don't sell that way anyway. Reasonable openers and/or reserves are still working for me, especially now.
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pumpkinhead
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posted on September 24, 2001 06:42:36 PM
I cant speak for anyone else, but personally I feel that if you had any auctions ending within a week or so of the terrorist attack you were going to lose money.
Honestly, I was scared to death. Therefore, the very last thing on my mind was going on over to ebay and bidding! I was on the computer right before the attack happened and didnt turn the computer back on for another 10 days. I could have cared less about PP or Billpoint payments on my auctions that ended the 10th. I have never been so terrified in my life. I dont think I was the only one who had the same feelings.
I did finally decide to get back to some normalcy here, although it wasnt easy. I listed a bunch of auctions last Friday and surprisingly they are doing quite well. I certainly wouldnt go and list a rare widget right now, but my boring stuff is moving along at its usual pace..
Hang in there and good luck to you.
Linda
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