They've raised $5 million to date, and if that pace keeps up it will end up at about $15 million after the 100 days. Obviously well short of the 100 million dollar goal.
The article also says, And eBay's defenders note that the company will not be entirely to blame if it ultimately misses its goals. Some critics have also pointed to eBay's community of sellers. They say sellers who purport to be donating merchandise to the auction site are often saving the really the good stuff for the for-profit part of the site, where they can collect all proceeds.
posted on October 25, 2001 07:20:39 AMThey say sellers who purport to be donating merchandise to the auction site are often saving the really the good stuff for the for-profit part of the site, where they can collect all proceeds.
Uh huh. And that's supposedly evil?
Like every major business in the world doesn't offer loss leaders to get people into their business where they hope they can then also sell their items w/higher markups?
posted on October 25, 2001 07:32:47 AM
ebay pours over its own data and those of its competitors every day,it also monitor chat rooms and posting boards such as this.
it should know damn well ebay sellers are mostly small businessmen and women who cannot afford to donate goods and pay for shipping.
ebay gets rotten egg and tomatos in its face,well deserved!!!!
posted on October 25, 2001 07:55:17 AM
Let's see, Ebay is complaining that sellers are keeping the "good stuff" for themseleves.
Do they honestly believe sellers are just doing this as a hobby (although watching sellers sell items for .99 and 1.99 I wonder that myself)? Yes Ebay, I would prefer to take pictures, write descriptions, fight with the computer, pack things and stand in line at the post office rather than, read a book, go to a movie, paint, feed my child, pay my (rent, electric, car insurance, medical insurance, clothes,etc) How silly of me. Maybe I can donate all my items and then I can go on welfare. That would really help the country. To go from a taxpaying citizen to one on relief. Go America!!!!!!!!!!
Ebay is going after the big name star items and I think that is great, but if they are going to critize the sellers trying to make a living, then maybe they should start requesting that, doctors, lawyers, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, stock brokers, funeral directors, etc, etc, start donating their services for auction. And Macys, Target, Marshall Fields, Nordstroms,GM, Ford etc.etc. can donate merchandise also.
Well I am off to an estate sale. Now let's see put the items in AFA or Regular Ebay? decisions, decisions. I don't think my landlord, or Qwest or Minnegasco, or my car insurance company will take a donation in their name rather than a check. Nor will the grocery store give me a bag of groceries if I tell them I donated a Roseville Vase in their name to AFA.
posted on October 25, 2001 08:08:46 AM
I liked the quote below, as it appears to be what eBay is becoming the marketplace for.
"Indeed, people looking to buy something for a good cause on the Auction for America site must wade through a lot of listings for things like dubious weight loss potions and stacks of ordinary printer paper, that have attracted few bids to date."
posted on October 25, 2001 08:39:47 AM
Hey, we sellers weren't going to get any of the credit, but ARE going to get the blame??? Is this the eBay PR machine laying the groundwork in order to point the blame?
posted on October 25, 2001 08:54:30 AM
My husband and I give everyday to the Sept 11 fund, Salvation Army, Red Cross via donations. I haven't the time to put on AFA auctions because I need to do mine. The money I get from my auctions goes to MY monthly prescriptions and that is about all I make. I do pay ebay their fees as they state we do and I think if eBay is depending on their sellers they better show that they can donate out of their own funds first. I am not worth 9 million, 1 million or even a 1/10 of a million, I struggle to keep ahead. Who ever came up with that idea should have slept on it for awhile to think it out. If it doesn't work I don't think it is the sellers fault. My opinion
posted on October 25, 2001 09:00:37 AM
They went about this all wrong from the start by choosing such a lofty goal. Such a high number was totally unrealistic.
They should have picked a low number and when it was reached they could have played it for all it was worth by promoting the generosity of their sellers.
Now the desperation is starting to show as they cram competitors links on our pages.
Many sellers rely on the profits of their ebay auctions to pay for a roof over their head, food, clothing, etc. Do ebay defenders think we all are stinkin' rich with Harleys and good stuff to give away for 100 days???
Great point! If they hadn't put a dollar figure on A4A, any amount would have been a success and Meg would have enjoyed great PR as the fund grew. On the other hand, letting the media run with a $100 million target from the beginning was a ROYAL SCREW-UP!!
posted on October 25, 2001 09:11:31 AM
When I left corporate America almost a year ago, I did so partially because of this same type of finger pointing. Hit a sales goal for the month and everything was just hunky-dorry....course only upper level management was patted on the back and rewarded for "their" efforts. Those of us in the trenches MAKING it happen didn't count!
But miss that goal and you were hearing from those same managers at the corporate office about YOUR lack of performance! Never mind that THEIR purchasing department overpaid for items; never mind that THEY didn't react quickly enough to market changes; never mind that THEY ordered inventories cut to make the numbers look good for the quarter; never mind that THEIR credit department cut off customers who went past 30 days on an invoice; never mind that THEIR sales goal for the period was $100,000 above what was originally submitted.....the whole problem MUST lie in the trenches with THOSE people not doing their job! Those at the TOP certainly know what they are doing!
Funny....I was always taught that a fish stinks from the head!
Meg could still salvage this with some NON-FINGER-POINTING PR and acknowledging the thousands who did help. "No, we won't reach our goal, but we are PROUD of each and every seller and buyer who participated....from Jay Leno's $300,000 Harley to Freddy Fudwhacker's $30 vase....eBay continues to be a GREAT place and full of community spirit....we didn't make the goal, but we are PROUD to present this check for $XXX from the ENTIRE eBay community.....yadda yadda"
At this point, the high road is the only one that makes sense to take...hope Meg & her advisors have the map!
posted on October 25, 2001 09:29:46 AM
I still feel eBay capitalized on the disaster. eBay generated a LOT of publicity, they signed up new members to their services to donate, and they only had to spend 1 million to get it. The publicity they got from the Leno show alone was worth more than the 1 million they donated.
posted on October 25, 2001 09:31:34 AM
How dare they!!!! They set a totally impossible goal and then blame sellers on Ebay who are struggling to pay their own bills.
The PR department srews up with this Lofty Amount to be raised and then passes the buck when it can't be accomplished----typical
posted on October 25, 2001 09:42:55 AM
the governor of new york called meg to do something,cant pass up impressing politicians and make a name for itself??
ebay is getting carried away thinking we are all rich and doing this as a hobby
posted on October 25, 2001 01:11:08 PM
Meg just did what a lot of bidders do, she got the decimal point in the wrong place. Her problem is that it is not as easy to retract as a bid is.
posted on October 25, 2001 01:15:11 PM
Let Margaret make up the diffrence instead of spending for all the plastic surgery, which hasnt done any good from the looks of things.......
posted on October 25, 2001 03:05:26 PM
Don't know how it is playing in the rest of the Country but here in New York Newspapers are starting to question WHERE IS THE MONEY??- Millions have been collected for the families of those who lost their lives but apparently very little has been given to them so far-I think the Red Cross said that they are going to keep some of it for future blood drives etc- That is not what the donors intended it for- How is the money that EBAY collects going to be distributed to those families???
posted on October 25, 2001 03:13:28 PM
I think folks should realise that AFA was actually a marketing ploy for Bidpay or Billpoint. Not sure which as I cannot use them!
posted on October 25, 2001 04:22:35 PM
Does "eBay's defenders" mean that it is Ebay's staff making these comments or is it the pro-AFA activists like the ones we see on the message boards?
posted on October 25, 2001 05:25:37 PM
Isn't funny how if AFA had worked out eBay would have taken the lime light credit for the whole thing, but now that it looks like AFA is not going to make it, the dasterdly (sp?) sellers get to take all the blame.
GEE, why wouldn't the sellers be dumping all their good stuff into to AFA; could it be that they are - Worried about their jobs, maybe already laid off, or trying despertly to keep the nose above water in a fulltime on-line auction job that eBay just kicked in the teeth in the usually most profitable time of the year. WELL, GO FIGURE!!!!!
Is this the eBay PR machine laying the groundwork in order to point the blame? 
Too funny!