bjboswell
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posted on July 25, 2006 01:07:08 PM
I closed my store this morning... gave me a headache... but I cannot afford to keep it up after AUG 22, so I cut the cord now. I will continue to list on ebay using auction and BIN formats... while I get my Ruby Lane site and own website up and running. This entire last price "adjustment" by ebay has left me very down. I just get things with ebay on a role and POOF they change the playing field. I have also applied for a "real" job. I need security and stability.... something Meg and Bill may have... but can't and DO NOT provide for THEIR customers.
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sparkz
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posted on July 25, 2006 01:39:57 PM
Ruby Lane is an excellent choice. You might also want to check out this site for your antiques and collectibles:
http://www.tias.com/
If Murphy's law is correct, everything East of the San Andreas Fault will slide into the Atlantic
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bjboswell
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posted on July 25, 2006 02:27:21 PM
Sparkz, Thanks I have been looking over alot of options .... recently. Tias was on the list but I had not really gone over it as of yet. Its bookmarked and I will. I am very familar with Ruby Lane as I browse it alot as a client. Felt if I do, others who shop for antiques and collectables are as well. I do feel like this most recent price change will shake ebay up especially for those of us selling mid priced antique smalls ... I love ebay but as a seller it has become a real test of my patience, as a buyer its still a great place to shop!
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roadsmith
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posted on July 25, 2006 03:48:39 PM
How will we be able to learn how many stores closed this month and next? Should be verrrry interesting.
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otteropp
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posted on July 25, 2006 04:47:00 PM
I would be interested to know the figures too.
I closed my Store on July 5th before the latest "Bill & Meg Special".
I had watched sales in the store spiral downwards as the Search function was tinkered with and was not prepared to pay to be a guinea pig any longer.
We were away last week and I was so shocked when we returned and I found the letter waiting me. It confirmed that I had made the right decision...for me.
I have opened a store on another site that is upbeat and happy and has lots of disenchanted ex-Store owners arriving each day.
I shall continue to do auctions although my heart is not really in it right now but I will bounce back and life goes on.
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mamachia
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posted on July 25, 2006 05:10:41 PM
Oh Otteropp, could you share what happy place you have switched over to.
I am in the market also for myself and a client. I was just about to open up another under a new name for another client. Not now! So I will have 3 store to manage.
mama
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otteropp
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posted on July 25, 2006 05:36:57 PM
wagglepop.com
$9.95 per month Includes Store and as many listings as you wish either Auction BIN or Store. Gallery included and BIN no extra charge
Site operates very well and there are good sales.
This is absolutely nothing like the Wagglepop that opened ( & closed) last year!
Check it out great ideas on Buyer discounts etc.
[ edited by otteropp on Jul 25, 2006 05:38 PM ]
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mamachia
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posted on July 25, 2006 06:01:07 PM
Thank you Otteropp. I thought that wagglepop was shut down. So it is now up and running.
mama
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parklane64
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posted on July 25, 2006 06:19:53 PM
Oh, puh-leez!
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fluffythewondercat
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posted on July 25, 2006 06:21:42 PM
Ssshh. Don't tell them. They're much happier not knowing.
fLufF
--
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neglus
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posted on July 25, 2006 06:24:38 PM
Wagglepop has been reincarnated by the same person who fooled everyone the first go round. IMHO the only people buying over there are the other sellers...they have put zero money out in advertising and have just relied on chat boards to advertise the launch to sellers. You can have a zillion sellers and a VERY HAPPY environment, but that won't bring in the buyers! I think your $ is better spent elsewhere.
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http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards?refid=store
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neglus
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posted on July 25, 2006 06:25:20 PM
OOPS Fluff -posted before your shhhh - cat's out of bag so to speak
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http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards?refid=store
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otteropp
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posted on July 25, 2006 07:30:28 PM
And that is exactly why I didn't mention the name in my first post!
The first sales were of course from other Sellers but now the Buyers are finding the site through Froogle which is "fed" every day. My last two sales were not from other Sellers.
There are some very happy Sellers there including me.
Can't knock it 'til you have tried it.
I may not agree with things some of you do either but I certainly wouldn't try to discredit what ever it is you do to try to keep going.
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DrArcane
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posted on July 25, 2006 07:48:05 PM
I have a few items on the "new" Wagglepop as a test. It's a very nice looking, well organized site that seems to run very well as far as I can tell. I like it. But then I like Yahoo too, and rarely sell anything there either!
I wanted to buy a few Wagglepop items to build up my feedback, which is still ZERO. I couldn't find ANYTHING I was interested in. Price was not the problem, I just couldn't find anything worth buying! They definitely aren't going to worry eBay overmuch.
On the other hand...
If you want to set up an eBay store "lookalike" and drive your own traffic to it, WP is not a bad idea. You don't need to learn anything new since it's essentially identical to the eBay store, and it's far cheaper at $9.95 a month total. The only catch is, of course, that you need to drive your own traffic there. Still, it's a valid substitute for those sellers confused about starting their own websites.
Dr. Arcane, revelator of mystical secrets
http://www.drarcane.com
Got questions about the secrets of the universe?
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DrArcane
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posted on July 25, 2006 07:49:36 PM
Wagglepop feeds Froogle? I did not know that. Can you give me something to test that with, some item that links to WP from Froogle?
Dr. Arcane, revelator of mystical secrets
http://www.drarcane.com
Got questions about the secrets of the universe?
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NEGLUS
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posted on July 25, 2006 07:50:59 PM
I'm sorry otter - didn't mean to discredit what YOU are doing but you have to admit that RAY did a lot to discredit the name of Wagglepop in the first place. I am glad you are getting sales there and I hope for your sake (and the other sellers) that it does come to be a viable marketplace. The time is certainly right for a well-funded alternative to ebay to step up to the plate.
We all are trying to do whatever we can to keep our businesses going and it is good to share both good and bad of the various opportunities. I shouldn't have been so judgemental - I haven't really looked at this incarnation of WP. Who knows?
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http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards?refid=store
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otteropp
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posted on July 25, 2006 11:12:17 PM
DrArcane.
I have seen you there!
Look on the Discussion Board there under Advanced Selling and you will see a thread near the top called "Optimising for Froogle which explains it better than I can.
I have checked some of my items and they appear near the top of the results.
Neglus. Apology accepted.
I was registered on WP the 1st time and watched the play by play to the final seconds of it's closure. Yes..Ray talked up a storm but the germ of a great idea was there just not the means or expertise to put it into action. I watched as he was verbally attacked on numerous occassions so who knows the whole story? Not me for sure.
There are some really unique ideas on the new site and the Customer Service is super fast and helpful.
I have watched the huge influx of EBay sellers since July 19th and many of them have sold there since EBay first started.
The Discussion Boards are friendly and helpful..
Most people who are criticisng Wp are like yourself and only remember last years debacle and have not looked at the site this year.
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sanmar
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posted on July 25, 2006 11:20:09 PM
I am closing my store as my items expire, but I don't know what WP stands for. What is it & how do I find it?
Life Is Too Short To Drink Bad Wine
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otteropp
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posted on July 25, 2006 11:30:30 PM
It's in my post further up the page...Wagglepop.com
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bjboswell
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posted on July 26, 2006 08:10:31 AM
otter.... please let us know how it's going over the next few weeks. We all piss and whine about FEEBay and then go right on listing away. I applaud your move to try something new... to take that $10 risk. Your ever so right the more people that try WP and use their abilities to "drive traffic" there the more buyers will find it and who knows. Think about what ebay was 11 years ago.... I can clearly remember getting personal messages from Pierre! It could happen and I for one, hope it does. eBay, as a lot of companies do, has grown too big and uncaring for their own good... which bottom line is ... for our own good! They have seemingly forgotton the golden rule in business, "your customer is #1 and the reason for your being!"
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hwahwa
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posted on July 26, 2006 08:21:57 AM
I had a Rubylane store years ago and the shopowners were dropping their items to Ebay.
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otteropp
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posted on July 26, 2006 08:25:52 AM
Thanks BJB
I shall keep you posted on progress.
I am still running auctions on EBay but if this week is anything to go by....still it is the slow time of year for my type of listings.
I checked into WP this morning and the number of Stores there has risen again...I have been keeping a tally of the numbers and it's interesting.
$9.95 and a bit of my time is no big deal and may just pay off!
I agree about the "Big Corporation" thinking...I worked in that world for many of my working years and finally gave it up and went to work for myself (not on-line selling) and those last 14 years of my working career were the best! If I had treated my customers the way they treat theirs I would have been out of business in a hurry!
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lorenlovgren
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posted on July 26, 2006 10:07:11 AM
I love the way wagglepop looks. Seems like I see a lot of bids on the type of stuff that I sell. I copy and pasted an auction title into Froogle search and only a similar ebay listing popped up. I then tried typing in a search that was a little more vague and got listings from ebay and ecrater, but still no wagglepop. Have you tried searching for your items on Froogle otter? Just curious.
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stonecold613
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posted on July 26, 2006 10:44:26 AM
How will we be able to learn how many stores closed this month and next?
I don't know if there will be a true way to find out, and I am not sure eBay would volunteer that information. My thought was to check the amount of items listed on ebay after that time.
It could be somewhat misleading though as the Christmas season won't be too far away at that point. But it will be interesting no matter which way it goes.
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otteropp
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posted on July 26, 2006 10:58:57 AM
After the last big EBay revolt it was possible to go to the home page and click on Stores and then you got all the Stores on EBay at 25 to a page so it was easy to see how many there were.
I haven't tried it this time as I just know it is a lot!
Loren,
Yes, I have searched my items on Froogle and they show up well.
Apparently yesterday the Froogle/Google machine was acting funny. I don't understand their system...way beyond me.! There are posts about it on WP today.
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otteropp
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posted on July 26, 2006 11:10:26 AM
OK...It still works.
Go to the EBay Home page.
On the left under Specialty Sites..Click EBay Stores.
When you get there go to the bottom of the Directory and there in tiny letters it has a link to "View all stores"
There are 23-25 to a page depending on the length of the "Blurb"
Now, in true EBay search fashion it showed 8.670 pages and I refreshed and it showed 8,677 pages!! Multiply by 24 to get the middle of my range above.
This count would have been interesting to watch from July 18th onwards but will still show some fallout up until the August 22nd deadline.
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mikes4x4andtruckrepair
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posted on July 26, 2006 11:19:28 AM
Well that's just plain friggin wierd. I got 8,670 the first time to, clicked refresh and got 8,677, clicked again and got 8,680, again and 8,671. Looks like their "all stores" search feature is just like their other search's. It never comes up with the same thing twice. Just can't see that within a timeframe of 10 seconds that the store count would change by a couple of hundred.
 1 out of 4 people are mentally unbalanced. Take a look at your 3 closest friends. If they seem alright, you're the one! - Kyle Stubbins, CMS
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otteropp
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posted on July 26, 2006 06:56:06 PM
Now..is this some sort of paranoia on EBay's part?
I thought I would just check on the number of Stores again
I went to the Home page and clicked on Stores
On the next page at the bottom of the directory...the link to "View all Stores" is GONE!
Yet another avenue where people cannot view all of the Stores.
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mikes4x4andtruckrepair
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posted on July 26, 2006 07:17:59 PM
Them sneeky SOB's. It sure in the heck is gone. It was there earlier. Guess they don't want anyone to know how many stores they are loosing. The URL for it was posted in the ebay stores category in the ebay community yesterday. I'll try to see if it's still there.
1 out of 4 people are mentally unbalanced. Take a look at your 3 closest friends. If they seem alright, you're the one! - Kyle Stubbins, CMS
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mikes4x4andtruckrepair
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posted on July 26, 2006 07:56:08 PM
They must have seen my post in the ebay stores board. The link is now back. I copied the URL this time. It's http://stores.ebay.com/_W0QQsrtZsQQtZlw . Just incase it decides to leave again. LOL
1 out of 4 people are mentally unbalanced. Take a look at your 3 closest friends. If they seem alright, you're the one! - Kyle Stubbins, CMS
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