posted on August 8, 2006 07:54:37 AM new
great thread! No doubt we will see the Magic campaign soon but with no credit to the sellers where it belongs. I was going to open a store soon but the fee jump kept me out.
posted on August 8, 2006 09:18:37 AM new
Sorry, no, I don't think I'll participate.
Sure, those are heartwarming stories, the kind that make you feel all gooey and leave logic by the wayside.
However, no one is stopping you Stores sellers from continuing to sell just the way you always have. Except that now you have to pay your fair share of the load. Guess the truth isn't sweet OR sentimental.
I'm sorry, I should have made up some sappy tale to illustrate the point but I'm pretty busy listing auctions and fixed price items this morning.
The notion that the only magic that matters on eBay comes from that one-in-a-million nostalgic find is just, well, hilarious. You want to be able to list an ashtray from Moose Poop, Wisconsin for 24 cents a year on the off-chance that there's a Moose Poopian out there remaining who hasn't died from lung cancer. Absurd.
posted on August 8, 2006 10:26:41 AM new
Hey Fluff - I auction as much as you do...don't have nearly the sell through though. I have to depend on the surviving Moosepoopians to make a sale while you get the Bridezilla crowd. Therefore I have lots of unsold inventory. I am not complaining - just stating a fact.There's a slim chance that on any given day in a 1 week period the Moosepoopian will have his computer on and be able to find my Moosepoop auction. There is room for both of us on ebay (or there was at least). Do you want us all to sell sterling jewelry?? How soon would the Moosepoopians and Outer Slobovians and all the folks that wouldn't be caught dead in silver turn away from ebay because they can't find what they are looking for?
I pay my dues as an auction seller and use my store for unsold inventory. Items are listed and relisted on the core site BEFORE they ever go to my store. I could set up my own Web Site but the chance of the Moosepoopian from Tasmania finding his heart's delight is even slimmer there. I can't sell at a B&M or flea market because the Moosepoopian from Tasmania is not likely to come to Minneapolis to find a postcard. I need my ebay store plain and simple. I am willing to pay the fees - but don't mess with the search!
It's Meg herself that decided that a focus on auctions would bring the "Magic" back to ebay. That is Bull$hit! Everyone knows that auctions are passe for most experienced buyers. Auctions are not what is special about ebay anymore.
I agree that storesellers should pay their fair share and many of us do. But to make store sellers the scapegoat for faltering growth is dead wrong. Store sellers contribute to the "Magic" (ok that term sounds a little sappy to me too) of ebay. You can only fool investors for so long and this seems to be a desperate attempt to stave off the wolves at the door. Investors want demonstrated GROWTH and the fact is ebay is a mature company and can't produce GROWTH in its auction venue either. Ebay is going to have to think outside the box to come up with a way to GROW because raising fees can only prolong the inevitable revelation that THE EMPEROR (or Empress to be more precise) HAS NO CLOTHES ON!
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posted on August 8, 2006 03:29:16 PM newEveryone knows that auctions are passe for most experienced buyers.
Who is this "everyone"? I buy a lot on eBay, mostly at auction, the rest at fixed price. I don't buy from Stores because there are no good deals in Stores.
That bears repeating: There are no good deals in Stores.
It's all about the deal. That's the magic.
Auctions are not what is special about ebay anymore.
No, apparently whining is the new currency. I don't mean you. You're usually pretty clear-headed.
C'mon, M.A., you know I love you to pieces, but you've got to stop hanging out with unsuccessful sellers. Their attitude is poisonous.
fLufF
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[ edited by fluffythewondercat on Aug 8, 2006 04:13 PM ]
posted on August 8, 2006 03:35:16 PM new
Even though I'm one of the ones that closed my store I have to agree with fLuff here. I also buy on ebay and the majority of what I buy is in auction format. Why? Because I can get a better deal then I can through a store. There is little or no bargining with a store. I have had some super buys through auctions though. Don't get me wrong though. I agree stores are a great format for selling items that would probably never be seen in a auction format due to the timeframe needed to find the correct buyer for the item.
In short the situation just sucks. Auction sellers are not happy, store sellers are not happy. Is anyone happy?
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
posted on August 8, 2006 04:29:04 PM new
I'm happy. After a week of not being able to work, now I can work. I love to work. I never get tired of selling on eBay.
There's always something new to try. I've added cowboy boots and antique silver to the mix. Cross-marketing like that brings new eyes to my auctions. Some of them stay.
posted on August 8, 2006 06:22:36 PM new
I disagree about the only good deals are on auctions. Hard-to-find old videos, vintage books, magazines, AND postcards can be found for a steal in stores. Especially when search is messed up and they are not found first in auctions. I am buying old favorite movies now before all the video sellers are gone.
[ edited by pixiamom on Aug 8, 2006 06:23 PM ]
posted on August 8, 2006 09:40:51 PM new
That's not what I consider a deal. I'm talking about buying something like a stamp collection that has a value over $3,000 for only $30 or $40, vehicle diagnostic equipment that would cost me well over $10,000 for less than $100 and so on. How about the brand new Big Cam Cummins 855 crate engine I got 4 months ago for only $1,200. That price doesn't even cover the cost of a core if you had to buy a recon engine. The seller had it in the wrong category, had Cummins spelled wrong and very poor pictures. I was the only bidder. You don't find deal's like that in stores. You do however from time to time find such items that are very poorly listed in auction format. I have to admit that the only "magic" I find on ebay is in auction format listing's when it comes to buying, but that's just me. The magic to me is paying pennies on the 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
posted on August 9, 2006 03:05:41 PM new
From my (I admit) personal vantage point, I think that eBay got it all wrong in trying to restore the auction magic. If they wanted to reduce the clutter, they should have raised Store Listing Fees by a LOT (say, to $1/month or more), but left the FVF alone (they were already high).
Stores had been a good place for me to put pickup-only items (furniture, heavy equipment, etc.) that have a geographically constrained audience, and thus aren't good candidates for an auction, or other pricy items that just don't have a wide following (or large numbers of people who can afford them).
If I'm not willing to pay $1/month to list something, then I'm not sure that it is worth it (for me; my apologies in advance to postcard sellers and such, but I have to admit that I'm not sure that eBay is the right place for them). I'd be willing to pay considerably more than $1, but there is a legitimate need for a place where I can put something that might need weeks to find its next owner, without getting reamed by FVFs once that person is found. I nearly always do "Best Offer", which is something like an auction in reverse; for the first few days, I'll only discount a bit, by the second or third month, you can have it for half price or less.
posted on August 9, 2006 03:32:47 PM new
All I can say to you Claude is, (after the Bronx cheer) - GLAD YOU AREN'T IN CHARGE OF EBAY! What makes you think that ebay (which started with trading Pez dispensers BTW) is more right for you than us?? Sheesh. I am really surprised that people are willing to risk buying high ticket items online considering the rampant fakes and fraud.
The way you use your store is your business but PLEASE don't even suggest that I don't have a right to mine.
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posted on August 9, 2006 03:42:19 PM new
CashInYourCloset, you must be smoking the same thing Meg & Bill are. I could probably find a nice little brick & mortar store for the same rent I pay in eBay fees each month, but how would non-Oregonian buyers find me? Ten thousand postcard store sellers and hundreds of thousands of buyers have found eBay (up to now) as the perfect venue for selling and buying postcards - it sure beats hunching for hours over unsorted shoebox cards! If there is a better place to sell postcards, I'd go there but despite several postcard auction sites, buyers prefer to shop on eBay.
We really don't clutter up the site, tend to stay in our own categories (unlike sellers of pricey, 'for pick-up only' items who like to use Postcard geographical categories.)
Postcard sellers haven't killed eBay auctions, the disappointed buyers are the ones scammed on large-ticket items.
posted on August 9, 2006 06:09:47 PM new
As an occasional postcard seller I have to add my voice and say we have a distinct part to play in the ebay story. It is true that serious card sellers can have (or did anyways) hundreds or even thousands of listings, and yes sell-though is not as good as perhaps some other categories of items, but cards (and ephemera/paper items) do sell- some for pretty good money (not mine, heh-heh). One can easily find serious card sellers with 4 and 5 digit amounts of feedback, just look at pixia and neglus, so there are PLENTY of cards being sold.
I also happen to sell some books, I don't know which of the two has worse sell-through --books also sell fairly regularly-- but if you want to see some swollen stores with stagnant stock and with up to half-a-million items, try some of the bigger book sellers. I'm betting these seller's sell-through (and generally their feedback rating too) is somewhat less than that of postcard sellers. Many of them barely have a description, maye 5-10 words only, that stupid FILLZ *rap, and zero photos. Makes me wonder how a potential buyer would know what they're supposed to be getting?
I feel fortunate that I sell as many books as I do. But I absolutely put a lot of effort into making them attractive (figuratively) to potential buyers. I take particular glee when my book is the only one of 5 or more exact same titles, available at the same time, that do sell in one or two tries.
I've sold books from auction and store listings. I must say that auction listings do have a slight edge for sales.
posted on August 9, 2006 06:43:58 PM newI'm talking about buying something like a stamp collection that has a value over $3,000 for only $30 or $40
Oh, how I know what you mean. I bought what turned out to be 16 POUNDS (the pictures were lousy) of new sterling silver jewelry for a mere $2,400. It should have sold for $10,000 or more. I'll be selling these pieces through the end of next year. Bought from a fellow Vendian, no less.
I have to admit I don't understand the whole postcard thing. Postcard sellers need access to the eBay search engine because most of their sales are serendipitous?* Hmmm. Well, let's look at other gateway pages that offer the same kind of power. How much do you think Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc. would charge you to have your postcard pop up when someone enters "Bearfart, Alaska" in the Search box?
fLufF
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*Serendipitous: The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident. Several postcard sellers have claimed that their sales are to people who were actually looking for something else on eBay.
posted on August 9, 2006 07:02:33 PM new
I can put up with jewelry sellers charging 5 x opening bid for shipping. I would think you could put up with postcard sellers receiving a fair price for their items. Shame on you!
posted on August 9, 2006 07:29:10 PM new
Oh, I get it - the "magic" of auctions is REALLY about taking advantage of sellers' mistakes or tough times! How naive of me to think that it was more than this.
Well, store sellers make mistakes too. You just have to check "newly listed" to find them - and you don't even have to sweat it out and pray that no one else is as smart as you are because you can BUY IT NOW!
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posted on August 9, 2006 07:42:53 PM newHow much do you think Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc. would charge you to have your postcard pop up when someone enters "Bearfart, Alaska" in the Search box
I don't have any Bearfart Alaska postcards - but Google charges me nothing (nada,zilch) for this:
posted on August 9, 2006 09:03:44 PM newShame on you!
For what? Expressing an opinion?
Grow up. Not everyone in the world is going to agree with you.
I can put up with jewelry sellers charging 5 x opening bid for shipping.
I want to be clear on this. So if I offer a sterling silver marcasite necklace for 99 cents opening bid with $6.00 shipping, I am a bad person, but someone who offers a similar necklace for $5.95 opening bid with $6.00 shipping is a good person just trying to get by in a tough eBay marketplace?
Oh, and does it make a difference if I end up selling that 99 cent starting bid necklace for $11.00?
Please tell me what the ratio of opening bid to shipping fee should be. I just want to know what crime is being committed here that requires your continuing forbearance.
fLufF
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[ edited by fluffythewondercat on Aug 9, 2006 09:29 PM ]
posted on August 9, 2006 10:02:14 PM new
I can be tolerant of others business models. I wish others could.
[ edited by pixiamom on Aug 10, 2006 03:19 AM ]
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
