posted on June 30, 2001 05:20:09 PM new
eBay and Yahoo don't have an inventory warehousing problem because they impose listing fees that preclude an seller from dumping thousands of items onto their auctionsites and then relisting them over and over again.
eBay reportedly has a sell-through rate of around 50%. Every week the stuff is new, with a very small percentage of relists.
That is why inventory warehousers find the free auction sites so appealing. Bidville, for instance, allows up to 99 relists, which is about two years.
Bidville has a sell-through rate of 0.2%. Every week the stuff is old, with some 93% of its listings being relists from the prior week.
So can we define an inventory warehouser?
It would seem to me that someone listing 1,000 items with 99 relists, for a total of 99,000 listings, just might qualify.
But how about 500 items with 13 relists? Or 100 items with three relists?
posted on June 30, 2001 09:11:48 PM new
Here's dimview again... specifically singling out Bidville. Why? Bidbay, Epier, Sellyouritems, Snap Rap, etc... are no better.
posted on June 30, 2001 09:33:34 PM new
This may sound like an AA meeting but I'm an inventory wharehouser (hangs head). It all started out when that type of thing was actually profitable on Yahoo. But no, the good times ended with the dreaded listing fees.
posted on July 1, 2001 06:25:21 AM newThis may sound like an AA meeting but I'm an inventory wharehouser (hangs head). It all started out when that type of thing was actually profitable on Yahoo. But no, the good times ended with the dreaded listing fees.
Funny, this is why I am a inventory warehouser too! I sold quite regularly on Yahoo and now on BidVille, I am selling but not as much. I feel that most items do sell, but you need to wait for the buyer, and when they buy, they are thrilled to have found it!
posted on July 1, 2001 08:43:40 AM new
daredevil88 >
Here's dimview again... specifically singling out Bidville. Why? Bidbay, Epier, Sellyouritems, Snap Rap, etc... are no better.
Well, the ePier relisting syndrome thread has seven messages, the Bidville relisting syndrome thread has around 80.
I'm sure you can figure out that most folks more interested in Bidville, therefore the example here is about Bidville.
Sheesh!
Why all the Bidville hate?
< LOL > So now its gone from "bash" to "hate". < LOL >
Bidville would make a significant improvement by curtailing the listing activities of these inventory warehousers.
My first suggestion would be to limit relists to five.
And take a look at their Bulk Loader ... ummmmm, well, the inventory warehousers probably call it the Bulk Dumper ... < LOL > ... anyway ... to similarly limit relists to five.
posted on July 1, 2001 09:24:34 AM new
Inventory Warehouser is what any bussiness or online sales are about in any case no matter the cost or non cost.
If you dont have the inventory listed when the right buyer comes along you will lose the sale and for ever warehouse the inventory.
Where would walmart or any other store be if they had them big stores sitting there empty till you called an made your reservation to go there next week to buy an Item.
Haveing items listed on a online auction site week after week has nothing at all to do with buyers comeing or not.
Go to any brick and mortar store and you will find thousands of items that sit there day after day month after month year after year waiting for the day you need to have it.
yes stores do add new items seasonally and items that sell quickly on a daily bases as well.
But if your not warehouseing Items when the one person whos wants it comes along the other guy will.
With online auctions there is really no such thing a fresh new listings even an Ebay that suposes a 50% turn over weekly This I feel is way over stated.
in any case so what last week I sold my green widget there will be a so called fresh listing for the same dam green widget to replace it either way its the same item only thing different is the seller and condition of the item.
cost of listing or free listing dont make the items sell any faster and Item turn over dont make listing look any fresher.
The Only bad move is for a seller to go out buy inventory to sell then not have it on display for sale.
There is not reall any such thing as a free Ride when it come to selling on or off line even if the auction site offers free listings.
But seller can cut there cost if they want buy houseing there own inventory listings and photos on there own computers any computer can be a webserver with the addition of a program.
Ebay no longer allows you to add links to your web site and stores the other auction sites do so in the end the best value for any online sell is the Free listing site that allows free listing to advertize your items and business most cost effectively.
people pay to list on ebay only they tell you what you can and cant do for your money they have the trafic but make them selves no longer effective for your business buy there choice they make there site less use to your business.
posted on July 1, 2001 09:51:03 AM new
Dman3,
That was a very well thought out response, and I agree. I also, having "warehoused" at Yahoo before BidVille, must add, that in my case, the right buyer usually does come along and we have a sale!
posted on July 1, 2001 10:16:14 AM new
deichen >
I also, having "warehoused" at Yahoo before BidVille, must add, that in my case, the right buyer usually does come along and we have a sale!
But no inventory warehousing at eBay, or Yahoo now. The only reason is that they charge listing fees.
So they are dumped on free sites.
The policy problems at eBay and Yahoo aside, its becoming clear that charging listing fees are what is needed to have a viable auctionsite.
eBay, 50% sell-through rate; Yahoo!, 30%; and then ePier, 2%; Bidville, 0.8%.
posted on July 1, 2001 10:31:42 AM new
It is so clear to me what you should do! List only on Ebay and Yahoo, and leave the free sites alone. I doubt you have any investment in them, so why does it bother you? I am sure they knew what they were doing, by starting up a site, etc...
Clearly, your choice should be to pay to list and to only buy on those sites as well. No big loss to me, and considering your bashing (yawn) it probably won't be a big loss to others.
posted on July 1, 2001 10:43:33 AM new
deichen >
It is so clear to me what you should do! List only on Ebay and Yahoo, and leave the free sites alone.
Except that the policies at those two for-pay sites aren't seller favorable, so its important to have one of the free sites become effective competition to them. And it seems to me they have to decide to stop being webservers for "inventory warehousers" and begin move towards auctionservers with "real auctions." Maybe Bidville will make the business decision soon. I hope so.
posted on July 1, 2001 01:50:24 PM new
Dman3,
There is a LOT of truth to what you have to say. I agree. I used to "warehouse" (as it is now being called) on yahoo. The reason I stopped when they added the fees was that the items I sell (scrapbook supplies - stickers, paper, die cuts, ect) usually goes for between .50-2.00. So even though a lot of my stuff sells the first time around and there IS a demand for it... There is NO WAY I could make ANY money there. I would gladly pay FVF but .30 to list something that will sell for .50 and then have a FVF.. well it's obvious I would soon be in the hole. If it was something bigger that I am listing, like for $25.00 or more, why list at yahoo when I only have to pay slightly more at ebay and get a LOT more views??? I LOVED yahoo till they tried to put me out of business.
I usually don't have to wait long for the right buyer to come along for me either.
posted on July 1, 2001 04:34:36 PM newExcept that the policies at those two for-pay sites aren't seller favorable, so its important to have one of the free sites become effective competition to them. And it seems to me they have to decide to stop being webservers for "inventory warehousers" and begin move towards auctionservers with "real auctions." Maybe Bidville will make the business decision soon. I hope so.
This is the DUMBEST thing I have read all month. Think about it. As long as a site is FREE, people will continue to list until someone buys. No one can stop them because... it's FREE!! Sites that have high sell-through rates get high sell-through rates because they CHARGE. It's that simple. I'm not to continue to plop down $0.30 10 times for each relist on a $5.00 item. Dimview wants Bidville to change. Only a FOOL would do this!! Look what happened to Yahoo!! Carl Lewis couldn't run away faster.
It appears that dimview wants the best of two worlds: He wants it FREE and a lot of fresh-new items for sale. And I want to win the lotto, discover a cure for cancer, and succeed were Einstein failed. Sorry, dimview, what you ask is impossible and downright dumb.
[ edited by daredevil2010 on Jul 1, 2001 04:37 PM ]
posted on July 1, 2001 05:46:56 PM new
daredevil2010 >
As long as a site is FREE, people will continue to list until someone buys. No one can stop them because... it's FREE!! Sites that have high sell-through rates get high sell-through rates because they CHARGE. It's that simple.
Agreed!
The bottomline is Bidville has to decide whether they want a low sell-through rate or a high sell-through rate, which is directly related to free or listings fees.
Since they promised free listings, a good idea would be to allow relistings for those paying the monthly Premier or Premier Plus membership fee, and all the rest only free listings but ZERO RELISTINGS!
posted on July 1, 2001 06:16:07 PM new
I know this is hard for you to grasp, but they already did decide. They are free and have said they will remain free. What don't you understand now?
posted on July 1, 2001 06:23:27 PM new
deichen >
I know this is hard for you to grasp, but they already did decide. They are free and have said they will remain free. What don't you understand now?
Well, free listings and relistings for Premier and Premier Plus members only, and free listings with no relistings for all the rest would certainly put a "speedbump" in the path of inventory warehousers.
I can see all those inventory warehousers now, being forced to manually relist and relist and relist, week after week after week, on stuff that is of interest to no one.
< grin >
[ edited by dimview on Jul 1, 2001 06:24 PM ]
posted on July 1, 2001 07:11:41 PM new
Thats silly Ebay , Yahoo or Other sites dont get better sell through because they charge a listing fee !!!!....
What is paid to list your Item has nothing to do with its selling.
They also dont sell more because they have so much fresh or new Items daily and weekly since they too suffer from the flooded categorie of the same ole same ole.
a good many if not most sellers on Ebay are also sellers on all the free sites, Its many of the sellers who have not discovered there is a better deal from the same sellers on other sites.
Buyers haven't discovered that there is no Credit card verification on the free sites there is no policy hastles most dont know cause they never take the time too look.
I know a good many here will say you are buyer and have checked other site but you all make up less then 1 tenth of 1 percent of the internet comunity.
its not because these auction sites arent well publized since these other auction sites are talked about on many of these boards advertised in many sig files and links found on thousands of web site.
Paying listing fees has nothing to do with sellthur rates People just got done with a free listing day on Ebay some 2 million items were listed on that day for free NO CHARGE NO FEE and im sure sellers out there will make millions of dollars on there free listings at ebay this blows a hole your Idea that site that charge sell more.
posted on July 1, 2001 10:14:35 PM new
WEll For one thing I can tell you I list and sell the very same items at bidville, Epier and others that I sell on Ebay.
In fact I have sold Some Items on the Free sites I listed off and on for months at ebay and couldnt sell there and I got higher bids on the free site.
See It all about motivation Its easy to get sellers interested in moveing and juggleing items around different site with different Idea and so on.
They are motivated to do one thing sell their goods service and inventory, the more cost effective there sales the better for them.
How ever its not as easy to move buyers most are not motivated to search out other sights Most have what I like to call the want wants motivation.
They have ebay book marked they feel a sudden urge for this or that search ebay for there item not because the seller paid a fee but just because ebay was book marked and the fastest path to fill there sudden urge to have.
This is also Why there is so much buyer remorse and dead beating on Auctions because they bid Just when there want wants hit then they sleep on it and when they wake up well Guess what the Item they bid on to buy suddenly is not what they want no more.
Its not the fees charged at all that causes high sell thru, buyer dont give a hoot what you or I pay to list our Item all they care is that it fill there Want or need at that moment.
The trick is getting these buyer motivated to register to the other sites, break there old habbits.
People have habbit traits maybe some have heard this " 30days" makes a habbit or pattern, in order to get the veiws or bids from ebay buyers you have to Break the cycle of there habbits and paterns or you need to find new groups of buyer and make the other sites there habbit
The fees some auction sites charge do help them invest million in advertiseing BUT advertiseing can be just as easily and just as effectively be done buy the sellers and users of the free to list auction site as well.
Ebay has been around a long time its basically now a Engrained habbit now ebay rarely has to Advertize these days .
posted on July 1, 2001 11:40:11 PM new
I sell at Bidville, and I used to sell at Yahoo. The difference is, I used to sit for hours and hours relisting sportcards at Yahoo. I think the relist program at Bidville is the greatest. I list my items for 5 days with a 99 relist. I also use the "Take It" feature. I am by no means a power seller. I may have close to 300 auctions listed. But I also sold 535 cards for the month of May. Just wanted to throw in some relist statistics.
posted on July 2, 2001 06:47:20 AM new
I also list with the 5 day option and 99 relists and this feature is very important to me. I certainly hope not to get to the 99 relists. I sold more in the month of June this year on Bidville than I did on Yahoo last year. June, July and August are not good auction months for what I sell. They are probably not good auction months for anyone. That is why Ebay had another free listing day last week!
Why would anyone hope that their items last thru 99 relists? It just is a nice feature for sellers who have a lot of auctions to manage.
I forgot to mention that during the slow months ALL of my auctions have a take it price. So if you ever clicked on my user name, you would not see even one bid.
