posted on July 29, 2001 05:59:34 PM new
Hi all,
I am interested in your thoughts about this new auction site. They really seem to be giving it the go and I would like nothing better than to have another place to sell. I used to sell on Yahoo and Amazon but those days seem long gone. Yes of course there is eBay but having an alternative to the "fat cat" is always nice too, don't you think?
So what are your thoughts on the "new kid on the block"?
posted on July 29, 2001 07:11:18 PM new
Unfortunately I see nothing different there than at any of the other alternate sites. Same categories, same features, nothing of interest to me in the categories I sell and buy in.
I don't know about anyone else, but I'm tired of hopping from site to site. I'm going to stick with the three I use now (eBay and two others) and concentrate on them.
posted on July 29, 2001 07:12:57 PM new
Carnaby has been around for awhile. I think they originally launched about a year ago, then decided to revamp the site and are just getting back into.
There is another thread in this forum that has received quite a few responses.
Maybe it will give you a better feel of things:
Carnaby
posted on July 29, 2001 07:18:00 PM new
Unlike Joanne, I see a LOT of difference in the Carnaby site. It is a very professional site with great support, lots of excellent features and a great bulk loading program. I really like that site and find it hard to go back to eBay now that I've started to use Carnaby. I've been more than happy with the results to date. In fact, it's actually a fun place to be! For me, anyway, it's really put the fun back into online auctions - something that has been missing on eBay for a long time now!
posted on July 29, 2001 07:37:09 PM new
I'm impressed with this site.
They have taken the exact opposite approach to many sites that have tried to burst onto the auction scene.
They've been developing the site for two years, the CS so far is taking the almost unique approach of reading your email and responding with helpful information in a timely manner, they seem much more interested in getting thing right than immediate growth and I get the strong feeling their plans are to develop a better site first and a bigger site later.
The question remains whether any site can develop sufficent buyer traffic to be a broad based alternative marketplace but Carnaby seems to have as much promise as any new venue that has opened.
I use AOL and there does seem to be some tech conflicts which they acknowledge and are working to correct.
I would encourage everyone to go and visit the site.
posted on July 29, 2001 09:31:01 PM new
I sell on several sites, and I've gotta say, I'm real pleased with Carnaby, I've already had several sales, the site is very user friendly, the Max Loader is great, and the staff is VERY responsive to the needs of both sellers and buyers. E-mail support is swift and personal...
Support is also active on the sites threads to answer questions..."very good question, but that's not my area of expertise, and I wouldn't want to give you bad info, let me get the specialist in that area to answer your post." Tell me how often you see something like that.
posted on July 29, 2001 10:23:59 PM new
I too joined Carnaby.
The site is clean, easy to use, well thought out, and support is never far away.
Between the message boards, and e-mail, a response is always fast and accurate. AND if they do not know an answer, or cannot figure out why you are having a problem, they stay in touch, let you know what they are doing, and will help you to correct the problem when the answer is found!
No canned responses, no "sorry, it is not us", just pure help and interested help. They truly want a seller to succeed because then THEY succeed!
The Max loader has options I have always heard where impossible.
posted on July 29, 2001 10:55:08 PM new
I too have joined Carnaby, although I do sell on other sites. I have to say I am very impressed with the member/support interaction! It is great to get a support tech on the messenger to guide you through a trouble area! Just started listing there lasy week and already 4 bids out of 25 items listed, and one successful closing! I am very excited about this site...Just for looking around, listing, and placing a couple bids..I have won a t-shirt and a DVD player! Those are just perks and even if they weren't there I am hooked!
posted on July 30, 2001 12:47:31 AM new
I like Carnaby too. And I have registered, but then I thought.....Why spend time listing on Carnaby when I will get better prices on Ebay....then I thought.....BUT Carnaby is free.......so if I sell ANYTHING I am still doing better than the other place.......then I thought....but in two months time it will be the SAME price as Ebay, so then I might as well spend my time listing on Ebay.
Will the money I receive by listing on Ebay for the next two months outweigh the money I save by listing on Carnaby.....probably.
Will the 3%-7% rebate make it worthwhile??
Please someone convince me I should spend the next two months slogging through the hard times at Carnaby, so that I can end up paying the same fees I was paying on Ebay anyway.
posted on July 30, 2001 05:41:29 AM new
You answered your own question.
I would LOVE to abandon Ebay!!
Some day one of these sites are going to emerge as a contender. If we were all like you and waited till one got popular for we listed our items, then it might never happen. And years from now you would still be setting here saying I would LOVE to abandon Ebay!!
Unlike the rest of the success stories so far I have yet to have a sale there (hint everyone) but I still like the site and will continue to list and as I get time, to list more things.
Jim
[ edited by LaneFamily on Jul 30, 2001 05:50 AM ]
posted on July 30, 2001 10:06:42 AM new
lorikeet, a few months ago I said the exact words you're saying--and that's exactly what I did and I haven't been sorry I did. Outside of having a few eBay withdrawals (which were quickly taken care of simply by visiting eBay for a few minutes) it hasn't been a problem.
Sure, you'll probably get more money for an item you list on eBay. Sure, you might save a few listing fees if you list some on Carnaby.
But as to the whole solution you have to figure that one out for yourself. Are you someone who makes a living off of auction sales? If so, then leave some of your listings on eBay--but by George, please come help us do what we can in helping to build up some of these other sites.
Over and over on these boards I see people who aren't willing to spend any of their time to help build up a possible contender--yet all they can do is complain about eBay. Unless we are willing to step in and do something about it, eBay will continue to be 'king of the hill'.
Just imagine if every seller who was aggravated with eBay moved 10 or 20 of their listings to another site, and e-mailed a few of their customers (the ones on their mailing lists) to let them know they were expanding their horizons.
When I first started moving my listings to these other sites I saw over and over again on these boards that it can't be done. You can't list your items on other sites and 'make any money'. I'm a hobbyist seller--I do this to bring a little extra income, sort of like the icing on the cake. We use my auction money for things like going to a movie or to the fair or going on a camping trip--these are things that would otherwise be difficult for us. Additionally I spend part of my auction earnings on auction buys. I do a lot of my gift shopping from the auctions and find household items and knick-knacks there as well. And right now I'm refurnishing parts of our house with my auction sales--sales people told me I'd never make listing on those small sites.
Basically what it all boils down to is something I learned as a child from my fifth grade teacher reading the Little House series--where there's a will there's a way. Sometimes finding the way isn't such an easy task--sometimes it takes re-learning everything you already know. But if you're stubborn enough you'd be amazed at the results you can eventually achieve.
Jim, I looked for your listings on Carnaby but must've typed in the wrong ID--I couldn't find any listings. I'm always on the look-out for stuff and love to buy from those I know when they have something I want.
Thanks for your replies. You all seem very positive.
I do need the little income I make from auctions, so my original plan was to do exactly what Wallypog said.
Move a few of my auctions over to Carnaby, and leave some on Ebay.
So I will do that.
(But at the end of the free listing period, if Carnaby introduces fees that are just as high as Ebay, then I will return to the big greedy Ebay, because if I am going to pay high fees I might as well pay them to the No1 auction traffic site, as the No 2.)
posted on July 30, 2001 02:05:48 PM new
bargainlover: Sounds like Wallypog and the others here have given you good advice.
Carnaby isn't going to replace eBay overnight, but it's a great place to be. Business is picking up on a daily basis.
You have to understand from the start (and by reading the chat boards and management philosophy on the Carnaby site) that Carnaby is not going to be free for very long, nor is it going to be cheap.
However, once you establish a customer base there I really think that it is going to be a great place to sell your high ticket items. It will cost more to add the bells and whistles for listing fees, but these fees will be well spent in the long run on your better quality items, as they will have a prominent place in the Showcase, etc., and will be readily visible for buyers and browsers alike.
You don't have to put all your eggs in one basket at this time, and perhaps the types of goods you sell won't be suitable on Carnaby.
Your original post asked for our thoughts on the new kid on the block, and from what I can see here, the response has been postive.
My suggestion to you is to try a few items, learn the ins and outs of the site, then make a decision some time down the line as to where your items will sell best.
As for me, I really like this site and am planning to list quite a few of my better pieces just as soon as my company leaves and things get back to normal around here.
Sorry for the long post. Just needed to chat about something other than family affairs
posted on July 30, 2001 03:31:59 PM new
I have sold over a thousand items on ebay. I registered on Carnaby.com and intended to list a few just for a trial, but they wanted a credit card number or else. I don't use credit cards on the internet, so guess I won't be listing anything. I pay ebay by check and keep a + balance with them, and would not mind doing the same with Carnaby but I can't see any other options than credit card.
I really like the layout and the CS at carnaby as well as the seller services such as the email templates you can use.
Stan, alot of people have made comments on the Carnaby boards about the credit card issue and I think they know it is keeping some sellers from coming on board. I believe they are examining some other options so you might want to check back there every now and again.
http://www.ezinkjetstore.com
posted on July 30, 2001 07:53:25 PM new
SAXKID: I guess I am just too dumb to use the Carnaby message boards. I can get to where it lists the originator, no. of messages, date of last message, etc. but that is as far as I can get. I think I have clicked on everything around there and get nothing.
posted on July 31, 2001 10:19:10 AM new
An auction seller strategy that is anchored by eBay and augmented by some of these smaller venues like Carnaby can produce surprising results. If you list equally on all the sites, obviously a disproportionate # of your sales will come from eBay, but I'm finding other sites are augmenting my eBay sales even during these slow summer months.
In July I've had a ton of sales on eBay, a good amount on Yahoo, a bunch on BargainandHaggle, a few on Half.com, many on Amazon Marketplace, and even a few surprisingly on ePier. Still can't sell a darn thing on Bidville or Amazon auctions. Hope to replace Bidville with Carnaby in the near future if their target 30+% sell-thru happens. July hasn't been a bad month thanks to all these smaller venues producing sales and surprisingly has been my best revenue/profit month ever. Many small revenue streams summed together can become one giant revenue stream. People are still out there buying items no matter how bad the economy is performing.
Nobody is expecting Carnaby to displace eBay now or in the future, but there's so much of this eCommerce pie left to consume that there's plenty of room for Carnaby. Just think about how few people have actually made online purchases, or know about sites like Half.com, Amazon Marketplace, BargainandHaggle, ePier, etc. I'm even finding many technically savvy people (even software professionals) don't know these venues exist. Sure, almost all have heard of Yahoo, eBay or Amazon, but it's surprising how many have never shopped there. The growth of eCommerce is still in its early stages. We might even be living through the Stone Ages.
posted on July 31, 2001 10:29:02 AM new
I like the look and feel of Carnaby too. I haven't dug deep enough into it to decide it I want to register, but I read "somewhere" that you have to give them a credit card number to join.
If that's the case, then I won't bother going back.
On a more general note, does anyone else here think that there are just too many "new" auction sites popping up, and that the novelty of an eBay has wained? My belief is that the number of items being bought and sold is not increasing, but rather just getting spread out over more sites.
posted on July 31, 2001 02:21:10 PM new
RB, you bring up a very good question IMHO. Are there too many auction sites?
I believe that there are. But at the same time I admire the tenacity behind those sites being created. I don't believe all of these sites are being created because they want a piece of a successful pie. I believe some of them are put together because the people behind them want to provide something different from what eBay or some other sites provide. Just look at all the various niche sites out there. Those sites usually generate quite a bit of traffic and the sellers do well.
I also believe that particular types of sellers look for different things in an auction site. Personally I like a site that caters to the smaller sellers, without all of the added incentives for the big guys. Realistically, though, I know that unless someone comes out with a really innovative plan the only sites that are going to get out there and promote themselves heavily are going to be the ones with financial backing and of course they're going to go after the larger sellers so they can generate more revenue.
It's really a hard spot we're in.
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