posted on December 26, 2001 01:42:18 PM new
I like it, has a narrow focus which will be easier to market. Just signed up today and bought a several items. The only auction site besides ebay that I bought from. Good future predicted for this little site, just needs more sellers.
posted on December 30, 2001 08:25:21 AM new
I just bought a few things there myself, I think I'll give them a try and list some toys next year. I like the Free Gallery and NO listing fees. Something tells me them old ladies are going to take some market share away from the big boys when that site gets going.
posted on December 30, 2001 07:05:43 PM new
It's up to five registered users. A few committed sellers could help draw a lot of interest when the categories get some items in them to draw in more users.
posted on December 30, 2001 09:46:07 PM new
Their best bet is a narrow niche auction. Only Fisher Price toys auctions or something like that. Become know as "the place" for Fisher Price toys auctions and you may have a shot at being a player. Stay away from fad items. JMHO ....
posted on January 3, 2002 09:43:54 PM new
They're adding new categories almost daily. I noticed if you type in http://www.threeoldladies.com you get the current updated page, and if you type in http://www.3oldladies.com you get an out-of-date page. Pretty confusing for new users.
I'm trying to find one of my items that I listed and it's not showing up, probably due the phantom categories that come and go daily.
(ok, edited message on 4th, looks like they made the two URLS resulting pages identical).
[ edited by quickdraw29 on Jan 4, 2002 10:00 PM ]
posted on January 4, 2002 01:25:18 PM new
*All* of the other sites respond to "feedback"--in the beginning. And then as the membership grows, so-called "support" takes a back seat, as the site owners struggle with rapidly growing numbers of emails and database problems, with neither money nor staff available to take some of the pressure off.
Usually that's the point where some form of fees are introduced, and everything begins its inevitable slide into the dumpster, as users question why they should be paying fees (usually on a site that bragged "no fees ever!)when bidders are scarce.
I hope you make a go of it Ruth, but personally I feel there are already *way* too many online auction venues, each new one that comes along fragments the bidder base even more, the end result being the "Big Guns" become even stronger.
I think it's past time for a whole slew of these smaller second and third tier sites to give up the dream of being eBay2 and combine their resources and membership base, into *one* true contender.
Just my 2 cents...
(edited to remove html tags that I never typed)
[ edited by relayerone on Jan 4, 2002 01:27 PM ]
posted on January 4, 2002 02:23:26 PM new
relayerone, are you a seller? If you are maybe you should give up selling and let the major stores handle the business of selling!
Fact is, major businesses can't offer everything smaller one's can.
Past marketing history shows that companies that focus on one product can beat the major company offering a similar product. Threeoldladies is focused on toys so it stands a great chance of success.
posted on January 4, 2002 08:19:29 PM new
I wish the 3 old babes well. They are following my formula to online auction success. Niche, niche & niche.( sounds like a French law firm? ) If they get some decent measure of success they should institute a fee schedule to raise funds to help them promote the site.
posted on January 4, 2002 11:45:29 PM new
Quickdraw shouted into the wind:
relayerone, are you a seller? If you are maybe you should give up selling and let the major stores handle the business of selling!
yes, as a matter of fact I am, and a reasonably successful one too. As for "giving up selling", thanks for the tip, but *I* will decide my course of action, not you.
Fact is, major businesses can't offer everything smaller one's can.
Fact? Please show some empirical data to support your "fact". In most major towns there are *scores* of small businesses that have been buried by the large, "box" or "super" stores. *That* is a "fact".
Past marketing history shows that companies that focus on one product can beat the major company offering a similar product.
Again, please show us your sources as to "past marketing history", I'd be interested in reading it.
Threeoldladies is focused on toys so it stands a great chance of success.
posted on January 5, 2002 08:58:52 PM new
relayerone says: "I hope you make a go of it Ruth, but personally I feel there are already *way* too many online auction venues, each new one that comes along fragments the bidder base even more, the end result being the "Big Guns" become even stronger."
relayerone responds to my criticsm by saying, "yes, as a matter of fact I am, and a reasonably successful one too. As for "giving up selling", thanks for the tip, but *I* will decide my course of action, not you."
Exactly, threeoldladies will decide their course of action, too, and can make a success of it too. Did Walmart wipe you out?
"In most major towns there are *scores* of small businesses that have been buried by the large, "box" or "super" stores. *That* is a "fact"."
We have two Walmarts in my town, and scores of small stores still striving, that is fact. Walmart sells action figures, so does this small store that has been around for several years.
"Again, please show us your sources as to "past marketing history", I'd be interested in reading it."
I'd be happy to educate you so you don't pollute others mind with your nonsense. Remember when Scott toilet-tissue was #1, yea, me too. But, Scott was known for many products, that's when Charmin entered and knocked Scott off its pedestal.
If you'd like to discuss more cases where narrow niches wins, Mennen beats Dial; Fleishmanns beats Mazola; Dole beats Del Monte; Smuckers beats all major brands in jelly.
Since you asked for my sources, try "Positioning" by Al Ries and Jack Trout", and "Getting it right the Second time" by Michael Gershwin.
posted on January 5, 2002 10:52:03 PM newrelayerone says: "I hope you make a go of it Ruth, but personally I feel there are already *way* too many online auction venues, each new one that comes along fragments the bidder base even more, the end result being the "Big Guns" become even stronger."
Yes, I did say that, thanks for restating my point.
relayerone responds to my criticsm by saying, "yes, as a matter of fact I am, and a reasonably successful one too. As for "giving up selling", thanks for the tip, but *I* will decide my course of action, not you."
"criticsm"? You mean *insult*, right? I tend to give as I get in these forums, I'm quite reasonable to those who respond in kind.
Exactly, threeoldladies will decide their course of action, too, and can make a success of it too. Did Walmart wipe you out?
I've already stated, twice now, that I hope threeoldladies are successful. How many times do I have to repeat myself before it sinks in? And what does "Walmart" have to do with it?
We have two Walmarts in my town, and scores of small stores still striving, that is fact. Walmart sells action figures, so does this small store that has been around for several years.
That's good. I wonder how many of those small businesses attended Town Hall meetings attempting to block Walmart moving into their area. It's not just your town, it happens *everywhere*. Small businesses are frightened, and rightfully so. So called "niche" markets tend to be highly specialized, they have to be to survive, your small store selling the same action figures as Walmart is amongst the lucky few.
I value the "personal touch" highly, and try to patronize stores that provide it, but I also have to say I value the "everything under one roof" approach, that saves me time and, often, money.
I personally know a few ex-business owners who put their hearts and souls into building up their dreams, only to see it slip away in a matter of months after the arrival of (in one case) Michaels craft superstore.
"Again, please show us your sources as to "past marketing history", I'd be interested in reading it."
I'd be happy to educate you so you don't pollute others mind with your nonsense. Remember when Scott toilet-tissue was #1, yea, me too. But, Scott was known for many products, that's when Charmin entered and knocked Scott off its pedestal.
<snort>-- that's the best you can do? How many years ago was that when Mr. Whipple squeezed the Charmin? *40*??
Your "teaching" is a bit out of date dude, maybe time for a refresher course, huh?
If you'd like to discuss more cases where narrow niches wins, Mennen beats Dial; Fleishmanns beats Mazola; Dole beats Del Monte; Smuckers beats all major brands in jelly.
So what you're saying here is all these cases are the rule, not the exception, right? Mennon, Dial, Dole, DelMonte, all these brands seem to me to be on a fairly equal footing, "narrow niche" wouldn't seem to me to be an apt descriptor, but then again I'm not really up on the dreaded *Grocery Wars* lol
Since you asked for my sources, try "Positioning" by Al Ries and Jack Trout", and "Getting it right the Second time" by Michael Gershwin.
I read Positioning some years ago, it's not bad, although written in a somewhat simplistic style, and I hope it's been updated to reflect changes in both thinking and marketing philosophy in light of the influence of the Internet, if not I'd have to consider it a tad obsolete in 2002.
I haven't seen the second book but I'll keep my eye out for it, thanks for the tip.
posted on January 6, 2002 08:47:38 AM new
Surely you can defend your side of argument better than that. That's pretty feeble. Anyway, I hope you success, but since there's too many sellers, and market is diluted with so many products I wonder if you can succeed much longer.
"How many years ago was that when Mr. Whipple squeezed the Charmin? *40*??
Your "teaching" is a bit out of date dude, maybe time for a refresher course, huh?"
The psycholgy of people's minds haven't changed nor will they likely ever change. It's 2002 and a niche player called Ebay has #1 market share in auctions. A generalist called Yahoo hasn't been able to upseat the niche player.
Stanford business school teaches case history using Proctor & Gamble (Pringles) and South West Airlines. Tell them they are outdated and since this is 2002, say South West (a niche player) is irrelevant for today for what happened when they upseated Braniff.
"Positioning" is actually a great book, not outdated, although they could update it with recent cases like IBM vs Dell.
"your small store selling the same action figures as Walmart is amongst the lucky few."
Lucky few, true, as 90% of businesses fail within five years, but that has more to do with what the owners lack, such as skill, experience, and finances. Although, I'm told finances is the biggest factor for not succeeding. The market place trials, including big competitors like Walmart doesn't have to mean the end of a small business, but the start of a "new" one. That's where, skill, experience and finances come into play.
posted on January 10, 2002 02:04:46 PM new
I sold two of my kids toys over there already. Now they have a free hosting service. I got a good feeling about the old ladies.
posted on January 20, 2002 07:57:41 PM new
Good luck with with the site old girls. A niche site has to have the best chance at succeeding. Word of mouth can really help these sites grow and like a snowball rolling down a steep hill they can build up momentum. You Go Girls!
