posted on April 23, 2001 01:56:34 AM new
I'm well aware of Bidville's "Free Forever" guarantee, but if they do not generate some revenue for advertising their guarantee will be academic.
I'm very patient when it comes to online selling. Why pay a fee to sell in 3 to 7 days when you can sell most items within a month for free.
Most of my items are not selling within a month on Bidville. After a couple years with Yahoo and 3 months with Bidville, I've returned to listing with eBay. I loathe eBay.
I believe most serious sellers would benefit from a small monthly fee if this revenue was used for advertising.
Bidville has done a great job building up their site. It will be a shame to see it go to waste.
posted on April 23, 2001 05:27:35 AM new
Someone told me they do charge a gallery fee of $10 a month. Is this not true?
I don't understand your concept here. If you want to pay, why not send them a check each month for what you think they could use?
I'm sure they wouldn't turn it down.
Or you could stay on the site so that if one day they do generate enough bidders to charge the sellers a fee, you'll be there pen in hand.
Basically you said, "Why pay a fee to sell in 3 to 7 days when you can sell most items within a month for free."
This tells me that you shouldn't return to ebay, but stay with the free site. OTOH you returned to ebay to pay for the 3 to 7 days.
posted on April 23, 2001 05:35:46 AM new
$10 a month buys a "Premier Membership" which includes $100 per month credit towards optional listing features - i.e. gallery, bold, banner, category featured, main page featured.
posted on April 23, 2001 06:04:35 AM new
"Wonder why she chose not to participate?"
Probably because she, like many others, doesn't think BidVille is going to survive. I have tried listing some very hot items there with zero looks. I feel BidVille will go the way of Gold's and this is a shame
posted on April 23, 2001 06:09:18 AM new
If I remember correctly, there was a post from BidVille's Prez over at the BidVille community message boards that stated basically they can't afford to pay to be included in AW's Universal Search. So therefore, with a statement like that, it's pretty clear that the money from the Gallery, Featured Listings, etc. will not be going to pay for any advertising.
I myself quit listing there recently due to lack of sale and even hits on my auctions. I left items there for as long as 2 - 3 months with no lookers. Pulled it off and sold some of the same items at eBay within 24 hrs. with BIN. Put some over at Yahoo and had a brief flurry of activity there also.
BidVille's position, as I understand it, is that the sellers and buyers are supposed to make the site a success by word of mouth. Well sorry, but it didn't seem to matter that I did refer all my eBay and Yahoo customers to BidVille and that many others listing there also are doing the same. Still no sales, at least in the book category.
Sure, the site is super user friendly. Customer service is eager to help and responsive to requests. But if your stuff is sitting there month after month with no one looking at it, what's the use?
If you visit the message boards over there you'll find a growing number of sellers expressing discouragement. Funny thing is, when I dared to express my discouragement over there a couple of months ago, I got slammed royally for it and pretty nastily too, along with anyone else who dared to express discouragement over the lack of sales. Now more and more sellers are expressing those same views and less and less slamming is going on over it as more sellers are beginning to realize that with no sign of improvement after so many months does not bode well for their future at BidVille.
I too got slammed over there (using a different ID or course). It looks to me, from reading the posts on their forums, that the BidVille community is mostly kids selling sports cards.
You know, you might be onto something there. As much as it can and does get nasty over here sometimes, at least you still get the impression you're dealing with adults. Over at the BidVille community, when people get nasty, it does sound like the immature ranting of a child. Which might totally explain the lack of sales...
I keep checking in at the boards to see if the selling situation has improved, check closed auctions once in awhile, and at this point see no reason to list again at this time.
posted on April 23, 2001 08:16:31 AM new
It's a really nice site in every way. I would rate it a "10"...great, uncluttered layout, easy to use, good people running it eager to please.
But it badly needs sellers, as well as buyers. Seems like most of the sellers are ex-yahooers, with sports cards sellers being the biggest listers. The chat board seems to get more activity than the site.
I listed there, sold some things, but it is very slow and getting worse, not better. Such a pity as it is one of the nicest sites to come along, IMO.
I had a business "out here" for more than 25 years. It took more than a year to come out of the "red" and get going and it took not only "word of mouth" but some advertising as well.
But that is apparently different than online sites. I do wish the founders could "hang in there" until - and when - they become successful. They certainly have the right formula in everything. Definitely advertising is needed, but even that, without diversification of merchandise by sellers, would not help. I think the buyers have come, then leave when they do not find much by way of what they are looking for. Many sellers came and then pulled out also.
I wish - and hope - that somehow they survive and suceed. It would be nice if the old adage applied to online auction sites...."it may be the squeaky wheel that gets the oil, but it is also the first one to be replaced".
Hard to understand sometimes when a site has all the right formulas. Things have become so fast paced (and expensive re building a business) that it seems now it has to build fast.
Advertising IMO would not help all that much at this point until more sellers are willing to list a lot of different types of merchandise (and wait patiently) to bring - and keep - the buyers coming back. And sellers are a breed today that move on rather quickly.
posted on April 23, 2001 08:43:51 AM new
mtnmama writes:
>"Someone told me they do charge a gallery fee of $10 a month. Is this not true?"<
This is true. You can list your items in the gallery or feature your items (which also includes them in the gallery). You can feature an item with a "take it now" price for 30 days. Less than a penny a day, and apparently only a handful of sellers have taken advantage of this offer. Not enough to pay for any advertising.
>"I don't understand your concept here. If you want to pay, why not send them a check each month for what you think they could use?
I'm sure they wouldn't turn it down."<<
We didn't send them a check. We used a credit card. We are more than happy to pay $10/month to feature items.
>"Or you could stay on the site so that if one day they do generate enough bidders to charge the sellers a fee, you'll be there pen in hand."<<
You have a gift for making false assumptions. We still have items listed on Bidville, but with so few sellers willing to pay ANY fee at all, believe it is unlikely that Bidville will generate enough money to advertise and become a real alternative to eBay or Yahoo.
>Basically you said, "Why pay a fee to sell in 3 to 7 days when you can sell most items within a month for free."<<
Most of our items were selling within a month on Yahoo before they started charging fees. This is not the case with Bidville.
>"This tells me that you shouldn't return to ebay, but stay with the free site. OTOH you returned to ebay to pay for the 3 to 7 days.
???"<<<<
Sound reasoning if you do this as a hobby or part time to make a little pocket money. But as I stated in my original post, "I believe SERIOUS sellers would benefit from a small monthly fee if this revenue was used for advertising". I was suggesting that its worth paying a small fee to help promote Bidville as opposed to having eBay as the only option for full time sellers.
I was quoting from your original post and you wind up telling me I have a gift for making false assumptions????????? LOL! What a strange person you are!
What's your point anyway other than to insult me for responding? You have not even made any sense at all throughout this whole thread.
So you use a credit card. I was being facitious with the check comment. LOL!
Why complain if others don't want to pay? At least you're willing to pay your way. If people pay you think that will attract more bidders?
posted on April 23, 2001 10:33:22 AM new
Even if the sellers all choose to buy into the gallery (Premier membership) it would not attract more bidders. I personally am not buying into it yet, because I do not see any traffic. If I have to pay, I guess, I should go back to Ebay. Yes, I am aware that Ebay fees would be MUCH more than the membership but it would also, most likely sell. I too am getting discouraged with BidVille.
