SensibleHonestMe
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posted on June 8, 2001 03:18:42 PM new
I bid on an adult auction nothing really kinky but I would consider it adult. Well I placed the bid a couple of days ago. Today I went to check up on the auction page and print it out to make sure the seller did not add to the description etc.
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I got a page that said I have to become verified to view an auction I had already put a bid on.
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Epier wanted $20 to verify my age. I understand verification but $20 dollars? HHHHHHHHHMMMMM a little much. Epier just lost a customer. I called them and spoke to them and they have agreed to cancel my bids since I can't see the contract I signed by bidding. I am very unhappy about this.
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I am down to only one auction sight I shop on now and it is not epier or ebay
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Thank you for listening I feel much better :~D
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relayerone
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posted on June 8, 2001 04:11:24 PM new
Yep, I think it's foolish of them too. But in their favor, there's not too many auction sites out there that put their phone number on the home page, and actually pick it up when you call!
Relay
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uptoolate
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posted on June 8, 2001 11:56:56 PM new
Funny thing about verification, the first I heard was on the Announcement page 6/2 and optional except for "certain classifications". The post doesn't explain what those classifications are but I heard it was adult and militaria.
6/2 "We hope more and more members will choose to become verified to help build confidence as well as defray the cost as ePier grows requiring more bandwidth, more hardware, and more staff."
Then a few days later in a live chat epier's prez had this to say:
"Verification as a member is something we encourage every ePier member to participate today. By doing this our community tells any marauding mischiefs to take their type of business elsewhere. Military sellers were the first to support verification. Simply put, they had the most sales and was the most profitable to easily support the program. Eventually, everyone will be expected to be verified members."
He made no indication as to when "eventually" is but doesn't it sound like it will become mandatory?
What's with all these sites intentionally trying to drive away members? It would kill the site if this happens. I have had some small sales there but not enough to justify $20 to keep on listing in hopes bidders will pay $20 to keep on bidding. Why would they when they can bid on a hundred other sites free?
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wallypog
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posted on June 9, 2001 12:16:19 PM new
I'm not verified on ePier and unless sales pick up drastically I can't justify that fee. I realize ePier needs funds--I think they're in a really tough spot right now.
Currently the required categories for verification are the adult and militaria categories.
After I read this post last evening I went to ePier to try something. I wanted to see what would happen if I tried to place a bid on an item listed in the militaria categories.
I found one with a reserve, so figured what have I to lose by placing a very low bid? I bid, and the bid was placed (didn't meet reserve, of course) so apparently buyers don't have to be verified to bid on the items in the militaria category.
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http://www.wallypogsbog.bizland.com
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SensibleHonestMe
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posted on June 9, 2001 12:40:00 PM new
UUURRR I am mad now. Yesterday when I spoke to them , a guy at Epier, on the phone and told them I refuse to agree to an auction I can no longer see because there could be things added or changed about the auction prior to the end of it and I wouldn't know because I can not access it. Well they agreed to cancel both bids and just to make sure, I emailed them at 3 different emails. This afternoon I looked in my email and what do I see? They never canceled my bids. I won both auctions. I am very upset about this and the next sight I go to will be the better business bureau. I am not sure as to why they did not cancel my bids as they promised. Nor do I appreciate them forcing me to go through with a sale when I could not verify the contents of the auction. What can I do about this?
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dimview
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posted on June 9, 2001 01:23:32 PM new
Great customer relations ain't it?
E-mail the seller of the two auctions and explain that you are not permitted to bid on vm auctions and that ePier failed to remove your bids.
My little tidbit:
I sent e-mail to support@ and host@ (webmaster) to give them a heads-up that their "Home and Garden" category isn't even listed on their homepage.
One week later, no response and the category is still missing.
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lovepotions
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posted on June 12, 2001 10:27:33 PM new
Sensiblehonestme
I have never known any auction site to allow a seller to edit anything in a description once a bid is placed on an item.
I sincerely doubt you need to worry about something like that.
But please don't punish the seller for this........he/she too may have listed before this big screwing of us ADULT SELLERS.
If you are truely worried about this you CAN email me the username of the seller and I can verify him/her for you.
Most of us Adult Category sellers use the same name on all auction sites and in certain ways we move in packs. There are very few of us full timers who sell at auctions full time so I'll have more than likely seen him on more than 3-4 other sites that have adult categories.
I seriously doubt any of us will be paying that insult of a site aka Epier if bidders also have to pay $20 to even look at our stuff............they won't pay for the verification.........*laughs*
http://www.lovepotions.net
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toollady
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posted on June 13, 2001 04:42:28 AM new
You may not be able to completely change the auction once a bid is placed, but most, if not all sites allow you to add more information.
That in turn can completely change the original description.
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SensibleHonestMe
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posted on June 13, 2001 09:17:01 PM new
Thank you toollady for clearing that up for them. You are correct in saying adding a comment to an auction is sometimes just as bad as changing it. 
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litlux
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posted on June 15, 2001 04:36:59 PM new
Charging Bidders $20.00 to verify age? They must of hired some of the ebay Salt Lake City customer dis-service crew to help kill the adult category and if it spreads, ePier itself!.
Absolutely the most idiotic thing a sttuggling site could do - unless they have a death wish!
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canvid13
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posted on June 15, 2001 05:22:44 PM new
Hi folks,
It's a toughie. I can't see any free site surviving without revenue for very long????
You end up with customers who only want to pay zero and then get angry with you when you finally need money??
Scary world this Online auctions business!
Jamie
canvid13
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Mikecol
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posted on June 15, 2001 05:25:40 PM new
Unbelievable , the people that run these sites can't learn from other sites errors.
I have to think this bbblunder on epiers part has destroyed any chances for this site.
edited for BBBlunders
[ edited by Mikecol on Jun 15, 2001 05:28 PM ]
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rustybore
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posted on June 15, 2001 07:13:37 PM new
In an online forum with managment, I and others argued the merits of a FV fee. This fee structure was offhandedly dismissed as not workable.
Pages of items with bids have declined from 36 to 24 in the few weeks since this policy started. I'm sure that everyone at epier hopes that bidding will soon pick up again.
Today I counted 223 verified users, netting the site $4.460.00. No doubt a few hundred more of the 3000+ sellers will sign up, but will they all sign up?
Keep in mind, that after over a year of operation, this site is still struggling just to maintain a 2.4% sell through rate
The risk of offending loyal users who have used their own time and efforts to promote the site, combined with a serious decline in bidding, all for a lousy 4500 bucks...helluva trade-off isn't it?
edited to insert tyop...
[ edited by rustybore on Jun 15, 2001 07:15 PM ]
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SensibleHonestMe
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posted on June 19, 2001 11:31:01 AM new
Update!! since I won the auction I paid the seller. I am still upset with the fact I had to pay for an auction I could not see. I written Epier three times and no response. Terrible customer service in my opinion. How do I cancel my account with them?
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auroranorth
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posted on June 24, 2001 11:45:54 AM new
The 20.00 fee did not come from the adult catagories, when ebay cancelled to many German ww2 items (anything) the sellers and buyers all moved to epier. then epier didn't know what to do heres all this nazi stuff and selling with multiple bids sometjhing that this site had not seen before the idea was originally to keep kids and or people who might be offended by the nazi items out of those items by verifing them people going there, personally I too think it was a premature move by a young struggling site, complaining about a few german ww2 items is all some people have to do, others could complain about say rainbow flags, or maybe books critical of the government or maybe someone elses religion, ebay and the others that have painted these broad band bans should be sued for discrimmination and the courts should rule that no one has the right top discrimminate against anyone
Epier does produce sales now and they have to hustle to keep their steady growth rate up they really need to rethink this verification thing a little more realistically charging a buyer does seem a bit much maybe ebay could start this, I know that they have not installed the pay toilets in their lobby so I suspect we can see another fee increase from them in thenot to far future
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uaru
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posted on June 28, 2001 02:52:45 AM new
I casually clicked on the verify link on Epier I figured why not. When I saw $20.00 a year for verification I saw why not. They are way out of line with that fee. If all they are going to do to verify me is charge my credit card then $1.00 would have been all they needed. The $20.00 fee wouldn't fly on eBay, it sure won't fly on brand X.
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lovepotions
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posted on June 28, 2001 09:46:04 PM new
Credit card verification to enter the adult category..........fine with me.
A secondary log in to the adult category where only credit card verified members can get in.........again fine with me.
I actually like people needing to have some sort of age verification to see my obviously adult oriented merchandise.
But no way in hell should I or my customers pay $20 just to VIEW that category.
http://www.lovepotions.net
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