posted on February 4, 2001 03:36:31 PM new
Just thought I would stop in here and do a little eBay flag waving for a moment.
I think anyone here on the yahoo board who has not took the eBay plunge, at least should try it once. Just list a few items and see how it goes. I think you will be very impressed with the amount of bids and pageviews you get there. Personally I have checked out the "Hot New Free Site" Auxpal or Bidsometing or whatever it is and GEEZ!!!!! you talk about Yahoo being dead. That site is a wasteland and I personally would rather spend my dimes at Yahoo before I would even waste valueable time listing, regardless of it being free.
I was a loyal Yahooer for over a year and a half and had actually switched to eBay before Yahoo anounced their fees. I was so hooked on actually selling my items that I could never imagine paying Yahoo a fee!
I guess my whole point here is if you are actually serious about doing this as a business, you are gonna have to fork out a little $$$$ as painful as that may be. Ebay is still the best opportunity for the average Joe to go into business for themselves. So go ahead and try it, the amount of $$$ you have to put out is well worth the results!!!!
posted on February 4, 2001 03:57:27 PM new
While I really like Bidville and will continue to keep listing there, I do the vast majority of my auction business on Ebay, and will continue to do so - Why? Well, the same thing you said, that is where the business is. I don't think everyone here is advocating not using Ebay, but just like a lot of people, I am looking for alternate sites to sell in addition to Ebay.
For what it is worth, Bidville has been okay to me. I've sold several items. I think for now it is a good place when you have have a lot of inventory, and keep things up there like a store site. My strategy has been to use the Take it now feature, and have the first bid win. I know it is not an auction, but for now, there is just not enough traffic to justify starting low like you can on Ebay.
posted on February 4, 2001 04:39:49 PM new
I would sooner take a match to my collection before I give one red cent to the communists running Ebay
msn and yahoo messenger IUCARDS
posted on February 4, 2001 05:59:04 PM new
I was more mor refering to their censorship, news spin doctoring and termination of auctions and ID's without cause or explaination.
msn and yahoo messenger IUCARDS
posted on February 4, 2001 07:15:05 PM new
I've got to somewhat agree with lucards. I only use ebay enough to make a living and not pay a cent more. We're in a terrible situation when we have to rely only on ebay who is almost at will to do whatever it wants to its sellers.
We need a good free alternative to move our low end and low demand stuff. I also don't think ebay needs to be overhyped. Things can just as well sit a while on ebay before it sells, or sell at wholesale price like any other site.
posted on February 4, 2001 08:05:10 PM new
We all have enough sense to realize if we are going to pay for a service eBay is the place to do so. What we don't understand is why Yahoo thought they could do so with the traffic, etc they currently have. I don't sell my crafts unmade and someday send them to the right person. I have to have a product in order to sell it. Doesn't this apply to Yahoo also? Shouldn't they have something worth paying for before the fees? Not a promise of. I have been selling on eBay along with Yahoo for 2 years and will continue to sell on eBay along with BidVille.
However, many of us sell lower priced items that have to sit waiting for the right buyer. The stuff sells, just not right away. It makes no financial sense whatsoever to sell it on any site that charges.
As for BidVille I have been listing there for about 3 weeks now and have been doing as well there as I was doing on Yahoo. Which may not be saying a lot as I am not in this to make a living at this but selling off my crafts and extra things hanging around. But for a free site that is very, very new I can't complain.
posted on February 4, 2001 08:38:44 PM new
OK, This is the Yahoo board, but since you want to bring ebay in it, OK. Let's forget about fees. It seems to me that Ebay wants to get things were if you sell any item on ebay, they never want you to do business with anyone any other way except through them. Their latest hiding the emails thing is just another move in that direction. No, not communists, worse, much worse!
posted on February 5, 2001 06:33:38 AM new
jimhhow
I tend to agree with you regarding eBay's desire for control - they are so far from a "venue" it isn't even funny. But, you can sell there, and for years I made a healthy living off of eBay. Actually, before Yahoo developed its “death wish” we had almost doubled our sales, from our eBay days – but Yahoo, as we knew it is gone now .
What always vexes me, is eBay treats their users like stupid children and tell us every new change is "for our own good." Their current spin is they are saving their users from Spam. Personally, I have a delete key on my computer and I can take care of my own Spam if it annoys me, thank you.
AND like Yahoo, eBay always says they have talked to major sellers and they agreed that this new change was needed. Bull Corn!
In eBay’s defense, after 5 years on eBay, and a sterling feedback record, I got cross ways with them, but instead of sending a nasty note, or suspending me, they personally phoned me and discussed the matter with me and we got things straightened out, THAT is the way to keep good sellers who are making eBay money, even if eBay wants to act somewhat like a tyrant!
posted on February 5, 2001 06:45:15 AM new
Nothing Is Free
Since this is actually the topic, I will say, had Yahoo come with a FVF, I would not have had a problem paying - I just feel that if I am going to pay a listing fee, it actually costs me LESS on eBay, since I most likely wouldn't have to relist on eBay and I most likely would have to relist on Yahoo.
It definitely makes me question the insight and intelligence of Yahoo Auction Management in not realizing the clear differences in selling patterns between eBay and Yahoo.
posted on February 5, 2001 07:49:28 AM new
jwpc - I was glad to see that someone else feels the way I do about spam. Use the delete key and be done with it. Why do people expect auction sites or any other site to keep us free from spam? I truly believe Yahoo put a lot of their policies into place because of whiners about spam, etc. And I think that they were just trying to get rid of the competition. I am glad they succeeded and hope they enjoy their site.
Who clicks on those auctions? I never have, never will. However, I got an email from a regular customer of mine the other day. It stated how happy she was that I turned her on to BidVille because she had found the lady who sold the great recipes. She couldn't thank me enough. Why anyone buys recipes at an auction is beyond me. However, as long as they don't complain about my craft items (they may not use them or understand why anyone wants to buy them) I won't complain about them auctioning off recipes and coupons. {I checked the ladies auctions out.} Maybe I will take up auctioning coupons as these people were paying more than the coupon is worth. LMAO
posted on February 5, 2001 09:23:22 AM new
I am NOT going to fork over any $$$$! My items are mostly seasonal in nature, and sometimes sit for several months before selling, but it seems even items I had doubts about, do evenually sell. I enjoyed Yahoo for over 2 years and now have moved on to BidVille, where I am surprised to already have had 6 closed auctions! Maybe not quite the speed of Yahoo but they are only about 2 months old. I cannot pay relists on items. I would have paid Final Value Fees, but now I am happy at BidVille and I am confident they will continue to grow and be a great auction site. Please remember how NEW some of these sites are before saying how slow they are, etc...... Ebay is trying to be a monopoly, just like Microsoft and I won't support it. Yahoo is just PLAIN STUPID, and I won't support them either!
posted on February 5, 2001 10:27:41 AM new
I don't care if eBay is managed by communist mutant facist monkies from outer space. My sales there have been booming since the collapse of Yahoo drove me back there. Viva la eBay...
posted on February 5, 2001 12:14:05 PM new
THANK YOU!!!!! REBEL GUNS!!!! Since YaWho? dropped their fee bomb my sales are climbing as well. I will gladly keep paying fees to get the $$$ return I am getting from selling on eBay.
posted on February 5, 2001 12:40:51 PM new
I will not rip you for your choice to sell on Wbay but I wonder what you will do when they charge $1 for base listings?
http://ballsandstrikescollectibles.beckett.com/
posted on February 5, 2001 03:46:13 PM newForshoppin
The spam eBay is talking about has nothing to do with spam auctions. They claim the change is to protect us from the scumbags who copy email addresses off sites that show them publically and add them to email address lists. Then they send thousands of emails trying to get you to sign up for porn sites, pyramid schemes, learn how to make money etc scams. When you get this type of spam in your inbox your options are delete, block sender, trace the orginating ISP and get the senders account canceled. Depends on how far you want to go to stop it.
That's eBay's excuse anyway, their real motive of course is to stop people from making offsite deals they don't get commission for.
posted on February 6, 2001 12:25:43 AM new
Well I've enjoyed this thread. I agree that listing fees won't control spam. Spam is a way of life in free America. The Postal Service hasn't been able to stop junk mail. Spam is in the eye of the beholder. Delete freely and don't let it interfer with your serenity. EBay has it's place. All of us may use it occassionally or exclusively if you wish. But if we don't support our free sites so that we have places to sell our "slow" stuff, and we wind up with only Ebay the would have no controls left on their fee escalations. Scary. The old adage is true "Competition make the world go 'round". This turn of events (the decline of the Yahoo "empire" can be a "win-win" for all if we let it.
posted on February 6, 2001 05:50:23 AM new
jwpc: slobbering bull mastiffs! ROFMAO! Hey! Some of my best friends are slobbering bull mastiffs!
I am with you--FVF and I would have stayed--but listing fees?! Forget it!
I am still looking for a new home. I tried bidbay, but I am not getting anything there. I know, I need to keep trying...
I might have a look at bidville (that is the one that used to be Gold's right?) or is that the one that used to be auxpal? I am so confused! I just know that I don't want anything to do with a site that began as a PayPal only site. I have enough trouble with the PP people not reading my TOS (NO PAYPAL!) on other sites! Ack!
dreamgirl Ebay the would have no controls left on their fee escalations
Where are the controls that Ebay has now? I haven't seen any evidence of control over there! I still use them to move items, but control? Ebay?! ROFLMAO
I agree that I would like to see competition for Ebay and I thought Yahoo was going to do it! I have wanted to ever since the "Only a dollar" debacle. Competition would strengthen the whole structure, but it will take even more time now since Yahoo decided to bow out of the picture.
No offence to "slobbering Bull Mastiffs." Last night, I had been sitting at the computer for about 15 straight hours when that inane analogy popped out....then I got the giggles about it, and my husband told me, "before you make a total fool of yourself, shut down and go to bed." He knows when I get that tired, it is only downhill the later it gets!
Yes, I too have know some nice "slobbering Bull Mastiffs."
My apologies to all canines & Bull Mastiffs in particular!
posted on February 6, 2001 08:02:51 AM new
Ah labbie1! Your chastisement of my statement regarding controls of EBay is well taken. There appears to be no control on them now. However, let me suggest without any competition, what's to keep them from going to 10, 25,or 50 cent increments or to heck with that let's raise them a dollar. Get the picture?? I do believe the greed is such that eBay wants to be a celebrity auction and high dollar auction site only. The intention is to remove all but the high dollar sellers and buyers. You then have a smaller group to deal with for overall higher dollars meaning less work on their part for more money. They had and have no worries about Yahoo or any other "free" auction. In order to build their business to it's long range plan they have to have literally millions participating in the beginning. Then you "weed" out the unwanted with higher fees front and back. We who have small inexpensive items have no site for our items unless we support the smaller free site. End of lecture.
posted on February 6, 2001 10:15:52 AM new
As this thread has been discussing eBay and I know that alot of sellers used eBay/Yahoo together maybe you all can help me. I was just listing on BidVille when I saw a banner for eBay (links exchange). Have any of you sellers saw a banner for BidVille on eBay?
posted on February 6, 2001 10:28:46 AM new
I am sure ebay is paying BidVille for that ad and I doubt if Bidville has one on ebay ~ too costly! I am all for it! The more ads that appear, help generate $'s for Bidville~
posted on February 6, 2001 10:45:19 AM new
I was just wondering as it says LinkExchange below the banner. In an exchange you post mine, I post yours. If someone sees one on eBay be sure to let me know. I would be all for BidVille advertising where ever. I know they said they had advertising lined up for the first part of February and was wondering if this might be a part of it?
posted on February 6, 2001 11:02:47 AM new
LinkExchange is both a free banner swap service (I want to get free traffic from the LE network) and a "for pay" service (I want to buy ads to display on the LE network).
If you have a site and want traffic, you put up a LE banner. For every 2 impressions on your site, LE gives you 1 impression somewhere on their network.
A large site will build up a bank account of X billion impressions with LE. Then they can target any site at will that puts up a LE banner. Running a LE banner does not mean the site is being paid for advertising; it means they are trying to get some free traffic from the LE network.
(I couldn't find any LE banners on eBay just now. They probably have so many impressions built up with LE that there is no point in running LE banners any more on the eBay site.)
Banner exchange networks also usually have provisions to not run any competitor's ads if a large site requests it. A large company can also negotiate the exchange rate, maybe getting 4 impression on the LE network for every 5 LE impressions on their own site; a better deal than the usual 1 for 2.
Any site competing with e--y is crazy to run a LE banner. The number of customers you send away will totally dwarf the number of people you receive for free from the LE network.
Jim
[ edited by rubylane on Feb 6, 2001 11:42 AM ]
can be a "win-win" for all if we let it.
