quote:Originally posted by Auctiva Jeff:
If a person searches and finds no items in your store we would rather they have the choice to search all of eBay than leave and go back to eBay.
Hi Jeff - In light of the search process as it exists, your explanation seems completely illogical. First of all, if a buyer doesn't find what they are looking for in the store, they will go back to eBay anyway. Anyway, how is facilitating a search of ebay, which takes them to ebay, supposed to keep them from going to ebay? Huh???
More importantly, this search option is extremely seller un-friendly. You imply that you are giving the buyer the option to search ebay only after finding nothing in the store. However this option is not presented AFTER a person searches the store and finds no items, but is given as an IMMEDIATE ALTERNATIVE to searching exclusively in the store. How on earth is this supposed to help the seller? Are you just "assuming" the buyer will search the store first? Marketing efforts and store links should guide the buyers to the store and motivate them to stay there as long as possible and buy something, NOT encourage them to click and go to the competition.
Ebay already places an advertising link to Experian on the auction page when their counter is used, taking buyers off the listing, a listing paid for by the seller. Now Auctiva is doing the same sort of thing to their users. Is this going to become the hidden price of a free service?
ChooChoo is correct - this is a major conflict of interest and a much better explanation needs to be given, although a mere explanation will not remove this "upgrade". Ebay is constantly making changes to improve the "buyer's experience", often to the detriment of the sellers. Auctiva is not eBay - your users are sellers - your logo states: "Auctiva, Powerful Solutions for eBay Sellers". Auctiva should be promoting the best interests of it's sellers, not buyers, not ebay. This is certainly not the case here, and is very troubling - it makes Auctiva appear to be adopting the "buyer orientation" of ebay. Is this so? As users, we want to know, because if it is true, then our trust that Auctiva is not going to compromise it's users is itself being compromised.
Sorry to be long-winded, but this is not a minor issue. Auctiva is a great service and much appreciated, but an erosion of this essential trust and goodwill cannot be good for any of us. Please re-think this and remove this search option. It is a misguided idea, one that seems to be the product of an Auctiva-eBay collaboration that is not in the best interests of your users, or Auctiva itself. If the buyer finds no items in the store he will certainly find his way back to ebay without this kind of extra "help".