You can read "What's Ahead for eBay and You?" here. Reply to this message to discuss it.
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Taken off the internet. May as well know the "truth" (which makes sense considering the present state of ebay)
By August there will be no pretense and the intentions of the new and improved eBay will be clear. The following is only a partial list of the rules that will be imposed. It comes from a memo that circulated within my corner of the managerial department the week before Chicago. I cannot be too specific about certain items and I cannot reveal details of the latest additions without endangering my anonymity.
1. Neutrals will be converted to negatives complete with red icons and reduced feedback scores. Afterward neutrals will not be offered as a choice of feedback.
2. The entire process of feedback will be automated. Buyers and sellers will chose standard feedback from a list. For sellers this operation will be performed automatically upon the buyer winning. For buyers there will be an extra free line with which to add a few comments about the seller without restriction to content. Replies will not be allowed.
3. The implementation of a stricter rules regarding shipping. From the boxes, packing, labels and tapes to where you can buy postage. Orders have been placed for prototypes of “eBay” boxes. UPS and FedEx will be instructed not to accept “eBay” merchandise if it’s not inside “eBay” boxing. They will know, of course, because when sellers buy the “eBay” postage from the “eBay” source, a detailed list of contents with item numbers will be available to the shippers upon scanning a bar code. As for those who continue to use USPS, another level of quality control will be implemented - buyers will be asked, upon confirmation of delivery, if the seller used “eBay” standard shipping items. Naturally, no verification of the buyer’s truthfulness will be attempted, and continued ‘infractions’ will result in suspension. eBay will have other ways to check if a seller is not using the “eBay” equipment - as they will be required to buy at cost the supplies immediately after items are listed. (This is such a large scale operation behind the scenes that I feel comfortable sharing as much of it as I know.)
4. Sales taxes will be included automatically; shipping cost and sales taxes will be used to determined FVF.
5. Item descriptions will be “standardized” with templates which include the posting of a new, universal return policy. Only yearly subscribers to the retail-outlet venue can opt out of these universal return policies but even they cannot alter the template structures being devised.
6. Strikes against buyers will be eliminated as the whole concept of a buyer and bidding will be altered. FVF will be calculated when payment is submitted.
7. Time to Close will be eliminated entirely. Best Match will be the non-alterable default. Best Match is a system that caters to the needs of shoppers not bidders.
8. Placement within Best Match will be determined by several factors, the most important of which will be the extra display features added onto the listing.
9. DSRs can be removed by retailers and powersellers who pay a certain yearly fee.
10. The end play itself which consists of four phases:
a) the main focus shifts to retail sellers whose fees are on a per listing basis
b) stores will be replaced by a classified section, fees will be based on yearly subscriptions and FVFs
c) occasional auctions will be conducted for unique items (celebrity auctions, items that have been featured on the news, etc.)
d) total elimination of auctions for regular sellers.
By August there will be no pretense and the intentions of the new and improved eBay will be clear. The following is only a partial list of the rules that will be imposed. It comes from a memo that circulated within my corner of the managerial department the week before Chicago. I cannot be too specific about certain items and I cannot reveal details of the latest additions without endangering my anonymity.
1. Neutrals will be converted to negatives complete with red icons and reduced feedback scores. Afterward neutrals will not be offered as a choice of feedback.
2. The entire process of feedback will be automated. Buyers and sellers will chose standard feedback from a list. For sellers this operation will be performed automatically upon the buyer winning. For buyers there will be an extra free line with which to add a few comments about the seller without restriction to content. Replies will not be allowed.
3. The implementation of a stricter rules regarding shipping. From the boxes, packing, labels and tapes to where you can buy postage. Orders have been placed for prototypes of “eBay” boxes. UPS and FedEx will be instructed not to accept “eBay” merchandise if it’s not inside “eBay” boxing. They will know, of course, because when sellers buy the “eBay” postage from the “eBay” source, a detailed list of contents with item numbers will be available to the shippers upon scanning a bar code. As for those who continue to use USPS, another level of quality control will be implemented - buyers will be asked, upon confirmation of delivery, if the seller used “eBay” standard shipping items. Naturally, no verification of the buyer’s truthfulness will be attempted, and continued ‘infractions’ will result in suspension. eBay will have other ways to check if a seller is not using the “eBay” equipment - as they will be required to buy at cost the supplies immediately after items are listed. (This is such a large scale operation behind the scenes that I feel comfortable sharing as much of it as I know.)
4. Sales taxes will be included automatically; shipping cost and sales taxes will be used to determined FVF.
5. Item descriptions will be “standardized” with templates which include the posting of a new, universal return policy. Only yearly subscribers to the retail-outlet venue can opt out of these universal return policies but even they cannot alter the template structures being devised.
6. Strikes against buyers will be eliminated as the whole concept of a buyer and bidding will be altered. FVF will be calculated when payment is submitted.
7. Time to Close will be eliminated entirely. Best Match will be the non-alterable default. Best Match is a system that caters to the needs of shoppers not bidders.
8. Placement within Best Match will be determined by several factors, the most important of which will be the extra display features added onto the listing.
9. DSRs can be removed by retailers and powersellers who pay a certain yearly fee.
10. The end play itself which consists of four phases:
a) the main focus shifts to retail sellers whose fees are on a per listing basis
b) stores will be replaced by a classified section, fees will be based on yearly subscriptions and FVFs
c) occasional auctions will be conducted for unique items (celebrity auctions, items that have been featured on the news, etc.)
d) total elimination of auctions for regular sellers.
Excellent article. The sad thing is everything mentioned is just common business sense. Why doesn't ebay understand that? It seems they refuse to ever admit they have changed something they shouldn't have. Every change they have made over the past year has made it harder for me to sell.
Ebay has turned against the people that make them money instead of doing everything they can to help them. I used to love selling on ebay, now? Not so much. I can't stop because I have too much product but everyday I hate logging in and seeing that I have a question from a buyer. I am afraid that something is wrong - and whether there is or not, ebay and paypal always side with the buyer.
Ebay has turned against the people that make them money instead of doing everything they can to help them. I used to love selling on ebay, now? Not so much. I can't stop because I have too much product but everyday I hate logging in and seeing that I have a question from a buyer. I am afraid that something is wrong - and whether there is or not, ebay and paypal always side with the buyer.
I have quit selling on eBay until they go back to the way they were.(I have been on eBay for over 9 years with over 2900 (100%) feedback) They have turned against the sellers, made us their enemies, I had a nightmare experience on PayPal, a buyer turned me in for a bogus SNAD, he got his money back plus a brand new item and eBay or PayPal would not listen to me. I was scammed as a seller, I have never felt so betrayed in my life! After that, I closed my PayPal account and therefore, unable to sell on eBay because of their "PayPal Only" payments. I will never use electronic payments again, I don't want to use my bank account on these sites. eBay has destroyed my business and I hope they see what they are doing to their business and others as well. Per the eBay forums, there are hundreds of sellers that have been scammed by buyers and PayPal, I don't understand how PayPal stays in business, they are so corrupt, it's unbelievable, really.
I have ceased selling on eBay for almost a year now and from what I see in the comments eBay is moving further away from their cores competancies. I don't wish to buy eBay shipping materials when I can get FedEx and UPS shipping materials without cost. eBay hs made it more difficult for sellers to sell and make a fair profit, I don't see that changing. If anything I see i becoming more difficult for the smaller independant merchant to deal with eBay. I'll continur to stay away.
That 10 point list will be the kiss of death for ebay.
Ebays future; continued decline in market share.
My future; continuation of less reliance on ebay for sales.
I am so glad I've spent the last 4 years building sales outside of ebay; boy was that a smart move.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ebays biggest problem is that they think it's still 2001 and they have a total monopoly.
I searched for a specific set of vintage Pioneer headphones just yesterday on eBay; 0 results.
Did a google search and found 10 pairs available on Craiglists plus other, smaller auction sites.
ZERO returns at ebay for what I was looking for; need I say more?
Ebay has cooked it's goose, they won't fail in short order but market share will continue to dwindle as they drive out small sellers with unique items and replace them with big sellers selling Chinese junk at prices higher than other sites.
Ebays future; continued decline in market share.
My future; continuation of less reliance on ebay for sales.
I am so glad I've spent the last 4 years building sales outside of ebay; boy was that a smart move.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ebays biggest problem is that they think it's still 2001 and they have a total monopoly.
I searched for a specific set of vintage Pioneer headphones just yesterday on eBay; 0 results.
Did a google search and found 10 pairs available on Craiglists plus other, smaller auction sites.
ZERO returns at ebay for what I was looking for; need I say more?
Ebay has cooked it's goose, they won't fail in short order but market share will continue to dwindle as they drive out small sellers with unique items and replace them with big sellers selling Chinese junk at prices higher than other sites.
I left e*ay in October 2008. PP only was the final straw. I'm now on ebid.net and I'm very satisfied. Their admin actually listens to their sellers and there are not all the restrictions on sellers as far as payment types, feedback abuse, etc. I can't imagine going back to e*ay.
Very interesting comments by PeSA. Unfortunately, ebay does not care, and while they might be willing to talk to PeSA, it won't matter much, until ebay decides to talk to the smaller sellers and buyers too.
EBay has burned a lot of bridges, and for what? To pretend they are Amazonian? They're not. They can do a lot of the same things Amazon is doing, but, until ebay realizes one thing, they will NEVER be like Amazon. Ebay has to learn that ALL their customers are important. But frankly, my dear, they dont give a damn. And while they are pursuing the ghost of huge retailers, reality sets in, and the truth must be made known: the little bit ebay is making off buy.com is a mere drop in the bucket, compared to all the fees they've lost by pissing the sellers and buyers off.
Ebay has burned a lot of bridges. Can they rebuild? Too soon to say, but, it's never easy to rebuild a name once it's been tarnished.
Join the boycott, it is working,
Tim
http://forums.delphiforums.com/boycottebay/start
EBay has burned a lot of bridges, and for what? To pretend they are Amazonian? They're not. They can do a lot of the same things Amazon is doing, but, until ebay realizes one thing, they will NEVER be like Amazon. Ebay has to learn that ALL their customers are important. But frankly, my dear, they dont give a damn. And while they are pursuing the ghost of huge retailers, reality sets in, and the truth must be made known: the little bit ebay is making off buy.com is a mere drop in the bucket, compared to all the fees they've lost by pissing the sellers and buyers off.
Ebay has burned a lot of bridges. Can they rebuild? Too soon to say, but, it's never easy to rebuild a name once it's been tarnished.
Join the boycott, it is working,
Tim
http://forums.delphiforums.com/boycottebay/start
I quit selling on eBay over a year ago. I have been with them loyally through most of their changes, but NOT anymore. It will give me great pleasure watching the "empire" fall. You have to hate it for the employees who for the most part have been great to deal with. They have no control over what is happening at eBay. I have 2062 feedback, 100% positive, and eBay punishes me for NO reason. That defies any logic I have found so far... If ALL the small sellers would back away from eBay for a while, they would have NO choice but to mend their ways. I have stayed a member, but WILL NOT sell there until they consider the sellers and NOT just the buyers. You are welcome to pass this around in emails.... 
Finally! Someone who talks some sense. Why the heck aren't you CEO of eBay!
Can the unfair stars (DSRs) and BM (Best Match).
Get rid of them! They are so unfair, and BM doesn't work for many categories (like art).
If they go, I would certainly list more IMMEDIATELY, as soon as this happens (long as fees don't increase).
Whether eBay can change and woo back those who left, I don't know. I rather have one place than the now 10 or so I've migrated to, looking for greener pastures.
Thank you.
Can the unfair stars (DSRs) and BM (Best Match).
Get rid of them! They are so unfair, and BM doesn't work for many categories (like art).
If they go, I would certainly list more IMMEDIATELY, as soon as this happens (long as fees don't increase).
Whether eBay can change and woo back those who left, I don't know. I rather have one place than the now 10 or so I've migrated to, looking for greener pastures.
Thank you.
If you want to read the WHOLE article (I posted just a small part), type in "EBAY sucks" into Google and pick either the first or second listing (can't remember which one it was, but is is very informative).
I am actively searching for a site with more
of what I sell and a good base of customers.
They think they are so smart. I hope the whole thing implodes on them and they are left high and dry!
Auctiva rocks! Hope they get their stores up and running soon.
I am actively searching for a site with more
of what I sell and a good base of customers.
They think they are so smart. I hope the whole thing implodes on them and they are left high and dry!
Auctiva rocks! Hope they get their stores up and running soon.
I totally agree with each of the sellers that have posted here in regards to all of the crazy changes with e-bay. Though I am not a power seller, it was something I was trying to achieve until all of the crazy changes that ebay has done to their core model. I am now going through the growing pains of trying to detach myself from the craziness known as ebay.
My seller ratings used to be 100% most of the time---back before ebay made it extremely hard to be a competent seller (yet, sellers cannot even have one complaint about non-paying customers, that can't leave honest feedback in regards to a buyer's behavior, etc., etc.) without an arbitrary rating system that not every buyer is willing to record DSR's---not to mention the buyers that refuse to leave feedback even when they were satisfied with the purchase.
I can't wait until I can find what I need---but, ebay is definitely not in the "need" category. They have definitely alienated some of their best sellers----which used to be the little guys. Now all they care about are the bigger guys like buy.com. It won't hurt my feelings to say goodbye for them once I find a better alternative.
My seller ratings used to be 100% most of the time---back before ebay made it extremely hard to be a competent seller (yet, sellers cannot even have one complaint about non-paying customers, that can't leave honest feedback in regards to a buyer's behavior, etc., etc.) without an arbitrary rating system that not every buyer is willing to record DSR's---not to mention the buyers that refuse to leave feedback even when they were satisfied with the purchase.
I can't wait until I can find what I need---but, ebay is definitely not in the "need" category. They have definitely alienated some of their best sellers----which used to be the little guys. Now all they care about are the bigger guys like buy.com. It won't hurt my feelings to say goodbye for them once I find a better alternative.
This should have been posted on April 1st. It is made up.
Ebay management is not the brightest in the world, but they are not totally stupid. If they implemented those policies, ALL management would be without jobs within a few months. The stockholders, who are NOT ebay members or management, would not stand for it.
Ebay management is not the brightest in the world, but they are not totally stupid. If they implemented those policies, ALL management would be without jobs within a few months. The stockholders, who are NOT ebay members or management, would not stand for it.
> Finally! Someone who talks some sense. Why the heck aren't you CEO of eBay!
Can the unfair stars (DSRs) and BM (Best Match).
Get rid of them! They are so unfair, and BM doesn't work for many categories (like art).
You didn't read the spoof very carefully.
What is says is that BM would be the ONLY choice. It also stated that sellers could buy their way out of DSR ratings, not that they would be removed.
But since it is a fraudulent creation by someone not in ebay management, it does not matter.
Can the unfair stars (DSRs) and BM (Best Match).
Get rid of them! They are so unfair, and BM doesn't work for many categories (like art).
You didn't read the spoof very carefully.
What is says is that BM would be the ONLY choice. It also stated that sellers could buy their way out of DSR ratings, not that they would be removed.
But since it is a fraudulent creation by someone not in ebay management, it does not matter.
WOW,
I have spent untold thousands with Ebay over the years , selling thousands of my products. I was floored when out of the blue one day I was susupended from listing NOT due to bad feedback or customer complaints, 98% positive feedback ...but because of their star rating system. They claim I was not IN COMPLIANCE...???
I was outraged. If they dont want my 400-$500 dollars a month fees plus the paypal fees they collect than to heck with them. I cant get anyone on the phone from Ebay to complain to, cant get a person to respond to my emails and done with them. I owe them about $250 in fees which i wont pay because they cut me off from selling!! Cant pay fees if there is not ebay income. its called bankrupting our businesses.
The best way to fight back is to find another forum to take our auctions to and say see ya Ebay. Let me in on it if you know of one who truly wants to partner with us.
One good thing has come of Ebay for me though, they have prompted me to spend my money on improving my website and gaining top exposure on Google and other poewerful search engines which has driven my business. I wish Ebay could see the light and not bite the hand that feeds them.
if there are any smart tech savvy peeps out there they would strat a new version of the old ebay and clean up...
I have spent untold thousands with Ebay over the years , selling thousands of my products. I was floored when out of the blue one day I was susupended from listing NOT due to bad feedback or customer complaints, 98% positive feedback ...but because of their star rating system. They claim I was not IN COMPLIANCE...???
I was outraged. If they dont want my 400-$500 dollars a month fees plus the paypal fees they collect than to heck with them. I cant get anyone on the phone from Ebay to complain to, cant get a person to respond to my emails and done with them. I owe them about $250 in fees which i wont pay because they cut me off from selling!! Cant pay fees if there is not ebay income. its called bankrupting our businesses.
The best way to fight back is to find another forum to take our auctions to and say see ya Ebay. Let me in on it if you know of one who truly wants to partner with us.
One good thing has come of Ebay for me though, they have prompted me to spend my money on improving my website and gaining top exposure on Google and other poewerful search engines which has driven my business. I wish Ebay could see the light and not bite the hand that feeds them.
if there are any smart tech savvy peeps out there they would strat a new version of the old ebay and clean up...
I believe that PeSA is on the right path. What eBay fails to recognize is that their customers are the SELLERS not the buyers. Unlike Amazon eBay has nothing to sell to the buyer. What they have to sell is a space for sellers to sell. Many of eBay's so called improvements hurt not only the sellers but the buyers. Best Match is a joke - even eBay cannot explain how it works. Free Shipping - hurts the Buyer when making multiple purchases because they no longer get shipping discounts - how can they if the shipping costs are added in to the products cost. If eBay wanted to curb the inflated shipping charges sellers were adding to avoid eBay fees there was a simple answer - include S&H charges in the final value fee. Many of eBays so called improvements make the sellers job more difficult and increases needless clicks on the site. Ebay needs to treat all sellers equally - no more favoritism for the large sellers such as no negative feedback or negative feedback removal for large sellers; no more inflated DSRs or Feedback scores for large sellers; no more Best Match.
I'll get back to eBay in a moment but I want to digress and talk about Amazon for a minute. Many eBay sellers seem to think that Amazon is a better alternative to eBay. I challenge this assumption. Amazon fees are higher overall than eBay; the cost to have an Amazon store is much higher than eBay's even for a premium store; Amazon is a paperless payment system and a seller must use Amazon's payment system; Amazon controls shipping prices; Amazon will boot you if you fail to follow their shipping policies. It is much more difficult to add unique items on Amazon than eBay. You must use Amazon's product descriptions not your own. Even if you write a product description for a unique item - it must be made available for any other seller to use for a like item. Is Amazon a better alternative to eBay - not in my opinion.
My suggestion to eBay is recognize that your customers are the sellers. Make it easy to sell on eBay with lower listing fees offset by higher final value fees - as long as they are not prohibitive - this may also discourage low priced junk on eBay. One good example is sellers that sell used media for $1 or less. Deal with abusers of the system individually rather than penalizing all sellers. I could turn this into a book (maybe I should) but the single biggest thing eBay must acknowledge is that their customers are the sellers - do more to attract quality sellers and eBay's revenue, profits, and marketshare will increase. Continue to believe that the buyers are your customers and pretty soon eBay will have a lot fewer sellers and will be wondering where their business went. Here is a hint eBay - they followed the sellers!
I'll get back to eBay in a moment but I want to digress and talk about Amazon for a minute. Many eBay sellers seem to think that Amazon is a better alternative to eBay. I challenge this assumption. Amazon fees are higher overall than eBay; the cost to have an Amazon store is much higher than eBay's even for a premium store; Amazon is a paperless payment system and a seller must use Amazon's payment system; Amazon controls shipping prices; Amazon will boot you if you fail to follow their shipping policies. It is much more difficult to add unique items on Amazon than eBay. You must use Amazon's product descriptions not your own. Even if you write a product description for a unique item - it must be made available for any other seller to use for a like item. Is Amazon a better alternative to eBay - not in my opinion.
My suggestion to eBay is recognize that your customers are the sellers. Make it easy to sell on eBay with lower listing fees offset by higher final value fees - as long as they are not prohibitive - this may also discourage low priced junk on eBay. One good example is sellers that sell used media for $1 or less. Deal with abusers of the system individually rather than penalizing all sellers. I could turn this into a book (maybe I should) but the single biggest thing eBay must acknowledge is that their customers are the sellers - do more to attract quality sellers and eBay's revenue, profits, and marketshare will increase. Continue to believe that the buyers are your customers and pretty soon eBay will have a lot fewer sellers and will be wondering where their business went. Here is a hint eBay - they followed the sellers!
I guess I must not have read right then.
But I do know is that DSRs and BM are what is killing eBay. I've sold about 4,000 items in 10 years, and now need to sell more than ever, but I'm not listing. I only get 1/4 of the hits to what I was getting 18 months ago, before these changes took place, and the change was IMMEDIATE, so I know what caused it. eBay hits are down a 1/3, so that should still mean that my hits should be at least 2/3. But this is not so. And this is despite MUCH self-promotion.
Yeah, sorry if I didn't read right, I have a tendency to skip some stuff.
Thanx
But I do know is that DSRs and BM are what is killing eBay. I've sold about 4,000 items in 10 years, and now need to sell more than ever, but I'm not listing. I only get 1/4 of the hits to what I was getting 18 months ago, before these changes took place, and the change was IMMEDIATE, so I know what caused it. eBay hits are down a 1/3, so that should still mean that my hits should be at least 2/3. But this is not so. And this is despite MUCH self-promotion.
Yeah, sorry if I didn't read right, I have a tendency to skip some stuff.
Thanx
>>DON'T STOP SELLING ON EBAY<<
Use them to your benefit instead.
Create a free web store at a site like eCrater or get your own domain.
Stock that store with everything you've got.
Sell low $$$ items at ebay.
Once you sell something, let the buyer know (don't use ebay's email system) that you have a web store with more selection and lower prices.
Put the buyers email in you address book.
Send out promotional emails once a month or so telling people about new items or specials at your website (be sure to allow them to opt out of future emails).
In short, use eBay to find/drive customers to your website.
Seller BUY at ebay is really Buy.com
If you buy something from BUY at ebay, from that day forward you will get an email every single day from Buy.com telling you about current deals.
Buy is a mega power seller at ebay with 500,000 to 1 million items listed at a time.
BUY is using ebay to drive traffic to Buy.com and you should too; it works, believe me...
Use them to your benefit instead.
Create a free web store at a site like eCrater or get your own domain.
Stock that store with everything you've got.
Sell low $$$ items at ebay.
Once you sell something, let the buyer know (don't use ebay's email system) that you have a web store with more selection and lower prices.
Put the buyers email in you address book.
Send out promotional emails once a month or so telling people about new items or specials at your website (be sure to allow them to opt out of future emails).
In short, use eBay to find/drive customers to your website.
Seller BUY at ebay is really Buy.com
If you buy something from BUY at ebay, from that day forward you will get an email every single day from Buy.com telling you about current deals.
Buy is a mega power seller at ebay with 500,000 to 1 million items listed at a time.
BUY is using ebay to drive traffic to Buy.com and you should too; it works, believe me...
great advise. i already email each of my ebay customers through constant contact about deals. I also place my phone number on my auctions and drive a ton of traffic that way to my website. I agree that ebay is a good way to drive biz to your website but it can eb a very costly thing now. But great advise. Also by utilizing sites like craigs list to list your items locally, the listing is propogated to the search engines and that also drives to your site.
Just wish Ebay didnt have to drive us biz owners to these measures.
Just wish Ebay didnt have to drive us biz owners to these measures.
KWPS: how do you get your eBay customer's emails into Constant Contact? sounds like a great idea, thanks
Reply to PosterChilf who started by saying... ">>DON'T STOP SELLING ON EBAY<<
Use them to your benefit instead.
Create a free web store at a site like eCrater or get your own domain.
Stock that store with everything you've got.
Sell low $$$ items at ebay."
FAIL! VERY WRONG!
How are you supposed to sell anything when no one can find you? What you are saying is for everyone to spend money on listing fees we'll never see again. You MUST be in bed with eBay.
I spent the last 3 weeks on eBay spending more & more & working countless hours to do everything possible just to get my money back I spent on listings. I lost about $300 in listing fees.
You can't sell what nobody ever sees.
Get your head out of eBay's tushie & maybe you'll understand what people are saying here.
Use them to your benefit instead.
Create a free web store at a site like eCrater or get your own domain.
Stock that store with everything you've got.
Sell low $$$ items at ebay."
FAIL! VERY WRONG!
How are you supposed to sell anything when no one can find you? What you are saying is for everyone to spend money on listing fees we'll never see again. You MUST be in bed with eBay.
I spent the last 3 weeks on eBay spending more & more & working countless hours to do everything possible just to get my money back I spent on listings. I lost about $300 in listing fees.
You can't sell what nobody ever sees.
Get your head out of eBay's tushie & maybe you'll understand what people are saying here.
Eh hem.... This thread is for responding to the article "What's Ahead for eBay...and You?". The article was GREAT... and only a year overdue.
When I started saying these same things a long time ago I was yelled at & told how small minded I was not to reinvent my entire business (as if I have a money tree growing in my backyard just for such a SPECIAL occassion). I tried to bring these same points up on this forum & on Ebay forums. I was told how completely unintelligent I was.
NOW... Auctiva themselves has several articles finally facing the situation square on & telling it like it is rather than the old head in the sand routine it stuck by for so long. Too bad no one had the courage & tenacity to stand up & say these things when we still had a snowballs chance in perdition to change them.
The only advice I have for anyone who is still desperately clinging to the last tiny thread of hope that eBay gives a rat's patooty about sellers: Don't hold your breath. Although there is something very satisfying to me now a year later to hear the chortles of the eBay bliss ninnies stifled with shock over how their loyalty means nothing & they were not immune to eBaytrayal for all the waving of pom poms in my face during the months I was crying myself to sleep because the dream of my lifetime had been destroyed in one day by eBay.
I have little sympathy for anyone who didn't join us last May during the walk out. If everyone had listened to the many warnings of the fallen rather than treating them like losers because your store stayed profitable while eBay axed their stores... Then none of this would be happening now. We would have had the clout to teach eBay a lesson, brought them to heel & either we'd have the old eBay back or at least we'd all be mutually satisfied by now at hearing their notice of bankruptcy on national news. But NO!
What the guy in the article completely avoids telling us is how he & others like him sold us all down the river by listening to the eBay anthem "reinvent yourselves" and marched along like sheep while the little guys with small unique stores were brutally trounced beneath their feet. I've got two words for eBay as they slowly fall apart & everyone curses them...
REINVENT YOURSELVES
When I started saying these same things a long time ago I was yelled at & told how small minded I was not to reinvent my entire business (as if I have a money tree growing in my backyard just for such a SPECIAL occassion). I tried to bring these same points up on this forum & on Ebay forums. I was told how completely unintelligent I was.
NOW... Auctiva themselves has several articles finally facing the situation square on & telling it like it is rather than the old head in the sand routine it stuck by for so long. Too bad no one had the courage & tenacity to stand up & say these things when we still had a snowballs chance in perdition to change them.
The only advice I have for anyone who is still desperately clinging to the last tiny thread of hope that eBay gives a rat's patooty about sellers: Don't hold your breath. Although there is something very satisfying to me now a year later to hear the chortles of the eBay bliss ninnies stifled with shock over how their loyalty means nothing & they were not immune to eBaytrayal for all the waving of pom poms in my face during the months I was crying myself to sleep because the dream of my lifetime had been destroyed in one day by eBay.
I have little sympathy for anyone who didn't join us last May during the walk out. If everyone had listened to the many warnings of the fallen rather than treating them like losers because your store stayed profitable while eBay axed their stores... Then none of this would be happening now. We would have had the clout to teach eBay a lesson, brought them to heel & either we'd have the old eBay back or at least we'd all be mutually satisfied by now at hearing their notice of bankruptcy on national news. But NO!
What the guy in the article completely avoids telling us is how he & others like him sold us all down the river by listening to the eBay anthem "reinvent yourselves" and marched along like sheep while the little guys with small unique stores were brutally trounced beneath their feet. I've got two words for eBay as they slowly fall apart & everyone curses them...
REINVENT YOURSELVES
I hate the recent changes that Ebay made for sellers. I don't sell alot on Ebay, but I did make a little money. I enjoy reading books and when I was finished them, I would list them on Ebay. With their new policies concerning payment options, I feel that I can no longer list them. I list them really cheap so that other people could enjoy them as much as I did. I can't make ANY money using paypal because of all the fees I would be charged. Are they trying to get rid of all the small sellers like me? Also, not being able to leave negative feedback for a buyer that DOESN'T pay for an item. Where is that fair? I haven't listed on Ebay for awhile and I also HAVEN'T bought anything in quite awhile. I haven't even visited the site in awhile. BRING BACK THE OLD EBAY, SO THAT EVERYONE CAN USE THE SITE!
Again everyone,
is there another auction site out there that rivals Ebay with lesser fees and more seller friendly policies?? I tried ebid.com yesterday and don't see it as a user friendly site but it has a ton of potential. Perhaps we should be working with sites like Ebid and make voices known to them as well that there is a vacuum here that needs to be filled. This is a golden opportunity for a site like Ebid to step up and become the old Ebay. If there is another site out of the hundreds out there that can come close to the old Ebay model and user friendly navigation without all of their bull sh**t, please let me and all of us in on it. I am done with the Ebay politics and want to move on as I am sure all of you do as well.
Thanks,
is there another auction site out there that rivals Ebay with lesser fees and more seller friendly policies?? I tried ebid.com yesterday and don't see it as a user friendly site but it has a ton of potential. Perhaps we should be working with sites like Ebid and make voices known to them as well that there is a vacuum here that needs to be filled. This is a golden opportunity for a site like Ebid to step up and become the old Ebay. If there is another site out of the hundreds out there that can come close to the old Ebay model and user friendly navigation without all of their bull sh**t, please let me and all of us in on it. I am done with the Ebay politics and want to move on as I am sure all of you do as well.
Thanks,
Sorry, It is Ebid.net NOT Ebid.com as I just stated.
quote:You can't sell what nobody ever sees.
Chelsea,
Find something you can sell at cost that sells well at ebay.
99 cent items sold at cost will be found. The idea isn't to make money at ebay, it's to find customers.
If you sell an item at cost at ebay; you get a future customer at your website as a free bonus.
Simple Example:
Sell a toothbrush for 99 cents with free shipping with an auction ending every 8 hours.
When you ship the item, email the buyer telling them it shipped and also tell them you sell toothpaste and a 100 other tooth care items at your website.
Give them a link and maybe a coupon or something for 20% off their first purchase from your website.
Add the buyer to your address book for future advertising email about your website.
You made no money selling that toothbrush at ebay, but every month you will have ~90 new potential customers for your website.
~1100 new customers every year.
If you sell stuff people want and you're customers are satisfied, they'll tell others.
So every year you could easily add 5000 new potential customers to your website just from this simple example.
Add in Google and Yahoo advertising and that number could double, triple or more in size.
It works, you just need to understand how as I just explained.
It's not an overnight solution; it takes time to build any business.
Buy.com is so successfull at driving customers away from ebay that it's actually starting to show up in ebays profit margin.
Ebay blames the economy; but they're a ship of fools in serious denial.
Billn,
You don't believe3 Ebay would take a bribe (ie: sellers buying their way out of DSR's)?
Don't kid me. They are already taking every high dollar avenue they can. That article may be a spoof, but I would bet you dollars to doughnuts that much of it will come true in the next few years.
Ebay doesn't realize it has built people's businesses, only to tear them apart piece by piece. They have literally ruined some people's lives.
Just like the California tax system, you can't keep "taking" from people who have been abused by the gov't without an eventual collase of the system. People are fleeing California in droves since they decided that raising taxes was a better idea than lowering them. The legislators think they know better than the people they represent and won't even listen to them when the majority is overwhelming! People are fleeing Ebay in the same way, because Ebay knows better than the peons who sell there (and pay their salaries too!).
It's such an interesting parallel.
Some other company will come along sooner or later. Right now, ebay still has name recognition, but even comanies like Microsoft and IBM went by the wayside sooner or later.
Ebay is a dinosaur.
You don't believe3 Ebay would take a bribe (ie: sellers buying their way out of DSR's)?
Don't kid me. They are already taking every high dollar avenue they can. That article may be a spoof, but I would bet you dollars to doughnuts that much of it will come true in the next few years.
Ebay doesn't realize it has built people's businesses, only to tear them apart piece by piece. They have literally ruined some people's lives.
Just like the California tax system, you can't keep "taking" from people who have been abused by the gov't without an eventual collase of the system. People are fleeing California in droves since they decided that raising taxes was a better idea than lowering them. The legislators think they know better than the people they represent and won't even listen to them when the majority is overwhelming! People are fleeing Ebay in the same way, because Ebay knows better than the peons who sell there (and pay their salaries too!).
It's such an interesting parallel.
Some other company will come along sooner or later. Right now, ebay still has name recognition, but even comanies like Microsoft and IBM went by the wayside sooner or later.
Ebay is a dinosaur.
quote:Originally posted by connieandkens*vintagememories:
I have quit selling on eBay until they go back to the way they were.(I have been on eBay for over 9 years with over 2900 (100%) feedback) They have turned against the sellers, made us their enemies, I had a nightmare experience on PayPal, a buyer turned me in for a bogus SNAD, he got his money back plus a brand new item and eBay or PayPal would not listen to me. I was scammed as a seller, I have never felt so betrayed in my life! After that, I closed my PayPal account and therefore, unable to sell on eBay because of their "PayPal Only" payments. I will never use electronic payments again, I don't want to use my bank account on these sites. eBay has destroyed my business and I hope they see what they are doing to their business and others as well. Per the eBay forums, there are hundreds of sellers that have been scammed by buyers and PayPal, I don't understand how PayPal stays in business, they are so corrupt, it's unbelievable, really.
I need somewhere to move all my listing to.. I have over 150+! HELP! Will someone please step up and make a ebay-like site that is easy to use and stuff.. all the other sites stink as far as being seller user-friendly goes. Takes me forever to list on them!!
Christel
Christel
Boy I sure wish some of the idiots at ebay would take five minutes to either come read these or at least offer all of us a way to tell them. I too have been a long term seller on ebay. i began in their first year. i have been screwed by them in too many instances to even name them all. I have stopped selling started selling over and over. However recently I received a phone call from them. A real person on the phone telling me they wanted to get my back and how they were listining to the customers again. So i got a couple hundred items ready to post and guess what? they wont let me post them cause now they are forcing you to use pay pal so they can make even more money. Unfortunately for a lot of people they control the online auction market for now. But Its only a matter of time before all of us just say THEY ARE NoT WORTH THE EFFORT ANYMORE. boy that felt good.
I hung up my guns at eBay Oct 20th. 2008 when they decided to force PayPal. Personally I think they are breaking laws with their control over the seller’s money. I think they need another 50 or so rules just to make it harder to list on eBay! So I have moved my auctions over to www.Auctions8.com. Wonder if Auctiva would want to link to it for listing things for its client base? Nice place to list and none of the ridiculous mind games and money control rules making you go crazy just to list an item, and close a transaction. Ebay has boxed themselves in a corner over the PayPal mandate and their greed for more of the seller’s money in PayPal fees and higher closing fees. We have plenty of X-eBayers at Auctions8 already, and growing daily. Come on over to Autions8 and join up, we are looking for good Sellers and buyers, who want to enjoy online auctions again. No Listing Fee No closing Fee, just a monthly 5.00 charge to list and sell. 3.00 a month for a store if you want one. All forms of payments are allowed and yes MO's and Personal Checks. Even PayPal if you are a glutton for punishment. LOL.
Wall Street Journal – JD does an about Face! JD is failing we all know that, his ideas at going all Big Box New Merchandise has flopped. I think he sees the writing on the wall. He is admitting that he screwed up here and is going back to the flea market image. Only thing is SNAD will soar now, along with all the CC charge backs.
http://online.wsj.com/article/...679413477397787.html
But he goes on to reinforce that eBay will Concentrate on PayPal as their money maker, so he has not learned much. So get your pockets ready people if you continue to march to JD's piper tune.
http://online.wsj.com/article/...679413477397787.html
I loved using Auctiva to interface to Ebay. Good system on this side Jeff.. Thanks!
Steve
Wall Street Journal – JD does an about Face! JD is failing we all know that, his ideas at going all Big Box New Merchandise has flopped. I think he sees the writing on the wall. He is admitting that he screwed up here and is going back to the flea market image. Only thing is SNAD will soar now, along with all the CC charge backs.
http://online.wsj.com/article/...679413477397787.html
But he goes on to reinforce that eBay will Concentrate on PayPal as their money maker, so he has not learned much. So get your pockets ready people if you continue to march to JD's piper tune.
http://online.wsj.com/article/...679413477397787.html
I loved using Auctiva to interface to Ebay. Good system on this side Jeff.. Thanks!
Steve
quote:Originally posted by AuctivaEditor2:
You can read "What's Ahead for eBay and You?" here. Reply to this message to discuss it.
You have got to be kidding??? Then again, nothing should surprize us about eBAy, unless it is that they should start caring about their sellers. That would be a major surprize! If these policies actually go into effect, I am definitely out of there! Do you think that this could be coming from someone INSIDE of eBAy, that is disgruntled and planning on starting their own auction site? Because this information could cause alot of sellers to pull out of eBay now instead of waiting until the ball drops.
I am seriously wanting to leave eBay, as a seller I am tired of working real hard to have 100% feedback, and getting ripped by a couple of buyers, that have the backup 7 support of eBay and Paypal, when it is unjust. I am sick & tired of being victimized by the buyers first, then eBay & Paypal also.
I would love to know which auction sites are the best now, since I am looking to move out of eBay, but need to move to an affordable auction site that is getting plenty of exposure for sales. Can anyone out there help shed some light and give us frustrated eBAy sellers some good suggestions? Thanks.