posted on September 24, 2001 02:27:45 PM new
Although our auctions suck right now, I've noticed that the number of A4A listings isn't climbing anymore. In fact some categories have dropped slightly.
I'm a bit jealous of the almost 100% sell through. Ours is about 25% of normal at this point.
posted on September 24, 2001 02:32:56 PM new
I AM CALLING MY LOCAL POSTMASTER GENERAL AND WRITING TO THE POSTMASTER GENERAL FOR THE U.S. ABOUT THIS. PLEASE JOIN ME...
--------------------------------------------
The United States Postal Service is advertising ebay's Auction for America on their front page of their web site.
Check this out. Go to: www.usps.com click on - Find a Way to Help eBay's Auction for America.
I can understand the U.S. Postal Service promoting this. It means more packages being mailed, more money orders ect. but I don't really feel out tax money shoul dbe used in this way to promote a business that will do nothing but profit from all this in the end.
posted on September 24, 2001 03:07:49 PM new
Have you thought about AFA increasing your page views? Newbies looking at the front page AFA see your AFA auction. They are likely the click on "view sellers other items", which increases your page views.
I am going to list a handmade red,white, and blue baby quilt tomorrow for AFA.
posted on September 24, 2001 03:42:28 PM new
I'm just curious if anyone's tried a different "experiment"...listed a bunch of normal items and a few AFA items, then have someone have the gaul to ask why you can't donate the proceeds from the normal items as well? Knowing Ebay's bidders, I wouldn't be half surprised for someone to have the nerve to ask.
posted on September 24, 2001 05:44:01 PM new
How will the contributed money be used in light of the huge grant by the govt ?? See the link- the US govt in granting billions of dollars to the victims too.
posted on September 24, 2001 05:49:15 PM new
We are conducting an extremely scientific study. Each night we punch up 'CD' at eBay A4A auctions to get the number of A4A auctions that have the word 'CD in the title.
Tonight 594 auctions are running. One week ago tonight 585 auctions are running. The peak number was just over 700 last Saturday.
Of those 594 auctions, perhaps 1/2 are music CDs of the kind we sell (other auctions including CD Roms, CD cleaners, CD carrying cases, etc). So, 300 CD A4A auctions running at any one time.
We have 3000 CD auctions running ourselves at any one time, so the A4A total represents a tenth of what we have running ourselves. The total number of 'CD' auctions running on ebay is 162,000, meaning that the A4A 'CD' auctions reprsent well under 1/2 of 1% of the total ebay CD auctions running.
I cannot believe that the A4A auctions are impacting us that much. I *DO* feel the weakening economy is going to be a problem for all of us, but that is another thread...
posted on September 24, 2001 07:55:40 PM new
I just did a search using space " " as the search term, and it shows 35,684 A4A items listed. The highest priced item listed is a $90,000 airplane.
[ edited by jake on Sep 24, 2001 07:57 PM ]
[ edited by jake on Sep 24, 2001 07:59 PM ]
posted on September 24, 2001 08:14:01 PM newCindy, Thank you for the very kind words. But you should not feel ashamed for devising ways to feed your children. It is not a selfish act to act in self-interest if your desire is to support your family. After all, a workman is worthy of his meat (Matt 10:10) -- or as the NLT translation says "those who work deserve to be fed." And the corollary to this is also well-known and expressly stated too, but rarely quoted since it is not "PC". Social Security will support all the little kiddies who lost their parents until they turn 18, and then they should go out and get a job like the rest of us -- and just like they would have been expected to do had this terrible tragedy never happened. And they should be able, each and every one, to get a decent job after completing their free college educations courtesy of the state of NY.
If I ever get to be a bazillionaire, I won't be leaving my kids millions of dollars in my will -- doing so won't help them in the long run. I'll buy them a college education, but I won't buy them a lifelong free ride (which would only last for a few months anyway if not in a trust fund).
Cariad, It seems we are in agreement. Every seller should price his wares competitively if he or she expects them to sell. And even as flawed as the AFA program is, I could forgive eBay of everything if the program only lasted for no more than 14 to 30 days. But 100 days is *at least* 70 days too many. And any similar program that extends past Thanksgiving Day (the accepted start of the Christmas buying season) will certainly prove to be an unnecessary burden on the backs of all eBay sellers.
GreetingsfromUK, We are not ignoring you. None of us has answered your dozen plus posts about the identity of charity trustees for the very simple reason that we do not know the answers, nor do we know how to research the answers. I would recommend that anyone wishing to make a donation do so directly via the main website of any charity of your choice whom you trust to not squander the money.
The Colonel, I would be shocked and amazed if the USPS were donating this ad space to eBay/AFA out of the kindness of their hearts. I have every confidence that it is part of a paid promotional partnership between the USPS and eBay, and not a gratuitous plug. We do know that the USPS also has prominent ads on eBay's servers (or at least did so in the past), and is a "partner" with eBay.
Marie, According to your own figures, as eBay's #1 all-time seller (at least by feedback score), your own auctions account for about 2% of all CD sales on eBay, and perhaps more than that. And your own auctions dwarf all AFA auctions combined by a 10 to 1 margin. There are very few of us here who can even begin to relate to selling 3,000 items per week, or who personally sell ten items for every AFA auction listed in our category. If you can out-list your competition by 10 to 1, then obviously their impact on your bottom line will be minimal. Those who are the most scared are the ones who see 10 AFA auctions for each of their own, not the other way around. And AFA auctions *are* competition for you and me and everybody else, no matter how "politically incorrect" it is to make such a bold statement. But again, I make no apologies for trying to feed my family.
[ edited by StormThinker on Sep 24, 2001 08:14 PM ]
posted on September 24, 2001 08:50:20 PM new
Storm, my intention was not to berate or belittle anyone. My point was that I, too, am watching the A4A auctions with apprehension. Please re-read my post in the spirit it was intended.
And, of course, this IS how I feed my family. If I had to do 4,000 auctions or 5,000 auctions I would do it. Whatever it takes ...
posted on September 24, 2001 08:57:56 PM new
Marie,
OK. I guess I misunderstood your original post. Sometimes a great deal is lost of a thought by the time it is reduced to a few sparse words and back again. My point was that I think smaller sellers will be disproportionately affected by the AFA program. And those who already control a greater percentage of their category will be less affected (percentage wise). I may be wrong about that, but that's what my gut tells me.
Oh, and the comment about "feeding my family" was *not* meant to imply that you do not work hard to feed yours, or that your profits are not well deserved. Rather, it was an assertion that I will make no apologies for feeding my own family (for profit auctions) before feeding strangers who seem to be not hurting for funding anyway (AFA auctions). But I freely give to those in need after my own family is provided for. I apologize that I was not more clear.
[ edited by StormThinker on Sep 24, 2001 09:08 PM ]
posted on September 25, 2001 12:52:18 AM new
OK, 35,484 AFA auctions running. Some are 5 day, some are 7 day, some are longer. Some are ending quickly with BIN. Let's say there's 8,000 items going up daily. Let's say everything sells.
8,000 items x average selling price of, say, $10.00 = $80,000 day.
$80,000 x 100 days = $8,000,000. That's $92,000,000 shy of eBay's stated goal.
Looks like ebay will need to run A4A for several years.
posted on September 25, 2001 06:43:16 AM new
Thanks for the perspective, Marie.
In these early days of the A4A program, the enthusiasm ought to be at a fever pitch. 8,000 auctions out of 5.2 million--or whatever the real # is--is actually pitiful. With such a lukewarm response during what should be the time of heaviest participation, I don't see any momentum to this program. I don't see the 8,000-auction figure sustaining itself on a daily basis over the next 3 months, let alone increase.
Sellers are now hauling those sold packages to the post office, to UPS, FedEx, and I'm sure many of them are having "V-8" moments, thinking "sheesh, this $25 (or whatever) could've gone to the charity instead of the post office." Will these sellers continue relisting A4A items?
That's why I didn't participate. I could hold my nose and run Billpoint on a few auctions, but paying for shipping and considering that a donation? No way.
Ebay will have to either employ some serious strong-arm tactics, or let the program die a slow lingering death. Neither option can be very appealing. Sellers have already proven they can gain the ear of the media to voice their side of things. Nor can eBay realistically hope to lay the blame on sellers for the failure of the program, without the blame casting a pall over the whole operation. The bright-eyed bushy-tailed wonder who dreamed up this program ought to be already looking for a new job.
I'm still listing, and can't say the A4As have impacted my sales that much. But what I've been doing is searching for A4A auctions that match the items I am considering listing, and if there is "competition" from an A4A auction, I don't list that item right now.
I don't list a lot--no more than 30 auctions per week usually. I sell a mix of items, and so I've just been juggling them around a little more than usual.
As someone else said, this too shall pass.
It puts an interesting slant on Meg's optimism though. Her earlier prediction of $5 billion total revenue, and now this one of $100 million for the A4A program--if this A4A flops as badly as I think it will, wonder what the stock gurus will think of her other forecasts???
