posted on September 26, 2001 09:24:14 AM new
Just packed several boxes of my best Christmas stuff to take to the antique mall. I loved ebay and it has been very good to me over the past 3+ years but that was when bidders were not out to steal all of my stuff. I got bids early in the auctions and pretty consistently throughout. My sell thru was in the 95% range as I only list things I am pretty sure will sell. I have only relisted a handful of items in nearly 4 years.
Yes, I will lose a couple of these items to shoplifters but I pay no sales commission where I sell and all of the things are priced to allow for pilferage. If I price like that on ebay, no one even looks at my stuff.
In fact, I just got my statement from the mall and business has been hopping since 9/11--just like I have been seeing in retail stores around here.
I simply can't think about life without ebay but you will be seeing low end items and things that I can't display well in a booth. You poor bidders are going to have to spend a LOT more time finding things to add to your collections. But in my mind, you caused the problem and will now have to live with it. I will bring my good things back only when I see serious bidding on nice, but low value, items.
And contrary to some poster's ideas around here, this is not a chicken little position. It is a studied business decision based on current conditions.
posted on September 26, 2001 11:53:33 AM new
Hey, come to my auctions, I have great stuff
That's not selling!
I'll be listing more tonight, hopefuly some one will bid, and if you need anything special,
Just drop me a line!
posted on September 26, 2001 12:02:45 PM new
Jadejim and others -- Please explain how I am going to pay more for your item if I am the only bidder? I could bid on it 50 times, but if nobody else bids, I will still get it for the minimum -- and there's nothing I can do about that. So quit blaming ME for "stealing" it at the opening bid!
If your sales tactic is not working you need to change it. You can't blame the bidders -- THEY are not responsible for the sale-ability of your auctions.
Violetta
(Not known by this nickname anywhere but here.)
posted on September 26, 2001 12:14:49 PM newJadejim and others -- Please explain how I am going to pay more for your item if I am the only bidder? I could bid on it 50 times, but if nobody else bids, I will still get it for the minimum -- and there's nothing I can do about that. So quit blaming ME for "stealing" it at the opening bid!
Quite true. And the primary reason I'm raising my prices vs. running the "clearance-type" pricing I ran in August.
I recently had an Administrative Cancellation bid retraction on an auction that I listed for $1.99. The high bidder who got NARU'd had a current bid of $6.50. So that means that the underbidder was willing to pay about $6.00 anyway. And after the retraction, the bid went back down to $1.99. Fortunately, there was more bidding, so the price went back up. But this does illustrate violetta's point very well.
I, for one, am going to price my items at a fair price instead of lowballing it. If we can't depend on bidding wars, and I believe that will be particularly true as our economy goes through more and more challenges during the duration of the impending conflict, I must assume that it's very likely only 1 bidder might be involved in many sales from here on in.
posted on September 26, 2001 01:10:50 PM new
Sorry Violetta, it is that old circle--no bidders, no sellers-no sellers no bidders. If I can't have at least 2 people bidding on my items, there really is no auction and I can't depend on this happening anymore. I will do fixed price only for higher value items because if I list them at a price that allows me a reasonable profit, I get no bids.
Ebay is not a good market for me with fixed prices and I have tried it. Therefore, I will put my things where the market is good.
Not blaming anyone except ebay, but if bidders want the stuff, they won't be finding it on ebay for now. Should bidding pick up again, I will be right back. I do okay with lower value items and that's all I intend to list now.
This hurts all of us. Ebay will have lower revenues, bidders will have fewer exciting items to add to their collections and sellers will have to maintain some type of fixed price site be it on the internet or B& M if they want to maintain their income level.
