posted on October 15, 2000 12:39:20 PM new
Ive been thinking about looking for a job to suppliment my ebay (sheesh). Maybe I better start looking on Monday
posted on October 15, 2000 12:59:12 PM new
I think I must have looked at eBay for maybe 2 years without registering before there was finally that one item I HAD to have--so I registered to place a bid--and its been all up hill since then. Of course back in those days the media wasn't conducting surveys and monitoring hits on auctions like they are now. I think they have just discovered how long it takes for a lot of newbies to warm up to the idea actually participating in an online auction and they think they have discovered something new. It's not.
cybercat
--
What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about?
posted on October 15, 2000 01:12:57 PM new
I utterly agree. People signing on less for entertainment. They want efficiency and on top of that, they want a screaming deal. If you can give them what they want you're in business. If your can give them part of what they want, you'll survive. If you can't offer either of these, well my opinion is that your days selling online are numbered.
posted on October 15, 2000 05:31:44 PM new
"The top two complaints from auction users are high minimum bids...."
I have to agree with this statement. I love 1-cent auctions with no reserve. I think if there were more 1-cent auctions, people would enjoy ebay much more. This would mean more total customers, and probaly higher ending bids.
If I was ebay, I would consider giving 1-cent/NR auction sellers free or discounted insertion fees.
posted on October 15, 2000 05:47:22 PM new
no, as a matter of fact I don't. Many obscure collectible items recieve only 1 bid, placed by a single specific collector who desires it. starting these items at 1c would be foolish. eBay might be an auction site for YOU, but it isn't often one for ME.
posted on October 15, 2000 06:07:29 PM new
WOW I have to question some of this report some who claim they went to auction sites but wont return because ther is not enough selcetion ??? HUH .
I know I started visting ebay back in 97 but never registered or bid I visited yahoo auctions when it frist started too if anyone asked me I would have said I wasnt planing to return as well.
funny thing is I did return over that year and over 98 buy then I was registered and had bid a few times then befor you knew it was not only bidding I was winning and selling.
most people who think they will never return usually do look at IRC and what many had to say of that and where it is today.
I posted the link to that article because I thought it would provide some interesting conversation here, NOT because I agreed with it.
Ya know, I am really amazed by some of your responses, cuz come to think of it...... of all things, although I was talkin' up eBay to lotsa people online --- indeed, it was TWO YEARS AFTER MY FIRST SURF THROUGH that I actually registered and started participating.
Before that, I was simply a very very interested LURKER who frequently explored and researched items.......
Amazing =======>> Have we independently discovered something about eBay that marketers don't know??
posted on October 15, 2000 09:09:25 PM new
sherwik
"The top two complaints from auction users are high minimum bids...."
I have only been selling on Ebay for the last 6 months. I sell antiques and collectibles and own a shop.
There is no way I would ever start an auction at 1 cent with no reserve.
Reasons
1. Site availability/reliability.
2. Ebays failure to extend auctions. I think Ebay should extend the auction 24 hours if they are down within an hour of an item closing.
3. Increasing difficulty in finding decent antiques and collectibles to sell what with the antiques road show, Ebay etc.etc. etc.
4. My items are for the most part fairly rare and if they do not sell at a decent price I would rather keep them.
5. Auction Houses do not sell without a reserve. They do have systems in place so something of great value does not sell for $1.00, nor do they have shutdowns in the middle of an auction or a set time when the auction ends. It ends when all bidders choose to stop bidding not when the clock runs out.
posted on October 16, 2000 06:03:33 AM new
I have to agree - It takes a person a while to feel comfortable with eBay before they bid. My sister-in-law is registered, but when it came down to bidding on a book for my brother - she asked if I would do it for her... Mind you we're talking about a very bright, intelegent woman - not a young kid.
As far as the 1 cent sales go - I have dollar day sales going on right now starting at 99 cents with no reserve. We'll see when the auctions close whether I'll ever do it again! You all have me worried now...
posted on October 16, 2000 01:15:00 PM new
I think 1-cent sales are great for certain types of merchandise, under some circumstances. I know they are more fun, if one is happening on an item that I want. But I have to also agree that for some merchandise it's a foolish risk to take without a reserve price also in place...which sort ruins the effect of the one-cent starting bid.
I do occasionally get items that I consider "loss leaders" and a one-cent starting price would get a lot of interest. But on my other things (antique silver, upscale women's clothing, scholarly books), it simply wouldn't work.
So both views are right, depending on what you're selling and what your market is.
FWIW, I registered within a day or two of first visiting the eBay site, and had bid on(and won) my first auction probably a week later. I have been having fun ever since!
posted on October 16, 2000 03:00:39 PM new
There has been a great deal of hype in the last several months about using auctions to sell anything, and this is partly why the stock market valuations of Ebay, Priceline, etc reached enormous heights. But I think this hype is a mistake and that there are only certain categories of goods for which auctions are a good selling venue. Look at the failure of Priceline's Webhouse: selling groceries and gasoline in a reverse auction format; it just didn't work. I think that consumers are only going to use auctions either for unique/unusual items (antiques and collectibles...) or when they can get a substantial bargain. I think for buying Walmart type goods at Walmart prices (a type of auction which occupies an increasing chunk of the existing auction sites) that Online Auctions have NO staying power--just as the post says.
posted on October 16, 2000 05:05:07 PM new
"Simply spending more money on the site to attract consumers isn't the answer, says cPulse, because a high percentage of visitors who come to auction sites are leaving whether they are satisfied or not."
Interesting and ironic observation, given Ebay's practice of spending money on acquisitions and bells and whistles to attract new users...
posted on October 16, 2000 05:41:08 PM new
This poll is meant for the novice busnessperson as the experienced businessperson realizes this is business as usual: You open a nice restaurant and everyone wants to try it. Some won't like the service or food, or want a fresh experience will drop out while the regulars keep coming back. Plus, the customer base for attracting new customers will deplete itself. Simple economics and nothing that should catch you off-guard.
The online Person to Person auction format has natural flaws, such as lack of consistancy between sellers Terms of sale (including return policies, and s/h fees). But why center attention to the negatives? The positives are what will keep the online auction format going indefinitely: Selection, at least on ebay seems to be outstanding, and non-comparable to any other venue, so that is a major advantage. Price (including comparison shopping). Often, prices are much lower than any other venue. You can quickly comparison shop by using key words. Entertainment at home. Come home, kick back and shop to your hearts content. When I had a job, and came home stressed, going to ebay to shop was my major activety, and I could do it while lying on the couch.
The online auction format, while in a transition of finding it's core members, is far from ever being erased from our culture. It's here to stay.
posted on October 16, 2000 06:10:33 PM new
I sell on eBay - and I rest stuff on Yahoo. If anyone pays attention to those auction things on HGTV you will pretty soon figure out that the Auction house sells mostly to dealers who rarely bid more than 1/2 the 'value' because they are in the business of reselling. Me, i'm the reseller and I need to at least get my money back plus pay ebay their fee's. I still don't understand ebays reason for charging a fee for posting a reserve. It would appear that it might be reasonable if the item didn't sell and they didn't get their percentage; but, if the item sells and they get their cut, why should the seller still have to pay the reserve fee? People who start with 1cent and no reserve must be selling stolen goods. There is not way a sane person would pay 25 cents listing fee for an item that could sell for a penney. Unless they are planning to write a book on how to go broke fast.
posted on October 16, 2000 07:44:03 PM new
rde: when you list an auction with a RESERVE on eBay, and that reserve auction receives bids which meet and/or surpass the reserve, so that the auction closes successfully, the reserve fee is REFUNDED.
It the auction is not successful, if there is no final bidder who meets the reserve, then the reserve fee is NOT refunded.
posted on October 16, 2000 08:13:07 PM new
I think it seriously does depend on what category you're selling in.
Items with mass appeal & a huge collector following- Barbies, Strawberry Shortcake, Disneyana etc- If I sell them on Ebay at all, I often start these items at $1.00 because it's a pretty safe bet that I'll get way more. I get peeved when Ebay goes down, but hey, I take that gamble because it pays off more often than not. (But I usually Yahoo items in these categories before I resort to listing them on Ebay.)
With books: I start them at the price I need to get for them, period. I do start at the lowest possible price I could take, but experience has taught me that there might only be one collector interested, and even if (s)he is interested enough to put in a high proxy, it doesn't do any good at all if I've started the auction too low & a second bidder never materializes.
With clothes: if I can't start the bidding at half the tag price and make a decent profit from the first bid plus pay my Ebay fees, I won't touch it. I hardly buy clothes for resale any more as this is tough to accomplish, but it isn't impossible. Again, this is a category better "Yahooed" in my opinion, but I do sell clothes on Ebay occasionally as well.
posted on October 16, 2000 08:15:24 PM new
things may change but i think ebay is here to stay! why
shop your local antique malls and you will see mostly overpriced items and no movement. if you go to a case market it is almost impossible to buy anything.
at least ebay gives bidders a feeling that they may get a bargain
and also there are places in this country that have nothing to buy locally , so ebay is perfect. how else can a person on the other side of the country buy a early pa. german butter mold without getting on a jet.
if you walk in most antique malls now you are hit in the face with a rack of price guides as soon as you walk in (now how can you get a deal from a place that sells the price guide).
the thing that does amaze me is the FACT that the one thing that affects ebay and the internet is the weather.....all this technology and mother nature calls the shots. if is a nice day ,we dont sell if it snows........we sell think snow and cold awful weather and everything will be fine
posted on October 16, 2000 08:27:39 PM new
Oh, yeah, and to address the actual topic of this thread
I think that online auctions are here to stay, like TV is, but that there will inevitably be changes along the way, and hopefully changes for the better.
I think there will be a lot of people who have bad experiences and never return to bid again afterwards, sure. This is already happening. There are also people who get sunburned once at the beach & never go back, and people who get knocked in the head with a soccer ball their first time on the field & decide that the game is not for them, and people who lose money at the slot machines & decide to never play again. That happens, so what? There are many more who shrug off the few bad things that happen & keep going.
Online auctions are addictive. There is no patch for them yet. No 12-step program. (My name is Amy, and I'm an auctionholic! )
Plus with the bargains available on Ebay, who's losing interest? Not me!!
posted on October 16, 2000 08:40:21 PM new
amy!!! thats the ticket you are right. and as far as bad press goes......hey its press and just causes more interest. if you want ebay to do great, tell people how great it is. the people that flake out on ebay would and will do the same someplace else. ebay went down here just like everyplace else but its up today. and come january i wont be set up at some terrible show a million miles from home. even when its bad its better than setting up shop in a feild next to a porta potty and eating flea market food.
and it is addictive! when im not selling im buying. its not going away but it will change many times. THE ONLY TREND TO WORRY ABOUT IS WHAT YOUR SELLING!!!!!
posted on October 16, 2000 08:51:59 PM new
With all the storefronts out there and the increased quantity of non-collectibles moving onto ebay, I would say that they are here to stay.
I think, sadly, that they will be more like the new disney store with special auctions.
I imagine big names may want to consider creating the same kind of "presence."
The little schmoes like myself with my paltry feedback (oooh mid-double digits!!!) don't have the same branding identity (read safety) that these fat cats do.
Also with the level of scammers on both sides of the fence it makes it a murky area for bidders.
Sometimes I envy those single line sellers who have a load of repeat customers and also can turn out a great little "mini-brand."
Maybe that's my next goal. hmmm...
So, "deemed to have no staying power" seems a blanket generalization. Things will change.
I hope I stay in the mix. I just won't bid on disney - ack - hairball.
Capriole (only hairball here)
