posted on September 20, 2001 03:50:37 PM new
Meg was just on CNBC touting ebay's AFA. Claims that, yeah, business was slow after Sep 11th, but has now picked up. Last quarter they had $2.2 billion in business; there are 2600 volunteers to man questions and help folks on ebay. Wants to raise $100 million thru this effort. No mention about Billpoint but encourages everyone to buy or sell at least a $4.00 item. Should take the whole 100 days to complete this amazing feat.
Oh, and CNBC will put something up for auction to help.
--Texaseagle--
[ edited by texaseagle on Sep 20, 2001 06:21 PM ]
posted on September 20, 2001 06:45:33 PM new
Here's my AFA contribution:
I've been with ebay since July 1997. I'm sure there are many here who can claim they have been with eBay as long or much longer. It's been all that early labor 4 or 5 years ago that gave eBay a cornerstone so they could become the company they are now. I doubt in 1996/97 they would have been able to make such a lofty claim of $100 mil in 100 days.
posted on September 20, 2001 10:39:54 PM new
Claim whatever she wants, she's not the one putting up the merchandise or covering the shipping. I hope this thing falls flat and they get to present a big check (as in dimension) for a very small percentage of the $100 mil.
I've already contributed on my own and don't need ebay to help me give.
Glad I don't use Billpoint and plan to keep it that way forever.
posted on September 20, 2001 11:10:52 PM new
Did you notice that she just HAD to get in the bit about doing $2.2 billion last quarter, and about business picking up now???????
She forgot to mention that all the AFA auction items were being donated by individual sellers, NOT by eBay....and that the individual sellers were also springing for the shipping costs, too, NOT ebay....and that the individual credit card companies were waiving all transaction fees for the payments, NOT eBay....she forgot to mention all that, DIDN'T SHE???
Yet she somehow remembered to quote last quarter's gross revenues, and current sales volume, and the fact that eBay is using UNPAID VOLUNTEERS to handle the expected influx of new users rather than spending corporate funds for the 'promotion'.
Everything that comes out of her mouth is meant to be heard by the money people---the financial analysts, the stockholders, the **potential** stockholders, Wall Street. EVERYTHING.
Call me cynical, but the entire way in which eBay has approached this "donation drive"/marketing promotion just turns my stomach. Someone in another thread said that eBay is a grave robber, and I believe he's right.
As Meg manages to get in the spotlight more and more over the next 3 months, you can expect your NON-AFA listings to get less and less attention. Get ready for it.
What I'd like to know is....if, come Christmas, the donated total is LESS THAN $100 million, is eBay going to cough up the rest of the money needed to meet Meg's $100 million goal? If so, I would encourage everyone NOT TO DONATE ANYTHING TO AFA during the next 100 days---let eBay donate the ENTIRE amount themselves!
posted on September 20, 2001 11:16:02 PM new
The more I read about it on this board, the more self-serving it seems. But eBay indeed will have substantial public relations costs in taking the credit for this thing. An anonymous donation to the Red Cross or some other relief organization would be far preferable.
posted on September 20, 2001 11:45:48 PM new
granee:
With all due respect, are you really that surprised at how Meg is handling herself?
She's the CEO of a billion dollar corporation. It's her job to make kissy-face with Wall Street and major shareholders, and to tout her enterprise's strengths.
That's the nature of the game in capitalism--the absolute worst system on earth except for all the others...
posted on September 21, 2001 08:57:37 AM new
Somebody enroll Meg & the gang in PR-101 before they stick any more body parts down their throats!!
Can you imagine the CEO of WalMart announcing they are donating one days worth of paychecks of their gazillion employees and AFTER THE FACT telling the employees they get to work one day for free?
Or the chairman of McDonalds going on CNN to tell how the money from every Big Mac sold for the next week would be contributed to relief efforts and AFTER THE FACT letting their franchises in on the program and telling them where to send BOTH their costs & profits?
Maybe even GM could take lessons form Meg and "donate" a new Caddy or two from each of "its" dealers stock....course you dealers can ante up the actual cost and GM will "credit back" the franchise fees on those sales AFTER THE FACT!
MEG: Not only did you forget to INVOLVE the community when you dreamt up this scheme; you now have forgotten to MENTION the same community that will make or break AfA during your "rounds of free advertising" on the news shows! Day after day after day you seem to be digging a deeper hole with this "promotion"!
