Ebay Boycott! 2/18 - 2/25

[Justdog]

im in. in regards to a new site to post listings at. how aobut creating a entirely NEW site all together? i was thinking of four little letters that start with an O & end with an S?

anyone else think this is reasonable???

Yes Catchy and works

 

[Justdog]

Or it could be that people here are posting stuff to the Classifieds only if they think it won't bring in a buck on Ebay, it's stuff that's not as nice, and that could be why loungers aren't as interested. Who knows?

I actually have an Akubra that I never even considered putting on Ebay.

It is in the classified but no big deal if no one wants it.

I like this site for the potential to network.

I have another hobby and developed a network of sellers and buyers which was about 300zillion times better than ebay.

We network trade sell and avoid ebay.

I have sold there and as you stated they really gouge.

Great for buying but if I am able to get the same item here I would get it in a heartbeat to support the network here.

Another thing that Ebay/paypal does is skim from exchange rates.

When the Canadian dollar is now above US the price indicates current US and current Can differences.

I bought US which was less than Can and when I checked out I was below US enough on checkout to notice a gouge.

Then they nail the seller as well.

Not for faint hearted.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

It's getting news coverage here in Seattle. I was out running and errand and they were talking to a local woman who says her business has taken off since the new fees & feedback system were put in place. She does some sort of auctions for baby clothes - started a year or two ago when she had a baby and wanted to start working from home.

 

[Justdog]

American grassroots entrepreneurship

Good for her.

That is what your great country is good at; initiative.

If there was a co-ordinating site where all individual sellers had web page links as well as Auction capabilities it would be great.

Circumvention of ebay would be a good thing.

Build the network and let the people come.

 

[KittyT]

It's getting news coverage here in Seattle. I was out running and errand and they were talking to a local woman who says her business has taken off since the new fees & feedback system were put in place. She does some sort of auctions for baby clothes - started a year or two ago when she had a baby and wanted to start working from home.

Except that the new fees and feedback system don't go into place until tomorrow.

 

[reetpleat]

Well, I better come clean. I have been in desparate need of money so I have yesterday and today posted about 13 items that I have had taking up space. i would ahve waited except I need the money right now. So, sorry to all the boycotteers.

I do happen to think that while I appreciate their concerns, e-bay seems to be the only game in town pretty much. I don't see another site taking it's place as ebay is where the sellers and buyers ar. So each goes there for the other. But who knows.

I do think their ne rules suck and have hated Pay pal for a long time. They avoid bank oversite, hold your money, and basically do what ever they want. I dare say, paypal being owned by e-bay seems a bit of restraint of trade. If I want to use a different payment system that works like paypal, woulod I even be able to?

 

[Nick D]

I'm mulling over my own options as someone who recently started selling again on eBay. Wonder if I were to set up an auction site for vintage hats and clothing, would "they" come?

Regards,
Tom

I would.

 

[KittyT]

Well, I better come clean. I have been in desparate need of money so I have yesterday and today posted about 13 items that I have had taking up space. i would ahve waited except I need the money right now. So, sorry to all the boycotteers.

I can understand that, but don't expect to get fair price for your items, especially after they take out their fees. I have listed a lot of stuff on Ebay lately, and the buyers just don't seem to be there, especially after the fee announcements.

In any case, good luck! I understand needing the money. What about trying to list items here first?

 

[SarahLouise]

Oh, so true. And a lot of people here are not willing to pay what an item's worth, so they're not interested.

Since they announced the fee changes on Ebay, though, most of my items have been selling for quite a bit less than they would have 2 months ago.

Everyone likes a bargain and with Ebay you have a chance of getting something for very little. However I must admit I hardly ever check the classifieds section but I am always willing to pay what I consider the item is worth, depending on a number of factors (condition etc).

 

[Foofoogal]

I cannot comment on the classifieds section as I am a vendor but I am in pain because I cannot buy at fleabay due to the boycott.

I feel so sorry for the people trying to sell there who really need it. I really do.

%$$%^&$*&Ebay. Oh, wrong thread.lol

 

[reetpleat]

I can understand that, but don't expect to get fair price for your items, especially after they take out their fees. I have listed a lot of stuff on Ebay lately, and the buyers just don't seem to be there, especially after the fee announcements.

In any case, good luck! I understand needing the money. What about trying to list items here first?

I love the good folks of the lounge, but to be honest, many of us are long time collectors unaccustomed to paying the higher prices vintage can bring, and many are poor students who o not have a lot of money, and many of us love the hunt for the bargain more than the owning for top dollar. I am in that category for sure.

The end result is that I would not expect to get top dollar on the lounge and that is what I need. I am not actually selling much that would be lounge worth anyway.

On top of that, I do not know what something would bring, so I use e-bay to get the right price.

I do alwasy offer a ten percent discount for any lounge member bidding on my items.

 

[pablocham]

This is an interesting thread. My experience with ebay seems to have been somewhat different from other people's. I have found that prices commanded on ebay, at least for the things that I am interested in, tend to be higher than they would get in an online store or a brick and mortar store. This is true as both a seller and a buyer. Maybe this is because I am more interested in 40s and 50s work, motorcycle, and sportswear, where the market is often driven by the insane prices in the Japanese market. I spent some time browsing the other auction sites and was considering some of the problems with starting out with a new auction site. There are quite a few:

1. Bad search functions mean fewer bidders and lower prices for sellers.

2. Having to trust sellers with little feedback.

3. Having to trust buyers with little feedback.

4. Limited selection early on.

5. Fewer bidders early on.

6. Poor infrastructure, e.g. servers that might jam up and fail to recognize bids, pictures that won't be displayed, customer service issues, etc.


I am not an economist, but I think that given the problems above, most buyers at newer auction sites, at least early on, will expect to receive a discount on the ebay price because of the comparative risks they are taking by using a new auction site. Unfortunately, sellers will have no reason to discount their goods. In fact, they will want to be paid a premium, as they will have to bear the costs of learning a new system. Why should I switch over and learn a new system--time and energy consuming--if I won't get more money for my items? Why should I do it when I am almost certain to get less money?

It's too bad that yahoo is gone. There needs to be an e-fleamarket that is not open to large vendors.

 

[Foofoogal]

I believe as more people go to these other main auction sites it will provide the owner more funds to make the site better. I look for speed period as being online since 2002.
It is strange though as I will see sometimes things go higher on ebay than the malls and they have strict guidelines to protect everyone.
http://www.tias.com
http://www.goantiques.com
http://www.rubylane.com

These places started about the same time as ebay. Many dealers have make offers also.
The main thing about all of this that is hurting everyone IMHO is dealers and collectors is what fuels the prices. Now everyone is scattered absolutely everywhere and it is hurting everyone.

 

[KittyT]

On top of that, I do not know what something would bring, so I use e-bay to get the right price.

See, that has not been my experience at all, especially over the past year on Ebay. I find that buyers there are not at all willing to pay what an item is worth, and most of the time I feel I would have been better off keeping the item than selling it for the final price I get for it (especially after ebay and paypal fees).

And I agree with Pablocham that a lot of times, I'm better able to find what I want in local stores than on Ebay. Ebay is fine for *stuff* like collectibles and jewelry, but I am so done with buying clothes and shoes on Ebay that don't fit or don't look good on me.

 

[Tango Yankee]

Pablocham,

You make some good points. I think you probably are describing eBay in the early days.

Small sellers (heck, even larger ones) are being put into difficult positions by the changes being implemented. These changes appear to be designed to force out the smaller sellers or at the very least shove them to the back to promote the bigger resellers while earning a lot more money off them through the higher fees and the interest earned on held money. It's working. Sellers are looking for other venues to sell, whether it be on other auction sites, fixed-price sites, or their own web sites. Some will go with combination approaches, some will stick it with eBay because they see no real alternatives for the reasons you mention.

However, I believe from reading posts by sellers on eBay and other sites that the sellers that are moving are well aware of the issues. They realize that making changes might be difficult and that their profits might go down, but will most likely be worth it in the long run. They also know that in some instances even if their sale price goes down their profit will be higher. After all, the changes eBay is making pretty much guarantee a drop in profits for those that stay.

Established sellers are sending e-mails to their previous customers informing the customers where they can be found; some will continue running a few auctions as a means to advertise where they are going. Others will be posting on related forums and using Google to get the word out.

As for me, I don't know yet. I'm looking at various sites and am considering whether or not to try to create my own site using a company that does turn-key auctions.

In the long run I think that we'll wind up with a greater variety of options to buy and sell. I think that eBay really thought that their sellers would simply make some noise for a while and continue using eBay as they have before or just stop selling. I don't think they considered that sellers might actually decide to go elsewhere. As for the buyers, if they want what the sellers are offering, they'll follow.

There is a risk to buying off of other sites. Before all this started (Christmas Eve, in fact) I bought a salt and pepper shaker set from a seller on Blujay.com. The seller responded with an address to send a money order; I did so, and informed the seller it was on its way. I've heard nothing since despite attempts to contact the seller and Blujay support.

Hopefully this is an abberation rather than the norm.

Regards,
Tom

 

[Foofoogal]

I've heard nothing since despite attempts to contact the seller and Blujay support.

This is what I mean about the established malls. I can get kicked off period if I do this though there are good and bad sellers everywhere.

 

[KittyT]

More news from the front

Forward:

From the front lines:

BEST news, Ebay is down about 12% from yesterday, with 12.5 million auctions. That is down around 4 million from their height of 16 million last week.
The bad news is, I keep hearing of people who were unaware of the boycott. But, the good news is, they are hearing. The important thing is, that we continue to get word out that we are boycotting and why!

How can we do this?
Blog. I get a lot of email asking if they can use my material. Absolutely. I appreciate your asking; but time is of the essence. We want as many people to discontinue listing as possible, to see a further decrease in listings.
The best blog item? Why We Are Boycotting, as seen on the delphi forum start page.
Bulletins. Almost as effective as blogging is bulletins. Again, posting the why we are boycotting ebay article is helpful. It hits almost every point as to why we are angry.
Respond to blogs and bulletins with links to here and our delphi page.
Media. Please, get your local media involved. A good point of reference? The Why we Are Boycotting article.

Over on the delphi end, we are still going strong. We moved up to number 74 on the top forums. There are only 4 other forums with membership below 1000 members. None of which have less than 6000 messages posted, except our forum.
What does this mean? We are the fastest growing forum on delphi. Most all those forums have been there for years. We've been there for two weeks today!
Thank you for getting the word out. Every time you link to us here or on delphi, we gain more exposure. More exposure means we reach more people with the message. The more people we reach, the more ebay has to take heed.
They're stubborn, arrogant, stiff-necked lot. but, we will show we are more stubborn, and more united and more in control than they ever imagined.
We are being reported as the largest, angriest and loudest boycott ebay has ever seen. And, we aint finished yet. We have a lot more fight to go.

Keep up the awesome job.
We are making an impact, and ebay IS suffering.
Thank you for the awesome job.
Tim
http://forums.delphiforums.com/boycottebay/start
www.myspace.com/boycottebay

 

[Tango Yankee]

I would.

Thanks, Nick! I'm considering it...

Unfortunately, www.OFAS.com is taken already. :eusa_doh: Gotta come up with something else!

Reetpleat, don't sweat it. Other than a few rude so-and-sos out there most sellers are quite aware of the difference between a boycott (which this is) and a strike (which this isn't.) They're also quite aware that there are many sellers out there that cannot afford to participate in the boycott for various reasons. The down side is that there are lots of buyers supporting the boycott, but whether or not that will have much effect on bidding will be hard to judge. Hopefully you'll still get top dollar for your items!

Cheers,
Tom

 

[Tango Yankee]

If I want to use a different payment system that works like paypal, would I even be able to?

Near as I've been able to determine, no... at least not one that would be cost effective for the infrequent seller. eBay's reason for barring most are to "protect" us because they claim the other methods don't have sufficient security measures in place, blah blah blah.

Still looking, though.

Regards,
Tom

 

[SamMarlowPI]

seems ebay is worse for the sellers than buyers...innit?