Wow, I just wrote that I would not write about eBay anymore and here I am, compelled to do so… Fortunately, this is really not a story that will be seen as bashing eBay because it is just not something that the giant of over regulation and useless rules has any control over. It seems […]
Obviously I have been at a loss for words about eBay for some time. My passion for the platform has waned, I no longer follow what happens or what rules have changed or why the fee structure has gone here or there, on a day to day basis. It is just too time consuming and […]
Why oh Why eBay, did you not think of That! Hmmmm – maybe eBay can sign up for Google Commerce Search and scrap this whole “finding” experiment… Maybe with Google Merchant Center Search installed on eBay.com, the term Best Match might actually mean that the best product matching the search terms entered will be presented.
For years I was an eBay evangelist, promoting the benefits, offering training, offering business setups, designing eBay stores… I was writing this “Trading Assistant Journal” which started as an eBay based blog about being a “Trading Assistant or Trading Post”
Obviously I am talking about affiliate marketing here… Some make hundreds of dollars a month with affiliate marketing, while others make millions per year. If you are an affiliate, you are familiar with eBay in a different way than most merchants.
The Vendio Platform is a complete eCommerce solution that includes a robust, feature-rich online store as well as item, order and customer management – all for free. It doesn’t matter whether a merchant sells 10 or 10,000 items in their Vendio store – they pay no web hosting fees, imaging hosting fees, listing fees or success fees. There is no catch. No gimmicks.
Bonanzle is a very interesting and ever expanding marketplace that has piqued mine and several thousand other peoples interest. The entire massive and ever expanding groundswell of acceptance has not come from 50 people repeating the same comments (something I have a problem with – please be original BAC members i.e. paraphrase your comments please) on several blogs. The interest has come both from within and from outside the community. The BAC members are simply reaching outside the site to make the site known to those who have never been exposed. From there the decision is completely in the consumers hands, try Bonanzle or not – it is up to the potential member. The BAC does nothing to trick or deceive people into trying the site.
While riding the gravy train of eBay can be a sound business decicion (at least many of us thought it was), the hard crash at the end of the tracks can be just as abrupt. Other have noted that eBay may be on a uncontrollable death spiral (i.e. Scot Wingo) into the abyss that some great companies (AOL) fall into.
iBusinessLogic Corporation is proud to have been selected to represent MerchantRun-GlobalLink in the USA. While the company and it’s software have been used by eBay powersellers worldwide for some time, it is relatively new here in the United States. iBusinessLogic recognizes the need for US based sellers to offer product to a global market. With the exchange rate imbalance and an ever tightening market at home, exploring new opportunities abroad could be the difference between profit and loss in the coming year(s).
If Bonanzle shows you additional traffic over time, that traffic can only build because the listings are on the site until sold, the Google Base works, the site is indexed quickly and often and it is just darn simple to move inventory over to Bonanzle to see how it works for your products.
Roughly twice as much traffic, from various sources went to Bonanzle. Is this a scientific result? No… Does it tell a story about the possibilities on new and exciting venues, yes! Does it mean you should pack up your business and move it to Bonanzle? That is your business decision, I would never recommend anyone leave eBay without first knowing what the new location will do for them. Keep your sales humming, if they are, on eBay… But it never hurts to take a look next door!
We have not done a head to head comparison like this in awhile… The idea is simple, basically we list the same exact item on two eCommerce platforms to see which gets the most traffic. Ultimately the test is who or where will the item sell the item first?
When ebay realizes the mis-steps they have taken in the last 18 months, if they ever do, it will be a very large job indeed to repair the damage. People like Usher Lieberman and Richard Brewer-Hay have a mountain to climb to regain the trust or eBay’s core customer base – i.e. Sellers
Do your own evaluation, check the facts, run your own business. Don’t let an unsolicited email from a supposedly reputable source cause you to make a quick decision. In the case of the eBay Stores Experience announcement, call your present designer or developer or call eBay before you jump into the unscrupulous fear mongering marketing spin of doubt and distrust.
In many cases, especially in the past, eBay was the most effective way to bring small business to market on the Internet. In this case, with many different variables and reasons it just has not proven to be the best solution for Cornerstone.
When I read the terms below and found there would be a 60 day delay to realize my $71.97 savings on top of several other possible ways that I would not or could not qualify for my “coupon” the thrill was gone. I went back to Amazon and bought my Christmas gift.
Stefan Gross-Selbeck, eBay’s general manager for Germany has quietly left the Stalag. It also seems that Yahoo, in deference to their relationship with eBay did not want to make a deal of the fact that one of eBay’s most important foreign market managers has departed for somewhat less lofty waters.
The idea is simple, No BS eCommerce, eBay and eBusiness. We won’t be selling and DVD sets and we won’t be pulling any punches when it comes to sharing our opinions about anything to do with the industry. We know that as co-hosts we will not always agree on every subject but this is also what we think will make us unique.
I have not seen how it works, but apparently ITS’s VINterchange system has the capability of automatically populating eBay listings with all of the OEM parts information needed to sell these parts to the public in a fast and efficient manner. This could revolutionize the used auto parts industry on eBay motors.
The core eBay business is still active and alive, the patient is with us, physically if not in spirit. We can see something is wrong, our trusted friend is not quite the same, we know deep down there is a change coming that we do not want to think about or speak about…
One of the biggest pain points for buyers on eBay is the checkout process. With all of the third party solutions and off eBay checkout links there is no standardization of the payment process. Payflow is a secure, reliable payment gateway now integrated into the eBay checkout.
Many will lament the old eBay, and will proclaim a movement to return to basics… I am afrraid that train has left the station. If you stick with eBay, and many should… Look forward, not back.
Even though “Virtucon” (eBay) is very successful, few of Dr. Evil’s advisers will argue with the despot or tell him what in the evil empire’s world exactly has changed. Everyone has their own idea on which way the Evil organization should go or do to dominate the world.
These Twitter Tweets are notes I am taking as I listen to the call. The notes I will place here will be merely my opinions and impressions of the meat of the conversation. For the actual transcript please contact eBay investor relations.
Oh, and sorry if you are one of the eBay employees packing up your desk today, really… I know it hurts.
Twibler does not post any statistics about increases in sales due to the use of the service, and I suspect they never will. Are you really ready to bet your social marketing plan on a single untested and ill conceived RSS feed reader for eBay?
Today Sue Bailey posted an article on Tamebay which in my mind presents the view of global sellers on eBay in a very succinct and reasonable way. Sue touches on almost every aspect of the frustration and the disappointment eBay sellers are feeling. Her points are well intended and in my view quite accurate.
Today the driver of the #88 Amp Energy Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports team member, Dale Earnhardt Junior, launched a charity auction. The eBay auction offers 3 laps for anyone who wins the bid in the car on the track with Dale Earnhardt junior driving
This, until now unannounced, psychic requirement for sellers is just one more reason why eBay management just does not “Get It” when it comes to sellers and communications.
My original take on new Fixed price 30 days listing format is that its a good thing but as with all things eBay – it depends…
