eBay boycotters damaging online sellers, PSU & others

[The Pet Guy]

I am so far behind the knowledge curve from the rest of you that I feel silly even trying to understand what the heck you're talking about. It is as if I am a sixty-year-old child.

[The Bar Keep]

It wasn't ours.  We had already been a full time dot com for 3 1/2 years before we started selling on eBay in August 2001 (which was precipitated by a cash crunch caused by the collapse of the ad market that Spring/Summer and a need to raise a few thousand immediately  to pay our server bills that month...we started off our eBay career dumping dozens of domain names at way below market prices). During the years we sold on eBay it never accounted for more than 30% of our company's revenues.

Seems to me eBay facilitated a need for you at some point in time. It also sounds like at the time you started selling on eBay you had to adapt your business plan. That adaptation included eBay to again facilitate that need for money at the time. You have since gone through, I am quite sure many adaptations to your business plan. At some point an adaptation removed eBay from your business plan.

The way I see it is what works for you works for you. What works for me works for me. What works for you may not work for me or anybody else as well as what works for me may not work for you or anybody else. Breathe. What works for others may not work for me or you and anybody else. Understand so far? What works for Erin works for her. What works for Erin won't work for you and what works for you won't work for Erin. What works for me won't work for you or Erin. Are ya with me? What works for everybody else may not work for me, you or Erin. Are ya with me still? In conclusion!!! What works for you is good for you, what works for me is good for me, what works for Erin is good for Erin, what works for everybody else is good for everybody else and that is why there are OPTIONS out there so everybody will have equal chances to find what works for them!!!


Now plug Microsoft into what was said above as well as McDonalds, George Bush, The Clintons, Obama, Hershey's, Walmart, Marcy's, Kmart, PSU, Amazon, Apple, Verizon, Eastern Europe, Santa & the Easter Bunny. Same result, but why bother explaining reality to anyone anymore. Have a nice day people!!!


Joe - The Bar Keep

[bbhc]

I am quite sure many adaptations to your business plan.

The major problem faced by eBay sellers (especially the ones whining about how eBay has ruined their business) isn't eBay..the main problem is that a large percentage of sellers are boinktards who never adapt their business plans to changing market conditions and then they blame eBay for their losses/decreasing sales rather than placing the blame where it belongs (i.e. on their own stupidity).

[The Bar Keep]

The major problem faced by eBay sellers (especially the ones whining about how eBay has ruined their business) isn't eBay..the main problem is that a large percentage of sellers are boinktards who never adapt their business plans to changing market conditions and then they blame eBay for their losses/decreasing sales rather than placing the blame where it belongs (i.e. on their own stupidity).

Exactly!!!!! Anyone (mostly the knee jerkers) participating in the current eBay boycott that is a seller need not look any further than a mirror for who to blame for lost revenue. Granted it is difficult for many to adapt in a short time span of a month because their businesses were already bordering on the red. What pisses me off more is sites like PSU who profit in some way (memberships & traffic which translates into advertising dollars) by leading the misinformed unadaptive ones to sites that promise little to no hope for success. Of coarse sites like PH, ebid, WP, joe blows auction house are going to jump in to support the boycott because they see easy $$$$ right there for the taking. That to me is picking up the pieces or dumpster diving for sellers. The sad fact is 95%+ of those will either end up back on eBay in some form or will leave the online world completely.

More later and I look forward to continuing this topic because the damage has already been done.


Joe - The Bar Keep

[The Bar Keep]

A realist post at PSU. See quote below:

February sales over 2006, up 256%
February sales over 2007, up 143%
My BluJay store - $0 sold in February with prices 20% below ebay and amazon

And I'm supposed to walk away from the number one source of buyers on the web?

Am I going to sacrifice my business and my family's livelihood to help make some stay at home mom feel better about that her drop ship Chinese crap doesn't sell? Hell no.

Do I like everything ebay does? Hell no.

--

But all these free and low price alternatives and every one who can't sell on ebay still b!tches about ebay. Probably the same folks who who are still bitter that their high school sweet heart for broke it off after the prom.

Move on folks, move on.

DDT

Anybody want to take bets on how long before he or she gets flamed for not supporting the boycott? I guess Blujay didn't work for them, can't say it worked for me either. 

[The Tavern Wench]

The major problem faced by eBay sellers (especially the ones whining about how eBay has ruined their business) isn't eBay..the main problem is that a large percentage of sellers are boinktards who never adapt their business plans to changing market conditions and then they blame eBay for their losses/decreasing sales rather than placing the blame where it belongs (i.e. on their own stupidity).

Agreed 100%   

Exactly!!!!! Anyone (mostly the knee jerkers) participating in the current eBay boycott that is a seller need not look any further than a mirror for who to blame for lost revenue. Granted it is difficult for many to adapt in a short time span of a month because their businesses were already bordering on the red. What pisses me off more is sites like PSU who profit in some way (memberships & traffic which translates into advertising dollars) by leading the misinformed unadaptive ones to sites that promise little to no hope for success. Of coarse sites like PH, ebid, WP, joe blows auction house are going to jump in to support the boycott because they see easy $$$$ right there for the taking. That to me is picking up the pieces or dumpster diving for sellers. The sad fact is 95%+ of those will either end up back on eBay in some form or will leave the online world completely.

More later and I look forward to continuing this topic because the damage has already been done.


Joe - The Bar Keep

Agree with you 100% too!   

A realist post at PSU. See quote below:

February sales over 2006, up 256%
February sales over 2007, up 143%
My BluJay store - $0 sold in February with prices 20% below ebay and amazon

And I'm supposed to walk away from the number one source of buyers on the web?

Am I going to sacrifice my business and my family's livelihood to help make some stay at home mom feel better about that her drop ship Chinese crap doesn't sell? Hell no.

Do I like everything ebay does? Hell no.

--

But all these free and low price alternatives and every one who can't sell on ebay still b!tches about ebay. Probably the same folks who who are still bitter that their high school sweet heart for broke it off after the prom.

Move on folks, move on.

DDT

Anybody want to take bets on how long before he or she gets flamed for not supporting the boycott? I guess Blujay didn't work for them, can't say it worked for me either. 

They have probably already been flamed while I'm making this post, if not before.  Finally someone on PSU I can agree with! 

[The Bar Keep]

They have probably already been flamed while I'm making this post, if not before.  Finally someone on PSU I can agree with!     

Yep 2 flames and a supportive post so far.

[The Bar Keep]

This one is actually sorry for supporting, WTF?

I can agree with cohibastore.com

Thats why I want to help off ebay websites..

But your right.. until there is a better option we are stuck with eBay.

My biggest problem is my wholesale prices keep going up, then ebay raises thier prices and my profit margins keep going down.. and there is little I can do.

I raise prices and sales suffer. Yet somehow ebay raises thier fees and gets away with it, without providing any additional value to what they provide.

Its just sick that I am paying more to eBay than my brother-in-law pays for the rent and utilities for his 2 bay garage and offer. Forgive me if it feels like he gets a lot more value for his $1500 month than I do.

Can you not see that adaptation is needed? Right here are 2 people who should be using ebay to market to there website. The first one has a website but of course it points to eBay, perfect niche product too.

[The Bar Keep]

Well for those who want to watch what may be the infighting that will dissolve the boycott here is the link:

http://www.powersellersun...m/post-150035.html#150022


 

We now have Chinese insults being waved around. 

[The Tavern Wench]

Well for those who want to watch what may be the infighting that will dissolve the boycott here is the link:

http://www.powersellersun...m/post-150035.html#150022


 

We now have Chinese insults being waved around. 

 

[The Bar Keep]

Here is another new thread that will be interesting to see if any of the NEW ex-eBayers can respond with oddles of sales. I am sure the old timers and alternative supporters will be in that thread as well to march to the drum but I would like to see how many come to grips with reality out of the new batch as well as how fast.


http://www.powersellersun...m/post-150033.html#150033


Somehow I am getting the feeling that the knee jerk reaction will reverse itself faster this time than others. That is not to say that eBay is the end all to online selling because it isn't. It's just that trying to help stupidity isn't a good thing (knee jerkers being the stupidity in this case)

[The Tavern Wench]

Will it be wrong for me to go in and say I told you so?   

[The Bar Keep]

Will it be wrong for me to go in and say I told you so?   

I dare ya to.  I would do it myself but my PSU account was locked for fighting sexism in the face of the head boinktard at PSU.

[The Tavern Wench]

I dare ya to.  I would do it myself but my PSU account was locked for fighting sexism in the face of the head boinktard at PSU.

I think I'll wait to see what kind of responses the OP gets and reply as needed.

[The Tavern Wench]

Well for those who want to watch what may be the infighting that will dissolve the boycott here is the link:

http://www.powersellersun...m/post-150035.html#150022


 

We now have Chinese insults being waved around. 

Are these the same people who have been at PSU for the past month screaming 'off with their heads'?  Little do these people realize the power of their words and how they are directly, or at the very least indirectly, responsible for the fervor being shown by the 'New Hard Chargers'. 

I see some serious back peddling going on now.