Powersellersunite.com (PSU) - New Posting Policies a Selective Police State?

[2boysandtoys]

I bow to your greater knowledge and equolence.   

 

[2boysandtoys]

OK - here's another fun exchange!!!!!  Can we say OMG!!!

http://www.powersellersun...topic.php?p=146734#146734 - Post 12 and 13....

For Deecan:

Me first:

Welcome to PSU tigerfan4! Super glad to have you here!

PSU is comprised and open to sellers globally. As best I know (my experience) any/all site listed to your left - under the Auction Site Counts allows sellers to sell into markets THEY choose.

The location of the site has no bearing on where the seller sells. All sellers on all of these sites chooses if they want to sell to USA only or broader than that.

Does that help you? I'm trying to say - the origin of the site does not decide where sellers sell/ship. The seller decides...

Response:

Sorry 2BOYSandTOYS but what you have said is typical of the ignorance that many US sellers have. The location of the site is one of the most important factors to its success. An auction site must have overseas arms to be relevant to local populations in order to be successful worldwide and be a viable alternative to ebay.

Firstly local categories must be present. I gather from your name that you sell sports toys. Well let me ask how many soccer balls do you list under the AC Milan soccer supporter category in ebay. How many Australian Rules footballs have you listed under the Richmond area in ebay. How many cricket cards have you listed under cricket trading cards in ebay. How much hurling sporting equipment have you listed.

I will take a guess and say none. Why? Because the categories dont even exist in US ebay. They certainly do exist however in UK, Italy, Ireland and Australian ebay sites. Likewise international sites dont cater for Gridiron, baseball, ice hockey team categories. A site can only succeed if its international arms modify their local categories to fit local populations. American sites don't fit and it doesnt matter at all if foreigners can post auctions to them.

Secondly local populations want to pay in local currencies not $US.

Finally local sites must cater for postage calculators and payment details that fit the area.

I hate to have to educate you on this but it is important. It is probably the most important factor in mounting a viable challenge to ebay. I am 100% sure other international members on this site would agree. Change your mindset and perhaps visit just some of the international ebay sites and you will see what I mean.

I have no concern with what you've shared, and you're absolutely right - except to say that American Sellers are ignorant. Because we choose to sell our way based on our culture - that doesn't make us ignorant.

Should I suggest that 'you are ignorant' because you are choosing to start your migration from ebaY with 'only' an international selling site? I could, but absolutely not - all sellers should look/test the sites that best meet their needs.

I would suggest, with no ill intent, that you NOT close doors on all that you 'think' won't meet your needs. You may be closing off business - which would shrink your profit opportunity.

I sell USA products to a global market. I would not (unless I found 'it') own half of what you suggest above, but you would or you might more likely shop for it than I. If I found 'it' - any of those, and desired to list 'it' - I'd put it on ebaY - what a great item to bring traffic to my other venues of selling!! Wink Wink

Based on your 'perspective' I see you as having 2 choices. One is ebid and the other is Tazbar.

While I have no 'clue' half of what you just mentioned, I do know that ALL of the sites I've been on have readily supported ANY Sellers' request for categories, sub-categories, etc.

I would expect ebid to have more defined categories. That's a by-product of existing longer. That's a natural progression of a site's maturity.

I think if you look at the majority of the sites, including the 2 that appear to meet your criteria, you'll find they all lack category definition like ebaY.

There's a reason - they want input from the members. Instead of 'build it - they will come', they put the skeleton structure in place, and provide sellers of all origins the ability to request categories.

Also, many of these sites allow Sellers to build custom categories in their store. So, while I may not know those items above, I've watched a variety of international sellers create their own store and selling environment on many of the alt. sites.

Good luck to you - there's no doubt that all shoppers will look 'home' first - logical sense due to shipping fees. However, when they can't find 'it' there - they do go abroad. At least I get sales from other countries. I've sold to Canada, New Zealand, Africa, Japan, Mexico to name just a few.

Thanks for the education on European Soccer - and...you obviously did NOT look at my store as what you think I sell is 'not hardly'.... Very Happy Very Happy


Mind you....this is a seller from another country (I can't see the country flag, my eyes are bad) with 3 whole postings....And - obviously a male - so....is there some 'backward' males internationally or what?  Help me....I'm drowning in ignorance... 

[Dixie_Collections]

Tigerfan4 is an Aussie. He definitely didn't bother to find you what you sell.

[DeeCan]

Erin, thank you for CnP'ing it for me.  Not only am I banned from logging, my IP addy is banned from even seeing.     They're terrified of me...you know, since I was attacking their servers and all. 

Anyone care to post by proxy for me??!!   

[Dixie_Collections]

Google "free web proxy". 

[Dixie_Collections]

http://www.hidemyass.com/ 

[Cherry Pits]

  Those moonies fit that sooooo well!

[2boysandtoys]

OK - the Aussie is perhaps a true gentleman - he at least realized the 'bad of his ways' and has apologized!!!

The merlin_man is from UK. There's something about me and the UK dudes, with exception to one who is truly a super, real, professional gentleman....that just don't 'work'.

I'll go collect for DeCan - u otta use that hide my hinie (how the he!! do ya spell that) that Dennise shared.....that's too funny 

BIAB.... 

[2boysandtoys]

Here we go!!

The reply to my above:

2BOYSandTOYS Sorry about the ignorant crack. I am just a little annoyed that so many auction sites are listed as a viable alternative to ebay.

You are right in your view that ebid probably comes closest to a worldwide auction site that lists in local currencies and has local categories. But still it has no universal support or for that matter even majority support. Why?

By the way I in no way said I wouldnt try other auction sites. I have recently listed on ioffer and plan to continue. Also probably 75% of my sales are from overseas and 90% of my listings on US ebay.

What I am saying though is that any VIABLE ebay alternative must meet the international criteria I discussed and that by simply shifting allegiance to another US site will not even slow ebay worldwide.

Once again sorry fo any offence I apologise to you and other US sellers but please try to understand my point of view.

My Response:

Tigerfan4 - it's 'all good'! I do hear your frustration and ... trust me when I say that I wish there were a 'one site fits all' solution. It is a challenge for us all, and further complicated by the realities of 'global sellers' AND 'global buyers'.

I don't know a ton of international sellers, but do know there are a few here that sell on eCrater and some Canadian sellers that sell on both eCrater and Plunderhere. I've been 'shrinking' my list of sites, and since those two are sites I'm local to and 'recent', that's the two that come to mind.

Perhaps....you can try and start a thread 'here' for International Sellers - and try to get feedback from those that are NOT USA based. It's worth a try to see how they are getting there items out there and available.

Best to you! You can also tap merlin_man about ebid - he has been here since the ebaY boycott started, and seems to be the expert about ebid. Very Happy Very Happy Laughing


Deecan - just for you!!  I will say that the BMW is whining down.  Some folks have probably gone to the 'newest site' - it's the one were there is an effort to 'unionize' sellers....I can't find a link but will post when I see it again!

[2boysandtoys]

Here's the webay union effort - thought I'd lost my mind!!

https://www.thepoint.com/campaigns/subat

[Dixie_Collections]

They only need 9887 more members!

[2boysandtoys]

  I noticed that!!!!

OK folks - as all the new people at PSU explore alternatives and the various cheerleaders - many who've fallen out of the truck rah-rah, I need to know if I'm 'wrong'.

I went to ebid US, and found a variety of items that had been 'active' for a while.  One was Carol's things - which I know have been there long enough to get indexed by Google Products.

Here's a link to Carol's items:

http://us.four.ebid.net/p...p;mo=search&type=user

OK - now....I went to google products and did some searches trying to find items from eBid US. After all, it is growing and has tons of listings.

I can not find anything from ebid (any ebid) in google products....can you?

For those smarter than I (which is everyone), am I wrong in bypassing sites that do not feed to google products?  There are 3 that I'm aware of:

OLA, eBID and BV....

Thoughts?   

[The Bar Keep]

OK - now....I went to google products and did some searches trying to find items from eBid US. After all, it is growing and has tons of listings.

I can not find anything from ebid (any ebid) in google products....can you?

For those smarter than I (which is everyone), am I wrong in bypassing sites that do not feed to google products?  There are 3 that I'm aware of:

OLA, eBID and BV....

Thoughts?   

Yep I have many thoughts of why they don't show up in products search but in reality THEY DON'T UPLOAD TO GOOGLE BASE.  Sorry but that one is obvious and if you have to do a manual upload yourself why not just get your own site and promote yourself as Carol is doing? Besides ebid is not the answer to the needs of eBay knee jerkers or people just wanting to get away from eBay in the first place.

First off the separate sites by country kills the site. One site would be more beneficial to sellers and buyers for that matter. The next thing that kills ebid is the .net extension. Ask yourself this before you sell at ebid, how many household name websites do you see that have a .net extension? Heck the .com extensions for ebid point to eBay affiliates. Let's get real here people, if you can't afford the .com extension to adapt to how buyers search or what they are used to there is nothing much that will amount to an alternative site.

Next you have a lack of advertising. I figure it this way. In order for an alternative site to amount to much they will need to advertise above and beyond the spamming of PSU or any other forum. They can't assume that sellers alone will promote the site for free and nor should sellers do all the work. If a site doesn't budget money for advertising, they are killing there market from the start. You can't assume all sellers know how to promote themselves nor should you assume sellers want to promote themselves. IMO an alternative site with 100,000 listings should be spending at a minimum $1,000 a month in advertising. 1 cent per listing, follow that rule and you will find a site that will have half a chance.

Last thing I would like to comment on is this. I saw a post by someone who I call a friend in the OAI yesterday and I was shocked to see the generalization being used. I can't find it again now nor do I care to but it was along the lines that eBay sellers "are not in control of there listings or business". BS, I take offense to that and so should everyone who is making money based on there business plan. #1 I make damn good money on eBay, more so in a month than any number of the alternatives as a whole including the one where this comment originated from. I am in complete control of my business and the minute that changes for me I will change my business plan and that goes for any site. In reality the statement made could be said about everyone of the alternatives!!!! More so in fact because you are dealing with ONE PERSON who owns the site. The owners of alternative sites hold more control over your business than eBay could ever and that is a simple fact!!!! One person rule in the OAI may look like a good thing on the surface but when you get down to it that is way too much control any one person should have over any number of individual businesses.


Joe - The Bar Keep

P.S. Join the eBay boycott and help expand my businesses even more than you already have!!!

[QUILT]

Joe - The Bar Keep

P.S. Join the eBay boycott and help expand my businesses even more than you already have!!!

  Ditto  

[knappschiles]

Erin,

eBid is a hard site to pin down for a lot of reasons.

Yes my listings have been there for a long time. They get re-listed auto for I think 5 times then I re-do them all again. But when I've ever "looked" for my own listings rarely do I find the eBaid listings. I know 1 factor is the fact that they are submitting to Google UK. The last time I looked any links went to expired listing.

I have gotten some sales at eBid but nothing to write home about. Half & half USA and UK.

I know they (eBid) have done a bit of TV ads in the UK in the past but I have no idea how much or what or if it's ongoing or not.

Carol