UK OAS Tazbar to raise rates Dec. 1st, Sellers ready to jump ship.

[The Bar Keep]

Heard this news today and thought I would share the info here for everyone to be aware of. OAS Tazbar appears to be set to start charging flat rate monthly fees to sellers. Although fees are inevitable for most online auction sites in order to survive the alternative markets, the posted changes appear to be overpriced as opposed to other alternative sites especially when compared to US based flat rate sites when you factor in the exchange rate. Below is a link to the new fee structure effective December 1st:

http://www.tazbar.com//Help/fees2007.aspx

Next link is a link to the forum thread within Tazbar discussing the new rates. Please note it appears as if many sellers will be closing down shop there as STR doesn't appear to warrant the new fees for those sellers.

http://www.tazbar.com/for.../1/279658/ShowThread.aspx


Joe - The Bar Keep

[2boysandtoys]

Joe:

Thanks for sharing...I've been distracted here and honestly had not paid too close attention to Tazbar for a while.  I did not join way back when as I was not comfy giving my cc # to the site. 

I do feel for the sellers tho - any 'business' should give adequate, detailed notice about changes to the business structure, fees, etc. well in advance -  !!

Timing sure stinks too -  !  I'm glad I'm not affected, but do have some US seller friends who've got hefty listings there --- they may know nothing!  Gotta get the word out! 

[2boysandtoys]

I am a 'data kind of gal', and have been watching the stats over at PSU.  Tazbar's numbers are going down...I so feel for sellers/members when announcements are not made in a manner which they can manage their business. 

Note to site owners:  Since your site is dependent on members, listings, and purchases - over-communicate when there are changes to be made, issues to be managed and ANYTHING that will affect their business.  Forum announcements are not enough - less than 10% of members visit forums (give/take). 

Between this and the recent ewaey closing, there are a variety of sellers who must find a new home again for their items....Super sad - 

[The Tavern Wench]

Appears that Tazbar doesn't really know what they are going to do...other than charge fees.  They're making changes on the fly, but still planning to implement them on December 1st!!  Not a good sign and definitely not good for their Sellers. 

Here is the latest announcement:
http://www.tazbar.com/for...forums/thread/281536.aspx

Bad way to conduct business. 

[The Bar Keep]

Well, I got the email news this morning. It reads as follows:

This is an official Tazbar email sent to joe xxxxxxx (xxxxxxxxx)
 
 
From December 1st Tazbar is introducing a new range of fee packages to help sellers control their overheads and even out the cost of retailing online.


We’re still keeping to our ‘free’ listing promise for occasional and entry level sellers, but have a new fee structure which allows serious business and hobby users to pay one monthly amount as an alternative to paying final price fees. We’ve also included numerous add-ons free of charge; and tweaked the terms of our auto re-list facility to address items which have remained unchecked long after being listed.


To maintain flexibility and fairness, members can move up and down the new membership levels at their discretion on a month by month basis, and no long term commitments or contracts are required. This includes the new Basic Level which gives up to one hundred free listings.


If you sell large amounts regularly and look at your final price fees from recent sales, you might find that this new flat-rate scheme brings in new savings and still keeps Tazbar ahead of other online auction sites in terms of cost.


We want to continue moving forward in establishing a site that delivers a broad, exciting and appealing range of products and services that people really want to buy. We always hold our breath when we introduce new ideas. And there’s really no real ‘best time’ to introduce changes. 


We’re a young and growing company and financial sustainability is important for everyone. We want to remain competitive; we want to encourage variety and value; we want to build buyers and sellers; and we want to thrive well into the future.


Change is inevitable and we hope that our truly committed regular sellers will see this as a necessary and positive move.


Tazbar still represents amazing value for sellers by comparison and although the target date is for the change is December 1st - this doesn’t impact on current auctions and we’ll allow at least fourteen days grace beyond this date for sellers to trim their lists to within the appropriate new limits or move level.  As auctions expire Tazbar will automate some of this naturally.


You can see the new rates here and when they come into effect anybody taking the new level 1, 2 or 3 for two months will get another month free.


So, if you want to sell in December and January – February is free!



Jane Warke, Marketing Director

I see, buy 2 get one free. Now there is an original idea for ya.  It didn't take Tazbar long to become the starlet of the European market now did it? I wonder how hard the fall off the stage is going to hurt. Starting to look a little bit like Ewaey's marketing plan. You know change on a dime.


Joe - The Bar Keep

[2boysandtoys]

It's the flip of the coin mentality that just kills any of us when we're trying to support a site.  What a shame - more notice and better thought out deployment may have made this more appealing.  It's down a bit more today - I do truly feel for the sellers.

Eweay - that's just a whole 'other story'....

[Cherry Pits]

Here's another one to add to the stinker pile for TazBar:

I was a member for over a year. Listed a few items...sold 1. Never did much else. Had my CC info on the site from day one. My CC expires a year later and now all of a sudden  they want to bill me for a sale I had a year ago. It's only $1 but it's the principle. Why wait a year and after my CC expires before you bill me? And I had a heck of a time getting them to tell me what the bill was for....so much for a promising site. I think I'll stick to Ebid and DealGates for an international playing field!!

[2boysandtoys]

Ouch....that does sound a bit 'delayed' and unnecessary.  The thoughts of - 'it's only a dollar' could apply both ways (for them too).  I wonder why the wait ?   

[Cherry Pits]

No idea. And I DID ask...didn't get an answer!

[chiquita]

Apparently the news of a few increase didn't go over well with the sellers. Their listing numbers are going down
 

[Cherry Pits]

Why is these sites start off with a great plan then greed kicks in? One sure way to disappear from site.....I won't be using it anytime soon. Say in the next decade or two.

[2boysandtoys]

I've not been over yonder to see if any answers have been given to the sellers/members of the site, but have been watching the counts on PSU.  It's continuing downward - anyone here know of any new scoop regarding the 'fee structure'?

It's one thing to need to deploy a revised business strategy - I can swallow that.  However, this one so stinks - timing is bad and then no 'formal notice' - just a piece of news for folks to stumble upon.

I've been thinking about these folks since this first came up - I feel for them --- having to find a new place and in a very short time-frame! 

[Cherry Pits]

I imagine most will hit Ebid.

[2boysandtoys]

Which,  is not a bad things at all for the sellers!  ebid has a nice forum and a nice site!  I just hate it when I see members getting jerked around for no reason....  

[Cherry Pits]

Seems like a lot of these sites have that tendency. And then they can't understand why no one wants to pay fees, why members leave and the number of new sign-ups dwindle down to nothing!