posted on February 28, 2001 04:05:20 PM new
Well I'll be leaving as well. if I absolutely HAD to I could stomach the 5 cents But the FVF? No way. I'm already being haggled about charging for supplies to ship in, paying for PayPal, eBay's new fee's...I'm not giving anymore than I have to. My server offers webspace and I'll host my images there and load my auctions through eBay manually.
IT's been real, glad I was here for a while at least.
posted on February 28, 2001 04:05:32 PM new
OH GOODY! Ebay is going to give "powersellers" a break!
We all know that THEY are ones who need to save a few pennies, don't we?
Mark, I am thankful for the two free years that you have given us, and although I don't like ANY FVFs, I feel that AW is entitled to charge for these services, and your rates are not unreasonable.
I do beleive that a 10 cents listing, no FVF would be much more "feasably" enacted, and the cost savings on the deadbeat refund request work could possibly offset it? Do't know for sure, but thanks again for the two free years.
posted on February 28, 2001 04:08:35 PM new
Well so long, its been nice! The only reason I have used AW listing and image hosting is that it was there and it was super simple.
I have Front Page so I can make my own templates (and more attractive ones I might add). I have lots of space on the web to host my images and it is faster than AW too. I just have to upload them with FTP software which is free.
I use ebud to manage all post auction activities. I have to pay for that anyway and I do not like AW's tools.
Can anyone tell me why I would pay 1% of my sales to continue to use this service??
I don't have a problem paying for products I like and would be happy to pay a flat monthly fee--I guess I list about 100 auctions a month and $5-8 would be reasonable for that--provided that AW Pro worked reliably.
If I average $25 per item, the fee at AW will be $30. Won't do that!!!!!
posted on February 28, 2001 04:08:50 PM new
Is it someones fault if their auctions are successful???
I was only informing people that their will be a break. Regardless, the other program listed by the other company (all my posts are getting deleted using names) are only charging $15.99 per month and that is cheaper than any perchantage!
Plus, I use another program now that is WAY better!
posted on February 28, 2001 04:09:48 PM new
5 cents OK but 1% nope - won't do it. I sell too much high end stuff. I'm not going to get hit for another 1% on a couple thousand buck item.
I guess AW does not think that is a significant part of the listings. They must be aiming at the $5 and $10 items. I don't think anyone who mostly sells $100+ items is going to go for the 1%.
The $200 flat fee would have made sense last year when I sold just under $90k - that would have been 1/4% but things are so uncertain this year I don't know if I
would get my value out of it. Between eBays unstability and the economey heading down the toilet I am not passing money out very freely.
[ edited by gravid on Feb 28, 2001 04:17 PM ]
posted on February 28, 2001 04:14:02 PM newPocono,
my thoughts, my time, my consideration, my good wishes, a helping hand (if you needed it, and I could offer it), a smile, a laugh... it all depends on perspective.
-------------
The 5 cents is to be expected, I suppose, but the short notice period sucks. The 1% is out-of-order I think... especially for small sellers.
And what is a "High Volume Seller"? Definition, please?
posted on February 28, 2001 04:14:16 PM new
So IF we agree to the fees , which the FVF is absurb, ONE of the reasons I left Andale,Why should I give you another percentage for what I OWN?? are the servers going to be STILLL SSOOO LOWWW. and uploads not working, and lauches not workin????
IS this EBAY II?????
You have offered a very valuable service in the message boards as the old timers help the newcomers, this is where I learned. But with the old timers leaving then you are not going to attract the newcomers because they will have no help and cannot afford the fees. THINK before you TUMblllllllle
posted on February 28, 2001 04:23:27 PM new
I hate to beat a dead horse (especially since I am an animal rights activist) but I am disapointed that you did not excersize standard busines etiquette which is giving your customers 30 day notice. That is the main thing that bothers me (other than deleting any posts that I list other alternatives to your service, to me, that seems very "Castro-like."
posted on February 28, 2001 04:30:46 PM new
Well, when that other service, with the yapping-dog logo, announced that it was going to start charging for their service a while back, a lot of folks here took them to task for that and now, not many comments about them or their fees......probably a month from now everything will settle here and everything will get back to normal here to. If you don't like the new fee structure you can leave; but where ever you go the fees will eventually catch up with you and nothing is free...
posted on February 28, 2001 04:38:17 PM new
I haven't seen the comments about less than 30 days notice addressed. It may be smart business practice but by not doing so, they pretty much guarantee that alot of users will stay because too much to learn in 2 weeks during what I consider the best time of the year to sell. (I only sell mid November to mid April since I consider the rest of the year buyer's market in the antique & collectible field.)
I would like to see an answer as to how long it will take for us to receive a refund for a deadbeat bidder. Are we going to have to jump through hoops to wait for that? Are letters going to go to buyers like they receive now through eBay letting them know a NPB alert and refund has been requested?
Why was a % of final sale price determined in the fee system and not a different flat rate fee, which I think would have been less time consuming and maybe just as cost effective.
posted on February 28, 2001 04:40:56 PM new
I use AuctionWatch because of the convenience.And, I don't mind paying the initial fee. However, that 1% fvf is VERY inconvenient to me.Especially with all the problems they have just trying to launch auctions on time. I never complained, figured it was free and therefore had no business complaining. But I won't pay for this. I'll go to another service that operates more efficiently. I want to be sure I get what I pay for! And, I certainly don't feel they have a right to any fvf's from our auctions.NOw I am off to learn how to make my own templates! LOL
posted on February 28, 2001 04:43:17 PM new
I don't begrudge them the .05 a listing - I would even pay a reasonable flat fee per month, but a percentage of my listings is just out of the question. I will go back to doing it on my own - oh well.
posted on February 28, 2001 04:46:00 PM new
What Follows is a copy of an email that I sent to Mark:
---------------------------------------------
Hi Mark,
I left another service due to unreliability and an outrageous new fee structure to boot.
I came to AW fully expecting to be charged some sort of fee in the future.
I stated this on the discussion board and am sending it to you personally as a matter of courtesy, the boards are a bit heated right now....I am MORE than willing to pay up to .25 per listing, I can justify that. I cannot justify giving you a cut of my sales. And yes I'm sure the numbers somewhere support the claim that AW sellers have a better sales rate...that is NOT the point.
Why do you feel you are entitled to some of MY profits, which are whittled to the bone now?
The 1% is going to do you more harm than good. While losing the small or occasional seller may not be of concern to you. You will lose many "mid range sellers" like myself who, while we are not your high dollar Power Sellers, are listing several hundred auctions a month through your service. However, we can not afford to give away another percentage point of our profits to any one. Too Bad, you were one of the best. I sincerely hope you all rethink the FVF thing and decide to admit you not only made a mistake but overstepped your bounds. Think About it, If I sell 250 items this month through your service and half of them are items that can only sell for less than 25.00, how can I be expected to keep my head above water after paying You, Ebay, PayPal & Billpoint? Frankly, I don't care to use them any more either but MY BUYERS REQUEST IT, SOME DEMAND IT, My buyers could give a hoot less who I list my auctions through.
Rosalie
---------------------------------------------
OK, .25 cents may be too high, but the point, once again is that AW is more than within it's rights to charge for their services, they have no right to base any part of that charge on the selling price of our items. Ebay is the selling venue, they have the right to charge a FVF. And since I wrote that it occured to me that high dollar sellers aren't going to want to part with another percentage point of their items either. BTW..If there are any buyers out there reading this who don't think concerns them, think again...look at all the threads here about sellers passing along or trying to pass along their Payment Service fees in their auctions, BELIEVE ME somewhere down the line it's gonna cost you too..... I will let my current auctions close before listing anything else, I need a break anyway. If AW does not re think the FVF, I will have to say goodbye.
posted on February 28, 2001 04:49:48 PM new
I understand the fees, but I am sooo glad that I learned html, cause I will do my own auctions from now on. I can't afford the 5 cents, plus FVF on top of that. Thanks while it lasted!
posted on February 28, 2001 04:50:38 PM new
mivona,you said:
Pocono, my thoughts, my time, my consideration, my good wishes, a helping hand (if you needed it, and I could offer it), a smile, a laugh... it all depends on perspective.
well, you've already given me that and more in the last 14 months that you've been here...thanks
posted on February 28, 2001 04:51:23 PM new
[bold]AuctionWatch sellers also experience increased sales using our services. On average, AuctionWatch sellers sell a higher percentage of their listed items than competing sellers using other listing services or listing items directly for sale on individual auction sites. [/bold]
Thanks for the free service I've enjoyed up until now Mark. I do sincerely appreciate it. I believe, though, that your statement above is flawed. It may well be true that AuctionWatch sellers sell a higher percentage, but I doubt that you can pinpoint AuctionWatch itself as the reason for their success.
I think that folks who succeed while using AuctionWatch would be equally as successful regardless of the method they use to list their auctions. Some of the smartest folks I've ever had the pleasure of "meeting" freely post suggestions, advice and generously share know-how on these and other message boards that would leave many Management 101 courses in the dust. It's the tips I've learned from those folks that have helped me improve my business. AuctionWatch is a nice service, but I didn't learn beans from AuctionWatch. If my auctions reflect a higher-than-average success rate, it's because of the things I've learned from my fellow sellers. AW is nothing more than the venue I use to implement that knowledge.
What I'm saying is, the success level attained by AuctionWatch sellers is probably higher than average because the business savvy of AuctionWatch sellers is probably higher than average. My guess is that those who have gravitated here did so because they're smart enough to recognize a good business tool. That's why I came here. That's why I'll leave when you implement a 1% FVF. AW's a good tool, but it's not indispensible. I'd be willing to pay a fee to use the tool, but not a cut of my hard-earned gross.
I do truly appreciate the service I've enjoyed, and would have been happy to continue under a fee structure that made sense. The structure you've established just doesn't make sense to this particular business person. I wish you well.
posted on February 28, 2001 05:01:19 PM new
I hope you're taking notes Mark?
Fee per item listed - YES
Percent of sold items - NO
I get a sense you're going to lose a lot of serious listers if you don't reconsider the FVF idea.
And I agree 100% with Psyllie's comment:
I think that folks who succeed while using AuctionWatch would be equally as successful regardless of the method they use to list their auctions
I could use ANY service anywhere, or nothing more than the eBay listing pages, and I can assure you that I'd be just as successful as I was listing my auctions through your site.
posted on February 28, 2001 05:03:00 PM new
NO, I didn't double post my last message on purpose, I don't know how it happened, The system seems to have Hiccuped!
posted on February 28, 2001 05:03:55 PM new
I agree with the previous poster katzname (sp?).
I could understand a small flat fee and might even be agreeable to that but what makes you think you're entitled to a percentage of my merchandise. Get it? Mine. I have to work for that merchandise. Not you. I already give up a percentage to ebay for that, but they have the juice, they have the customers that pay me good money for my stuff, therefore, it's well worth it to pay them.
Image hosting? There's a whole bunch of places to go for that.
Sorry, but you're not getting a percentage of my sales.
I do appreciate the good service you've given up until now. Thanks for that.
posted on February 28, 2001 05:12:53 PM new
Please add me to the list of unhappy AW users.
I like the service and for that reason would consider the .05 fee just for the convenience, but I definitely will not pay a percentage of my sale to AW.
As Meya and others have pointed out, picture hosting, templates, and such are not that hard to do on your own. Seems most of us here are somewhat computer savvy; enough to upload pics and make a template!
I'm off to look at my FTP program again. BTW, my ISP offers a fairly large amount of web space for free; I'm sure many others do, too.
posted on February 28, 2001 05:16:27 PM new
I'm a very small volume seller and have never used ANY auction software due to my privacy concerns. I make up my own templates which is very easy to do and use an FTP program to load my pics to my 15 MB of storage space which my ISP includes with my monthly internet access fee. Actually, I really enjoy making up my own templates and I like the fact that I'm not dependent on any one else.
I know those of you who sell in larger volume need to use auction software and have been fortunate to have found free software the last few years but I doubt that you will be able to do so much longer. I would personally rather pay a fair price for a quality service and not have to worry about how much longer it's going to remain free or if I may possibly have to start all over again somewhere else.
However, I do agree that it would have been more prudent for AuctionWatch to charge higher per listing fees instead of charging 1% FVF's and 30 days notice would have been appreciated.
posted on February 28, 2001 05:17:29 PM new
digitalmaster, soliciting people in the MC is a violation of our terms of service, please do not do it again.
posted on February 28, 2001 05:18:16 PM newDidn't most of us complain about Yahoo charging list fees instead of FVF's??
Of course Yahoo is actually an auction venue and not a parasite trying ride the wave internet auction commerce and passing off "services" for free that any person can learn how to do with about fifteen minutes of instruction. Hell, just read the html and photo primers on eBay and do this stuff yourselves!
Wanting a cut on the final sale when it is not an actual auction venue is ludicrous (as it is for the other parasites like Andale).
This place hasn't been the same since Witchywoman left and Ross got booted. Charging fees is just the final nail in a very mediocre coffin.
----
TRC
"Never used any Auctionwatch service outside the Message Forum...Never Have, Never Will"
