posted on February 28, 2001 06:13:54 PM new
sherwick you are missing the point that most of us have brought forward. We aren't looking for free. A small listing fee or monthly charge would be most acceptable. A percentage fvf IS NOT for very obvious reasons most of which have been mentioned already. Get out the calculator and you will see what we mean. I hope I am not sounding rude because I don't mean to.
posted on February 28, 2001 06:16:22 PM new
Most of us never expected this to stay free forever, and no .05 and 1% wouldn't put most of us out of business. BUT, when you add all of that in with the ebay fees, the PayPal fees, the post office fees, what's left? If we all sat idly by and let everyone do this, then what is the point? Why should they be able to take money directly out of my earnings? I can just imagine AW sitting there wringing their hands and drooling watching their flock work for them. Uh-uh, don't think so! And 2 weeks is low and crappy, shows no respect at all. The fvf will stay, most of us will not. Hey, we're just trying to make a buck, too. It's not really the amount, I think, of the fvf-it's the fact that someone else feels entitled to something that simply isn't theirs. Software services, yes I'll pay for that. It's worth it, but I refuse to let anyone else take what's mine, what I worked for!
posted on February 28, 2001 06:18:42 PM new
I am also not looking for Free Forever. Expecting a fee based on the value of my sales is over the line. I don't list much, maybe 30 auctions per month. At 5 cents for each picture (assuming each has their own), that is a charge I can handle.
With all the other fee hikes, I can't give up another 1% of my sales to AW. It's just not right.
posted on February 28, 2001 06:20:32 PM new
A nickel here a nickel there..........BYE BYE Auction Watch. It all adds up to Everyone wants a piece of my small slice of pie.
posted on February 28, 2001 06:22:15 PM new
I never used the auction manager items. I only used the pic hosting, and cut/pasted the html I have saved in a folder. Never used the launch features either. Launched them the old way, one by one. However, since ebay offers two free pics per listing, I will be using their services from now on. I would have paid 5 or 10 cents per pic, but I wont share my percentage. I will use my FTP space, like I did before I discovered AW. Therefore...color me gone.
posted on February 28, 2001 06:25:03 PM new
I have just read through some of the posts about all of this so am sorry if this has been brought up before...but here goes...
Will AW refund our FVF if the item is never paid for by a deadbeat bidder?
posted on February 28, 2001 06:27:26 PM new
I also would like to know why you, Mark, are not answering some questions posed to you. Reminds me of another CEO that refused to do the same. These people, myself included, have helped build this place. Doesnt hurt to take some time out and answer, does it? What about FVF when someone doesnt pay up? Is there any room for you taking some suggestions here and upping the pic hosting fees and leaving off the percentage? There are other questions many others have asked....are you going to answer, or brush everyone off ?
posted on February 28, 2001 06:28:51 PM new
I agree, a nickle or even a dime is fine, but the one percent stinks! I used my web space and an FTP program before this, and it won't be any big deal to use it again. I do think two weeks notice is inadequate, a month would have been fairer. The ONLY reason I used AW was so I could schedule auctions ahead of time...but that feature
is not worth that much per auction to me.
I understand AW needs to make a profit, but I think this is a lousy way to do it. And it's bugging the hell out of me that Mark won't address the issue of why they think AW should get one percent of every lousy dime we make on our auctions. Even thinking about the additional hoops we'd have to go through to get our one percent back on a deadbeat deal...gives me a pounding headache.
I'd be happy to stay if it ends up being a fair listing fee; I'm not giving up one percent.
I agree that AW will not seriously reconsider the FVF unless there is a mass exodus.
posted on February 28, 2001 06:29:55 PM new
Man, I wish I could join the club and get all miffed about the new fees, but once I crunched the numbers, I just couldn't. If you're not making a 300-800% ratio on most of your auctions, you aren't buying the product you are selling right to begin with. When are people going to realize, you make your money when you buy the item, not when you sell it. It's true with antiques, and it's true with anything else you sell in the internet auctions. I used to be a traditional auctioneer. I worked 14 hour days. If you wimps wanna see hard work and huge overhead, try dishing out the kind of bucks it takes to get a live audience auction off the ground. With advertising, manpower, lights, trucking, and local competition, it's a tough row to hoe. I consistantly get lots more on internet auctions than I ever did in the live auction game. Auctionwatch makes the internet auction game a little easier for me with their future uploads, post sale etc. Instead of looking at the negative of this community trying to stay alive in this economy, go take a look in the mirror and ask yourself why you're not making a bigger profit margin. Is it because a few of these sites (ie:eBay, Paypal, AW etc.) are taking a few nibbles? Or is it, that you just don't know how to make a great big huge profit margin with your buying habits. If it doesn't have a 300-800% margin, I won't even touch it. There is just too much stuff out there to buy, that people are selling cheap, for me to buy expensively. I sold a guitar for $11,000. on eBay. Do you think I give a rats hind end if AW were to take $30. off the top? Not hardly! Shoot, just the future uploads feature is worth everything they are charging to me. My sleep is worth more than that. Time to prioritize people. Buy right in the first place, and stop your whining. eBay beats a real job any day of the week. If these sites all dropped by the wayside, I would venture to say that a good share of you would "pine" for the good old days. Auction Watch, I don't like any extra costs, but if this is what you need to do, do it! I like talking to all you nice people, and I like the news etc. that I get with AW. I think it's worth what the will be charging. If you don't agree, that's perfectly alright. But time is money. I cannot imagine manually putting in my auctions the way I used to. Time is money, and the trade off with AW is certainly worth it to me. Enough said. God bless. SSSSSSSSHHHHHHH.....I can hear the Boo Hiss gallery from here. HEHE!
posted on February 28, 2001 06:30:12 PM new
I don't understand why more time is spent deleting and locking posts rather than answering potential customer quesitons.
Thats all I want to know. Don't worry, I wont ask the same question again, I'm sure it wont be answered anyway.
I just think that if AW is concerned with its members, they will answer its members questions? I don't know about any of you, but any company afraid to answer my questions does not deserve my money.
[email protected]
[ edited by digitalmaster on Feb 28, 2001 06:34 PM ]
mauimoods, I don't brush anyone off. I do, however, rely on my support staff to adequately field questions, etc. There's just too many to handle myself. With about 700,000 members I'm sure you can understand why.
Questions about our decision to charge should be posed to the customer service staff in the appropriate forum:
posted on February 28, 2001 06:44:01 PM new
Well, Mark, I appreciate being noticed by you. Never addressed you before in a post and its sad that I had to do it in this one. However, your staff is not Mark. Mark is the head honcho. Mark has the answers and if Mark would take the time to stand on the balconey showing himself to the masses below, it goes a far ways with said masses to know he CARES and is there, available. Thats all I was asking...for you to stand at the balconey and "bless us with your presence". Oh, and answer some questions to the thread YOU posted. You responded, but you didnt answer. I dont go to the indian. I like to hear it straight from the chief.
posted on February 28, 2001 06:44:02 PM new
Since I don't use credit cards for anything, I will be forced to quit whether or not I want to unless I can pay with check or money order.
posted on February 28, 2001 06:45:19 PM new
To AW: How can you justify charging 1%, or a 1/2%, or 20% for work that you didn't do?? For work that you did do w/maintaining the service, shouldn't that be reflected in the flat fee?? Why wait for us to do the work, pack, ship, handle dead-beats, etc., and make your % off of that? Does this not warrant an answer? It's like building a brick/mortar, paying taxes, then having the contractor who only built the building coming back saying, well, from now on you must pay us 10% of everything you make. Your work, and what you should be paid for it should be reflected in your flat fee. The % will always be more than the nickel! So, what's that say about how you feel about your service? Only a nickel, but you wait for us to actually make the money so you can sponge off of it?
posted on February 28, 2001 06:48:22 PM new
Auctionwatch~~~~
You guys should offer a AUCTION HOUSE, you already have alot of faithful users, I would gladly pay a listing fee if I were listing my auctions with you, but I am not going to pay you and Ebay. That is just crazy to think we will pay you to list our auctions on another site. After all we did list on those sites "once upon a time" without your help.
posted on February 28, 2001 06:49:23 PM new
MY NEW TOPIC POST WAS INSTANTLY LOCKED OUT. CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHY BUT THE MESSAGE WAS WE HAD TO POST TO THIS THREAD. GUESS THE THINKING IS IF THE THREAD IS LONG ENOUGH NOBODY WILL READ TO THE BITTER END. THIS IS WHAT I HAD PREVIOUSLY POSTED:
Please see my post on the AMPro board. When I do the math on my 400 listings per week, this new deal will cost
me $90/month. I can buy any number of standalone programs for less than one month of fees.
I have been with AW since the beginning. I really like the image hosting. But frankly, the servers aren't too reliable
(lots of downtime on critical weekends) and the post sale services are not up to the competition. I bought a
separate program to handle post sale because AW simply did not have a better alternative. I just tried the new
"Express" and it is an improvement but still not suitable for a volume operation.
I would agree to a REASONABLE SUBSCRIPTION FEE for the listing service but there is no way I will accept a
per listing fee. The "final value fee" is a joke in the poorest of taste. What has AW done to earn participation in
our profits? AW is a listing service for crying out loud!!!!! Ebay runs the auctions. If you want to participate in the
sale, start an auction.
posted on February 28, 2001 06:49:23 PM new
All I can say is that I am glad I do this part time for extra income, and not full time. I do feel really sorry for you guys. There is no way I would pay a FVF for the services provided. I understand that AW is a business, and needs income, and 5 cents might be fair, but the % of FVF is just not right. I'll also be dropping Auction Assistant Software, because I refuse to pay a monthly fee for software that I already purchased. I guess ultimately I will be doing fewer auctions. I wonder if all these companies taking fees will ultimately reduce the bottom line of Ebay? And just in case you haven't heard, the US Postal Service is going to very soon ask for ANOTHER rate increase to take place in early 2002! Goodie...
posted on February 28, 2001 06:56:51 PM new
If a user signs up for the Power program and pays $200, who is to say AW will still be around in a month ?
As far as I can see in all of the other postings, AW deems it fair to keep the $200 even if you are displeased with the service OR if the service is lacking.
This whole thing is really starting to reek !
Hey AW, do you NOT see what is right in front of your face ?
This site is going to look like a ghosttown after the 14th.
posted on February 28, 2001 06:58:10 PM new
corrdog: You're right! My paragraph must have sounded a little snotty. I guess it was. Sorry about that. I just see this as a legitimate advertising cost of doing business. I like the stuff I get here on Auctionwatch, and would sure hate to see it go under. The advice I have gotten on alot of my questions here, has been far worth the nickel and 1%. You'd pay alot more than that to an economic professor in tennis shoes that has never been there. I get to talk to the people who are making it happen out there. That means a great deal to my bottom line. For a live audience auction, advertising costs are generally 7-10% of the margin. I can't see that with eBay fees, Paypal fees and AW fees, that it is any different. Only difference is, I have a huge crowd potential of qualified bidders. A live auction can only reach so far. Anyway, thanks for the gentle slap side the head corrdog. I needed that. hehe You were right to put me in my place about my snide remarks. have a good one.
posted on February 28, 2001 07:00:06 PM new
keavitt, you said it all, I am not paying FVF to 2 agencies!! If you accept PayPal, that makes 3 of them with their hands in your profits!!
posted on February 28, 2001 07:00:35 PM new
Adios, Auction Watch. I don't want your hands in my pockets. I know HTML and wrote my own template, so I don't need that. I have my own website, so I host most of my own pictures, so I don't need AW for that either. I used AW mainly for the convenience of scheduling, but that benefit is not worth the nickel & the 1% to me. I wish AW well, but my husband and I will not be back.
Denise
posted on February 28, 2001 07:02:13 PM new
It doesn't bother me that AW thinks they are entitled to some return. This is probably just the snowball effect from PayPal, Yahoo, USPS, FedX, UPS and eBay.
I guess that they haven't paid any attention to Yahoo or PayPal's response in these threads.
Speaking of snowballs, they don't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting a FVF from me.
posted on February 28, 2001 07:05:15 PM new
Did anyone mention the Post Office raised their rates too? My PO bill is HUGE! Way above what I dare charge my bidders. On Line auctions are infusing this country's economy, no doubt but greedy is as greedy does...
posted on February 28, 2001 07:08:07 PM new
hi
please address these concerns..as you can tell most are willing to pay for service..not profit share..
i like aw..and have brought on board 23 users and spread the word all the time.. i am used to the system and find it convient but i don't need all services nor am i interested..please rethink the fvf...also there is no policy for if a piece does't sell..i.e reserve not met
posted on February 28, 2001 07:10:01 PM new
I would be glad to pay a .25 listing and imaging hosting fee which is all I really need. I did not expect a free ride forever and I do not list that much. However when I do I have no intention of paying 1% of the FVF to a listing service. Besides how is AW going to deal with those that get deadbeats? It was nice while it lasted but come March 14 I guess I shall have to figure out EBay pic hosting.
buyhigh
You were right to put me in my place about my snide remarks. have a good one.