posted on April 20, 2001 02:04:08 PM new
It's just the difference in the philosophy of selling at a flea market...or an antiques show.
Both dealers may end up with the same gross, but the flea market seller has do do a whole lot more volume and work than the antiques dealer...for the same paycheck. And quite often the fleabie ends up with a much smaller net profit, considering initial outlay and hours of labor.
posted on April 20, 2001 02:32:14 PM new
Brooklynguy,
Your post is a direct insult and a violation of our Community Guidelines. Please consider this a warning: to continue to post in this vein will place your posting privileges in jeopardy.
posted on April 20, 2001 02:38:37 PM new
You have GOT to be kidding! Jereth comes in and, NOT JUST ONCE BUT TWICE, insults another poster and starts name-calling. Now that someone responded to his incredible rudeness THEY get called on the carpet?????
posted on April 20, 2001 02:53:13 PM new
Hey Moderator Pattaylor
(First off all this time I thought you were a Patty!)
What is UP??!!
Just rattlin' your cage a little, because you are pretty blind and deaf at times.
Jay,
dude,
me only sell a few items a week. Me sell ONE item for $400 and up.
Me no sell one CD at a time. Me no sell CDs.
Me like to know how to respond to (knock wood) negatives.
Me no care if you sell a Bazillion CD's a minute.
Me no think you and me same kind of seller.
ahem...
I can't imagine what kind of help it is to any sellers if you come in with your big club and say "bury" the neg. Burying a neg for me is a lot different from you or any bulk turnover seller. Sure I could run a dutch auction, whatever, but that's not my niche, and I know my market and my product, as I am sure you do.
sheesh.
(thinking of photocopying some manuals as "neg" insurance)
Only Capriole here...so don't bug the one on ebay.
posted on April 20, 2001 03:22:23 PM newpattaylor...
I'm sure you must have missed this:
"We're getting
ready to branch off into a couple of new eBay categories for the first time next month,
better hope it's not the one you're selling in. If you're competing with me on eBay you'll
find we're cheaper, faster and sharper than you."
I'm sure...now that this post has been pointed out to you...you will either add to, or rectify your moderation.
I have great confidence in your intrinsic fairness...
posted on April 20, 2001 04:49:28 PM new
well, this is a change.
usually i lock horns with marie (hopefully good-naturedly) regarding certain unpopular opinions I hold regarding shipping and handling, but this time i actually find myself defending Jay. I don't consider what he said to be some incredible rudeness---a wee bit cocky perhaps but as a big time seller, well hey, he's entitled to that. and as an old lady i like to see self confident young menfolk . i guess he could have put it more diplomatically but why is this (to me) good natured 'heads up' seen as such an injurious insult by some? also, i didn't see the comment as being directed at anyone in particular.
oh well!
jay, I'm just glad I don't sell anything you'd wanna sell. we are obviously VERY different sellers but you & M. clearly are doing something very right!
posted on April 20, 2001 04:54:05 PM new
Hello All!
I've been reading the responses to this issue and I wanted to offer another solution:
I have 3 negatives on my profile now. All undeserved.
2 are from people who posted negative feedback because I filed a Final Value Credit form which automatically sends the bidder a warning. I feel those negatives were in retaliation.
1 was due to a bidder not reading my 'ABout Me' page which explains my policy about refunds and exchanges.
I have contested EVERY ONE of them through Squaretrade.com. I filed a case for each and so far 2 bidders have responded. YOU CAN GET YOUR FEEDBACK REMOVED!!!!!!!!! All it entails is bringing in a SquareTrade mediator to review the case. Once an agreement is reached, the mediator will contact eBay to have the feedback removed.
So far, 2 out of the 3 negatives will be removed from my profile within 2 weeks!!!!!!!!
SELLERS: IF YOU FEEL THAT YOUR NEGS ARE UNDESERVED, GO TO SQUARETRADE.COM EBAY HAS UPDATED THIER FEEDBACK REMOVAL POLICY!!!
posted on April 20, 2001 06:27:23 PM new
Can't decide if I should let this thread just die away or reply and rejuvenate it, but to restate for 'toke/tOke's benefit:
We end 440 auctions nightly.
Our emails go out at 12:30AM the next morning to all winners.
I am in the office at 6:00AM.
Marie is in the office at 7:30AM.
At 8:00AM our three shippers arrive.
By 12:00 noon we've shipped 150 items.
By 4:00 (end of shifts) we've shipped 200+ items from the night before's auctions (and many more that paid through the mail).
Many of our buyers are receiving the items they won (whether or not they've had a chance yet to pay) on the following day.
(We ship to all winners with feedback of +10 or higher immediately, whether or not they've paid us yet.)
So,
we're fast,
we're cheap (all auctions start at 1c, no reserve)
and we're sharp.
If you want to compete against us you are welcome to be friendlier than us, that is a wide-open area of competition, but if you are planning to be faster, cheaper or sharper than us than I am looking forward to that competition.
Jay
--------
PS: if negative feedback was REALLY a problem, then to give this 'weapon' to all customers to use against eBay sellers would be foolhardy on eBay's part. Doesn't help eBay to have sellers look foolish or irresponsible or conniving or dishonest. Fact of the matter is that buyers DON'T CARE about the feedback. Not too many read it other than to note the total. No one reads it nearly as seriously as sellers read their own.
For high end items you go to the seller who has the product. For low end items you go to the seller who has the best prices and does the most volume. Same reason you shop at Walmart or Home Depot or whereever. I do not believe you can be 'friendlier' on-line than any local merchant can ever be.
posted on April 20, 2001 07:25:42 PM new
Ya know, this comes up over and over again on these boards. A seller, who is successful, boasts that since he/she is doing well, that they are doing things the RIGHT way. Well, guess what? There is no one right way to do things.
Sure, if you are closing 400+ auctions a night, it's easy to bury feedback. I'd venture a guess that most of us are not doing anywhere near that volume - so that's bad advice for anyone who isn't doing huge volume, IMO.
Some people DO read feedback. I know I do. Yeah, some people only look at the number, but some of us are actually looking at neutrals/negs to see how buyers & sellers have responded to them.
"I do not believe you can be 'friendlier' on-line than any local merchant can ever be."
Nonsense. I have tons of repeat buyers...they know that if they need a question answered or help with something, that I'll take the time to write back. I have had several buyers send me stuff..just this week a buyer in Japan sent me two presents to thank me for the great service she's gotten. Ya think many Wal-mart employees get that kinda response?
I spend a lot of time writing e-mails. Is this for everyone? Of course not....but it's what I'm comfortable doing and what I'm willing to do - since I mostly compete on having great service and being easy to deal with.
Even if you had fifty sellers selling the exact same widget in the same numbers, I think you would find that one size does not fit. Every seller has a different idea of how they want to run their business and there is no universal right way - it's what works for each individual.
posted on April 20, 2001 09:41:59 PM new
"We're getting
ready to branch off into a couple of new eBay categories for the first time next month,
better hope it's not the one you're selling in. If you're competing with me on eBay you'll
find we're cheaper, faster and sharper than you."
sharkbaby
Could you be so kind in pointing me to the direct insult on the above paragraph, and to the similarities between the mentioned paragraph and the phrase "one rude Son Of a B*** "??
Just curious, as I want to know why both comments should be moderated as equal (according to you and a few others)
posted on April 21, 2001 07:47:33 AM new
While this thread has evolved into a debate of whether or not Negs should be responded to, I would like to thank all those posters who had genuinly helpful advice for me. I understand that there are people out there that do things differently, but PLEASE don't think that your way is the only way. I have very legitimate and rational reasons to respond to this negative that was left for me.
For those of you who are curious, I would like to share with you the outcome of this situation (personally I hate getting into threads like this and never knowing how they end!) The response I left (thanks to CleverGirl) was:
Described as fair to new, sold as-is, BUT would've worked w/buyer if contacted!
I also left a negative feedback for the bidder in his profile, as I did not feel that this was a satisfactory transaction. The comment I left for him was:
Sellers beware - does not read descriptions, or abide by terms, bad experience!!
Of course, he proceeded to leave a response to that negative which was:
"widgets" stated fair to new received all worn out seller would not resolve
Interesting enough... he NEVER contacted me to see if I would have resolved his problem! Oh well... I am confident that bidders who examine his now 10 feedback and my 750 feedback will be able to draw their own conclusions.
Once again, thanks to all your help! I found this to be a very useful thread (even if I certainly don't agree with all the ideas expressed in the postings and the manner in which they were presented).
edited to replace merchandise reference with widgets
[ edited by eauctionmgnt on Apr 21, 2001 07:49 AM ]
posted on April 21, 2001 08:01:09 AM newPLEASE don't think that your way is the only way
I think this is something which atleast one poster has forgotten.
Why do WalMart, Sears & Neiman Marcus all manage to exist in the same town? Because each appeals to a different niche of the market.
Take the example of the old People's Express Air Line (anyone remember them & their $99 fares to Europe) as compared to the Concorde.
Where is People Express today? The Concorde may be in a bit of trouble due to the unfortunate crash but had that not happened, they would STILL be flying, catering to a niche market while People Express is just a footnote in aviation history.
posted on April 21, 2001 09:24:58 AM new
eventer, I am much more concerned with the experiences of online companies, and this is what keeps me awake at night. To the best of my knowledge there have been no profitable online retailers of anything (other than eBay) yet. We am trying to operate profitably in an environment where the smartest minds and the deepest pockets in the country have failed. Amazon.com, with all their funding, is not yet profitable. CDNow.com is not profitable. Companies like pets.com and oodles more are already gone (not to mention all the companies that never got to the public marketplace and simply disappeared).
I am not saying my way is the only way: I am open to ANY suggestions that can help me make a living in an environment where no-one has yet been able to turn a profit. We do not have deep pockets, we cannot afford to operate at a loss.
Have you ever wondered, as I have, why it is, if EBay is so wonderful and helpful and easy to make money on, that no major companies have established a presence there? Shoot, very few tiny companies are even operatiing on eBay. Believe me, it's not because they haven't looked into the business model in detail. It's because they've studied the market, and studied the cost structure, and realized that if they are going to
purchase a product
take a picture of a product
post a product
track the auction
end the auction
email the winner
receive the payment
ship the item
follow up with feedback
and, per previous postings,
respond to all questions
thank buyers for their purchase
respond to negative feedback
*AND PAY PEOPLE $10 - $12 / hour TO DO ALL THE ABOVE*
they CANNOT make money. They go belly up and disappear.
I have apologized for my earlier tone and I will not post here again (per Marie's insistence!). I'm afraid I'm not a people person. Yet, I cannot let this end without pointing out that if you are a seller of anything, operating in an environment where, as you say, the receipt of one complaint can impact your income, then you are not selling a unique product, or you are not selling it cheaply enough. If you are selling a commodity product, offered by dozens of others on eBay, such that one complaint will send a potential buyer to another seller, then you may be selling the wrong product or offering it at the wrong price. That's my opinion.
posted on April 21, 2001 09:34:56 AM newJay (Marie's (ex!) husband)
LOL!
Jay & Marie,
Believe it or not, I happen to agree with a lot of what you said (just perhaps not the way you said it).
And I think most people here wish you the best of luck with your approach. It's obviously been very successful for you. You have a plan & it works. The rest of us are still refining ours.
posted on April 21, 2001 09:55:48 AM new
Everyone,
I'm sorry I missed the calls for me last night. As you know, we don't read every thread so if you feel there's a situation that needs a moderator's attention, please send us an email.
If you have any questions about this or any other moderation, please email [email protected].
posted on April 21, 2001 10:09:18 AM new
Ummm, sorry, something else I just noticed.
Jereth,
The AuctionWatch Community Guidelines require that each posting account be used by only one person unless specific permission is given for two people to share an account. If one of you would like to create another account, please feel free to do so. In the meantime, please make sure that only one of you posts under the "jereth" name.
posted on April 21, 2001 10:44:39 AM newHave you ever wondered, as I have, why it is, if EBay is so wonderful and helpful and easy to make money on, that no major companies have established a presence there?
M-I-C
see me make money
K-E-Y
why because I'm MAJOR
M-O-U-S-E(bay)
posted on April 21, 2001 08:16:07 PM new
Thank you for the note, Pat, I'm sorry for the problem. After much discussion we've decided not to post here at AW again, although I'm sure we will lurk and enjoy the contributions of others. You can shut 'Jereth' down if that is appropriate.
posted on April 22, 2001 06:04:51 AM new
Marie and Jay-
Please don't leave AW entirely. You add a lot to the forum. I will never sell the quantity you do, but your perspective gives me more insight as to how eBay needs to accomodate the needs of all different size sellers.
In the past, AW gave at least one couple permission to post jointly from a single id, as long as they always identified which one was posting at any given time. I don't see why this can't be done for you.
Please reconsider.
posted on April 23, 2001 11:07:55 PM new
eauctionmgnt, you go ahead and respond to that negative. There are people out there like myself that feel the true worth of a seller is how they respond to adversity and have been know to go back months just to see how a seller responded to the few negatives they did have. I don't care if you have 99.9% happy customers, with my luck my order will be in the .1%. If you're response to a buyer complaint is to just ignore it, I'm on my way elsewhere (and yes, I know you can say you actually do respond to complaints, but I haven't purchased anything yet and I don't have time to EMail you for a clarification - your feedback response is all I'll see).
