posted on March 23, 2004 10:03:59 PM new
pandorasbox, yes his sales are down. I've seen his auctions for a long time now and I know he's done very well. He is number 83 on the Nortica ebay top 500 list and Jay and Marie are on top.
Quite a dip...interesting...I know nada about antiques...though I am, officially, one.
I believe I'll pick up one of his snuff bottles and spiff him a buck or two extra...just a little something to tide him over until things improve.
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I require the same from them."- John Wayne/The Shootist"(from the novel by Glendon Swarthout)
posted on March 23, 2004 10:46:23 PM new
I don't know about that...one of the first things I learned in business was the power of a stock photo for sales brochures.
A photo of a sprawling plant / warehouse nestled in a sylvan glenn...all very impressive except it was a stock pic...the real plant was a public warehouse nestled in Bayonne.
Same thing with real estate infomercials..speed boats, Ferrari's, mansions..all rented by the hour.
Actually,in the right categories, its not a bad idea for the "me" page...Sell the romance of being "like me"...having a little of what I have..stoke the fantasy.
Not a bad idea at all..
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I require the same from them."- John Wayne/The Shootist"(from the novel by Glendon Swarthout)
posted on March 23, 2004 11:03:34 PM new
J&M are going in the wrong direction in divesting their business. The value does not exist in the name, it's in the source. They have obviously spent a great deal of time and effort cultivating a supply chain, rather than go retail which seems to be their vision, they would be better off going wholesale as a supplier to the next generation of 1cent sellers (5 cent sellers?)
Sell 4000 cds a week but in shipping quantities 100+ per order rather than 1. Turn your 800 shipments to be fulfiilled a day into 8 eliminating a great deal of your labor overhead (hell, your employess now know the game, help them get started doing it on their own). Contact your former competitors and see about turning them into your customers.
No one is going to pay 5mil for a business that exists soley on ebay (they should have developed the website) and they are not going to pay 5 mil for a source list and a lease. If you want big bucks for your business, develop into big business, not a high volume small business.
To me, it sounds like burn out is setting in and they are ready for a break. The media contact info combined with the unreasonably high selling price makes me think that it is no accidennt that the price is unreasonable and is targeted to bring in the media attention that could attract a more reasonable offer fom sources that would not have otherwise been aware of the business.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on March 24, 2004 12:03:13 AM newIt's not BS. And it's not mom and pop, It's grandma and grandpa. It's good marketing and a good choice of products within their category. They also have a nice supply channel. Why would I make it up. I'm jealous of them. I wish I had their supply.
So give us the usernames. It is probably just like the the other one mentioned above that "made" $2 million and is actually doing $7400 a month gross.
I repeat-- there is no mom and pop seller netting 1 million or more on eBay. Never was, never will be.
Anyone that is doing even $50K net will be crawling with competitors in short order. That is how cut throat eBay is.
Unless you make a unique item yourself, it is impossible to prevent competition. And if you make it yourself, it is nearly impossible to make enough of it to net $1 million, or even gross that much.
The only people that make/made millions on eBay are the eBay executives and the early employees that received stock options.
posted on March 24, 2004 05:23:34 AM new
netting 245k??
jay and marie netted ZERO,absolute zero.
when you own your business,first thing you must do is to PAY YOURSELF .
after paying themselves,how much is left??
i bet you they are running a negative cashflow and if they keep on listing and selling,they will lose their house.
fenix03,i agree with you,they should become supplier to all the wannabee ebay sellers who want to make 1 million a year.
back in the old days,those who sell electronic goods such as digital camera,pc,scanner have made some good money,damn good money.
but what happens to them??did they pour more money into their business and like someone pointed out,competition from retail stores show up,did they give back everything they made??
-sig file -------we eat to live,not live to eat.
Benjamin Franklin
posted on March 24, 2004 05:23:36 AM newAnyone that is doing even $50K net will be crawling with competitors in short order.
Reamond, you've said this twice as if it were some sort of Amityville Horror.
Competitors. Omigosh, Katie bar the door.
What is so awful about having competitors? Look at antique b/m stores. Many of them are located quite near their competitors. Portland has its Sellwood district. Gilroy has Monterey Street (where I had space in an antique mall for a time). Is this accidental? No. It's synergy. A cluster of antique stores brings more foot traffic than a single lone outlet.
Yes, I net over $50k. Yes, I am in a VERY crowded category. So what? Does Apple give up because they own only 5% of the personal computer market?
--
"The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: `If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down.'" -- Rita Rudner
posted on March 24, 2004 05:25:37 AM newSell the romance of being "like me"...having a little of what I have..stoke the fantasy.
J. Peterman! Where have you been?
--
"The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: `If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down.'" -- Rita Rudner
posted on March 24, 2004 08:37:02 AM newReamond, you've said this twice as if it were some sort of Amityville Horror.
What the h3ll are you talking about ???
I am refering to competitors cutting into profit and gross revenues. That is scary to a real business. The Apple example is a joke. Apple is almost gone, it is the amazing shrinking PC maker. But for a truely enlightening example look to Microsoft. It has amassed an unheard of fortune due to a lack of competition.
You example of the antique stores does not apply, unless you are asserting that all the stores sell the exact same items.
Collectibles are also a very minor category on eBay. But a very good example of how competition has lowered the prices and margins on eBay.
Anything sold on eBay that is or can be mass produced is a losing proposition almost from the start.
Collectibles is a self limiting category, and the mass produced stuff is subject to severe competition.
BTW- I was reading a thread about "successful" self represented artists on eBay complaing their works are being copied by other artists on eBay. Even "art" has become competitive on eBay.
posted on March 24, 2004 08:41:26 AM new"Marie and I grew the business to a certain size," Jay Senese said. "We have a million ideas, but they all cost money and time, and a commitment. It will take a capital investment and an investment in psyche that we're not prepared to make. The alternative may be to drift down the 1 Cent CDs path until it peters out."
It seems Jay has admited the eBay model has reached its limits for their business and the returns will be /are diminishing.
posted on March 24, 2004 08:49:32 AM new
The top 500 list is interesting. Just randoming checking a few of the sellers I found two that have no current auctions, and one of those was listed as a CD seller with over 30K FB. While I realize that the list is over 6 months old, these were supposed to be the "success" stories on eBay, but they seemed to go belly up last August. Do you suppose they took their "millions" in profits and retired ?
You can tell eBay has "jumped the shark" when Chuck Woolery is on a late night TV infomercial hawking a "make a fortune on eBay kit".
[ edited by Reamond on Mar 24, 2004 08:52 AM ]
posted on March 24, 2004 08:57:50 AM new
what it sounds like is that they want OUT.
why dont you call them and make an offer ,say 250k,i bet they will be delighted to hear the offer.
-sig file -------we eat to live,not live to eat.
Benjamin Franklin
posted on March 24, 2004 08:58:10 AM newI am refering to competitors cutting into profit and gross revenues. That is scary to a real business.
Oh, utter nonsense.
Good golly, Reamond, you sound like someone who's been out of work for 18 months who sits home in his boxers and wife-beater shirt watching the tube.
Don't forget to shave occasionally.
Every business has competition. And if you don't, wait 10 minutes. And your competition may be impolite enough to undercut your prices.
Is that what happened to you?
--
"The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: `If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down.'" -- Rita Rudner
posted on March 24, 2004 09:03:07 AM new
Uh, I'll give you a hint.
Four letters, starts with e and ends with y.
--
"The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: `If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down.'" -- Rita Rudner
posted on March 24, 2004 09:04:09 AM new
How many of you sellers are aware that there are people out there that do nothing but scan eBay auction sales looking for items/products that are making money just to copy them ?
There is software available these folks use that can give a statistical run down of your eBay sales in just a few minutes.
How many auction pages now state something to the extent and for what it's worth that this seller's item is the original, better product ?
There are sellers out there that do nothing but look for hot products so that they can hit the market too with a cheaper price or the same price.
They are short cutting by using someone else's marketing work.
They save money by allowing other sellers to list product that don't sell, and then when they see a product that is a hot seller these folks sell the same products.
They are making and saving money off of your efforts.
posted on March 24, 2004 09:13:22 AM newGood golly, Reamond
If you have to get personal because you can not offer a counter argument, I can too.
You sound like an older woman who wears too much make up, changes haor color regularly, and has a Poodle. You also have or had a husband that has supported you all these years and you have never really worked.
Your eBaying, if the truth was known is only a money losing hobby as you have demonstrated little or no business sense. In effect, you travel in circles without realizing it and out of touch with reality.
BTW, I have never been unemployed, don't wear boxers and don't know what a wife beater shirt is.
posted on March 24, 2004 09:15:15 AM new
The marketplace is hell, ain't it?...competitors and all..Why I remember the time when there were only original ideas and products that were unique to single sources and that sold for enormous profit...
it ain't a market unless you can hear some cryin'
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I require the same from them."- John Wayne/The Shootist"(from the novel by Glendon Swarthout)
[ edited by pandorasbox on Mar 24, 2004 09:16 AM ]
posted on March 24, 2004 09:22:05 AM new
What peeves me is the sellers that come hear and make it out like it is heaven.
There is more BS about eBay "successes" than you can shake a stick at.
Where are the millionaires ? Where are the ones even making a decent living ?
Why do you think eBay is turning to established Fortune 500 companies to do business with if these small sellers were growing and making money on eBay ?
Anyone can come on this board and say they make x amount of money, but every single time when we look at there sales records it turns out they aren't making near what they claim or are making nothing al all.
posted on March 24, 2004 09:26:07 AM new
Reamond - you mean to tell me that there are actually people out that have built a business model based on taking advantage of the fluid nature of trends?
You mean there are people that have decided not to spend time establishing a presence in a single field that could bottom out tomorrow (like ummm... CDs with the influx of digital files) and instead lean towards flexibility?
What do they do? Do they devote their time to... market research? GASP! Say it ain't so!! There are actually people who operate on the Work Smarter not Harder theory? The cads!
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
[ edited by Fenix03 on Mar 24, 2004 09:44 AM ]
posted on March 24, 2004 09:26:57 AM newYou sound like an older woman who wears too much make up, changes haor color regularly, and has a Poodle. You also have or had a husband that has supported you all these years and you have never really worked.
This is WONDERFUL! Thank you!
You have made my entire day. Not that it wasn't already pretty good.
--
"The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: `If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down.'" -- Rita Rudner
posted on March 24, 2004 09:37:34 AM new
Really, the complaints here are no different than what you'd hear in any marketing / sales conference of any company.
Viscious competitors, price gutting, dumping...most everything except payola, my personal favorite for getting the job done.
Jay and Marie, I think, should really parlay their reputation into consulting.Selling their business is not the best way to amortize their unique position on eBay.
Selling a business requires specifics, cash-flow analysis..real world stuff.
Consulting affords them a way of perpetuating their myth and is something the big boys and girls would pay handsomely for...
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I require the same from them."- John Wayne/The Shootist"(from the novel by Glendon Swarthout)
posted on March 24, 2004 09:53:32 AM new
Fluff - you pampered puss you! Can I have your life? I would prefer that the husband that is supporting me is of the "ex" variety. I'm tiring of supporting my downtown loft living lifestyle with my ebay sales and would love find someone else to absorb those costs for me while I spend more time on experimenting on hair colors although I'll pass on the poodle, how about nice low energy Basset?
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on March 24, 2004 09:59:35 AM new
Well, I'd love to continue this stimulating conversation, but I've got to take FiFi the Wonder Poodle to the groomer for her bikini waxing.
Then a long lunch with the girls at Spago in Palo Alto...followed by a session with Monique, my stylist. I'm thinking platinum blonde this week. Or maybe strawberry blonde, for that Julianne Moore look. I'm only twenty ... er, ten ... er, five years older than she.
Tata, darlings! <smooch> Don't forget to recork the Taittinger; we'll have peach Bellinis later, I promise, so don't pout.
--
"The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: `If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down.'" -- Rita Rudner
