posted on November 19, 2001 05:16:14 PM new
Is that the official Ebay slogan? A couple of my questions may have been discussed to death here and I apologize, I just don't get over here to AW as much as I should (and for the record zclone is not my Ebay I.D.).
A couple things I don't understand:
1. Does anyone think it's proper for Ebay to have links (at the top of our auction listings) to other peoples auctions, regardless that it's for their Auctions For America?
2. Checkout...another attempt for full control? Or merely an honest attempt at helping sellers? I vote for the former.
3. Keyword spamming...example: I'm selling a throwing knife, it is made by Hilben let's say, and in my description I say "Olsen style Hilben throwing knife" for lack of a better way to describe it, is that spamming? According to Ebay it is, can't use another company's name to sell the item on auction. Now, buyers cannot feel, hear, smell, taste whatever we are selling, so we as sellers have to be as descriptive as possible don't you think? I've been selling on Ebay for a couple years so I pretty much know the course over there but alot of their rules seem a little edgy to me.
I appreciate your thoughts on the above and feel free to add a crappy rule you don't like.
posted on November 19, 2001 05:37:41 PM new
Forgot to mention, from opening statement, have you noticed if turn in a powerseller with 4000 feedback (400 negs) and a smalltime seller 300 feedback (3 negs) for the same offense, the little guy bites the dust and the big guy is allowed to continue. I just think that's wrong, treat each equally or be honest about your true intent.
posted on November 20, 2001 01:22:46 PM new
I too think ebay has gotten too big for its britches.
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The AFA appeals are completely ridiculous now that they have more money for the victims and families than they will ever need to give out. The way it AFA came into being was not from the grass roots, but from their marketing geniuses. There was no real input initially from us sellers. Of course they asked us what we thought AFTER the fact. But it was well after the fact, and AFA just about killed all regular auction bidding for a week or two. I think just about all of us wanted to help, but not at the expense of our families income.
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Still it is ebay's website and they can do what they please.
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As to the keyword spamming, they don't do the monitoring, but rather rely on the "community" which means one of your competitors turned you in. Just like in Russia under Stalin. I think there are times when using a particular word can convey a great deal of info to the bidder and wish some common sense could be used by the ebay auction police.
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Finally, as to large sellers getting more leeway than us small guys, you can count on it. And the brand name corporations get away with even more. In fact they have special rules just for Disney! Do the words arbitrary and capricious fit? The idiots in Salt Lake City who enforce the rules are often pretty, um, looking for a nice word here....unsophisticated and unworldy. It is unfortunate, since their ignorance shows all the time when they make lame decisions.
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Believe me when I tell you, you are not alone in your feelings and frustrations!
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[ edited by litlux on Nov 20, 2001 01:30 PM ]
posted on November 20, 2001 02:50:07 PM new
eBay also wants to prevent any small seller from developing a brand on eBay. Stiffling communication between buyer and seller, and key word spamming witch hunts are part of that.
To date, not one seller on eBay has been able to brand their items or brand their retailing operation.
Just think, after 5 years and all these Power Sellers, when someone makes a purchase on eBay and is asked where they got the item, the answer is always the same- I bought it on eBay. Almost never will you hear a buyer state which seller they bought the item from.
But this is a double edged sword. Many name brand retailers will not list on eBay for this reason. They have spent years and $millions on brand development and will not list on eBay so a buyer can say they bought the item from eBay. That is also why eBay allows big outfits like Disney to have their own site and rules.
The small seller on eBay is a serf. The smart small sellers are advertising their products and their own sales web sites in their EOA emails. eBay knows it and wants the auctions run like Half.com for this reason. The less communication between buyers and sellers, the more likely eBay can maintain a stranglehold on branding our items and work product.
All sellers should by-pass eBay at every opportunity and develope their own customers and branding, or remain a serf to eBay's rules, total control, and escalating fees.
posted on November 20, 2001 06:50:49 PM new
prstigeous brands such as rolex,mercier,chanel,sony have no problem letting neiman marcus,nordstrom,marshall field etc sell their goods,and they dont mind if someone said i bot my rolex watch at neiman marcus.
it is the deep discounting which is going on ebay which is hurting the brands and their tradiional distribution and retail network.
i have seen someone discounting wedgwood,lalique and waterford crystal,not to
mention rosenthal,royal doulton ,herend ,belleek on ebay,eventually the maker will suffer when these traditional retailers go under.
for example,
rolex watch is very sought after,what would happen if they allow all of us to deal in rolex,say we each order 1-3 rolex watches and keep them in the drawer,list them on ebay and be happy making a 25% profit or less.
throw it in a box we picked up from the dumpster and ship it usps first class mail.
they arrive chipped or cracked or damaged and we dont care ,giving rolex a bad name.
we dont care is becasue we make such a slim profit,we cant afford to shore up our customer service because our profit margin cannot allow it.
we must use catsup stained boxes,kotex boxes to ship so we can preserve our slim margin.
what is going to happen eventually,THINK!!!!!
posted on November 20, 2001 07:12:42 PM new
All those brands you've named and the retailers that sell them have very stringent and complex marketing agreements. Discounting being only one facet. Display, exclusivitity, packaging, and service all go into the retailing agreement.
If any licensed dealer of Rolex brands is selling them on Ebay, Rolex will put a stop to it when it comes to their attention. Just as Mary Kaye licensed dealers are not permitted to sell on eBay.
They don't offer Rolex at Kmart, whether Kmart doesn't discount the price or not.
Never the less, you can not create a brand on eBay, either as retailing or by item, other than the eBay brand, and that's the way eBay wants it.
posted on November 20, 2001 08:10:22 PM new
I DOUBT some of the brands i mentioned are enforcing them,i know rosenthal is being sold on ebay by german dealers and lalique sold on ebay by canadian dealers.
if they want to enforce ,they have to do so worldwide,fair pricing for all,not one export price for us importers and one for local dealers.
some of the manufacturers have not come to realise what cyberspace is doing to their world of business-for example a french limoge maker has only one importer/distributor in usa,and all us retailers must go thru that distributor,nothing wrong with that except to pay his bills,the exlcusive distributor mark up the item 100 %,so an item which cost 50 dollars is now 100 dollars wholesale.
here comes a french dealer who order direct from french maker at 50 and sell them in cyberspace starting at 65 and watch what happens,these days he may get just 65 or may be a little more.
now how can us dealers compete,ebay is a household word and many consumers know they can buy many things on ebay,so they pay extra shipping for a 65 dollars item,but it is still cheaper than buying in a land retail store or an usa ebay seller.
only the most prestigeous brand names realise and protect their brand names,like you said rolex is not sold in kmart,but i have seen swarovski crystal at sam club,lalique and limoges at sam club.
as for ebay seller not being able to develop his own brand name,that issue should have been considered before a seller shows up on ebay-ebay is a flea market,its attraction is that every time you log on,new items appear,this is the strength of ebay,an army of individual sellers each contributing his own inventory,individually we will never have the resources to do so,fresh items every minute of the day,never dull,totally mesmerizing.
you know this is why ebay bidders come nite after nite,for that we all benefit and for that we have to sacrifice some thing-our own individuality ,call it brand name/
posted on November 20, 2001 10:20:03 PM new
The flea market model shouldn't keep small sellers from developing their own branding and growing their business. It is eBay that is preventing the small sellers from branding, and thereby keeping them small.
The fact that buyers come to eBay for all the different small sellers is another result of eBay keeping sellers from branding. If sellers could brand, buyers would come to eBay for specific sellers.
