Topic: Wow, it's bigger then I thought !

[Godffery]

   I feel this is VERY on topic because the majority of us buy and sell our Vintage bikes and parts here as well as posting auctions of interest to the group.
 

 
It even made CNN :
http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/15/smbusiness/ebay_strike_update.fsb/index.htm?cnn=yes
 
   Godffery
http://tinyurl.com/yoelqb

[Uncle Ernie]

ooops.  I thought maybe you'd been talking to my past girlfriends.

I've been spreading the word some.  It will be interesting to see if it has any affect.

[BobbyR]

Ebay built itself on the back of the small guy like me. Can someone please pull this knife out of my back??

[Godffery]

Ebay built itself on the back of the small guy like me. Can someone please pull this knife out of my back??

   Very well put !
There has been some talk about Google starting a on-line auction site that blow FeeBay off the net .

   Godffery
http://tinyurl.com/yoelqb

[Uncle Ernie]

UPS did the same thing.  Now they only want business accounts.

I keep hearing about other auctions, but no names.  Any clues?

[mikedialect]

I guess it was a bad day to list new auctions. I had no idea.


damn.

[mark]

well whoop-dee-doo.

pardon my lack of enthusiasm.

I haven't listed anything since Jan. '07 - about the time of the previous round of fee hikes.

it was fun while it lasted.


 

[DammitDan]

You know I had to really really search to find the new fee hikes.  The only thing they mentioned in the emails was the "new lower listing fees!".  That's what pisses me off the most...  They assume their customers are idiots and won't actually read the fine print.

66% is a HUGE hike in expenses.  My brother in law recently sold a set of Harley heads on ebay for $2000, and I told him that not only would he be at risk for having his funds held for 21 days, he would have to pay an extra $60 off HIS final selling price.  I don't see a $60 increase in convenience or services...  That's why Ebay needs to either fix the problem or die in its' fit of apathy.

[mikedialect]

You know I had to really really search to find the new fee hikes.  The only thing they mentioned in the emails was the "new lower listing fees!".  That's what pisses me off the most...  They assume their customers are idiots and won't actually read the fine print.

66% is a HUGE hike in expenses.  My brother in law recently sold a set of Harley heads on ebay for $2000, and I told him that not only would he be at risk for having his funds held for 21 days, he would have to pay an extra $60 off HIS final selling price.  I don't see a $60 increase in convenience or services...  That's why Ebay needs to either fix the problem or die in its' fit of apathy.

That kind of price increase should not be in FINE PRINT! They have effectively changed the entire system and it should be loud and clear.

[Raul CB750K1]

I was very enthusiastic when I heard about the strike, and I'm going to do it, but I wonder how much impact will it have. If somebody wants to sell something and doesn't do it this week, next week there will be a flood of listed items and a flood of buyers willing to buy what they needs. At the end, it will be a "feast or famine" kind of thing, the profit of this week will be moved to next week.

[Cvillechopper]

I was very enthusiastic when I heard about the strike, and I'm going to do it, but I wonder how much impact will it have. If somebody wants to sell something and doesn't do it this week, next week there will be a flood of listed items and a flood of buyers willing to buy what they needs. At the end, it will be a "feast or famine" kind of thing, the profit of this week will be moved to next week.

It's the same as those lame "Don't buy gas on this day" threads that you see going around.  The only way to make a real impact is to make long-term change.  The market will withstand a certain level of cost for a given service.  People now think that the cost is too high so some other business will now see it as a viable business strategy to develop another option and E-bay will then have to COMPETE for business.  The individual sellers are more important to E-bay than they realize. 

I would bet that as soon as another site hits that allows the little guy to sell for a reasonable cost, you'll see 2 distinct types of sales between the sites.  You'll have the random assortment of stuff being sold by individuals (like E-bay was in the begining) and the bulk warehouse sale stuff (where they are now).  Which do you think generates the most traffic?  I don't spend hours searching for a part I can order somewhere else easily just to save a buck.  I spend hours searching for that certain part I need.  More searching = more advertising sales, more random finds/sales, etc.

Here's hoping it happens soon.

[okie]

In case you haven't, I recommend that you take the time to view the youtube video mentioned in an earlier post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23TomS5--n
Some of the related videos are interesting too.
If you sell in eBay, check out:

That is the one that made the decision for me.

I am putting my money where my mouth is.  I am canceling my PayPal AND eBay accounts just as soon as my last transaction clears (hopefully, today).  That means I will need to find alternative venues for selling a lot of nice CB350F parts, and 3 very nice bikes(a CB350F, a CB350F 'replica racer', and VF500F Interceptor). I may die of old age with an attic full of parts.  I am NOT going to feed the beast(eBay). 

[BobbyR]

Since I sometimes list some fairly expensive musclecar parts, I gave up taking PayPal. Now, I am glad I did. Ebay has become apathetic they are arrogant.   

[Uncle Ernie]

This reminds me of when a real pretty girl walks into the bar and all the guys around the pool table josh and gossip. 
I hope everyone is also telling the girl hoiw they feel, or she'll never know.

Know what I mean jelly bean?

[rugger81]

I hear people are moving to this site: http://www.onlineauction.com/  read somewhere that their user base spiked 15% the week of the ebay hikes.  Granted that spiked was only like 7,500 people, but still it's worth look.  Can't find the article about it I read, or I'd post it.

[mikedialect]

So, I was thinking last night about this and talking to my flat mate.... There really isn't anywhere else to go besides ebay. I checked into a bunch of other auction sites and none of them had much of anything SOHC realted. So, even if you did permanently boycott ebay you would never find people who want to buy and items would be 'worth' less and you might as well pay the fees to find people who want to buy.

I still think doing away with buyer feedback is utterly silly.

[Godffery]

If you sell in eBay, check out:

That is the one that made the decision for me.
I am putting my money where my mouth is.  I am canceling my PayPal AND eBay accounts  

I also lost my A$$ on a paypal / ebay deal.  The buyer got the item and all the money back ! ?  I got the run around and massive head ache !

[mikedialect]

If you sell in eBay, check out:

That is the one that made the decision for me.
I am putting my money where my mouth is.  I am canceling my PayPal AND eBay accounts   

I also lost my A$$ on a paypal / ebay deal.  The buyer got the item and all the money back ! ?  I got the run around and massive head each !

DO tell- did you insure?

[BobbyR]

If you sell in eBay, check out:

That is the one that made the decision for me.
I am putting my money where my mouth is.  I am canceling my PayPal AND eBay accounts   

I also lost my A$$ on a paypal / ebay deal.  The buyer got the item and all the money back ! ?  I got the run around and massive head each !

DO tell- did you insure?

Insurance only covers damage, not buyers dishonesty.

[mikedialect]

If you sell in eBay, check out:

That is the one that made the decision for me.
I am putting my money where my mouth is.  I am canceling my PayPal AND eBay accounts   

I also lost my A$$ on a paypal / ebay deal.  The buyer got the item and all the money back ! ?  I got the run around and massive head each !

DO tell- did you insure?

Insurance only covers damage, not buyers dishonesty.

true. I was curious of the circumstances. There really is no measure of buyer checks and balances after tomorow

[Godffery]

DO tell- did you insure?

   It's a long friggen story and it Pi$$'s me off just thinking about it !
Basically, The buyer didn't want to spring for insurance and wanted to ship Via slow boat to UK from US so I decided to at leas pay a little extra for delivery conformation witch provides a tracking #.  Well it falls off the face of the earth (international customs department) after 3 weeks the buyer wants a refund or he's filing a dispute and leaving a nasty feedback , I willing give him the FULL refund with a written agreement that he sends the refund back when the item is delivered. ( I know , that was my first mistake ! I felt bullied into it. )  Well of cores a short time later I get conformation from USPS that the package has bed delivered !  I send the buyer
a copy of the delivery conformation and request the refund be returned, (at least 3 times) NOTHING, No response at all !  Now every time I try to contact paypal, I ether don't get a response or they ask me to sent them the same information I've been sending regarding the whole issue ! ? ! (THE RUN AROUND)

BTW that F&$%# left me Bad feedback to boot ! ?

[toycollector10]

That's very harsh Godffery...what a bummer.

The new eBay CEO is clearly an arrogant prick. How many people has he walked over to get to where he is now. I think the previous CEO was earning 38 million a year. I can't remember where I read that but it stuck in my mind, as it would.

How about if the CEO had given all the sellers a 2% reduction in fees and a big thank you for making the business what it is today. I have bought into eBay on many levels since I started trading in 2003 so I find his remarks offensive. He needs to go.

[okie]

How about if the CEO had given all the sellers a 2% reduction in fees and a big thank you for making the business what it is today. I have bought into eBay on many levels since I started trading in 2003 so I find his remarks offensive. He needs to go.

It doesn't work that way.  He will stay and still make his millions and hopefully drive the company into the ground.  I can't control him.  I CAN control myself.  I won't support eBay and PayPal with another dollar.  If enough people send the only message giant companies can hear (depriving them of their income) maybe something will change. If my bikes and parts rust away into dust, so be it.  I won't miss any meals because of it.