Attracting More Buyers to eBid

[LovesVintage43]

Unfortunately, this is said every time ebay make changes that are detrimental to sellers (fairly frequently!), but I've been reading the forums over there since the news of FVF's on postage, and people are talking about closing their online businesses, or selling from their own website, or selling at a car boot sale. For some reason, ebid never seems to be an option for them - not sure why. I think it could be because a lot of people have tried other auction sites, with little success. BUT they don't stop to think that if a lot of them moved over here, and informed all their previous buyers that they now sold on ebid, not only would they make sales but they would increase the virtual footfall for everyone here.

It's frustrating.

Yes, that's a good point. From my own personal experience I have only been using ebay to sell on for the past 7 months so I don't know what has gone before, but all I do know is that I wasn't really aware of ebid until recently. It was whilst speaking to someone else about the fees on ebay and they recommended I try ebid, so the first time I ever logged on was around 2 weeks ago! Everyone knows ebay and I suppose continue to use it because it is so well established - this site could obviously be good competition but if people aren't aware of it, it needs to be publicised.

Dzambo- not sure what point you were making to me...I'm just making an observation on how things are going on the other site because small private sellers who sell by auction are being priced out on selling their usual second hand items and it is these people who are saying that they will leave...and these are the people that ebid could benefit from :-)

[Juliebabe25]

If sellers do leave ebay, the are spread out amongst say 10 other sites, so unfortunately there will never be a mass movement.

What ebid needs is a lot more sellers that sell stuff regularly to publicize that fact around the web.

People listen to other people!

[3red123]

Unfortunately, looking long term doesn't put food on the table today and tomorrow. Even the ebay sellers who are moaning about making less money on their sales are still making money from ebay. If you tell them to put loads of items on ebid, spend hours every week pushing people towards your sales and then expect a trickle of sales for the next six months until they build up an audience of buyers again, and most will be put off - if they use their ebay money for more than just pocket money (and let's face it, that's who we need to attract : the big sellers and not the people who are selling the bits and pieces they no longer want) most of them will not, CANNOT, afford to make the move.

I think that the upcoming changes from September are actually far reaching for many Ebay sellers, and their new move is a decent enough promotional tool for Ebid....certainly , it should and i dare say will encourage enough unhappy sellers to give this site a try out, but i hope that they will take Ebid with a long term view and get to know the moist effective listing practices before deciding to throw in the towel.
Many sellers who may try Ebid out will i'm in doubt be the seller who sells collectibles and general clutter clearer's who lets face it are now no longer welcome on Ebay due to the hard to satisfy dsr system and the impending substantial fee hike.

In fact while looking over the Ebay forums one respected poster noted that perhaps Ebay had decided to add the postage element of all transactions to the final value fee as postage costs now represent the only area for future growth, while this may have stated jokingly i think that there was more than a small degree of truth in the statement.

[shadow73]

lets just hope that, fingers crossed, ebays loss will be ebids gain. i do not like the fact or even think its fair that ebay are charging fvf on postage. they make enough money without doing that

[DZAMBO]

Dzambo- not sure what point you were making to me...I'm just making an observation on how things are going on the other site because small private sellers who sell by auction are being priced out on selling their usual second hand items and it is these people who are saying that they will leave...and these are the people that ebid could benefit from :-)[/QUOTE]


Well…how things going on other site I know that too….and still plenty ‘’second hand items’’ listed and mostly I buying that stuff and very cheap, because before I buy or interested on something I check all available same items all around, and most of time I can’t find on other sites or if I find these items is for sale with BIN with higher price….

So I turn around and most of time I find it my ‘’favorite’’ way of spending money:
Auction listing starting bid $0.99 with free shipping or cheap shipping and here we go…

What will happen next we will see but usually I still catch these items very cheap in the end…and if I pay higher price is still cheaper from how much same items listed around for BIN or around these particular items not exist for sale….

And you say ‘’these guys’s will leave’’…well…’’maybe’’ but new guys with these items will come and that is what I all need…
And if I am wrong in the past more of 5 years I probably not buy that much because these guys left and right now after 5 years numbers is more of 500 items….

Couple thousand $ I spend already....


I like to buy from other sites but these items are for BIN or higher price or not exist for sale….

[DZAMBO]

And for that exactly exist all alternative sites around….
Peoples move from bigger site ONLY on average because of very high fees, ok some of mess up with rules and banned or restricted from the site but still this small minority compared how many move out alone because of fees…

And fees where you have high traffic compared to others sites will not hurt that much who selling higher priced item will hurt only not so called small sellers I mean only sellers who selling low priced items…

For example small seller who has 10-20 items and selling each for $50.00 or more is not hurting much compared who has 1,000 items but with $0.50 selling price for each….
After fees or store fees and after sales for each one seller, seller with 1,000 items will leave….

Of course all over the net exist sellers who selling higher priced items but selling on behalf on supplier and that mean margin profit for these seller is very small and to put these item on eBay is not going to work either because fees and store fees will eat all margin profit, well…supplier will be happy for sales but person who selling for him will not and only for that reason person who selling these stuff will move on alternative sites…

And as anyone can see on AVERAGE what or which items is listed on alternative sites picture is pretty clear…no listing fees, no store fees, very small FVF, and person can WAIT for ages….because even if is still selling regularly monthly can’t make it not even close living wages from these selling because if is sold all still be worth only small amount of the money of course on AVERAGE all sellers on particular site…

In the end of course person can’t order for someone which item or how much will sell these all stuff, and all peoples selling around what have personally for sale and that’s ok with me….

[FBNeNotes]

I just want to say that eBid.net is Missing their chance of a lifetime to make this a real Public Online Auction Site.....
it only takes the one missing element.. of making-showing bids to lookers in all sub-cats where applicable.
Bids do NOT show on this site when scrolling the sub-catergories and it makes this site very Boring !!!!
I know I am correct about this... time to take heads out of the sand... site will never have action and disappoint sellers till it
acts like an auction site... thousands are looking for a new workable home.. that will give consistent sales with an at least 15% sell through.

[kreativebargains]

A few points raised here.

The big sellers that eBid need to attract. They will not suddenly move from eBay. But if they have any sense they should be starting to build a presence elsewhere, and at the very least they can create an additional income stream on eBid. That might not be worthwhile initially with the time and effort, but the sooner they start the sooner it becomes viable for them and eBid. And every sale on eBid makes them more money, even if they were to lower their prices.

Those that do leave eBay for an alternative site will be spread around about 10 sites. There may be more sites, but eBid needs to attract more than it's share. Rather than 10% each eBid needs, and should be attracting 25% or more of the eBay deserters, if that happens it will possibly also lead to a reduction in alts, only the best will or should survive.

I am seeing steady growth in traffic and sales, it is not yet at the stage where it will attract a mass exodus from eBay or other sites, but it is there. Eventually the figures will start to stack up more favourably on eBid, when that happens there is far more chance of the exodus of sellers that we would all love to see. As long as things continually improve on eBid then the likelihood is that the tipping point will be reached. That might take time, how long is anybody's guess, 6 months, a year, 5 years, who knows. But all the time selling on here will become more profitable, and as such more will join and equally important fewer will give eBid a try and give up. We all need to be patient, possibly very patient.

[HaleysComics]

In eBay's defense, I have to say it was the very bad sellers that made them start charging the fvf on postage, I remember those seller selling a high priced item for a dollar but charging $100.00 for shipping to bypass having to pay eBay a fvf. All it takes is one bad apple to mess things up for everyone.

[LovesVintage43]

In eBay's defense, I have to say it was the very bad sellers that made them start charging the fvf on postage, I remember those seller selling a high priced item for a dollar but charging $100.00 for shipping to bypass having to pay eBay a fvf. All it takes is one bad apple to mess things up for everyone.

Yes, this is the main reason given for the new fee. It probably would have been easier to set maximum postage amounts though...:-)