edited

[RobertGT]

edited

[Leon]

They are trying to increase sales by doing it and it could be backfiring. They tinker with things way too much.....

[bobbyw8469]

Donahue just says "naaah...you really don't need to see that, but here's a new flat-screen TV."

Typical way of CEO thinking. Those guys make WAYYYYY too much money for how little they actually know.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

Typical way of CEO thinking. Those guys make WAYYYYY too much money for how little they actually know.

A CEO is responsible for making their companies stock price go up. If they do that then they succeed. If they don't then they fail. I had heard what you posted a few months ago. If you do searches on ebay it starts to learn what you look for and steers you that way. At least that is the way it looks to me and I do quite a bit of searching.

[npa589]

Originally Posted by Leon

They are trying to increase sales by doing it and it could be backfiring. They tinker with things way too much.....

Absolutely...

There is another change with regard to searches that eBay made a little bit ago that could also be hindering sales. The removal of the * search action definitely had an impact on how many items a prospective buyer will see, and, therefore, how many buyers see a particular item. I surmise that probably hundreds, if not 1000s of buyers/sellers had spent days creating these searches over the course of a few years - and many simply didn't have the time or care to do it all again seeing as how it would probably require 15x more searches, since each set/card/player now becomes it's own search, if not two.

What I am sure many of us used to do was make a search that would find a few different sets, and really limit the amount of junk that we have to sift through (e.g. -20*, -199*, -198*, etc.). Now we can't!

It has probably decreased my purchases on eBay by 50%. So, though I'm a small microcosm of the problem at large, I trust that it is true of many buyers.

[SMPEP]

The * change was a collosally stupid idea for Ebay.

For example if I want to search for the 1952 high numbers (not using the word Hi or High, because some listers might not put it in the title) I used to be able to use the * feature to craft 10 searches (1952 Topps 32*, for example). Now I need 97 searches because I can no longer do this.

And what does this mean? It means I've stopped searching for 1952 Topps high numbers (unless they have High or Hi in them).

So sellers get screwed because I don't bid. (Better for my wallet though!)

But Ebay doesn't really care if I don't bid because like real estate agents, they don't really care what the sales price is. The commission difference between a $50 sale and a $40 sale isn't a big deal. They want a fast sale, and more sales. Getting the highest $ sale is essentially meaningless to them.

Of course following the business model of real estate agents isn't real smart because one day in the not too distant future we'll wake up in a world where real estate agents no longer exist (the computer can completely replace their "service"). Ebay is in danger of a similar fate.

Cheers,
Patrick

[thecatspajamas]

If they would just make a way for an "experienced" user to opt out of whatever new bs "improvement" they've come up with for this quarter, I would feel a lot better about it. Screwing around with the search functionality, on a site where you HAVE TO use the search because there's no way possible to just browse through everything, is the surest way to kill your core group of users. Ebay's problems always seem to come back to them chasing after "new users" and trying to control those new users' "Ebay experience" while taking for granted that all of the old users will muddle through somehow.

New users. Controlled experience. Collect more fees. Be like Amazon.

It's the Ebay mantra.

[prestigecollectibles]

I just found this site that allows you to use the wildcard search on Ebay. http://www.watcheditem.com/search/0.html

[steve B]

Even worse is how they do the ads through doubleclick. usually somewhere around 90 attempts to load an ad, all of which went into the history effectively disabling the back button.

Even after blocking doubleclick, the scripts on the page still make three tries, so getting back from the item to the search results takes three clicks instead of one.

I'm ok with the ads, which I can ignore, but disabling a function of the browser and making it really slow to browse for items is horrible. (Studies show that much more than one or two clicks to get to what people want usually sends them somewhere else, three is too many to go back, and 60-90 is insane.)

Steve B

[1880nonsports]

THANK YOU FOR THAT bit-o-honey about the back button being rendered inoperative! It's been happening to me for at least a month when doing my searches and driving me NUTZ...........

[greenmonster66]

Yeah I agree my sales since around beg of May have taken a nose dive big time! Trying to sell on great forum sites like N54 and others to help me out!

[buymycards]

I have to agree. May and June were nasty months compared to my sales from previous months and the number of people who don't pay or take two weeks to pay has jumped drastically. I will never understand someone who hits the BIN for a $4 item and then won't pay until a NPB is filed.

Rick

[CW]

Originally Posted by steve B

Even worse is how they do the ads through doubleclick. usually somewhere around 90 attempts to load an ad, all of which went into the history effectively disabling the back button.

Not sure what browser you're using, but I surf ebay with Firefox (w/ the AdBlock Plus add-on installed) and I never have such issues.

[toppcat]

I have not sold on eBay in years. All of my card related sales are either private or on the BST here. They can try to emulate Amazon all they want but it will never be a similar portal.

[thehoodedcoder]

Originally Posted by Leon

A CEO is responsible for making their companies stock price go up. If they do that then they succeed. If they don't then they fail. I had heard what you posted a few months ago. If you do searches on ebay it starts to learn what you look for and steers you that way. At least that is the way it looks to me and I do quite a bit of searching.

unfortunately that is the thinking in this country. they are successfull if they make the company money. the price of the stock will then follow.

at times the stock can still go up, even if the company is not making more money.

the CEO is successfull if the company makes more money AND the stock price goes up as a result of that.

kevin

[RobertGT]

edited

[steve B]

Originally Posted by CW

Not sure what browser you're using, but I surf ebay with Firefox (w/ the AdBlock Plus add-on installed) and I never have such issues.

I'm using IE9, I have firefox, but don't use it often. IE has a zoom feature that's handy for small or less detailed scans.

I'll have to give firefox a try for Ebay.

Steve B

[EvilKing00]

Originally Posted by SMPEP

The * change was a collosally stupid idea for Ebay.

For example if I want to search for the 1952 high numbers (not using the word Hi or High, because some listers might not put it in the title) I used to be able to use the * feature to craft 10 searches (1952 Topps 32*, for example). Now I need 97 searches because I can no longer do this.

And what does this mean? It means I've stopped searching for 1952 Topps high numbers (unless they have High or Hi in them).

So sellers get screwed because I don't bid. (Better for my wallet though!)

But Ebay doesn't really care if I don't bid because like real estate agents, they don't really care what the sales price is. The commission difference between a $50 sale and a $40 sale isn't a big deal. They want a fast sale, and more sales. Getting the highest $ sale is essentially meaningless to them.

Of course following the business model of real estate agents isn't real smart because one day in the not too distant future we'll wake up in a world where real estate agents no longer exist (the computer can completely replace their "service"). Ebay is in danger of a similar fate.

Cheers,
Patrick

I would disagree just on the real estate agent part of what your saying.

If an agent dosnt care about prices #1 yes their commission is lower, #2 as homes continue to sell for less the comps drop across the board, and in the long run, it will kill their salary as well as destroy the area they work in. Im a real estate Broker, and I can tell you getting the top dollar is very important, in keeping the comps high as well as my commission checks. A home can only sell for what your neighbors sell for comparatively, unless its a cash deal, a bank will not give you a mortgage otherwise. Higher the price the better for everyone in the long run.

[Exhibitman]

I've all but stopped selling via eBay because I can send the items to sterling and not mess with the eBay BS.

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I've all but stopped selling via eBay because I can send the items to sterling and not mess with the eBay BS.

Selling on ebay is unfortunately more than 50% of my business...I have no choice. It makes me mad every time they tinker with what was once a great website.

[conor912]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I've all but stopped selling via eBay because I can send the items to sterling and not mess with the eBay BS.

Agreed. There are just too many other avenues to sell through to deal with the hassle.

[pawpawdiv9]

I never tried a auction house or consigned before..maybe just scared because its something new to me.
Its where i try to sell here B/S/T and give a fair price, generally asking around and talking to others. I try and use paypal gift. I just dont know the advantages of elsewhere.

[smtjoy]

I know im in the minority but the last 3 months my store sales have been very solid, much better than the first three months of this year. Granted, the stuff I sell is not real common stuff so it can be streaky. I just upgraded my store to the middle one too so I can increase my listings.

I do think any card will sell on ebay, it just gets down to price and the vast majority of cards listed on ebay are too high to sell without some waiting involved. I also have to shake my head when I see a common card like a 1958 topps in PSA 8 and there are 3+ listed, unless you are the lowest one can you really expect to sell anytime soon?

[auggiedoggy]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I've all but stopped selling via eBay because I can send the items to sterling and not mess with the eBay BS.

I hate the BS as much as the next guy but auction houses are a great option if you are NOT a business and/or only sell things on an occasional basis. How many auctions per year do these AHs have? On eBay at least you have the ability to sell every day of the year to a huge target audience.

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

Typical way of CEO thinking. Those guys make WAYYYYY too much money for how little they actually know.

+1 nail. head.

[thecatspajamas]

Originally Posted by slidekellyslide

Selling on ebay is unfortunately more than 50% of my business...I have no choice. It makes me mad every time they tinker with what was once a great website.

Amen, brutha, and I'm way above that 50% mark. If it weren't for repeat customers checking out my auctions every week, these search engine changes probably would have affected me more. May was actually very good for me, but not because of anything eBay did. As it is, it's hard to tell what effect any one change has for me, but it makes me sick thinking how much time I spend "adjusting" things after each eBay tweak, and then look at the total fees I pay to them over the course of a year.

[toledo_mudhen]

Originally Posted by CW

Not sure what browser you're using, but I surf ebay with Firefox (w/ the AdBlock Plus add-on installed) and I never have such issues.

Ditto that!!! Firefox and Ad Block Plus has allowed me to cut thru the CRAP...........

Also too add - I am a very very small microcosm of the eBay seller pool but sales (at a fair market price) have been virtually non existent for me.

On the flip side - I notice that I have been able to purchase at, what I perceive to be, a significantly reduced cost as many sellers try to combat whatever forces feebay has put into effect for any given month.

I have been on ebay since June of 96 so I have pretty much seen it all and I gotta tell ya - they have taken this "if it ain't broke - we gotta fix it" mentality to brand new heights of stupidity.

[glchen]

I'm not happy at all with the new fee increases at ebay. However, saying that, I would say that my ebay sales are roughly in line with what they were before the ebay site changes. The thing w/ ebay is that you still get your money faster than if you went through an auction house or consignment, and sometimes you can even get better sale prices because you don't have to rely on the randomness of auction sales. However, if I do need to move some items, I will go through an ebay consignment (like PWCC) or an auction house rather than doing a straight 99 cent auction from my ebay userid.

[rube26105]

Originally Posted by glchen

I'm not happy at all with the new fee increases at ebay. However, saying that, I would say that my ebay sales are roughly in line with what they were before the ebay site changes. The thing w/ ebay is that you still get your money faster than if you went through an auction house or consignment, and sometimes you can even get better sale prices because you don't have to rely on the randomness of auction sales. However, if I do need to move some items, I will go through an ebay consignment (like PWCC) or an auction house rather than doing a straight 99 cent auction from my ebay userid.

+1

[mintacular]

I've noticed recently that the fees continue to go up, ie. 15% ebay + 3% paypal and so this should be good for private auction houses or dealers sites like this, etc.

Feel like fees used to be well under 15% TOTAL FEES

Also, think eBay search function updates have clouded everything and made it more difficult to find (or sell) what you need

[dog*dirt]

Originally Posted by mintacular

I've noticed recently that the fees continue to go up, ie. 15% ebay + 3% paypal and so this should be good for private auction houses or dealers sites like this, etc.

Feel like fees used to be well under 15% TOTAL FEES

Also, think eBay search function updates have clouded everything and made it more difficult to find (or sell) what you need

Well said Patrick as I agree completely.

[glchen]

I don't think that fees are 15%, at least not yet, unless there is something in the new Fall Seller Updates for ebay that I haven't seen yet. Fees for most sports items are 10% + 3% paypal. This does not count insertion fees, where if you just list when ebay has listing promotions, you can get for free. Top Rated Sellers receive 20% off final value fees, so for them the fees will typically be 8% + 3% paypal = 11% net. This is still better than many of the large auction houses which have close to 20% Buyer's Premium, and then you still have to pay 15% sellers fee = 35% Net. Therefore, in comparison, ebay is still substantially less. (There are some auction houses like Goodwin that have 0% seller's commission, and most of the smaller auction houses like B&L, I believe, also have 0% and smaller buyer's premium also.) I don't like the fee increases at ebay, especially the last one, but in comparison, it's still better the many of the other options.

[Northviewcats]

Hello Everyone,

In my humble opinion, eBay rocks.

I realize that I'm a small player in the eBay world. I only average about $1,000.00 in sales a month, and I do get frustrated with some of their frequent policy changes, but I'm successful doing business on eBay the old fashion way. I don't have a store. I don't use Buy-it-Now. All my auctions start at .99 cents with no reserve. I still charge a small shipping fee. I think that I first heard of this method from Barry Sloate. Thanks Barry. Obviously, all my auctions sell. Sometimes they sell for a little less than what I expect, but most of the time I'm surprised what people will bid on baseball cards in an auction format. It all averages out.

Ebay rocks because you don't have to spend gas going to a show to sell your cards (if there is a show in the neighborhood). You can find a customer for almost anything that you have, and they provide a relatively safe trading environment.

The BST is great, and I've bought & sold a few cards there, but I've found that I can usually get more for my cards on eBay, even when you add in the fees.

I've always believed the old maxim that you don't make money selling; it's in buying where you make your profit.

I started buying and selling on eBay 10 years ago, and have over 4,000 positive transactions. Never got a negative. There have been a few non-paying bidders, and a few times that customers requested refunds, but overall it has been a pretty smooth ride. I have lots of repeat buyers. I haven't spend a dime of our household earnings on baseball cards. My eBay business has allowed me to build a wonderful collection. I cannot imagine doing this without eBay.

Best of luck with your collections,

Joe

[conor912]

PWCC is a no-brainer for cards over $200. He charges 13.5% off the top, which, as a non top-rated seller, exactly what I would pay if I sold them myself, plus I don't have to deal with questions, returns, etc.