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View Full Version : Ebay....an interesting ride.



JMugs
25-04-2014, 10:27 AM
Ebay is getting to be quite an interesting place. OK so now you are confused, so I shall explain my odd logic.

I like the destination eBay wants to reach, how they are getting there is another matter. Not on The High Street is an example of a site where prices are high, but the customer care side is pants. Amazon competitive prices, customer care can be hit and miss. It appears eBay are trying to go to the NOTHS price idea with outstanding back up for the customer, so that sounds good.

I accept nobody but me appears to think this, or it is just those who moan who are making a noise.

Look at the logic from eBay's view. NOTHS prices means more commission for eBay, fewer sellers of tat = less complaints = less staff. Now put these two factors together and you have higher profit margins.

Now if you are charging higher prices you can live with the better customer care, and the scammers on both sides get filtered out quicker. So less hassle as a seller for better margins.

OK this doesn't work for the flog it cheap and knock out stuff even if it's not right brigade.

However, I am at a loss to work out how the eBay search engine is working at the moment. I did a search for a specific type of gift, the top listings had nothing directly to do with the key words in my search and nor did the body of their text. The items were "related" but not what I actually asked for. My sales from eBay stopped on Tuesday, and yes I mean stopped. But reading the forums shows this to be very much the case, indeed there was a point (March 10th) where a lot of businesses who were doing 50+ sales a day dropped to 5 or less.

So in summary :- I like where they want to be as I see it, struggling with the ride there.

Am I nuts?

Janners

John G
25-04-2014, 10:39 AM
My sales on ebay are none existant at the moment too - I did have a good Jan/Feb and start of March then its tailed off to a trickle. Strange.

pisquee
25-04-2014, 11:05 AM
The problem with the comparison with NOTHS is that they charge around £600 to sign up, and then take a much higher commission than Ebay - around 30% IIRC.
Also, you have to apply to be on there, and it is impossible to get on if you don't fit with the type of products/design that they want as their brand.
They call it a "partnership" between them and their sellers, but NOTHS hold the power and tell the sellers what they can/can't do, and keep moving the goal posts, resulting in unhappy sellers.
On the other side sellers who are on there, do make good money.

JMugs
25-04-2014, 11:14 AM
Hi Pisq
Really that is my point....I suspect ebay have seen NOTHS and thought if we can get their market at our current rates (watch the rates go up!) we can make more money for less hassle.

I know NOTHS were doing a promotion a few months back which was £250 sign up fee and 25% commission, the commission was based in the final cost including P+P. It does appear to be somewhere that you earn good money or bomb!

Interestingly then you have ebid ready to take the fall out from eBay. There are some sellers on ebid with a lot of sales. I supsect it has a way to come yet, I signed up and have it in the background just in case.

Janners

JMugs
25-04-2014, 11:23 AM
John G.
The business threads are steaming about it. Either something has drastically changed in eBay (they say not) or right across markets things stopped dead...which may be the case.

Janners

GoonerGary
25-04-2014, 11:29 AM
I see ebay and NOTHS as polar opposites. I have an upmarket product range, but I wouldn't dream of putting them on eBay. If your product has the same keywords as an eBay item at 99p, the cheaper item will be on page 1 and you'll be on page 111. NOTHS is your fancy gallery/ gift shop, eBay is your 'one day only' market stall.

JMugs
25-04-2014, 11:59 AM
I see ebay and NOTHS as polar opposites. I have an upmarket product range, but I wouldn't dream of putting them on eBay. If your product has the same keywords as an eBay item at 99p, the cheaper item will be on page 1 and you'll be on page 111. NOTHS is your fancy gallery/ gift shop, eBay is your 'one day only' market stall.

I agree on the their positions in the market, but I suspect eBay is trying to move away from that image and market. The new customer protection requirements they are putting in place the restyling etc.

The same key words in the title as the search doesn't quite work now on eBay. I have spent days fiddling with it.

Gooner you are a photographer. Play a game with me and see if you get the same result. Do a search for "Photographers Gift Mug" on the assumption you want to buy a fellow tog a mug.... over the last few days the top listings on various things I have tried haven't matched the key words I used for a search. Perhaps I should have tried this one first! But if all goes as it has done recently the top listing will not match those words!

Janners

JMugs
25-04-2014, 12:03 PM
Just did it...top result



PERSONALISED CUSTOM COFFEE TEA MUG your design any Photo + Text great gift idea! (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PERSONALISED-CUSTOM-COFFEE-TEA-MUG-your-design-any-Photo-Text-great-gift-idea-/141157119035?pt=UK_Collectables_Kitchenalia_RL&hash=item20dd9eb43b)


The only words it shared was gift and mug "Photographers" was ignored. I have found recently that the word that is key to narrowing the search is often (not always) completely ignored.

Janners

Andrew
25-04-2014, 12:40 PM
I don't get what half the moaning on ebay is about either. The way they are going encourages me to have a go on there. All the idiots who butcher the prices on there will not be getting in the way soon. Yes' you need to do a bit more and get things correct and deal with muppets etc., but that is business. The harder they make it the more I think we would get involved.

JMugs
25-04-2014, 02:21 PM
Andrew ....... my thoughts exactly.

Janners