[meteorite-list] I thought of an idea on how to get around the price increase on eBay on some items

From: Göran Axelsson <axelsson_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 09:46:30 +0200
Message-ID: <4BB1AC56.2070603_at_acc.umu.se>

Hi all!

eBay is not an ordinary auction house. It doesn't handle the goods, it
doesn't create a catalogue and it doesn't provide an auction house so
all buyers can come and examine the goods before the auction.
eBay is an automatic system where the seller and buyer enters all the
details. As a seller I add all pictures, a description, starting price
and so on. The buyer enters his bids. And when the auction is over the
seller handles the transaction, packs the goods and sends it away.
If eBay would have twice as many auctions the overhead wouldn't double.
They would only need some more computers, the software is the same. It's
economy by scale. During 2008 goods for over $60 billion were sold on
eBay. In Q4 2009 the revenue were over $2 billion and the earning were
more than 50% of that.

As I see it, there isn't a big difference between eBay and companies
providing online stores.
I had a lot more auctions on eBay before but the community feeling has
been lost and the fees is constantly getting higher so I mostly stay
away from it.

Somehow every other digital service is getting cheaper as computer
science advances, except for paypal and eBay who raises the fees
regularly. They can do it because they are big and by all practical
means they have a monopoly on online auctions and payment services. They
don't need to raise the fees but they can, therefore they do it.

I have a plan and I'm working on an alternative to eBay ... if I finish
it I'll tell you more.

;-)

/G?ran

countdeiro at earthlink.net wrote:
> Hello fellow Listees,
>
> As some of you know who attended Michael Blood's Annual Auction at the show in Tucson, I am pretty familiar with auctions. In fact, my family and I owned and operated one of the largest and most highly diversified auction sales organizations in America. Licensed in eight states, we sold everything from coins to casino/hotels. So, let me just say this. There isn't a legitimate auction house in the country...hell in the world!...that will provide the means to advertise, promote and sell your goods for less than EBay. Nor will they provide the wide range of seller and buyer services, protections and payment methods that are a part of package offered by EBay. It is the best deal I ever heard of for both buyers and sellers and that's why they have such tremendous market numbers.
>
> Our auction business had a 10% buyer premium AND a 10% seller fee PLUS consignor/sellers were charged for extra advertising position, photos, etc. etc. At an average seller cost of 15%to 20% we still had to beat off sellers with a stick...because we were cheap compared to Sotheby, Bonhams, Phillips and Butterfield whose selling costs can float right up to 40%.
>
> Prau that nothing happens to the guys and gals making the cost decisions at EBay.
>
> Regards,
>
> Count Deiro
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
>> From: Gary Chase <garychase at live.com>
>> Sent: Mar 29, 2010 1:13 PM
>> To: mlblood at cox.net, photophlow at yahoo.com, meteoritecentral <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
>> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] I thought of an idea on how to get around the price increase on eBay on some items
>>
>>
>> Good Morning Listees and Bottom Feeders..
>>
>> Isn't this America? If you want to use a service pay for it. Do you go to McDonalds and decide that the hamburger is too much and try to figure out a way to cheat them out of their hamburger? Do you steal from Walmart if you think they are charging too much? Stealing from eBay is no different.
>>
>> Why don't all you bottom feeders leave eBay and go off to your second rate auction sites that have been mentioned here before. Leave eBay to the real dealers.
>>
>> Also, could one of you rocket scientists explain to me how a buyer gets hurt with the higher fees if an auction starts at a penny or 99cents? No one is forcing you to bid any higher than you would pay for the piece somewhere else.
>>
>> Gary
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 08:30:32 -0700
>>> From: mlblood at cox.net
>>> To: photophlow at yahoo.com; meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
>>> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] I thought of an idea on how to get around the price increase on eBay on some items
>>>
>>> Hi Shawn and all,
>>> Actually, I think that would be an excellent response to the greed
>>> Of eBay. If everyone in the meteorite community did that, it would get
>>> The message across to buyers. Of course, it would have to be a "sliding
>>> Scale" application, as the "shipping and handling" charges would be
>>> Perhaps only $5 above actual shipping cost on some items but could
>>> Go up to hundreds on other items.
>>> SCREW EBAY -These dudes are making BILLIONS on nothing
>>> But their automated system. Not one minute of additional work or
>>> Other overhead has been involved in their 8.75% of cost sellers premium.
>>> It isn't as though they have had to hire more help or pay higher rent
>>> Or deal with increased travel expenses or ONE THING - they just
>>> Arbitrarily decided, "hay, we got millions of sellers now depending on
>>> Us - we can start sucking them dry!" and, like the stinking credit card
>>> Banks jerk people around legally. SCREW EBAY.
>>> I think this is a splendid partial solution.
>>> Way to go Shawn.
>>> Michael
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 3/28/10 10:36 PM, "Shawn Alan" <photophlow at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> Hello List
>>>>
>>>> I have seen this done before on eBay with items I have bought. The seller
>>>> would offer the item at buy it now for $2 and the shipping would be 15. Now if
>>>> your a seller and offering an item that isn't that much I could see the
>>>> seller charging $15 to $40 for shipping and handling/packaging quote un
>>>> quote, if they know the item will go for that rate at buy it now or 5 day
>>>> auction bid, where it would only go for $2 to $5 at closing, which the
>>>> seller would only be charged for the closing cost and not the shipping and
>>>> handling cost (that was a long run on sentence). I guess its worth a try on
>>>> certain items that sell for a fixed rate.
>>>> Just a thought
>>>>
>>>> Shawn Alan
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Received on Tue 30 Mar 2010 03:46:30 AM PDT