More VISIBILITY for BIDDING activity

[raindropsies]

I just need to agree with Merlin on this occassion, I have had 10 people try to join this weekend, only 2 managed it, the other 8 got fed up with delays due to servers.
The site needs to be stabalised, and quick. Before anything else changes, it would be nice to have a stable site. and a stable site would be best for all concerned,

[rainbowseeker]

Thank you for your support GilfidianRudge....and you two also Merlin and Kedo. I have not experienced any site down time issues, but then I am not on here all day, everyday since my customers are still telling me they prefer to shop elsewhere where the action is more evident. So I have to continue to sell on the darkside as I cannot make enough money here.

I find it interesting that you have sellers coming over here from the darkside and using money generating features to hopefully increase their sales and yet they are ignored.....even ridiculed by some in the community. They are telling you what they see as serious shortcomings here and giving good reasons to make some minor changes (or even just try them) yet they are ignored. So when they start leaving is that when someone will listen or is this going to just be a mini darkside here too where no one responds to community involvement? Even to just say we are too busy right now?

I, for one, find myself unable to take any chances with my listings....so I guess even though my prices might be fair I will just be lumped in with many of the other sellers on here who are parking stock at unrealistic prices in a static sales atmosphere. If there are sales happening here no one can tell.....so it just looks and feels like another overpriced mall. Don't any of you wonder why the sales numbers on this site can't seem to cross the 1 million line? And as long as this site remains an "auction wanna be" it probably isn't going to grow much farther IMHO.

I guess I will just have to continue to concentrate my efforts where I can make a living.....unfortunately for the moment that has me still on the darkside. I sure do hope one of these days at least lip service will be given to some of the ideas that have been posted in threads like this one.

I'm not going to close my stores like I did a year ago when I figured out why I couldn't get my listings visible in the search engines.....after all the site did finally make a move in the right direction and get rss feeds even though they have presisted in applying "conditions" to those feeds like requiring more than 7 day listing, "buy it nows" or fixed price listings in order to reap any benefit from them. Still they made a move in the right direction and there are ways around some of these limitations. It just means more work for savy sellers....but who can fault the site from using it's sellers to promote the site for free just to be a little bit successful? That's smart right?

It's interesting to note here however....all those limitations again lean in the direction of running a big mall....not a true auction site. So the sales atmosphere on here will continue to be static. The only place you get drama and excitement is on a REAL auction site and that in a nutshell is what the darkside still has going for it thanks to sellers like myself that can't find another site that will offer a TRUE auction venue. The possibility of getting a real treasure for a below the market price....it's the reason the buyers still circle there. And trust me I know what I am talking about.....just check my sales there for last week and you'll see a $2000 sale that suprised even me! This was on an item listed for 7 days, no reserve, $9.99 opening bid...something I would never dare to do here with an item I did not know the market value of!

I had hopes of that happening here someday. I'm loosing that hope quickly. But it is what it is here. I'll use the site, support it, even continue to promote it, and sell what I can.....I am just hugely disappointed with the lack of response to this problem and others.....and I'm not going to be holding my breath waiting for the powers that be to wake up here. After all I am one of those people who have to make a living with my sales. Sorry, but that's the way it is.

[rainbowseeker]

[johnwash1]

..
I guess I will just have to continue to concentrate my efforts where I can make a living.....unfortunately for the moment that has me still on the darkside. I sure do hope one of these days at least lip service will be given to some of the ideas that have been posted in threads like this one.
..

It's curious. When specific problems are mentioned, the owners are quick to respond and sort things out. So I suspect threads like this are read, but these days they've decided not to respond.

My guess is that hard experience has taught them that things take longer to implement than they initially expect. And when they do introduce changes they fail to consider how to do it in a backward compatible fashion (witness the recent changes to auction listing layouts, where I suggest the changes should have been phased in with more notice, and the users should have had an option whether to use new or old style layout).

So I think you'll see improvements, but not very quickly unfortunately. Which is a great pity, because there's currently a window of real opportunity with ebay's failures.

[burgyeb]

I could certainly go for a brisker auction-like venue! However, realistically it is risky business for serious sellers. Something has got to give; it's a two way street. If sellers start there higher cost items in a 0.99 start with NR, & buyers are only wlling to make 1 or 2 bids, that just will not work.

[kengillam]

Perhaps the answer is to start at the minimum you would accept with a considerably higher BIN

[burgyeb]

The item may not get a bid if started too high. I'm noticing that even when items are started at very low start prices, many are still not getting bids.

[rainbowseeker]

Ken said:
Perhaps the answer is to start at the minimum you would accept with a considerably higher BIN

Done that....but if no one can see the bids what good is that? Also this leads mainly to "watching" the item and sniping in the end....IMHO

burgyeb said: The item may not get a bid if started too high. I'm noticing that even when items are started at very low start prices, many are still not getting bids.

Yes....and that shouldn't be unless of course buyers can't find the items being bid on easily....

burgyeb said: I could certainly go for a brisker auction-like venue! However, realistically it is risky business for serious sellers. Something has got to give; it's a two way street. If sellers start there higher cost items in a 0.99 start with NR, & buyers are only wlling to make 1 or 2 bids, that just will not work.

Sellers will never take the chances that need to be taken until they know the buying public is there. And how will they ever know this if the bids are always hidden??? And as long as they stay hidden the number one criteria for excitement generation of bid activity will never be met by this particular auction site and no savy seller is going to view this a serious auction venue. Come on ..... this isn't rocket science!

[merlin]

Done that....but if no one can see the bids what good is that? Also this leads mainly to "watching" the item and sniping in the end....IMHO


Yes....and that shouldn't be unless of course buyers can't find the items being bid on easily....


Sellers will never take the chances that need to be taken until they know the buying public is there. And how will they ever know this if the bids are always hidden??? And as long as they stay hidden the number one criteria for excitement generation of bid activity will never be met by this particular auction site and no savy seller is going to view this a serious auction venue. Come on ..... this isn't rocket science!

ERMMMM it is to me lol rss feeds are like biochemistry to me , took me 5 years to work out extra photo on a listing html is like quantum physics

[rainbowseeker]

html is like quantum physics

Worse.....quantum physics doesn't change depending on which editor box you try to get it to work in.....