My eBid needs improvements

[guitardude101]

I really like eBid the site is really good I actually think the overal site is better that eBays, I really don't like eBays new search and their new P and P policies are crazy! But, one reason I don't like it more is the fact that to keep track of my sales after an auction ends is quite fiddley. For one, I can't print an invoice direct from my eBid page, I can't leave multiple feedback at once which if you have a lot to do can be a real pain. I know I'm being picky but I think if eBid is going to really kick eBays ass it needs to focus on making the site less fiddly without losing everything that's good about the site. Another thing that would really make me dedicate more time to eBid would be if I could import pictures and information from eBay into ebid, which would save me hours of time. As far as I know eBay is starting to lose allot more sellers than it was, but there are other low cost and free e-commerce solutions cropping up all the time, I think this site is the best eBay alternative, but until the rest of the eBayers agree, it'll never get close to being as big as eBay.

[astral276]

Dont be fooled this site...

What a display of ignorance. Every 'fact' cited wrong. Every problem self inflicted from either a lack of common sense or an inability to read.

If things were as this idiot says then none of us would be here.

So Guitardude...pay no heed to this troll. Take your time to get to know the site. You do not need to subscribe to sell. I didn't subscribe for several months until I was sure I was happy with the site.

Things you may find 'fiddly' are often just different. How long did it take you to get used to feebay when you first joined? It is often harder to learn how to do something familiar in a different way than it is to learn something entirely new.

eBid will never be a clone of feebay (thank heavens). It will always do things different. Different does not necessarily mean worse. Once you are used to it you may even find eBid's ways better.

Yes; there are some rough edges that still need sorting out. At least the site owners here listen to what the users want and do their best to accommodate all reasonable requests. It is a small team so it does not have the resources to throw around as feebay does. There is a major site revamp in the pipeline. The things you are looking for could well be in that.

If you come here, or go to any other site, expecting the same traffic as you had on feebay then you are going to be disappointed. Many are maybe leaving feebay. Those that are leaving are being scattered over several sites. So feebay's loss does not equal eBid's gain.

You maybe do have to put in a little more work on your own behalf to generate sales. Even that can be fun if you let it.

Make sure you read what is on your screen until you are used to the site. Most people's problems arise from failing to read what is in front of them.

Have a read through my eBid KB at http://homepage.ntlworld.com/astral....and_tricks.htm which tries to explain and expand on some thing here.

So pay no heed to the bile spewed out above. Don't even pay heed to me. Give the site a chance and make up your own mind.

[terry5732]

Was that John Donablo in thin disguise?

[JudesNiceThings]

I know I'm being picky

Certainly are! - All your complaints are unjustified - just read how to use the site properly first, and don't expect a feebay 'clone'!

[KIRSTRICH]

TBH, I mostly prefer the layout of this site compared to the dark side.

It just takes a little re-adjustment to get used to it

[MorganProducts]

You know I understand this site is not a clone of the evil feebay. HOWEVER; They did not get to be #1 by doing everything wrong. EBid could take some lessons in that. The questions on how to ship and doing invoices are customer service questions and EBid should look at the evil giant to CLONE how they do it since they have a darn near perfect system. The more customer friendly the site is to use the more customers you will get. The main problems with feebay is the fees and the iron fist in which they rule their kingdom. Actually if you had a clone of feebay without the fees and with better customer service towards the sellers (You know the people that actually pay the fees and keeps the site going, feebay doesn't get that) Then and only then will you CRUSH the evil giant. I don't hate the Feebay site at all as far as ease of use it is #1. It is the people running the kingdom that is the problem. So don't be so resistant to being a CLONE as long as the fees and you remember who pays them is #1 with you you will have the best site in the land!

[JudesNiceThings]

Depends what you mean by #1 !

Personally, I feel they will be finished some time in the next 18 months.

[TiasTreasures]

My personal opinion is that eBid is easier to use than GreedBay. Yes, there was a steep learning curve, but (unlike GreedBay), if I couldn't find a solution to a problem, I trotted over to the forums and asked for help. Almost always got an answer within an hour or two, from a real human being who had been through the same thing, with no snide remarks about my question being stupid, or "someone asked this last month", etc., etc.

It's faster to create a new listing with the "List similar item" button than to use a template on TurboLister, and there's no waiting for uploads to finish. I can load a batch of pictures into the Gallery in a few minutes and everything after that is done in real time. I doubt if I'll ever use a batch uploader again, just wouldn't be worth the effort. I realize this may not be the case for resellers who list hundreds of stock photos and canned descriptions, but it's ideal for our small, one-of-a-kind item stores.

I also appreciate how easy it is to make changes to existing auctions. GreedBay went out of their way to make it cumbersome.

I agree the invoicing here isn't what I'd like, and I'm sure eBid will change it when they have time, but it it's easy to create my own invoice in a Word document, and send that instead of eBid's invoice. A bonus is that I can easily create a packing slip. I don't mind using an easy work-around solution.

I could go on and on, but I hope I've made my point. You are going to have to learn new things, but ask for help if you can't figure something out in more than a few minutes.

[MorganProducts]

Now understand I am not saying Ebid isn't easy however it sure would be nice to have it set up to automatically invoice. Also to have a print shipping label button. Your feeling like I am attacking I am not I want EBid to beat the socks off of the evil Giant. However it does need more customer friendly functionality and needs not to fear looking like the evil Giant. If the evil Giant treated us all fairly and we all had a good relationship this conversation would never have happened as Ebid would have never been.

Now with Selling manager pro I can click as many auctions as I want and poof they all list. With Auctiva I can post as many pictures as I want at no extra charge. I can do a bulk auction list change with selling manager pro so I don't have to do changes one at a time. Understand I ran over 6000 auctions a week on the evil Giant I want to run that many here however I do not have time to go to word and make that many invoices. This isn't about learning new things I am open to learning it is about what works best and has the best functionality. At this point Ebid just isn't there yet. It is a great start but they need to look into some big improvements. Maybe the owners could sell out to Google?!?!

[tpypr]

...Your feeling like I am attacking I am not I want EBid to beat the socks off of the evil Giant. However it does need more customer friendly functionality and needs not to fear looking like the evil Giant.
Now with Selling manager pro I can click as many auctions as I want and poof they all list. With Auctiva I can post as many pictures as I want at no extra charge. I can do a bulk auction list change with selling manager pro so I don't have to do changes one at a time. This ... is about what works best and has the best functionality. At this point Ebid just isn't there yet. It is a great start but they need to look into some big improvements.
Maybe the owners could sell out to Google?!?!

I drive a 1966 Chevrolet Impala. Like a great many other guys out here who love old cars, I enjoy occasionally taking a "vacation" and just wander around one of several wrecking yards (same idea in principle as a thrift shop, ladies) in the area to 'window-shop', as it were.
During one such diversion I came upon, of all things, a 1966 Chevrolet Caprice (basically the Caprice was just a more expensive way of spelling/selling I M P A L A) that hadn't been picked over yet. I was able to salvage, in perfect working order, the four-way flasher unit and rear window defogger. Because those options were also offered for my car, the installation would be the automotive equivalent of "plug-and-play". The addition of those two options would have added both to my creature comforts and vehicle value (I decided to sell them on you-know-where for financial reasons, but never quite got around to it).
We're talking about the same thing here. You want to salvage valuable options from an auction site with a hopelessly-sprung frame and, through inclusion into this site, increase the 'ease-of-use' of Ebid.
There are a great many (I would suggest a vast majority) of Ebidders who agree in principle with you as far as maintaining a progressive view toward Ebid's upgrading/improvements. Rule number one here, though, is patience. Rule two is perseverence.
The staffing is minimal and that is where having patience comes in. You sound to me like a person with genuine concerns about the well-being of Ebid and, as such, I ask that you would continue to share your thoughts and ideas via the forums. This is where perseverence comes in.
The owners monitor the threads daily so, while discussing improvement possiblities with your peers, you are also bringing your ideas to the front office. Through monitoring daily conversations and noting various polls, decisions are reached in the front office, placed on a to-do list, and implemented accordingly.
Ebid is not structured as a democracy and we are not stockholders so technically, we have no say whatsoever but our forum conversations are given serious consideration by TPTB. We can discuss, beg, plead, coax, and try to cajole the owners to make what a majority of forum members feel to be a life-or-death change with nary a word from the front office then, one day, out of the clear blue sky, without notice of any sort, the change just happens (I can't help but think that there are big humorous smiles in the FO as they read our astonished comments and replies).
Yes, there is a minimal work force in Ebid's staff, but look at how the site, along with its occupants, is evolving. I would say that Ebid is living proof that quality outshines quantity.

And about that last sentence of yours . . . Maybe the owners could sell out to Google?!?! I was unprepared and so let out a physical gasp as I read it. I don't think you really meant anything derogatory by it but this group of forum-members is a family of sorts, one that will welcome you with open arms and will do all that it can to help you individually and Ebid communally. What you said/did is tantamount to walking into the home of a new acquaintance and starting off the conversation by making questionably suggestive remarks about their mother. In fact, this one sentence is what prompted/forced me to write this reply. As I have stated, I believe your intent was innocuous and I hold no ill feelings toward you.
We are all very proud of Ebid as a whole. We might squabble amongst ourselves and throw a little hissy-fit once in awhile, but start talking about corporate takeovers, sellouts, or the such, and we become immediately and unanimously united, to a (wo)man. This, of course, is my own opinion and I take full responsibility for it.
Having had my say may I, in true Ebid friendship, welcome you?