To Have or Not To Have a Bid Column

[Gothicina]

Whatever technique you use for displaying it, it immediately becomes apparent there are very few bids. Put up a number, change a colour, shove up a picture of a banana - the lack of bananas is an issue.

My sentiments, exactly.

Furthermore, I honestly believe that column after column of listings with no bids would be detrimental to eBid.

Last time eBid tried this it did harm sales, many of us saw Gazza's post giving the reason for removal of this feature, although it was on a thread later deleted, so cannot be quoted now, more is the pity.

Are of those who want it so much get it reinstated prepared for the fallout, if it again decreases sales, & subsequently listing take a big drop, or will they just blame it on the site?

Will those whose sales it damaged last time bother to keep listing if this "experiment" is repeated & fails again, every year or so, or each time the new round of demands for this feature starts?

Maybe we should be thinking outside the box instead.

At the moment as part of the frontpage we have popular auctions,
IF that feature of the site was sorted out properly,
ie ONLY showed items that had at least 1 bid on them,(get rid of the multiple item BuyNows)
& those pages DID show the number of bids,
could that be a starting point?

Then when Gazza & Mark, who after all have the figures, feel the time is right, they can reinstate the bid column site wide.

[crafters_corner]

Some excellent points, Gothicina.

There are currently 38 polling. I doubt very much that Gazza would be swayed by such a small number on such a major issue.

[FBNeNotes]

The naysayers for a bid column should leave ebid.net because ther are and have been holding this site back and management listens to them which means this is a lost site, forget it here. Auction sellers REAL auction sellers will come here or have come here and the vast majority will not stay here because it is DUll here without a Bids showing row when scrolling all sub-cats.
A Poll on this subject is not needed here.. Bids showing(as just stated) is a Must Have,

[astral276]

The naysayers for a bid column should leave ebid.net because ther are and have been holding this site back and management listens to them which means this is a lost site...

You are seriously deluded if you believe that the owners of eBid defer to users in matters relating to their business. The decision to remove the bid column was eBid's alone, based on the statistics they compiled after its introduction - without any consultation with users. Equally, the decision to re-introduce the bid column will be eBid's, based on what they deem right for their business. Nothing users say will make them take a course of action they view as detrimental to their business interests.

If you are unable to accept that then you need to leave eBid.

[adruml]

Sorry, I cant vote on this one. Not enough knowledge to know if in fact a bid column would help or hurt eBid. To imagine ebay without a bid column I would have to beleive it would be a disaster but this is eBid not ebay.

In an auction setting do bids showing create excitement? I beleive they do. Do we have a lot of bidding wars here? I dont beleive we do. Do we want buyers coming over looking at millions of listings with few bids? I dont beleive we do.

I read quite a few differences of how folks shop on line. Some like the auctions, some the buy it nows and some the make offer scenarios. There is no right or wrong way to list buy or sell format you wish to use its a matter of preference.

Perhaps instead of a bid "column" we could have the current price bolded or color changed once a bid has been placed, at least we will know what has bids without opening the listing.

[crafters_corner]

Do we want buyers coming over looking at millions of listings with few bids? I dont beleive we do.

Isn't that all the information needed to see the harm it would do eBid?

[moonwitch]

The naysayers for a bid column should leave ebid.net because ther are and have been holding this site back and management listens to them which means this is a lost site, forget it here. Auction sellers REAL auction sellers will come here or have come here and the vast majority will not stay here because it is DUll here without a Bids showing row when scrolling all sub-cats.
A Poll on this subject is not needed here.. Bids showing(as just stated) is a Must Have,

If you don't mind me asking...are you waiting for the bid column so you can add some listings?...or is it that I can't see what you have for sale because I am in the UK?

[kedo]

If you don't mind me asking...are you waiting for the bid column so you can add some listings?...or is it that I can't see what you have for sale because I am in the UK?

No he's taken his listings down so we'll pay him more attention!

[adruml]

Isn't that all the information needed to see the harm it would do eBid?

I am not 100% sure that would be the case.

[crafters_corner]

I am not 100% sure that would be the case.

Fair enough