One potential reason why eBid

[kreativebargains]

^
So is relying on Google Shopping a "race to the bottom" ?

Or is it better to build ebid as a "destination site" so that buyers go to ebid first ?

Google Shopping should not be seen as a race to the bottom, it should be seen more as a vital marketing tool for both sellers and eBid. I would rather have the best price, but would not want to sell at a price that was not worthwhile for me. At the moment I see Google and Google Shopping as vital in getting the 'browsing' shoppers to see the eBid name on a more regular basis and hopefully to at least take a look at some of the items. If they actually buy on eBid then even better. Every time a buyer sees the eBid name the greater the chance of them giving us a look in and remembering the name. But even if it did become a race to the bottom it should be one that eBid sellers would win. after all we have an inbuilt advantage of almost 10% with the lower FVF, no listing and store fees and no fees on shipping.

[Dodaman]

I am not sure what EBID is doing but in the sports collectible market very few buyers are shopping here. The problem I see is selection. It seems like sellers are listing a lot of run of the mill items that can be found anywhere and the hard to find more desirable items are not here. As someone who buys on EBAY and also in major auction house I want a selection of the better items. The run of the mill items I can find anywhere. Part of the problem is getting those types of items on EBID. When Ebay first got going they attracted a buyer to auction off the holy grail of baseball cards the Honus Wagner. This brought collector eyes to the sight and since then EBAY has been a top venue for sports collectible. Maybe they need to go after some of these types of items and bring eyes here.

[titanicmom4]

you make a valid point on the selection Dodaman. I am guilty of this myself. I tend to only list stuff that is not worth all that much and I have a couple different reasons for that, the biggest one being fear. The market (on any site) is not what it was a few years ago, people are not bidding things up the way they used to therefore I am hesitant to list some of my "better" items because I dont want to have to sell for less than I think they are worth or could be worth. Yes I know the old saying that an item is only worth what someone will pay you, but that is really not always the case and even so some of my better stuff is also stuff that I collect and hold dear so if I am gonna sell it it better be high. Though I see your point being that if the better stuff is not here people will not be enticed to look and things like that Honus Wagner do generate a lot of attention which is always good and pretty much our goal here. Maybe I will think on this point a little. Thanks for the point of veiw Dodaman

[kreativebargains]

For higher price items there is no need to risk selling at a loss. If you are using the auction format then simply start at the lowest price you would be happy with, or list as BIN. There can be other advantages as well. I have sold more watches since listing a few more expensive designer watches. it appears that they act as a 'hook' that gets people looking at my listings. While they might want a Tag Heuer or similar they might not be able to afford it, but if they then see another of my listings at a good price they are then tempted. It is certainly worth trying, and if you can sell a high priced item the low FVF's make it doubly pleasing. I managed to sell a £250 item last month.

[adruml]

Really folks, really?

[Juliebabe25]

Yes if I was ebid I would target sellers in certain markets to fill up the selection and bring more buyers here.

A much better use of a staff members time than playing around with adwords etc.

[JanetB]

If you only ship to your own country then you are not receiving a lot of exposure and your sales might be slow because of this.

[titanicmom4]

some more good points kreative, I will look at this in a new light now, but I may also be held back by one other important reason: I like some of my better stuff too much Oh well at least you guys got me thinking.

[titanicmom4]

If you only ship to your own country then you are not receiving a lot of exposure and your sales might be slow because of this.

don't know if this was directed at me or someone else but I ship worldwide and always have. Sorry if you were addressing another member.

[Juliebabe25]

I've been with eBay for 13 years and teach an adult education class on it. As you all know the fees are very high and sellers are looking for other venues. I hear sellers complain that other sites don't have the buyer volume, but this didn't make sense to me.
Yet, when I checked one particular item, the lowest price on here (out of more than 10 being offered) was more than 30% higher than many, many auctions on the other site

It makes sense to me.
Every auction buyer and seller knows that ebay has the traffic.
Every auction seller knows that none of the alts have much traffic.
My traffic research shows this also
My research on other forums confirms this also
And we often hear figures such as you quote about higher prices on the alts.

So why wouldn't it make sense ?

It should not, but it does.

Would you advise your students to list on the alts and not ebay ?
Do you advise your students to list on alts at lower prices because of the lower fees.