Subject:
|
Re: CFD: e-bay (aka ranting and raving)
|
Newsgroups:
|
lugnet.off-topic.debate
|
Date:
|
Tue, 9 Feb 1999 18:05:46 GMT
|
Reply-To:
|
c576653@cclabs.missouri.SPAMCAKEedu
|
Viewed:
|
473 times
|
| |
|
|
James Brown ranted (or is it raved?):
>
> Ok, is it just me, or does the e-bay style of auction actually encourage
> "unfair"(1) bidding practises?
Yes.
> On about 2/3 of the auctions I've participated in, or followed, there has been
> a similar flow to the bids. Several people bid on it in the first day or so
> (sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on how popular it is), it reaches a
> fairly reasonable price, and sits there, uncontested, until 4-6 hours before
> the auction ends. Several people bid on it in the last few hours, and in some
Not only that, but they all seem to end past midnight my time which
means that people who work probably won't be up to compete in the sniping.
> I can understand, from e-bay's point of view, why they run it like this, but
> (to be blunt) why would anyone use it? As far as I can tell, the only
> advantage to using e-bay, either as a buyer, or a seller, is the exposure. (for
> sellers, a greater market, for buyers, greater diversity)
I like it when they answer their own questions.
> As a buyer, I have been frustrated on more than one occaision, by the bidding
> practises described above, while refusing to sink to the same level (3), and I
Me to, except for the refusing part...it's just part of the eBay game.
> just can't see the point as a seller. If you're not in it for the best profit,
Lots and lots of fools dying to be parted from their money.
> odds are you aren't trying to sell it over the internet(4), and e-bay doesn't
> give you the best chance for profit - a once, twice, sold format does that.
Unless people don't come visit your once, twice, sold auction. eBay has
tons of people looking to buy stuff. It works. WRT Lego, I prefer to
control my own auctions for the most part, but I have had great success
selling other stuff on eBay.
> As to the exposure, you're not going to catch very many AFOL's that aren't
> aware of RTL & Lugnet - if you're net-aware and an AFOL, they're both pretty
> hard to not notice - so why not just advertise there?
Evidence suggests that you are wrong. There are tons of people on eBay
paying more than people on rtl/lugnet.
> All-in-all, e-bay (to me, at least) seems aimed solidly at the marks. "Hey, I
> know, why don't we set up a service on the internet to do something people are
> fully capable of doing themselves, if they bother to work a little? We can
You mean like make a hamburger? Venue aside, McDonalds seems to be
doing the same thing you claim eBay is doing.
> charge people a fee of some kind to use our service, we'll design it in such a
Who'd have thought? Charge a fee for a service... What will they think
of next.
> way that it always seems like a bargain, but it will really just add an
> unnecessary layer into transactions where we can skim a small amount, and make
> a huge profit! Even better, we'll aim it at the american public, because
> they're the market with the largest percentage of non-professionals on the
> 'net, and thats the kind of people who will fall for this stuff!"
That's what economy is about. People integrating with the larger system
of cash-flow so that they can eat, drive BMWs etc.
> Ok, I got a little sarcastic towards the end
Me too, I hope that's OK. ;-)
With eBay, I cast lots of seeds and occasionally things grow. I submit
lots of little bids, and sometimes a lot falls through the cracks and I
get a note from them telling me it's mine. Cool. It's a waste to check
back every day though.
--
Sincerely,
Christopher L. Weeks
central Missouri, USA
|
|
Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: CFD: e-bay (aka ranting and raving)
|
| (...) Ah, a firm, solid agreement! (now, if only I could figure out which part of the sentence he was responding too...) Pet peeve: people who answer 'a or b' questions with yes. (...) been (...) I've noticed that part too, but I'm perfectly willing (...) (26 years ago, 9-Feb-99, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
|
Message is in Reply To:
89 Messages in This Thread:
  
 
- Entire Thread on One Page:
- Nested:
All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:
All | Brief | Compact
This Message and its Replies on One Page:
- Nested:
All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:
All | Brief | Compact
|
|
|
|
