What Do Prohibition And EBay Have In Common?
|
SurvivingEbay.com News, May 23rd, 2008, Vol 1, No 2
Learn to Earn on EBay and Beyond, Sally Olson |
QUOTE FOR MAY 31,2008
"Be a careful problem solver, you could end up creating a worse problem than the one you were trying to solve"
Me, Sally Olson
|
What Do Prohibition And EBay Have In Common? |
 |
Part I
Long before I was born, there was prohibition. No alcohol anywhere unless prescribed by a doctor. No matter how judicial the government became, everyone had alcohol in their homes.
My grandmother had a prized bottle of Blackberry Brandy in her medicine cabinet. She got it from the next door neighbor who had relatives in Canada. The government could spy on you from the bushes, but you still had alcohol. .
MORAL OF THE STORY:
“You simply can’t make laws that you can’t enforce”.
|
Part II
Here is a direct quote on April 23, 2008 – PESA Keynote from Lorrie Norrington who gave the keynote address, PESA is the Professional EBay Sellers Alliance. Membership is $199 yr.
Because I can assure you….eBay.com is moving towards a retail-like experience, where buyers have an expectation that they won’t get ripped off, that they’ll find the item they want or need, and they’ll get a fair price. And if you can contribute to that environment, you are exactly the kind of seller we want on our site – and we will work hard to listen and win your business.
And finally, to those of you who are delighted with the change, in the immortal words of that great 1974 classic…by Bachman Turner Overdrive….all I can say is, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
|
Part III
I keep saying, eBay is using a bulldozer to kill a fly in your kitchen.
Every 15 days, at least that’s the time schedule eBay seems to be on, a release is made of a new rule or set of rules. When I read about these rules, and there are a lot of them, I am not always sure what they are even saying. No more links on your “About Me” page to outside web sites. That I got. OK. EBay wants to be sticky, keep you on eBay.
But, think about it. Isn’t this a little like prohibition? You can’t have links to your website but you can have, at least for today, a video on your About Me page??? In a way, isn't that your next door Canadian neighbor? None of the video rules talk about the content of these videos, but I am sure they couldn’t be pornographic.
What if you put a 5 minute video on your About Me page and talked about your website in the final 30 seconds? Probably, in 10 or 12 months, video content will have to be regulated by eBay.
So, what’s keeping you from putting a link to your website inside an email you send to people when they buy from you? Probably, eBay will have to stop letting you add your own email comments and go with their pre-prescribed emails written by super-knowledgeable eBay staffers who really know what you want to say better than you could ever know.
What about a “free download” of an ebook that contains links to your website? Probably, eBay will have to hire a staffer and review all those nasty free downloads.
Are you getting it? You can’t make a rule about something you can’t easily enforce. How many employees will eBay have to enlist to monitor millions of sellers? Is this a worthwhile investment? If I were a stockholder, and I am not, because their stock keeps dropping, I would wonder who let the lumbering bear loose in the china shop.
Now, this doesn’t mean that eBay doesn’t need some changes. I primarily sell my eBay lessons on a CD on eBay. I have always had to contend with 1 cent digital downloaders who list the same item 15 times. They had 10 listings in a row for a 1 cent book called "Make Thousands of Dollars on Ebay", which was really a 2 page eBook.
What eBay should be considering, at least in this case, is a more creative monetary solution in lieu of rule changes. You can have a link on your “About Me” page for $3.95 a month. I would pay the $3.95. EBay would increase their revenues. Imagine, 2 million sellers pay $3.95 a month to link to their web site. Revenues would increase by 8 million dollars a month or $96 million a year!!! Stockholders would be happy. This would be a fair price for small sellers and hold them in the eBay environment. As a seller, I like to visualize eBay as my partner. Someone who is on my side to keep me on their site selling. I, in turn, have a chance to expand and improve my eCommerce environment through them. EVERYONE WOULD BE A WINNER.
Eventually, sellers are going to become discouraged enough and just give up. I hope this doesn’t happen. It won't happen to me. I am a veteran and anyone who is a veteran can tell you, we are a CRANKY bunch. A few rule changes aren't going to have me running for cover. EBay needs rules they can enforce rather than what cannot be enforced and the wisdom to know the difference..
|
| Get Your Coupons |
| |
|
About Me
I had the course with several videos ready to FTP to my web site and then eBay announced link changes for the About Me Pages.
So, I am starting all over from scratch. It is coming - and it will have tons of work arounds that will still be in compliance with the new eBay rules.
It has several videos, free software download and 11 ready made templates for you to use for your "About Me" page.
As soon as it is ready to go I will send everyone a notice. I am going to offer it FREE to the first 50 subscribers...so look for the coupon code. |
|
Designing Banners For Your eBay Store
This is one of the best video programs I have online. If you have a web site and want to learn how to use layers and make captivating banner and logo designs, this is the program for you.
I am offering a 50% off coupon for this program only to newsletter subscribers. This coupon will expire on June 15th. Take advantage of this chance to enhance your eBay and Web Design skills.
COOUPON CODE: GRAPHICS
|
|
|
Buyers and Sellers: Feedback Chaos - Putting The Cart Before The Horse |
| |
 |
Have You Looked At Your Feedback Lately? – swoosh, like a 3 pointer, feedback numbers were recalculated. It actually happened during the day, not in the deep of night. Uh oh, it wasn't quite right.
EBay just has a knack for making policy, announcing it to its members, and then trying to figure out how to implement that policy.
This is another perfect example of putting the cart before the horse. They altered the programming queries in their database, pressed the button, and then waited for the phones to start ringing. 1000's of Powersellers lost their powerseller status. Of course, eBay will give the seller 60 days to get those feedback scores back up. Fat chance.
So, here's the nitty gritty. I had on my "Favorite Sellers" list approx 20 stores. Only 8 of those stores were selling anything. One was selling 2 items. Most had a lower Feedback percentage than before.One seller (These numbers are approximate - I am just trying to make a point) had 6,000 positive feedback, but only about 900 in the past year. He also recently got 5 negatives from 1 buyer, whom I have added to my no-bid list. He went from 99% to 98.1% in a matter of seconds. If he gets a couple of neutrals or negatives in the next 12 months, this guy is toast. What would you do?
I had to call eBay about a question I had for them and there was a recording that began something like this -
|
| If you are calling about your feedback, please wait to inquire. We are still working on updating complete and accurately all the scores. We have had 2 additional updates and should have all the feedback scores accurate and updated by June 4th. If you have a question at that time, please contact us. Remember, people who have lost their Powerseller status will have 60 days to get it back |
I say - Oh, yeh, the cart before the horse solution.. |
| Where Have All The Hobos Gone? |
| |
When I was in high school I had an after school job at a photography studio. Many businesses in those days were houses with the business downstairs and the owners living upstairs.
One day a hobo came by and asked for a meal. We fed him. I remember him sitting on the front porch eating every bit of food on his plate. Then, he disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.
Two days later a different hobo showed up asking for a free meal. Then, almost every day someone was showing up at our front door of the studio for a free meal.
How did these hobo’s know we gave out free meals? Were they psychic? Was there an ad on the radio announcing our photo studio as a place of refuge?
Then we saw the answer. When a hobo gets a tasty free meal, they mark the sidewalk with a piece of chalk. To our horror we had become a marked house for the masses. We quickly got out the hose and cleaned off the marks from the sidewalk. No mark - No more free meals – No more hobos.
As a Seller with a Store you are always looking to attract more customers to buy more products, consider offering something free. That’s right. For example: You sell shoes. Offer a free shoe brush with some of your higher priced shoes. Make an eBook and offer it free – “Caring for your shoes”. When they buy the shoes, email them the eBook download.
Offer $1.00 coupon on their next purchase and pack it with their shipping invoice. Don’t be shy. Soon, your house may be jammed with buyers looking for that free deal when they buy a pair of shoes. Who knows – they may mark your store as a “Favorite”. Isn’t that what it’s all about. Building a customer base. |
| Buyers: The Tadpole Auction Watcher |
| |
Once in a while you see a great little eBay tool and I found one this week. It is called “The Tadpole Auction Watcher”. It is a great buyers gadget and best of all it's FREE!
Here is a link to their website: http://www.tadpoleauctionwatcher.com/
|
| DSR's - Hang On To Your Hats |
| |
In Chicago, where I live, our sales tax is 10%. So, if you buy something for $50.00 you pay $55.00. Now imagine, I am in a store and just pay the clerk $55.00. A surveyor approaches me and asks me to evaluate my shopping experience. Am I pleased with the selection?. Were the sales people friendly? What did I think about the sales tax?
You know my answer would be a low rating on the sales tax. This is the same negative feelings that buyers get when they purchase anything from you on eBay. I had 4.9, 4.8 and then 4.6 for shipping costs. You see, people don't like to pay for shipping, even though it is a necessary evil and one that can't be avoided.
A friend of mine with a small shoe store offered "Free Shipping". Her shipping cost rating dropped from 4.7 to 4.6. And she wasn't charging for shipping!!! Go Figure.
This DSR category is the one that all sellers are most vulnerable to get low, low scores. Primarily because it is an aggravating but necessary charge.
 |
I don't have a "work around" for this. I would have thought that offering "Free Shipping" would have sealed the deal - but no, in fact it was worse.
I ultimately think that the Feedback numbers and percentages will be dropped and your status as a Powerseller will be determined by your DSR's.
If anyone has thoughts on how to get the shipping DSR up - please email me at: dogswithstyle@yahoo.com
Your solutions in the next Newsletter. |
Go to eBay Live in Chicago. There is no eBay Live next year and I still believe it is possible this is the last eBay Live there will be. You would have a chance to meet and greet the smartest, most successful eBayers around. Networking is what it’s all about.
|
If you missed the last newsletter click here: May 15th, 2008
Thank again.
Sally Olson
6021 N Kenmore
Apt 201
Chicago, IL 60660
773-636-6882 |
|
| Login to your Online Learning Courses |
 
|
