Opinions wanted. How would your perfect eBay alternative be like?

[Eye Candy Lingerie]

So I've been following this thread since it started, I'm excited for what you are doing and praying it goes BIG!! I'm anxiously awaiting details and updates on your new site. I know you are not here to advertise, but when you are ready to go live..... PLEASE let me know I'm ready when you are, and will gladly post banners on all of my websites and blogs as well as definitely to set up shop on the new site Good Luck!!

[ingle92protege]

I really hope this plan is put into action... I will be the first to ditch ebay and sell there.

[imjustme]

It's still moving forward every day, don't worry. It's actually the reason why I've been so quiet, I'm working on it at least 14-16 hours every day. It should be ready to launch by year's end, but we'll probably put it off until early January so that it doesn't coincide with the Christmas season.

[TurtleCove]

I'm sorry. I don't mean to be a wet dishrag....but seriously....do you all really think that he's going to pull off the eBay killer, that Microsoft, Google, and many others can't figure out how to do? Seriously....

I'd love to see it, just like the rest of the world. If there's one thing eBay needs, it's competition....but come on folks...really?

I hope you make me eat my hat, imjustme, and you're too far into it to stop now, but the rest of you have me very curious. What are you thinking, that you really believe this could happen, when none of the big boys have pulled it off?

[imjustme]

As I mentioned before, my goal is not to beat eBay but to create an alternative for sellers. I'm not looking to copy the eBay concept, but to create a better selling platform, improve where eBay lacks and even add a few things that will make it unique in it's own way.

Beating eBay, for at least the next few years, is impossible for anyone. Even for Microsoft or Google. They have too much of an advantage and head start.

Now, remember MySpace back when it was the largest social network? In the end, it wasn't Microsoft or Google that came up with the alternative, but a guy called Mark Zuckerberg. It's now Google trying to beat Mark Zuckerberg with Google+. He had a concept, which wasn't even anything new, but made it unique in it's own way, was able to build a strong community of users and got the right investors at the right time. Together with the mistakes that MySpace made, it led to their downfall and Facebook's rise.

Now again, my goal is not to beat eBay, but to create an alternative for sellers, something new and better. If people are fed up with the old, they're usually looking for a change. That's just how life works.

[glasstree]

Hey buddy, I think you mean Chris DeWolfe (current pres) and Tom Anderson = founded MySpace. Zuckerberg is the Facebook dude

I have read just about all of your posts here and really really like your concepts/approach for a new site. If you can strike that delicate balance between happy buyers and happy sellers I think you'll be good to go for the long haul! I especially like your belief in the small-time (or "mom and pop") seller and getting back to the basics that eBay abandoned long ago. Most businesses seem to forget that employees are often customers as well, so your thoughts on sellers also being buyers is refreshing and all too true. I hope you never lose that perspective.

You can't stop the counterfeits, I agree ... as long as you're not CONSCIOUSLY allowing them to be listed, I think you'll be fine.

Time ending soonest = best option, as opposed to "best match" (yes, we all hate that one)

IF you plan to hold a sellers money for some substantial length of time or do things that boggle the mind of an average seller (i.e. anything that resembles the games eBay plays) please do be available and ready to explain things when a seller contacts you about it. For example, right now, eBay is having Paypal hold payments until 3 days AFTER delivery confirmation ... why? And no one can explain that. There are many examples from the past that mimic this brand of business "sense."

But I do think you are on to something promising - and your leadership sounds excellent. My last comment would be if you could find a way to not turn it into another online dollar store with substandard products, it would be a wonderful site to be involved with

Best of luck! Please let us know - someway, somehow - when it is up and running!

[Eye Candy Lingerie]

Turtle Cove..... SO WHAT if he don't take ebay down? Of course that isn't going to happen (right away) but this is something we have ALL been waiting for for a very long time! He will have tons of support, and even all the people who "love" ebay, are sick of ebay, it's been on a downward spiral for quite some time. Obviously, the buyers are going to go where the sellers are, and there are TONS of sellers out there READY and WILLING to leave ebay in order to start making decent money again and be treated with respect and value. With proper advertising, platform, and customer service, this plan will blossom and flourish. If ANYONE knows what they are doing with this.... imjustme is the guy. When you've been around the block with ebay a few several hundred times..... you know what to do to get it right! Don't let people with lesser ambition and vision deter you, every BIG started somewhere, and the industry NEEDS this!
One thing I was thinking imjustme, is what if you offer some type of incentive for your sellers every time they make a purchase on the site? Like a break in a fee or some kind of extra? I don't know, but something to get the ball rolling..... just a thought!

[TurtleCove]

Originally Posted by imjustme

As I mentioned before, my goal is not to beat eBay but to create an alternative for sellers. I'm not looking to copy the eBay concept, but to create a better selling platform, improve where eBay lacks and even add a few things that will make it unique in it's own way.

You would need to be quite exceptional, to come up with ideas that nobody else has tried....

Originally Posted by imjustme

Beating eBay, for at least the next few years, is impossible for anyone. Even for Microsoft or Google. They have too much of an advantage and head start.

I disagree. Remember Visicalc? How about Lotus 1-2-3? Look at the head start they had. But, it didn't stop Microsoft from getting in the game, and kicking butt with Excel. Now they own that market. So, it's not about having a head start.

Originally Posted by imjustme

Now again, my goal is not to beat eBay, but to create an alternative for sellers, something new and better. If people are fed up with the old, they're usually looking for a change. That's just how life works.

But, there's already all sorts of alternatives out there.....tons of 'em.

[TurtleCove]

Originally Posted by Eye Candy Lingerie

Turtle Cove..... SO WHAT if he don't take ebay down?

Huh? Take a step back. We all like the eBay concept. That's why we fight so hard to stay with it. It's just that we don't like some of their rules, and the fact that they don't coddle us sellers. So, how do we get eBay to change? How do we get eBay to treat us sellers with more respect? We DO need another site that stands the chance of taking them down. We DO need another site that'll put a dent in their bottom line. Just another venue to sell at, is a dime a dozen, on the web. I'mjustme is saying himself that he's not targeting eBay.... therefore...I'm not too interested.

If you look elsewhere in the world, what do people do when they are treated poorly, or don't like the rules? They form a union. To me, that makes the most sense. I mean, if there was an eBay sellers union, I'd join in a heartbeat. And, with enough members, a sellers union could really get ebay to wake up. But, just another venue for selling? Yawn.

I will say, tho, that I do like your idea of offering incentives.....

[imjustme]

It's not about beating eBay, it's about creating a better place than eBay. The reason why all these marketplaces which pop up are failing is because they're trying to copy eBay. Nobody will succeed while trying to copy something, because the original will always have a head start.

If I told you what some of the new features will be, which make it a better place than eBay, you would say "wow, why didn't anyone think of that before", but I'm not going to post them here for obvious reasons.

Nobody will succeed with the concept of "we're taking down eBay - join us!".

I'm not going to focus on taking eBay down, I'm focusing on creating something better. If people like it, they will come.

[GrannyT]

Count me in Imjustme - I love the way you think

[glasstree]

Well, I guess the way I would look at this is ... there are times when I want to go to a local hardware store (would like to talk to someone who KNOWS what they're talking about); then there's times when a big box store will do (don't care about quality, want _____ item cheap). I say let eBay be the big box and imjustme's idea can be like the local hardware store. Does one have to be better than the other? NO. It's comparing apples to oranges.

If sellers at store X carry certain items and sellers at store Y carry others - both can exist, and there will be corresponding "X buyers" and "Y buyers"

A union, while worthwhile to consider, is in the end a not-so-great idea because none of the "corporate" type sellers would invest in that idea. Plenty of sellers have never had a negative eBay experience -- enough to keep eBay from sitting at any negotiation table, irrespective of who is there seller-wise. The best thing I can do is take my selling business elsewhere ... and if someone like imjustme and his investors offer an alternative that proves to have a ready-to-buy audience, I'll go. And IF enough sellers like me go, that's all the union-like activity needed. eBay is beyond the point where the changes needed (to strike a balance between buyer & sellers) are even within the realm of possibility. And that's not what this (new idea) is about anyway ...

[TurtleCove]

Originally Posted by imjustme

It's not about beating eBay, it's about creating a better place than eBay. The reason why all these marketplaces which pop up are failing is because they're trying to copy eBay. Nobody will succeed while trying to copy something, because the original will always have a head start.

I think that this view, could be the crux of your failure.
Again, Excel wasn't the first spreadsheet?
Netscape sure had a head start over the rest of the browsers, and when was the last time you saw it?
Remember dBase, and dBase II ? Where are they now, with their head start?
How about Wordstar ?

Having a head start, means nothing.

However, I do agree that you don't need to focus on taking down eBay.
If you really do have a unique enough concept...yes, folks will flood to you, and eBay may fall naturally, just like Wordstar, VisiCalc, and Netscape.

[TurtleCove]

Originally Posted by glasstree

Well, I guess the way I would look at this is ... there are times when I want to go to a local hardware store (would like to talk to someone who KNOWS what they're talking about); then there's times when a big box store will do (don't care about quality, want _____ item cheap). I say let eBay be the big box and imjustme's idea can be like the local hardware store. Does one have to be better than the other? NO. It's comparing apples to oranges.

If sellers at store X carry certain items and sellers at store Y carry others - both can exist, and there will be corresponding "X buyers" and "Y buyers"

A union, while worthwhile to consider, is in the end a not-so-great idea because none of the "corporate" type sellers would invest in that idea. Plenty of sellers have never had a negative eBay experience -- enough to keep eBay from sitting at any negotiation table, irrespective of who is there seller-wise. The best thing I can do is take my selling business elsewhere ... and if someone like imjustme and his investors offer an alternative that proves to have a ready-to-buy audience, I'll go. And IF enough sellers like me go, that's all the union-like activity needed. eBay is beyond the point where the changes needed (to strike a balance between buyer & sellers) are even within the realm of possibility. And that's not what this (new idea) is about anyway ...

Well, I understand where you're coming from...but I'll bet most of us like 80% of what eBay does for us. There's just some real sticking points, that are thorns in our sides. And, even tho us sellers keep eBay afloat, they won't negotiate with us. Seems like the perfect situation for a union.

Your statement that "...plenty of sellers have never had a negative eBay experience..." If you really believe that percentage is significant, then imjustme isn't going to get those sellers, either, and thus he's dead even before he starts.

[freedomplz]

Originally Posted by TurtleCove

Well, I understand where you're coming from...but I'll bet most of us like 80% of what eBay does for us. There's just some real sticking points, that are thorns in our sides. And, even tho us sellers keep eBay afloat, they won't negotiate with us. Seems like the perfect situation for a union.

Your statement that "...plenty of sellers have never had a negative eBay experience..." If you really believe that percentage is significant, then imjustme isn't going to get those sellers, either, and thus he's dead even before he starts.

Today I woke up and didn't rush to check my paypal balance the way I usually would. Like many other ebay sellers, I had gotten notice that an item sold. However, I have recently been classified by ebay as part of the riffraff that has to wait arbitrary amounts of time for paypal to release my funds.

Herein lies the problem:

1. The ONLY thing that ebay "gives" sellers is traffic which we pay for with high fees. Yes Amazon's fees are higher; but believe me when I say we would get even more traffic listing at Amazon. Instead of a union, all sellers could agree to boycott ebay for a week - ROFL. Well!!!

2. ebay handles VERO claims as if it were a 4 year old being told something by a parent - someone claims VERO violation, ebay slaps or suspends the seller - no investigation. It seems computerized until you call ebay and speak to a rep. Then you realize that most of the reps are morons without a brain or token people who follow the written policy that sellers are always wrong.

3. ebay was super for me when I could list a drop ship item, sell it, pay for it and keep 2 steps ahead of my bills - in other words ebay is a quick cash source and a haven for people starting with a shoestring - entrepreneurs.

4. ebay's feedback system helps a buyer to decide if to trust a seller. However the current system does not protect sellers from ignorant, irate, lying buyers. Every buyer deserves value for money. However that does not give them the right to lie and give unwarranted negative feedback. It blows my mind that with free shipping a delivery that is 1 day late equals negative feedback. In fact the new ebay "tell the buyer when to expect the package" is absolutely bone brained - imagine UPS ground in 1 day - go look at the choices ebay gives. Up until a few days ago, almost all shipping choices started with 1 day delivery.
Anyways the guy at the post office made me pay for the shipping although I told him it was free. :D

What does all this have to do with this thread? The above 4 items are important for both buyers and sellers. Therefore a new site needs to address the following issues:

1. Traffic
2. VERO/legal
3. Entrepreneurship
4. Feedback/buyer-seller expectations
(feedback chipped in stone encourages lies & both buyers and sellers must be allowed to give both positive and negative feedback - forgive me but feedback replies/followup do not count towards your feedback score)

Of course this list is not all inclusive. We must start with humans (brain attached to heart), an excellent auction site script, an attorney(sad to say), facebook linking (traffic & basic security!), good financial backing and top notch cost analysis.

I have a strong belief in the persons supporting this idea of a new seller site. I feel it in my bones that we will one day be a household name.

[imjustme]

Originally Posted by TurtleCove

Your statement that "...plenty of sellers have never had a negative eBay experience..." If you really believe that percentage is significant, then imjustme isn't going to get those sellers, either, and thus he's dead even before he starts.

That's not my statement, but another forum member's.

But I'm not looking to "get sellers" away from eBay. People can and will sell on multiple marketplaces at the same time. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. You can sell on eBay, Etsy, Ecrater & iOffer at the same time. Nobody is forcing anyone to leave eBay and go elsewhere.

It's not either eBay or elsewhere. It's eBay and elsewhere. If eBay treats you good, you can sell on both. If eBay treats you bad, you still have elsewhere to go.

[TurtleCove]

Originally Posted by freedomplz

Instead of a union, all sellers could agree to boycott ebay for a week - ROFL. Well!!!

I'm confused.
Isn't that called a union?

[GrannyT]

Behave yourself

If you organised a boycot half the so called guests on this forum would list double to make a quick buck

Get with the programme

[freedomplz]

Originally Posted by KingRay

You have some good ideas.

The problem with other sites though is that they dont have the 15yrs of growing pains in thier past yet. Yes these sites can use what ebay has learned and go from there but ebay is molded by laws, etc and other BS that affects them.

I am sure that their goal isnt to simply catch people and suspend them. I am sure you are fully aware that they probably hate suspending people that make them money. They do it becuase they have to. Those rules while BS to most of us are probably really thought about by tons of people and board room meetings prior with lawyers and such before anything is put into place.

If you can keep up with all the things they have learned and hire someone that knows the insides of issues they have learned they dont tell us about then it might work.

I know mine is only one opinion but ebays rules are molded by the activity that has been done for 15yrs. now. Just like the US gov. All of us have a say in what goes in the books as rules and we all mold what does and doesnt get into law.

Really just works like evolution. The environment molds how we are and look.

Get all good sellers and buyer and rules are slacked a bunch. When people start screwing up then they must tighten. That is exactly how ebay has worked.

One small example.

Feedback used to be just feedback. You didnt even have to have a transaction with someone to post feedback for them. You could just pick joe blows user ID and post a neg for him. Just like that.

People abused it and they had to change it. more changes later we have DSR's in place. Later it will be totally different than what we see now. And that will be only decided on how people treat the system from now till then.

I hope you succeed for sure. I would do anything to help out as well. Good luck

You have touched on several good points. We must start off with a written set of rules & procedures which will evolve with time. The caution is keeping the human aspect.

DSR's may be a bit more objective than feedback. Buyers can still leave arbitrary negative feedback. A seller who uses ebay to support his/her family does not need to walk on eggshells daily because a shipment was inadvertently lost. Major corporations mess up on shipments then make up for it making the customer happy once again. When negative feedback comes into question, it is important to follow the email communications. Did the seller perform good customer service? If so, negative feedback cannot be allowed.

Time is a factor. However in the information age with social media we do not need 15 years to establish ourselves. If our site is a fun place to sell and shop, people will come - buyers & sellers.

[freedomplz]

Originally Posted by GrannyT

Behave yourself

If you organised a boycot half the so called guests on this forum would list double to make a quick buck

Get with the programme

And ebay will give free listings that week and a new one "No seller fees for 30 days".

Actually I am done bashing ebay. I want to utilize my energy to help launch the auction sell/buy site of the century. imjustme and the rest of eBay Suspension & Paypal Limited Forums I am officially requesting that you assign me a project.

[imjustme]

That's true. Seller boycotts on eBay have never worked. For every seller that boycotted eBay, another seller listed 10x more items. If anything, it gave eBay a listing boost during that time.

The key to buyer/seller satisfaction is to keep as much as possible "human-operated" and the least possible automated, even though it means more work and less revenue for the marketplace. With eBay, most of it is automated, and many sellers feel like they're talking to a wall or have nobody to reach when there's a problem.

[TurtleCove]

That's not the way an eBay union would work.
When farmers join a union, to get a better price for their milk, it didn't matter what "perks" the dairy offered them, or non union members....they simply kept dumping their milk down the drain until they got their demands met.

If only 20 or 30 percent of eBay sellers joined a union, they could break eBay's back. When the union members band together, to boycott eBay until demands are met, it doesn't matter what kind of perks eBay offered....the decrease from that 30% would be devistating for eBay. I sell all the items I have on eBay. When they offer fee listing days, or decreased rates, it's not as though I go find additional items to list.

"For every seller that boycotted eBay, another seller listed 10x more items." ... That simply isn't true.

Monopoly's like eBay, are best kept in check with competition. But, when competition doesn't work (as we've seen from the scores that have tried against eBay), a union is the way to go.

Imagine if 30% of eBay's sellers joined a union, and each of them paid dues of $25 a year. Do you realize the amount of bad press the union could threaten to buy with that kind of money, if their demands didn't get met? In addition to the lost revenue from auction witholding.