Anyone interested in launching our own sellers market site ?....

[XHIBIT]

I was banging my head against my PC desk today trying to figure out the lunacy of eBay, IOffer, and all the other sites that continue to make it harder for us to make money.
Seriously folks...its like jumping thru flaming hoops, and sliding barefoot down razor blades just to make a buck.
And then it hit me ....

Its enough of us here to launch our OWN sellers market !
Think about it for a minute....
These are just a few advantages we would have.


1) We could control who we allow to sell.
2) We could control what we allow to be sold.
3) VIP Members could pay 1 fee...Yearly, Bi yearly, or Monthly.
4) We could have our own dedicated server.
5) We could have mixed auctions (timer and bid), buy it now and (best offer) auctions.
6) We could also have classified ad auctions.
etc etc...

The possibilities are endless.
And as far as promoting the site, a simple link from your existing stealth eBay, Amazon, IOffer, and any other virtual sellers marketplace would bring you your own customers WHILE HELPING ADVERTISE THE NEW SITE !

It would take a bit of work at first of course...such as a catchy domain name...an eBay clone site script (which I can find and install very easily) and a few modifications tp give us a unique look and feel.

But the bottom line is, if they can do it...who says we cant do it and be even better at it ?

I'm really serious about this...lets hear your take on the idea folks.

[last3379]

Good luck! I hope you have a lot of spare cash and time :P

[XHIBIT]

Its not expensive at all...
I can download eBay clone scripts for free.
I already have 2 websites and can get a domain name for under 10.00 and add it to my semi dedicated host for now.
Websites arent as difficult as people perceive them to be.

[unkown5454]

Originally Posted by XHIBIT

Its not expensive at all...
I can download eBay clone scripts for free.
I already have 2 websites and can get a domain name for under 10.00 and add it to my semi dedicated host for now.
Websites arent as difficult as people perceive them to be.

The website isn't the trouble, it's the people using it. And many who are smarter than you, which then in turn brings on the stress and abuse that has forced EB and others to iterate the strict policies that exist today.

[GrannyT]

Originally Posted by unkown5454

The website isn't the trouble, it's the people using it. And many who are smarter than you, which then in turn brings on the stress and abuse that has forced EB and others to iterate the strict policies that exist today.

I love the way you are thinking OP but I have to agree with this.

imjustme is already a long way down this track.

I wish you nothing but good with it and if I can do anything to help give me a shout but my opinions on Foo-Foo are well known on this forum

[imjustme]

Originally Posted by XHIBIT

I was banging my head against my PC desk today trying to figure out the lunacy of eBay, IOffer, and all the other sites that continue to make it harder for us to make money.
Seriously folks...its like jumping thru flaming hoops, and sliding barefoot down razor blades just to make a buck.
And then it hit me ....

Its enough of us here to launch our OWN sellers market !
Think about it for a minute....
These are just a few advantages we would have.


1) We could control who we allow to sell.
2) We could control what we allow to be sold.
3) VIP Members could pay 1 fee...Yearly, Bi yearly, or Monthly.
4) We could have our own dedicated server.
5) We could have mixed auctions (timer and bid), buy it now and (best offer) auctions.
6) We could also have classified ad auctions.
etc etc...

The possibilities are endless.
And as far as promoting the site, a simple link from your existing stealth eBay, Amazon, IOffer, and any other virtual sellers marketplace would bring you your own customers WHILE HELPING ADVERTISE THE NEW SITE !

It would take a bit of work at first of course...such as a catchy domain name...an eBay clone site script (which I can find and install very easily) and a few modifications tp give us a unique look and feel.

But the bottom line is, if they can do it...who says we cant do it and be even better at it ?

I'm really serious about this...lets hear your take on the idea folks.

And who will own it? The problem with a community of sellers contributing to something that may later on get quite big is the question of ownership. It's like the guys who claim Mark Zuckerberg stole their Facebook idea. :D

If you're planning on doing something together with a few other sellers, I would recommend PCI-DSS compatible Shopping Cart Software & Ecommerce Solutions: X-Cart. Free shopping cart trial is available. . It's nothing like eBay, but works great combining several sellers into a single storefront.

Now, if you're planning on going bigger, like Etsy, eCrater or iOffer prepare to sacrifice at least a year of your personal life, your family, your friends, to develop the software and the overall project. I'm working on something like that right now and there's much more involved than downloading an eBay clone script and uploading it to a dedicated server with a pretty design. Not to mention most eBay clone scripts are very poorly written and unsafe in terms of data storing (not PCI compliant).

If you read the stories of the guys that created Etsy or Bonanza, they all spent at least a year working on it before it went public. It's an insane amount of work.

[GreenBean]

Originally Posted by XHIBIT

Its not expensive at all...
I can download eBay clone scripts for free.
I already have 2 websites and can get a domain name for under 10.00 and add it to my semi dedicated host for now.
Websites arent as difficult as people perceive them to be.

PEOPLE are.

There's the first weak link and the one that makes the most problems.

[imjustme]

Overall, I like the OP's attitude in terms of thinking outside the "eBay box". My first company grew out of an idea like this, out of being unsatisfied with another company's service that I was using at the time. I had very little knowledge about the industry at that time and started with nearly nothing. I ended up creating an industry leading company over 3 years with thousands of monthly paying customers. And I was barely 18 back then. If I had told anyone what I was about to do, they would have told me it would never work. I've had competitors who spent hundreds of thousands in advertising and they never grew as big as my company did. I spent less than $1000.

You have nothing to lose. If you don't do it, you've already failed, so you may as well try. And what comes out of it may take you into a whole different direction in life than you've ever imagined.

It's like Steve Jobs who would have never founded Apple had he not attended that calligraphy class after dropping out of college. And Apple might not be what it is today had he not been fired from Apple and then re-joined the company 10 years after. if Steve Jobs had not dropped out of college because his parents couldn't afford it anymore, I would not be writing this from my iPad right now.

And if eBay had not kept closing my selling accounts over the past few years I may have never started developing an eBay alternative. :D

[GrannyT]

Well said imjustme - well said indeed

The world is full of 'gonnas' they're gonna do this and they're gonna do that and never do anything

[yellow0102]

I agree with everyone else.. it will be a lot of hard work, BUT if you are truly dedicated, and have plenty of time on your hands, it may just work!

Good luck!

[RomexTM]

WOW opening a website like that would be a mission. But I guess it is possible

[brad]

Hi all, i made an auction site mainly to sell used football shirts as that is what i was doing on ebay. I have a few sellers on there at the moment, but finding the buyers is proving difficult. I have done a lot of things with to get the word around but it takes up a lot of time and i have had no social life for around 6 months atm.

[MichaelW]

Originally Posted by brad

but finding the buyers is proving difficult.

This is the problem

[imjustme]

Finding the buyers isn't difficult. The problem is creating the back-end software and making sure that you can handle the buyers. Because if they come and you can't handle them, they won't come back.

[XHIBIT]

Yes I concur with all of the suggestions as well.

Prior to my very first eBay (VERO) suspension last year I did create my own website selling NFL jerseys.

(Out of respect to Aspkin I wont list the link here), but yes its the PEOPLE that create the problems first, and the security and integrity of the site itself running a close 2nd.

Buyers have found my site without me spending a penny on Google ads, or me having to spam. Even though I'm not pushing the product and product name as much as I should last year was a good year...this year not so good. LOL

But...I'm really absorbing all the various feedbacks givin thus far and hopefully use the points as an advantage if I undertake this project.


Keep 'em comin guys.

[XHIBIT]

Originally Posted by unkown5454

The website isn't the trouble, it's the people using it. And many who are smarter than you, which then in turn brings on the stress and abuse that has forced EB and others to iterate the strict policies that exist today.

Thats soooo very true...but this is why we have the ability to control WHO and WHAT is listed.

We would have similar policies in place but not as strict and anal as feeBay.
So for example....a new seller would have an initial review period unless they were a VIP vendor. This is one way to keep out the riff raff and some (not all though) of the foo foo items.

Bans by IP and home and shipping addresses for repeat T.O.S offenders would also be in order. And NO STOCK images would be allowed onsite. The vendor would have to either use an image from our item category library, or upload there own.


Its a lot of ways to help combat the idiot legion without having to resort to becoming part of them like eBay has.

[GrannyT]

When do we start?

[First Edition]

As much as ebay, ioffer, amazon, whatever site.... makes it harder for us to sell, there is a reason behind it. It's always money. You will end up doing the same thing. Even craigslist is regulated.

[unkown5454]

Originally Posted by First Edition

As much as ebay, ioffer, amazon, whatever site.... makes it harder for us to sell, there is a reason behind it. It's always money. You will end up doing the same thing. Even craigslist is regulated.

Also true. CL is nothing like it used to be. The hammer keeps getting bigger and stronger...and a lot less fun/easy/stress free like it once was.

[gamezoom]

Lets do it!!!! Im in all the people who want could invest in it, im sure I would, use facebook to get the word out also, youtube, we can make a facebook like ebay auction site. Ill do all the promoting on it we just need good sellers, all the small sellers to support it. can leave business cards to the customers on ebay and say we are moving business, we can use ebay against them. will take time and hard work.

[First Edition]

You guys need to realize the people that run amazon, ebay, and paypal, are not idiots. There are reasons they do the things they do! They are a business, and the reason is ALWAYS profit.

[RedShootingStar]

I am in a business and marketing career and I can tell you that 99% of you have no idea what you are doing or talking about.