eBay Boycott Still Going Strong, Total Auctions Down 13 Percent
The boycott of the world's most popular auction website - eBay.com - which began last week has been extended for at least another week, if not longer. Both sellers and buyers alike are boycotting the site in response to changes in eBay's feedback system and listing fees. While the boycott has been downplayed by both eBay officials and others who cite numerous failed strikes in the past, this strike is already beginning to have a major impact on the company and may force them to reconsider the changes.
According to data released by USAToday on Monday, the number of auctions on eBay have fallen 13% to just 13 million listings, down from 18 million. But there's another effect of the boycott that hasn't yet been quantified - the PayPal effect.
eBay purchased the online payment processing company in October 2002, arguably the most popular payment method for eBay auctions. So in addition to earning revenue from auctions, eBay also earns money by taking a cut of transactions processed through PayPal. With a reduction in auctions and items sold, it can be assumed that the company will also feel the effects through a reduced number of transactions at PayPal.
The original protest thread posted on eBay's discussion board is now over 209 pages long, and is growing rapidly. Scores of eBay sellers have "signed" the pledge agreeing to honor the strike, and have subsequently stopped listing new auctions, shut down their eBay stores, and have altogether ceased their activities on the site. Some have even put up virtual "closed for business" signs in their eBay stores and eBay profiles, alerting potential buyers that they will not be selling during the strike.
So where are all the sellers going? Many have relocated their listings to a site called OnlineAuction.com, which also happens to be accessible by typing in ola.com.
Offering a simple $8.00 per month flat-rate fee to list auctions, and no individual listing fees or final value assessments, OLA is a much more appealing option in light of the policy and fee changes at eBay. OLA is no small potatoes either - as of Monday, their total number of online auctions was hovering near 12 million. With eBay at 13 million and falling, the gap is closing quickly. Many eBay sellers have taken up residence here, and have begun directing buyers to their new auctions at OLA.
As far as payment processing goes, the strike also includes a boycott of PayPal. The next biggest payment processing system, which is simple to use and takes far less in fees, is Google Checkout. Users can store their payment details easily in a Google Profile, for quick and easy payments. Sellers can easily accept payments, which are directly deposited into your bank account by Google, unlike PayPal where it is held in limbo until you cash out.
eBay sellers may not be familiar with Google Checkout, however, as eBay effectively barred users from using their competitor's service in connection with online auctions. This was clearly a scare tactic designed to stave off any mass exodus to Google Checkout, which offers lower fees and quicker payments.
While the boycott rages on into its second week, eBay is putting on a stoic face, refusing to show any sign of weakness despite the obvious affect it is has having on the company. Jim Griffith, dean of eBay Education, declined to comment on the 13% drop in auctions as provided by third-party groups. However, he said that according to their own internal statistics, the boycott "has had no impact on our listings." Furthermore, eBay insists that they will not be changing the newly enacted policies and fee structures to meet sellers' demands.
Comments
The ebay uproar is not without merit. However they got what they deserve. They have upset the balance of supply and demand. A great new concept has hit the market. It is really a live auction at any time of the day or night. It has real suspense and excitment. It is called Blackwells Live Auction
.com I love it.
Roxane
ebay are just money hungry giants. They don't care about anyone.
Boycott the site for life!
I'm a power seller on eBay, and used the first week of the boycott down time to contact the FTC, my state's attorney general and banking commission. This second boycott week I will be moving current eBay business to Tias.com, Ruby Lane and the new NeoLoch.com auction site. (NeoLoch means New Bay ... quite appropriate, I feel.)
While I've had very little problem with buyers, the continual problem with the 'bubble pop-up' over the DSR ratings keeps my buyers from leaving the ratings they want to leave. I've had several comments about this from buyers, and have been totally unable to leave DSRs for sellers from whom I have purchased items.
This 'bubble' covering the DSR ratings is a ploy being used by eBay to insure there are few, if any, Power Sellers who will qualify for the fee reductions promised.
My new inability to accurately leave feedback for bogus or non-paying buyers, coupled with eBay's statement that the Buyers are eBay's customers, not mine, has forced me to break away and, as my son says, 'finally live up to my potential'.
It's heartrending for those of us who have sacrficed so much to build our businesses, paying eBay and PayPal ever increasingly larger percentages of our earnings.
eBay failed to realize how many of us (Sellers) are also some of the most frequent and reliable buyers. Mr. Donahoe's stance that the 'flea market' feel of eBay needs to end is exactly what will turn the company we built into nothing more than another walmart.com or overstock.com.
I like eBay's wonderful eclectic 'flea market' mix, but I will not march blindly back to eBay to sell my antiques and depression glass. I've wised up, this old dog has learned some new tricks.
I agree with a lot of what you say, however directing people to NeoLoch is a disservice to your fellow sellers. It's just an auction out of a box, full of misspellings and you STILL have to use PayPal which eBay owns.
Not to mention that the creater of this site even misspells his site as Neolock in his terms. Which by the way, have 16 as the legal age to be able to use it. You must be 18 to enter into a binding contract.
OLA, ecrater, iOffer, bluJay and many others are much more viable. In fact, a few even let you transfer your feedback if you so choose to the new site. (It still stays on eBay as well), unless you close your account).
The upcoming Postal Increases will do as much or perhaps even more damage to sellers on any site.
First let me say that I have no affiliation with the new site Neoloch. I am just your average reader. Second, I will say, it appears as if you are a competitor, that most people will see through whether you admit it or not.
Any site that is new.....has glitches. I believe everyone would agree. I just take offense that you would be unprofessional enough to single out a site like that. I'm sure errors will be fixed, and items will be reviewed. This forum is about The ebay boycott........please keep with the subject and stop with your vendettas. They are very unattractive.
Lest we not mention, you used "guest" to hide yourself.
Miranda
I have to say, after reading your post I just had to verify it's accuracy. But I couldn't find anywhere where the age says 16. It's 18, at least from what I've seen. Which means it was an oversight and they've fixed it or you Interpreted what you saw.
I also don't understand why you stated that directing people to NeoLoch is a disservice. There are hundreds of small auction sites on the web and while most cater to a specific arena, they are just as out of the box as NeoLoch. And I don't see you singling them out, so what do you have against NeoLoch?
There is misinformation about NeoLoch.com here.
Sellers do not have to use PayPal to sell on NeoLoch.
They may opt for their own merchant processing, Google Checkout, money orders, checks, cashier's checks, or cash.
The site does not allow users under 16.
This is taken from the terms and conditions:
Membership to this web-site is only available to those you can form a legally binding contract. This web-site does not permit minors (under 18) to register. If any member fails to sign up with their correct age, the account will be terminated immediately.
The terms and conditions do not contain the phrase NeoLock. It is NeoLoch throughout.
I strongly encourage people to give the site a try.
I'm an eBay Power Seller who believes in NeoLoch's ability to be a strong and long-lasting online auction venue.
For those of you who remember the friendly days of eBay years ago, this site has that feel.
It is just about a week old as of March 3rd and is set for a relaunch soon with a new look and enhanced usability.
David Hoffman, the site's creator, is accepting input from other sellers, and as a seller he recognizes and addresses our concerns.
As the site grows, it can surely give eBay stiff competition.
I've been a powerseller on eBay since 1999. I think eBay is failing to realize that their policy changes & fee increases in 2005 DID have a lasting effect & contributed to the decline in their profits and stock prices. I cut my eBay store by 50%, down from nearly 5,000 listings to it's current pre-boycott number of approximately 2,400. With the announcements of the new changes; I signed up on eCrater, a free store hosting site, and daily have been transferring my listings over to them, as a " store home " while I determine the best new auction venue for me. The sellers were quieter about their discontent in 2005, but speaking for myself, my quiet boycott DID have a lasting effect. The items I removed from my store were sold at local venues and neither eBay nor Paypal received any fees from them. How many other sellers such as myself did the same ? This boycott will have an effect. We ARE the people that established eBay as the number one Online Auction Site in the world. And we have the power to establish another site as the next Number One.
http://fynderskeepers.ecrater.com
Amen. I went to onlineauction.com and posted a few dozen items there that would have gone on ebay. I spent my boycott time searching new venues and found some to try. One local classified KSL.com sold my cargo trailer for $5,500 that went unsold at $4,000 on ebay. Sold it in 7 hours and made more FREE with no fees. Thanks for driving me away ebay. I made more this week because of it.
I have extended the boycott already by leaving the site permenantly for ecrater.com http://theeclecticcollector.ecrater.com/
I was mainly a buyer and occasional seller on ebay (venturecrew145) with 100% positive feedback as both. But what sane person would continue to do business with a company that treats us the way ebay does?
I spent the week of the boycott looking for a new home and defining the reasons it is no longer viable for me to continue a business relationship with ebay.
1- Mr Donahoe stated he wants to rid the site of the embarassing sellers of "flea market" items- otherwise known to buyers as unique vintage items and what a great many of us searched ebay for- in favor of large powersellers who drop ship their items (JUNK) from China.
2- If I wished to continue to sell my items on ebay, I would be required to pay a 66% increase in fees.
3- If I did sell an item I would be required to use paypal, ebay's own bank, to receive the money from the sale and pay them a fee as well.
4- Paypal will also now be holding for 21 days with no intrest, the money paid to the small seller, while ebay still requires that I ship the item as soon as paypal receives the funds, meaning that I have to ship an item using MY money to cover shipping! And if the buyer ends up deciding they want my item for free, and initiates a charge back with paypal, I can bet they get their money back, leaving me out the following- Money lost on listing fee paid to ebay, money lost to ebay on Final valuation fee when the item was "sold" errr "Stolen", Money I had to pay to ship the item, MY item which I will never get back, Fees to paypal for money I NEVER received AND........
5 To add insult to injury, I will only be allowed to leave this wonderful buyer POSITIVE feedback, while I receive Negative feedback for being robbed!
6- BUT.....it does not end there. Additionally, for the pleasure of paying 66% more in fees to list my item, ebay has created a new DEFAULT search matrix, called "Best Match" which will give the powersellers selling the same items as me TOP placement in the search results, meaning my item, because I am a small seller, will never be seen, therefore never purchased :)
WOW! What a deal ebay is! No wonder buyers and sellers alike are leaving in droves!
I've known wonderful storefront (brick and mortar) shops who had to move when their greedy landlords raised the rent. What ebay is doing to us, their faithful sellers (I have a store there) with 100% positive feedbacks and high star ratings, is deeply depressing.
I am looking into a number of other venues to sell my wares. I signed up with eCrater.com, artandcraftauctions.com, SilkFair.com, Etsy, and PowerSellersUnite. I am looking at the others too. I plan to move listings or list new handcrafted jewelry items on several sites to "test the waters."
I can see the handwriting is "on the wall", as in the Bible's old testament: weighed, measured and found wanting (English translation). We have been weighed and measured and found wanting by ebay and they think they will make more money by remaking their site entirely after getting rid of these little noisy worker bees. We take up their time (asking for the bugs to be worked out of their site, and tools, and complaining about things like customers who refuse to pay us, and web space with thousands (make that millions) of odd little items, and we want too much respect.
You know, I will probably be one of the people who will benefit and pay less fees under the new pay structure because out of the thousands of items listed in my store I only sell 40 to 70 a month. It is the other changes that really depress me. I hate to be where I'm not valued and appreciated. My customers love me but eBay sees me as "NOISE." It is time to move. I can imagine sometime soon "turning the lights out" in my ebay store and walking away forever. I want the sellers who I have purchased things from on ebay to know that it was good to be your customer. I would like to know where all of you will end up so I can buy things from you there in the future.
I have extended the boycott already by leaving the site permanently for ecrater.com http://theeclecticcollector.ecrater.com/
I was mainly a buyer and occasional seller on ebay (venturecrew145) with 100% positive feedback as both. But what sane person would continue to do business with a company that treats us the way ebay does?
I spent the week of the boycott looking for a new home and defining the reasons it is no longer viable for me to continue a business relationship with ebay.
1- Mr Donahoe, new ebay CEO, stated he wants to rid the site of the embarrassing sellers of "flea market" items- otherwise known to buyers as unique vintage items and what a great many of us searched ebay for- in favor of large powersellers who drop ship their items (JUNK) from China.
2- If I wished to continue to sell my items on ebay, I would be required to pay a 66% increase in fees.
3- If I did sell an item I would be required to use paypal, ebay's own bank, to receive the money from the sale and pay them a fee as well.
4- Paypal will also now be holding for 21 days with no interest, the money paid to the small seller, while ebay still requires that I ship the item as soon as paypal receives the funds, meaning that I have to ship an item using MY money to cover shipping! And if the buyer ends up deciding they want my item for free, and initiates a charge back with paypal, I can bet they get their money back, leaving me out the following- Money lost on listing fee paid to ebay, money lost to ebay on Final valuation fee when the item was "sold" errr "Stolen", Money I had to pay to ship the item, MY item which I will never get back, Fees to paypal for money I NEVER received AND........
5 To add insult to injury, I will only be allowed to leave this wonderful buyer POSITIVE feedback, while I receive Negative feedback for being robbed!
6- BUT.....it does not end there. Additionally, for the pleasure of paying 66% more in fees to list my item, ebay has created a new DEFAULT search matrix, called "Best Match" which will give the powersellers selling the same items as me TOP placement in the search results, meaning my item, because I am a small seller, will never be seen, therefore never purchased :)
WOW! What a deal ebay is! No wonder buyers and sellers alike are leaving in droves!
I have included information about where I relocated to and my past ebay ID not as advertising but as factual substantiation to prove that what I have said is true.
The next boycott is already being organised starting May 1st. Many people who joined the protest last week have already moved their items to alternative auction sites or have simply stopped selling on eBay.
The action IS being co-ordinated at the following two places:
http://forums.delphiforums.com/boycottebay/start
http://www.myspace.com/boycottebay
BOYCOTT VICTORIOUSLY!
I have recently read where a spokesman at eBay had stated that in the ''REAL WORLD you would not get away with that behaviour'' Meaning --->( SELLER LEAVING BAD FEEDBACK FOR A CUSTOMER ) Well that is totally true, I agree, HOWEVER though, it is a fact that in the REAL WORLD, I the CUSTOMER cannot go downtown, walk in a store or shop &, feel the clerk was not as nice as I would like him/her to be and, then be unhappy that the product did not meet my expectaions, (even though it was described accurate) and then go out to his/her BUSINESS FRONT where customers see before coming in to shop, 3 Days after sale and Paint on his Door ''ROTTEN ATTITUDE, OVERPRICED JUNK ! DO NOT BUY HERE ! AVOID !'' Then go my Merry Way ! That is what buyers can do to us sellers come May, and they will !
So if we want to talk about the REAL WORLD eBay spokesman, then it is my well, very long and thought out opinion that feedback should not be allowed by either side on eBay if only 1 can have it, cause in the REAL WORLD I cannot do what I just mentioned for an example to a business store, and I am sick and saddened to think in May someone can do that to my business FRONT on eBay, my reputation ! Please eBay think of a better way !
This is totally not fair to us good sellers, as no seller in the REAL world gets remarks damaging to them Posted on the Front of their Business ! And their are torturous, extorting buyers, they DO exist. This is way to much power for the buyers, who could care less that a sellers Rep means everything, that he like me has a family to take care of, bills to pay, food for their children.
I know for a fact from 9 years of sellng, this will be abused by nasty buyers, who steal the stuff off of us sellers for way less than any brick and mortar store could ever match, then enjoy killing our reputations cause they decide 9 days later they don't like it, or they break it ! Or they are in a bad mood the day they get it from something else, and take it out on a sellers feedback !
eBay I beg you to not implement this UNFAIR feedback policy in May 2008, on behalf of all the GOOD SELLERS, find a better way to get rid of the bad sellers.
Ahhh ebay is now irrelevant. I have made my first sale after relocating this week on ecrater.com. Ecrater.com is a third place and quickly rising competitor, only below ioffer.com in the # 1 position and bidville.com in #2 position. So Long Ebay!
First let me say that I have no affiliation with the new site Neoloch. I am just your average reader. Second, I will say, it appears as if you are a competitor, that most people will see through whether you admit it or not.
Any site that is new.....has glitches. I believe everyone would agree. I just take offense that you would be unprofessional enough to single out a site like that. I'm sure errors will be fixed, and items will be reviewed. This forum is about The ebay boycott........please keep with the subject and stop with your vendettas. They are very unattractive.
Lest we not mention, you used "guest" to hide yourself.
Miranda
To quote Carol, "eBay's statement that the Buyers are eBay's customers, not mine..."
eBay has always held the stance that they are merely a tool for bringing buyers and sellers together. This has provied them with good armour against various accusations and threats. Have they changed their mind?
I would very much like to see where that quote came from, so if anyone knows where it is, could you please post the URL?
Thanks!
Chuck
Ebay's greedy changes to paypal after the acquisition
was upsetting enough. This further insult to we,
buyers and sellers, who pay their wage is the last straw.
I'm unsubscribing "email settings" on my "All Favorite"
searches to show my support. And of course I'll not
buy or sell or even browse their site.
Silkfair ( http://www.silkfair.com ), is a new online marketplace. We have just pre-released a week ago and have seen interest from traffic from 47 US states and 45 countries within that short period of time.
What do we do? We're a new marketplace where you can use video to showcase your products.
We offer the internet community a place to set up your own free store where you can buy and sell pretty much anything. Plus, our system offers very cool capabilities like video marketing, one-step shopping cart check-out, cool in-line editing of listings (point-click-edit), integration with PayPal and Google Checkout, and many more!
Silk Fair features
- FREE store
- unique URL with every store
- easy to use, easy to setup
- custom domain name supported
- custom tag
- sell your products with video
- import/export listings
- customizable product attributes
- one-step cart checkout including purchases from multiple-vendors
- integrated payment gateways
- Google Checkout
- PayPal Standard / Express Checkout
- Authorize.net
- order processing
- payment processing
- blog and forum for each store (great for SEO)
- real-time linking existing e-bay rating
- double-blind feedbacks
- unique Feedback Mapping - see where feedbacks came from
- and many more !!
We're in the process of putting up a sandbox, so that visitors can take a test-drive of our system. If you think our site looks good, you'll be even more impressed with the capability once you see how to operate a store within our system.
Plus, we're very much sales-thru driven. We'll explore ways to create monitizing service opportunities for sellers. So, our system is unique, and our vision is different as well.
So, take a few minutes and join us today at http://ww.silkfair.com !
See you soon!
Well Ebay keeps making a55'5 of themselves. I love how they say the buyers are their customers. I love how they say they want to get rid of the "fleamarket" auctions. I love how they say the won't change the new policies because of sellers demands. I love how they deny ever doing anything wrong, and then play it off when they gt caught as if everything is fixed, it was just a one time glitch & we are compensating the customers that were inconvenienced.
Well, isn't it ironic then, that I had to go to Live Chat last night because my last 2 listings STILL don't have the pictures showing, and has it been fixed ? NO.
But the greatest kicker of all is that I got an email asking me to do a follow up survey about my experience, that they "care" about our opinions...BAWHAHAHAHAHA !!
They don't care 1 flying rat about anyone's opinions, except they whining of their bank accounts.
If the buyers are their customers, do they think that sellers have just "sold" the entire time they were associated with Ebay ? This sellers son has spent countless hours & money looking for those "fleamarket" finds. As a single parent, I have been grateful for those "fleamarket finds".
My son may be a teenager now, but he turns 18 soon, is very excited to vote this year, make his voice heard & go on to college, where he will get a degree, make a living & begin INVESTING his money. Do you think he is going to buy Ebay stock now ? NOPE !
Ebay thinks it is just a small seller that it is alienating...but everyseller is connected to someone who can have an impact on Ebay's business, stock & bottom line. There is a little term called "six degree's of seperation". We all are connected to someone that someone else knows or can be impacted by.
Ebay should stop, pull it's head out of those piles of money it has so "victoriously" made these past years and remember this:
The issue with Ebay is a moralistic & legal one. There are millions of "moralistic" people who choose to do business based on a companies reputation (oops remember your own feedback system ?)
As these people, sellers, buyers, potential buyers, current & potential stock investors all gain more & more insight into the OUTRAGEOUS activities & potentially illegal acts that Ebay is participating in...they will get rid of their stock while it is of value, they will decide to buy stock in a more stable "less controversial & less insulting to the people that pay the salaries" company. Current & potential buyers will go to other places to get their "fleamarket bargains".
There are a lot of persons out there saying that it isn't hurting them, like the lopsidedly favored buyers. Well, keep this in mind. It isn't a matter of if Ebay will bend you over too...it's a matter of when. There is no loyalty to those who bring the products for buyers to purchase & who actually pay the bills to Ebay. When a dog bites the hand that feeds it, it will also bite the hand that pets it eventually.
Ebay's greed will be it's downfall, hooray for the boycott...participate anyway you can. Reduce your listings, or end them entirely. Stop buying from those big overseas, counterfeiting, lead paint manufacturing sellers. No need to go to smaller sellers anyway, with the new policy, the buyers won't even be able to find them...hmmmmmm Ebay has now controlled the buyers right to search, look at & decide the best product & price for them...WOW the dog has already begun to turn & bite again !!!
BOYCOTT VICTORIOUSLY !!!
FIRE JOHN DONAHOE PETITION!
www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?jdonohoe
“Ebay Stockholders and Sellers Calling For Immediate Termination of John Donohoe CEO”
PLEASE! Pass this information on to others!!!
Copy & paste for Internet blogs, comments, friends family, etc.
Over charging may be the cause of this. And also some illegal activities should be terminated.
Cinderella Jewelry
EBAY KILLED THE SELLERS: '
HOW? WITH JOHN DONOHOE'S POLICY CHANGES THAT SLAP LONGTIME SELLER DIRECTLY IN THE PUSS! THE DSR'S, THE NO FEEDBACK COMMENT BY SELLERS; THE TRUST DEPARTMENT THAT REFUSES TO TREAT SELLERS FAIRLY; THE OVERALL NON RESPONSIVENESS; THE BEST MATCH, THE WHOLE BUNCH!!!!!!!!!!!!
EBAY MUST PURGE DONOHOE NOW BEFORE THE SITE FAILS LATER THIS QUARTER!!! DONOHOE MUST GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
EBAY STINKS!! IT DOES DOODIE ON THE SELLERS (WHO WERE ALSO BUYERS , YOU JERKS!!). . BOYCOTT EBAY UNTIL THEY ARE DOWN 50%. . THEY ARE JUST UN-COOPERATIVE NERD HEADS!! LEAVE NOW!!! MORE CHANGES ARE COMING TO ATTACK SELLERS SOME MORE IN MAY 09!!!
I absolutely LOVE ecrater.com, they have great options, free everything, and no hassles. It is the opposite of ebay!!
Ebay-- where you pay for every picture (except the first one, which ebay sooo graciously gives everyone.
Ecrater--you can have up to 10 free pictures for each listing!
Ebay-- you pay an insertion fee, final value fee, and other fees
Ecrater--you get a FREE store, free listings, no final value fees, no insertion fees, no extraneous fees.
Ebay--you must only accept Paypal as a form of payment
Ecrater--you can have the cheaper Google Checkout! plus money orders and checks if you like, yeah even Paypal
Ebay ---usually puts a cap on what you are listing
Ecrater--you can list as many items as you want!
Ebay --has a stupid new search engine called Best Match
Ecrater--- allows your items to be on Google Base so often times your items will be on top of Googled searches
Plus many other good attributes that ebay doesnt have!
Find out for yourself how ecrater works. I have been on ecrater since August 2008 and have sold hundreds of items. Its quick, easy and soooo much better than ebay. I have gotten very good to excellent prices on items I couldnt give away on ebay!
See my ecrater store at www.cleopatrasboudoir.ecrater.com
A note on feedback, many many times people either dont realize they can leave feedback, or they just dont, so dont be discouraged if you dont get a feedback when you sell things.
Agree. Today it has become faster and worry free situation. Doing it online is much credible.