Ebay - Turnaround? ..Or Spinning Its Wheels!

"Gala Apples"

Saw this on a blog and got permission to print it here....dem's my feelings exactly:

Whatever happens to Ebay in the months ahead, it will change. Definitely not the turnaround Donahoe wants but it will change or it will die! Simple as that. For over 2 1/2 years he has been promising a turnaround and a big change....that is NOT happening. Ebay has stagnated from quarterly report to quarterly report and now depends heavily on Paypal's success (which also is not forever). At this point about the only hope Ebay has is to oust present management and his team and hire people experienced in online sales and what it takes to make those sales (the latter being the most important). Donahoe relies on Ebay's name and since that isn't working he probably doesn't know which way to turn at this point. The result is nothingness...a stagnation that will kill.

If Ebay were my site I would immediately divide it in the style of Overstock...with the diamond sellers on one side selling retail and the small sellers on the other side selling auctions and BIN's. Its Ebay's only hope and that hope is fading as days go by. Sellers are leaving and other sites ARE getting a foothold - whether Ebay wants to admit that or not!

Ebay needs to bring community and fun back to the auction side. They need to let up on some of those draconian policies that are chasing sellers away. Make it okay for sellers to make a profit selling on the site!

Take the power to destroy sellers out of buyers' hands and make that an administrative decision! Get rid of the childish DSR's and go back to relying on feedback and that percentage figure of negs and neutrals.

Ebay needs to get their hands dirty - get into the trenches and work with buyers and sellers. Time is gone where they could simply sit back and rack in the money....they need to realize this.

Grannygoodpaint:

I have one word for John Donahoe: Rakuten. I think he best work and work fast on a logical turnaround that is built for success and not the quick buck. Rakuten wants world dominance and they are aggressively working on it. Its only a matter of time before they reach out to US buyers...AND...US sellers...! ;-)

My painting for today....Gala Apples - an apple for the teacher?

My Predictions for Ebay 2010

Back in January 2008 I anxiously awaited John Donahoe's speech as the new CEO of Ebay. I think we all had high hopes back then....but we were not prepared for the icy cold slap we received. I'm sure small sellers realized they built Ebay into what it is today and they could never fathom that someone would come in and call them "noise" and seemingly want to do away with them. That was unthinkable! Now, two years later, we all know the unthinkable has arrived. Most of us have lost our business and our sales on Ebay. Something we could not possibly conceive would happen. We've been pushed aside to make way for giant retailers, with miserable sell thru rates, who are definitely pampered by Ebay. We have been put to the mercy of any buyer who may be having a bad hair day. Many small sellers finally left - not much business happening and they wanted to keep their spotless reputations intact. Today, many thousands of good sellers - the very people who made Ebay unique and interesting, are gone - leaving buyers to wander around and finally leave without buying. I hear complaints on Ebay's discussion boards of buyers who can no longer find their favorite sellers. Management seems to be oblivious or have absolutely no clue!

It seems these days whatever goes wrong Ebay will blame on the small seller. To that end more and more outrageous rules have come out and more are on the way. Ebay is no longer a place where you can get rid of items you have no use for. Sellers have less and less control over their own listings - yet at the bottom of each listing Ebay has seen fit to write "Seller is totally responsible for this listing." Today a small seller runs a gamut of hot coals between Ebay and their buyers in order to make a sale and receive their money from that sale. The Ebay/Paypal duo is more and more a place where a seller can lose his item AND his money and pay high fees to boot! It is a place where one nasty buyer can destroy a seller's long-term spotless reputation! Present policies, search manipulations and a downright nasty attitude toward small sellers have managed to destroy the fun and the community that was once Ebay.

After painting such a dismal picture, is the future any brighter?.....NO! Now, two full years later - one just has to wonder why?...why did the powers-that-be leave a multi-billion dollar company in the hands of the present management. Even more so....why is this destruction still going on?

My prediction for Ebay for 2010?.....much much more of the same. This will not stop on its own. In my mind, the future of Ebay is very uncertain...and even if they manage to turn it around it will never ever be the outrageous success it once was.

Sorry if my post sounds more like a vent then a prediction...but its the truth as I see it.



Happy New Year

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Those Bonanzle Bells!!!

"The Snowball Fight"

Sellers, both large and small have been complaining loudly over all the changes at Ebay...changes I feel will be softened considerably as Ebay nosedives in the next quarter. The Christmas rush will then be over and people across the country will all begin to feel the effects of our serious recession. Ebay will stand out for the greedy business it has become. BUT now there is a new bright star appearing on the horizon. A place where the seasoned sellers of Ebay can come and pick up a free shop and list freely to their heart's content. With no listing or shop fees they can afford to give bargain prices and even are free to negotiate prices with their potential buyers. Its about the closest thing to having your very own website. Sellers...come...take advantage of this bright new star. The site is vibrant and alive with sellers. Write your past customers and tell them where you'll be and they'll eventually come. This is a hot place to be.

Me? I have a shop there - and no other affiliation. I just feel this is going to be the up and coming site next year. The place where we can buy and sell with no stress....the FUN place Ebay used to be! Come see...

check out my shop and then sign up and open one of your own!

http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/misspatricia

A fun miniature painting for today - "The Snowball Fight" Painting is just 1 X 1 inch.