Artists - How About Fine Art America?

"...then...It Rained Teapots!"

Looking for a nice online gallery that will sell prints of your work and leave you free to make any sales of the originals? I've just picked up a spot on http://www.fineartamerica.com Its only been a couple of weeks but people are looking at my work and they are leaving comments so I'm hopeful this will turn into a viable venue for me.

On this Fine Art America you must upload files of your paintings to them. I generally upload a file of about 3 to 4 megs at 300 resolution. That's easy to do in any paint program to set the resolution to 300 pixels per inch and make the image as large as possible. This allows Fine Art America to make fine prints of your work for any customers who wish to buy them. You set your own commission on purchases.

They have free spots and for a small fee (30.00 a year) you can get more perks. They also have community forums and groups so its a nice place to go and chat with other artists.

Just thought I'd pass this information along and hope you will comment and add places where you are doing well.

My painting for today is a silly piece I just simply enjoyed painting.

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?

Trolls, Hooners, Cyber Stalkers - the Dark Side of the Net

"Ghost Walk"

Do you have them around you? Well, if you visit discussion boards - especially on Ebay, you're bound to run into more than one - called Trolls. In the Ebay Cafe (an Ebay chatroom) they are called Hooners (long story as to why). When they follow you around specifically and tend to step into a thread you're commenting in - only to bash you personally and not the topic at hand, then I call them stalkers. Some call them "cheerleaders" because they seem to be specific to Ebay and will jump to Ebay's side and bash anyone commenting negatively on the subject. It seems the internet spawned this new breed of cowards who like to hide behind their monitors and feel like big wigs. They generally end up making fools only of themselves...but you can't make them understand that. As you can tell, I'm venting because of one or two specific stalkers who start out saying I'm negative and end up saying things about my age and mentality. Crude...yes. Can you make the stalker understand he looks the fool?...NO!

I'm sure there are others out there being annoyed by one or more of these mentally unbalanced bashers or aggravated by a troll who inserts himself/herself into every thread on a discussion board only to detract from the topic of the thread.

Step forward - you are completely anonymous here and let's hear your story.

A shadowy painting for today.

Rakuten, Inc. - What is Next for Ebay?

"Spring Walk"

I posted this on a UK blog this morning and felt it was good enough to post here on its own. As sellers are hearing the news about the giant Japanese company Rakuten, Inc. buying up Buy.com - they can't help but wonder what this will do to Ebay and its three year destruction path called "disruptive innovation." I'm hoping something great will come of it. What is needed here is stiff competition and I'm hoping Rakuten will become just that. I'm sick to death of hearing the excuses about auctions not being popular or that the economy is to blame. Underneath it all perhaps bad management and the wrong business model are to blame?

My post: I think you’ll find that here in the States we are pretty much for the underdog…the downtrodden. The idea that Ebay was a place where the elderly, the disabled and the stay at home moms could earn some money was worth supporting, and make no mistake auctions are pretty much alive here. Ebay, in the last few years, has managed to kill the excitement of auctions and destroyed the feeling of community that was so alive on the site. They’ve pitted buyers against sellers and driven off some good decent small sellers at the whim of buyers having a bad hair day! Ebay’s reputation is mud here right now.

I feel Ebay would profit from splitting their site – much as Overstock has done. Retail on one side – auctions and fixed price listings on the other. Instead, they try to combine them as Amazon does and its not working. They simply have no skin in that game – they sell nothing but a service and right now they are doing that very badly!

I think Ebay may finally be realizing they can’t make it on retail alone. The competition is stiff, wiley and well-honed. Up against the likes of Amazon they look like what they are – shabby and disorganized. It will be interesting to see what Rakuten will add to this mix. If Ebay does not get back to their roots and their niche as a place where one can find the unique, the rare, the vintage, etc. I believe they will drag on like this for years or until the present management is finally ousted. That’s my take on it after selling on and observing this business for past 12 years.

My painting for today is a watercolor - "Spring Walk"

Ebay - Art is not an iPod

"Tranquility"

I really hesitate to even bother with this post but it seems to be necessary to bring up a big point. Ebay has probably the largest artist community in the world yet instead of helping artists they are busy pounding them into the same mold along with iPods and other items sold on the site! The same rules apply to artists as apply to iPod sellers....quantity will make you a Top Rated Seller and TRS sellers get top billing in the listings. Offering free shipping will also get you better placement in the listings. So, now, instead of a piece of art selling on its own merits buyers are instead seeing the art of those sellers Ebay gives the most exposure! Most art will not even be seen on the site. Top sellers will grind out the same art enmass to keep themselves at the top - good art will be missed or not seen at all! Ebay still uses its best match search in the arts category. That just has me scratching my head....best match to what? An artist can be brilliant but if he takes his time and lists just a piece or two a month then he will find himself buried in the listings and given little to no exposure. Soon....he is forced to walk away. I just have to ask you art buyers and collectors....are you aware of all this or are you content seeing the same artists over and over again - is this really how you want to buy your art? Comments please....

After my vent I think we need something calming. My watercolor for today is called "Tranquility"

Help the Economy.....Make & Buy Art!

In our present society, where people stand in line overnight for the latest electronic gadget, its pretty easy to ignore the artists and their work in this country. That's kind of sad. Art is a talent - it can be honed and perfected thru hard work but the spark has to be there...within the artist. It's what makes a true artist - not a scribbler or a paint dripper who are touted as genius in the artworld but the true artist who enjoys creating for the sheer joy of it. We have literally thousands upon thousands of them in the world and their talent is mostly ignored. A sad fact.

Artists can be so ignored in our society that a good one can be found most anywhere and most do not even know they have this talent. People always come up with the same stale old line "I can't even draw a straight line" - well...neither can I but I have the patience to pick up pencil, brush, chalk or whatever and to let my mind wander to what I want to put on paper.

After awhile, the hand learns to draw what the mind sees and creating art becomes a joy, and the soothing of the act of creating art becomes a calmness and a euphoria!

Some artists stick to a single theme or medium. I seem to enjoy all themes - all mediums. #1. The Lesson, pastel. #2. The Biker, watercolor. #3. A Walk in the Rain, Acrylic.

So, grab a pencil or brush and some paper and give it a try AND have a bit of encouragement for that artist in your neighborhood or your family or among your friends. Art needs to come into the sunshine once again and it needs to gain the respect and be recognized by our society once again.

Last but far from least....go out and BUY some REAL art. I don't mean prints from Walmart. I mean something an artist has taken his time to do and to put down for posterity. Places like Ebay, Overstock, Etsy, etc. are full to the rafters with original art - most selling below the price of prints you will find in stores AND you don't even have to move from your computer. SUPPORT artists by encouraging them and by buying real art.

Now, for listening to old granny's rant.....have a cupcake :-)

We Needed A Super Horse...We Have One, ZENYATTA!

People close to me know that my hobby has always been thoroughbred racing. I'm not a bettor nor a gambler but I love the horses...love to draw and paint them and used to love going to the track. Before I moved to Orange County over 9 years ago you might find me at Santa Anita...Box 68 was my favorite spot. I don't go anymore, but thanks to TV and youtube.com I can follow the important races.

Back in 73 a Super Horse came along...named Secretariat. He was truly a wonderhorse and one appreciated by many - even those who never followed the races. Times were kind of tough back then and the coming of Secretariat gave the public something to latch onto and root for. Then came Seattle Slew, Affirmed, the tragic Ruffian and now another Super Horse, the undefeated Zenyatta. She comes to us at a time when the country is in recession with many out of work and losing their homes - and a country tired from fighting two useless wars! She deserves more press time (reporters? journalists?)

I must confess that I knew little about this horse. I've had some illness that kept me from being as active as I like and most things just fell by the wayside...BUT, if you ever want to see the most intense couple of seconds in sports then youtube Zenyatta's 2009 Breeder's Cup Classic and pay attention to her in the last few seconds when she does the impossible! She came from dead last and ran against the boys and kicked dirt in all their faces.

I also did not know that Zenyatta is quite a big girl and at 17 1/2 hands (a hand is 4 inches and a horse is measured to the top of the shoulder or "withers". She is bigger than most, if not all of the fellows she ran against...she's even bigger than Secretariat himself.

We're all privileged to see such greatness in a racing thoroughbred. There are so few of them....maybe a couple a century. They are quite rare. Well, Zenyatta just finished her 16th win and so far is undefeated. If she does nothing else, she has already proved herself as a Super Horse and one that demands respect for being the top of her breed!

Grannygoodpaint

Create Some Art - It's Good for the Soul

Luminous Red Poppies

Yeah....I know, "I can't even draw a straight line"! Might interest you folks to know that I can't draw one either. Very few straight lines in paintings and even then, there are rulers...so no excuse! They say petting a dog or cat is very tranquilizing - well, so is creating some artwork...even if that artwork is in needlecrafts, such as crochet, knitting, tatting, macrame...whatever!....and you don't have to feed artwork or take it for a walk. What I'm trying to say is CREATE SOMETHING - it will do you good!

Art has always been a part of my life, I was born that way. That is still no excuse for you not to try some on your own. Pick up a cheap tin of watercolor paints, a brush and some paper and give it a try. Youtube.com has many demonstration videos in painting all mediums. A cheap set of acrylics and a couple cheap brushes will do miracles for you. You can while away hours and pleasantly too. Take a couple of nightschool lessons in painting - here, we have them at our community center. Inexpensive but could open up worlds for you to explore. Can't afford paint and paper....pick up some crayons or colored pencils and a pad of cheap drawing paper and have a go at it. If you can't afford that then go to http://www.ratemydrawings.com and paint digitally - its FREE! Give it a try...that's all I ask.

My painting for today is "Luminous Red Poppies" recently sold on Overstock.com

Ebay? The Great Meeting Place?

This was a comment on my last post - I felt it was too good to be tucked away in comments so I'm posting it on its own.

Submitted by EventHorizon1984:

I, along with thousands of other sellers are waiting...we're waiting for the next "Ebay" - the next large community of sellers and buyers. I don't see one on the horizon and if one doesn't show up soon then the whole business of online sales will go to the big, rich, retail companies who only wish to expand their presence to the internet.

We'll frame this like the shadow of a fairy tale.

"Once upon a time there was a Great meeting place. People had never seen it's like before. This Great meeting place thrived for many many years. There came a time that when the powers that be decided to improve the Great meeting place. Certain small people were told to leave or were removed by force. Many other small people fled. In time these little folk congregated in a dozen or so small meeting places. Because the other Lesser meeting places would not take them.

But the Great meeting place put forth the word that these small meeting places would never be it's equal. That these small meeting places would need the banking support and guidance of the Great meeting place. For all time.

The small meeting places boycotted the Great meeting place. But the Great meeting place survived and continued to thrive. And laughed at the noise.

Now on their own, these small meeting places squabbled amongst themselves and soon dispersed into dozens of other small meeting places. All faced years of hardship and uncertainty as to their survival. But being stubborn and spirited, survive and grow they did. And in the fullness of time became a multitude of great meeting places.

The End."


Sounds very familiar doesn't it? You're thinking the fairy tale version of eBay?

In case anyone is wondering, the above was an abbreviated history. The "Great meeting place" is not eBay but Great Britain. With the "dozen or so small meeting places" as Australia and the Thirteen Colonies. The latter becoming thirteen States, which in turn became 50.

We're expecting something similar. With Google providing the common bond and communications between the 'small meeting places'. Abet this being the Internet, the process will not take centuries, but years.

The Great meeting place is not going away, but neither should all of you small sellers. Consider where you would be, if your ancestors decided to turn around or give up?

"Don't worry, on a new job it's quite common for things not to go well at first."
Cora, Quigley Down Under (1990)

Thoughts on Ebay, the Economy, Online Sales & Cupcakes & Wine

Cupcakes & Wine

Lately, I've been reflecting on the economy and on my sales and the sales of other artists. Since I'm retired, its pretty easy for me to think about the future. Financially, I'm not wealthy but I do have a modest income - enough to cover my needs. These days I think more about the people who are out of work and desperate then I do about myself. I keep hoping for a turnaround, but that doesn't seem to be happening yet. I keep wishing that the leader we put into office, with such great hope for change, would begin doing something for the citizens of this nation. It saddens me but there is nothing I can do except be grateful for what I have and hope the rest will prosper soon.

Online sales for small sellers of collectibles and artwork has fallen off to the point where it is almost useless to list items and hand over fees. The smaller sites need AUCTIONS there is no excitement in searching by keywords and blundering onto what you want and the same stuff sits month after month. Their present format is confusing and not successful...yes, I'm talking Etsy, Bonanzle, eCrater, etc. etc. They're gaining more sellers but those precious buyers are still mostly out of their reach. None of them advertise...that I can see. Overstock does advertise but for the life of me I cannot understand why they seem to hide the fact that they have auctions running too - if you don't believe me go to the site and LOOK. Sellers deserve more than this type of service. Sellers are willing to pay for service but most of the small sites operating today aren't prepared to give us that.

As for Ebay, the old CEO, campaigning for California governor, is still bragging about the thousands of little people she helped start a business on Ebay while her hand-groomed successor, the new CEO, tears it apart and puts most of those sellers out of business. No use mentioning any more about them. Its water under the bridge now and not worth the space in this post.

I, along with thousands of other sellers are waiting...we're waiting for the next "Ebay" - the next large community of sellers and buyers. I don't see one on the horizon and if one doesn't show up soon then the whole business of online sales will go to the big, rich, retail companies who only wish to expand their presence to the internet. It will be same brand new chinese junk you now find in any mall or large store and the excitement that was once Ebay and online sales of the eclectic, the rare, the vintage...will perish!

Not the best mood for a Sunday morning but I felt I had to tell it as it appears to me and then we, perhaps, can collectively hope for a turnaround...in the economy and the online sales.

Something different today, an abstract, called "Cupcakes & Wine"

So What is Your Opinion of this Ebay Post Now?

I've posted this twice in the past - once in 2008 and once last year. I am only going to post part of it - you can find the whole article in June or July 2009. It was taken off an ebay discussion board in 2008. I ask you once again....do you feel it is coming to fruition? What is your opinion on it? For clarification the "tools" mentioned are supposedly Ebay employees."

"The powers that be want to transform eBay into an overstock warehouse venue. A kind of outlet store for the internet much like a cheaper and streamlined version of Amazon. From a strictly business point of view, given the size of eBay and the growing costs of doing business, it makes a certain kind of sense to shift gears. Think about it: when eBay started, sellers were about rare and unique items but here and now the majority of items are common, used counterparts of what can be found new online at retail sites. Truly rare and unique items are sold at real auctions; the “stuff in your attic” isn’t glamorous enough and won’t keep eBay afloat any longer.

The trend away from the rare and unique to the big box retailer is not new. Several years ago the powers that be noticed that the big “powersellers” were simply listing items that existed in their retail stores or inventories. Thus the concept of “buy it now”, “best offer”, and “eBay stores” were created. It was the nascent stage of the plan yet to be. Little by little, without the population noticing, the mechanisms required to replicate the average retail storefront were already in place - and with its rise came the slow, steady downfall of the auction format.

Yet outright pursuit of a retail venue would have led to a major problem that at the time could not have been surmounted. The vast majority of people, on and off line, know eBay as precisely the place for auctions of rare and unique items. The sellers and buyers held onto that perception too but in truth their opinion even involvement in new and improved version of eBay is irrelevant by a certain Machiavellian calculation made by the powers that be. As part of the plan, eBay calculated thus: even if they lost the sellers as part of the change, the buyers will be coming back to buy regardless of who or what operated within the retail-outlet venue.

No, it was the stock holders who the powers that be feared.

Only the stockholders had the power to change the direction set forth by the CEO and the board. So it became imperative to change the equation. Part of the plan is to devalue the stock gradually so that investors merely dumped the stock as opposed to wanting managerial change ala Yahoo. Then to buy back the stock at lower cost and to such a volume that no rebellion against the powers that be were possible.

By the end of July that phase of the plan will be successful and there est of the plan will be revealed without fear of backlash from those who otherwise would have had the power to pull eBay back from the brink.
Indeed, if you believe the current changes are obvious signals that small sellers are not wanted - be prepared - you have seen nothing yet.

So far what have they done? All they have managed to do is silence a seller’s ability to warn others about buyers (half of the purpose behind the original idea of feedback), burden you with higher and higher fees, dangle “treats” like discounts while setting the bar of eligibility so high that the rewards cannot be reached. and, by the way PayPal deals with “complaints” leave you vulnerable to fraud. What if worse was yet to come?

They know if you do not feel safe that you will not use eBay. The changes that have been enacted only eliminates the small sellers. Meanwhile they want to eradicate the mid-sized seller too. And they want to ensure that both do not return.

For the mid-sized seller the DSR became the tool of choice. The powers that be raised the level of what is a good seller artificially high. No manipulation is required; they know exactly the effect of the policy. This is why buyers are told that 4 is a good score and sellers are told that 4.9 yields discounts and higher listing placements. As long as that fractured point of view exists, eBay does not need to interfere with the DSR as has been suggested, the buyers will be killing the sellers naturally.

By August there will be no pretense and the intentions of the new and improved eBay will be clear. The following is only a partial list of the rules that will be imposed. It comes from a memo that circulated within my corner of the managerial department the week before Chicago. I cannot be too specific about certain items and I cannot reveal details of the latest additions without endangering my anonymity.

1. Neutrals will be converted to negatives complete with red icons and reduced feedback scores. Afterward neutrals will not be offered as a choice of feedback.

2. The entire process of feedback will be automated. Buyers and sellers will chose standard feedback from a list. For sellers this operation will be performed automatically upon the buyer winning. For buyers there will be an extra free line with which to add a few comments about the seller without restriction to content. Replies will not be allowed.

3. The implementation of a stricter rules regarding shipping. From the boxes, packing, labels and tapes to where you can buy postage. Orders have been placed for prototypes of “eBay” boxes. UPS and FedEx will be instructed not to accept “eBay” merchandise if it’s not inside “eBay” boxing. They will know, of course, because when sellers buy the “eBay” postage from the “eBay” source, a detailed list of contents with item numbers will be available to the shippers upon scanning a bar code. As for those who continue to use USPS, another level of quality control will be implemented - buyers will be asked, upon confirmation of delivery, if the seller used “eBay” standard shipping items. Naturally, no verification of the buyer’s truthfulness will be attempted, and continued ‘infractions’ will result in suspension. eBay will have other ways to check if a seller is not using the “eBay” equipment - as they will be required to buy at cost the supplies immediately after items are listed. (This is such a large scale operation behind the scenes that I feel comfortable sharing as much of it as I know.)

4. Sales taxes will be included automatically; shipping cost and sales taxes will be used to determined FVF.

5. Item descriptions will be “standardized” with templates which include the posting of a new, universal return policy. Only yearly subscribers to the retail-outlet venue can opt out of these universal return policies but even they cannot alter the template structures being devised.

6. Strikes against buyers will be eliminated as the whole concept of a buyer and bidding will be altered. FVF will be calculated when payment is submitted.

7. Time to Close will be eliminated entirely. Best Match will be the non-alterable default. Best Match is a system that caters to the needs of shoppers not bidders.

8. Placement within Best Match will be determined by several factors, the most important of which will be the extra display features added onto the listing.

9. DSRs can be removed by retailers and powersellers who pay a certain yearly fee.

10. The end play itself which consists of four phases:
a) the main focus shifts to retail sellers whose fees are on a per listing basis
b) stores will be replaced by a classified section, fees will be based on yearly subscriptions and FVFs
c) occasional auctions will be conducted for unique items (celebrity auctions, items that have been featured on the news, etc.)
d) total elimination of auctions for regular sellers.

From the point of view of eBay’s agenda to change gears these alteration make sense. The powers that be want to turn eBay into a retail venue format. Therefore the “buyer” must be changed - bidding and commitments to buy are part of the past. In a retail venue, the item is either in your cart or not and you only commit to buy when you pay at checkout. The seller is also redefined in the way they will be required to do business. They will be forced to copy the methods of retail stores.

The goal is to become Amazon Lite. Unlike Amazon the merchandise will be stocked by the retailers in their warehouses, eBay will be just an electronic centralized venue for outlet sale - a “trusted” name with a wide customer base and popular name recognition.

That is the future and as I write this I know that it cannot be stopped. There are no investors with enough clout and will to challenge the CEO. Stock holders will simply walk away. eBay will not sink, however, it will be exactly in the position its rulers intend it to be at.

Sellers, my advice is simple. You are not wanted. Leave. If you stay, you will be crushed. Leave. Go away. You cannot win.

I am sorry because for too long I have been a complicit tool behind the scenes. I was part of those teams and think tanks that spearheaded many of the “innovations” you know very well and which will be used to destroy you. I know I will not be believed. I will be mocked and ridiculed by the tools and even those who are real, actual people will be hesitant to accept what I have to say. What has been done to this community, the plots and schemes hatched in meetings and across memos, is far, far worse to endure within my soul than any treatment I will receive at the hands of the tools by posting this. You do not know how much they hate you. It is my conscience that I want to clear going forward. Again I apologize. There should have been a better way for the powers that be to effect the change they wanted for eBay - instead they succumbed to cloak and dagger deception."

End of A Year

Tomorrow night is New Year's Eve. Like every year for the past 4 or 5 I will watch the ball come down in Times Square at exactly 9 pm my time. I'll watch it on my computer thru Earthcam and I'll be very nostalgic, especially seeing the crowd of revelers. You see, I spent the first 36 years of my life in that area and although I love California I sometimes miss the east coast a LOT!

Tomorrow people will start camping out along the Rose Parade route in Pasadena, CA. How they manage to survive this is beyond me but they do it and they all seem to enjoy it. I've lived here over 30 years and have never seen the Rose Parade in person. The sad part to all of this is that it marks an end in time. End of the year and end of yet another season of good will. I miss that as people settle back into their work and their businesses and into their day to day worries again. This holiday season will soon be only a memory - the lights will go out, the decorations will come down and the worries people shoved aside temporarily will come trudging back to weigh heavily on their shoulders again.

If only we could bottle up this feeling of good will and give everyone a teaspoon full each morning.....

I'm going to make a prediction. I feel good about 2010 and I think its going to be a year where a lot of folks will enjoy a turnaround....at least that is my hope

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Grannygoodpaint

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

Grannygoodpaint's Memories of Christmas

"Where's Santa"

I remember the days when our family was large and most of us were pretty young. Mom started cooking for the holiday three days before. Her and dad would go to Mulberry Street in Newark NJ to buy chickens and produce and nuts and cookies.

I would help mom make what she called "ribbons". These were made from thin puff pastry she made from scratch then she would cut them into ribbons, make them into bows and toss them in hot oil. They immediately puffed up and became golden brown. It was my job to fan the large pot of oil to keep it from going over and to take out the ribbons when they were done. Mom would place the ribbons in a large box lined with wax paper. Then she would drizzle honey all over them and powdered sugar. What a treat!

Christmas Eve was "fish night". Mom would fry tiny smelts that had been dredged in flour salt and pepper. They were SO good! She served them with salad and spaghetti and salad. Christmas Day was chicken and ravioli and antipasto - the ravioli was made days before hand, dried a bit then frozen. OMG - I can taste them right now and never ever tasted the likes of them since.

We had a tree, such as it was, that was so full of tinsel and ornaments and lights that you couldn't see it was pretty sparse. Everybody brought gifts to put under the tree. Christmas Day people came and went....neighbors and friends and the table was set ALL day.

One year when I was still quite young, the local carpenter came on Christmas Eve with a folding artist's table for me. It was to be a big surprise. When he came in the door with it and saw the large table set and everyone eating and laughing he burst into tears. Mom put her arms around him and hugged him. He said it brought back memories of when he was young and still had a large family.

These days, not much of my family is left. Mom and dad passed on many years ago and mostly on this holiday it is now just my son and me. I cannot help but remember the old days and now I understand exactly why that carpenter burst into tears. Be thankful for what you have, enjoy your family and enjoy the holiday!

My painting for today is called "Where's Santa"

Happy Holiday Season - Good Luck Online Sellers

In my mind there's a feeling of snow in the air and a fresh scent from the pines and the trees have shed their leaves and are settled down for their Winter nap. Well, that's in my mind anyway...having spent the first half of my life in the northeast. Here, we almost hit 90 degrees on Thanksgiving Day. :-)

In spite of the warm climate I love this time of year. In the past 10 or so years I was so super busy at this time of year....rushing around packing and shipping out items...trying to keep billing straight, seemed like I was always at the post office...knew them all by first name. I remember days when I was up long hours trying to keep everything straight. These days (yawn) I spend long hours watching TV or Netflix and walking or exercising. Days are not busy anymore...just like most small sellers on Ebay our days are filled with time to spare. One wonders how much this loss of traffic and loss of buyers costs Ebay. Does anyone have figures on it? I know they have figures on Amazon and their amazing third quarter profits but does anyone keep track of the loss of revenue at Ebay?

I did see many Ebay TV ads yesterday and hope it helps the small sellers this year. One can only hope. As for me...my mind is set toward the holidays and the happy feeling among people during the holiday season. I hope everyone has a great holiday season and enjoys every day of it.

My image for today is actually a glass pendant made from my painting "Santa Gave Me This".

Ebay - Please Listen Up!

"The Octopus Birthday Party"

Its been yet another "down" year for many of Ebay's small sellers. Many left and will not return - either listing elsewhere or giving up online sales altogether. In reading back posts I came across this one that bears a repeat:


"I roam Ebay's discussion boards and was really taken by this posters offering. It came directly from the heart and so I asked this seller, Ebay ID subay, for permission to publish it here:

Dear eBay,

I know you probably don’t want to hear this. I mean, you don’t really like to talk about our relationship. Not anymore, anyway. But things have been happening lately – things have changed. YOU’VE changed. And after this last incident, I just can’t keep on going along as though everything is still fine.

We’ve been together for, what, over ten years now, isn’t it? I remember those early days so well. Even way back then, a lot of people were talking about you, and you sounded so cool, I decided I had to introduce myself. It was love at first sight. We had so much fun back then, didn’t we? You opened up a whole new world for me. And you were so talented! A little rough around the edges, sure, but right from the start it was clear you’d be a star someday. But I didn’t love you just for that, not just for what you did. I also loved you for who you were. Or who I thought you were. You seemed to care about people, about bringing them together to create something new, something amazing! You had a gift and you shared it. It wasn’t all about the money, back then. And I felt like we were a team, you and me, building this world together. We did, you know… build it together. These days I think you forget that.

I guess I should’ve expected it. What a cliché, right? “Fame changes people.” You’re a really big deal now, a household name, even. And while you became a big star, I just stayed the same person I always was. I was enough for you, back at the beginning. But now you think you need to be with someone flashier, someone who can doooo more for you. Even though you’re supposedly committed to me, nowadays you’d rather be with other celebrities, and you haven’t exactly been discreet about it.

I know, I know, you say that’s not true, that you still care about me. That there’s still a place for me in your world. But we both know that’s not true. That might be what hurts the most, that you can’t even be honest with me about it. You’re doing that thing, that coward’s-break-up thing. Maybe you’re too uncomfortable with the awkwardness, or maybe you’re afraid of what your public will think of you if you unceremoniously dump the person who’s supported you for all these years. For whatever reason, you can’t bring yourself to end it cleanly. Instead, you’ve just started mistreating me, making me work harder and harder to be with you, and then blaming me for every little thing that goes wrong when I do. And finally you’ve spelled it right out… you tell me that from now on, even when everything I do is “Satisfactory,” you will not be satisfied. Technically, you haven’t broken up with me. But how could anyone stay in a relationship like that?

So I guess what I’m saying is, it’s time for me to move on. Not today… honestly, I’m still sort-of reeling from your latest “announcement.” I don’t know where I’m going yet. Maybe I’ll have to go it alone for a while. You know I’ll miss you terribly. We’ve been through so much, and you’ve been an important part of my life over the last decade. But somewhere out there, there’s another auction site who will appreciate me, and who'll treat me the way a seller should be treated. And we both know that I deserve that.

Take care of yourself. And try not to forget who helped you become a star. As for me, I will always remember the good times,

Fondly,

subay"

I have not checked on subay - I hope she is doing well.

Another Sunday, this one special for me because its also my birthday. Since it is a birthday I have been reflecting on the past year and wondering what the coming year will hold.

Painting for today - since its my birthday is the Octopus Birthday Party.

Ebay...Wha Happened? Amazon...Congrats!!!

Once again Ebay's third quarter report came in with a 29 percent decline in net profit and Amazon's third quarter came in with a 28 percent increase in sales!!! Skype and Paypal are now pretty much holding Ebay up. Mr. Donahoe...how much longer will the madness of disruptive innovation strap Ebay down and beat it up? How much longer will the ridiculous "best match search" be around? Until the last light goes out? You may feel you're changing Ebay's business model but how much revenue and traffic has been lost during this project? Ebay had a monopoly on its niche on the internet - it was the place to go for the rare, the vintage, the collectible you could find nowhere else. That monopoly is now shared with the likes of Bonanzle, eCrater, Etsy, and the like as more and more small sellers leave and take some buyers with them.

The Ebay fiasco seems to be a textbook case in what not to do with a multi-billion dollar company. The sad part in all this are the small sellers - the stay at home moms, the out of work dads, the elderly and the disabled who made real money on Ebay before "the change" started. Many of those small sellers are gone now - pushed out of business by ridiculous new policies - the ones who remain are being treated with suspicion, like crooks and forced to adhere to some pretty draconian policies. From start to finish the new Ebay is a sad joke and each quarterly report verifies that fact. About the only thing that can possibly save Ebay is to split it up into the classic old Ebay where auctions are still king and the small seller is treated like the customers they are - and the new Ebay reserved for the diamond sellers of new chinese junk....but we all know that won't happen.

Mr. Donahoe - sorry, but Ebay can no longer hide behind the economy - not since Amazon's amazing quarterly report. You can no longer say people don't want auctions - they are still popular and fixed price is also available. Traffic is down on your site and buyers are getting rarer and rarer. I beg you to rethink Ebay's path and to once again look at the small sellers who built Ebay and see them as the important customers they truly are.

On the other hand, a company that stuck to its business model, kept its nose to the grindstone and worked hard and honestly to improve its standing on the internet is enjoying a giant leap in stockprices today.

CONGRATULATIONS AMAZON!!!
You're a Class Act!

My artwork for today....a bit of sweetness to go along with the bitter pill ;-)

Ebay....Boooo! Happy Halloween!

The weather is turning cooler. In the northern part of the country temps are falling and there has already been snow on the northeast section. It is all signaling the holidays are at hand. This is the part of the year when stores get out of the red and earn their profits....well, usually. This year there is a decided misery over the country. I am retired and with my social security and small pension I am somewhat isolated from what is going on in the U.S. today. Here, in California we have almost 12 percent unemployment and there are worse states such as Michigan.

Now would be a perfect time for families looking to earn a few extra bucks to put some of their gently used items on Ebay and an equally perfect time for buyers who are strapped for money to purchase the things they need. Normally, this would be a great outlet and would help families pay a few bills each month. Sadly, such is no longer the case. More and More small sellers are reporting a lack of traffic and a lack of views to their items. More and more they are reporting they can't even find their items in search! To add to that misery Ebay came out with the TRS program (top rated sellers). They are rightfully considering a seller's performance record - BUT - they've still set the bar high enough that a lot of more casual small sellers, also with excellent reputations, slip thru the cracks! Ebay, has and always will be a place that coddles sellers who sell the most and ignores sellers who are just as good but sell less.

With all that in mind most small sellers need to simply take a deep breath and move on! Now is the time to list on a lot of other sites - most of which take a small fee or no listing fee at all. Many offer free shops! Etsy.com - 20 cents to list any item for 4 months. Bonanzle.com - free shop, free listing. eCrater.com - free shop, free to list. 1000markets.com - free shop, free to list. SpecialAuctions.com - free shop, free to list! I can go on and on. There is also Auctionbyte's EveryplaceISell.com - a directory of sellers and the sites they can be found on. Its a free service so take advantage of it!

The one thing sellers neglect to do when they move to other sites is they neglect to let their past buyers know where they are! This amounts to moving and not leaving a forwarding address. They'll move to a new site, list, sit back and when they don't get sales they will crawl back to Ebay. Always remember small sellers built Ebay in the first place. Ebay is losing buyers because of lack of these same small sellers. Ebay buyers do not want the brand new items they can find in Walmart - they want the rare, the vintage, the unique items they can only find on Ebay! Let these buyers know where you are! Comb thru your records of past purchases and contact these people. Let them know where you can be found and offer them incentives like free shipping or a percent off their purchases. Remember YOU built ebay and you can rebuild! Now is the time. The holiday season is breathing down our necks. It is my personal opinion that Ebay has set itself up for failure in the fourth quarter - don't go down with the ship!

Okay, ole Grannygoodpaint is getting down from her soapbox. I've posted some Halloween "treats" up above for those of you listening to the things that go "bump" in the night...

Ebay's New TRS Program - Good or Bad - You Decide!

"The Halloween Ball Dinner"

Well Ebay sellers - Ebay has rolled out its "Top Rated Seller " (TRS) and it has left many sellers bitterly disappointed. Especially those who used to be powersellers! Having cut my listings way way down on that site I now can sit back and be relieved that I don't have to walk on those eggshells if I don't want to. Selling elsewhere means less sales but far less stress - so if you don't absolutely have to sell on Ebay - you've already got my advise.

I think the top seller badges are cute - childish but cute. This is something Overstock has had for a long time. In fact I have a badge on Overstock, and have had one for a long time now, because of my repeat business there over the years. Overstock doesn't count how much you sell but how many times buyers come back to buy again...kind of a good indication of the kind of seller you are. Ebay sort of reminds me of a boss I had over 30 years ago. He wasn't the least bit interested in the quality of your work....just push out a LOT of it! Well, I guess that's sort of a business model....sort of. I know with my artwork only the best will do and with my customers also only the best service will do. But...to each his own I guess.

The major thing I wanted to discuss about Ebay's new TRS program is not the cutesy kindergarten badge - that is silly and benign. No, there is something far more serious lurking on the left hand side of the listings pages. Its a purple box that you can click and get ONLY the sellers with TRS badges...the rest of the sellers who also paid their fees kind of float off into cyberspace never to be seen by the buyer! Ebay thinks this kind of favoritism is perfectly alright. They haven't yet grasped the concept of actually getting the service you paid for. Sellers be aware of this - don't sit back and wonder why your views are way down. BE AWARE THAT EBAY IS AT IT AGAIN! The veteran sellers who spotted this in 1/10th of a second are already voicing their opinion...will it do any good?...I doubt it. Only leaving the site enmass would ever do any good at all. In the end, each of us must be aware of what is going on so that we can do what is best for our own business.

My painting today is one I displayed last year around Halloween time. "The Halloween Ball Dinner"

Goodbye Summer...Hello Autumn

Halloween Cupcakes
Watercolor

Living here, in Southern California, its difficult now for me to remember the four seasons and just how wonderful this time of year really is. On the east coast where I grew up right about now there would be a slight crispness to the air and an indication that the trees would soon put on a spectacular display. Here, we are still in a hot, dry spell. Our summer weather will last this month and next before we finally begin to feel Autumn air. In this spirit of change I've already shifted my paintings to Autumn colors and the upcoming Halloween.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Autumn Tree
6 X 4" Acrylic