Ebay - Going Doooooowwwwnnnnn!

Sunny Garden Path

I digress from Bonanzle to give my 2 cents on Ebay's 4th Quarter 2008 report.

Well, Ebay's 4th quarter 2008 report is out. It is dismal indeed in spite of John Donahoe's spin. This is exactly what veteran sellers have been expecting since Mr. Donahoe began his "disruptive innovation" a year ago. I predict by the end of the first quarter this year there will be NO denying Ebay has taken the wrong path - Mr. Donahoe will NOT be able to spin the decline of Ebay's business or blame 100 percent of it on the economy.

Over 11 years ago the Ebay phenomenon was born and took flight. During these years the company grew to massive proportions. It seemed everything they touched turned to gold and the sellers who flocked to them brought them even more riches then Pierre and Meg could fathom. On the other hand, Ebay became a haven for the elderly, the disabled, the stay at home moms and the out of work dads who needed income. Both sides were very very happy. Then Ebay's success became "expected" and Ebay became more and more arrogant. "If you want to sell here you'll do this and that and pay this and that...ad nauseum". Then they became SO big they felt they were invincible and they had John Donahoe step in to take the company apart and rebuild it into a cheap and cheesey Amazon clone so they could get even bigger and more wealthy. No...don't invest the sweat equity - Ebay is so big they don't have to do that...they can simply have "diamond sellers" do all the work and then Ebay can sit back on its throne and scoop in all the money! give the diamond sellers free or low listing fees and raise fees on the small sellers...heck they have to either take it or leave it! Unfortunately, it reached a point where a LOT of those small sellers had to leave it...they simply couldn't make profits. Well, John, Pierre, Meg...what do you think of your big invincible company now? You never believed in the sellers who built Ebay - you called them "noise" and beat them into complying with your outrageous draconian policies - pay your outrageous fees! Gave buyers the power to scam and cheat your sellers. What do you think of your company NOW! This is just the start of Ebay's long and painful death!

Even I think this post is depressing even though I believe it to be true. Let's have something happy for today's painting. How about a watercolor - "Sunny Garden Path"

Let's Bonanzle! More on Bonanzle - Its a New Star in the Sky!!

2 1/4 X 1 1/2"
Cardinal in the Garden

Okay - still nosing around Bonanzle to see what there is to see. I'm racking up other seller's by tagging and favoring their booths. This gets a little back and forth action going. I'm a firm believer that it is the sellers buying from each other who sustain a new site until new traffic starts coming in. That is what is happening on Bonanzle right now. They are growing with amazing speed...oh yes...still very small potatoes when measured against Ebay BUT they are becoming the new haven for small sellers. Those very sellers who MADE Ebay what it is.

Back to tagging. In my previous article I forgot to mention that the TAG line is right after the description in each listing. Also, I discovered that if you forgot to log in you won't see the TAG line or the Favorite on anything. So sign up and login before you do anything else. Since booths are free there is absolutely no excuse...except laziness...to get you off your duff and opening a booth. They even go so far as to give you a booth logo if you can't make one for yourself. They also now automatically upload all of your listings to Google Base on a regular schedule. You only need to follow the simple instructions to start it rolling.

Now, another really neat feature on Bonanzle is that each booth owner has direct contact with whoever goes into his booth. Its called Real Time Chat and there is a rather large slot near the top of the booth where buyer and seller can converse in real time....or leave a message. Its all so handy and so unique! These are some of the things that make Bonanzle stand out.

Another is their customer service. Kind of reminds me of Ebay in the old days when you could actually write them and get an answer back from a bonafide human being! I recently had a hard time finding out how I could contact another seller thru his ID. Looked all over and couldn't find it. So, I wrote customer service. Had an answer back in a couple of hours AND they thanked me for bringing it to their attention and will soon make finding ID's easier! Nothing like the interest a small company has and you just can't beat their drive and ambition. I hope they keep at least some of it as they grow because they really are growing.

So....get there...take a look and join in!!

My booth again - ahem - the ad here:

Misspatricia's Booth

My painting for today is a tiny miniature. 2 1/4 X 1 1/2"

Ebay's 4 Percent Drop in Site Visits - What Does it Indicate?

2 1/2 X 3 1/2" painting of Hamburger and Fries
Perhaps we can call it "Where's the Beef?"

I'm very surprised that only a 4 percent drop in site visits has been reported for Ebay! This does not, however, tell the story of their sell-thru rate during the same period and I've seen nothing on that. For the past year sellers have been complaining that they cannot sell in the present environment on Ebay. Many of them packed up and left because they were hidden by the faulty best match search and they were up to their necks in outrageous policies and fees. So, it continues as Ebay management plods along on the maniacle path to remaking Ebay over into a cheap and cheesy Amazon clone! Ebay feels that's where the money is and where their future lies. Ebay management does not see the years and years of hard and honest labor Amazon put into its business...they sees only Amazon's profit and they want it! How dreadful for a once loved company like Ebay to come to this point. How tragic to put thousands of small business owners - the elderly, the disabled, the stay at home moms the out of work dads who all depended on Ebay - out of business! A year ago Ebay only needed tweaking to bring some of the original excitement back - now it is faced with doom and still their CEO and his "team" plod on towards the edge of that cliff!

The very heart of Ebay has been destroyed. The small sellers of the vintage, unique and rare items that drove buyers to the site are leaving in droves. It has now reached a point where buyers complain they cannot find their favorite sellers...yet Ebay management plods on...far better to make Ebay into yet another black and white catalog store like so many others online who do the job far far better! If the present management team isn't changed soon there will be no turning back for Ebay there will be a very small future for the company as opposed to their very big and hearty past! I believe we're watching the destruction of a once healthy and wealthy company!

My painting for today is an ACEO of Hamburger & Fries. Perhaps we should call it "Where's the Beef?"

Ebay Loses Traffic This Holiday Season!

"The Snowman's Tree"

Sadly, this is almost an "I told you so" but knowing the thousands of good small sellers that Ebay's new attitude has put out of business is way too sad for sneering and saying I told you so.

I think John Donahoe is learning a hard lesson: all the "noise" he heard when he took office was the sound of good business that he infuriated thanks to his outrageous new policies. Donahoe's idea is to destroy a working business model and turn Ebay into an online catalog store - hence the "diamond sellers" he has ushered in and given free or reduced listing fees to peddle their dropshipped junk. He's strangled small sellers to the point where they simply found the site unmanagable and unprofitable and they left...(a LOT of them are flocking to bonanzle.com). I'm sure the fact that most, if not all, of the sellers who left also BOUGHT on Ebay...is giving Donahoe nightmares because he seemed completely oblivious to losing sales when you lose sellers - any CEO with strong Ebay sales experience probably could have warned him.

Donahoe can't seem to understand people don't want....nor do they NEED yet another catalog store online. Amazon fills that bill nicely and every major retailer now has online presence and does it far better then Ebay ever could! What's left? The "noise" Donahoe kicked to the curb! I believe he's slowly learning the site is definitely going to tank without the small sellers who brought their unique, rare and vintage items to the site...THIS is what people want and NEED! Its deceptively simply, John!

An example....I have a white milkglass chandelier that was here when I bought my home. Two of the milkglass shades were broken but I loved the light and so tried to hide the broken shades. The chandelier is probably 40+ years old so you won't find these shades in any store. I've been searching on Ebay and finally found a set of 5 of these exact milkglass shades for the incredible price of only $6.00. I bought them and they are perfect!!! I wanted a large corning teapot that isn't even made anymore...got it on Ebay and love it!! THIS IS WHAT PEOPLE WANT FROM EBAY JOHN!!!! When I bought a new vacuum - I bought it online from Walmart! When I bought a new external hard drive I bought it from Amazon because I knew they would stand behind it. I buy none of these catalog things on Ebay! GET A CLUE JOHN!! WAKE UP BECAUSE THE SHIP IS SINKING AND ITS YOUR FAULT!

After New Year Ebay will be up against far more formidable opponents then Amazon. All the major retailers will layoff workers - streamline and then put on the most stunning sales ever seen in an effort to do enough business to stay afloat and weather our faltering economy! Ebay will be NO match. An example I heard only today is a local furniture store offering $600.00 in gas and $500 in free groceries if you buy a big screen TV from them! Ebay...whatcha gonna do? You're going to tank even faster in the face of competition like this.

So, I humbly suggest....get rid of best match!!! Nobody - not even the buyers - want it. Loosen up the stranglehold on small sellers and let them do what they pay Ebay to do....SELL!! Stop allowing every nutcase buyer that wanders in to destroy seller reputations while giving the sellers NO recourse! Get rid of most of the draconian policies you put in place this year and do it before the economy sinks even farther - which I feel will be mid-January, 2009. If you don't - your company is doomed! This is something sellers have been warning about ALL YEAR and now finally EVERYONE else can SEE it! Wake up!

My painting today is a little ACEO called "The Snowman's Tree"

Is There Trouble....Ebay?

"Where's Santa?"

I picked this post up on one of the many articles about Ebay. It tells almost the complete tale of why Ebay is severely showing a decline and will continue to do so until it either changes course....or dies completely. For those uninitiated or casual buyers on Ebay this is an eye opener of how the company is actually going. Neilson ratings came out just the other day clearly showing the decline in unique visitors:

Anyone who blames the economy doesn't know Ebay! Anyone who blames Amazon doesn't know Ebay! The fault of this decline lies squarely on John Donahoe's shoulders with perhaps some input from Whitman. Ebay needed tweaking....YES! It did NOT need "disruptive innovation" Donahoes own words. Well, he's disrupted and innovated until the small seller who made Ebay unique has mostly been driven from the site or so buried under his stupid Best Match that they cannot be found by buyers! He's ushered in big box stores he calls "diamond sellers" who list for free and swamp the categories they list in with thousands upon thousands of listings. All stuff you can find in Walmart - all dropshipped junk mostly from China! Donahoe, in his infinite wisdom, seems to think this is what made Amazon a success (wrong) and he seems to think this is what Ebay needs to do to be a success again (doubly wrong). Why they are keeping this management is beyond ALL belief! Throw them out NOW and get some management in there with good business sense and SALES experience who can turn this ship around....its sinking!!!!

"Ebay needed tweaking two years ago. They needed fees to be LOWERED so that sellers had the room to give their buyers bargain prices. It needed to oust the worst sellers and bolster its reputation so that buyers felt safe buying there. Instead, greedy Ebay wanted their profit from the top and allowed sellers to struggle more and more to make a decent profit. They instituted stupid restrictive policies that sees every seller as being bad! This was where they went wrong. As one blogger so aptly puts it "empower your sellers and then get out of the way". No...Ebay instead saddled the sellers with outrageous restrictions - gave power to buyers to make or break any seller with absolutely NO recourse on the seller's part! Small sellers - the ones Donahoe called "noise" are the ones who left and are leaving and taking their unique items with them! Its Donahoe that did all of this and not the economy!!!"

To kick off the holiday season - and try to lighten the mood of this post, my painting today is called "Where's Santa"

Like it or Not - We're in the Holiday Shopping Season

"Christmas Stocking Kittens"
2 1/2 X 3 1/2" ACEO

Yep - I walked into Walmart yesterday and saw trees and ornaments and listened to carols playing throughout the store. The season is upon us and take a clue from the 8,000 pound giant in the room - Walmart is poised to not only survive this quarter but to profit from it! Those of us who sell had better begin ramping our business toward the season and more than ever toward satisfying our customers. I think all of us can take a lesson from Ebay in what happens when you do not respect your customers! In my own small way I've already started getting into the season by painting ACEO's of christmas and snowmen and nostalgia. As an active artist I am blatantly seasonal and take advantage of the holidays and also of the trends. Unfortunately, I rarely get to paint what I want to but instead am geared towards the customers wants - whether it be tied to a season or something the customer comissions. I think every seller needs to be aware - some more than others - of the current trends and season in order to help their sales along. In any event, I wish every one of you good sales....and for buyers I wish great bargains. Buying and selling will help this economy more than anything else. Keep circulating money so that jobs can survive and in doing so all of us will prosper :-)

Happy Sunday.

My painting today is one of the many Christmas ACEO's on my website. For those unaware, ACEO's are 2 1/2 X 3 1/2" handpainted artists cards. Highly collectible.

My Own Personal Alternative to Ebay for Holiday Shopping

LuLu & LiLy "Showtime"

Yes....this is a blatant ad for my own website...please don't stop reading! I long ago joined the ranks of sellers who started their own website. In fact, I started mine in 1996 and its been running continuously ever since. Now that Ebay has made it so very difficult for small sellers to sell on their site, I've taken my Ebay fee money and put it into my own website. It has a Paypal shopping cart system for convenience. It has a large ACEO section for people who collect hot little artwork gems. LuLu has her own page there for all the fans who collected her chubby little uninhibited self on Ebay. There's a Christmas ACEO page, Miniature Art pages, Large Art pages, Handmade Pendants pages, Magnets, Tatted Lace, instructions, free patterns and supplies! Right now I'm running specials on shipping. Shipping on ACEO's is only 50 cents. I keep my shipping extremely low, I combine shipping and just about everything on the site is negotiable. Free little stocking stuffer gifts go out with each order. Please come and take a peek and refer it to your friends. Help one small seller survive without big brother Ebay ;-)

The sites that make up what I call www.angelbabies.net - a domain name I've had since 1995:

http://www.watercolorsbypatricia.com
http://www.ACEOart.net
http://www.tattingjustforyou.com

My painting for today is a LuLu ACEO. No...she's not for everyone, but she does have a following of people who love her.

Getting Tired of Hearing This Particular Ebay Story

How many articles have you read where Ebay is pitted against Amazon and the reason Ebay is falling behind is that they kept their auction model too long when customers wanted a fixed price setting. Bull!! Ebay had Ebay Express and they have fixed price and also buy it now. None of those things excelled like auctions. Ebay began dumbing down its own site as far back as 2004 when it did away with the very popular Going, Going, Gone. Since then it has manipulated search, cluttered its site with ads that actually drive traffic OFF to other sites and strangled its sellers with rules, rules, rules and fees galore! The selling environment for many has become too stressful to bother with and the buying environment for buyers is not much better! Buyers can't seem to find what they want on the flawed Best Match search and often just give up! About the only thing that "progresses" are the fees and rules.

Well, I really would like to hear from people who actually SELL on Ebay and know the ins and outs of ebay... Fact Ebay is killing itself by its own greed. There have been heavy fee raises thru the years (two this year alone - they are NOT decreases as ebay states) that sellers can't offer much in the way of bargains and still make any kind of a profit. Ebay is strangling sellers with fees, with a terribly flawed search called Best Match and in tying their standing in the listings to an also flawed DSR rating system. Most sellers have thrown up their hands and they are leaving. So...what you will eventually have left is just another retailer site with fixed prices - not unlike Amazon but not nearly as well run - also not unlike Walmart, Sears, Target, Best Buy ad naseum...all of whom are online and becoming very active with shoppers who don't want to go to the mall.

The problem with Ebay is it lost its way and it lost its heart, which is the uniqueness and the rarity of items that made it what it is today. They've driven out small sellers in favor of diamond sellers who get free or reduced fees and have dismal sell-thru rates. Buyers are actually complaining that they can no longer find the small sellers they bought from in the past. Ebay needed tweaking - it needed some of the excitement back. Dropping Going, Going, Gone was a foolish move. Cluttering the site with ads that take customers off site is a trade off - they don't care if sellers lose out as long as Ebay gets the revenue THEY need from sellers fees and ads! There seems to be NO solid plan for the future for this company! If there is they sure are keeping it under their hats.

Best Match search was an even worse move since it hides sellers wares who are actually PAYING FEES for the exposure! All the crazy new policies brought down on sellers just this past year also keep driving off good, honest sellers...not the bad sellers - bad sellers will stay until they're physically ousted! Ebay didn't need this "disruptive innovation" that is killing and dumbing it down until nobody cares about it anymore. That's the truth - fewer and fewer buyers and sellers care about it these days. They've become "that crazy company". So...please all you writers who seem to be using the same copy, consult some long time small sellers before you write an article so the story can be told as it really is!

Sorry for the vent but I think I read one too many of those articles.

Online Sales Are Down For Most

ACEO: Halloween Feast

This is a difficult period for many people. Lots of folks are watching their401K's decline, stocks are in the basement. Some say its a good time to pick up some bargains in stocks...maybe so but for those of us retired or nearing retirement that would be a big no-no. All we can do is try to keep what we have and keep it safe. I was lucky to roll my 401K over a year ago into an IRA. At least its safe even if it isn't making primo money for me.

In the same vein, internet sales are down. The few items I have on Ebay are stagnant with few hits and rolling off without bids. In Ebay's ongoing insanity, they saw fit to lower my standing in their search from "raised" to "standard" thereby kicking a seller when he's down even a seller who has never had a negative and has all 5.0 DSR's. They said I didn't have enough feedback in the past 30 days and failed to take into consideration the 30 items that I paid them to list that rolled off without bids. Its time folks...its more than time to put your Ebay money elsewhere. Even if you use it to advertise a website of your own. Nothing will change in Ebay's corner until their management changes and its like the old saying "it has to get much worse before it gets better."

This is a time when buyers will be looking for bargains. They'll search the web this holiday season because they simply won't have the money they had last year. Its a great time to get traffic to your other venues! I've written about Etsy, Bonanzle, Wigix and others. The problem with these sites lies with US...we go there, we list and we sit and wait for people to find us. We are spoiled by Ebay's past performance and expect the traffic to simply be there. No..WE are the ones who have to reach out to our buyers (past and present) and get them to these sites. I know if they bother to try they will probably stay. Since most of these sites are free to list or near free (Etsy is 20 cents per item for 4 months) we can afford to offer incentives for buyers to come and buy from us. Offer free shipping - offer a bonus gift, etc. Get them to come and see the site and see your offerings. In that way we can build these small sites into viable outlets for our items. Take the plunge and most of all TAKE INTEREST in building traffic.

Another Halloween offering today is an ACEO called Halloween Feast.

(ACEO is Art Cards Editions and Originals, an idea born and nurtured on Ebay. These cards are generally original paintings about the size of a baseball card. Exactly 2 1/2 X 3 1/2")

PeSA Finally Tells it Like It IS!

Released: September 30, 2008


PeSA Official Statement on eBays Marketplace:
Deteriorating eBay Market Conditions Erode Seller Confidence
Members of the Professional eBay Sellers Alliance have been concerned with the vibrancy of the eBay marketplace for the past few years. In the first nine months of 2008, we have observed a substantial deterioration in the value of the marketplace for merchants. Broader e-commerce growth is in the high teens while eBay’s GMV has increased at low single digit rates; a clear sign that eBay is losing wallet share among online shoppers.

We were encouraged with the culture of change that swept through eBay during the past 12 months; however, we believe the flawed execution of change has accelerated the deterioration of the marketplace. Today eBay merchants have an increased level of business uncertainty due to eBay’s poor execution of changes in many areas including seller performance measurement, fees, site search, buyer activity, and seller communication. The result is that merchants are changing their behavior in ways that we believe is not beneficial to the eBay marketplace.

Merchants are pursuing alternate channels for their businesses which are more economical, including launching their own website, participating in other third party channels such as Amazon and Overstock, and even opening brick and mortar stores. Based recent feedback from PeSA members, merchants are focusing on other channels at higher rates than we have ever measured in the past. Prime products that used to find their way to eBay, are now being diverted to these new "premier" channels that are reportedly delivering higher margins with greater certainty and decreased overhead.

Merchants that used to prioritize the eBay channel now regard the marketplace as a venue of last resort used mainly for liquidation of product that doesn’t sell elsewhere. eBay has acknowledged that it may have an undersupply of merchandise on the site, however, they fail to recognize that the supply issue on eBay is a direct result of their relationship with their customers, the sellers. The lack of credible communication from eBay to its sellers about its strategy has resulted in a marketplace of skeptic sellers, which is bad for business. We would like to highlight eBay’s recent move to allow "big box" retailers free access to eBay, at a competitive advantage to its existing seller base, as an example of a decision that exacerbates the situation by threatening the diverse supply of merchandise that shoppers expect on eBay.

As PeSA has stated in its prior position statements, the real issue affecting eBay is buyer activity. We believe that issue still exists. According to eBay’s latest published results, eBay’s annual active user churn rate was close to 40%. eBay has discontinued reporting the data that allowed us to actively monitor the issue, but based upon the flat active user growth, we believe eBay is still seeing poor user activity.

Unfortunately, most of the changes at eBay have been focused on sellers, not buyers. We are proponents for measuring the performance of sellers and rewarding those sellers that provide positive customer experiences. The concept is used in other marketplaces; however, the eBay execution of that concept resulted in a Detailed Seller Rating (DSR) system that is substantially flawed both in its measurement and transparency. We understand that a new system will not be perfect and should be adjusted as experience builds. The real problem is that eBay seems to be building on top of a flawed DSR system that has not been adjusted to reflect true buyer experience.

At PeSA, our position on eBay fees has been that as long as sellers are receiving value, eBay is certainly entitled to share in that value. During the past few years, that economic balance has shifted dramatically to the disadvantage of merchants. In our opinion, eBay still does not recognize that their excessive extraction of value in the form of fees and other monetization techniques has resulted in dramatic underinvestment on improving the marketplace. Declining buyer activity also has a direct result on average selling prices and conversion rates on the platform. Thus the lower margins in conjunction with rising eBay fees, results in eBay taking more value while leaving less for merchants.

In addition, the diversion of traffic off the eBay platform in the form of advertising (run by Yahoo in the US) helps eBay monetize the marketplace, but leaves less buyer traffic for merchants that list on eBay. And, the greater compliance burden of operating on eBay combined with the risk that a merchant business will be shut down with little visibility creates an unworkable environment.

We embrace the effort that eBay has made to adjust fees to better align with the success of merchants. But, again, the implementation of the changes comes across as an effort to increase the take rate on merchants without really investing in the marketplace. While eBay lowered the upfront cost to list on the marketplace, they dramatically increased the fees on the back-end. We were disappointed with this approach and would have preferred that eBay show some commitment to increase value to the marketplace before raising final value fees on its customers.

We argue that the declining economics on the marketplace justified lowering front end fees without an associated increase on the backend. After all, less buyer activity means that the marketplace is not as valuable a channel for a merchant and the cost to list on the marketplace should be less. Unfortunately, eBay does not see it that way and the result is that eBay is placing the burden of all the changes on the marketplace on the backs of its customers, which are its merchants. We continue to experience one step forward on concept and two steps back with execution. We cannot find any other case where a company, with the desire to restructure and improve its business, places the burden squarely on its customer base.

PeSA is focused on promoting professional and successful selling on the eBay marketplace and are actively working with all professional sellers to help them navigate the changes on the marketplace. We believe eBay still needs to better understand its customers and we hope that sharing our views helps highlight the most pressing issues. it is our intention to continue working with sellers and with eBay to effect positive change in the marketplace and will be publishing additional papers with more specific commentary in the near future.

Ebay Small Sellers - Let's BONANZLE!!!

ACEO Halloween Cat

I know the feeling...you've been on Ebay for years and up till this year you've been doing okay. You're paying your fees and trying to keep up with the latest policy changes and requirements. Even with all that effort your sales are in the toilet and you watch your items roll off with few views and no bids because you find your items smothered under tons of other items from other sellers...what to do? Its time to get proactive (that means get a move on!). One day while reading Auctionbytes.com (which seems to be my morning paper) I saw an item about a place called Bonanzle. Funny name - gotta check it out. I was floored! Its bright and colorful, its clean and uncluttered - a shop there is free - listing is free!.....AND they will import your Ebay feedback and your Ebay items! I suggest everyone get there and set up shop - then go thru your list of past buyers and invite them over! Give them an incentive like free shipping or a free gift - you can do it because you're not weighed down with fees! Bonanzle is growing by leaps and bounds. I am amazed to check the stats there each morning and see that they are, indeed, gaining more sellers. I also love Bonanza Days there. That is a day you schedule with Bonanzle and on that day you offer sales galore and Bonanzle will direct traffic to your shop for a few hours. Its a plus you aren't going to get somewhere else...so give Bonanzle a look and I think you'll like what you see!

My painting for today: The witching hour is on its way...Halloween Cat

From an Ebay Seller to Ebay Buyers - Can We Talk DSR's? (Detailed Sellers Ratings)

"Tree of Dreams"

My performance as a seller is being rated by you. You decide if sellers like me stay or go on eBay. Truth is, although Ebay tells you a 4.0 rating is good anything less than a 5.0 rating lowers my standings in search until I can no longer be found. If they dip below 4.3 - I could be suspended from selling.

Ebay has given buyers the power to hand out negatives without the fear of getting one in return...this leaves sellers vulnerable and is one reason why a lot of them simply left the site. As a seller, I would expect that if you the buyer finds anything wrong with your purchase from me that you will have the courtesy of contacting me...I stand ready to rectify the situation. Most honest sellers want to keep their good reputations and remain sellers on eBay. Without the cooperation of buyers - that will soon change and what will be left are big stores with the same merchandise you can find in any Walmart. Most of us try our best to describe an item properly, to package and ship it carefully. My items are shipped upon payment and at no more than a few pennies above actual shipping cost - yet my stars for shipping time and shipping cost have been damaged.

If buyers don’t begin to communicate their displeasure or the reasoning behind rating a seller at less than a 5.0 then soon all unique small sellers such as myself will be gone from the site. This is not a threat, it is a fact that has been happening since this DSR rating system was instituted. Many buyers are already complaining that they can no longer find their favorite small seller. So, I’m asking you to please either contact me with your complaints or rate fairly. Only 5.0 ratings can keep us on Ebay.

On shipping, you must rate me and not the post office. You are rating the time I send out the item - not how long the post office takes to get it to you. You are also rating what I charge you and not what the postal rates happen to be. A seller should be allowed to charge a bit more for the packing and materials needed to send out an item. Its unreasonable to expect it for nothing. I know in my case, when I send out a large painting it costs me over 6.00 in bubblewrap and clean cardboard and foam core board alone. I believe in using new packing material.

There is a lot to consider when rating a seller fairly. I know its an imposition but its not one the sellers are burdening you with. Ebay has lost a lot of good sellers who could no longer cope with this system....but its here and we need to discuss it openly so that buyers are aware of it - and have the correct information. I know if I were a buyer and never sold on Ebay I would think rating a seller 3 on DSR's was average - yet that would quickly suspend a seller! Ebay tells buyers a 4.0 is a good rating - yet will suspend sellers who fall to a 4.3. You can quickly see the problem here. Nobody seems to know why Ebay has done this - some think they are merely "thinning the herd" of sellers. Others don't know what to think.

Hopefully, this will give buyers an idea of what sellers must cope with in order to sell onEbay. I, myself, list very very few items there now and its because I have an unblemished 10 year reputation and I figure I'll keep it at that and also because selling there is no longer fun but is very very stressful.

I hope you will take this as informational. Buyers have been given great power by Ebay and sellers only hope they will use it correctly.

My painting for today is a 16 X 20" original that recently sold and is on its way to Great Britain. "Tree of Dreams"

Ebay - Who knows What Tomorrow Will Bring?

"I Dream of Flying"

Yes, tomorrow starts the 30 day 35 cents fixed price listings that were obviously designed to get items out of Ebay stores and into core. I can't help but wonder why they're doing this? Are they desperate? maybe so.... It seems Meg Whitman put stores in search a couple of years ago and then quickly took them out again, complaining that the site was becoming cluttered with junk! So, what's new this time? What's new? Just about everything. Far as I can see, sellers (who are also buyers) are leaving in great numbers. Their listings are being replaced by the likes of buy.com. Its rumored buy.com gets free insertion - but with only a 3 percent sell-thru rate, who is Ebay kidding? Is THIS really where they want to go?

It is now rumored that 1500 Ebay employees will be laid off shortly. This can mean one of two things. Either they are hurting and have to lay off part of their workforce, OR this was a planned lay off because they could see the droves of small sellers leaving the site. This may yet all be planned in Mr. Donahoe's plan to turn the site retail like Amazon. If I were him with those plans in mind, I'd try to keep most of the sellers for as long as possible...let them pay the fees while Ebay tempts big box retailers with free listings. That would be how I would plan it...and perhaps that's the way Donahoe is planning it too. Whatever, we will know which path Ebay is taking by the end of this year. I suggest that it can't hurt to start listing on other sites - especially those free to list.....AND DON'T FORGET TO TELL YOUR BUYERS WHERE YOU CAN BE FOUND.

As for me? After 10 years, I have just a few (3 right now) small listings on Ebay. I've switched over to Bonanzle and love it there and I'm hoping everyone will come and take a peek and perhaps set up a shop there. Free shop and free listing. Its all good.

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

Today's painting. Baby Pegasus "I Dream of Flying"

Forget Ebay Today! Life is Waiting!!!

Blue Doggie Sharpener

I've just been out on my patio enjoying the coolness of a southern california morning and drinking my morning cup of tea. Look around, the birds are flying and singing, my hummingbirds are coming in to feed on their sugar water (and dive bomb me for being in their territory) my roses are blooming and all is right with the world. What more do I need past that glorious moment. It was unmarred by thoughts of how I'm going to make sales on Ebay now that its totally messed up or even about the fact my car insurance bill will be in any day now. No....it was just about the great outdoors and how darned lucky I am to be alive and seeing and feeling and smelling all this beauty. Sometimes we have to rein ourselves in and look at the basics. I'm sure all of you have benefits in your life you never really counted before. The mere fact of living is a great benefit on its own...perhaps the greatest of all!

That's my message for today and I'm sticking to it!

Today's painting...for those artists who say "I ran out of ideas and don't know what to paint" - paint what's in front of you and that scene of my pencil sharpener and pencils happened to be in front of me. :-)

How About Overstock.com?

Birches in Autumn (ACEO

Years ago I had high hopes for Overstock as a viable auction venue in direct competition with Ebay. Their first TV ads mentioned "taking on the big boys" and I rubbed my hands together thinking "this is it...finally". I was vastly disappointed because although Overstock kept advertising its retail site it kept failing to mention it had auctions at all - and most people didn't even know auctions existed there. A succession of managers were brought in who were going to get the auction portion of the business off the ground...all to no avail. I've heard rumors on what held back auctions...I will not mention any of that here. Today, I heard a radiocast with an interview of Doug Minnick from Overstock.com who gave a glowing report on where the site wants to go. They WANT SELLERS and they want them now! They'd be foolish NOT to want sellers since Ebay has been disillusioning sellers both large and small and causing them to wander the internet in search of a good place to sell. Overstock, with its huge retail business already has an good influx of traffic - they just need to make the fact that they have auctions known! Well, I'm always willing to go back and give something another try...how about you? I'll be listing on Overstock.com today and have my fingers crossed. I'm hoping this time they mean it!

New Merchant Directory for Online Sellers! - Its a Good Thing

Auctionbytes.com has come out with a new merchant directory called, EveryPlaceISell.com. You can register there and once you are approved you can list every venue you sell on, including your own website(s). This will, hopefully, be a directory where your buyers can go to see where else you are listing your wares. Its a good thing! Here's mine:




Watercolors by Patricia

Above, my ACEO "Butterfly & Flowers"

Ebay: The Small Seller's Opinion

Betty the Bidder

I read countless articles and blogs every day concerning Ebay. For the past 10 years I've been selling on Ebay and selling pretty well up until January of this year when all seemed to turn upside down. Make no mistake about it, when you come here and read what I post it is the small seller angle you're going to get and not the big powerseller's angle.

My view on the elimination of paper payments is that it will ban a lot of the elderly and low income folks from buying on Ebay. Hidden on a thread somewhere on Ebay's boards they are discussing just this problem. Ebay says we can receive payment by check or moneyorder....as long as we don't receive too many of them! To me, they aren't concerned with the buyer or enhancing the buyer's experience. They ARE concerned with fee avoidance because if the buyer choses to send a moneyorder Ebay does not get that Paypal fee! Is this concern about the buyer's experience...or is it concern about their own revenue. I'm betting its the latter and because of that sellers must weigh each and every change Ebay makes to ensure that continuing to sell there will still be profitable for them. Don't just take the changes - "think" about how they will effect you and your business in particular. Small sellers are easily overwhelmed by changes and at some point they cease to garner any profit from what they're selling. I think its sad when the service you pay to merely provide you space ends up taking over almost every aspect of your business and squeezing most of the profit from it.

Just my small seller opinion.

Ebay Changes Fee Schedule - Favors Fixed Listings

ACEO "Kitty Kat Heaven"

I've read and seen all the changes Ebay is coming out with on September 16 and beyond. Well, after mulling over the changes I see some sellers may save money and other sellers will see a sharp increase. I do see the site becoming glutted with listings - and still no effort to bring in buyers. I won't go over the specifics here - other articles have gone over and over them. I'll simply give my opinion of Ebay (who is still not listening to its customers - the sellers):

I am really beginning to think that Ebay feels all they have to do is look as much like Amazon as possible and everything will come to them. I also feel they are doomed to failure with this plan. As a long time ebay seller I know demand, in general, has gone down and there is no excitement in the site to pull buyers into it - and certainly no advertising - when was the last time you saw an Ebay ad on TV or heard one on radio? New fees have turned off potential sellers who may also become buyers. Ebay sees none of this. Now they are going to eliminate a segment of buyers who only use cash, check or moneyorder. These are mostly the elderly who will never trust the internet enough to put their credit information on it and the the low income people who save to make a purchase. Sellers will now have to tell these buyers they can't sell to them!

I really do believe Ebay trips from quarter to quarter and when a quarter looks bad they simply squeeze more out of sellers...believing sellers are a bottomless pit. I don't feel the new fees are going to do much more than glut the site with anything and everything - buyers will pick over it but it won't end in any more sales because sellers are so strapped now that they can't afford to offer bargains! Now I hear ebay will tie free shipping to standings in their listings! It never ends!

Ebay continues to clutter the site, make it almost impossible for buyers, especially, newbies to navagate. Generally, when a smart company sees things going bad they are willing to take a hit in revenue in order to try to make things right again. Ebay, simply tries to squeeze revenue out of sellers and at the same time are oblivious to what those sellers need in order to sell. They can't see past their assumption that they are the only game in town.

Maybe I'm just a pessimistic old curmudgeon but I see failure in these new fees and further selling restrictions!

A little humor mixed in with the news always helps. So, I put a new little painting at the top of this article.

Happy Independence Day - Life After Ebay!

What a wonderful day! Our country is 232 years old - we're in the midst of a presidential election year - the promise of new change for the better. Except for gas and food prices, the war and healthcare... things could be much worse.

I guess this is a year of change in most of our lives. Many of us are feeling the loss of Ebay. I know I am and several of my fellow artists are in that same boat. I am putting more and more effort into sites like my own website and Etsy. I think for an artist, Etsy seems to hold more promise than the other sites. In the past, I'd put a few things up, hope for the best and not visit Etsy again until the listings ended. Lately, I've been really checking out the site and found the chatrooms and they are WONDERFUL! You can chat with other "Etsians" and see their work pop up on the side of the screen and you can even flood the room with chocolate chip cookies (I don't know why but its fun). Its such a lighthearted site after the heavily restricting Ebay that I expect Etsy to be THE site for art and handmade items. For those who haven't scooped it out, please go and have a look - there IS life after Ebay and its looking pretty good!

Above - The Iris Bed - at a special price on Etsy

http://www.etsy.com/tinypainter
http://www.watercolorsbypatricia.com
http://www.ACEOart.net
http://www.tattingjustforyou.com

Gray Days - Is There Life After Ebay?

This time last year I was super busy. Had several commissions I was working on - plus trying to beef up my website plus trying to keep my store stocked on Ebay. I managed to save enough from my profits to get new windows put in the house, pay car insurance and other large bills as they came along plus squeezed in a much needed new bed and sofa and barely had to touch my social security or pension checks. Life was good. I didn't have much time to put my feet up and relax and reflect on my good fortune, but I was happy to be making the bills, putting something away and just being useful each and every day...again...Life was Good!

Then came the first of the year and things began to slowly grind to a halt. I decided to at least temporarily close my Ebay store. On January 28 - it became quite clear - the Ebay I knew was going to be killed off and what is emerging looks nothing like the site I had fun on and depended on to supplement my retirement, met new friends on. Well, multiply my story times thousands and that's how many sellers are walking around kind of dazed and depressed and not able to figure out the next step except to know deep down inside that the next step does not include their old friend Ebay. Other sites seem odd to me now and sales there are very grim. I figure its because buyers are also as used to Ebay as I was and so they just don't leave there. Most are aware that their favorite sellers are gone from the site, but do not realize why. The ones who find out how utterly callous and cruel Ebay is being to small sellers generally get mad about it. Eventually, buyers will leave when they can no longer find the unique and unusual. Let's face it - if you want something new and shiny you'll go to the nearest department store to touch, feel, smell and perhaps buy it. I'm positive this will eventually dawn on Ebay - I'm positive that its only a matter of time before they are forced to come to their senses due to failing revenue and listings. Unfortunately for small sellers like myself we will have either settled in somewhere else or given up on the idea of selling online.

We're witnessing the end of an era - it was fun and it was interesting and for some it became a way of life. Sad to see it dying like this. I'm sure there were other ways to spark interest in a site such as this but then it looks like nobody in authority has that kind of imagination or creative ability.

www.ACEOart.net
www.watercolorsbypatricia.com
www.tattingjustforyou.com