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

A Holiday Weekend Full of Art

Its been far too hot here to do much of anything outside. Southern California has been in the grips of a heatwave for over a week now. It sure isn't helping the firefighters north of me fight the biggest fire in the history of Los Angeles county. Now they have announced its arson. Many of the fires in this state are arson. Last year, my city here faced a ferocious fire. Many large beautiful homes were lost forever simply because there was "too much fire and not enough water". It was heartbreaking and...for the first time in the 31 years I've lived here...I had my things packed and sitting by the door.

So, what does one do on a super hot holiday weekend here? I don't know about the others, but granny here, is home with her watercolors and some good movies and the a/c running.

Some finished work:







with more in the works.

I so enjoy watercolors and I'm thankful to be able to do this work. I read somewhere that the great Norman Rockwell used to say: "being able to draw and paint is like always having a bag of lemon drops in your pocket." He was right...

Happy Holiday Weekend from

Grannygoodpaint

GOOGLE - Give a Girl a Break!

Seems like years I've been writing about Ebay, Etsy, Online Auctions, Bonanzle, Overstock, etc. etc. I have yet to see one of my blog posts picked up by Google and sent to me in a Google alert. Yes, I have the alerts up and running and get tons of articles on the subjects....some dumber than dirt but never see mine. Google whatcha got against ole Grannygoodpaint? If I outright Google Grannygoodpaint I get plenty - yet I never make those alerts. Google are you ashamed of ole Granny?

Etsy, Etsy, Etsy, Etsy!!!!! Jump Onboard!

"The Gazebo in the Park"
5 X 7" Watercolor

Today I want to toot my horn for Etsy.com (pronounced like Betsy without the B). Any seller of handmade or vintage goods can open a free shop on Etsy. Then they can list as much as they want for only 20 cents a listing and each listing is good for 4 months! Not free but almost free! Etsians are helpful and their community forums are a must read - as is their blog The Storque. The economy doesn't seem to be bothering Etsy any since they report an almost doubling of sales year over year for this June and July!

I am trying my darndest to do without Ebay. Haven't listed there in weeks now and I'm concentrated on Etsy and next will concentrate on building up my Bonanzle booth.

Sellers...take the plunge! If you sell mostly handmade goods then try Etsy for everything else there is Bonanzle or eCrater. I recommend them all. Also...very important if you do decide to spread your wares around DON'T FORGET to tell your customers where they can find you ;-)

My painting for today is a watercolor just listed. Hopefully it will brighten your day.

The Demise of Ebay Live - We Knew It Was Coming

White Daisies & Butterfly
9 X 12" acrylic

Its been announced that Ebay will forego the Ebay Live it had scheduled for next year. It is killing the program in favor of small, intimate gatherings probably complete with non-disclosure statements to sign. With that announcement, I reflected back on my own experience. It sheds a powerful adverse light on what's happening today.

The only Ebay Live I attended was New Orleans in 2004 - had a ball. In fact the event was so much fun that we actually did very little sightseeing outside of the convention center. We felt like welcome guests - a far cry from being treated like crooks and called "noise" today. I remember the last night - went to the big dinner that closed the event and walked thru the hall of applause made by the 750 Ebay employees who also attended. Imagine, Ebay applauding its sellers - who would think it would come down to the treatment sellers receive today. I wish I could only remember Ebay that way but the events of the last 1 1/2 years leaves a very bitter taste in one's mouth. Ebay seems to have bungled its business so much it will never turn around and its sellers, both past and present, will never let Ebay forget what its done.

My painting for today is perhaps a ray of hope...a miracle of some kind that will save the Ebay we all knew and loved...

Support American Artists!

"Sunburst Daisies"
5 X 11" Watercolor

I know the economy is bad but yesterday I was shopping in Walmart and saw a bin of large prints with several people picking thru them. One fellow pulled one out and smiled at it...as though he found the prize in a box of Cracker Jack! I looked over and noted the price....not much less than some small original works one can find on artists' internet websites or on sites such as Ebay, Bonanzle and Etsy. I wonder what makes a person bypass real art in favor of a sheet of paper some machine stamped out? I look at original paintings and am sometimes in awe at the skill and imagination of the artist. I respect the person behind an original piece of art and the work he/she put into it. There is NOTHING like original art. No mass produced print - no matter the name compares to a piece of art where you can look deeply and see the brush strokes that artist placed on the canvas.

So, I'm asking any who might stop by to read this to check out the sites I've mentioned here and look at some original art. If you buy a piece I'm pretty sure you won't be sorry. Look beyond just the topic or color of the piece - look deeply to see the part of the artist's life and heart that he or she put into it.....just for you!

My painting today is a sunny watercolor.

Some Thoughts About Ebay and Sales

A calorie-free watercolor cupcake

As I understand it, Ebay wants to be like Costco (this week). Seems they've put aside wanting to be like Amazon, Overstock, maybe a huge retailer like Walmart and now maybe a huge liquidator. So far, everything they've tried seems to be failing. I have never before seen a huge and rich company such as Ebay without a solid business plan! Why their board of directors is even allowing this company into the hands of a management team who are definitely out of their league is beyond me.

In their attempt to change Ebay into "something else" they failed to recognize the one thing that MUST remain constant.....SALES! Its the one reason for their existence no matter what they want to be when they grow up! I know there are some sellers who brag they are doing "great" on Ebay....never better. Yet for every person who brags 20 others are so disillusioned with the lack of traffic and sales that they are desperate to find other venues that work. The trouble with other venues, that I can see, is that they work on the "if you build it they will come" premise...and that does NOT work! They need to advertise and let buyers know they are there. I see no ads for other venues other than perhaps Overstock which does run TV ads from time to time but never even mentions it has auctions.

Ebay has taken to enforcing new policies that don't weed out the bad buyers and sellers, they don't help the flow of sales nor do they welcome buyers to the site. To the contrary, the site is confusing and cluttered with ads that take prospective buyers off its site! One wonders how a company can go forward while actually stifling sales by manipulating search and by enforcing a ridiculous one-sided feedback policy. I am hoping that one day it will all become clear - but my adult logic and common sense tells me things will simply continue to worsen until hopefully - a new management team in finally installed - also hopefully, a team experienced in online sales. Until then, I look sadly at a once great new and respected company - a company who actually helped small sellers and the small sellers who actually built this company to what it is today. I wonder how much longer Ebay will be around and I'm thinking sadly...not too much longer :-(

My painting for today is a watercolor cupcake - fat free, calorie free but looking delicious!

World Drawing Day 2009 - Did You Participate?

Drawing Day 2009

If you weren't drawing yesterday, then you missed it. June 6, 2009 was World Drawing Day. Several sites were offering participation including Facebook, Youtube, Ratemydrawings, etc. The goal was to reach 1 million drawings. I do not have the actual count but I know over 13,000 artists signed up and stated they would be drawing. I added about 5 new drawings myself and now have a gallery on www.ratemydrawings.com with 181 drawings.

I suggest to anyone out there who likes to draw to get on over to Rate My Drawings and register. Its totally free and artists and would be artists of all ages are welcome.

My gallery on Rate My Drawings:

http://www.ratemydrawings.com/user/patty013/&tab=1

HAPPY SUNDAY!

Why is Amazon So Good?

"Did Somebody Say CHEESEcake?"

Every time I shop on Amazon I'm amazed at how really good they are. They put a LOT of sweat equity into their business over a lot of years....and it shows! Just yesterday I was again reminded of this fact. I spotted a book I liked on an online venue. I won't give the name. They wanted $4.00 for the book and $6.00 for shipping - since it was a rather large hard cover book. I hesitated and then thought "think I'll check over at Amazon". I was amazed to find several used copies of this book on Amazon all selling for 1 cent each with shipping standardized at $3.98. So, instead of $10.00, I ended up paying only $4.00. Sellers - you have to be competitive. I know it hurts but how can you expect to sell and accumulate a following when you have the likes of Amazon to compete with.

This brings me to Ebay. They started out trying to copy Amazon but true to Ebay and its laziness...they wanted to beat sellers into it instead. Its not working, nor will it ever work. Treating its sellers like the enemy is what is killing Ebay. Ebay needs to hang on to the monopoly it has with small sellers of the rare and unique while going forward with plans to bring in large diamond sellers...and it needs to show BOTH equal respect. Ebay needs to keep its auctions and separate them from fixed price. Maybe someday soon Ebay will change management to one experienced in online sales and the heavy competition. They'll use logic instead of a heavy hand and they'll find merit even in the smallest of sellers - if they do that they might even reach their goal. Unfortunately, as it stands now, I see nothing in Ebay's future except failure.

My painting for today....its all about the CHEESEcake! Because with all the problems that abound right now I'd say we all need a little comfort food.

Grannygoodpaint Changes Her Palette

The author of this blog is an artist and has been one all her life. Let's talk art today and some of what it takes to sell your work. I used to make a darned good business simply putting my artwork up on Ebay but those days seem to have passed. Now I'm spread out all over the place and learning to market my work wherever and whenever I can. Younger artists will want to do art shows and hang their work in coffee shops and restaurants, etc. That's great! Some will open websites - even better! BUT be prepared for the work involved in getting traffic to your site. You don't just build a website and sit and wait for the crowds to come. It just doesn't happen that way.

Also, there are sites where you can get exposure and some are free. Bonanzle is one that will give you a free shop and free listing fees and you only pay when you sell. Etsy is another popular site...charging only 20 cents to expose your work for 4 months! Then there are others you probably never considered....Artist Rising where you can place your work and if a customer wishes a print you will be given a small percentage of the sale. I recently sold a large painting off Artist Rising because it caught a customer's eye and she wanted the original. Made the sale, with NO fees involved, directly to the buyer. Imagekind is much the same as Artist Rising. Don't forget your own neighborhood - everyone here knows I paint and many come around for that special gift they can't find in stores. There are a number of these sites where you can place your work for possible sale of prints. Its something to consider.

If you have a tip or a site or an outlet where you are making some sales...by all means please share it with us.

Some work that is up on Ebay right now:

I can also be found on Bonanzle, Etsy, Overstock and my own website

A Post on Ebay Revisited...What Do You Think?

I originally posted this back on June 25, 2008. Getting close to a year ago. It was supposed to be from an ex-ebay employee and circulated on the Ebay discussion boards where it was torn down from time to time. Okay, time has passed and a lot of new policy changes came about. Read this post and tell me what you think of it now:


This is not my opinion nor do I know whether or not it really is from a former Ebay employee. I'm publishing it only to see how many of the changes noted in the post are actually going into play - you be the judge. I've edited out names, URL's etc.:


FROM A FORMER EMPLOYEE OF EBAY:


There will be those who will not believe me and I sympathize. I wish the facts were fiction but to deny what I know would be to live in a fairyland of make-believe. I understand that the bulk of this “manifesto” reveals a plot so against the spirit of eBay that it will be dismissed as lie. So be it. I cannot force the world to accept it. All I can do is state the truth as I know it and leave it to you and to your common sense and experience to judge.

The deck is stacked against me. Aside from the natural resistance to believe I know that the boards are stocked with eBay’s tools. Their goal will be to discredit me. I will be accused of being a “disgruntled”, “paranoid”, and “emotional” seller. Their words will be specially chosen for effect. That is part of the function of the tools and I am not fazed by it. However, to protect my own identity within the corporation, I cannot be too specific lest the details single me out to the powers that be.

What I intend to reveal is common knowledge to many in the management division behind the scenes.

By the way, the tools are not only the mouthpieces that promote the policies. The psychological tactics employed by the powers that be are far deeper and grander than that. The subtlety of the method is remarkable. The tools come in a wide range of flavors with their own, individual “characteristic” rhetoric. From those who are “for” the policy - and spread various degrees of hostility toward the sellers - to those who are “against” the change - and spread panic and further the divide with the buyers. Both serve the same exact purpose: a manipulation designed to remove the more involved and savvy small to large sellers who will not fit into eBay’s future business plan.

First, let me correct the record regarding the concept of sellers extorting positive feedback. While the violation was known to happen, the activity amounted to less than a tenth of a percent of the yearly transactions. Further, it involved sellers whose feedback percentages were below 80%. The absolute majority of sellers did not engage in such practices. Nevertheless, the powers that be could not resist the fact that promoting this notion of feedback extortion as a wide-spread phenomenon would be the perfect cover with which to hide the true intentions of the policy.

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.

Ebay's Future....What I Believe

"Daffodil Bunny"
5 X 7" Watercolor

Everyone seems to have an opinion about Ebay and the direction it will take. Here's mine for what its worth:

I believe Ebay is looking toward a business model that will eventually exclude small sellers and even power sellers. They no longer want the responsibility for customer service and the fraud problems that are beginning to come back and bite them thru the court system. I believe they're desperate to populate the site with huge sellers who can take care of their own customer service and fraud and these will no longer be Ebay's responsibility. Ebay just wants to sit back and scoop in the revenue so they're willing to put in their famous Ebay name to entice these big sellers....the name us small sellers built for them. First they tried the retail route...that didn't work. Now they are looking toward liquidation sellers of end lots and discontinued items in bulk. Once they hit on a solid business model they will open the back door and put us all out by the dumpster without one look back! This is why they are secretive, their plans are not solid and so they keep secretive until that time.

To all sellers: imperative to use Ebay to suit yourself while you build on other venues (I am presently active on Etsy, Bonanzle and Overstock) and perhaps even on your own site. The worst thing a seller can do now is sit on Ebay and complain about sales and wait for things to pick up....its time to be very very proactive! We will probably never again see the wild selling venue that was once Ebay...but neither will Ebay. They will become just a huge, mediochre site and that will eventually fade away or be scooped up by another company, especially so if they keep the present inadequate management.

Not happy thoughts to be sure but I've always been a hard realist and this is what I'm seeing.

grannygoodpaint

With Easter on the way - I thought my painting for today should be Daffodil Bunny.