Hairless Chris Tsakalakis Says Store Inventory Listings To Receive Less Exposure

[xppman]

Oh I've been lurking over there BBH.
It's truly unbelievable and now there is a petition too?

You know there was a time when many of us
(you included) would try and spread the word if you will.

I kind of starting to backing off
on that message a while back as it seems to always fall on deaf ears.
Your told your just being "negative" or your a trouble maker or a "rabble rouser".
When if fact we were only trying to help and get them to see the light..

I for one came to realize around the same time when FAS went south that
it's not my job to try and lead the heard to greener pastures.

To be totally honest, sometimes when I read a lot of stuff anymore
part of me also says: "well that's what you get for being so naive".

For anyone to think ebay, PayPal or any of these third party
vendors are here to help them, or protect them, is living in a fantasy world.

It's like you said, they are all out for themselves to make them money,
and protect thier interest.

If anyone wants to survive, they better come to that realization first
and adjust accordingly.

Know what i mean?

[bargainbloodhound]

I just saw this post.  <--I'm also becoming fond of this smiley.

[quote author=jessie link=topic=2632.msg11557#msg11557 date=1143595996]
700,000 sellers earn a living on Ebay.  There are only 200,000 stores.  I'm in the majority of sellers who don't have a store and were hurt by store listings in search.  I like this announcement.  :-[ 
[/quote]

Yep.  The great sales many ebay Stores owners were reporting over the past month had to come at the expense of someone...the auction/fixed price sellers.

As a publically traded company, eBay's management's job is to care about its bottom line-not the bottom line of individual sellers.  Ebay still receives a much larger share of its revenues from auction/fixed price sellers than it does from store owners.  The big drop in auction listings after stores were included in search had to hurt eBay...which is why eBay is unlikely to listen to any storeowner outcry and reverse its decision unless it benefits eBay's pocketbook to do so. The only "community value" they have ever practiced is greed.

[Anita]

"Change of topic: now Marty (Clact) is over there pleading for higher fees.  "

;D ;D ;D

Marty has now added, "2 months ago the whole stores board was St Elsewhere threads. Now its taken over by hundreds of sellers finally seeing their business make sense here than getting something taken away."

I think he is no longer seeing some of those St Elsewhere posts because those people are spending their valuable time at their SE sites. 

-----------------------

I also received THREE calls from eBay.  Yup, me who has no store.   I didn't answer. 

I think it is HYSTERICAL that eBay rolls out a new enhancement and then takes it back!!  How can anyone take that company seriously anymore??

---------------------

When I read the words "Hairless Chris,"  this is what comes to my mind every time:
 

[regic]

Ebay still receives a much larger share of its revenues from auction/fixed price sellers than it does from store owners

1.69 billion total non-store listings in 2005 vs. 187 million total store listings

http://biz.yahoo.com/e/060224/ebay10-k.html

[stardust]

I'm beginning to think that it proved to be such a huge success that they now *know* they can charge store owners an arm and a leg to get their store items in the main search results.  Obviously just an underhanded way to get more money from store sellers.  Even just increasing store listings with the 30 or less items (vs. 20 previoujsly) showing in search increased hits/sales to stores.  Would not surprise me, now, if they charged to include ANY store listings at ALL within the main search -- knowing it's lucrative.

To quote ironchick:  LSOSB's !!

I just don't understand any of it.  Ebay ptb's KNOW that fixed price is the ecommerce of the future -- not auctions.  Why not just go full steam ahead with this?  Auctions would *still* have their place for one-of-a-kind and rare, collectible items, which the auction format used to be good for....

[amy]

Ebay ptb's KNOW that fixed price is the ecommerce of the future -- not auctions.  Why not just go full steam ahead with this?

They are going full steam ahead with ecommerce.  Ebay Express will open shortly.  Ebay Express, and not Ebay Stores, is most likely the wave of the future.  Ebay spent over $300 million on Half.com only to virtually abandon it--Ebay Stores could be headed for the same second class citizenship role as Half.

Ebay Stores haven't exactly set the world on fire: after 5 years the number of store listings still is less than 20% of the number of auction listings and many buyers and sellers don't even know they exist or how they work.

[Anita]

I think eBay is rolling the enhancement back for JayAndMarie.  They must not have liked it. 

[xppman]

I'm also beginning to think there is / was an eternal struggle
between departments and the Stores team just lost out to the Express team.

That would explain all the phone calls from the Stores team to members.
There trying to get data to help appeal the decision to ax the stores
search placement that came from above.

Chris is a young gun and I've seen this before.
At this point I think Chris is bucking the powers at be.

Anyone wanna take bets on how long before Chris is either replaced or resigns?

Star Look...
The FPL will bring in tons of money when Express rolls out.
(Tons of money for ebay that is, because many will be foolish enough and try
the lasted gimmick "at the regular tiered prices" to see if they get any more sales).
This will help for a strong start to the next quarters earnings report for ebay only.IMO

Also if ebay Stores member are foolish enough to stay and PAY more.
I'm sure that down the line, ebay will be more than happy to accommodate them.

I'm not even going to try but any of you Stores holdouts please do the math.

Compare your fees overall to what regular sellers are paying.
Use some guide to do so like 10 FPL's verses 10 auctions verse 10 stores listings.
Don't forget to calculate the FVF, listing fees, and subscription fees in each scenario.

Use one price as well. Say 10 $20.00 items as start price and "control" for each area.

I'm not sure, but I have a feeling you will come out pretty close (across the board)
that you are paying close to the same or slightly lower after running these test calculations.

Don't forget to have a store you need to list those auctions too.
So people can find your store hopefully.

Look I'm not trying to cast disparagement on anyone using
Stores as it was before or as it will return to soon.

Just take a BIG LOOK at the shell game ebay has become.
You may walk away with your eyes WIDE open.

We all know by now ebay is concerned with one thing only.
Their bottom line and a healthy report quarter to quarter.

Many US base companies operate on this short
sighted Q to Q formula now and I think it is a shame.

[stardust]

Hi, xpp.  I'm with you on Chris resigning -- but never being announced.  And I could write a novel, as I know and agree with everything you say.  However, here's a good one...from the Why do we distrust management thread:

susanat777  (277 ) View Listings | Report Mar-29-06 18:08 PST 152 of 152
Read and agree with all four pages. I don't like posting until I have caught up with knowing everything that has been said.

The recent rollback and breaking of promises to Ebay Stores is very painful. I most certainly would have never dreamt that kind of situation would have ever occurred. From past experiences, most of the problems and promises were not a surprise, and actually expected. But this last rollback blew my hair back! That is the best one ever yet.

It took be a long time to learn that rules are made with no support to enforce, forms to fill out to report are of no value, counterfeiting and misrepresented sales will continue to run rampant, there is no safe trading, reading and studying policies are a waste of time; it's all only setup for our entertainment and outlet of false venting and relief of unsolved issues, our suggestions are not listened too; that I am basically bashing my head against the wall. I bit, kept giving the benefit of the doubt and openly posting that in Ebays behalf. Prided myself of being somewhat more intelligent than the next guy; to find out that I was totally ignorant, in falling into the trap of believing in the dream, so cleverly setup for all of us.

These ongoing problems written here will eventually break Ebays back along with all those depending on their service.

It is regrettable that Ebay's staff do not see it coming. Perhaps older ones wisdom of history in the past, will be the legacy of the future, when all the stones come tumbling down. Perhaps, it is the way it is meant to be.

It only took me three years to learn how to use a computer, and spend everything extra on a new computer and inventory, and buying to build for a store, and supporting Ebay with my money in fees. Really, I don't want to know how much I am in the red. Pretending to myself, it wasn't really happening and playing money games to avoid reality of the situation. My home loaded from one end to the other with, what I earth am I gonna due with this stuff. With submitting stores in the search was only a temporary relief, of perhaps imagining the dream to come true, to only have that blow up in my face too. I could have added one year and went to college. I could have spent that time with my family. I could have watched the sun come up and heard the birds sing. Will I regret the wasted time, when my ailing father passes. I had lost that time spent in rediculous land of dreams.

I only bare my guts to those that may avoid the trap if they believe what I write. And always, God bless to those wonderful friends that I have meant here on Ebay.

[bargainbloodhound]

Yep, I saw that post.  Sad because these 2 lines from it are something I've seen too many times over the years on eBay.

Really, I don't want to know how much I am in the red. Pretending to myself, it wasn't really happening and playing money games to avoid reality of the situation.

It's the same scenario that is replayed over and over on the eBay boards: seller thinks they're doing great because they're getting sales "ooh I just made bronze PowerSeller!!!!!"...and then reality eventually sets in and they realize that either A. they've spent more money generating those sales then they've sold, or B. they sit down and figure in the time spent generating those sales and realize they're making way less per hour than they'd make working at a minimum wage job.