Another of eBay's Top Sellers Bites the Dust: Parrothead88, FB of 74,500 closes

[sneakymagenta]

Raise your hands if you believe eBay will cut Jayandmarie's fees for the third year in a row next January 

word filter on Jay's user ID

[landofsmiles]

I used to buy from Parrothead88. They were so unbelievably above board and conscientious in every aspect of their business and customer service. I'm very surprised, and sorry, to hear that they may be in some sort of trouble.

[landofsmiles]

They have 31 negs in the past year and 29 of those came in the past month. I suspect some kind of personal tragedy. Sad.

[stardust]

Me three, bob...

[bargainbloodhound]

[quote author=sneakymagenta link=topic=3718.msg13811#msg13811 date=1147373912]
Raise your hands if you believe eBay will cut Pompous Jay the PeSA Cowboy's fees for the third year in a row next January 

word filter on Jay's user ID
[/quote]

Both hands raised.  Next year's large USPS increases are going to be tough for the 99 cent crowd like Posterboy Adam and Everyday 2 cent BINs to pass along to their customers since they're already overcharging on shipping.

I'll go along with Amy's bankruptcy explanation in post #4 for parrothead

eBay trivia: parrothead88 was eBay's 1st shooting star seller http://pages.ebay.com/community/life/ebay-life-pA4.html

[mandy]

My lunch finally arrived.  I ordered Indian.   

In other news, AuctionByteMe took time out from running advertorials for its advertisers to do a story on these parrot characters:

Third High Profile PowerSeller in 2006 Ceases Listings on eBay

On Thursday, eBayers were shocked to see that with close to 75,000 unique feedback ratings, Parrothead88 had suddenly emptied his eBay Store and had no active listings on the eBay website...

What dismays eBay sellers is why such high-profile and seemingly wildly successful sellers have abruptly ceased their eBay operations....

Two companies are associated with the eBay User ID Parrothead88: Bargains Galore (http://bargainsgalorestore.com), registered to John Hannon, and Mailers & More LLC (http://www.mailersandmore.com), operated by Michael and Tracy Kolman. Both are located in the Tampa Bay area of Florida and have the same phone number and email address listed on the websites. Phone messages left for Hannon and the Kolmans were not returned.

full article: http://auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y06/m05/i12/s01

[landofsmiles]

[quote author=bargainbloodhound link=topic=3718.msg13825#msg13825 date=1147413839]I'll go along with Amy's bankruptcy explanation in post #4 for parrothead

eBay trivia: parrothead88 was eBay's 1st shooting star seller http://pages.ebay.com/community/life/ebay-life-pA4.html
[/quote]

Well, his prices were pretty cheap. Storage alone for his bulky bubblewrap had to be costing a small fortune. Rising transportation costs might have done him in as well.

[xppman]

Hey I just wanted to clarify my posts 7 and 9 above
were not about Parrothead88.

It was about everydaysource and one's like them:
Another of the idiots who contribute to the erosion
of the market prices in the categories
they sell in on feebay (or one the web) with cut throat
prices that WILL eventually do them in as well.

If bankruptcy is the explanation for Parrothead88,
I can surly see how that can happen
because of the idiots like I mentioned above who give it away.

Maybe Parrothead88 put too much faith in ebay like so many of the others
we have seen go bye bye lately and the costs just finally caught up to them.

Maybe they had some of those cut throat types in their categories as well?

Maybe they waited too long to open a real website
and other established sites were getting the orders.
(Their copyright on their site says 2004).

Or maybe their suppliers decided to sell direct and they just couldn't compete.

Or maybe PP froze their account and they did not have a back up plan.

Just hard to know what happened or if was a combination of some or all of the above.

If this was an above board company like Bob says, it is still sad.
Even if they were a PESA member.

Come to think of it. I think I purchased a couple
of bags of peanuts from them a few years back when
I was operating in Florida.

I didn't think it was a bargain and that was the first
and last time I purchased ANY packing material from anyone.

We recycle. SAVES us a bundle. 

I've only had one customer since selling online complain because we used
news paper as packing material and that was just a month or so ago.
I never responded to his silly complaint. I just  to the monitor
Yelled YEA BUT YOU GOT YOUR ITEM IN ONE PEICE DIDN'T YOU MORON?
and hit the delete button.

PS
Many times we get peanuts and bubble wrap in to from our online purchases
and what not. So we just use what we have...

Hell I'd love to use shrink wrap, bubble wrap, my own BRAND labeled custom size boxes,
fancy preprinted invoices, three tone business cards, fancy fragile stickers etc...

These days you got to do what you can to keep your overhead costs
down so you can keep your retail prices competaive. ImO

[Anita]

I have never thought a thing about items being shipped to me in newspaper.  When I "learned" it was a no no, I was surprised.  I still don't know what the big deal is.  ???

[xppman]

I didn't know it was a no no. :blinkie:
As a matter of fact my breakage rate in transit is very minimal. 

I may have had two or three items break in transit the last year or two. 

Maybe it's my superior talents and techniques in the packaging of the items I sell.

(I have many superior talents and techniques). 

I gotta get out of here and run to my suppliers and get busy.
Although my ebays sales are in the toilet, because ebay SUX

My website sales are keeping me pretty busy still.