Wagglepop 2: Deja Vu as Auction Site That Left Sellers Stranded Reopens

[Alskling]

Well, the sales results are out (assuming they are the REAL figures). The number of sales did go up, but not by much. Compared to the number of listings, they basically stayed at the same place as the week before, with a less than 1% chance of any item selling -- this at a time of the year when the percentage of sales should be escalating. The most disturbing part of the report was that the number of "unique" sales dropped dramatically. This means that the sales were concentrated among a few sellers making multiple sales (e.g. someone selling 4 trading cards to the same person), and that WP is basically getting no new business. Although there's no way to substantiate this from looking at completed sales, nothing else makes much sense. Any long-time e-seller will tell you customers will generally only buy one item the first time from a seller he/she does not know; wait to see how that transaction goes; and then come back to make multiple sales. So, it's clear to me, that WP sellers are purchasing items from other fellow sellers who frequent the boards and have come to know. And since WP has a system where every feedback is counted, I think it would be safe to say that the feedbacks on these sellers is going to show multiple sales from the same buyer. In my mind, this is not a true picture of a seller's reputation.  

From reading the boards, it's also apparent that WP is having an unsually high incidence of NPBs, so how many of those "sales" are actually paying sales? Apart from that, why are there so many NPBs? Are they all flaky buyers? Or are they "bogus" sales? Also, bear in mind, that WP has no system in place for automatic refunds of FVCs for NPBs. Sellers must wait 8 days before they can be eligible, and then they have to email CC for express permission to receive a FVC from Karen, which is only granted after WP investigates the claim to see if such a credit is warranted. How many of these FVCs are actually awarded? And how many sellers just "give up" or never bother to file due to the awkward process? I can tell you from personal experience, it took a month, some board posts, and several emails before I finally received a small FVC from WP and that was for a transaction that we both agreed to cancel, involving no investigation whatsoever.

All in all, the sales were not impressive. At the time of this writing, Karen has not come on the boards to defend her numbers and put a warm and fuzzy spin on them.

P.S. Since I am talking about WP here, please feel free to replace the word "sale(s)" with "sell(s)" as it appears.

[amy]

Front page: 151,025  It was around 160,000 yesterday

[amy]

last 4 weeks sales numbers

Multiple Item Sales Unique Sales Total Sales
10/16 to 10/22  938  874  1812
10/23 to 10/29 724 1038 1762
10/30 to 11/05 576 946 1522
11/06 to 11/12 668 902 1570

[Alskling]

[quote author=amy link=topic=3775.msg32119#msg32119 date=1163518316]
Front page: 151,025  It was around 160,000 yesterday
[/quote]

I don't know if this applies, but on another thread, some sellers were complaining that their listings had somehow vanished into thin air. Eventually, Karen came on to say that the tech team was doing some fabulous upgrades on the system, but that as a result there might be some glitches here and there, resulting in dropped listings, or otherwise inaccuracies in the tote board totals.

Translation: We're playing with the system, and if some sellers lose listings, just take it in stride because what we're doing is great and it's a small price to pay for all the fuzzies you get at WP.

[Iaintnohollerbackgirl]

[quote author=amy link=topic=3775.msg32120#msg32120 date=1163518478]
last 4 weeks sales numbers

Multiple Item Sales Unique Sales Total Sales
10/16 to 10/22  938  874  1812
10/23 to 10/29 724 1038 1762
10/30 to 11/05 576 946 1522
11/06 to 11/12 668 902 1570

[/quote]

Those figures seem high for WP. lol

All in all, the sales were not impressive. At the time of this writing, Karen has not come on the boards to defend her numbers and put a warm and fuzzy spin on them.

She will. You'll hear about the "influx of new stores/seller's who, while haven't actually joined yet, have already begun to see the advantages of associtating themselves with a new an exciting site that hasn't even begun to manifast itself into the premire auction it will become. Holiday sales/sells *lol* are only a small part of the big picture that WP has in store for the world. You must look at the big picture...blah...blah...blah..."
Ka-ray will put a spin on it-followed by cookies and  ...poopers will fall over themselves, drooling, and begging to be allowed to stay and pay MORE $ to see "nothing".

[thentavius]

Shouldn't the sales be going UP the closer they get to Christmas?

[Alskling]

[quote author=thentavius link=topic=3775.msg32129#msg32129 date=1163528822]
Shouldn't the sales be going UP the closer they get to Christmas?
[/quote]
Then -- Sales actually did go up a bit in terms of numbers (assuming the numbers are accurate). My point, however, was that the percentage of sales to listings has not increased (I have been keeping track of these figures myself), as one would expect, as we approach the holiday season. This analysis of sales to listings is something I brought up on the WP board many months ago, when I had a store there, whereupon KaRay stepped in and beratted me for "MAJOR eBay think," (yes, she did indeed capitalize the word "major"), as this has to do with something eBay calls "follow through" numbers. She then went on to insert the sermon about the "single fee" system (verbatim to the one she posted on the boards about a month or so earlier) and how superior it was to eBay's. Frankly, I have my doubts as to whether the sales numbers are at all even reflective of the degree or quality of business (or lack thereof) for all the reasons I stated earlier. One of the most curious reasons has to do with the disproportionate percentage of sellers who claim to have made sales but never received payment (After a few thousand transactions all over the world, I have encountered NBPs, but the incidence is very rare). I wouldn't call that a sale, and what's with these "buyers"?. Meanwhile, KaRay have the commission on the sale and because the system for getting credited the final value fee on a sale to a non-paying bidder is so cumbersome, complicated, and time-consuming, chances are, sellers don't even bother to go through the process and KaRay pocket the FVF. Indeed, Mr. Vulgar suggested in a post there that sellers should just "eat it." 

As an aside, I also noticed that SB's back up on the featured store list, so I guess he's still cheering away.
 

[BellisimaJ.]

A link to a topic for our former WP members.

http://community.tuliptools.com/index.ph...w.html#new

[O~Romeo~U~Suck]

Hey thanks BellisimaJ! One time I saw a welcome to me, was never able to find that place again. I saved these links, so I can go check them out now.

[BellisimaJ.]

My pleasure! Yelll if you need direction.