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

[chiquita]

Powerseller, I would like to tell you that coming here and posting took a tremendous amount of guts. You have more in common with these wonderful TT posters than you realize. I have seen your items, they are very nice, and I wish you great success with your business.

Powerseller after reading the posts you made on Ebay, I would just like to reflect something back to you. Your angst with ebay is also shared by many sellers. There are in fact probably very few WP sellers who sell exclusively on WP. Many sellers on WP have not only an Ebay store, but may have other online venues they list at.

Your anger, disgust, and frustration that you posted about are exactly the sentiments and feelings that the folks here are expressing, except that we are addressing WP. What you have failed to acknowledge is that sellers with vast online, and/or retail business experience, with a solid marketable inventory, signed up with WP,and did not make enough profit to justify keeping their store open. These sellers lack of success has absolutely nothing to do with experience,but has everything to do with the venue itself.
Every time ebay makes a major change sellers revolt, and in a state of anger/frustration bolt to the "st. elsewhere of their choice, only to become disillusioned and disappointed. Given the array of choices available to sellers that have free sites, it is not a sound business decision to charge upfront fees on a site that is brand new, and untested. If and until that site can gain a foothold as a viable online presence, charging fees after establishing the site would make sense, but not at the beginning.

As it stands WP does not offer anything unique, different, or special. There are at least 20 or more sites that have the exact same features that WP offers. What they all unfortunately have in common is no buyers. In order to even begin to challenge ebay, you would need start-up capital, investors/partners, and a savvy team of IT people as part of the business. Many powersellers including Ray have gotten into the online auction industry by purchasing a boxed software script, and are operating without a marketing/advertising budget. It is like a vicious cycle ebay makes a major change that sends sellers running, new sites are quickly created to capitalize on the refugees, the sellers sign up, the sellers calm down and realize that they made a decision in haste and realize they are not making any money. They either return to ebay, quit selling online, or take their time and calmly make a new business plan including development and design of their own website.

What will you do when the number of stores that close on WP are not replaced by new recruits? There will be a break-even point, and then there will be a breaking point at which time Ray like many many other auction site owners have experienced close down because they are no longer profitable. If your goal is to eventually close your ebay store and rely on WP sales only, I hope that you have a back-up plan.

You state that you made a commitment of 2 years to WP? Did you make the same commitment when you started on Ebay? 2 years is in my humble opinion an eternity. You lose tremendous ground in the growth of your business. In two years you could have an established website, including building a solid customer base. Your site is under your control, no middleman like Ebay or WP. You would not have to adjust your business plan based on the changes the venue implements.

[ItsMyLife]

BTW you showed up while I was gone so I missed saying....   
And many other new members checked in. Welcome to you all!!!!

Glad to have you here.

Thank you all for the warm welcomes that you have given me

Don't adopt a defeatist attitude and don't quit.

Trying not to get that attitude, I will be ok in a day or so, just need to stop, rethink, regroup, and get pi**ed then I should be ok

[ItsMyLife]

Don't give up yet!  Best thing I ever did was open my own website.  It's a lot of work in the beginning, but it's well worth the effort.     

Start my own website, I wouldn't even know where to begin with something like that

[Kaboing]

A new upbeat message from Karen.

Hello Members,

We did indeed have a sparkling sales week for the last reporting period, with many new buyers and a few new sellers as well.

As the variety and depth of items and products available on Wagglepop increases, so does our overall audience of potential visitors and buyers.

We think the dynamic is perhaps just now beginning to really take shape as the dedicated seller body reveals itself along with the corresponding reception by buyers from the general online marketplace.

Creating a truly viable marketplace is more than just numbers; it's about creating a mutually beneficial environment for buyers and sellers alike, and one that marks the start of a long-term relationship

Excellent job sellers!

Karen - WP Customer Care

Could she have not said that the increasing listings have attracted more buyers and sellers are getting the word out about WP instead of using the pseudo business phraseology.

[RiverRat]

[quote author=ItsMyLife link=topic=3775.msg36336#msg36336 date=1165878575]

Start my own website, I wouldn't even know where to begin with something like that
[/quote]

I've got three sites using ZenCart and I've just started working on a fourth.  :blinkie:
If you decide to go the website route, I'll be glad to help you out if I can. 
I'm definitely no expert, but I'll gladly pass on what little I've learned along the way. 

[Sweet Girl 70]

chiquita    very nice post

Overhead, good to see you back.  Did you have a good trip?

[chiquita]

[quote author=Kaboing link=topic=3775.msg36337#msg36337 date=1165878596]
A new upbeat message from Karen.

Hello Members,

We did indeed have a sparkling sales week for the last reporting period, with many new buyers and a few new sellers as well.

As the variety and depth of items and products available on Wagglepop increases, so does our overall audience of potential visitors and buyers.

We think the dynamic is perhaps just now beginning to really take shape as the dedicated seller body reveals itself along with the corresponding reception by buyers from the general online marketplace.

Creating a truly viable marketplace is more than just numbers; it's about creating a mutually beneficial environment for buyers and sellers alike, and one that marks the start of a long-term relationship

Excellent job sellers!

Karen - WP Customer Care

Could she have not said that the increasing listings have attracted more buyers and sellers are getting the word out about WP instead of using the pseudo business phraseology.
[/quote]

Just a pep talk, the little engine that could, yada yada. I am amused by the statement the seller body revealing itself?
A new marketing technique? Maybe pasties and a pole.  :blinkie:

[RiverRat]

I've got to quit using the smiley...every time I see it after I post, I think of Karen! 

[let the truth be told]

Ok everyone,

As I said I have started my bio on X-POP NATION members can view it there. I only started it and believe me there is alot more to come.


let the truth be told
u1it4less - "it's all in the name.."
X-POP NATION, A real seller's network

[bargainbloodhound]

I've got three sites using ZenCart and I've just started working on a fourth.  :blinkie:

Uh oh, we're twins.  I have four sites running ZenCart too. 

I wouldn't even know where to begin with something like that

If you've had an eBay store or a WP store you already know most of what you need to know to use a 3rd party hosted hosted cart like ShopPal, PrestoStore, etc.  If you have absolutely no web experience, or if time is a factor, sites like ShopPal are a good first step for many auction site sellers because the learning curve  isn't nearly as steep as it is with ZenCart/osCommerce, etc.