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

[bargainbloodhound]

For the majority of that time they've done it in the ways that all large companies are built, by offering a timely or unique product at a good value, but somewhere along the way the "good value" part got lost

1. The only problem with this reasoning is that for the BUYERS the "good value part" hasn't been lost on eBay and in fact the good values have been getting better with each year as average selling prices on the site fall and fall and fall and fall...

2.  there is nothing unique about Wagglepop's product for BUYERS...it's a friggin' eBay general auction clone with a limited selection of goods for BUYERS.  If you want to see a site that brings something unique to BUYERS (defined as something eBay doesn't offer that BUYERS will be willing to leave eBay for), go look at www.etsy.com www.bidz.com or Amazon's new www.endless.com .  There really is no reason at this point for the average auction BUYER to move from eBay to another general auction site clone...BUYERS don't give a wombat poo poo about store fees or listing fees so there is nothing revolutionary to BUYERS about a site that offers a monthly subscription plan (which FYI Amazon Marketplace has offered sellers for 7 years) ...they don't care.

Ray (and almost every other small auction site owner over the years) forgot about providing a unique product for BUYERS during WP1 and he's forgotten this time too.

[cash1381]

It is not what the newsletter said, it is what it did not say.
1. A couple of months ago it was indicated the "staff" would be introduced after the first of the year.
2. The 2007 agenda and real business goals were not stated.

Etc....etc...etc....etc...etc...etc....etc....etc...

[chiquita]

Thanks again BBH for sharing the wisdom of one who has walked before us.
I have to confess, I am guilty of KARMA CLICK. I gave everyone a karma point late last night. It was little ole me.  :blinkie:

Ray you can quote Mark Twain, or Atilla the Hun, either way it isn't impressive. You have failed a most important lesson in life and that is learning from your mistakes. History repeats itself for a reason, and all of your current actions scream out loud and clear that the only thing you took from WP1 was to be better at the game "con" this time.

All you have right now is a revolving door of sellers, that in itself will never give the site sustainability or growth. Just like a company with high turnover, the business suffers, and its reputation often ends up completely destroyed. As you have said word of mouth is a powerful tool, it can also backfire when the word of mouth is "seller beware" being told much more often and frequently than "this is a great site". 

[FineThings4U]

Okay, I finally got the subliminal message.  As stupid as I am, I am going to screw the auction sites and open my own place.


HELP!  Somebody point me in the right direction.....pretty please.

[chiquita]

[quote author=FineThings4U link=topic=3775.msg39410#msg39410 date=1168031038]
Okay, I finally got the subliminal message.  As stupid as I am, I am going to screw the auction sites and open my own place.


HELP!  Somebody point me in the right direction.....pretty please.


[/quote]

Don't call yourself "stupid". You are more powerful than you even know. You can start your own thread, just like princess did and ask for help. There are many folks here with information, and they are more than willing to help you.

Now say 10 times " I am a capable able person". 

[FineThings4U]

I am a capable able person x10

Thanks banana - I'll do it (I'm just scared)

:blinkie:

[bargainbloodhound]

HELP!  Somebody point me in the right direction.....pretty please.

The definition of the right direction depends on you: your experience level with websites, HTML, etc, the amount of time you have/want to devote to setting up the site, etc.

The first choice you have to make is between a 3rd party hosted cart (ShopPal, PrestoStores, etc) or a cart hosted on your own website (osCommerce,ZenCart, etc.).  If you can setup an eBay store you can setup a 3rd party hosted cart.  A cart hosted on your own site will take longer to setup and require a steeper learning curve.  Once the carts are setup there is no difference in the difficulty of using them.

[FineThings4U]

thanks...I think I'll keep it as simple as possible for now.

[Alskling]

[quote author=bargainbloodhound link=topic=3775.msg39399#msg39399 date=1168026939]

For the majority of that time they've done it in the ways that all large companies are built, by offering a timely or unique product at a good value, but somewhere along the way the "good value" part got lost

1. The only problem with this reasoning is that for the BUYERS the "good value part" hasn't been lost on eBay and in fact the good values have been getting better with each year as average selling prices on the site fall and fall and fall and fall...

2.  there is nothing unique about Wagglepop's product for BUYERS...it's a friggin' eBay general auction clone with a limited selection of goods for BUYERS.  If you want to see a site that brings something unique to BUYERS (defined as something eBay doesn't offer that BUYERS will be willing to leave eBay for), go look at www.etsy.com www.bidz.com or Amazon's new www.endless.com .  There really is no reason at this point for the average auction BUYER to move from eBay to another general auction site clone...BUYERS don't give a wombat poo poo about store fees or listing fees so there is nothing revolutionary to BUYERS about a site that offers a monthly subscription plan (which FYI Amazon Marketplace has offered sellers for 7 years) ...they don't care.

Ray (and almost every other small auction site owner over the years) forgot about providing a unique product for BUYERS during WP1 and he's forgotten this time too.
[/quote]

THANK YOU BBH!

Not only is there nothing unique, WP IS THE MOST BUYER UNFRIENDLY ON THE INTERNET! And one of the few that CHARGES SELLERS a flat fee for stores. This is not a coincidence.

I DESPARATELY tried to get "buyer value" point across when I first started at WP. Should anyone care to go back in July and read my posts on WP (assuming they are still there). I was encouraging and wanted to help bring buyers to the site. HOW STUPID WAS I?

I tried to ask what WP could offer BUYERS than other auction sites could not. I did some comparison shopping and found IDENTICAL items on eBay selling for LESS than on WP. I suggested sellers get more competitive. I was met with all kinds of resistance and comments like "if we lower our prices, then buyers will EXPECT deals all the time," or "How can I make a profit?", "but we're not like eBay," or "but eBay sellers RIP OFF BUYERS with the shipping," when, in fact I cited differently with identical item comparison.

So, I suggested offering Red Carpet to ALL new buyers for a limited time to attract buyers on a volume discount basis. I was met with, "Oh, no, that's a program for our ELITE buyers. We want them to feel special," or Karen popping in and telling me I was all wet and needed to take a course in Econ 101 (yes, she actually said that). I offered suggestion after suggestion, but the cheerleaders would jump up and down, chanting the, "you must have faith that Karen knows what she's doing" mantra, "because she is so much wiser and experienced." "Just be patient, Rome wasn't built in a day" and all kinds of rah, rah from Karen about the single-fee system and put-down of my convoluted, regressive "eBay think", etc. BUYER'S DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT. All they want is EASY PURCHASE, GREAT SERVICE, GREAT PRODUCT AT A GREAT PRICE. When I said exactly that, I got myself red flagged, and every post thereafter was scrutinized for "compliance."

Fact is, WP WAS (is) HORRIBLE FOR BUYERS. My buyers HATED it. The Home Page SCREAMS SELLERS, SELLERS, SELLERS, we want you. The search sucks. Checkout sucks. No automatic email of sales, no combined invoice option, and buyers had to PLEDGE to pay an invoice through a PayPal account before they could bid or buy an item. For what? Some of these issues may have been addressed since then, but THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE FROM THE BEGINNING. Most of it was a function of Rscript already (or so I'm told). Sellers got on the boards complaining they couldn't get their buyers to sign up and would prefer to buy their items off of eBay. Most of those sellers are gone now. Buyers who asked questions were labeled "trouble makers" and "trolls."

This all goes to show where Ray's priorities lie.

Contrary to what Karen says, a seller flat-rate auction venue is, by its very nature, NOT a good thing for buyers. This is because the admistrators get their money from seller fees and NOT commissions on the sale. They have ABSOLUTELY NO INCENTIVE to cater to buyers, make the site buyer friendly, or do anything to attract buyers in any way. The bulk of the $$$ comes from seller fees, so why should they care if an item sells. An item can sit and gather cobwebs in a seller's store from now until Kingdom Come and all is well and dandy with the folks running the venue because the seller pays his $$$$ every month anyway.  

In this respect alone, as much as I hate eBay, it has better business sense to charge a small store fee and steeper commissions. I learned my lesson. From now on, any other venue I set up shop is either going to be FREE of store fees or FREE period. That way, I know the site HAS to work for ME, or it makes no $$$ from me.  

[youroverheadbin]

author=let the truth be told link=topic=3775.msg39396#msg39396 date=1168025564

Thank you sherrand however that is up to PSU to decide. Don't worry dear I have very thick skin and it doesn't bother me one bit. I have made statements and I stand behind my statements and business desicion's 100%. I choose not to confront those posts on PSU for the very reason that they prove where the true malicious people are and that is the people who are posting my statements on PSU. They haven't had the experience I have had with WP. For them to continue to rip TT posters apart without discussing the facts and issues that I and many others have asked and presented here prove only one thing. There intent is to place blame for the failure of WP2 onto others without taking the time to investigate proven facts.

Truth I know you don't need me as a champion or defender. And I don't mean to hurt your feelings but I would have targeted the post above mine no matter who had been mentioned. I would have made that post out of principal. The bud has probably never read the forum rules. An Angel either for that matter. And the bud was wilting fast in the minds of members because of this lack of respect for forum protocol. She showed up strictly for the purpose of supporting a fellow popper. And that is understandable - that's loyalty at work. But in my humble opinion a line was crossed and that is what I took exception to. The PSU board is not home to either side concerning WP issues and opinions. We are guests. And I considered the most recent post by the bud the last abuse of neutral territory that I was going to swallow. We can't go to WP's boards and WP sellers are hesitant to make their presence known here therefore that PSU thread became a battleground.

Not one of them have addressed the listing fudge, censorship, lack of a hands on owner or any of the hundreds more proven facts by TT members. They are the ones attaching. It happens in the WP forums, PSU, here on TT and a few more forums. I choose not to respond on PSU because I feel there actions prove my point. Information I provide will only be helpfull to those who are seeking answers about why WP is not a good alternative for eBay.

No they haven't and I frankly don't expect them to. In their minds, I believe they are constantly weighing the pros and cons of being affiliated with WP whether they admit it or not. Either they see these valid concerns documented by us as lies all lies, inconsequential in importance or they have convinced themselves these drawbacks are acceptable and do not outweigh the benefits with WP they believe they have. They are in love with the auction site - not Ray.

I have about five posts (from when I was an active seller) that I made on WP that have been quoted here and ripped to shreds verbally. It was embarrassing for me to read this but in hind-sight it was warranted. I was a misguided ass and now wish I'd never made them. But you can't take back words written publicly; unless you are in care and control of a delete key.

I in no way fault PSU for allowing there statements to continue as I support free speech. I will not report them either as it is up to PSU to decide who is allowed to post and who is not. I also will not comment on PSU about there posts.

I don't fault the moderators of PSU either. But I don't like seeing a fellow seller do themselves a disservice by allowing rampant emotion to hold captive and suppress the essence of their normal common sense and decency. I hope my friends here understand what I'm trying to convey and the lurkers can absorb the tone of this post in a postive way.

Thank you again to TT for allowing the truth to be told! 

Hear! Hear!