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

[UniqueSeller]

New on the New buyers are still coming =) thread:

xxxxxxxxxxxx  17 May 2007 18:46     


Hello All,

I haven't been very vocal or high-profile these past days but I have been around.

I have some thoughts and opinions that have been percolating and as long as we're having a frank and honest exchange, I'm going to throw my hat into the ring.

xxxxx wrote: "If eBay was still so great, then no one would be leaving or complaining."

I don't completely agree with that. I think it's an over-simplification. Using the same measuring stick, there would be lot more wrong with Wagglepop because, proportionately, more sellers have left WP than have left eBay. And while I don't think that WP perfect, I don't think it's doing more wrong than eBay is.

Karen, I applaud and appreciate your candor. To me it appears that you respect the intelligence of your sellers enough to communicate with us on such a level. I hold you in high esteem and have deep respect for you as well. I will return the favor by being as honest and forthright as you were.

WP's SSP for $9.95 is an excellent price point. Anything higher and even us die-hards would have a hard time justifying the continued expense vs low sales. At $120./yr I can afford to commit to a 3 or 4 year "business-building" relationship with WP.

But more importantly, WP's SSP was to me a sign of WP's understanding of and commitment to eBay's largest block of disenfranchised sellers: Store Owners. See, eBay's actions last year made it clear to me that they were completely mis-reading the market. First, they took store listings back out of the search results. And then they increased store listing and FVF fees. They want to return to "core" -- they want to return to the heyday of eBay. Yeah, right. Good luck holding back the tide, guys. eBay's big but they're not big enough to tell the world how, when, and where to buy.

If you think that the shift to stores -- by both sellers AND buyers -- was due simply to the fact that maintaining store inventory was less expensive than listing auctions, then there's no point in reading further because you won't agree with anything else I have to say.

I think the future of on-line selling is not auctions. Auctions won't disappear and they will be great vehicle for both buyers and sellers far into the future, but their heyday is gone; they're reached their zenith. eBay did miracles for on-line commerce. But a shift has been made. Now that people are more comfortable buying on-line, they are going to want to reproduce their shopping habits in cyber-space. The vast majority of consumers are brand loyalists. They know what they like, they know what they want, and they know what they're willing to pay. And people are opening up to the idea of doing even their most basic, everyday shopping on-line instead of in B&M stores.

The last big hurdle to buying on-line is trust. How do I know I can trust this vendor? How do I know who's behind this on-line store? Are they just a false-front on-line store that doesn't carry any inventory? Will my CC info be secure? Will they deliver? Will the quality live up to expectations?

Buyers fell in love with eBay stores because it was easy to find what they were searching for (as opposed to a general web search using the same terms) and because they felt safe buying within eBay's framework (a perceived safe haven with a feedback system and customer service in case something went wrong). I am still absolutely flabbergasted that the powers that be at eBay didn't see that they had created the future of on-line shopping for the average, everyday consumer. If they'd only seen the potential of eBay stores I think they could have controlled the kind of market share for on-line buying that Apple has on the personal music player (iPod).

WP's SSP is targeted to the disenfanchised eBay store owner, but the inner workings of WP are not as friendly to the creation and maintenance of a store's inventory as it could be. [please understand that I do have an understanding of the time and money needed to code, test, and produce a site such as WP and the complexities of re-tooling even the most seemingly minor change.]

All in all, WP is a terrific site. But it's strongest assets are it's customer service and it's core of dedicated sellers. The platform itself, though promising, has flaws.

Here's my pie-in-the-sky wishlist:
1) I want to be able to set my shipping, returns, and payment policies for my entire store at one time. Any changes made to my policies would affect all of my current listings
2) I could uncheck a box that would exempt a specific listing from my shipping, return, and/or payment policy and manually enter the terms for that specific listing
3) listings wouldn't have any type of revolving renewal period. I want to be able to organize my categories according to size and color, etc and I don't want that organization sytem interferred with by renewal times and dates. My listings would start when created and end when the quantity is 0 or if manually ended
4) then comes the list of desired upgrades to my seller's inventory control panel -- the standard stuff of being able to sort, search, etc.

Really, my ideal situation would be a place where I could set up a Zen Cart-like store but within the framework of an on-line mall. I don't have the type of inventory that lends itself to setting up an independent on-line store. WP (and other eBay alternatives) provide community and a sense of security for puts buyers at ease. They also provide a level of security for sellers.

Someone brought up the disappointing "Grand Opening." I have to say that that particular non-event took the wind out my sales. I don't know what I was expecting, but the way it was talked up, I was certainly expecting something. The much-talked-up InventoryDirect was a disappointment as well. I'm not without technical skills yet ID is worthless to me.

As for the money slated for advertising, I'd much rather have seen all of it go into some needed features. I know that there was tremendous pressure to do some sort of advertising. But, as you said Karen, $75,000 just a drop in the bucket. And WP's not yet at a stage where it's ready to be advertised in that manner. If the wares were here, buyers would be too.

I hope that this post will be taken in the spirit in which it was offered. I am and will continue to be a very loyal supporter of WP. There are so many things about WP that I love. As mentioned, the customer support is unparalleled. Creating listings and editing are easy and intuitive. The HTML editor is first class. And the SSP makes it worth my time and effort to continue to put my money behind my convictions that WP will indeed be a contender.

Bolding mine. How long until this one is deleted?

~Patti~

[yowlsnhowls]

Up, up, and away - 242 Stores found

[UniqueSeller]

lurkers! We have 5 now.


~Patti~

[yowlsnhowls]

the disappointing "Grand Opening." .... that particular non-event

Oooo, but I LOVE it!  

[yowlsnhowls]

From Babbleopia:

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx  17 May 2007 19:16     

Welcome!!

I think that lighter is hilarious!!

Best of luck.

She's on a roll, yes?!?!

[youroverheadbin]

[quote author=meowsnbarks link=topic=3775.msg53713#msg53713 date=1179429541]
Up, up, and away - 242 Stores found
[/quote]

The second last store is actually a 2nd store created by Paula's Vintage Ads.
The last one to come on board registered within minutes of the previous one and smells to me of a ghost store. Waiting to see...

The store count has to be pumped up because Armageddon is fast approaching for the May culling of stores. 

Edited to correct: The second last store is actually a 3rd store created by Paula's Vintage Ads.

[youroverheadbin]

[quote author=sneakymagenta link=topic=3775.msg53693#msg53693 date=1179421069]
Who voted for naysayers?
[/quote]

Perhaps someone that is one and now feels guilty for the havoc and destruction they've caused. 

[youroverheadbin]

[quote author=flying high link=topic=3775.msg53700#msg53700 date=1179423486]
Question:  Isn't Christmas over?  Disney World Area 3 BR Condo Rental Christmas Special?  
[/quote]

Yeah FH, a bit hard to swallow. Along the same lines as Terri's Closet of Curiosities still wishing everyone a Happy New Year. 

[youroverheadbin]

[quote author=meowsnbarks link=topic=3775.msg53705#msg53705 date=1179424995]
Oh yay, Babbleopia has a new seller just pop in over there. Filling up those empty categories ... what I've always wanted - yeah buddy, a penis lighter!

                         


[/quote]

The problem I have with this product is that it talks. I'm a firm believer in action speaks louder than words. 

[youroverheadbin]

[quote author=Karma link=topic=3775.msg53637#msg53637 date=1179374967]
Now that I am done for the night I can  :popcorneaters:

I come here, not only for the miscreant stand up comic humor, but really for the variety of emoticons. 

[/quote]

I bet you feel better now.