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

[regic]

[quote author=maggie777 link=topic=3775.msg73613#msg73613 date=1229910280]

I see the problem too but if I stated the problem I'd offend a large percentage of eBay alternative site boardies (and eBay sellers like Raytard) who really do believe that eBay is 100% to blame for their declining sales and (as it says on AtomicMall's Squidoo page...the "eBay killer" that's hosted on a $7 shared server) the only skills an online seller needs are the ability to take a picture and write a description".

Which common OAI boardie problem are you talking about?

1. Lack of a business plan, or a plan that consists of open store, list, list, list
2. failure to adapt to market changes
3. merchandise that is unlikely to sell because the category is glutted or the merchandise is garbage
4. a sheeplike mentality which allows them to be duped by boinktards like George Tannous. Troy MacDonald, and Ray Romeo

[/quote]

5. (applies to auction sellers trying to make the transition to websites) Failing to understand that building buyer trust is one of the greatest obstacles any small ecommerce site faces.

I can always tell when a store is run by an eBayer/ex-eBayer because it is full of problems that will make buyers less likely to trust the site:

a. google ads/affiliate ads covering the home page and product pages;
b. the store operates in complete anonymity (a la eBay sellers) with absolutely no contact information - no telephone number, no mailing address;
c. no SSL certificate and unsecure account logins, and/or no statements to reassure buyers their data will be safe;
d. no privacy policy or a completely inadequate 1 or 2 line blurb;
e.. policy, conditions, and help pages that are completely lacking: no information on order cancellations, product availability/out-of-stock items, one or two line return policies that fail to cover all scenarios and don't address how to initiate the return process, no or little information on payment options, no information on sales taxes, no information on the jurisdiction and venue where any legal disputes will be decided, etc, etc, etc

[sneakymagenta]

5. (applies to auction sellers trying to make the transition to websites) Failing to understand that building buyer trust is one of the greatest obstacles any small ecommerce site faces.

I can always tell when a store is run by an eBayer/ex-eBayer because it is full of problems that will make buyers less likely to trust the site:

a. google ads/affiliate ads covering the home page and product pages;
b. the store operates in completely anonymity (a la eBay sellers) with absolutely no contact information - no telephone number, no mailing address;
c. no SSL certificate and unsecure account logins, and/or no statements to reassure buyers their data will be safe;
d. no privacy policy or a completely inadequate 1 or 2 line blurb;
e.. policy, conditions, and help pages that are completely lacking: no information on order cancellations, product availability/out-of-stock items, one or two line return policies that fail to cover all scenarios and don't address how to initiate the return process, no or little information on payment options, no information on sales taxes, no information on the jurisdiction and venue where any legal disputes will be decided, etc, etc, etc

OMFG, you just described a certain TT member's website. :blinkie:

[amy]

adding to regic's list of common website trust mistakes made by auction sellers:

f. a mistaken belief that providing a link on their website to the feedback profile of anonymous eBay user butthead101 will make the average buyer trust their website.

[let the truth be told]

[quote author=regic link=topic=3775.msg73615#msg73615 date=1229914234]
[quote author=maggie777 link=topic=3775.msg73613#msg73613 date=1229910280]

I see the problem too but if I stated the problem I'd offend a large percentage of eBay alternative site boardies (and eBay sellers like Raytard) who really do believe that eBay is 100% to blame for their declining sales and (as it says on AtomicMall's Squidoo page...the "eBay killer" that's hosted on a $7 shared server) the only skills an online seller needs are the ability to take a picture and write a description".

Which common OAI boardie problem are you talking about?

1. Lack of a business plan, or a plan that consists of open store, list, list, list
2. failure to adapt to market changes
3. merchandise that is unlikely to sell because the category is glutted or the merchandise is garbage
4. a sheeplike mentality which allows them to be duped by boinktards like George Tannous. Troy MacDonald, and Ray Romeo

[/quote]

5. (applies to auction sellers trying to make the transition to websites) Failing to understand that building buyer trust is one of the greatest obstacles any small ecommerce site faces.

I can always tell when a store is run by an eBayer/ex-eBayer because it is full of problems that will make buyers less likely to trust the site:

a. google ads/affiliate ads covering the home page and product pages;
b. the store operates in completely anonymity (a la eBay sellers) with absolutely no contact information - no telephone number, no mailing address;
c. no SSL certificate and unsecure account logins, and/or no statements to reassure buyers their data will be safe;
d. no privacy policy or a completely inadequate 1 or 2 line blurb;
e.. policy, conditions, and help pages that are completely lacking: no information on order cancellations, product availability/out-of-stock items, one or two line return policies that fail to cover all scenarios and don't address how to initiate the return process, no or little information on payment options, no information on sales taxes, no information on the jurisdiction and venue where any legal disputes will be decided, etc, etc, etc
[/quote]
Bolding mine.

I see the problem too and thankfully we are talking about a small percentage of online sellers as a whole (Look at the PSU membership total, that is about the number we are talking about).

To answer the question, all of the above with this addition from me:

The root of the problem we are discussing revolves around PSU, a site IMO that was created based on failure (in protest of eBay). If the PSU owner refused or wasn't able to adapt his business to the ever changing environment of online selling, how can anyone expect to attain helpful business information from that site in the first place?

Take a long look at TT and the members here (consistent members, myself included) and what do you see? I for one see a core group of business people with limited time for posting as of late due to holiday shopping. Heck I would be willing to bet that you could add up the monthly gross of this core group here and it would beat the yearly combined gross of 15 out of 22 sites on the PSU listing tote.

I will speak of one change in regards to the PSU mods as of late.  Elgato has taken an approach that seems to reflect an idea of having your own website before anything else as of late. The other Mod (can't remember the name because they haven't posted in so long) seems to be MIA. As per how PSU moderation is being handled, what moderation is a better question (makes for great comedy IMO).


Let the Truth be Told

[Alskling]

can always tell when a store is run by an eBayer/ex-eBayer because it is full of problems that will make buyers less likely to trust the site:

a. google ads/affiliate ads covering the home page and product pages;
b. the store operates in completely anonymity (a la eBay sellers) with absolutely no contact information - no telephone number, no mailing address;
c. no SSL certificate and unsecure account logins, and/or no statements to reassure buyers their data will be safe;
d. no privacy policy or a completely inadequate 1 or 2 line blurb;
e.. policy, conditions, and help pages that are completely lacking: no information on order cancellations, product availability/out-of-stock items, one or two line return policies that fail to cover all scenarios and don't address how to initiate the return process, no or little information on payment options, no information on sales taxes, no information on the jurisdiction and venue where any legal disputes will be decided, etc, etc, etc

I would have to agree. But I seriously doubt the TT member in question nor anybody else who operates his/her site this way gives a rat's ass about buyer confidence since selling product is incidental. Such sites are merely hosted billboards for generatating "passive" income from "marketing partners". Having a few items for sale breaks up the obnoxious affiliate ads, which are the real revenue-sources. Plus, they provide a "product umbrella" so that the site can be domain-registered and all that such implies SEO-wise. I'd even go so far as to say, I seriously doubt these "sellers" declare the income they receive through affiliates on tax returns and are just as happy NOT to sell any product at all, which would necessarily have to be declared (unless they are flat-out cheating). Does anyone see a tax ID or sales tax rate for in-state shipments? Not!

[bargainbloodhound]

[quote author=bargainbloodhound link=topic=3775.msg73343#msg73343 date=1227421897]

You havent figured out that as of yet, alternatives are not about volume sales today...they are an investment in tomorrow.

Do people really think that the mere act of spending $210 by these hobby sellers turned rink dink owners has magically given the Mos of the world a clue what it takes to attract buyers?
[/quote]

Correction: that post should read "spending $172".  The dollar has gained against the British pound in recent weeks...expect a flood of new rinky dink boinktard site owners to be making their way to PSU in the near future.

refused or wasn't able to adapt his business to the ever changing environment of online selling

I'd rate that the #1 problem.  Ray Romeo the eBay Seller Lister is the perfect example.

[sneakymagenta]

3.  Up front cost, etc: $30.00 is not an astronomical fee for an active and producing venue, considering what it covers, but these past six months has not met those standards. As I don't depend on the income of WP, I don't complain but I know if I needed the money, I would not be here. Up front or fixed cost doesn't matter in the long run. It's that final net income that counts and I don't imagine many of us are seeing that in the black zone.

Hey Nimrod, if sales are booming on RayPoop and it has "the best SEO on the planet" why do you have 1700 items on AM and only 950 on WP?

6.  Changes at WP, etc:  I could quote my first email I sent to WP when I started over two years ago ... that covered not only the 'instant payment' for our buyers but the entire check out system. I stated that as a buyer I would never buy from WP due to their confusing system. I still feel that way. Who ever heard of buying an item and having to ask the seller for an invoice? Or not being able to change an invoice if I change my mind or receive an additional discount or add another item to my purchase? I refuse to send an invoice to my customer for an item that is already paid for and try to explain to them that it was necessary in order to clear my records. How gross? Then there is the problem of not being able to pay for an item at the time of the sale? I firmly believe that the checkout system at WP has been the ultimate #1 cause for the deterioration of the site. That along with the strict criteria on the boards are the biggest weaknesses at WP. I believe in surveillance and we certainly don't want boards such as ebay has but WP goes far and beyond the call of duty. If these two points would have been corrected a year ago it might have helped. I'm not sure if it's too late for that or not.

Moving right along...

Andrew...

I look forward to the upcoming annoucements over the next two weeks. Its like having Christmas with online presents! Last years "gifts" were great. I can't wait to hear about this year's "gifts". Whatever they are, I know that you always have the best interests of the WP Sellers and the site in mind.

Have a very Merry Christmas!

MAKE ME PUKE!  

[Alskling]

Quote from: Cheerleader BB discussing upcoming WP changes
Andrew...

Last years "gifts" were great. I can't wait to hear about this year's "gifts". Whatever they are, I know that you always have the best interests of the WP Sellers and the site in mind.

My favorite "gifts" of 2008 were the tripling of monthly store fees for less features and even less traffic and the "requirement" that all sellers have stores even if they have only one 99 cent item to list. I'm sure 2009 will bring more exciting surprises with the "interest of the WP sellers and the site in mind."

arcasm1:

[mandy]

A WP founding member with 4200 listings.  They haven't had a WP sale since August.

I am a founding member here at WP and for the longest time was very proud to be one, I have talked several family members, friends, and fellow online sellers (all of which have come and left) to join our fight to become the greatest online marketing site possible. I have stayed personally because of that pride only. I no longer post on these boards because I am only allowed to say what WP wants to hear, if I am not praising this site or its management my post is removed. I cannot send personal email to another WP seller without it being monitored and removed if it doesn't meet approval. To me this is not the American way and I guess I am old enough to let it bother me.
I have over 4000 opportunities for someone to purchase from me here on WP, the last sale I had here was in August ,

WP Members,

We are reading and we are listening. The success of almost any enterprise lies not only in its mission and functionality but in its ability to adapt to the needs and wishes of those who "power" it - the people who bring that enterprise to life each and every day.

...Board Participation Policy - less rules. Checkout capabilities. Affordability. RSS feeds. Keeping Feedback. Improved search. Bulk edit. Interactive home page design. New categories. Marketshare population...

Each and every post to our recent threads have been sent with notes to and discussed by/with ownership.

Approved budgeted changes are on the way - first announcements in a few days.

WP seller asks "Where is Ray?"

What ever happened to Ray the sole owner and CEO of Wagglepop you really don't hear from him at all maybe the bad press he has recieved in the past has made become sort of a recluse and keeping out of the lime light but I would think when a Merry Christmas or a big annoucement comes out from Wagglepop his name would be included. Maybe I shouldn't wonder so much. You have heard the story of the cat.

The holiday wishes we posted were meant from the day-to-day staff.

Ownership has graciously supported Wagglepop both financially and faithfully from conception to development through monthly operation - never once lowering the standards of operation regardless of participation or ongoing expense. I would say that as far as "hearing from the owner" goes - that is a loud and clear representation of the depth of commitment that ownership indeed has had and continues to have in the face of participation far below any projections.

However, we have decided as a matter of policy that it is important to have a single "voice" on the Community boards - with that responsibility being mine currently. At no time have we ever had more than a single staff/management representative partcipate on the boards at one time.

I can assure you and everyone that ownership also wishes the very best holiday season for all membership and is looking forward to - as we all are - the your continued participation and support in the future.

[xwpopper]

Wishlist for Wagglepop listers:
1. Instant checkout through Paypal and Google (first requested in 2006)
2. Shutdown the phone verification that runs off buyers (First requested in 2007)
3. Spend the money on advertising like you should have from the start (First requested in 2006)
4. If all else fails, go screw yourself Ray.
New Years Resolutions for Wagglepop owner Ray:
1. Continue to fleece the remaining 58 members into believing the success will come if they stick with the long haul.
2. Redefine "Dynamic" "Revolution" "Success" and "Marketshare."
3. Find a way to pay the hosting bill, as well as buy that classic junk car on eBay.
4. Discover yet a new personality as Andrew must leave where I can make more money.
5. Introduce a new program to build traffic through spamming boards, blogs, forums, social networks, and emails.
6. Get my dang eBay sell-through higher than my worst seller's Wagglepop sell through.
7. Cut up more of my old magazines.
8. Drive my new junk car when I pay for it with the seller dues.
9. Get rid of sellers who can't update their store home page since August to show they are finally back from vacation.
10. Get a new pair of jammies to wear in my basement while I manage one of the biggest online auction jokes of the decade.