PlunderHere and AlsoShop: A Web of Privacy Violations, Backstabbing, and Deceit

[amy]

My guess is most of them will give up and find a new site after they discover what a PITA it is to create or edit listings in phpProBid

I gave up after only 5 listings the one time I tried a phpProBid site (Bid-a-lot in 2005).  ;D

I went and looked at the sites that already use the other format... As a buyer I would not even try to shop there. The pages are so crammed with 'stuff, and the fonts so small, you can not even tell WHAT the seller has for sale....... there should be something better...

What's the alternative?
No other auction script has the support that phpprobid has.
No other auction script had the mods available that everyone wants, that phpprobid has.

A ton of mods and great script support doesn't matter if the buyer experience sucks you effin' idiot.  The alternative is taking the time to develop something that actually takes into account the needs/wants of the average online shopper.

And if the author of rscript can't keep his own script up to date, how can we even begin to compete if we can't keep the script operating properly.

It doesn't matter what script is used or what features the script has--these tiny eBay alternatives will never be able to compete for buyers with eBay, Amazon, Etsy, or the thousands of independent websites that are competing for the same buyers if they're owned by people who are completely clueless about how to provide a good buyer experience.

I just hate seeing so many sellers who could have done something great with their business waste so much time promoting someone else's business on any of the above sites.

:ditto:

On my worst days I sell more than the combined monthly sales on YHB and Milbid and I look at these sites and think why are these sellers wasting time at these sites when there are so many channels available where they could actually make real money (and they could do it without having to promote someone else's site). 

[xwpopper]

Looks like AsS has switched on Probid. And, guess who the newest member is? Binarywebs 

I wonder who's idea it was to name the transferred category "Imported Items?" With "Imported" meaning "Cheap copies" to most internet shoppers, that's the way to instill buyer confidence. Let any visitors think that 99% of the products are fakes from Asia. 

[bargainbloodhound]

[quote author=xwpopper link=topic=9139.msg71659#msg71659 date=1217353527]
Looks like AsS has switched on Probid.
[/quote]

Oh look, it's the PHP Pro Demo with a crappy logo stuck on it!  Where do I sign up? arcasm1:

RECENTLY SOLD 
Auction Title Sold For
Lot of ... 0.89
Handmade ... 2.50
ARIZONA ... 0.25
A QUEST... 0.50
SOUTHERN ... 0.25

Average selling price 88 cents. :blinkie: The thing that amazes me the most about eBay alternative sites isn't the lack of sales/buyers...it's the abnormally low ASP's.  The ASP on almost every eBay alt site is below $5 (Plunderhere is under $4, YourHighBid is under $3, etc, etc).

[maggie777]

The garage sale pricing on these sites is probably doing more harm than good.  Your average online buyer associates sub $4 prices with low quality dime store merchandise. 

[BellisimaJ.]

[quote author=maggie777 link=topic=9139.msg71661#msg71661 date=1217369650]
The garage sale pricing on these sites is probably doing more harm than good.  Your average online buyer associates sub $4 prices with low quality dime store merchandise. 
[/quote]


I agree. I know that it would never occur to me to shop for anything on those sites. The impression I have is that they sell "junk".

[amy]

[quote author=BellisimaJ. link=topic=9139.msg71665#msg71665 date=1217378390]
[quote author=maggie777 link=topic=9139.msg71661#msg71661 date=1217369650]
The garage sale pricing on these sites is probably doing more harm than good.  Your average online buyer associates sub $4 prices with low quality dime store merchandise. 
[/quote]


I agree. I know that it would never occur to me to shop for anything on those sites. The impression I have is that they sell "junk".
[/quote]

:ditto:

A lot of these sellers, especially the makers of handmade items, are really killing their sales by underpricing their items because the low price gives buyers the perception that it's crap (and then there are ones like the coupon and recipe sellers who really are selling complete crap).  Plus, most buyers are unwilling to pay more for shipping than they paid for an item and will likely look offline for similar merchandise.

message to eBay alternative site sellers: Raise your prices!

[BellisimaJ.]

A lot of these sellers, especially the makers of handmade items, are really killing their sales by underpricing their items because the low price gives buyers the perception that it's crap

That's for sure. This is also a problem on Etsy. Too many people underprice their stuff, and in doing so, hurt everyone else in their category.

When you ask them why they do this, they usually say something along the lines of "oh, I'm not trying to make a living. I just want to pay for  a few materials."  : : :

[PowerSeller]

[quote author=amy link=topic=9139.msg71666#msg71666 date=1217380134]
message to eBay alternative site sellers: Raise your prices!
[/quote]

I have to agree with that.  On Wagglepop I have no problem getting good money for good stuff.  Almost all of my items that sell there are somewhere between $23. and $200.  The lower priced stuff sits longer because it isn't as appealing in general.  I always wonder how people think it's worth the time to list a lot of $0.25 and under items on any site.

[mandy]

the low price gives buyers the perception that it's crap

Price has become one factor online buyers use to assess the quality of a seller's items, and the trustworthiness of a seller, because buyers are unable to see the products in person.  Pricing your item significantly below the average price offered by other sellers can  hurt you - if 50 sellers are selling Widget A for $100-$150 and seller X is selling it for $20, buyers will be less likely to trust the quality/authenticity of seller X's product.

This quote is from a lengthy dissertation on online auction feedback systems:

Firms may have disincentives to lower their prices because lower prices may be a direct signal of lower quality. Since the online market may not allow for a direct assessment of product quality, the price level may be an important indication.

If you have a spare day to read a 197 page dissertation, here's the link:
Title of dissertation:
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SELLER CREDIBILITY
SYSTEMS IN THE ONLINE AUCTION MARKET:
MODELING THE SELLER’S POINT OF VIEW
Ming Zhou, Doctor of Philosophy, 2004
http://www.lib.umd.edu/drum/bitstream/19...d-1776.pdf

[bargainbloodhound]

I always wonder how people think it's worth the time to list a lot of $0.25 and under items on any site.

A lot of auction sellers don't place any value on the time they spend working on their business.