Just a simple test I dd ..the ebay STRIKE!!

[Lanascountry]

Guys..I just did something sorta foolish (some might say) I went back and checked
some sellers I have kept up with, (NO, NOT PSU sellers:)) MOST of US left feebay long
ago! (http://www.powersellersunite.com)
I just checked 20 Sellers who went out on the Feb. 18th boycott to see
where they stand today..Of the 20 I checked (totally at random) ONE seller out of
TWENTY has ONE item up at ebay today..ONE item!
Poor guy prolly just hopes to cover the week's gas and groceries..This amazed me.
Do yall think Donahue (DONNA-WHO) hears them ROAR yet? :D
I think this small test is indicative of what is happening at Ebay today! (May 1, 2008).
I wish all the boycott and strike all the best and hope they will see that a new age is
dawning in the OAC and it is time to BUILD ALTERNTIVE SITES!

[Lanascountry]

BTW, I meant to tell you that there is bunches of the 'accidental auctions' from a ebay owned
co. up there again..JUST like the Feb. 18 boycott!
Just sorta came up over night 'sellers' with 'O' feedback and thousands of
auctions each!! Remember that is not even 'possible' as you have to have a certain amount to
sell..or you did when I started 9 years ago.. Geez.. E(vil)-bay

[elkaye]

Unfortunately, the strike did absolutely nothing. eBay's 1st quarter revenue (during the strike) was $424 million MORE than the same quarter last year. They are accomplishing exactly what they want to. Driving away the small sellers and keeping the large ones. They just keep growing no matter what the PSU does.

[sniperace66]

This strike (may 1st) will not effect the 1st quarter but will effect
the second quarter which we are in now so just wait until second
quarter results come in july.

but you know ebay thay will put those false listings in to bust it
You may not see it in the stocks because of what thay do to foul
the stock holders and the public but it will hurt them money wise.
Theres no way around that. and at the end of the year thay are
going to have alot of explaining to do to the stock holders where
that money went. which you and me know thay never had. :eek:

[mj-trading]

He's Right! You will never see the differance in the stocks as the bay can keep it up there to what they want! They have the money to do so!

[sniperace66]

Well they are losing the large ones to and the ones that are large enough now won't be
In the near future then they will be gone and so on that’s the way they got it setup
So all sellers will fail starting with the small ones then working its way up.

It’s the dsr system eBay tells the buyer that 4 is above average but to eBay it’s below
Average. EBay’s also sending emails when you buy and item and don't leave feedback
Asking buy why they did not leave feedback and push’s buyer to file a claim on the seller
To lower there dsr ratings so they don't have to give powersellers the 5 to 15% discount
And puts them in the high risk and holds their money for 21 days and gains interest on it.
It’s all a big scam that eBay is running and I saw it coming months ago.

[Lanascountry]

I notice my friend (a new member here) posted that his largest sale was a item
that he paid a small amount for and sold for a good deal. He & I were friends at
ebay for many MANY years.. I remember the time that I sold a box of old jewelry..
(sorta junkie) :D for $660.00.. Know what we were paying then to sell that?.. I bet
I was upset to pay 3-$4.00 total!! Remember when paypal was FREE and they paid
you a fee to join and EVERYONE you brought in to join?? It was SO fun at times.
That is why we have to build the alts, build the sales, trust, and FUN too!
Remember (my friend & I do) when a auction cost you 25 cents, and you got
three free pictures?:eek:

Ebay wanted the little 'junque' guys gone..LOL that is ALL JB & I ever bought!! :D

[Lanascountry]

Joe (IMHO) you are wrong..Yes it WILL make a difference. and Yes, I am on
staff at PSU. It may not show now, right this minute, it WILL tell. Ebay is running
fake, yes FRAUDULENT auctions.. Many seem to appear right when we start a boycott,
and YES ,, PSU members and staff were the FIRST organized ebay boycott
sponsors. We cannot say it makes no difference as they are padding their numbers!
Wonder what would happen if on a good alternate site..say overnight a owner decided
to accidentally 'add in' 100,000 listings.. He would be laughed out of the OAC! :eek:
(but I guess it is OK for the big kid on the block to keep doing this). Oh and BTW, guys..
we have finally realized that this is happening at ebay all the time..not just during boycotts &
strikes! :o
KEEP those stock holders happy regardless of lose of honesty & integrity! :(

[starbase38]

Lana, Ebay just got too big. They forgot where they came from and who made them rich. I also think that they have become a victim of their own success. Everybody and their grandma can now go online and sell, so a lot of things became worthless. It is just the law of supply and demand at work. There is so much for sale on Ebay and everywhere now that almost any item has now been devalued.

I know of a lot of antique dealers who closed down their stores to go on Ebay. Now some of them are going back to their stores, while others are just getting out of the business alltogether.

An Ebay Strike, can it work? Well I guess it can Lana, but it is a bit like David and Goliath.

SB

[Lanascountry]

Also at ebay (and everywhere) IMHO, the huge quantities of fak* e ( and counterf*eit) (these
terms don't look good in search engines) .:eek: items have totally ruined many large sites like
ebay, Overstock.com..LOL, even estate sales and flea markets..Rememeber when there was
no fak*e McCoy? NO fak*e Rooseville? I see it at Farmer's Market sales now..It breaks my heart.
(I am a very serious authentic vintage pottery & glass collector).

Yes, SB, you are so right though. It IS like David and Goliath..But David became strong and he
DID prevail.

[sniperace66]

well it was david (sellers) that made Goliath (eBay) and it's david that can take
Goliath down all thay got to do is close their doors and slowly Goliath will die.

[Lanascountry]

You are so correct Ace..And Goliath will fall,, He (ebay) will fall from greed,
lack of caring andf nasty, greedy, business practices. I love that analogy, Star!
I KNOW now that it will not happen as fast as we (many) thought in 2005.
I really do NOT want to see to see Goliath totally fall and never have..I would
like for him (GREED) to take a few steps back and rethink his tactics. I am sorry
for the male analogy on my part guys, as it has been Meggy for about the last
8+ years (right?)

[Lamb Creek Quilts]

Hi everyone. I don't know if this is the correct thread to post this under, but here goes nothing. I am really starting to get concerned that there is something blocking bids on my items listed here. I have dozens of people logging on to look at my items (in my store) but still, after 2 months, not a single bid on anything. I've done everything that's been suggested (defined items better, etc.), and I really feel that my prices are fair and competitive - maybe even a little too inexpensive for what I have in them. But, still no bids:confused: I obviously can't bid on my own items, but I truly am beginning to wonder if there is a technical problem.

I love (trying to) sell on webidz. The monitors have been VERY helpful andI think it's a fantastic alternative to that "other" auction site, which by the way charges a fortune to list and sell items now. I want to stay here, but I desperately need to start makine some sales.

[Lamb Creek Quilts]

P.S. Could it be that people are looking but hesitant to register so they can bid, because they are not that familiar with webidz? I've told everyone I know about the site and how great it is. People are looking but not bidding or else something is wrong with my store. Help! Please?

[sniperace66]

just create another user name and test to see if Bidding works
no not complete the transaction go as far as the payment page
unless you want to pay yourself if you do make sure you ship item
or you will have to give yourself a neg ;):D

i been here over a month to and got no sales had 1 but did not go thru
did not meet my polices.

iam just going to wait it out think alot is to do with the econamy y
people ain't buying right now i have a job and this is a second income
adventure iam doing.

I understand that alot of sellers make a living doing this and understand
your frustrations find other sites and list there to the more sites you get
the better your chances are to sell but beware theres alot of shady ones
out there as well.

[katandron1]

Hi Lamb,
sniper is right (economy).....and partly what you are saying is right also......people are hesitant about buying from online sellers that they don't know....it is good that you have your repatoo banner....shows a little bit of establishment.
Even Admin will say to not put all your eggs in one basket. There are several really good free webstores that mj has told me about. If you have the time to build a store on another site, let me know and I can send you a PM on those sites. Of course, it won't be an overnight thing there on sales either. But the more your name is out there on the web, the better chances of a sale.

[starbase38]

Lamb,

Did you try your items on that other site or not? If so, how did they do there?

I think your items are adorable. I do not see any problems with your merch, or your descriptions or your photos. I do know that art and handcrafted items sometimes do not do well online, no matter what the site is. Somehow people want to touch and feel and see the items in person.

I do have a suggestion about what might help. Maybe you need to get some young girls and mature women and mommies to model your items, to show them being used. Also, maybe with things like the cellphone bag, show a cellphone in it, how it fits, show it being used. Demonstrate your items.

Also, if you can stand doing it, you might try some items that are really modern with retro and fourties and fifties and sixties style fabrics. You also might try pushing the envelope and making some really outlandish items. You might try thinking about what types of purses have never been made before and what women really want................and make it for them!

I hope some of this helps.
SB

[Lamb Creek Quilts]

Thank you all for your valuable input and great suggesitons, and thank you Starbase 38 for your compliment on my items too! You're absolutely right about making retro items, and a few outlandish ones. I have been watching the ladies magazines to see what's popular and polka dots seem to be very popular this year, as well as large checks, huge florals, and checks too. As a matter of selling things, I gave my DSIL a polkadot bag and she carried it to Weight Watchers and sold 8 bags for me! Then she was at the beauty shop last week and sold 4 more polka dot bags. It's great to be selling bags and staying busy filling orders, but I can't help but get discouraged when I sell NADA here on webidz, especially since I think it's such a fantastic alternative to that <other> site. I will take your advice and see if things improve.

Kat, yes, please! I would love to know of any other good places to set up a webstore. My only concern is that I am so "computer challenged" that I'll be lucky if I'm able to set one up. The only reason I've been able to modify and improve my store here is because of the wonderful, and patient people who have helped me do so. At this point, I'm up for a challenge and I'll try anything, so yes, please let me know about the other sites.

Sniperace66, I hadn't thought of creating another user name and seeing if my bids go through. Knowing me, I would probably end up selling myself something. LOLOL I did contact a good friend of mine this afternoon who is going to log on and see if she can bid on an item and if it works. So, I'll wait for that to happen first, and if there's a problem, I'll have to take it from there.

Thank you all again, and best of luck with your stores!
Joie

[Lanascountry]

GREAT ideas from EVERYONE, Lamb..I have something that I am interested in that you may or may not want to design. I do NOT carry a purse (ever) except on vacation. At church some times, I would LOVE to have a tiny wallet/purse the size to carry my check book, mints, lipstick, hankie.etc. I would very much like it to go with many things and in a classic style and color. My colors I wear are: :D Black, burgundy, teal or hunter green, off/winter white. I would NOT want it to be 'loud' in color in anyway. I have admired your items from the first and if you will do this please contact me at webidz_moderator1@yahoo.com [(or send me a PM. I am 60 YO, and do not wear either very young, definitely NOT very old (people):) type/style items. The price will be all I have to watch re; limited income. Please let me know?

You know I wish you wonderful success everywhere. I know my boss will not mind me mentioning this
as he & I both are very 'IN' to helping our sellers AND the OAC in general. Have you checked in to 'etsy.com'? I understand that they are doing very well for the craft people, artisans, and artist in our communities. ALSO, you can list the SAME items in multiple communities! It takes a while to create hand-crafted items. Just be very sure to check your (sites) daily for sales, and remove any that have sold from
all sites!

So happy you are here! :)

[Lanascountry]

Joie..I did mean to tell you that I know for a fact that nothing is stopping bids from
going through on your items. Our Admin continues to work on search and this might
be a bit of the issue. There is NOTHING here to hold back bids, though. All the best!!

[TNCDREAMS]

Hi everyone! I have been searching to find the best place to go with my auctions and like eveyone here I to am fed up with eBay. And just join here today after checking out this site and reading in the feeds. But there is one thing I do not understand maybe you can help clear it up. Why do you continue to feed the Giant Goliath by using PayPal which is owned by eBay? They are still getting a precentage of your auctions when using them.

Thank You,
TNCDREAMS

[mj-trading]

One reason is that it something the customers have trusted threw the years and they know there financal info is safe there! You mention a differant payment site to a customer and it turns 90% of them off!
I haven't seen another payment system that myself would trust right now! We don't trust Google yet as we bought a item last year and used Google check out and pretty soon we had 4 other item on our card that someone used thrtew Google!

[katandron1]

Pay-Pal is the most common one.........kinda like when someone mentions online auctions...the first thing people this of is Ebay.

[starbase38]

Joie,

I think you better get busy with those polka dot bags then.

SB

[katandron1]

Pay-Pal is the most common one.........kinda like when someone mentions online auctions...the first thing people think of is Ebay. People will begin to venture away from Pay-Pal....but like John said, people are weary of changing with banking information.

[Lanascountry]

I have to be honest, in the last 13 transactions I have done on my sites, (both buying and selling)
TEN of the thirteen were Revolution Money Exchange (we say RME), I had no difficulty of any
type. Some sites are encouraging it more than others and that helps a lot as well. It was very
easy..I don't really care for Google check-out, but some love it. The only thing I really HATE there
is that there is '0' protection for the buyer or seller. No charges of any type, no interest earned,
like I get on my pay/pal funds.
I DID send my packages with pay/pal as usual because I like having a record, and a DC number
on EVERY item. (JMO)s :)

BTW, Star..I don't DO polka dots.. I was thinking more on the order of patch work! :D(you R silly!)

[Lamb Creek Quilts]

I'm happy to be here too! I know I ask a lot of questions, and am probably verging on being a royal pain, but everyone has been so patient and great about answering my questions on how to do this or that.

As for using alternative commerce resources, I'm leary of putting credit card, bank account info, etc. out there, so that's why I've continued to use only pay-pal. I've heard horror stories about Google Check-Out, so won't be signing up there - ever.

I do have items for sale on etsy as well , but in over a year, I have never sold one item. There are some phenomenal artists out there who make the competition for handcrafted and quilted items pretty challenging. And yet, I continue to hang in there......

Starbase - LOL I've made so many polka-dot purses lately that I'm seeing polka-dots in my dreams!
Very happy to have the business though! Doesn't anyone like Paisley anymore????

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend!

[sniperace66]

lamb what i do about the the credit/debit card is i got a seperate bank account
for internet only and keep a very small amount in it that way if it would get stolen
thay will not be getting much. just don't link it to your main account some banks
offer this.

[katandron1]

Lamb,
In no way are you being a pain.

P.S. I never liked paisley to begin with :D

P.S.S. Very good tip sniper.

[Lanascountry]

Hi again, Lamb..I gave a item request above. Did you not see it,, ? I sure do not want polka dots.
I LOVE paisley and patch work!!:D

[Lanascountry]

HI again, Ace!! :)
I did the same thing and opened a very small account for INTERNET. It is pay/pal I least trust
with my on line funds. I am really liking RME. I think Uncle junk (Rick) is also having good luck
with them. Many folks on my other sites are paying and receiving with RME.

[sniperace66]

Good afternoon Lana :)

[Lanascountry]

Hey there, Ace and how R U today? :D

[starbase38]

Lamb,

My Polka Dot Message was for you. ------------- Lana, don't worry darling, we won't put you in Polka Dots... Lamb said she is selling polka-purses like pancakes in her hometown, so I said she should do some for WB.

SB

[sniperace66]

just peachy :) taking a break from listing today setting back and watching tv for a change

[Lanascountry]

Thanks Star!! :D
Ace..LOL, I took a break from my boards last night to watch a movie..
Should I again? :D

[Lamb Creek Quilts]

Good advice about setting up a separate bank account with limited funds in it. If I ever get a minute, I'll have to look into that.

Lana, I promise, no polka-dots. But, I do need a little more info from you. Do you like a shoulder strap or a short strap? Flatter style purse or boxier? Or are you looking for an actual 'wallet' style with no strap at all? I'm sure I can come up with something, just have to figure out the details.

Hope everyone had a good weekend. I didn't give myself a day off (from sewing) Sat. or Sun. but I am taking one off today. Housework and laundry awaits! blaahhhhh (I'd rather be sewing! LOL)

[Lanascountry]

Hey Lamb..Please check with me re: price, before you start the work. You don't need
to make any strap or handle for me. I am speaking of just (about a medium size) clutch type
purse with like a roll over opening with Velcro (closure) or whatever is easier for you.
If you don't have a pattern already, don't go to a lot of extra trouble for me. I am thinking
the purse should probably be 8-9 inches long and 4? inches deep. Let me know of price
please in PM.
Many thanks and all the best,
Lana

[Lanascountry]

Lamb, Just a flat type in great!! :D

[Lamb Creek Quilts]

Lana, Gotcha! Will get to work on that tomorrow at the latest. Thanks!

[Lamb Creek Quilts]

NEW QUESTION??? Do I have to log off of webidz every time I leave it, or can I stay logged in for the day? I try to check in at least 2-3 times daily and it would be nice if I could just click on instead of going thorugh the log-in process. Is it safe to do so?

[Lanascountry]

Lamb, there is NO HURRY at all!! Yes, you should be able to stay logged by hitting
the 'remember me' button!! :D

[Lanascountry]

OK Joie..Just wanted to check. When you sign in there is a box that says 'remember me?'
check that before you sign in, you should be good to go! :D

[Lamb Creek Quilts]

Lana,
Thanks! That will make it a lot less time consuming to check in here several times a day.

[Lanascountry]

Morning Joie,
How are you today!! It is good to have you on here as a regular boardie!! Don't
forget to post and win those WB Exchange points! I have given you a few extra
(points) to get you going! :D

[starbase38]

Joie,

How are those polka dots coming?

SB

[Lamb Creek Quilts]

Hi!
Long day here....just now getting to my computer - but wanted to check in before hitting the sack.

Thank you, Lana, for the points! :) Please forgive me, but I haven't really had time to delve into how the point system works, but that's on my agenda for this weekend. You're so kind to give them to me and I promise to use them wisely. ;)

Star, Project Polka-Dot is about 3/4 of the way done....thank goodness. Each one of the bags that I make takes between 6-8 hours to complete. Perhaps I'm just slow(?) but I'll be SO-O RELIEVED to get DSIL's latest order filled and shipped. With luck (and if I don't run out of thread -LOL) I hope to ship on Monday.


I am really enjoying being a member here at WB. Everyone has been so nice and so friendly. Since I don't get out much, I really do enjoy and appreciate my on-line buddies!

Time to turn in. Hope all is well with you!

[Lanascountry]

We have a HUGE site Joie, and Admin will tell you that up until a about 6-7 months ago
had very little forum. Our VERY regular boardies is only about 15 peeps!! :DAlthough we have MANY
board members.. The active peeps check in everyday and are VERY active. We are so happy
you are with us, and you might enjoy the games sections and the WB cafe!!
Joie..to access your personal forum data (no one can see but YOU) you just sign in and go to the top
tabs and click 'User CP' up on the top left. To access your WB Exchange..go all the way down the
left sidebar and it will say bank and exchange. It is fun, we are going to do prizes so get those
points!! WELCOME to you..BTW, NO hurry at all on making my bag. :)

[starbase38]

Lamb,

Great to hear about the Polka Dot Project! When do we get to see your new late spring designs???

What is the Diesel order?

SB

[Lanascountry]

Hey Star..DSIL online is an acronym for 'DEAR SISTER IN LAW' :D
One of these days I am going to do a web dictionary of all these crazy terms (we love) for this and some other sites. I may get with Admin and see if we can design the type that when you roll over a correct acronym, it will bring the description term up..if the guy ever gets any free time..:)
He works all the time!