Is there a viable alternative to ebay ?

[random]

Not sure about vehicles and/or vans but I have used ebay classified adverts. You set the price and there is NO listing fee but the final value fee is higher.

I have used this for my art, which is so hit and miss that I don't list on "normal" listings any more.

Maybe check out the classifieds. I had to open a second ebay account as I am classed as a "power seller" even though I don't sell other than bits and pieces. I had no idea I was a power seller, and tried to remove my "power seller" classification, but could not do that, so I opened a new account and ebay told me I can refer to my original username in my listings to show I have a track record of 100% feedback, rather than trying to sell with no "history" on my new username.

See though , even this - track record - I mean what ! You use to ring the paper , through in an ad and that was that !
Yeah I know it's Internet , auctions , riskier , it's still bs though.

Anyway , thanks for the insight you wylie dog you is that where Wylie came from or ?

Cheers

 

[random]

Yes, Hayden was a machine! I'm sure he came across as most helpful and sympathetic. You will notice that they all have white American middle class names to fit in with the general vibe.

The sophistication is mindblowing. It's not only ebay which uses artificial intelligence in live chat - the technology is so good now that it's creeping into many large companies which have pesky consumers to deal with.

We have a techie friend in San Jose who pulls the puppet strings. His job title has something like "artificial intelligence chat solutions" in it. If you google upsellit dot com you will see the kind of companies which work at this.

Well bloody bloody . That's upset me because it was like at last , a human !

But what's really p'd me off is that that probably means my little sweetheart - Emma , from the week before , was a machine too . That's cruel I really liked her.

 

[random]

so.. why is it called an illegal 'shill' bid in ebay yet in real life it's an acceptable 'vendor bid'?

Yeah and this is one of my biggest points , it's nothing like real life and so your getting all these little nit picker a/hs riding that one and you all the way if you break one of their bs rules . Really crazy stuff.
And now I find out that even Emma was a machine I feel so dirty , cheated , cheap .

 

[random]

yep - gumtree.

no-one bothers with ebay anymore.

Do you think . I've been following Gumtree since it was a baby , always loved it and knew it would do well. And just try putting an ad on Gumtree , as compared with bloody ebay - now that's more like it.
The only problem is as I say I've had no action with my vans on it.

 

[Aaron Sice]

gumtree is EASY - anyone wanting to buy has it as a first or second port of call.

free, can post pics, no spam from it....just the way it should be.

 

[Ausprop]

all I got from gumtree was spam and tyre kickers. I hear great things but don't see the proof

 

[Perp]

all I got from gumtree was spam and tyre kickers. I hear great things but don't see the proof

I haven't had any success selling things, but have had great results finding tenants.

 

[Fifth]

Gumtree doesn't compare with eBay. If Gumtree ever does improve to the point of being a viable alternative to eBay, I can guarantee it won't be free any more.

 

[Aaron Sice]

Gumtree doesn't compare with eBay. If Gumtree ever does improve to the point of being a viable alternative to eBay, I can guarantee it won't be free any more.

depends on what you're selling, i guess.

 

[random]

And what's this idiot feedback rubbish , do you realize that in a lot of case , you CAN NOT leave a negative feedback . Ebay keeps the bloody negative feedback box blank and they'll only let you use the positive box .
What in the hell is that ? Tell you right now , back in the days of ringing up a paper and just putting in an ad , you could have never imagined some of this manipulative rubbish.

 

[Ace in the Hole]

Buyers can leave negative feedback but sellers can't.
Yes, this is a very stupid thing eBay did.

You just got to work around it.
Use eBay for very cheap and effective advertsing and lead them to sales elswhere, ie, your own selling platform.

 

[wylie]

Gumtree doesn't compare with eBay. If Gumtree ever does improve to the point of being a viable alternative to eBay, I can guarantee it won't be free any more.

Gumtree is owned by eBay. I use gumtree for things that I know are worth a certain amount and will not go higher. The beauty of eBay is for things that will generate a bidding war. The buyers on gumtree are much less likely to follow through in my experience but it is good for some things.

I find them both useful for different items. I sometimes list on both.

 

[random]

eBay's not so bad...

We don't seem to experience the problems you are having.
Just set a fixed price and let the listings run continously, people will buy when they are ready, you'll get your asking price every time.

We have over 6000 feedback now any have only ever been asked maybe 2 or 3 times for feedback.
I never leave feedback for customers, but it's set to automatic so it leaves feedback for them after we receive a positive.
Only been threatened once or twice for negative feedback in over 5 years, and it never happened.

eBay's kind of a set and forget thing for us, works almost completely passively.
I suppose it all comes down to how you operate it.

I wouldn't bother with the alternatives either, the've got nothing on eBay.

Thanks Ace.
I'm trying a fixed price class' ad I think they call it this this week.
Do you use it with big ticket stuff - what do you think ?
What's the best way to respond to filthy offers ?
I've had two come in so far on this one , less than 1/2 my ask , it's a 15k van.
No need to ask how I feel like responding !
Also , would you have any idea of say how many views an ad like this gets on ebay as compared to say an ordinary paper ad ?
And , are you best to put in your mob' number or would you just make them use the ebay system ?
It seems like the perfect solution to me , I mean how else could you get a classified ad out there in full view to the whole country, so if it works out , I'll be stoked .

Cheers

 

[wylie]

What's the best way to respond to filthy offers ?

I would ignore a stupid offer or respond with what you are happy to accept. I have something listed now and received an offer to buy outside of ebay. I could have made things tricky for this chap if ebay was aware of his actions, but I actually wrote back and explained that I have seen his feedback, and know that he would be reselling my items at a big profit. I told him I have no problem with entrepreneurship but his offer was just too low. I haven't decided yet whether to block him from bidding at all, but now I have a bid he will not be getting such a bargain

I've had two come in so far on this one , less than 1/2 my ask , it's a 15k van.

Just ignore the stupid offers, or counter them. It is no different to someone lowballing a property for sale.

Also , would you have any idea of say how many views an ad like this gets on ebay as compared to say an ordinary paper ad ?

What I like about the classifieds on ebay is that everybody looking for that item will find yours. If they buy, you pay more fees on the final value, but for things that are not searched for often and which you must list high to ensure you get what it is worth, the listing fees are a big turn off, especially for starting with a high price. So I think it is a good compromise. But, of course, ebay gouges on fees, and then paypal fees are high (owned by ebay), but unfortunately there is not a viable alternative at the moment.

And , are you best to put in your mob' number or would you just make them use the ebay system ?

If you don't mind breaking the rules, you could put your phone number in and avoid the fees altogether. How "moral" are you feeling?

Of course, if someone reports you, that is probably the end of that username, and possibly you could be banned totally. I have no idea how they would deal with you. They might send someone over with a big stick to teach you a lesson.

Better still, load your price to allow for the final value fee so you still are happy with what you get less your fees.

It seems like the perfect solution to me , I mean how else could you get a classified ad out there in full view to the whole country, so if it works out , I'll be stoked .

Cheers

Good luck. I was hoping that Oztion would get popular enough to challenge ebay, but it seems ebay is King and who knows if any other site will ever challenge it. Meanwhile, you just have to work with it to get the best result.

 

[Ace in the Hole]

It's not against eBays rules to put your mobile or other phone numbers in the listings saying to call for more information.
Put your email adress in there too.
We put our business address in too.
You can put a website in your "ME" page if you have one.

People soon realise they can buy off you outside of eBay.
eBay can really generate alot of leads for existing businesses whe used simply for advertising.
I don't mind messages from prospective customers, I always refer them directly to my website to purchase from, been doing it for almost 5 years and it has worked very well.

 

[wylie]

It's not against eBays rules to put your mobile or other phone numbers in the listings saying to call for more information.

But I believe it IS against the rules to sell outside ebay (perhaps that particular item that you have listed) and try to avoid fees.

You need to be careful I think. But once someone has contacted you, I cannot see a problem with selling them something else that is not listed .

I'm still in shock that my very intricate problems have been solved not by a person but by a machine. I am not sure that it was a machine, as my issues were quite complex, but heck, what would I know. I, too, feel cheated .

 

[INVSTOR]

Re: Gumtree

My friend and her mum both sold their caravans in Perth using Gumtree and got a good price. She had travelled around Aus for 2 years and mentioned also that gumtree was really popular with other travellers.

I sold a lot of cheap, used furniture, etc using gumtree in Perth. Most customers were new Australians and backpackers.

 

[Corey Batt]

Gumtree is used heavily by most people I know for trading, selling and buying vehicles. Good pricing, people know what they're talking about, no ********.

There is a lot more honestly buying a private sale from their house, with their address, phone number and email. They tend to no try screw you over with hidden problems.

 

[Ace in the Hole]

But I believe it IS against the rules to sell outside ebay (perhaps that particular item that you have listed) and try to avoid fees.

If eBays fees were reasonable, people wouldn't be directing their sales off eBay.
They once were reasonable, but not anymore.
If they don't enforce their rules then why follow them if you can get away with it?
You just can't refer to selling off eBay within your listings.

I have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees to eBay over the years, so never feel guilty making sales off eBay, and honestly don't think they mind either, as they don't want to lose sellers who pay their fees.

 

[wylie]

If eBays fees were reasonable, people wouldn't be directing their sales off eBay.

Agree.

They once were reasonable, but not anymore.

Agree.

If they don't enforce their rules then why follow them if you can get away with it?

You cannot always get away with it. I got my son to bid on one of my items once because I was too cheap to pay for a higher starting price. They certainly found out, not sure how, and I had to be re-educated with a series of on-line tutorials which I had to complete and pass in order to be allowed back in .

My first reaction was %$#^ this, but of course, I needed to be able to use it, so I was a good girl, did my lessons and passed.... yippee

You just can't refer to selling off eBay within your listings.

I have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees to eBay over the years, so never feel guilty making sales off eBay, and honestly don't think they mind either, as they don't want to lose sellers who pay their fees.

But I do think they mind, or they wouldn't enforce it. Doesn't mean people don't try to get around the rules.

Whenever I get help, and have to answer a survey, I bang on about their fees being too high, about double dipping by forcing us to have paypal as a payment option. I don't know if anybody actually reads my waffle, or cares, but I feel better when I press the "submit" button

Ebay deserves to have another site come up and bite them on the ar$e to teach them a lesson .