Just got an email tonight from eBay about a new venture they are bringing out - new to me, anyways - that persuades a seller to buy wholesale lots of "items", and then eBay will even fill out the listings with predefined data - wow! This sounds vaguely similar to a MLM - Multi level Marketing ploy....But I'm sure there's a little money to be made....right?
@vintageantique77 wrote:Just got an email tonight from eBay about a new venture they are bringing out - new to me, anyways - that persuades a seller to buy wholesale lots of "items", and then eBay will even fill out the listings with predefined data - wow! This sounds vaguely similar to a MLM - Multi level Marketing ploy....But I'm sure there's a little money to be made....right?
Ebay had a similar set up many years ago with so called wholesellers who would sell large lots to Sellers at what appeared to be a good price. But the sellers soon found out that these companies were also selling the same wares on Ebay for the same price that they were charging the Sellers. It wasn't long after this discovery finally got out that the wholesale sellers were long gone as was any reference to it by Ebay.
I guess this is their next attempt at it except it sounds like it is all refurbished items which my past experience had a huge return rate due to the item still not working properly.
@luckythewinner wrote:
@vintageantique77 wrote:Just got an email tonight from eBay about a new venture they are bringing out - new to me, anyways - that persuades a seller to buy wholesale lots of "items", and then eBay will even fill out the listings with predefined data - wow! This sounds vaguely similar to a MLM - Multi level Marketing ploy
Investopedia:
"Multilevel marketing (MLM) is a strategy that some direct sales companies use to encourage existing distributors to recruit new distributors."
I am skeptical this will work for sellers.
But I see absolutely nothing similar to "multilevel marketing" about this. You are simply encouraged to buy from eBay's designated partner, not to recruit new members for them.
You need to know the "vibe" a MLM gives off to understand what I'm talking about. It's like a pyramid scheme type thing, really. The people selling these lots had to pay even less then what they are charging, otherwise they wouldn't make any money..They sell it to you, who will have to do a lot of leg work *just to break even on your investment*, and THEN you actually start making money. Ran into this a lot at flea markets with a guy selling hats. He would try to entice you to buy a large amount of hats at a cheap rate so you could sell them - all the time knowing he has a storage unit SLAM FULL of the things...It's a good way to make money if you are in the first few rows of the pyramid..
Absolutely it's junk. So is their feedback profile, already. In another thread today, a seller posted this image of a box that she got from them -- glassware that was shipped with no packing materials at all.
FINE! It's not like MLM....
Still sounds like a "junk push".....I feel sorry for the person who recevied the broken glass...So much work goes into making glass objects....Such a waste.
@itsjustasprain wrote:
@vintageantique77 wrote:This sounds vaguely similar to a MLM - Multi level Marketing ploy....But I'm sure there's a little money to be made....right?
Nothing to do with MLM. You are just buying stuff for resale. You are not trying to sign up anyone to be a downstream distributor for you. That would be Multi level marketing.
I looked at that seller and their boxes of grab bags - and I would stay far away from that. Right in the title of the listings you will often see 'Uninspected Returns'. The only thing you can say for sure about anything in those boxes is that every person who bought the item new didnt like it for some reason or other and returned it for a refund. Thats pretty stunning when you think about it... EVERY item in the box has already been sold AND returned.
Why in the world would you want to buy that? You would have to study each and every item thrown in those boxes and try to figure out what the flaw was in each case that caused the original buyer to return it. Is that really how you want to spend your time on Ebay? The only winner in this scenario is the outfit that buys the pallets of returns dirt cheap and then subdivides them into smaller boxes to sell here at a profit. You are their profit. I would not want to try selling that stuff to try to recoup my own costs (or make my loan payment or whatever).
Exactly...Amazing they are still making a profit even when eBay gets their share! I wouldn't be surprised if BULQ got their stuff for free or cost of transportation to load it up and take it off someone's hands....More power to them - but I doubt this will be a lasting thing...Almost like when eBay offered to sell items for people - don't hear about that much anymore.
@luckythewinner wrote:
@vintageantique77 wrote:
@luckythewinner wrote:
@vintageantique77 wrote:Just got an email tonight from eBay about a new venture they are bringing out - new to me, anyways - that persuades a seller to buy wholesale lots of "items", and then eBay will even fill out the listings with predefined data - wow! This sounds vaguely similar to a MLM - Multi level Marketing ploy
Investopedia:
"Multilevel marketing (MLM) is a strategy that some direct sales companies use to encourage existing distributors to recruit new distributors."
I am skeptical this will work for sellers.
But I see absolutely nothing similar to "multilevel marketing" about this. You are simply encouraged to buy from eBay's designated partner, not to recruit new members for them.
You need to know the "vibe" a MLM gives off to understand what I'm talking about. It's like a pyramid scheme type thing, really. The people selling these lots had to pay even less then what they are charging, otherwise they wouldn't make any money..They sell it to you, who will have to do a lot of leg work *just to break even on your investment*, and THEN you actually start making money. Ran into this a lot at flea markets with a guy selling hats. He would try to entice you to buy a large amount of hats at a cheap rate so you could sell them - all the time knowing he has a storage unit SLAM FULL of the things...It's a good way to make money if you are in the first few rows of the pyramid..
Still don't see it.
It nothing like a pyramid or an MLM.
There are no "first few rows".
There are just those who will regret buying a big box of off-brand shampoo and cat toys.
And of course Bulq pays less than they are charging - that is called "profit" and that is what I do too.
Very short pyramid. hehehe.
