eBay

chariot_badges · ‎01-07-2025

I come here for ideas, opinions, etc.

I suspect most of us do.

I usually give advice, good advice IF I give it at all.

Sometimes I don't tell.

The reason I hesitate is because ... 'why should I help my competition'?

I saw a response here, in another thread where the OP complained about poor sales.

Many gave a lot of good advice.

One gave VERY good advice and I thought "why did he say that? in a public posting?" I might have answered in a PM ... but he broadcast a major tip over the unprotected air.

When EVERYONE is doing the same thing, it has less affect? Right?

If everybody did these magic tricks (that took my years to arrive at) because somebody spent two minutes explaining it ... just doesn't seem right to me.

Why would someone give away trade secrets? TO THE PUBLIC.

Remember when Promoted first came out? And two thirds were saying "I'm not paying 2% just to ger a couple of sales." And, those of us who DID pay 2% doubled sales? Remember those days? THEN a few of us just HAD to blab .... now, it doesn't work so good. We gotta pay more for the same bang. Know why? Guess.

If you want to tell a friend or associate a hack ... do it.

But, please, PLEASE do not broadcast it over the airwaves.

"Three can keep a secret - if two of them are dead." Ben Franklin

chapeau-noir · ‎01-08-2025

@pastimpressions wrote:
@richard1rst I don't remember that one, but the "cheese shop" skit does come to mind.

The Argument Clinic - it's hilariously funny.

“The illegal we do immediately, the unconstitutional takes a little longer.” - Henry Kissinger

"Wherever law ends, tyranny begins" -John Locke

chariot_badges · ‎01-08-2025

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:
@chariot_badges
"I saw a response here, in another thread where the OP complained about poor sales.
...One gave VERY good advice and I thought "why did he say that? in a public posting?" I might have answered in a PM ... but he broadcast a major tip over the unprotected air.
When EVERYONE is doing the same thing, it has less affect? Right?
If everybody did these magic tricks (that took my years to arrive at) because somebody spent two minutes explaining it ... just doesn't seem right to me.
Why would someone give away trade secrets? TO THE PUBLIC."

If you want to know why he said that, ask him. In a PM if you prefer.

My guess is the main thing your post has accomplished is to set a lot of people wondering what great secret was mentioned in another thread, and how did we miss it? LOL

Yea, I didn't say anything in the thread ... I didn't want to highlight it as important, or point out my results when I started using this technique, and it won't matter what kind of stuff you sell.

It was said and described and explained.

It got ZERO discussion, questions ... nuthin.

So, I assumed that nobody cared. I just let the crickets chirp.

And, like many of these 'hacks', if everybody did it - it would dilute the effect.

redlinear · ‎01-08-2025

@chariot_badges wrote:
I come here for ideas, opinions, etc.
I suspect most of us do.
I usually give advice, good advice IF I give it at all.
Sometimes I don't tell.

The reason I hesitate is because ... 'why should I help my competition'?

I saw a response here, in another thread where the OP complained about poor sales.
Many gave a lot of good advice.
One gave VERY good advice and I thought "why did he say that? in a public posting?" I might have answered in a PM ... but he broadcast a major tip over the unprotected air.
When EVERYONE is doing the same thing, it has less affect? Right?
If everybody did these magic tricks (that took my years to arrive at) because somebody spent two minutes explaining it ... just doesn't seem right to me.
Why would someone give away trade secrets? TO THE PUBLIC.

Remember when Promoted first came out? And two thirds were saying "I'm not paying 2% just to ger a couple of sales." And, those of us who DID pay 2% doubled sales? Remember those days? THEN a few of us just HAD to blab .... now, it doesn't work so good. We gotta pay more for the same bang. Know why? Guess.
If you want to tell a friend or associate a hack ... do it.
But, please, PLEASE do not broadcast it over the airwaves.

"Three can keep a secret - if two of them are dead." Ben Franklin

Meh, it's not like this forum is nationally televised or anything.
The odds of us "getting in each others way" is extremely slim.
Whatever you are selling, it's probably different than what I'm selling. EVEN if it's the same thing.
I don't mind attempting to help anybody out. I may need help myself some day...Err...I DO need help myself every day.
I've had at least 20 employees leave/quit because they saw how this eBay thing is done, and thought doing it themselves would be easier than working for me, and considerably more $$ for them.
ONLY ONE made it longer than a few months before they went back into the job market.
And that ONE? Older fellow that I bought this place from. Probably the best worker I ever had.
And I help him out any time he asks. And he does the same for me.
And he is absolutely exactly direct same same same competition.

redlinear · ‎01-08-2025

@luckythewinner wrote:

One gave VERY good advice and I thought "why did he say that?"

Wow.

@chariot_badges
By the way, who was it? So I can go back and check it out. I'll try anything new at this point! 😀

tobaccocardyahoo · ‎01-08-2025

@gurlcat wrote:
Because it's just as much a hobby as a business; we want old vintage jewelry to stay alive and treasured.

If you can keep it a hobby as well as a business, you are blessed.

I was once a collector of tobacco cards, with an collection which was amassed with hard work. Then I bought the inventory of a retired dealer. End of collecting, everything was merchandise,

My wife is a collector of earrings, primarily contemporary artist/craftsman designs, but with exceptions for dramatic Victorian and Georgian earrings. She dealt in vintage jewelry for a time and found it to be a conflict of interest. She chose collecting, and thank goodness because it gives me an constant activity seeking out gifts for her.

tarotfindsandmore · ‎01-08-2025

I still collect tarot decks on occasion, just not like I used to. They have to be super duper special for me to want to keep one (I generally buy 2 to 6 of a particular deck) for myself anymore. I like selling them more than keeping them at this point. I still have somewhere between 500 and 700 decks of my own, but those are going to be my son's to sell someday. He'll make a bundle if he decides to sell them.

conservitvs · ‎01-08-2025

@sassykzt wrote:
Perhaps that person that "very good advice" was an eBay mentor or someone who has a rock star designation. The eBay Mentor program is designed to enable well-informed, trusted and welcoming users to help buyers and sellers with specific questions they may have about eBay. I think you are confusing the terms "trade secrets" with advice. There are many on this forum that help with outstanding advice and also with zero compensation. We are lucky to have them. Why do they do this? They have a real sense of "community".

Sometimes we get a mug. 🙂

CONSERVITVS • Volunteer Community Mentor
eBay member since: 1996

gurlcat · ‎01-08-2025

@tobaccocardyahoo wrote:
@gurlcat wrote:
Because it's just as much a hobby as a business; we want old vintage jewelry to stay alive and treasured.
If you can keep it a hobby as well as a business, you are blessed.

I was once a collector of tobacco cards, with an collection which was amassed with hard work. Then I bought the inventory of a retired dealer. End of collecting, everything was merchandise,

My wife is a collector of earrings, primarily contemporary artist/craftsman designs, but with exceptions for dramatic Victorian and Georgian earrings. She dealt in vintage jewelry for a time and found it to be a conflict of interest. She chose collecting, and thank goodness because it gives me an constant activity seeking out gifts for her.

It's perfect for me because I rarely wear jewelry and am not much of a collector (of anything). I just really enjoy getting to hold interesting things, study them with a loupe, clean and fix them if needed, research them, photograph them, and send them to their next chapter. Once in a while I'll wear a piece that is actively listed, like last year I wore a gorgeous Italian glass necklace to a Mardi Gras ball -it was just sitting there not selling, so I figured it might as well get on my neck and add to my merriment! Then it eventually sold. And of course I have kept (permanently) a few pieces simply because I like them more than they are worth (not worth much).

Now I want to see your wife's earring collection, ha!!

dbfolks166mt · ‎01-08-2025

@chariot_badges wrote:

Remember when Promoted first came out? And two thirds were saying "I'm not paying 2% just to ger a couple of sales." And, those of us who DID pay 2% doubled sales? Remember those days? THEN a few of us just HAD to blab .... now, it doesn't work so good. We gotta pay more for the same bang.

Yeah I remember those days - Saw the proverbial writing on the wall and knew that anyone talking part in promoted listings was putting the noose around their own necks...

Rather than taking part in the ruination of the place for everyone by accepting and taking part in the deviant, malign mess promoted listings is, we showed our displeasure in it by ending our listings...

Wonder where things would be now if more people had done the same, rather than play the game of $crew your neighbor...

Live by the sword...die by the sword...

I have to agree with you on this one. Despite numerous warnings when promoted listings first came out some sellers jumped onboard not knowing where the train was headed. Anyone with an understanding of basic economics knows what a prisoners dilemma is and PL is a perfect example. Keeping it a secret was never going to happen and eBay made sure of that. As for their purported statistics on how the use of PL increases sales, I have my doubts about the validity of those statistics.

Despite what some sellers claim there is no way to actually prove that the use of PL increases sales. The ROI on advertising is one of the most difficult returns to measure for any business or company. I have never used PL and never will but I will always be eternally grateful to those that do. As for where things would be now if PL had not increased eBay's revenue I suspect there would have been multiple across the board increases in the FVF percentages to handle eBay's increasing costs. Instead of looking like the bad guy eBay used PL to increase revenues as a result of sellers choosing to utilize PL of their own accord.

adamcartwright · ‎01-08-2025

@chariot_badges

But remember, you're the guy (or gal) who advised someone here to get a vasectomy in a discussion about slow sales.

So I guess we all have our own standards when giving advice.

redlinear · ‎01-08-2025

@adamcartwright wrote:
@chariot_badges
But remember, you're the guy (or gal) who advised someone here to get a vasectomy in a discussion about slow sales.
So I guess we all have our own standards when giving advice.

Would that help?

my-cottage-books-and-antiques · ‎01-08-2025

@chariot_badges

Well, I can recall a suggestion or two made on recent threads that were, IMHO, good suggestions but there was no further discussion. I can't say that I recall seeing any really new suggestion, that has never been made here before. So, I wonder if you might not be overestimating the level of secrecy surrounding the advice.

The thing about much of the advice given on these boards (and elsewhere)---it is rarely really new (unless it involves an actual new tool or feature), and there is little risk that it will be heavily adopted , especially if it takes anything more than minimal effort or if there's a learning curve to use it successfully.

albertabrightalberta · ‎01-08-2025

I laugh (but not because it's funny) when posters come to the boards complaining about "the competition" reporting their listings and wanting to "take out the competition."

I sell mainly in the handbags and accessories category and the number of counterfeit items is high. So when I see that ebay has removed listings of fakes, I consider it a good thing that buyers have a better chance of getting what they're paying for vs. being fooled by a fake.

I don't hesitate to help sellers who want to stay honest and in accordance with ebay policy (and the law) and don't consider sellers of authentic items as competition but rather, as allies.

I'm also willing to help sellers who've made mistakes and have had fakes removed when such sellers are open and willing to learn how and why their mistakes happened and hopefully to prevent making similar mistakes in the future. (Those who live in denial don't want to believe that they erred.)

While I'm not naive enough to believe that the counterfeiters won't figure out a way to improve their fakes, I limit what I post publicly and often help in PMs.

Am I hurting myself by helping others? I don't think so.

I guess I don't understand why someone would spend a lot of time posting if not to help, guide and advise both buyers and sellers how to do what they do better and/or to help them understand and interpret ebay's policies.

albertabrightalberta
Volunteer Community Mentor

I can explain it to you but I can’t understand it for you.

selsa84 · ‎01-08-2025

Why would someone help someone? It's called community. Wow. Btw you don't get to tell people not to broadcast a helpful hack! That's what this is for.