When to help ...

[chariot_badges]

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

[sin-n-dex]

I don't consider very many people to be "competition". To compete with me you'd need to sell similar items. Some posters sell some similar items. I sell on the dot come in a niche market of Canadian and British items (which are not so common in the US, even some of my buyers say that have trouble finding these things locally).

If someone is selling clothing, books, or some other types of wares... their buyers aren't choosing to buy one of those items and deciding "I'll get this instead of buying a coin today", and thus costing me a sale.

The forum is supposed to be helpful and a place to get advice. Even though I blab, there are some interesting things I've noticed that I do keep to myself. And other things will come out when someone else notices something I've been thinking about quietly.

C.

[oaklandmaryland]

competition is great and makes all sellers better then ever

[tarotfindsandmore]

I don't see a problem with sharing information.  The world is a BIG place, and the onus is on me to keep my business going.  I don't have a ton of competition in my primary category, but all of the others have a decent degree of saturation.  What this means for me is that I have to figure out another angle when what I'm doing isn't working. 

To think that by sharing information I'm undermining my own success is to assume we're all equally able and willing to listen AND do the work that is suggested.  We all know that just isn't true.  Some folks "get it" and others never will.  Also, what works for you may not work for me and just because you've shared what works for you with me, it doesn't mean I'll get on board with your thinking.  Most of the time I will give some consideration to what other sellers tell me but there are other times when I know that the "recipe for success" I'm being given is just going to cause me indigestion.

To use your example of promoted listings, just think of all of the sellers who still adamantly refuse to even consider promoting "on principle".  Furthermore, many of their categories will not benefit from promotion even if they did want to promote so who cares if you share that not-so-secret secret.

I would much rather share what little information I have and learn what I can from others rather than hoard what I believe to be the correct data for success. If my situation is so precarious that giving up my secrets is going to end my career as a reseller, I probably need to think about other ways to make a living.

[luckythewinner]

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

Wow. 

[isaiah53-57]

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@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.   

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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...

[pastimpressions]

@chariot_badges 

Valid point, but IMHO mentoring and/or assisting is dramatically different from being spoon fed shortcuts.

Many times, I gain valuable insights and feedback from fellow buyers & sellers on this board.

I gain knowledge to eBay specific policies & procedures that is not a secret, just hard to know/find.

I celebrate others successes and contemplate their challenges.

At no time does any of this feedback or insight constitute "sources & methods"

Many a time a new seller comes aboard and asks directly: " How do I find this or get that, etc."

(Meaning sourced goods, wholesale product, what's hot or not, how do I make a lot of money etc.)

That is a lazy substitute for hard work and time-consuming dedication.

I have NEVER seen a seller not essentially politely say " you have to find this out for yourself best of luck"

There is a huge difference between the two. 

[sin-n-dex]

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@pastimpressions wrote:

I have NEVER seen a seller not essentially politely say " you have to find this out for yourself best of luck"

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Someone who was a regular here used to say that sort of thing to new posters. I think they got the boot.

C.

[pastimpressions]

When asking for wholesale sources and methods? No. No seller would divulge that in detail.

I didn't mean general assistance rather the above.

Pardon if I was misunderstood.

[sassykzt]

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".

[12345jamesstamps]

Some that come on here for ideas, opinions, etc. well, some actually need a 'lot of help'.

I think helping out a little is OK. 

And giving them help will not help them 'over night' on most matters...could take a year or more...LOL

  And my competitors...that sometimes pop up here...have actually got quite friendly with some of them...and took a few of their ideas by going and looking on their sites.

    Had a 'buyer dispute' in the past and another seller read my post and had the same buyer with a dispute...was rather interesting...we exchanged what happened.

     Got a few 'fakes items' and got in touch with other sellers on eBay and we all got together and report this seller(there were actually two different accounts)...it took us 1 1/2 years to get the accounts knocked out even with 50+ negative feedbacks but it worked in the long run.

  Some things I rather not respond or respond to in a different tone here : fake problems where a seller or a buyer is trying to cheat a seller or buyer...like the 'old' eBay gift card numbers rubbed off.

  And...I try to read between the lines of a post here several times before helping out as to whether it is true or not. 

[tarotfindsandmore]

Honestly, I don't even mind sharing my sourcing tips.  Mostly because I know most people will not want to put in the time or energy.  I could come here and give every other reseller the names and websites of the artists I have been in contact with over the past three decades and tell you how much you should spend based on edition sizes and availability for a particular deck, and blabity blabity, blah, but in the end it doesn't matter because you as a reseller, sell other things. 

Even if you wanted to sell what I sell there are a multitude of other variables that are hidden such as my relationship with the artists, what I know of the timing of releases, knowledge about who is hot (and who is having a mental breakdown and never going to get their deck done), who is getting ready to hand their work over to a major publisher (and dilute the value of their decks), etc.  Each one of us has a knack for what we sell that allows us to succeed in selling in those things. 

I will share whatever information I have because, chances are, you either already know much of what I know or, even if you don't, you won't be able to exactly replicate what I do.  Geography, interpersonal relationships, knowledge of a subject, personal taste, intuition, and even sleep habits will mean that you're going to have to fine tune whatever I tell you to make it fit your needs.

[sin-n-dex]

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@pastimpressions wrote:

When asking for wholesale sources and methods? No. No seller would divulge that in detail.

I didn't mean general assistance rather the above.

Pardon if I was misunderstood.

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There's lots of posts about where to get products to sell... that wasn't what I was thinking of. People sometimes came here to ask how to get started on eBay with what they wanted to sell, and sometimes were met with a very frosty reception. (One person comes to mind, but I haven't seen them here in months).

C.

[richard1rst]

I would suspect that you are unaware of the concept of “Cognitive dissonance”. I can not remember the number of times I have given, and seen being given by others, valid and useful advice only to see it swatted away. The usual response is to be accused of being an eBay shill or employee.

Or when a vague question is posted and the poster is asked for more information and/or clarification only to be ignored.

Remember the old Monty Python skit “I came here for an argument”. Try telling a poster that they are doing something wrong or poorly and you will get an argument in spades.

I used to offer advice regularly based on several decades of being self employed. I never viewed it as helping my competition but, in total, improving the platform in general which helps us all. Rising tide and all that.

I rarely respond to posts anymore.  

[pastimpressions]

@sin-n-dex 

I see. Now I understand. I guess the start-up product inquiry could cause some confusion/friction

That's a delivery & approach issue, I guess. 

Two different people can say "find what is marketable, what speaks to you, what you enjoy & what you either are knowledgeable about (or can acquire a measure of knowledge mastery over time)" in vastly different ways.

"Figure it out for yourself" is essentially the short-hand version of the above but sounds awfully harsh.