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

[adamcartwright]

@redlinear 

Curmudgeonly advice, most likely.

[mcdougle4248]

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@gurlcat wrote:

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@reallynicestamps wrote:

I doubt many sellers have dedicated customers. EBay does however.

When our competitors do a good job, their customers come back --to eBay.

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OMG where is the HeII Yes button for ^this^? 
And just on a problem-by-problem basis, consider how much more we do to help retain buyers and sellers than the overseas phone reps. 
Sadly our reach is so small, just a drop in the bucket.  But I just had an epiphany: I wonder if eBay (or any online selling platform) has ever considered trying shifting some money from call center wages to some kind of incentivized mentorship, here.  Like I don't know ... eBay Bucks, fee discounts, SOMETHING you could earn for successfully helping people, and then direct more people needing help here instead of calling.  EDIT: I don't mean handling the kinds of problems that require access to members' accounts and enacting changes to this or that, just answering the kinds of things we do already here.

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@gurlcat 

eBay had a program like the one you described above for a couple of years, 2021-2023. Here is an old thread from when the program started that may be of interest to you:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/eBay-invite/td-p/31603655/highlight/true 

[albertabrightalberta]

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@chariot_badges wrote:

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

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Why would you even admit to that? Do you realize how it makes you look? 

[inhawaii]

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@adamcartwright wrote:

@redlinear 

Curmudgeonly advice, most likely.

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I had to look that one up!    LOL

[cardxcraft]

.......................

[isaiah53-57]

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@inhawaii wrote:

Helping the competition?

18 million sellers.

2 billion sales per day.

I highly doubt that any two of us on the boards will sell to the same buyer, ever.

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This again? WHERE ARE YOU GETTING THIS INFORMATION??

Here are some "Fun Facts"

Thats $730 Billion Annually you say they are selling - 730 BILLION!

In order for two billion sales to occur daily, EVERY ONE of the 18 Million sellers would need to make 110-120 sales a day... It actually MUCH LESS than 1 sale per seller per day on average - There are literally  about 4 Million sales a day on ebay - Thats less than 0.25 sales per seller

Their Net Revenue was $10 Billion last year - Do you really think they only average 1.5 cents per sale before costs??

 Amazons best 2 selling days ever sold 375 million items in 48 hours - Thats 175 Million items per day on their LARGEST Selling days ever - And they typically sell 12 million items on a normal selling day.

WHAT ON EARTH MAKES YOU THINK 2 BILLION ITEMS A DAY ARE SOLD ON EBAY to the point you keep repeating it?? Its GROSSLY Untrue - Check your sources!!

[mam98031]

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@adamcartwright wrote:

@youn2240 

Yes, it's healthiest to be somewhere in the middle of taking and giving, not at one end or the other. 

It's a nice feeling to help others, and trying to keep eBay all to yourself is a great way to help it decline, IMO.

Helping another seller provide a great experience to his buyers only drives more business here. 

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VERY well said @adamcartwright .   Helping each other makes us stronger and the site stronger.

[mam98031]

You are talking $$s, @inhawaii  was talking the number of transactions and his numbers were correct.

https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/ebay-marketplace-statistics/

[broto_64]

I've been self-employed for over 20 years.
It has come to my attention that yes, in some cases it took me the whole two decades to arrive at a certain revelation (aka secret)... Which is true for most of us, however having talked to others in the industry I have seen people who knew what I knew upfront... Upon entry they knew that one secret that took me years and years, and in truth I found some trade secrets that took a long time for me that should've and could've been quite obvious.  As well the same is true for others, as in we each arrive at these points at different stages of our development, so it is not at all unusual for someone to have certain knowledge that others do not possess.
We do each grow at our own pace as well, but we also have to be ready for the revelation... No matter where I might be and what big secret is being given out, if I'm not at a stage of development where I am ready to wrap my head around it then it will likely go unnoticed... Also as I've already mentioned, what is a big secret to one individual is plain common sense and basic knowledge to another.
Last but not least nobody knows it all starting out, it literally takes everyone years and years to arrive at more and more conclusions.

All that said, I often stay quiet too...
My reasoning however is because some people want to get argumentative, talk back and give excuses and so-called reasons and why that doesn't work. And I find that so deflating, as well the people who, it goes in  the proverbial one ear and out the other.

But it is what it is, and yes we are creating competition but we're also getting older and we have to teach the younger generation what we know... Because if we don't this planet truly will fall apart (actually no it won't) but there's also a certain type of satisfaction and in ways I believe sharing the knowledge is actually spiritually fullfilling.

[dbfolks166mt]

You are talking $$s, @inhawaii  was talking the number of transactions and his numbers were correct.

https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/ebay-marketplace-statistics/

     Part of the problem with the referenced statistics is there is no clear definition of what constitutes a "transaction" it definitely does not equate to individual item sales. 

[mam98031]

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@dbfolks166mt wrote:

You are talking $$s, @inhawaii  was talking the number of transactions and his numbers were correct.

https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/ebay-marketplace-statistics/

     Part of the problem with the referenced statistics is there is no clear definition of what constitutes a "transaction" it definitely does not equate to individual item sales. 

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Alright then feel free to post the stats that work for you.  With that said that doesn't make what @inhawaii  incorrect, it only means you prefer to find a different stat that is more clear for you.  I respect that.

[inhawaii]

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@isaiah53-57 wrote:

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@inhawaii wrote:

Helping the competition?

18 million sellers.

2 billion sales per day.

I highly doubt that any two of us on the boards will sell to the same buyer, ever.

---

This again? WHERE ARE YOU GETTING THIS INFORMATION??

Here are some "Fun Facts"

Thats $730 Billion Annually you say they are selling - 730 BILLION!

In order for two billion sales to occur daily, EVERY ONE of the 18 Million sellers would need to make 110-120 sales a day... It actually MUCH LESS than 1 sale per seller per day on average - There are literally  about 4 Million sales a day on ebay - Thats less than 0.25 sales per seller

Their Net Revenue was $10 Billion last year - Do you really think they only average 1.5 cents per sale before costs??

 Amazons best 2 selling days ever sold 375 million items in 48 hours - Thats 175 Million items per day on their LARGEST Selling days ever - And they typically sell 12 million items on a normal selling day.

WHAT ON EARTH MAKES YOU THINK 2 BILLION ITEMS A DAY ARE SOLD ON EBAY to the point you keep repeating it?? Its GROSSLY Untrue - Check your sources!!

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Maybe my numbers are wrong or you disagree with them.  My point was that  the chances of any of us on the board being a competitor and "fighting" for the same customer is slim to none, thus helping someone on the board would not really be "helping the competition".  In my opinion, anyone thinking that helping someone on the boards might be helping the competition is just plain silly.

[fbusoni]

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@inhawaii wrote:

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In my opinion, anyone thinking that helping someone on the boards might be helping the competition is just plain silly.

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@inhawaii 

I'd go one step further:

Anyone who thinks that helping someone on the boards might be helping the competition is borderline delusional.

[gloryglorygifts]

I don't think I've ever seen my biggest competitors on the boards. Yeah, some posters may have a handful of the same or similar items but that's about it.

Except for my source materials for products, I'll pretty much share any knowledge that I have that may help someone. That is the reason for these boards - to help each other. I remember in our very early days sitting at flea markets and fairs giving all kinds of info to fellow vendors on everything from where we got our marketing products to packaging and receipts. I'm a firm believer in small businesses supporting each other. We have too much adverse things going on trying to shut us down. We need to support each other, even in this setting. 

I remember one of my first questions on the boards, about duplicate listings - different prices, was met by a MYOB response. Rude and uncalled for and I never got an actual response. I just did as I saw my competitor do and it worked out fine. (Came across it while researching and couldn't find it in the policy.)

[isaiah53-57]

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@inhawaii wrote:

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@isaiah53-57 wrote:

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@inhawaii wrote:

Helping the competition?

18 million sellers.

2 billion sales per day.

I highly doubt that any two of us on the boards will sell to the same buyer, ever.

---

This again? WHERE ARE YOU GETTING THIS INFORMATION??

Here are some "Fun Facts"

Thats $730 Billion Annually you say they are selling - 730 BILLION!

In order for two billion sales to occur daily, EVERY ONE of the 18 Million sellers would need to make 110-120 sales a day... It actually MUCH LESS than 1 sale per seller per day on average - There are literally  about 4 Million sales a day on ebay - Thats less than 0.25 sales per seller

Their Net Revenue was $10 Billion last year - Do you really think they only average 1.5 cents per sale before costs??

 Amazons best 2 selling days ever sold 375 million items in 48 hours - Thats 175 Million items per day on their LARGEST Selling days ever - And they typically sell 12 million items on a normal selling day.

WHAT ON EARTH MAKES YOU THINK 2 BILLION ITEMS A DAY ARE SOLD ON EBAY to the point you keep repeating it?? Its GROSSLY Untrue - Check your sources!!

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Maybe my numbers are wrong or you disagree with them.  My point was that  the chances of any of us on the board being a competitor and "fighting" for the same customer is slim to none, thus helping someone on the board would not really be "helping the competition".  In my opinion, anyone thinking that helping someone on the boards might be helping the competition is just plain silly.

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I see your point, BUT, your numbers are the only thing that justifies your point! - Sure - Using crazy numbers like 2 BILLION SALES A DAY makes it a virtual surety we wont have to worry about crossing paths with other sellers regardless of how much competition there is in what you are selling...

Use THEIR ACTUAL NUMBERS of 4 MILLION SALES A DAY Worldwide and the chances of crossing paths with the competition become at least somewhat likely, especially in cases where you dont have much competiton for your item..

C'mon man - Think about it - 2 BILLION SALES A DAY?? - Even in finding that patently false information in someone's screwed up published statistics, or in someones fake news, you have to only glance at it to know its a lie or bad information...

Really ... You should just stop using it... As they so like to say here...Its not a good look...