My own comments were not intended as a personal attack on the site itself, or on you for posting the information 101. My post was more a commentary out of frustration about what is happening in the market in general.
Everybody's looking to make money and if they see an opportunity then they should go for it, no problems with that. I was talking as a seller in general terms, nothing more.
As a seller, you should be covering all the bases you possibly can to gain maximum market exposure, but what you need is effective exposure.
The problem I see is every time another player enters the market, that is another avenue I as as seller now have to cover to stretch my exposure.
This takes more time and effort, thankfully in this situation it doesn't take any further cost, but I have to ask myself how effective will it be in rewarding my effort.
When I calculate marketing effectiveness, it's a very simple equation for me.
Effort (being time management, cost, ect) Vs Reward (the bottom line)
In doing that calculation, I look at where the traffic is coming from, just as much as what the current volume is, and the potential growth of that traffic.
I divide the traffic into two market segments in general terms, ebay traffic and all other traffic period. When doing the calculation I am looking to see where the traffic is coming from because I am trying to asses whether or not I am spending the effort to do little more than re-arrange the patio furniture.
What I mean is, if the indications show or I suspect that the new platform will be taking ebay traffic, then that's a positive sign for me. However, if it appears that the new platform will be taking traffic from another smaller platform that I already use and get decent reward from, I have to ask myself is it worth the effort when I already have a presence on other platforms where most of their traffic will be coming from anyway?
If it looks like the platforms will be sharing the same traffic in general, then I may well be wasting my time opening there as well. Of course if the new platform looks like putting a dent in the traffic of my current platform, as a seller, I'm then forced to re-arrange the furniture by now using the other platform as well to maintain the traffic that I already had before they came along.
Essentially, my work load has now increased to cover that market, but my bottom line may not to match it. Every time a new player comes into the market to carve out a new niche, life doesn't automatically get better for sellers, it can mean more work for the same reward.
Of course in this game effective exposure means traffic, and as much of it as possible!
I understand that these guys aren't targeting ebay and in general terms that is what frustrates me. No one is going after ebay, they are all taking up positions in the market place that see them competing with each other, and ebay just keeps going on their merry way smiling all the way to the bank, and leaving them to all fight for the table scraps.
These are business people and most have half a brain. They known they can't hurt ebay because they don't have the resources, so they target other areas where they can compete That's just smart business, and kudos to them if they can make it a success.
Unfortunately, what is good to put money in their pockets is not always good to put money in sellers pockets, it can just be more work, that's the general point that I am trying to make.
I just don't think we need other players coming into the market at this point in time, I just don't see more and more platforms providing sellers with better opportunities, just more options and making it even harder to market effectively.
What we need as sellers in this industry is effective competition, not simply more competition that is watering down the effectiveness of other already established platforms. By that I mean ebay competition, not Bonanzle competition or competition for any other platform.
Yes, it will take a bucket full of cash to chase ebay down, yes it will take a few years to make a dent in their market, and yes it will take some serious commitment, but until we see someone do it then they are going to remain the biggest show in town, and that means that as a seller you are seriously limiting your market if you aren't part of that show.
Again, nothing at all personal against this site whatsoever and I wish them, and all that use it the very best. New selling platforms for members are of course always good to get information on.
My comments here and what I wrote earlier are nothing more than me thinking out loud, and a commentary on how I personally see the marketplace in general terms.
I just long for the day when I see a new player enter the market that is not only serious about taking ebay head on, but has the backing to be able to do it effectively, and finally provide sellers with a platform of equal potential that doesn't have the thirst for blood that ebay does.
Just my opinion, and I tend to have so damn many of them that if I don't expel a few every now and then, my head will explode, and all be it not the best melon on the planet, I've grown quite fond of it : )
