What is the E! True Hollywood Story About EBay's Former Top Seller Glacier Bay DVD?
Top EBay Seller Vanishes! Feb 2006 - What is the Untold Story?
You might ask why I waited 8 months to speak up, well I've been observing eBay over these past 8 months and I've come to the realization that they are a ship without a rudder, and it is affecting a group of people that I care a great deal about: EBay Sellers. So I thought I would lend my voice to the discussion. I have a unique perspective on eBay, and since I no longer sell online I can speak freely.
When I shutdown Glacier Bay I was number 2 in total feedback with 265,950 unique positives and 539,703 total positives, but I was also seriously in debt. We had been losing money since March of 2004, and I had to make a decision. Do I keep trying to make this work or is my business model so broken I'll never be able to turn it around. I made the decision to shut it down, which was a very painful process for me, my employees, my vendors and for some of my customers. If you were affected by the failure of Glacier Bay DVD I sincerely apologize for the trouble it may have caused.
Let me be clear, in speaking out now about eBay issues, I do not blame eBay for my business failings. I made the decisions or neglected the issues that caused Glacier Bay's demise. I ignored the competition, I didn't adapt to the changes in the marketplace, and I didn't cut overhead when I should have. The reason I am adding my voice to the discussion on eBay now is because I believe it can still be a fantastic "venue" for small businesses and hobbyists, and I don't want you to go through what I did. I also want to give something back to the community of eBay sellers that are truly some of the best people in the world.
In the coming weeks I will be writing down my views of the problems facing eBay today. I invite you to challenge my positions, provide a different perspective and help move the discussion forward. If we make cogent, concise, well-reasoned arguments, maybe eBay will actually listen (yeah, right). Unfortunately, I believe the only constituents they are listening to currently are Investors.
Why should you care what I say in regards to eBay? Maybe you shouldn't, but if you care about your business on eBay I can help you avoid some of the mistakes I made. I walked the "hallowed halls" of the eBay corporate office. I dined with top executives, including Meg Whitman-she is actually a very nice person. For a time I was the shining star of eBay. I sold over $15 million dollars worth of DVDs and CDs over 5 years on eBay. My business failed, but I hope I can help other sellers avoid the pain of failure that I have experienced.
Until recently, I never once read an eBay message board. I have been doing that a lot lately, and the passion I see in what I read had a great deal to do with my speaking out. Sure, there is a great deal of speculation, sure there is great anger but there are also great ideas and great passion for everything eBay. I've learned new things about: Lurkers, Trolls, Cheerleaders, and "The Tiny Mob" I want to be part of the discussion. EBay has not yet fallen off the cliff in regards to sellers, but they are teetering on the edge.
I look forward to discussing these issues and more in the coming months. As my friends from Down Under are fond of saying …
By the way here is a great article on the state of eBay.
Cheers!
Published by Randy Smythe
I write about ecommerce, ideas, Single Parenthood, and Squidoo View profile
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- If you are interested in what some very thoughtful sellers have to say about eBay please read the comments on this message board.
- When I shutdown Glacier Bay I was number 2 in total feedback with 265,950 unique positives
- In the coming weeks I will be writing down my views of the problems facing eBay today.
- I walked the "hallowed halls" of the eBay corporate office. I dined with top executives, including M
23 Comments
Post a CommentRandy, I was a power seller up until February of this year and closed my eBay store and selling experience for good. Many of the same reasons you and others have listed are my reasons too. I was selling for over five years and was consistently grossing $25,000. to $30,000. monthly with me being the lone employee and really enjoying selling athletic shoes. I even attended the eBay powwow in Boston, summer of 07 and was beginning to ask how many of the issues that ultimately plagued my company were going to be addressed and handled. I received a lot of glad handing and rhetoric but mo real answers. Ultimately I shut it down but fortunately with my lower overhead my losses were about $6000.00, which sucked but was manageable. I am still thrilled by e-commerce business and i still make my living via this means, I heave learned to adapt to LAE (Life After eBay). I could really go on about the specific issues that plague the company and would would love to continue this blog and conversatio
Wow. So interesting!!!!!
Joey, you are correct. The reasons for my business failure are much more complex and not tied strictly to one particular marketplace. Also, I made several bad choices that had nothing to do with the marketplace itself. Thanks for the comments.
Randy, while I am sorry to hear about your companies plight, isn't it a bit narrow sighted to blame the mechanics of a marketplace. Fees were too high, new competition, changing rules and marketing methods, isn't this what happens to all markets at some point? What I think people fail to realize is how volitile and dynamic ecommerce marketing and sales can be. I think that your experience provides valuable insight and would hope that independant sellers would take heed at the lessons regarding how to adapt to market changes.
This is weird that I should run across this now. They just increased rates again and I am wondering if I should even stay. I do remember Glacier Bay, and I have actually bought from you before. There was a time when I made most of my living on eBay, but since then the downturn has made that impossible. The regular rate increases, coupled with the regular postage rate hikes cut into profits so much that there is very little profit anymore. This Christmas profits were less than half what they were last year, and I am starting to think it isn't even worth it anymore.
(Continued from above) whatsoever (I have been selling on ebay since 1998) no excessive shipping costs. I relisted the item again and sold it but never received my listing fees back for the removal of the original listing. I emailed ebay twice about this and never received a response. In short I see ebay heading downhill as more and more sellers are unhappy, or worse, put out of business by their excessive fees and inflexibility. For every action there is a reaction, so its a matter of a short time before a competitor like Google surfaces that will REALLY balance the marketplace as ebay likes to say. Good luck to you.
Hi Randy, I am sorry about what happened to you and can tell you that I looked up to GlacierBay for their achievements ever since I read the Wingo book. Being a seller myself that relies on ebay to make a living, I too have been feeling the pinch. Maybe it is unrealistic of me to think this, but if enough sellers said, enough is enough, and could organize themselves, they could bring ebay to its knees. After all, ebay IS the sellers. This is what I once saw as the beauty of this unique site. I remember telling all my friends what an ingenious and simple concept it was. Change is inevitable, but I suppose as with any company, the more it grows the harder it is to manage and lose perspective. Here's something that happened to me recently as an example of ebay's indifference. I had a listing removed recently for no apparent reason. Ebay did not send me an email about it, it was just removed. The item was an old Johnny Cash vinyl record, not a bootleg, not a promo, no listing violation
Ebays auction listings in the US market have now sarted to decline in year over year comparisons. I can't find this reported anywhere. This is the beginning of the end for Ebay. They have driven many of their biggest fans(sellers) to other sites. What kind of insamne business model is that?
J.J. Duane and Kay - Thanks for your comments. I'm positive you are not alone in your experiences and opinion on the direction eBay is taking.
ooops apologies for running over! Item specifics destroyed many a book seller back when that began, and of course it has gone on and on from there. Today I am going to Wagglepop, a new venue that has a lot of the "feel" of old eBay days and a great bunch of eB expats enthusiastically working to build it up. Keep up this excellent information Randy, Thanks so much!