As mentioned in Q3 by eBay (EBAY) management and what you'll hear on Thursday's eBay webinar, eBay is allocating the bulk of their Q4 holiday budget to coupons. There's lots of comscore data coming out that shows online consumers are really embracing coupons (coupon site traffic is up 30% y/y for example), so I think this actually makes sense.
eBay is saying there will be '10s of millions of coupons' and they are shortly going to roll out some changes to the site that will make coupons more embedded than they already are.
Here's one example. You'll see that starting mid/late November, there will be coupons added to the new deals section (click to enlarge)
Next, when a consumer has a valid coupon in their 'coupon bank', they will have a persistent little reminder at the top of all pages and really pulled out on the item page as shown here:
Finally, I believe there will be some treatment (like a little coupon icon) in the search engine results pages for those items that are 'coupon eligible', if the consumer has a coupon in their little coupon bank.
Note to ChannelAdvisor customers:
When eBay first came out with these there were issues and we have resolved those. On top of that we are taking actions today to make sure ALL of the above site-integration 100% works with ChannelAdvisor customers. You can read more about it on this SSC post (login required -for CA customers only).
A final note to the Wall St. folks. While you guys disdain coupons because they are contra-revenue, I do think this is a good move for sellers and thus transaction volume on eBay this holiday so therefore it should be good for eBay as well -even contra revenue. We'll only know how it turns out when eBay reports Q4 results in Q1, so until then, use some darn coupons (at ChannelAdvisor merchants please)!!
Disclosure: Author is long Google and Amazon.
This article has 31 comments:
If ebay is "allocating the bulk of their holiday budget" to coupons they are acknowledging they are in serious financial waters indeed.
Now that's what I call funny, lol.
Isn't that their speciality?
And everyone thought Obama had the trademark on "change."
They 'changed' the search engine to show us what we really want to buy, and from whom.
They even 'change' the way we spell odd sounding words in search.
They have dumbed down the site so that even a caveman can become a pro at buying.
For anyone using coupons for eBay purchases, please seek out the Mom & Pop sellers, and avoid the likes of Buy.com, etc.
These smaller sellers built eBay!
Yes that is funny!
The more time goes by the more the transparent eBay becomes. If it weren’t for certain individuals who have some stake in eBay’s successful performance, there would be no cheerleaders at all. In other words, if eBay fails so do the cheerleaders. So keep them pompoms swinging for the players - too bad the game is over.
Today, I finally figured out the logic of “Best Match” and the real reason for it’s development. It’s called “PAY PER CLICK”. By using the new "Best Match" and it's algorithm, this new search engine was effectively burying our items. As announced today, now you can “unbury” your already paid listings via eBay’s new PAY PER CLICK Advertising! What a deal!!!
This see-thru sneaky, sly and greedy eBay tactic claimed to be in the buyers and sellers best interest, however, it was actually designed to cover the truth once again. Why are they are forcing sellers to put up with the PPC ads INSIDE their ads?
This almost forces them to try to "even the playing field" by FORCING them to buy the other ads in hopes of trumping the PPC ads now placed inside their ads. Sellers throwing the top dollar at eBay's new PPC to make a sale? And we already know BUY and other Diamond PowerSellers will NOT pay a dime for keyword placement, YOU WILL!
Is this how American companies really operate? By screwing the very fabric of society and manipulating the system to their benefit? This company has it’s finger’s in every possible orifice in the human body with a money extractor attached. This corporate greed must be stopped.
Ok, President Barack Obama... Here’s your chance for real change in America.
They advertise a discount code and after you buy and try to use it, it doesn't work.
They send you to paypal's customer service who sends you back to ebay.
Most people just give up and buy the item without the discount.
This is ebay's exact motive. Like offering rebates except never paying them.
If you don't believe me, read about it from dozens of buyers who were already scammed
forums.ebay.com/db1/th...
On Nov 14 02:05 PM Wake-Up! wrote:
> Does Donahoe really expect a handful of coupons to save him?
>
> Yes that is funny!
>
> The more time goes by the more the transparent eBay becomes. If it
> weren’t for certain individuals who have some stake in eBay’s successful
> performance, there would be no cheerleaders at all. In other words,
> if eBay fails so do the cheerleaders. So keep them pompoms swinging
> for the players - too bad the game is over.
>
> Today, I finally figured out the logic of “Best Match” and the real
> reason for it’s development. It’s called “PAY PER CLICK”. By using
> the new "Best Match" and it's algorithm, this new search engine was
> effectively burying our items. As announced today, now you can “unbury”
> your already paid listings via eBay’s new PAY PER CLICK Advertising!
> What a deal!!!
>
> This see-thru sneaky, sly and greedy eBay tactic claimed to be in
> the buyers and sellers best interest, however, it was actually designed
> to cover the truth once again. Why are they are forcing sellers to
> put up with the PPC ads INSIDE their ads?
>
> This almost forces them to try to "even the playing field" by FORCING
> them to buy the other ads in hopes of trumping the PPC ads now placed
> inside their ads. Sellers throwing the top dollar at eBay's new PPC
> to make a sale? And we already know BUY and other Diamond PowerSellers
> will NOT pay a dime for keyword placement, YOU WILL!
>
> Is this how American companies really operate? By screwing the very
> fabric of society and manipulating the system to their benefit? This
> company has it’s finger’s in every possible orifice in the human
> body with a money extractor attached. This corporate greed must be
> stopped.
>
> Ok, President Barack Obama... Here’s your chance for real change
> in America.
Amazon's gonna need a bailout, only 120m in Q3. This Christmas could very well be in the Red for them. eBay won't even come close to losing money...
In your haste ebay+++ you stated: " If John was so desperate you see significant price reductions, apparently there's no desperation at eBay."
You screwed up big time cheerleader! Now, I'm absolutely positive you are either doing specials "favors" for "John" or you are a very, very good friend. Nobody calls Donahoe by his first name so formally, NOBODY! What, are you his wife or sidekick?
Try to remember ebay+++...... Enron also posted high earnings, right up until the day they ran dry.
Oh, and yes, I know of Kim Jong-il. Last I heard eBay was courting him as a Diamond PowerSeller. Thanks for copying and pasting my comment again, I thought it was good too!
I visited eBay's discussion boards & noticed quite a few posts about users not being able to redeem coupons.
The primary reason they don't work is piss poor programming. For whatever reason eBay recruits college students as techies instead of hiring seasoned professionals. These kids have no clue as to how to write code or how the code they write interacts with exisiting code.
Thus users end up with pages that don't load, links that don't work, and coupons that work for some people and not others.
Isn't it funny how our comments are supposedly "slanderous" and a scammer leaving untruthful, permanent, business destroying, negative feedback for a seller is "an opinion"?
The small seller genocide is a fact. It's obvious you have no clue to what's happening to the small and medium (non-Diamond) sellers on eBay.
Why not head over to Seller Central, Lusy, and open your eyes before your open your mouth. Here's the link, in case you've never heard of it:
forums.ebay.com/db2/fo...
the above is my opinion, of course... :)
More importantly, this is just more of the same advertising mantra: Get it cheap, cheaper, cheapest here on eBay.
They are attracting the worse possible type of buyer. Cheapskates. J.M.H.O. Meanwhile they are pizzing off sellers or suspending them at a record rate.
A short visit to almost any of the eBay boards will clearly reveal the situation to anyone with the ability to read. Just remember only a small fraction of eBay users EVER visit the "boards."
The problems are MUCH larger that that small sample reveals. It's beginning to look like the big eBay "whale" may have too many harpoons sticking out of it to survive.
J.M.H.O.
You are one sick puppy!!
Have you turned any turtles on their backs lately, or set any cats on fire?
It's better than associating with a person that states:
"or - as immoral as it might sound - the Third World horrible employment practices, as soon as they result in cheap goods for me) in order to shop there" as per Lusy's statement.
I have not been kicked off eBay, and would be willing to bet that most of the other members of the "pack" haven't been either.
Understaning the current sorry-ass selling atmosphere at eBay must be above your pay-grade. Lusy seems to understand it, but could care less.
FYI, Last week I held 3 auctions on eBay, yes actual auctions, and sold the items for $215 total. These items were purchased by me, on eBay, for a total of $45 in years past.
Last year I purchased a 1950's wall hanging mermaid for $1.50 at a garage sale. It sold on eBay for $120.
Kicked off eBay? NO!
Unhappy with the current leadership and direction fo the company? YES!!!
"have you ever bothered to consider how much child labor is involved in producing the goods sold there? Unless you exclusively but things made in US or Europe - which I seriously doubt"
You damn right I have considered where my goods come from!!!!
My family members will tell you how adamant I am about Not buying foreign made goods, as much as it is possible these days.
Here is a site that I recommend to all:
www.madeinusa.org/
You ask me to look at the whole picture. Well, as a buyer And a seller, I can see clearly.
Your occasional selling does not qualify you to see the flip side.
Lift your veil and let us see the Real reason you keep posting on these blogs.
The "half-witted, confused and bitter person" wins!!!!
"Slander eBay" NO, I slander the new management and their unfair new policies. I have seen many changes since 1997, many were for the good. The new ones ARE NOT.
You seem to read whatever you want into my statements, then come back with a dumb-ass post.
"as it may directly affect your business too"
Selling on eBay is, and always has been a hobby.
My other hobby is harassing clueless........ I'm not going to say it, you may hang around to give me a negative feedback ;)
Buy Buy!
@proBuyer
NAFTA has done a good job of making sure we are unable to buy "made in America".
To me you come across as weak. Accept, obey, and do as you're told. Sorry, IMO, those without backbones always succumb and adapt. They are followers.
"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.
Great nations rise and fall. The people go from bondage to spiritual truth, to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back again to bondage."
Where do you think you fit in proBuyer?
Yes, my real name is Meg ;) John and I are close, he tells me how you were banded from eBay because you were lamest seller they've ever had. Jack Sheng from eForceCity ate your lunch everyday...
LOL
Nice to see you've recovered from McCain's campaign. How have you been? I was curious to know how you knew to dump those massive amounts of eBay stock back in October 2007? What was it worth back then? 47 smackers a share? You got out just in time! Congrats! You made quite a bit a coinage on that move. Many people have been left holding thin and wispy rolls of Charmin. Too bad...
Well I have to go say hi to Sybil aka ebay+++, proBuyer, etc.... she has multiple personalities. What a character though! She goes back and forth praising her own comments on several of the discussion boards around here. Poor thing... I just wish we could get her the help she needs. Oh well, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig.
I think I'll make a suggestion to her today to maybe to get back on her meds and think about utilizing eBay's "Best Match" search, I'm sure they're auctioning off friends.
But the real reason for getting her to search for friends using eBay's new "Best Match" is because we all know she'll never find what she's looking for! But it will keep her busy for hours if not days. This is good therapy for her and will help her learn better typing skills, too.
Well, I have to run, Jack Sheng and I are having lunch again, the last few times we did brunch, he ate mine because i wasn't very hungry.
Nice talking to you Meg.
If you can offer a product at the right price, then ebay will put your auctions higher up in the search results. Ebay bases their "search logic" on recently completed sales, so it is more relevant to showcase a seller that has recently completed sales on the searched item. This works perfectly for the buyer who just wants to pay a fair price from a seller they can trust. The buyers don't care if your a mom and pop shop or an enterprise seller, but they do want the item as described, shipped fast and cheap, and receive satisfactory service if needed.
The reason the "Titanium" and "Diamond" sellers are coveted by Ebay is because of two reasons.
1)They consistently supply the buyer with a positive buying experience, as evidence in their high feedback and dsr ratings.
2) Ebay makes more money off larger sellers (and the buyer is just as happy.) Ebay would rather help grow a seller that sells 250 thousand dollars per month to enabling them to sell 300 thousand dollars per month. (50K increase = increased revenue for ebay of about * $4000 per month.) ... Or they could grow the seller from 10K per month to 12K per month. (2K increase = increased revenue of ebay of about * $160 per month.) Both of these increases are assuming a 20% increase in sales for the two different ebay sellers in the above example. * I'm sure Ebay wants all sellers to grow.*
All of the sellers on ebay start off with zero feedback, but some sellers mature into big powersellers through hard work and determination. (Also making the customer satisfied, seems to help.)
One more thing.... it seems that most of the bigger sellers are happy and grateful to sell on ebay.... while other sellers want to *rag* on ebay for trying to grow their e-commerce business.
So I'm curious, if you ran Ebay.... what would be your growth strategy?
1) Delete best match & playground - replace w/keyword searches.
2) Delete all ppc advertising that drives buyers offsite
3) Add/upgrade servers & replace entire IT staff w/seasoned pros
4) Have 3 search tabs - Auctions, Fixed Price Auctions, Store Inventory
5) Fix the damned shipping calculator - hasn't worked in years
6) Make Paypal optional & add google, checks, money orders, etc
7) Bring SYI back to simplicty so it's easy to use - no ads either!
8) Give featured stores FREE adwords (Donahoe took this away)
9) Hire a designer - the homepage looks like a 3 year old designed it.
10) Fire everyone Donahoe hired because they're clueless.
In addition to the above, the user agreement must be written in plain english, eBay & Paypal must be unlinked (no holds on funds, etc.), and customer service needs to be open 24/7 staffed with personnel that have several years of selling experience.
11) Delete item specifics.
12) Remove shipping caps.
13) Set up a 24/7 customer service number for buyers.
14) Bring eBay back to being just a forum!
You have too much common sense!
Their new creed is: Common sense? we don't need no common sense!!
How about this idea: in order to bring in more of the Buy.com types, eBay should offer to PAY some of the big guns to come on board, not just free or reduced fees, put their items on top in best match, then collect their fees at a later date.
Sort of like a TIF.
Can't you just hear the current "Diamond" sellers squeal like stuck pigs?
A new must read from SmartMoney:
www.smartmoney.com/Spe...
...it seems that most of the bigger sellers are happy and grateful to sell on ebay.... while other sellers want to *rag* on ebay for trying to grow their e-commerce business...
@Diamond Seller
It's kind of like putting the Diamond PowerSellers on a Luxury Liner and the small sellers in a canoe, without paddles, with a hole in it, during a hurricane, wouldn't you say?
It takes two to tango . Donnahue made buyers & sellers mutual enemies. He does not grasp that if the changeshe has implemented make sellers like me with 900 positive feedback stop selling on ebaythen the company is in deep deep trouble.
If their was a real viable option to ebay I have every confidence that ebay would simply collapse as every seller I know is just praying another option to ebay appears
On Nov 14 09:42 AM dinah balk wrote:
> Does Donahoe really expect a handful of coupons to save him?
> Now that's what I call funny, lol.
Wanna know what's even funnier? Donahoe's coupons don't work half the time according to posts on eBay's discussion boards, lol.
I would highly recommend joining a rebate site like the ones listed in
pinurl.com/couponcodes
because they guarantee you cashback each time you buy something so it ends up adding to more than a coupon twice a year.
And that's what eBay's new execs want destroy the small businesses in favor of large corporations that have no business beign on eBay.
That was not the original intent of eBay.
Want a better auction site switch to Auctionfire.com. And for a great alternative to Paypal use Alertpay.com. Alertpay does not hold on to cash for 30 or more days as paypal is doing now to many ebayers. You get your money right away with no problems. The only thing is at the moment credit card purchases are limited to $250, but that is not due to Alertpay is the credit card companies that have imposed that limit. Still its great. Paypal no more.
I don't sell on ebay anymore. I sell garage sale items and collectibles and with ebay fees and paypal fees so high, it was too much work to get back 10 cents for every dollar. Not fair.
We need an auction site that goes back to how ebay was in the beginning, no corporate involment and low fees. Its not fair that in these hard financial times, those horrible bastards are trying to run us out of business. Don't let them, just find a better site.
Have a wonderful holiday and may you Bid Farewell to ebay.