http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200...ed..ne_7463041


Can't decide if this is good for us sellers or not...

Your thoughts?

hmm, i'm not sure what to think.

I have almost completely curtailed sales on Ebay in favor of Half.com -- i consistently get more for my sales at a fixed price than on ebay - even after the 15% fee.

What worries me:

1) fees will change for the worse
2) not sure what will happen w/ feedback - i have a 5.0 rating on half from around 20 individuals all rating me perfect - i hate to lose that or have it turn into generic ebay style feedback (which is only good/bad/so-so style ratings)
3) no more $5 coupons for buyers- i feel this is why i can sell goods for more on half than ebay.

article from link above..

eBay makes move for fixed-price future
By Greg Sandoval
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
October 9, 2001, 3:05 p.m. PT
More than a year after acquiring Half.com, eBay announced Tuesday that it is folding much of the company's operations into its own--a signal that the auction powerhouse is committed to also offering fixed-priced goods.

Half.com has led eBay's expansion into fixed-priced goods, where analysts say that eBay could challenge Web retailers such as Amazon.com.

The person-to-person, fixed-price marketplace will move its technical, general administration and customer service departments to eBay's San Jose, Calif., and Salt Lake City facilities, said Josh Kopelman, Half.com's chief executive.

The plan also calls for Philadelphia-based Half.com to lay off 18 employees, or about 13 percent of the company's staff.

Half.com has operated as a separate business unit since eBay acquired it. eBay said at the time that it would eventually absorb Half.com's operations entirely and do away with the Half.com name, Kopelman said.

eBay's foray into fixed-price sales is a reaction to pressure from Wall Street to expand its business. While eBay has won the auction wars and clearly dominates the sector, the company is turning its attention to developing a generation of Web storefronts--online outlets where new products can be offered at fixed prices that are often heavily discounted.

"Acquiring Half.com (was) one of the key moves that allowed them to vault into a fixed-priced business," said Jeetil Patel, a financial analyst for Deutsche Banc Alex Brown. "It's a direct marketing opportunity to the kind of audience that Half.com addresses. Half.com has gone from 4 million items listed on its site to more than 50 million today.

The rivalry between Amazon and eBay heated up last week when Amazon filed suit against one of its former executives who had jumped to eBay. Amazon asserts Christopher Zyda, Amazon's former international chief financial officer, revealed company secrets to a "direct competitor," violating confidentiality agreements he made at Amazon.

Zyda said he didn't agree to any such thing and that he would not betray any of Amazon's secrets.

Executives at eBay seemed to ignite passions by saying that the company intended to challenge Amazon in the music, books and video categories--Amazon's bread-and-butter products.

As part of the integration plan, Half.com will merge its reader feedback area with eBay. Half.com users will also be able to use their passwords to enter eBay

That is very interesting information. I think that is good because I have one of the biggest stores on half.com. Look for me as "bigcd".

I think that will be good for me as a seller because it's much harder to establish a strong ebay prescence than a half.com prescence. If I can use my 500 feedbacks and over 4,000 items sold on half.com to make the break to ebay thats good business for me.

I have the best prices compared to the unlegit sellers. Frankly there has to be tons of stolen merchandise on there because there is no way can someone sell Snow White DVD for $13.50 because it costs $18.50 wholesale.

Poo.

Nice pitch Mike - you may want to tone down the sales spiel though.

Dear Mr. Big CD,

Did it ever occur to you that someone received the Snow White DVD as a gift after purchasing one themselves? To blindly accuse everyone who betters your price of criminal behavior is extremely low budget.

Your real name isn't S. Fanning is it?

And welcome to the Forum!

No it didn't occur to me and I am unaware of those deals myself. I try to keep up on things but I can't know all the deals. I guess that might be possible however that could not be the explanation where there are sellers that list the same item 10 times in a row for this same low price...

I'm just trying to figure this out because no legit seller can sell DVDs for this cheap and even come close to breaking even. Me being a direct wholesale store myself I know the prices. It's just really weird for me, and me being in the business I want to figure it out.

I do not have direct people at Disney so maybe they can go that low but I highly doubt it. I know stolen merchandise is sold on ebay on daily basis so why not on half.com?

Hey Mike- Just to let you know that not all retailers pay the same price. For instance, do you think that Amazon, DVD Empire, DDD, DVD Planet, etc... buy at the same pricing as you? I think not, their volume is huge and they get deeper discounts than you would. So if you pay 18.50, they pay less. Also, what do you pay for Paramount and Warner titles? I can get any Parmount or Warner title for $6, so maybe that same guy gets that kind of deal from Disney. Out of curiousity who do you buy from?

Well you know there is only like 5 national distributors... or less even.. They all pretty much have the same pricing. I've got accounts with several of them but not all of them.

what do you get Snow White for? Where is your store at... I'd prefer to confer with you in email but I see I cannot email you.

What titles are paramount and warner? I don't know off the top of my head. I can look them up though.

I might be censored because the dvd moderator doesnt like a store owner posting on the forum. Gasp people might find my store and start ordering from there.

DVDTalk is a business. If a store wants to use it to promote itself, that store must GASP pay money.

Business owners who do not abuse their posting privileges are generally welcome and encouraged to use these forums to identify and address customer service issues. This directly benefits both parties.

Please do not use these forums to air your complaints about this issue; as I stated in my e-mail to you, you are encouraged to take this up via e-mail.

I just used Half.Com for the FIRST time, and got a HELL of a deal.

The good part?
The film is a RENTAL ONLY VHS....and Foreign, and I could not 'rent' the title anywhere..and to order it sealed would have been $99.96.

With the coupon $5 off a $10 order(And the guy had it for EXACTLY $10 sealed...), I paid ONLY $9.55 for 3 Day Priority shipping.

It came in 2 days, and was mint, sealed...I don't know HOW this guy even managed this.

At any rate, my concerns were this...
I logged onto Half, and it wanted me to use my E-Bay name, which is BANNED..I am at war with the Nazi's at E-Bay....I got caught selling a boot, the buyer e-mailed me and asked if it was a CDR, I said "Yes", he then retracted his bid and won at a LOW cost...

Then, he tried to file an insurance FRAUD claim becuase it was a CDR. I forwarded all of his e-mails to 'SafeHarbor', showing heKNEW what he was getting, but I got suspended, and they seemingly locked onto my IP...

THey eliminated my BUYING accounts one by one, and finally, I had 9 purchases amounting to $610, and they NARU'd me, and I got stuck on ALL of them. No protection for a NARU'D buyer!!!

So...now that they own Half, am I 'banned' from there,also?

Weak.

But my MAIN point of contention, and please excuse me if I am wrong..is that by the NAME "Half.com", and I BELIEVE a former ad, you are supposed to be able to get DVD's, CD's, etc. at HALF price...

I.E.-I want Terminater SE..someone paid $20 for it, watched it, and wants it gone.
I pay $10.

HALF.FREAKING COM!!!

How is selling Salo for $300 "Half" off of anything?
It just seems like E-Bay 2.

This company strikes me wrong, and E-Bay seems to ignore REAL thieves and bust your balls if you trip up on a MINOR issue like posting a name on the T&S Board to help others, or sell a boot to a fan.

Sorry for the rant, but I am VERY bitter....I sold a CD worth $60 at a store(Even on a CDR..) for $27 and got screwed, but the guy who STOLE $311 from me for a DVD player and never delivered is STILL selling!!!