Half.com demise "announced"
09-14-03, 11:57 AM
#1
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Half.com demise "announced"
Friday, September 12, 2003
Dear Half.com Sellers:
Congratulations and thank you for your business on Half.com. Over the past few months, you may have heard how eBay is evolving its marketplace. I'd like to share some information about that evolution and about how you can start selling on eBay.
As we previously announced, Half.com will be integrated into eBay by the summer of 2004. At that point, the Half.com brand and website will no longer exist. The transition will include numerous enhancements to the eBay platform to enable more efficient buying and selling of the types of products offered on Half.com.
Today, we're announcing the first of these enhancements, called "Pre-Filled Item Information," to improve the process of selling on eBay. Pre-Filled Item Information enables you to list books, music, movies and video games on eBay using the same product database currently used on Half.com. You can list items by entering an ISBN number, UPC code or keyword and you can also select from additional product details, stock photos and other content to add to your listing. Click here to see a preview of this new feature.
We'd also like to keep you informed during this transition. We created this online "Transition Center" for announcing Half.com integration news and sharing eBay best practices. Here you'll find regular updates on the progress of the transition and information for growing your business in the eBay marketplace. We recommend you bookmark this site and check in weekly to see what's new.
Finally, we'd like to tell you about the kind of opportunity your business can find on eBay. Here are a few numbers that illustrate what eBay can offer:
- More than 75 million global users—a number that grew 51% year over year as of July 2003.
- An Entertainment category that produced more than $1.6 billion in worldwide gross merchandise sales (GMS) over the last 12 months.
- Fixed-price offerings that already contributed 27% of our total GMS during Q2 2003 and are growing each quarter.
- In addition, we recently rolled out the Immediate Payment option for fixed-priced transactions allowing sellers to immediately collect payments from buyers.
Sincerely,
Mike Aufricht
Vice President and General Manager, eBay Entertainment
09-14-03, 12:11 PM
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I don't understand this as a business move. Half caters to a different crowd. It's "dumbed" down compared to ebay. It's more of a place that people w/o a ton of computer knowledge can go to sell their items. I think alot of the half.com user base will not switch over because ebay is pretty intimidating.
09-14-03, 12:14 PM
#5
eHalf.com!
*Half the enjoyment
*Twice the fees
*Half the enjoyment
*Twice the fees
09-14-03, 12:19 PM
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Originally posted by Deftones
I don't understand this as a business move.
I don't understand this as a business move.
09-14-03, 01:27 PM
#7
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Can we still list an item and not have to worry about the time factor like on half?
09-14-03, 03:35 PM
#8
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Originally posted by Deftones
I don't understand this as a business move. Half caters to a different crowd.
I don't understand this as a business move. Half caters to a different crowd.
09-14-03, 09:46 PM
#10
Originally posted by milo bloom
Can we still list an item and not have to worry about the time factor like on half?
Can we still list an item and not have to worry about the time factor like on half?
09-14-03, 09:58 PM
#11
DVD Talk Legend
This blows. Count me in as a Half.com seller that likely will not sell on Ebay. I have a feeling that someone else will probably pop up soon that apes the Half.com format.
Obviously the old half.com was doing okay...Ebay bought them.
I just hate to lose the wish list feature. I can't name how many items I have bought by listing it on the wishlist & then getting an email advising that the item is there for the price I want it for...or less. And I don't have to worry about winning a damn auction or squatters. I click & buy.
Count me not very happy...
Obviously the old half.com was doing okay...Ebay bought them.
I just hate to lose the wish list feature. I can't name how many items I have bought by listing it on the wishlist & then getting an email advising that the item is there for the price I want it for...or less. And I don't have to worry about winning a damn auction or squatters. I click & buy.
Count me not very happy...
09-15-03, 09:34 PM
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Add me to the list of "none too pleased!" I loved leaving the items up eternally. I'd often be surprised with an e-mail I wasn't expecting for something that had been sitting for months. I also loved not waiting for the buyer to send the check. I'd just ship it out and wait for the direct deposit to drop. Much better system...
09-16-03, 06:31 AM
#15
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Originally posted by boc4ever
Add me to the list of "none too pleased!" I loved leaving the items up eternally.
Add me to the list of "none too pleased!" I loved leaving the items up eternally.
09-16-03, 10:14 AM
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Originally posted by marty888
"leaving the items up eternally" (without having pay a penny p front) is probably why half.com ceased to be a viable business site
"leaving the items up eternally" (without having pay a penny p front) is probably why half.com ceased to be a viable business site
A month or so ago a jury awarded a multi-million $ judgment against ebay for patent infringement, centering on the half.com and “buy it now” concepts. By eliminating [no longer]half.com, they would not have to pay royalties.
Your “sell or get out” idea is contrary to the original nature of the site.
09-16-03, 10:14 AM
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I sell and buy stuff on both sites (mostly sell) and I liked to sell on half.com because it was pretty painless for cheap stuff etc. Sometimes you could get better prices on half than ebay, other times I sold stuff on half that wouldn't sell at all on ebay.
this sucks
this sucks
09-16-03, 11:00 AM
#20
DVD Talk Legend
Originally posted by Deftones
I don't understand this as a business move. Half caters to a different crowd. It's "dumbed" down compared to ebay. It's more of a place that people w/o a ton of computer knowledge can go to sell their items. I think alot of the half.com user base will not switch over because ebay is pretty intimidating.
I don't understand this as a business move. Half caters to a different crowd. It's "dumbed" down compared to ebay. It's more of a place that people w/o a ton of computer knowledge can go to sell their items. I think alot of the half.com user base will not switch over because ebay is pretty intimidating.
I don't think there's anything intimidating about ebay - it's just not as lucrative and it's alot more time-consuming.
09-16-03, 11:55 AM
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But..... but.... but.... what about all those people that live in the town of Half.com? Will they become homeless? It's all very well integrating the website with ebay, but to my knowledge there isn't a town of ebay.com for the poor folks to integrate to. We need answers!
Mark
Mark
09-16-03, 01:03 PM
#22
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Originally posted by Wizdar
You have any facts to back this up?
A month or so ago a jury awarded a multi-million $ judgment against ebay for patent infringement, centering on the half.com and “buy it now” concepts. By eliminating [no longer]half.com, they would not have to pay royalties.
You have any facts to back this up?
A month or so ago a jury awarded a multi-million $ judgment against ebay for patent infringement, centering on the half.com and “buy it now” concepts. By eliminating [no longer]half.com, they would not have to pay royalties.
EBay to pay in patent case
Associated Press
NORFOLK, Va. — A $29.5-million (U.S.) verdict in a patent-infringement lawsuit against Internet auction house eBay will bring changes in how the company conducts sales of fixed-price merchandise.
Jay Monahan, eBay's vice president for litigation, said the company still believes the patents belonging to Virginia inventor Thomas G. Woolston are invalid, but nonetheless plans to implement design changes that will avoid infringing on them in the future.
A federal judge Wednesday ordered the award paid to Mr. Woolston and his Great Falls, Va., company, MercExchange. In May, a federal jury in Norfolk found that eBay willfully infringed on Mr. Woolston's patents with features like eBay's Buy It Now option, which offers a way for people to buy auction items at a fixed price.
09-16-03, 02:54 PM
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EBay doesn't have to pay patent award pending appeal
By Susan Decker / Bloomberg News
EBay Inc., the world's largest online auctioneer, doesn't have to pay a Virginia company $29.5 million while it appeals a jury award for infringing patents for conducting sales over the Internet.
U.S. District Judge Jerome B. Friedman said he would delay enforcement of the judgment against EBay pending the appeal. The San Jose, California-based company is challenging a jury finding that it infringed patents owned by MercExchange LLC of Great Falls, Virginia.
The dispute centers on EBay's "fixed-price" sales. Fixed- price sales have grown steadily in importance at EBay since it acquired Half.com in June 2000 and its later introduction of a "buy it now" option for auctions. Such sales account for more than a quarter of the value of items sold on EBay.
Friedman previously declined to order EBay to halt fixed- priced sales while the appeal is pending. EBay has said it would make design changes to avoid any further allegations of infringement and said customers won't be affected.
Shares of EBay, which are up 83 percent in the past year, rose 13 cents to close at $110.36 on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
By Susan Decker / Bloomberg News
EBay Inc., the world's largest online auctioneer, doesn't have to pay a Virginia company $29.5 million while it appeals a jury award for infringing patents for conducting sales over the Internet.
U.S. District Judge Jerome B. Friedman said he would delay enforcement of the judgment against EBay pending the appeal. The San Jose, California-based company is challenging a jury finding that it infringed patents owned by MercExchange LLC of Great Falls, Virginia.
The dispute centers on EBay's "fixed-price" sales. Fixed- price sales have grown steadily in importance at EBay since it acquired Half.com in June 2000 and its later introduction of a "buy it now" option for auctions. Such sales account for more than a quarter of the value of items sold on EBay.
Friedman previously declined to order EBay to halt fixed- priced sales while the appeal is pending. EBay has said it would make design changes to avoid any further allegations of infringement and said customers won't be affected.
Shares of EBay, which are up 83 percent in the past year, rose 13 cents to close at $110.36 on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
09-16-03, 04:45 PM
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Originally posted by boc4ever
Add me to the list of "none too pleased!" I loved leaving the items up eternally. I'd often be surprised with an e-mail I wasn't expecting for something that had been sitting for months. I also loved not waiting for the buyer to send the check. I'd just ship it out and wait for the direct deposit to drop. Much better system...
Add me to the list of "none too pleased!" I loved leaving the items up eternally. I'd often be surprised with an e-mail I wasn't expecting for something that had been sitting for months. I also loved not waiting for the buyer to send the check. I'd just ship it out and wait for the direct deposit to drop. Much better system...
09-21-03, 08:55 PM
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darn! I pretty much only buy from half.com now since I like the service and prices. One reason why I hate buying from Ebay is that so many people try to rip you off with their shipping. Paying 5 dollars for shipping a cd is crazy.. yet so many sellers try to do that. Of course, when shipping is high, I always try to buy from a better seller. However, on some titles, thats just not possible.
I will be sad to see Half.com leave. I guess I will just try to buy as much as possible from them before they leave.
I will be sad to see Half.com leave. I guess I will just try to buy as much as possible from them before they leave.