£1 for free ebay

[Jason_Lee]

I am looking to set up an auction site similar to ebay but specifically on clothing and accessories. Do you think i could get people to invest £1 to get this business set up? I would offer the service for free with no listing fees etc, i would make the money by asking for investment of £1 to start with. Spend the investment on the website business and what is left over would be my profit. I would then run the site for free and make money from business advertising etc.

Please let me know what you think, if its a good idea how would i gain then investment? Just an idea.

Look forward to your input.

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

I am looking to set up an auction site similar to ebay but specifically on clothing and accessories. Do you think i could get people to invest £1 to get this business set up? I would offer the service for free with no listing fees etc, i would make the money by asking for investment of £1 to start with. Spend the investment on the website business and what is left over would be my profit. I would then run the site for free and make money from business advertising etc.

Please let me know what you think, if its a good idea how would i gain then investment? Just an idea.

Look forward to your input.
I highly doubt it would work to be honest. Getting a website of Ebay complexity developed will cost tens of thousands of pounds and I can almost guarentee you will not find 20/30/40/50 thousand people all wanting to give you a quid to sell some clothes when they can already do it on Ebay (which will probably turn out better for them in the long run, your idea isn't based on a niche at all).

It's like me saying I want to open up a Superstore chain to compete with Tescos which just sells a huge variety of beans and nothing else.

[Jason_Lee]

Ok, if i invested my own money and created this business. There are over 1million listings for clothing alone on ebay. If i advertised this well and just focused on clothing. Also keeping it UK based etc. Do you think this could be viable. I sell clothing retail and believe something like this with fantastic customer service would work.

What are your thoughts?

Ebay has the money and the advertising but i feel it lacks personal customer service. I think specialising in clothing and providing a warm and friendly service would really explode.

All opinions really helpful.

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

Ok, if i invested my own money and created this business. There are over 1million listings for clothing alone on ebay. If i advertised this well and just focused on clothing. Also keeping it UK based etc. Do you think this could be viable. I sell clothing retail and believe something like this with fantastic customer service would work.

What are your thoughts?

Ebay has the money and the advertising but i feel it lacks personal customer service. I think specialising in clothing and providing a warm and friendly service would really explode.

All opinions really helpful.

Like I said before it could end up costing up to £50,000 (possibly much more) for the website development alone. It's unbelievably complex and you would need experts to run it, period. Good marketing could even double that figure.

There are 1 million listings because people want to sell clothes on ebay. It provides a good service, it's cheap and most importantly it has a HUGE buyer base so theres a high chance something will be bought. No one really cares about customer service much to be honest unless their is a problem. Also lets be realistic. Say for example people did want customer service - you would have already spent over £50,000 on development and you would be spending thousands every month just keeping the website up. To make a decent return you would need thousands or even tens of thousands of listings every month, how are you going to provide good customer service to even a few hundred of them nevermind thousands?

Yes you could set it up, yes you may yet a few hundred listings over time (it would never be a success no matter how much money anyone had, in my opinion). My point is with all the costs, time and work involved it would be near impossible to break-even nevermind make a profit (bearing in mind at this point that people have a better chance of selling clothes on Ebay compared to your site with the colossal difference in buyer numbers).

It's an absolutely massive project and it's 100% not viable in your circumstances. Sorry if I sound blunt but I'm just giving you the honest advice.

PS: Check out this thread if you want more opinions on the general concept of your idea, http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=11784 (dont post in it though, it's a very old thread).

[garyk]

Yep as Scott says you arent offering anything unique and there are other ones out there, ebid for example who seem well funded and are global but they are not making a dent in ebay at all. You'll be in a vicious circle, you cant attract punters because there is nothing on there to buy and no-one will list anything becuase the audience is too small. This is exactly what happens on ebid.

Gary

[Jason_Lee]

Thankyou for your advice.

My idea was just to have a retail website selling designer clothing with an auction area dedicated to the site. I thought it would attract more people as they were specifically looking for clothing etc.

Thankyou very much

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

Thankyou for your advice.

My idea was just to have a retail website selling designer clothing with an auction area dedicated to the site. I thought it would attract more people as they were specifically looking for clothing etc.

Thankyou very much

To be honest you would be better off selling designer clothing on your own website/e-commerce setup. If you sell some unique clothing with good prices coupled with an intensive marketing campaign you could probably make some good money (and the costs would be right down).

[bmedia]

If you want an auction script buy http://www.phpprobid.com/ then have it hacked to your spec. This will mean low start up costs etc but in my opinion I would think long and hard before you decide to set this site up

[Eagle]

I agree with the above - you'll be wasting a monumental amount of time, effort and money going up against eBay.

Let the Wookie win.... ;)

[Ruthierhyme]

and I say .. Never say Never :)

If you have an idea YOU feel is worthwhile exploring, do so without investing any money .. get out there and find out if people would be interested .. start small and ask locally ~ be it your local youth group or Gulf club .. grow your network outwards & upwards ....

Remember you'll always get *the doubting thomas types and those critical of your ideas because something bigger and more established exists ... but even they started somewhere ~ don't give up, you could be buying them out in a few years time !

Good luck * thumbs up :-)

[pdecaux]

The only thing about going head-to-head with the likes of eBay is that they tend to protect their market share (I know better than to say "monopoly"!) with all means possible. What you want to try to do is find either a niche area or a gap in eBay's scope (there must be at least one).

Don't give up hope, though! If you can design a free version of eBay, then I suspect it would be popular. How about an annual membership fee?

All the best

[Malcolm Cooper]

I agree with the recommendation of http://www.phpprobid.com/

I'm not negative but you really can't take on eBay. There's a lot of bad stuff to say about it but respect is due. It's the fifth largest economy in the world!

To be positive though I do believe that you can be successful with your own auction site if you target a highly specific niche market. There are some big niche markets out there. I know of 2, scrapbooking is one and dolls house miniatures is another.

If you focus right in on a particular niche you might stand a chance.

[Jason_Lee]

Thankyou for all your advice. I have a 3 year plan for this auction site and have researched what area of auction i want to go in and believe it will work.

WATCH THIS SPACE! - I'll keep you updated.

Thanks again for you input, its always nice to have other peoples opinions.

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

Waste of time and money.



However, good luck.

[ebaby]

Thankyou for all your advice. I have a 3 year plan for this auction site and have researched what area of auction i want to go in and believe it will work.

WATCH THIS SPACE! - I'll keep you updated.

Thanks again for you input, its always nice to have other peoples opinions.

Hi Jason,

I know exactly how difficult it is to have an idea and to believe in it completely... however, ask yourself this question...

Why exactly would people want to put their items on your site and not on eBay? In my opinion you need to have more on offer than an auction site. I have just recently launched a website where I offer people free listing for their baby stuff (no cost to list and no commission). However have been met with a surprising reluctance for people to place ads for their stuff.

Give it plenty of thought and try be objective about it. Too many mistakes are made when one becomes emotionally attached to a project.

Good luck whatever you decide.

[JamieM]

I genuinely wish you good luck with this but believe you will need a barrel load of it.

Loads of people have tried similar sites and failed. Some sites which should be of interest to you have had (very) limited success.

Ebid
QXL
Nochex Classified

The Nochex one speaks volumes for me.

FREE listing is of no appeal if there are no buyers.

Do plenty of research before you spend any money on it.

[Jason_Lee]

What would be the best way to research this idea and advertise it? I have a few ideas of how to advertise this venture but all input would be more than welcome.

All input extremely valuable.

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

Just to build upon someones point before what would your answer be -

Why would people use your website instead of Ebay?

[Jason_Lee]

The website would be dedicated to clothing. All people on the site would either be buying or selling clothing, nothing else. It will be UK based. There will be shops for local clothing businesses to advertise all their stock instead of setting up their own website which is quite expensive. I feel that with the right marketing people would use this website rather than ebay, or maybe aswell as ebay. Taking a very small percentage of ebays customers would be very financially rewarding! Im not talking about making millions like ebay. I talking about making a successful business in my own rights.

There will be a retail area to the the website where i will be selling my stock. I have other people already waiting to sell their stock on my site (local, quite large companies). I feel that if i can advertise well and get quite abit of stock on my site to start with then that will generate alot of customers.

[Matt1959]

One thing about Ebay and that is its huge huge huge and often items for sale get buried beneath the sheer volume of repetitive rubbish. Also Ebay is good for cheap - if its not cheap it probally won't sell. Personally I love Ebay BUT I can see its disadvantages! So as long as you don't compete with Ebay and don't want to be as big as Ebay (obviously!) maybe the comparisons an unfair one to make?

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

Right I'm going to play devils advocate here just to help you get the realistic picture. If the pro's outweigh the con's then go for it.

The website would be dedicated to clothing. All people on the site would either be buying or selling clothing, nothing else.
Why is that a reason for someone to use your site instead of Ebay? Whether it's just clothing or lots of different things there will be more people buying clothing on Ebay compared to your website.

It will be UK based.
Ebay has a UK version.

There will be shops for local clothing businesses to advertise all their stock instead of setting up their own website which is quite expensive.
Ebay has that too.

I feel that with the right marketing people would use this website rather than ebay, or maybe aswell as ebay.
Feeling is all well and good but it's often down to the love and care of an idea, which I've had a lot of experience in (having an idea which you can only see the good in but it actually isnt viable and/or crap).

Taking a very small percentage of ebays customers would be very financially rewarding! Im not talking about making millions like ebay. I talking about making a successful business in my own rights.
Heres the contradiction of your entire plan, let me explain.

For people to put their items on your website there has to be a large amount of potential buyers or no one will make any money. Now a small percentage of Ebays customers isn't really a large amount and if you don't have enough then no one will want to sell. It is either a large amount in direct competition with ebay, which you can't afford to do, or it's forgetting the whole idea.

I understand your point about a small amount of customers but you really wont make much money. A website of this complexity costs thousands, I would be surprised if you ever broke even (bringing us back to the point of no perticular reason why anyone would want to use your website instead of ebay, where it's likely they will make more money that way).


There will be a retail area to the the website where i will be selling my stock. I have other people already waiting to sell their stock on my site (local, quite large companies). I feel that if i can advertise well and get quite abit of stock on my site to start with then that will generate alot of customers.
Now you see, a normal e-commerce website with suppliers will probably cost £2/3k and cost a couple of hundred per year to host. With the right brands you probably will make a tidy sum. Now when you want to start making your own ebay website costs go from £2/3k up to £50k-£100k and hundreds of pounds per month to host. It is extremely unlikely that you will make enough money from the auction side of your website (which is the major cost involved) to possibly break-even.

You also mention 'advertising well'. Saying that is all well and good but when it comes down to it advertising costs a lot of money to be decent, ecspecially with the customer base you require for this website and the fact that the incentive to use your site over ebays really isnt that good. The Internet is huge and to make even a small wage I bet you would probably need tens of thousands of pounds in marketing.

Just think of how big the internet is, what percentage of the internet base sells clothes on auction websites? Then take into account what percentage wants to use your site over ebays. I can guarentee the percentage is probably well under 0.001%. You need to find that 0.001% of your potential customers out of 100% of the Internet. It's like trying to find a Toothpick in a haystack.

My advice: You have a good chance of making decent money with your own online clothes website, in my opinion the ebay type site just wont work. However if you have hundreds of thousands of pounds to make and market this site then it could be quite viable, if you do then go for it. If you don't then if I were you I wouldnt waste my time.

I also noticed earlier someone mentioned an auction website script which can be used to make your own auction website. If you really think this will work then that is by far your best bet. If it's anywhere near decent you might actually have a chance of getting revenue. However I doubt it.

[Jason_Lee]

Scott thanks alot for your posts. I agree with alot you have just said. I already have my auction designed, it just needs making live. The main reason i came up with the idea is because i have been selling designer brands for many years now online on my own site making a nice tidy sum. I just believe there is a market for this idea.

I know exactly what your trying to get across, its just there is that many scams and 'garbage listings' for things such as ebooks and wholesale contacts etc. If i had my site that i already have but with an auction area in, and filtered out all the junk listings i think there would be an interest. I know the figures of advertising as i already have a site with alot of dedicated traffic.

Its just a matter of turning the negatives from ebay into possitives for my site. I have not spent much to have the auction area to my site done as my friend from university did it for me and i already advertise my site. So with little investment and alot of hard work i will see where it gets me.

Thanks again for all the advice.

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

Well if you're sure and the cost isn't that high then go for it. Being an Entrepreneur is all about taking risks after all.

[Jason_Lee]

Do you mind if i ask with what experience are you talking from as your profile says you are only 16. For a 16 year old you seem to have huge opinions about business.

No offense im just curious.

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

Do you mind if i ask with what experience are you talking from as your profile says you are only 16. For a 16 year old you seem to have huge opinions about business.

No offense im just curious.
I do have huge opinions and I don't talk from much experience (I have had experience with media, marketing and e-commerce related sectors since I was about 11 but I've only recently started gaining proper knowledge. So I wouldn't really call all those years 'experience' since I was only skimming the surface).

However if anyone with experience thinks I'm wrong and disagree's with anything I've said in this thread then they are free to do so.

I don't think age matters much in these circumstances to be honest. If a 60 year old was working for 40 years in agriculture and a 16 year old was working for 2 years in e-commerce, who would be considered to have the most experience in this situation?

I was trying to word that so it didn't sound like I think I know everything, don't think I did very well :(.

[garyk]

I would agree with Scott, but sure if you truly believe you can make it work then stick with it and do so!

In fact ebay werent the first auction site, QXL started and had quite a lead over ebay, not sure where it went wrong really, ebay slowly crept into the collective consciousness! Maybe QXL were a little too early and ebay got their timing spot on!

It is a mountain to climb though, put in ipod on ebay and you get 36267 results in consumer electronics on ebay, the same search on ebid (who I think are ebays biggest competition) turns up just 311, where you gonna advertise?

Gary

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

I would agree with Scott, but sure if you truly believe you can make it work then stick with it and do so!

In fact ebay werent the first auction site, QXL started and had quite a lead over ebay, not sure where it went wrong really, ebay slowly crept into the collective consciousness! Maybe QXL were a little too early and ebay got their timing spot on!
Gary

Such a thing happened with many websites around the time of the dot com boom. New ideas were generated and put onto the Internet market like QXL for example. Since the whole concept was fairly new and untested a lot of people developed on existing ideas then launched something much more successful which destroyed the only competitor (which was the original idea). It's a case of trial and improvement, ebay and Google are prime examples of this.

The problem is these days people know the value of the Internet and there has been enough happening for people to have a much wider knowledge of what works and what doesn't. For example before the year 2000 if I had an idea I thought would work I'd probably make it basic and improve at my own pace. These days you have to go from 1 to 100 or your idea will be replicated within weeks, something which is much more common now compared to many years ago.

[TJ Stephens]

Great idea, but think of the competition.

[Ruthierhyme]

Great idea, but think of the competition. if competition scares you .. it just means you're personally not ready for any head to head involvement ... lots are :)

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

if competition scares you .. it just means you're personally not ready for any head to head involvement ... lots are :)

If you don't have much money and you're ready for a head to head involvement then it's most likely you will fail.

It has a lot of variables though including the competitions success and the budgets for the opposition and yourself. Also most importantly it depends if your idea is better then the competitors, in this case it isn't.

[dataferret]

Think of it this way. eBay is huge, amazon is huge and so are all the well know auction sites. They got big investment and big budgets at the start. You CANNOT compete in their market space without having equal budgets and resources - at least not directly in their market space.

You see eBay and all the other big web firms have a fatal flaw (more than one actually). They are too big, cover too wide an area of their marketplace (i.e. all things to all people) and they charge too much. The only reason people use them is because there is currently nothing to rival them.

All this said, they have done a lot of things right. Save yourself some money and study their business model, then take it apart, improve it and reassemble it. I guarantee you will develop somehting better - you just need to finance it.

If it were me I would start by taking out the fee charging system. eBay is littered with people complaining at how much it costs to list an item on a per capita basis. It is great for beancounters who can see the money roll in but for the small firms trying to flog their wares - forget it. The overhead is too great for them to make decent money (but they still do sell bless them - just have to shift lots)

So top tip number 1 - No Listing Fee (Bay) :p

Next lets look at what they try to do in the marketspace. You cannot compete here - they cover everything for everyone. But you have something when you say you want to specialise in just clothing. It gave me an idea. How about taking each category on eBay and turning it into an individual auction website - basically a huge auction network. Sell all the ones you do not intend to operate as franchises - each working to the same rules and each cross-linked. Now you have the equivalent of an Internet co-operative - multiple businesses working as one under a singular charging mechanism and operating memorandum.

So, you specialise in the clothing, another franchisee gets in at the start and does the boats etc etc. all the sites could be searchable from one search box.

My point for this post is as follows: Just because something big exists does not exclude you from setting up as a competitor. You just need to find a better way of doing it, a unique way to market it and a sustainable way to finance it. The bigger firms could be so big they are dinosaurs - slow to react and change. Ultimately they may offer to buy you out - take the money and run if the offer is generous.

Look at all the cars in the world (including ones you build yourself) and the wide number of makes, models, colours, and retailers. Here is a classic example of hugely successful companies in competition with each other (and the hobby builders too), yet nobody has once said - "pah - open a garage or fuel filling station - you will never compete against..."

Ignore all the pessimists who simply say "already been done". They are bean counters (no offence accountants) who are risk averse. An entrepreneur is someone who weighs up the risks, works out the advantages then runs with the idea.

Good luck and I hope this helps

[bidonalot]

it seems as ebay have this idea that they are the best auction site, in my opinion its the worst auction site, as i was treated very badly by them ive opened up my own auctiuon site, it seems if you try and do that some dont like it and your site goes down and nobody can log on or register. so whats the reason.

[bidonalot]

i Will Make It My Goal To Make Bidonalot.com The Worlds Best And Biggest Online Auction Site I Dont Worry About Ebay They Are Just Another Online Auction Site They Are One Of Many.with A Little Help Bidonalot.com Will Succeed Because I Will Do Everything In My Power To Make It Succeed.here Is My Plan..
firstly People Register For £2 And Get £2 Credit After They Have Been Verified Paying The £2 Via Paypal So In Fact Its Free To Register As You Get Back Your £2. This Serves A Good Purpose Because No Credit Card Details Are Kept.next People Can Pay With Paypal Or Aucpay, In Turn Youshopwedrop.com Arrange The Delivery With Expressroadhaulage.com So Everything Is Kept Together As All These Sites Are Owned By Me.nobody Will Be Allowed To Sell Counterfeit Goods Either And Customer Care Will Be Top Of The List. Yes Ebay Dont Bother Me, Its Not How Much Money You Have Or How Big You Are.lets See How This Goes And Maybe In A Few Months Time Bidonalot Will Be The Worlds Biggest And Even Bigger Than Ebay And Its My Goal To Do Just That.

[HC-Martin]

If a 60 year old was working for 40 years in agriculture and a 16 year old was working for 2 years in e-commerce, who would be considered to have the most experience in this situation?


The farmer obviously...don't all farmers use Ebay??? :D

(Sorry couldn't resist!!! - Happy Christmas :p )

[Eagle]

See How This Goes And Maybe In A Few Months Time Bidonalot Will Be The Worlds Biggest And Even Bigger Than Ebay And Its My Goal To Do Just That.
Is it April already....?

[HC-Martin]

i Will Make It My Goal To Make Bidonalot.com The Worlds Best And Biggest Online Auction Site I Dont Worry About Ebay They Are Just Another Online Auction Site They Are One Of Many.with A Little Help Bidonalot.com Will Succeed Because I Will Do Everything In My Power To Make It Succeed.here Is My Plan..
firstly People Register For £2 And Get £2 Credit After They Have Been Verified Paying The £2 Via Paypal So In Fact Its Free To Register As You Get Back Your £2. This Serves A Good Purpose Because No Credit Card Details Are Kept.next People Can Pay With Paypal Or Aucpay, In Turn Youshopwedrop.com Arrange The Delivery With Expressroadhaulage.com So Everything Is Kept Together As All These Sites Are Owned By Me.nobody Will Be Allowed To Sell Counterfeit Goods Either And Customer Care Will Be Top Of The List. Yes Ebay Dont Bother Me, Its Not How Much Money You Have Or How Big You Are.lets See How This Goes And Maybe In A Few Months Time Bidonalot Will Be The Worlds Biggest And Even Bigger Than Ebay And Its My Goal To Do Just That.

I admire your passion and drive...wish you the best of luck!

[Matt1959]

whats so wrong with Ebay and what have they done to upset you?

[bidonalot]

Ebay Have Done Nothing For Me Or Against Me Just Dont Like The Excessive Fees And No Help From Them When You Have Problems

[bidonalot]

Put It This Way Ebay Will Be The Last Name I Want Anyone To Mention On My Site, I Dont Even Want People Who Log On There To See The Name Ebay, There Are Other Online Auction Sites Besides Ebay

[Matt1959]

I can't think of a more cost effective way of reaching so many potential buyers than Ebay. Its also relatively risk free in that you don't pay (much) until you sell. Most of the moans I read about are due to peoples unwillingness to follow their rules.

[bidonalot]

The Answer To Your Question Is Not Ebay Thats Just A Name, People Have Got It Into Thier Heads That Ebay Is All There Is, Thats Not True, There Are Others But It Seems All People Think About Is Ebay All The Time As Ive Said Ebay Are One Of Many And Just An Online Auction Site, Thats All, They Are Not Gods

[Matt1959]

ok fair enough. I've sold quite high value stuff on Ebay in the past successfully and will do so in the future. What other on line auction sites should I be looking at? At the end of the day, I'm not bothered about who I use, just which one works best for me...

[bidonalot]

Everybody Follows The Crowd Wherever They Go, So It Seems You Think Ebay Are All There Is, For Instance Whrn You Search The Internet For Goods Why Does It Keep Showing That Name Eba\y, Why Not Ebid,qxl,yahoo, Etc Etc, As I Said Thats All Going To Stop Because Im Going To Be Better Than Ebay And Thats A Promise Ebay Are Not My Saviours Anyway I Sell My Goods On Bidonalot.com, We Will See Because Ebay Have Met Thier Match And Better, Time Will Tell Im Working Very Hard To Make It Work

[Matt1959]

just dd a search for IPOD on QXL, EBID and EBAY

QXL = 17 results:D
EBID = 701 results
EBAY = 32917 results

I think I'll stick with Ebay for now:)

[bidonalot]

Thats It Stay There They Wont Get Me To Sell There Too Expensive Remember For Every Thing You Sell You Will Be Charged Top List And Even When Youve Sold It You Wioll Be Charged Again. I Charge 1% Accross The Board So If You Sell On Ebay For £2000 You Will Pay £50, If You Sell On Bidonalot You Get Charged £10 And You Want To Stay With Them Oh Well People Follow The Crowd Even If They Fall Over The Cliff They All Follow Lol. Sell Well On Ebay But Soon Im Going To Get All On Ebay Over To Me So They Will All Follow Lol

[bidonalot]

I Guess Its Time To Get Some Advertising Done On The Tv And A Few Million Leaflets To Didtribute Worldwide To Show That There Is Another Online Auction Site Not Just Ebay

[Taabish]

I Hope All The Text On Your New Website Isn't Written Like This.

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

Everybody Follows The Crowd Wherever They Go, So It Seems You Think Ebay Are All There Is, For Instance Whrn You Search The Internet For Goods Why Does It Keep Showing That Name Eba\y, Why Not Ebid,qxl,yahoo, Etc Etc, As I Said Thats All Going To Stop Because Im Going To Be Better Than Ebay And Thats A Promise Ebay Are Not My Saviours Anyway I Sell My Goods On Bidonalot.com, We Will See Because Ebay Have Met Thier Match And Better, Time Will Tell Im Working Very Hard To Make It Work

You really only need to capitalise the start of sentences.

People go with Ebay because of the following reasons:

1). It's much more well established and reliable

2). There are thousands of already established bidders and sellers, giving a much higher chance to get bids and make more money.

3). Despite what many people say it is very well built. I can guarentee tens of thousands of pounds have went into ebay just in development.

I know probably hundreds of people over the years have tried and failed in setting up auction websites, even when some have huge budgets behind them. When it comes to the concept of setting up an auction website it's extremely difficult and pretty much impossible to succeed Ebay.

To be honest I don't believe that you can do all this. I'll have to see the website properly but it's down for maintenance right now (and it looks like a CMS system), plus I can just judge by the way you type and how you capitalise every word. Getting advertising on TV and distributing 'millions of flyers' would hundreds of thousands of pounds, do you have that kind of money?

[kets]

actually internet is a narrow media, to build website is easy..to attract buyers and make them addicted to website is very hard..

[garyk]

Everybody Follows The Crowd Wherever They Go, So It Seems You Think Ebay Are All There Is, For Instance Whrn You Search The Internet For Goods Why Does It Keep Showing That Name Eba\y, Why Not Ebid,qxl,yahoo, Etc Etc, As I Said Thats All Going To Stop Because Im Going To Be Better Than Ebay And Thats A Promise Ebay Are Not My Saviours Anyway I Sell My Goods On Bidonalot.com, We Will See Because Ebay Have Met Thier Match And Better, Time Will Tell Im Working Very Hard To Make It Work

Seriously you are in dream land.

[amo crafts]

Hmmm, I didn't answer this thinking it was a windup, it sure sounds like one! I think I'll keep following the crowds to ebay, doing otherwise would be like opening a shop on a back field track --- lovely environment, cheap rates, and no customers.

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

http://bidonalot.com/

Bahahahahahaha.

This person is either old and senile or very young and niave.

[amo crafts]

:eek:

To be fair it might challenge ebid and tazbar.

Oh ok then, it really doesn't! This must be a windup.

[Hayles]

Hmmm, I didn't answer this thinking it was a windup, it sure sounds like one!


Me too!

H

[Matt1959]

err 99.9% a wind up:)

[bidonalot]

we will see about that i will soon be advertising all over the place just like ebays does even on tv and millionsof leaflets posted by mail companies etc etc.

[bidonalot]

i dont worry about ebay or any other auction sites, as far as im concerned they are just one of many, at least i will be a lot cheaper than most lol

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

we will see about that i will soon be advertising all over the place just like ebays does even on tv and millionsof leaflets posted by mail companies etc etc.

How do you have the millions of pounds required to do that when you have used pre-built PHP bidding software, the logo was made on MS paint and the site looks awful.

I'm fairly sure this isn't a wind-up and the you're at least under 16.

[andysv1k]

Just exactly what is your budget for this almighty e-venture?

I would have assumed you would need more than the current membership of one to convince investors to back your TV advertising campaign.

or is your name William Gates?

Andy.

[mark2123]

If you are going to take market share away from the big boys (Ebay et al) you will need to either compete on price or compete on differentiation (something different).

To my mind, you do not offer something different or better, given how amateurish your site looks - it appears you are trying to be the Easyjet/RyanAir of auction sites - so you must be going on price.

To achieve a competitive edge on price, you will need to keep your own costs down in relation to your revenue - how do you intend to do that given that no-one will hear about you unless you advertise expensively, and that even if you do, you are in the catch 22 position that there is nothing to buy on your site and this gives the impression that no-one looks at it, hence why sell there?

Ebay, as far as you are concerned, have cornered the market because they are a recognisable brand and there really must be something easier in life for you to do than to try to take their customers away - I am sorry, but I don't think you have a single hope in hell of being successful - but I admire your dream.

[Stephen Berry]

There are many wise comments in the preceeding 6 pages - many about the dangers and shortfalls of the currect plan (or the little we know of it) and some about best wishes for entrepreneurial activity or not giving up on our dreams. I agree with much on both sides.
There is no point in setting up an 'e-bay for clothes UK' - that is not entrepreneurial activity - it is replicating an existing market offering but within a limited geographical and product range. The "vision" (sorry about the cliche) has to be bigger, wider and more differentiated.
Wiser to ask (as some have said before) - what are you going to bring that is different ? - and I mean wildly different - that is entrepreneurial activity. Here's an extract from a book in which I have more than a passing interest - I hope it helps:

Entrepreneurial activity generally commences for one of a number of reasons:

Frustration with the inability to buy what someone wants – and so they form a company which will do it – such as Green Baby or Dating Direct
The acquisition of a skill followed by the vision to see the opportunity to use it beyond an immediate network of friends – such as VEF or idealpresent co uk who recommend the most appropriate presents to buy for children.
Seeing a problem which could be solved – such as Dyson whose vacuum cleaner suffered reduced suction or Friends Reunited where the loss of contact with school friends was solved – or my current favourite – the Cocoa Processing Company of Ghana have launched a brand of chocolate called Golden Tree. It claims to have solved the problem of chocolate melting in African heat. Golden Tree is allegedly non-melting chocolate.
Creating something which was previously unknown – such as a strategy book which is not dry and academic!
Considering something which is already being utilised – but in a new way – such as BetfairOne lesson from entrepreneurs is that very few sit around seeking to dream up a new idea. For most they implement a plan to create a market from something they are already doing or to solve a problem they are encountering – the non-drip toddler cup (anywayup cup) was invented by Mandy Haberman who was fed up with her toddler’s drink spilling over the carpet. Sally Preston couldn’t find convenient but healthy baby food – so she formed Babylicious by copying what parents have been doing at home for years, yet no-one had previously thought of making a business from it by making it available to others. Babylicious now turns over in excess of £4m. The strategies of the cheetah are not necessarily about having the idea – many mothers made healthy food before Sally Preston did – but they are about chasing the idea through with speed to bring it to the market before anyone else does. The best entrepreneurial ideas are often about doing something which is already being done, but in a simpler, better or cheaper way – whether it is vacuuming, feeding a child, choosing a present or having a bet.

[Rob Holmes]

bidonalot,

With determination like that you'll succeed at something. But I think it needs channelling wisely to speed up the success else it's 'success via the school of hard knocks' which is a slower and more painful route.

I wish you all the best,

Rob

[adam1987]

Ebay is becoming very strict on its clothing auctions at the moment, if they sense the product could be fake or anything they will ban you or remove your listing.

If your website works and the products sell I can’t see why it can’t work and develop over the years, ebay wasn’t made in a day, month it took years and if you have the time and put effort in it could possibly work.

If other ecommerce websites can make good money why cant yours?

[Stephen Berry]

Could I please put in a plea that this thread either closes or returns to Jason Lee's original question as the Bidonalot's 'yes it will work', 'oh no it won't', 'he's behind you' has hijacked the debate and has become, in my opinion, a little tiresome.

Jason Lee had an idea and asked for some thoughts. I would love to continue to read intelligent, thought through contributions to his business proposal.

[bidonalot]

Does anyone know how many categories ebay and any other auctions have, im trying to find out if anyone has a site bigger than bidonalot.com

[garyk]

Does anyone know how many categories ebay and any other auctions have, im trying to find out if anyone has a site bigger than bidonalot.com

Heh??? How can your site be bigger than ebay, the stats show 2 live auctions on your site compared to hundreds of thousands on ebay who have a presence in most of the major countries around the world. That said I thought your site looked quite good showing all the categories straight off.

[bidonalot]

Yes you are correct in saying ebay are bigger but only by the amount of users, but i asked about size of site by categories, i have checked auction- watch and it states that the biggest site ebay has just over 4000 categories, my site has just over 13.800 categories so it seems my site is bigger than ebay by categories,I have plans to increase this to 50,000 categories. it seems that people are under the impression that there is only one auction site called ebay, thats not true its just a name that everyone knows there are lots of other auction sites around not just one.but i did ask which site has the most categories and have decided not to charge anyone to register its free with just 1% commission fee accross the board for all items sold from 1p to £1,000,000, there will not be charges for listing anything and i dont have plans to start charging listing fees once people have registered as that would be unkind to expect them to start paying after you got them to register and list free, no bidonalot will always remain FREE LISTINGS

[Zii]

Hi BidonalotI have been following this thread closely for the last month or 2. Although you have the enthusiasm and drive plus 13.800 categories which I am sure would of taken some perserverance..how do you plan on getting hits/more auctions.

I am not having a go - just really interested in knowing where you will go from here?

[bidonalot]

word of mouth im sure will do, i dont have the millions but that does not mean i will get nowhere, money and size is not all there is to it, im going to offer a better and happier online auction without the stress ive heard other say they have expierenced on other sites and this includes myself.have put the idea now to microsoft to see if they want to support me a little etc. it will take time but i dont give in that easy, thanks

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

Don't even bother trying to tell Bidonalot that it wont work because he really doesn't take any notice.

[Zii]

Bidonalot - Your copyright says 2006, so that means you have been LIVE since (latest Dec 06). So in 4 months, you have only managed to get a hand full of auctions.

I am not sure if you programmed the site from scratch - if you have, well done but I would recommend you put all that hard work into a more niche product. That way you will be the eBay of that service. The way things stand I dont know if a site like yours will even dent eBay.

I used to work with alot of websites that allow clients to post software development requests etc (sites like contracted work etc) - I know people tried to build better sites however the major reason they all just abandoned their sites after a while was because they didnt get any clients placing requests and I think this will be your problem as the last 4 months show.

I dont know why you hate eBay - get over it and drive your efforts and enthusiasm into something more niche.

I hope you dont think of my post as nasty - its just my opinion.

[bidonalot]

who said anything about hating ebay?, in any case im probably the only one who will challange ebay, i challenge ebay how is that and will try my best to make my site work,ebay is not the only auction site here there are lots, at least ive managed to get a bigger category site than most so im getting somewhere, lets see you take the micky when this gets going, i dont mind ebay at all i have nothing to do about them and will not sell anything on there anyway its too expensive for a start, i am offering a better deal and want all to register instead of talking about it, i mean does it cost you to register on my site.i dont have hard fast rules like ebay at least i dont mind letting sellers putting links or whatever they like and if they want to sell off my site thats fine, the only thing i wont allow is pirate software and other counterfeit goods.why dont you register anyway you have nothing to lose and besides when it does work you can say at least we had a hand in it,thanks for your comments

[Zii]

Hi Bidonalot - its amazing, I do admire your tunnel visionesque determination but you didnt really address my issue.

I have registered - my opinion is still the same - move onto something niche.

[garyk]

who said anything about hating ebay?, in any case im probably the only one who will challange ebay

You will have to go some to be in that position, I think ebid are far and away their closest rival and even they don't come anywhere close in terms of users or auctions and they are global too.

You really don't want to delude yourself that you will challenge ebay, I'm not trying to pour scorn on your idea but I think you are massively (and I cannot emphasis that enough) under-estimating just what it is you are trying to achieve. Unless you have a budget running into 6 probably 7 figures with a compelling and unique proposition I just cannot see how it will work.

Gary

[bidonalot]

as i said before im staying and not going to move over to ebay or as you say niche, im staying to see mu site work and it will work i am 100% convinced it will work, in the last ten mins we have 4 new registrations and these have chosen names that are the best names, well done no1 and abc, i hope to see a lot more of you soon, thanks

[bidonalot]

You will have to go some to be in that position, I think ebid are far and away their closest rival and even they don't come anywhere close in terms of users or auctions and they are global too.

You really don't want to delude yourself that you will challenge ebay, I'm not trying to pour scorn on your idea but I think you are massively (and I cannot emphasis that enough) under-estimating just what it is you are trying to achieve. Unless you have a budget running into 6 probably 7 figures with a compelling and unique proposition I just cannot see how it will work.

Gary

you dont need millions to work an auction site just patience, i ask you where was ebay 15 years ago, nowhere, im nowhere as you might say but we all have to start somewhere, why do i need millions to let people register free and sell free,its easy to see its free so i dont need millions, my site is global too and i dont have millions do i.

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

I told you guys not to bother explaining to this guy that it will not work :p It's like talking to a brick wall.

[bidonalot]

you are all defeatists and would give up with the slightest competition, they have said to many nobodies over the years calling them idiots as you all seem to think i am, but one day you will all eat your words, i wont talk to any of you again on here you are all piss takers goodbye to you all

[bidonalot]

Bidonalot - Your copyright says 2006, so that means you have been LIVE since (latest Dec 06). So in 4 months, you have only managed to get a hand full of auctions.

I am not sure if you programmed the site from scratch - if you have, well done but I would recommend you put all that hard work into a more niche product. That way you will be the eBay of that service. The way things stand I dont know if a site like yours will even dent eBay.

I used to work with alot of websites that allow clients to post software development requests etc (sites like contracted work etc) - I know people tried to build better sites however the major reason they all just abandoned their sites after a while was because they didnt get any clients placing requests and I think this will be your problem as the last 4 months show.

I dont know why you hate eBay - get over it and drive your efforts and enthusiasm into something more niche.

I hope you dont think of my post as nasty - its just my opinion.

ONE LAST THING BEFORE I GO,I PURCHASED THE SOFTWARE IN 2006 AND HAVE WORKED ON IT SINCE THEN AND INCREASED THE CATEGORIES FROM APPROX 3,000 TO 14,000, IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS IT WILL RISE TO 100,000 COME EBAY LETS GO FOR IT AND IVE ENTERED MY SITE TO GUNNESS RECORDS AS IVE OVERTAKEN THE SO CALLED BIGGEST AND BEST BY AT LEAST 10,000 CATEGORIES, IF YOU HADS SAID A COPLE OF MONTHS AGO IF THIS WERE POISSIBLE YOU WOULD OF SAID NO BUT I HAVE ACHIEVED WHAT I SAID I WOULD DO

[Zii]

you are all defeatists and would give up with the slightest competition, they have said to many nobodies over the years calling them idiots as you all seem to think i am, but one day you will all eat your words, i wont talk to any of you again on here you are all piss takers goodbye to you all

Bidonalot - you need to be able to accept other business owner's advice. You dont have to do what we say but to throw your toys out of your pram like above makes you and your company look bad mate.

Just think - 50% of your potential subscribers google your company. They will arrive here and read your post.

Its not professional nor is it the image you want to show.

[Exclusively You!]

Bidonalot

You have just succumb to your first business hurdle, all these people were trying to give advice, a lot were telling you not to do it, some were telling you good luck and some were simply asking why you think you will take over ebay.

Your last post above says to me that you are very immature in your actions, as a businessman trying to build a business you need to be able to take critisism, you are biased when it comes to your site and business as it is your dream, your customers as well as being your bread and butter are also your worst enemy because if something is wrong they will tell you and tell you hard. You wouldn't be able to say to them they are pi**ing you off and storm off, you would need to deal with the situation professionally and maturely.

All of the people on here could be potential customers yet with your outburst right there you may have just alienated a lot of people.

I agree with a point someone mentioned the original post question has been totally hijacked and forgotten about now which is totally not what this site is about.

My suggestion to you bidonalot is rather than come on here and claim to begin world domination I would have simply said, I believe in my site, I will do my best to make it work for me. I have noticed the problems with other aution sites (not just ebay) and I aim to correct this via my site. If however 1/2 years down the line it still hasn't caught on, at least you can say you tried without making a fool of yourself.

Knowledge is power, all the people on here are full of information all they were doing was trying to give you some of that information, to build your knowledge of the auction industry, no one was really trying to ridicule you but unfortunately you did that yourself.


Regards

Craig

[adam]

ONE LAST THING BEFORE I GO,I PURCHASED THE SOFTWARE IN 2006 AND HAVE WORKED ON IT SINCE THEN AND INCREASED THE CATEGORIES FROM APPROX 3,000 TO 14,000, IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS IT WILL RISE TO 100,000 COME EBAY LETS GO FOR IT AND IVE ENTERED MY SITE TO GUNNESS RECORDS AS IVE OVERTAKEN THE SO CALLED BIGGEST AND BEST BY AT LEAST 10,000 CATEGORIES, IF YOU HADS SAID A COPLE OF MONTHS AGO IF THIS WERE POISSIBLE YOU WOULD OF SAID NO BUT I HAVE ACHIEVED WHAT I SAID I WOULD DO

WOAH WITH THE CAPITALS.

So what you are saying is your site is bigger becuase you fragment the limited data in to 4 times as many categories?

Well done on having the big plan, don't let others get in your way when it comes to trying but please don't risk everything or get delusional over what can be achieved easily.

But let's look at the site, with your 7 users and 2 live auctions you have some way to go to "beat" ebay. I also can't see 14,000 categories listed down the side. I can see the button to say sell but not to buy. How do I get to see these auctions?

Also, what about the original poster to this thread wanting to start and auction site for clothing?

[openmind]

I might be missing the vital link here but what's the point of having 10, 1,000, 10,000 or 100,000 categories if there is no interest in the site and no auctions?

All you have achieved so far is a big directory with nothing in it.

I would seriously concentrate on the basics first and look at how you are actually going to get users onto the site and using it before ploughing ahead with empty categories.

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

Whether your website has 100 catagories or 10,000,000 catagories, it doesn't make the site any bigger, better or more powerful whatsoever. You've pretty much wasted your time by adding so many.

[bidonalot]

i have not wasted my time but it must of been a good site otherwise why would anyone want to hack it as they have so im moving it, i will get the help needed and will overtake ebay very soon, they might have money but thats all, a lot of very unhappy people on ebay as you only have to read the comments to get the message ebay is on its way out now

[bidonalot]

WOAH WITH THE CAPITALS.

So what you are saying is your site is bigger becuase you fragment the limited data in to 4 times as many categories?

Well done on having the big plan, don't let others get in your way when it comes to trying but please don't risk everything or get delusional over what can be achieved easily.

But let's look at the site, with your 7 users and 2 live auctions you have some way to go to "beat" ebay. I also can't see 14,000 categories listed down the side. I can see the button to say sell but not to buy. How do I get to see these auctions?

Also, what about the original poster to this thread wanting to start and auction site for clothing?

yes 7 users and all joined recently not bad, remem
ber ebay had 7 once did you know that,there are 15,000 categories and not fragments, this site is good as ebay are now changing fees and even the look of the site since i came along and now the site has been hacked, what does that tell me??? i know the answer

[Eagle]

Is the site up and running? What's the URL? :)

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

i have not wasted my time but it must of been a good site otherwise why would anyone want to hack it as they have so im moving it, i will get the help needed and will overtake ebay very soon, they might have money but thats all, a lot of very unhappy people on ebay as you only have to read the comments to get the message ebay is on its way out now

WRONG.

They don't have just the money. They have the huge userbase, the experts, the hundreds of employees, the very powerful website. You my friend have a lot less then almost every other failing competitor.

There isn't a lot of very unhappy people and Ebay is FAR from being on it's way out, something you can't seem to understand. So you may have seen a few hundred or even a few thousand (highly unlikely) complaints about Ebay. Theres MILLIONS of users, a few hundred or thousand of them is a tiny percentage, it's not even going to dent Ebay. If theres any unhappy customers then they're going to go to the second best competitor where they can still get bid's, not yours.

yes 7 users and all joined recently not bad, remem
ber ebay had 7 once did you know that,there are 15,000 categories and not fragments, this site is good as ebay are now changing fees and even the look of the site since i came along and now the site has been hacked, what does that tell me??? i know the answer

No they havent. I can 100% guarentee Ebay have not heard of your website. Why would they change their services because you've appeared? You have no money, no apparent business skills, no customers, nothing. Thousands of websites are exactly like yours which offer free listings and are 1000x better. Seriously absorb this, Ebay have taken 0% notice of your website.

As for the hacking, if you've been talking on here like you have on other websites then I'm not really surprised it's happened to be honest. People are just like that.

[Zii]

I told you guys not to bother explaining to this guy that it will not work :p It's like talking to a brick wall.

You seem to have given sound advice. The guy will not listen.

BIDONALOT - I am one of the 7 people you mentioned that has registered. I only did it to see what your user cp was like. You have emailed me twice from your company using a hotmail address - why is that?

[Exclusively You!]

I can't even see the site anymore!!

[bidonalot]

WRONG.

They don't have just the money. They have the huge userbase, the experts, the hundreds of employees, the very powerful website. You my friend have a lot less then almost every other failing competitor.

There isn't a lot of very unhappy people and Ebay is FAR from being on it's way out, something you can't seem to understand. So you may have seen a few hundred or even a few thousand (highly unlikely) complaints about Ebay. Theres MILLIONS of users, a few hundred or thousand of them is a tiny percentage, it's not even going to dent Ebay. If theres any unhappy customers then they're going to go to the second best competitor where they can still get bid's, not yours.


No they havent. I can 100% guarentee Ebay have not heard of your website. Why would they change their services because you've appeared? You have no money, no apparent business skills, no customers, nothing. Thousands of websites are exactly like yours which offer free listings and are 1000x better. Seriously absorb this, Ebay have taken 0% notice of your website.

As for the hacking, if you've been talking on here like you have on other websites then I'm not really surprised it's happened to be honest. People are just like that.
WE WILL SEE THEN WONT WE KNOW IT ALL, WHAT MAKES YOU MTHINK IVE GOT NO MONEY, YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME, WE WILL SEE, tell me why do shops open near massive food giants and still they make a living, in fact they probably make more profit and have time for customers, ebay never had time for me and made my lie hell while i was there, at last im free there is life outside of ebay, they are just a name to me thats all, size does not matter anyway, we will see so keep your clever eyes open as you no doubt will

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

WE WILL SEE THEN WONT WE KNOW IT ALL, WHAT MAKES YOU MTHINK IVE GOT NO MONEY, YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME, WE WILL SEE, tell me why do shops open near massive food giants and still they make a living, in fact they probably make more profit and have time for customers, ebay never had time for me and made my lie hell while i was there, at last im free there is life outside of ebay, they are just a name to me thats all, size does not matter anyway, we will see so keep your clever eyes open as you no doubt will

I know you have no money because business wise, you're incredibly naive. Sorry to be blunt but what you're saying is a huge giveaway into just how much you know and your chances of succeeding.

It's obvious (now proof by your last post) that you got screwed over by ebay, so I can respect that you're probably doing this out of anger, almost being blinded by it. Trust me I've been the same before.

And just to correct your point, shops do not open next to massive food giants, opening a food shop next to a Tesco's supermarket would be one of the single stupidest things someone could do. Massive supermarkets open up near small shops and it often causes them to close down. It's been all over the media recently so I have no idea where you rendered up the idea that smaller shops make a better living, it's far from the truth.

[da8iwr]

Now now girls, this sounds like an argument that happened a few weeks back about how long it takes to build a website lol

I haven't read all of the TEN pages of your snapping at each other, just the first few posts on page 1 and the last few on page 10.

But...

Scott is right mate I'm sorry to say

There was a company set up by somebody i know in the northeast called www.nebay.co.uk (http://www.nebay.co.uk), he invested thousands into it and paid for marketing on the metro trains, the local buses, local papers and loads of other ways. But the most famous was on a trailer besides the A19 just north of Sunderland near a major junction called Testos roundabout (Boldon Cinema for people around here).

They just charged £1 for any item, no commission, to sell in an exact copy of eBay, they still had no sales at all, and then dropped the charge away completely.

All that happened then was it was attacked massively by stiffy pills and other spamming companies. He spent more time keeping it clean than doing anything else. It is now dead, and given up completely, after loosing huge amounts of money.

NEBay was a specialised EBay copy as well, it was only supposed to be in the North east, hence the name.

Your in a catch 22 situation. Nobody will place stuff onto your site until you have stuff on it, but you wont get stuff until people start to load it up. As even if it was free to upload, then why bother, no body will see it, as its an empty site.

eBay was started by a group of investors in silicon valley, who used massive money to buy a load of other smaller auction sites and join them together. This then continued, buying other companies up and adding the contents and domain name to eBay.

That's how they got around the catch 22.

This is the same for Rightmove, Property Finder and most other huge sites.

Look for another project mate, unless you have millions of pounds in the bank, but if you have, go and live somewhere warmer than here with beautiful women and ice cold drinks :D

Ian

[swisslogistics]

Is it just me or have we not been here before?

I could swear ive read something almost identical to this last year sometime and the same comments were made than!!!

De ja vou?

[garyk]

Yes and the guy doesn't listen, which is his perogative but I mean coming up against someone like ebay with no USP and what seems no budget to do it with is just crazy.

We have been here before many times and on many different threads!

[stugster]

Hey bidonalot.

I don't know why I haven't read this thread before - just spent 20 minutes going through it all. What a fantastic idea you've got! I know myself that there are a lot of auction sites out there at the moment, but none that I would trust more than eBay. As soon as your site exceeds eBay's trusted user-base, it's trusted secure server(s) [note: Server(S) - they have about 100 in each major country to keep them going] , and you have something worth bidding on your site, let me know!

I'm sure in a previous post you touched very briefly on the payment methods you're going to accept. You do realise that PayPal is owned and fully operated by EBAY!? So, I'm not sure how you're going to overcome not having ebay anywhere on your site.

How old are you out of interest? I remember when I was 13 or 14 and I had a couple of fantastic ideas for business. I learned the hard way, and found that although in my mind it was viable, the business in fact wasn't.

If you live in Scotland, I would strongly advise you to have a meeting with a Business Adviser (www.bgateway.com (http://www.bgateway.com)) to discuss your business idea. Have you done any market research on it? To be honest, I have a feeling Joe Public would rather go with eBay than to try something new - especially as it's via the Internet.

I tried visiting the site just now, and it's not working, what happened? If you were hacked, do you have 24/7 on-site technical support operators to get your servers back online?

"there is life outside of ebay" - and business outside Auction Sites :)

I await you returning from School for your reply.

Stuart. x

P.S. You do realise that the name "Bid on a Lot" means to me: a lot as in a big group of items? Rather than "Bit on an Item"

[Gavin Harris]

now the site has been hacked, what does that tell me??? i know the answer

It tells me I'd never trust my details with your website if it can be hacked so easily.

I'm not going to bother going into detail as it's clear you don't want to accept the truth, but eBay has so much going for it than you. For one, it's the trust thing. Why would I trust your site? I know that eBay are a multi-million (billion?) pound business that has the infrastructure and the security that I demand from a website looking after transactions of this nature. You clearly can't offer that level of security.

Let me direct you to: http://www.kellel.com/ (http://www.kellel.com/)

I know for a fact that that company has spent many many tens of thousands advertising their website - and it doesn't seem to have that many products on. It goes to show that to even attempt to take on eBay you have to have a multi-million pound budget. Even then it's very, very unlikely to work.

What you've effectively done is opened the equivalent of a little shop, with 10,000 different product lines advertised in your brochure, but when you get into the shop to buy you find there are only 4 different products available. It's never, ever going to take on Tesco!

For your sake, I wish you'd save your money now before wasting anymore of it.

[webit]

i have not wasted my time but it must of been a good site otherwise why would anyone want to hack it as they have so im moving it, i will get the help needed and will overtake ebay very soon, they might have money but thats all, a lot of very unhappy people on ebay as you only have to read the comments to get the message ebay is on its way out now

I for one love this guy - Go Bidonalog Go ... :)

[stugster]

BidonaLog :D Now there's a USP! I'll have that big brown one please!

[webit]

Gets coat and leaves :)

[puresilva]

eBay was started by a group of investors in silicon valley, who used massive money to buy a load of other smaller auction sites and join them together. This then continued, buying other companies up and adding the contents and domain name to eBay.

Yup....and YouTube started with around $3,500,000 invested in it.

Google got a cheque for $100,000 not long after they started - that might not sound a lot, but that allows a company to get to the next stage. (link here (http://scenariothinking.org/wiki/index.php/How_did_Google_start_with_finance%3F)). Oh, and inventing a superior search algorithm helped them too....

[garyk]

Yes and of course the key here is that they innovated which is probably why they would have got seed funding in the first place. If you went to VC/investor with a copy-cat idea chances are you wont see any money!

[stugster]

Hey guys, would anyone be interested in this idea... I need an investment to get it going, but it's this communication system.

It will allow you to send and receive data, for example, documents, spreadsheets, or even like, pages. We can have it as a world-wide service too!

We'll call it, the Internet!

[templarmc]

I think this has all the hallmarks of a classic thread - good advice, tantrums, wacko ideas, tiffs, but did it actually solve the original poster's concerns?

Bidalot, I think you're one in a million; you clearly have determination, energy & belief, and a stubborn streak a mile wide. Often these traits make entrepreneurs, and I wish you every success, but you should also take advice on board.

You remind me of kids that stick their fingers in their ears and say "I'm not listening, nananananana" ..... This is fine, as long as you don't end up having a Violet Elizabeth "I'll scweam and scweam" hissy fit when it all goes pear-shaped.

Going back to Jason's (and biddy's) point, my question would be - if it wasn't for eBay, would you still have an idea? Seems to me eBay is both the inspiration & the competition for your enterprise, but how does your empire compare with it? How can you possibly hope to compete, surely it's a question of investment, scope, market share but most of all - it's been tried many times before and failed, so why would you succeed?

[da8iwr]

Google got a cheque for $100,000 not long after they started - that might not sound a lot, but that allows a company to get to the next stage. (link here (http://scenariothinking.org/wiki/index.php/How_did_Google_start_with_finance%3F)). Oh, and inventing a superior search algorithm helped them too....

Ive seen the link there, but i have a book wrote by David A Vise called " The Google Story" which says the rest of the story.

Watch out for history lesson here :)

Sergeys (one of the 2 who invented google), his Mother is a NASA scientist, and his father teaches Maths at the Uni of Maryland and his grandfather was a professor of Maths. I also read somewhere that his father had some form of Noble prize in Maths and his son was equally as good in Maths.

It was Larry (the other inventor) who first invented it, and the two became best buds.

They then received a $20,000 computer set up form the uni to help them
and
$10,000 cash from the Stanford Digital Libraries Project

They both worked for 18-21hrs per day every day for 3 yrs, and didn't do anything as they had the meeting with the $100K bloke to show him a working version of the system.

They were allowed to stay at the uni for 3 yrs and continue their studies as well as use all the resources and mind/man power for free. After that they moved a Garage and paid $1700 per month (must of been a nice garage) and continued

The reason I'm saying this, is because most of the times, its not just money, its all the other huge elements. With a set of coincidences like this, where 2 of the worlds top level (of the whole planet) students meet by chance, both have similar outlooks, financial backing, professors of MIT and other Uni's at their finger tips for advice and help, and dedication to work 18-20hrs per day for three years solid, only success should come off.

But money does help of course ;)

[Eagle]

Ever fancied going on Dragon's Den? Now that would make great television... :D

[puresilva]

The reason I'm saying this, is because most of the times, its not just money, its all the other huge elements. With a set of coincidences like this, where 2 of the worlds top level (of the whole planet) students meet by chance, both have similar outlooks, financial backing, professors of MIT and other Uni's at their finger tips for advice and help, and dedication to work 18-20hrs per day for three years solid, only success should come off.

Agreed.....a lot of things fell into place - a mixture of privilege, talent and dedication.

Not to sound too negative (more realistic) - a lot of equally talented people in India, China, Thailand, Phillipines or perhaps even on a Wolverhampton council estate with equal amounts of dedication will likely not stand a chance now to compete with other search engines because of the money aspect. Back in 1996, it was still possible - now? I'd absolutely love to be proven wrong here (being a fan of Google, but not being a fan of their domination of the market).

[da8iwr]

Its 4.30am, what you still doing up???

See you and me will one day make it with dedication like this to be still working lol.

There again, i don't entirely agree on your statement. Your right a guy from Hendon in sunderland (highest crime rate area in the UK and 2 Min's from my house :() cant compete with Google, but they also cant compete with Ford, but that isn't being looked at here, as ford has been going 100+ years and people forget that real massive companies are being born into the internet world.

The internet is still only a baby, but is growing fast, much faster than anybody ever realised, and there will be enormous companies like in all other industries. But there is also room for smaller guys like you and I. Look at the size of Wimpy and Barratts, but there area Hundreds of smaller companies and self employed builders per city in the UK.

If nutters like Duncan Bannatyne can make it from Glasgow, and all the other hidden Gems of the entrepreneur world, then I'm sure anybody on here can do it.

You just need to find an opening, a realistic market, and be good at what you do.

Don't try to re-invent Google, EBay, BBC, Ford, Gucci, Sony, Dell, Ikea, and all the other major companies, as it just wont happen.

Unless you win the lottery on a rollover :D

[bidonalot]

You seem to have given sound advice. The guy will not listen.

BIDONALOT - I am one of the 7 people you mentioned that has registered. I only did it to see what your user cp was like. You have emailed me twice from your company using a hotmail address - why is that?

can you recall when ebay started, did they have a lot of registrations?
maybe they had one, then two, then three and so on, exactly the point
i have more on my auction than ebay to offer, my site is very easy to navigate, you dont even have to search for what youre looking for as there is a category for almost every item, im well ahead of ebay now and have twice the amout of categories, soon im doing away with the probid site and replacing it with a new one thats going to have more features than the best online auction, you will soon stop ridiculing me when you see the features, its costing a few thousand but im sure this will work

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

can you recall when ebay started, did they have a lot of registrations?
maybe they had one, then two, then three and so on, exactly the point
i have more on my auction than ebay to offer, my site is very easy to navigate, you dont even have to search for what youre looking for as there is a category for almost every item, im well ahead of ebay now and have twice the amout of categories, soon im doing away with the probid site and replacing it with a new one thats going to have more features than the best online auction, you will soon stop ridiculing me when you see the features, its costing a few thousand but im sure this will work

Whey Bitonalot is back!

Seriously now though, I've repeated myself so many times, telling you exactly why your venture will not work but you don't listen. I give up. Just do whatever you want to do and you will learn your lesson in due time :)

[bidonalot]

You seem to have given sound advice. The guy will not listen.

BIDONALOT - I am one of the 7 people you mentioned that has registered. I only did it to see what your user cp was like. You have emailed me twice from your company using a hotmail address - why is that?

can you recall when ebay started, did they have a lot of registrations?
maybe they had one, then two, then three and so on, exactly the point
i have more on my auction than ebay to offer, my site is very easy to navigate, you dont even have to search for what youre looking for as there is a category for almost every item, im well ahead of ebay now and have twice the amout of categories, soon im doing away with the probid site and replacing it with a new one thats going to have more features than the best online auction, you will soon stop ridiculing me when you see the features, its costing a few thousand but im sure this will work

[Gillie]

Scott, don't start again please! To mock hope is to kill a man!!

Let him be, and eventually he will either prove himself or die trying, either way, your conscience is clear mate, so don't mock!

[bidonalot]

You seem to have given sound advice. The guy will not listen.

BIDONALOT - I am one of the 7 people you mentioned that has registered. I only did it to see what your user cp was like. You have emailed me twice from your company using a hotmail address - why is that?
I DONT HAVE AN HOTMAIL ADDRESS
I Will remove you if you want from the database tell me who you are as i have more than 7, maybe you should add a few zeros,ive told everyone not to list anything yet untill thr grand opening day,surprises in store

can you recall when ebay started, did they have a lot of registrations?
maybe they had one, then two, then three and so on, exactly the point
i have more on my auction than ebay to offer, my site is very easy to navigate, you dont even have to search for what youre looking for as there is a category for almost every item, im well ahead of ebay now and have twice the amout of categories, soon im doing away with the probid site and replacing it with a new one thats going to have more features than the best online auction, you will soon stop ridiculing me when you see the features, its costing a few thousand but im sure this will work

[Zii]

Bidonalot - I really do hope you succeed and if you read all my posts you will see that.

1) I take it you have identified me from the 000's of subscribers as you have started to email me.

2) Please be professional and stop emailing me things like:

whats this
Phone Number : 333 333333333
, would ebay accept this as a phone number


Finally - Good Luck.

[da8iwr]

Can you recall when eBay started, did they have a lot of registrations?
maybe they had one, then two, then three and so on, exactly the point
i have more on my auction than eBay to offer

Not wanting to restart or repeat many posts in this thread. But eBay didn't start like that.

It was a group of investors in Silicon Valley who set up eBay, they bought with millions of dollars as many other large auction sites as they could to hold a monopoly over the market. So then all the auction items and all the visitors from each site were directed and held in one site.

This is still continuing today, they are reportedly still buying auction sites in countries and areas where they arnt as well known.

But by the sounds of the emails your sending out, you may need more than good marketing to make your site work.

Good luck
Ian

[da8iwr]

Oh also, you all may find this a little fun if you want to see how eBay started.
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.ebay.com

Check out 14-06-1997, the first page ever shown by eBay.

Also http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.google.com (http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.google.com)Look at 2nd of Dec 98, the first ever Google page when it was being built in Beta.

When i first found this site some time ago, i never did any work all day, as was to busy looking at sites like the BBC, Microsoft (advertising Win 95 being released) Apple, and so on.

[simply-kids.co.uk]

I have come accross this post before and only really now started to read the posts

Id like to see the new auction site, but cant find any links and after reading the posts I have lost interest. I hope the new auction site has as much effort put into it as is being put in here replying to these posts

[adam]

I have come accross this post before and only really now started to read the posts

Id like to see the new auction site, but cant find any links and after reading the posts I have lost interest. I hope the new auction site has as much effort put into it as is being put in here replying to these posts

Wasn't it bidonalot and then .co.uk? It will be good to see, you have the passion for replying as said above but you need to have something to get people using it. That you might have, I do not know, I make no judgement but we would like to see it.

[stugster]

is it http://www.bid-alot.com/ perhaps?

[joanna116]

Wow,it's really difficult at the beginning.
How can let others know that?Everyone know ebay,so there are huge sellers and buyers.

[bidonalot]

Scott, don't start again please! To mock hope is to kill a man!!

Let him be, and eventually he will either prove himself or die trying, either way, your conscience is clear mate, so don't mock!

nobody is going to kill me and i will not stop this venture soon you will all stop laughing and if you tell me who you are so i can blacklist you from the site

[bidonalot]

Im not the type to give in through ridicule from you or pheebay, im having the rubbish probid software replace with a much better auction package and then we will see you all stop laughing and ebay will then have something to worry about, watch out here i come to make bidonalot.com the worlds biggest category online auction, as my site stands now its twice the size of ebay anyway with well over 27,000 categories, is there a bigger site, i dont think so, members dont make the site bigger, the categories remain the same, i intend entering this site into the guiness book of records, hows that for a novice you all seem to think is stupid

[Gillie]

Erm ... didnt say anyone would kill you ... its a phrase me dear, merely a turn of phrase so chill!!

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

hows that for a novice you all seem to think is stupid

My opinion hasn't changed.

Catagories mean nothing. Seriously, NOTHING. The amount of catagories you have does not change how big your business is, it does not make you bigger then Ebay. If I started up a software development company and created 2000 tiny, crappy, useless programs - would that make me bigger then Microsoft?

[bidonalot]

I agree with the above - you'll be wasting a monumental amount of time, effort and money going up against eBay.

Let the Wookie win.... ;)
IM NOT WASTING MY TIME GOING UP AGAINST EBAY
WHY ARE YOU ALL AFRAID OF EBAY???
THEY ARE JUST AN ONLINE AUCTION, SO WHATS THE BIG DEAL

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

IM NOT WASTING MY TIME GOING UP AGAINST EBAY
WHY ARE YOU ALL AFRAID OF EBAY???
THEY ARE JUST AN ONLINE AUCTION, SO WHATS THE BIG DEAL

They have millions of customers and users.
They have millions of pounds.

You dont. And you wont be able to get either of those with this idea.

[bidonalot]

So Im A Wookie Then Thats A Nice Comment Thanks
Lets See You Call Me That In A Few Months Time

[bidonalot]

They have millions of customers and users.
They have millions of pounds.

You dont. And you wont be able to get either of those with this idea.
OH YES I WILL AND CATEGORIES MEAN EVERYTHING, YOU SPEND AGES ON EBAY AND THE REST SEARCHING FOR WHAT YOU WANT, ON MY SITE YOU DONT NEED TO SEARCH AS YOU WILL FIND A CATEGORY ON THE ITEM YOU WANT, THATS A MILLION TIMES BETTER THAN EBAY AND I TELL YOU SOMETHING EBAY WILL BE AHAS BEEN ONE DAY

[bidonalot]

They have millions of customers and users.
They have millions of pounds.

You dont. And you wont be able to get either of those with this idea.
YOU DONT NEED MILLIONS OF POUNDS AT ALL THATS A SILLY COMMENT
ALL YOU NEED IS WHAT PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR AND THAT IS AN ONLINE AUCTION THAT IS EASY TO GET ROUND, MY SITE IS A LOT EASIER THAN MOST INCLUDING THEM
LETS SEE IF YOU TAKE THE P IN A FEW WEEKS TIME KNOWALL

[Eagle]

Have you ever considered going on Dragon's Den? I'm sure they'd be mighty impressed with your idea. :)

They might even help you fund it as it's an 'eBay killer' for sure.

[bidonalot]

no comment

[Eagle]

OH YES I WILL AND CATEGORIES MEAN EVERYTHING, YOU SPEND AGES ON EBAY AND THE REST SEARCHING FOR WHAT YOU WANT, ON MY SITE YOU DONT NEED TO SEARCH AS YOU WILL FIND A CATEGORY ON THE ITEM YOU WANT, THATS A MILLION TIMES BETTER THAN EBAY AND I TELL YOU SOMETHING EBAY WILL BE AHAS BEEN ONE DAY
Will everything be in all-caps on the new site? That'll make it easier for everyone to read and maybe even attract more people. :)

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

YOU DONT NEED MILLIONS OF POUNDS AT ALL THATS A SILLY COMMENT

Yes you do I'm afraid. No one will know about your website unless you have huge amounts of money to market it. Not knowing that just shows your true naivety.


ALL YOU NEED IS WHAT PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR AND THAT IS AN ONLINE AUCTION THAT IS EASY TO GET ROUND

Ebay provides that. It's an online auction and it's easy to get around. Just making your site that tiny bit easier (which I personally don't think it will be anyway) wont get you anywhere.


LETS SEE IF YOU TAKE THE P IN A FEW WEEKS TIME KNOWALL

Well I'll tell you in advance that I probably will.

[bidonalot]

no comment

[bidonalot]

no comment

[Eagle]

PROVE it then - stop waffling!

[bidonalot]

no comment

[quikshop]

The vast majority of designer clothing, handbags etc on eBay could at best be considered as 'inspired by' or replica.

Even with their huge resources they are unable to make a dent in the illicit auctions, although some might say its in their interests not to be that affective, but if you do manage to get your own fashion only auction site into the public domain with enough USPs to make eBay look dated, you will be taken to the cleaners by every fashion house in Europe and beyond for allowing fake products to be sold through your web site.

Fashion, Jewellery and white goods are the 3 markets most prone to organised fraud and counterfeiting.

Having said that, all power to you if you think you can overcome these sorts of issues and take eBay down a peg :)

Regards,
Dave

www.internetretailer.biz (http://www.internetretailer.biz)

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

I REMEMBER WHEN SOMEONE SAID I WAS MAD TRYING TO GO TO BUCKINGHAM PALACE TO GIVE THE QUEEN SOMETHING WELL AS IT TURNED OUT I WENT TO BUCKINGHAM PALACE THREE TIMES, THEN CLARENCE HOUSE, ST JAMES PALACE,KENSINGTON PALACE AND EVENTUALLY I PRESENTED ALL OF THE ROYAL FAMILY THESE THINGS, NOW I NEVER GIVE IN TO RIDICULE, IF I SAY IM GOING TO DO IT I WILL!!
I REMEMBER SOMEONE SAID I WAS MAD TO ASK MUHAMAD ALI TO VISIT MY HOME, WELL I DID ASK HIM AND HE DID COME
AND IF YOU STILL THINK IM STUPID SEE HERE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGdKUBBPFh8

Right I seriously think you're just entirely dillusional now :| No matter what kind of stuff you say you do this is purely just impossible. What you're trying to do defies so many laws of business and economy it's unreal.

[Subbynet]

I haven't read most of this thread. (Seems like a lot of shouting)

But you can start a successful Auction site on the net - its been done, eBay is by no means the be-all and end-all of web auction sites.

Martin

[bidonalot]

no comments

[bidonalot]

no comment

[bidonalot]

Will everything be in all-caps on the new site? That'll make it easier for everyone to read and maybe even attract more people. :)
no comments

[quikshop]

CAPIAL LETTERS WONT MAKE IT EASIER
so stop making fun of the site which has more categories than ebay ans is the worlds largest category online auction at least i can say i was the very first to rival ebay over categories AND I DID IT without your help

What are you trying to prove? We are all trying to make the best of running our own businesses here.

My business and others who do the same on these forums are competing with the likes of British Telecom so no one is saying you shouldn't take on the big boys like eBay!

Just accept that not all criticism is going to be positive, but it is meant in a constructive way to help you see potential problems and pitfalls.

Regards,
Dave

www.internetretailer.biz (http://www.internetretailer.biz)

[Eagle]

Let's see proof.

[webit]

Let's see proof.

Or at least a You Tube video taken on your mobile phone of this eBay killer

This gets my vote for 'Post of the Month' BTW.

DC

[bidonalot]

no comment

[bidonalot]

Let's see proof.
proof of what

[Eagle]

Proof of your concept of course.

[bidonalot]

no comment

[webit]

I do like this guy :)

[webit]

thank you,
you are the only one on here who has not ganged upon mr for my auction site, i think its the fact im the only one brave enough to stand up for myself

What 'auction site' are we talking about?

[Subbynet]

For some reason the site is down now. But you can find it at bidonalot.com

I think it has legs - "eBay Killer" no, but possibly a profitable website? I'd say yes.

I did see the site about an hour ago, it does need a little work tho.

[quikshop]

im the only one brave enough to stand up for myself

My post was a polite way of suggesting that you should stop over-reacting to others having an opinion and making boastful claims without any substance.

Can you post a link to your web site please and I'm sure there will be a lot of interest in it.

Regards,
Dave

www.internetretailer.biz (http://www.internetretailer.biz)

[ouch]

scotts almost right...

1. the site is an anormous task. im one of the developer behind thebigGB.co.uk and an ebay clone would cost a reasonable 6K - 10K GBP
and take 2-3 months but say 4months.
:(
2. your better off, selling the stuff yourself

the ebay guys are all connected with big big investments going into millions and millions, a figure of 100K GBP is nothing in big advertising.

just sell your own gear - advertise big and free in www.thebiggb.co.uk (http://www.thebiggb.co.uk)

good luck