New Bid and Auctions Website

[leo1000]

Hi,
I'm adding a new post for a new bid and auctions website, I wish to make a website that all customers would like to buy from and have always great offers. With new customers, selling there items for the first time, we will send them vouchers, also if you become a preferred seller then you will receive 50% off on all fees.
Its a new website and there are no items at the moment, you are welcome to start selling your products or items on this website and i would appreciate that if you liked it you would refer friends and family as well.
Its free to register and there are no website fees to pay.
Thank you.

I hope you like it and please feel free to ask any questions about the website.
Thank you.

 

[steviemac]

I'm going to be be very blunt about this. You haven't a cat's chance in hell of succeeding. Auction sites are probably the most saturated of all internet ventures. It won't work, you cannot even get a foot in the door of the competiton, believe me. Do not waste any more money at this. I am saying that for the good of your pocket.

No-one, bar a few friends, will list on yout site. Sorry. Being cruel to be kind.

 

[leo1000]

Hi, sorry there must be some chance, i know there are plenty of websites out there but im trying to focus on customers preferences on buying and selling.
Its a new website and I'm adding new customers, there are no fees to pay, il be adding my own items soon, I added the website on all search engines already.

 

[Esk247]

*smacks head on desk repeatedly*

suggest you go and read some other posts on this forum about ebay or auction website clones. It will save you lots of money and time.

 

[leo1000]

Hi, sorry, i only realised that im not allowed to make my first post about a new service, although this is about my new website, il only post information and post the address when i have made other posts.
I did not read about those posts, i only wish to make a simple buy and sell website and focus on customers choice, im sorry though il read the other posts, thank you.

 

[zookx]

I wouldn't say there is no chance of this taking off though I agree getting something like this started is going to take quite some time and investment.

I've noticed a lot of sellers leaving eBay, I'm not sure on the numbers but the site as a whole does seem less busy than it did say two years ago.

We have had several enquiries from people who used to sell on there wanting their own shop set up over the past year or so, mainly as the fees, restricions and imposed postal charges had just become too much for them.

The big stopping block is PayPal and trust. Whilst there is no reason that a new site could use this I would imagine if at any point the business was seen to be impacting on eBay usage they maight find a way to restrict it.

There is certainly space in the marketplace for more than one auction place.

 

[silvermusic]

Hi, sorry there must be some chance, i know there are plenty of websites out there but im trying to focus on customers preferences on buying and selling.

It's not often I say this, but give up before you waste any more time, money or effort on this. The only thing it will make you is poor and frustrated.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

I would turn it around 180 degrees

Offer a site where you could register what you want and let people offer their goods to you via the site so if you want a "1960 ford anglia" for under £2000 you pay a small fee to advertise your requirements

 

[Dave.F]

I sort of agree with the above comments and advice but I have something niggling in the back of my mind.....if I said to you 3-4 years ago that another website would blow Friends Reunited clean out of the water, you would have said to me "no chance".......

Dave.

 

[leo1000]

i agree, if its a waste of time then why people still want to make auction website, also many people want to sell there stuff online why not give them another website where to sell, also why not give them no fees to start then keep the fees low, it should work, it might take time.

 

[Esk247]

there's loads already ebid for a start.

You need people to visit the website first, but to visit there needs to be items for sale, it's that vicious circle. You need people to create content but people need content to visit the website.

There needs to be an alternative to ebay yes but it's going to cost a fortune. Just look at how long its taken Bing to crawl up the search engines, it's still second to Google.

 

[leo1000]

yes, i would need items for sale for customers to buy from, thats what im trying to get as well, but i still need visitors on the site to buy, i thought that i could get customers that want to sell there items, that would get more people on the website, but i would need something for them to buy

 

[silvermusic]

yes, i would need items for sale for customers to buy from, thats what im trying to get as well, but i still need visitors on the site to buy, i thought that i could get customers that want to sell there items, that would get more people on the website, but i would need something for them to buy

Unless you have ebay or google type sums of money to chuck at it, forget it. You'd be far better off starting your own plain ecommerce site selling products yourself.

I hate to think how many ebay beating sites I've seen come and go over the years, none ever amounting to anything. Passion and enthusiasum is fine, but make sure it's put into something that actually stands a chance of making money.

 

[m4ttch4tt]

I agree dude... If your just going for the same old eBay style site you've got a massive hill.... I mean mountain... No cliff to climb.
Unless your bringing something new to the table you'll just get swallowed up amongst all the other auction sites. eBay is far too big and has too many followers now, though some of them are leaving it is still not enough to get an income, let alone even reach the £1m mark, its definitely not a get rich quick scheme.

I am going through a similar process at the moment with a kind of mixture between Play.com/eBay, but I have developed an entirely new system and I'm not starting small, you can't rely on friends and family and forums to get you where you want to be, you need a fully comprehensive online marketing campaign, tv/radio advert and all other types of exposure, I've been working on my project for over two years and haven't even developed a site yet as there is a million and one things to do first, the website is probably the least important bit, getting people to know your there is the key.

I wish you well, but don't set your goals too high.

M.Chatterton

 

[leo1000]

I already got the website and payed for all the subscriptions, also set the website on all the search engines, worked on it for a week or more, also i set all the fees on zero, and the website is in great working order, also i set up the forums and blogs for it, i want to try and find a way to make it work, there must be something else that would make the website worth using, or for customers to sell and buy, why do i need such a big amount of money, i know i need items for sale, i could start selling some of my products or sell some specific product first then get more customers, there must be something else that would make it work.

 

[Esk247]

*shakes head*

why does it cost so much money? How much do you reckon Ebay spend on marketing, promotions and staff?

Have you actually searched for 'online auctions' in Google? there must be a few thousand websites by now, you can even get the auction site script and database for free.

You spent a week on it? try spending 3 months on a website just to make one sale.

I suggest you do something totally different with the website or focus on a niche auction product, like vinyl records, or summink.

 

[leo1000]

what do you mean something new, something that customers want, or that they would buy, i added already free vouchers to new selling customers.

 

[silvermusic]

also i set all the fees on zero

That's not a business plan, that's a hobby. How are you going to make money? and please don't say advertising.

 

[leo1000]

i set the fees on zero for there advertising, i still get a small percentage of there sale witch is described on the site, its not alot, also people can set up there own store on the site, i know i can make money but i need customers that want to sell there items, or like you said i would need to start selling a specific item, i would not know where to start, il find a product they might want to buy

 

[leo1000]

if i made a website that sold a specific item, would it work, and still would i get alot of money, or i could use this website as a classified adds website

 

[silvermusic]

It's very clear that you haven't even thought through the basics of what you want to do, you don't have a viable plan for anything and are happy to grab at anything to make money. Do some serious real research before you even think of throwing money at it.

It doesn't matter how much commision you do or don't charge, if there's not the sales then it's still zero. Hence why you need a lot of money to keep it running and advertising in the first few years because it won't pay for itself. This is exactly why they all fail, little or no cashflow and tons of expenses.

 

[leo1000]

I thought about how to build an online business that customers would appreciate, i did not think that it was alot more work before i would see any results, thats why i need to work more on the website and spend some money before i see any changes, i want to make the customer happy not only take money, thats why i need to work more on the website, i think if its alot of money then i would give up, but i want to try and make it, since building this website was not only for me to earn some money but was to build a website that people like to use to sell and buy items , i dont know if i can make it if its alot of money to spend, but il try to get some items and customers to the site before i give up, i want to try and make it work

 

[steviemac]

I would turn it around 180 degrees

Offer a site where you could register what you want and let people offer their goods to you via the site so if you want a "1960 ford anglia" for under £2000 you pay a small fee to advertise your requirements

ever heard of Gumtree?

 

[steviemac]

I would conservatively estimate that in the last 6 years, probably over 30,000 people worldwide like yourself have thought they could start a succesful auction site. 99.9% of those sites lie now in the great cyber graveyard in the sky.

As for a 'buying and selling' site, Gumtree rule that market here in the UK.

There is nothing wrong with trying a new online venture, but in regard to auction sites you will never re-invent the wheel. Totally and utterly futile.

Search this forum for others who asked for similar advice over the years and see how much money they are currently making from their auction websites.

Save your time and money please.

 

[Drpepper]

This is the problem with the internet, to many people think it's just a matter of putting up a website, sitting back and taking the money for little effort. How many websites do people regularly buy from - probably four or five, you need a hell of usp and advertising budget to get the public to change. Do people really think they are the first to challenge the likes of ebay, Amamzon? I've only been a member here for a few months, but pretty much every day there is some pretender with a great internet idea that no one else has thought of and will make them pots of money.

Rant over

 

[benjamin_c]

Go to the bank with a business plan and ask for a £100 Million loan or maybe go see a VC who will invest it, get a team of pro developers to set up your site, then pay for marketing, then you may have a slight chance of success but even then you would be hard pressed to come close to the likes of amazon or ebay...
There's only 2 companys that i can see going into such markets in the future and actually having a decent chance of getting into amazon and ebay territory. Those are Google and Facebook, they have the resources to pull off such a big operation....

 

[m4ttch4tt]

in regard to auction sites you will never re-invent the wheel. Totally and utterly futile.

I disagree, totally! But only because I have done it and just filed my patent.

I have avoided cloning eBay as I know I won't get anywhere so I have decided instead of competing against eBay I'll just give the general public a cheaper and better alternative, in the sense that anyone who bids can not get out-bid and lose, but also bid on brand new products with manufacturers warranty that are half the price of any current competition including second hand on eBay, Im not exactly competing head on though as there are only buyers not sellers.
I'm more of a Play.com with a bidding system.

Ta.

 

[Esk247]

doesn't matter how good it is..you still need web visitors and content for the visitors to stick around.

 

[m4ttch4tt]

doesn't matter how good it is..you still need web visitors and content for the visitors to stick around.

A budget of 250k for the first year should see me through I think.
especially the way I shop around, I'm proper tight. lol (that is just advertising)

getting visitors to return is easy,

"how much would you like to spend sir? £250 or £100 for the same product"

I'm the latter by the way and targeting people with super cheap products in these troubled times is a killer.

Safe.

 

[Drpepper]

A budget of 250k for the first year should see me through I think.
especially the way I shop around, I'm proper tight. lol (that is just advertising)

getting visitors to return is easy,

"how much would you like to spend sir? £250 or £100 for the same product"

I'm the latter by the way and targeting people with super cheap products in these troubled times is a killer.

Safe.

OK, I can only see one way this is going to work if you are selling at cost or less than cost. Your going to charge a fee to either access or buy from the site (say £5 per person buying a product at cost) and hoping you get 1,000's paying a fiver to buy from you.

I can sort of see that would work, providing the suppliers still supply you and you can carry massive amounts of stock for little profit, you margins are going to be like 0.5% and as such cashflow a bit of a bugger at times.

 

[steviemac]

I disagree, totally! But only because I have done it and just filed my patent.

I have avoided cloning eBay as I know I won't get anywhere so I have decided instead of competing against eBay I'll just give the general public a cheaper and better alternative, in the sense that anyone who bids can not get out-bid and lose, but also bid on brand new products with manufacturers warranty that are half the price of any current competition including second hand on eBay, Im not exactly competing head on though as there are only buyers not sellers.
I'm more of a Play.com with a bidding system.

Ta.

hmm, so users can bid, but never be outbid or lose the auction? Don't fully understand that, but anyway.

If you are able to get hold of brand products and can sell them at half price, then all I can say is...fantastic. Not sure where or how you will manage this, but if that IS the case, then sounds great. Look forward to seeing it when it is up and running

 

[Drpepper]

hmm, so users can bid, but never be outbid or lose the auction? Don't fully understand that, but anyway.

If you are able to get hold of brand products and can sell them at half price, then all I can say is...fantastic. Not sure where or how you will manage this, but if that IS the case, then sounds great. Look forward to seeing it when it is up and running

OK, I can only see one way this is going to work if you are selling at cost or less than cost. Your going to charge a fee to either access or buy from the site (say £5 per person buying a product at cost) and hoping you get 1,000's paying a fiver to buy from you.

I can sort of see that would work, providing the suppliers still supply you and you can carry massive amounts of stock for little profit, you margins are going to be like 0.5% and as such cashflow a bit of a bugger at times.

I would imagine the bidding is just a ploy because the OP thinks he'll get into some sort of trouble for just selling at trade but charging to use the site. Not sure why he would think this. I'm probably wrong though!

 

[m4ttch4tt]

hmm, so users can bid, but never be outbid or lose the auction? Don't fully understand that, but anyway.

If you are able to get hold of brand products and can sell them at half price, then all I can say is...fantastic. Not sure where or how you will manage this, but if that IS the case, then sounds great. Look forward to seeing it when it is up and running

Let me explain further.
There is a bidding system 'as such' but it is not a typical auction where only one person wins at the final final price, many of the same product can be won from the same listing. Imagine listing one item on eBay and gathering so much interest because of its incredibly low price that you now have 1000 people wanting one, you somehow have to now find 1000 products that are the same and let them all go at the same low price whilst also making profit and avoiding bankruptcy. In doing this you are creating even more traffic and interest and so on, this is what I have managed to achieve.
I wont go into details yet as you've only got a few months before launch, in which case I will be showing my face off around here a lot more.
stay tuned, LOL.

Thanks,
M.Chatterton

 

[Drpepper]

Let me explain further.
There is a bidding system 'as such' but it is not a typical auction where only one person wins at the final final price, many of the same product can be won from the same listing. Imagine listing one item on eBay and gathering so much interest because of its incredibly low price that you now have 1000 people wanting one, you somehow have to now find 1000 products that are the same and let them all go at the same low price whilst also making profit and avoiding bankruptcy. In doing this you are creating even more traffic and interest and so on, this is what I have managed to achieve.
I wont go into details yet as you've only got a few months before launch, in which case I will be showing my face off around here a lot more.
stay tuned, LOL.

Thanks,
M.Chatterton

What happens if you only get one bid though and are carrying 1,000 units costing £150 each?

 

[m4ttch4tt]

What happens if you only get one bid though and are carrying 1,000 units costing £150 each?

I don't carry all the stock from day one, there are a few items that I will have 'more of' but I shan't be forking out hundreds of thousands of £ 's to buy stock that I cannot guarantee will sell.
My stock is mostly credit accounts with major distributors and they drop-ship most of the products for me, so if a sale is not made then I don't pay basically. "I don't sell their item, they don't ship I don't get paid, its that simple" I have a product inventory of around 150 items at the moment and trying to get new and interesting things everyday, they are all price between £50-£500 so it would be an impossible feat for me as a start out to afford 1000 of each and if I could I would not be in business I'd be living like a king lol.

also I am willing to bet that selling products brand new at half price every single time will get sales, if not I'll eat my mum.

M.Chatterton

 

[Waveney Books]

Let me explain further.
There is a bidding system 'as such' but it is not a typical auction where only one person wins at the final final price, many of the same product can be won from the same listing. Imagine listing one item on eBay and gathering so much interest because of its incredibly low price that you now have 1000 people wanting one, you somehow have to now find 1000 products that are the same and let them all go at the same low price whilst also making profit and avoiding bankruptcy. In doing this you are creating even more traffic and interest and so on, this is what I have managed to achieve.
I wont go into details yet as you've only got a few months before launch, in which case I will be showing my face off around here a lot more.
stay tuned, LOL.

Thanks,
M.Chatterton

I'm such a nosey old devil................is this you?
http://www.mattch.net/about/?sec=matt

 

[m4ttch4tt]

I'm such a nosey old devil................is this you?
http://www.mattch.net/about/?sec=matt

LoL no! I'm a skin head from Essex. Definitely not me.

 

[Waveney Books]

LoL no! I'm a skin head from Essex. Definitely not me.

OK. Thanks for seeing the humour . Told you I was nosey!

 

[m4ttch4tt]

@Drpepper.

I can see where you are coming from, but that would put me in the same boat as madbid and swoopo etc.
It's free to sign up and bid through my site it just involves a little tweak with how bids are placed that everyone has always overlooked.

You were right about one thing though, the bidding is a kind of ploy but only in the sense that customers must use it for my system to work if not I'm just a normal retailer.
And my profit margin is between 15%-20% I could do without any profit on sales at all but why not gain a little extra if you can.

M.Chatterton

 

[m4ttch4tt]

OK. Thanks for seeing the humour . Told you I was nosey!

No worries, Facebook (Matt 'Chatty' Chatt) if you like, I'm on the right. Drunk!