sellers market

From: Richard Erlacher <edick_at_idcomm.com>
Date: Thu Mar 18 13:04:21 1999

Please see imbedded comments below.

Dick
-----Original Message-----
From: Lawrence LeMay <lemay_at_cs.umn.edu>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp_at_u.washington.edu>
Date: Thursday, March 18, 1999 11:43 AM
Subject: sellers market


>> Ward D. Griffiths III wrote:
>>
>> ePay seems to be a seller's market. There's nothing inherently wrong
with
>> that, but nevertheless I think it sucks. Of course, my opinion is very
>> biased, since I'm generally on the buying end of the deal.
>>
>
>So someone needs to create another web site that is the opposite
>of what eBay provides. A site where you can advertise that you're
>looking for an Exidy Sorcerer computer, and woould be willing to
>pay about $15 plus $10 shipping. I suggest you call this new
>site yaBe.com ....
>
I don't know about that name, but that might be an excellent idea.

Selling your stuff comes down to finding someone who wants it more than you
do, doesn't it? Likewise, doesn't buying someone's property come down to
finding someone who wants what you're willing to pay more than he wants the
property in question.

The REAL trick, though, is ensuring that neither party disrupts the
transaction before it is consumated. Ebay doesn't do that, nor does
Haggle.com. They both put on a show, but neither service provides much to
protect either party nor do they protect the integrity of the transaction
from which the money ostensibly is generated to support the service. These
transactions are based on trusting someone whom you've never met, and whom
nor not likely to meet, and therefore the transactions are VERY fragile.

Ebay claims a 70% completion rate, and I expect that's inflated. I think a
service which protects the buyer and the seller, by ensuring the funds and
the merchandise as represented are there and by ensuring the parties
complete the transaction to which they're supposedly committed, would be
VERY valuable and would take a BIG bite out of Ebay's share. That's not an
easy task, however.
>
>-Lawrence (yes I want an Exidy, who doesn't?) LeMay
Received on Thu Mar 18 1999 - 13:04:21 GMT