On Fri, 19 Mar 1999, Richard Erlacher wrote:
> If you were going to set up a site for hobbyists and collectors, which eBay
> is not, then you'd have to collect earnest money in the amount of the fee to
> be paid the auctioneer from each bidder, and return the funds paid by all
> but the winning bidder to the losers after the auction ends. This would
> ensure a higher completion rate, but would create a lot of work.
You're assuming an auction site, which I'm not. This is strictly a
buy/sell/trade bulletin board. A free place for buyers to meet sellers.
> Hobbyists, you see, are the guys who want everything, want to pay/trade
> nothing, and only get rid of an item when it's certain they won't have any
> further use for it. I was once in that category. I did what I did for the
Sure, but we're not going to try to intervene in the process or collect
any money from it. Its just there, use it, but don't abuse it; ignore
it, but don't whore it.
[Oh my god, I think I momentarily channelled Jessie Jackson!]
> That's why eBay operates the way it does, still more or less isolated from
> the transactions, yet able to bring in lots of dollars because they charge
> the speculators money regardless of whether they sell their item or not.
>
> Does this seem different to you?
Yep, no money involved save for what the buyer wants to give the seller.
All transactions baed upon personal reputation. No system that
encourages over-bidding and unreasonable price escalations. Just pure
open-market-based buying, selling and trading.
Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar_at_siconic.com
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Received on Fri Mar 19 1999 - 16:00:56 GMT