Bob,
MPB has averaged 300 to 500 poster auctions a week consistently for
most of the past year. Because we don't have as many sellers regularly
listing as we would like, it does happens that there is a week here and
there where the numbers drop very low (like this week). But usually there are
hundreds of auctions -- as anyone who cares to go back through the MOPO archives
for the past year and look up the weekly FA messages I send to this list can
easily verify.
I love your easy analysis that what I should have done is bring in more
sellers. Duh. What do you think I've been trying to do for the past
year? Do you really think I haven't invited sellers in, both
publicly and privately -- discussed deals and discounts, etc. from the
beginning? We always addressed both buyers and sellers equally in our publicity
and contact work. It's just that the buyers have responded more than the sellers
-- which is kind of weird, as it is the sellers who have the most to gain from
MPB being a success, yet it is the sellers who have been most reluctant to
participate. Go figure.
But if you would lend me your magic wand, I'll certainly be glad to
give it a try and wave it around to try and get all
those great sellers you mention to list regularly on MPB. You seem to
be under the impression that there are things I could be doing to "bring in more
sellers", but we've tried everything you mention and more. I can't hold a gun to
anyone's head, after all. It's something each seller has to decide to do
themselves.
You are correct that Fred Sliman of TheCinemaTrade.com has definitely
been the biggest regular seller, but you make a error when you say he is
the only one who has listed great posters at great starting prices. PJ Angel, as
"BigTownFilmPoster" has done the same (and also had great
success). So has Abe Allen under the name "Abe". Same goes for John
Reid selling as "moviemem", Kathy Klauer of "Klauer Kollectibles", Ed and
Sue Poole as "Susies Corner" and there have been others as well.
The core of MPB sellers have been great, but you're absolutely correct
that if we had 10 or 20 more like them and 1,000 auctions a week --
every week -- that the site would be even more successful. It's a goal
we've been working towards all along and will continue to work towards. It
could happen overnight if all of the sellers who have told me that they
"would like to list on MPB" or "will list on MPB when I can find some time"
would actually go ahead and do it.
I am perplexed when you say "time is running out" for MPB. Did I miss
the memo? MPB isn't going anywhere soon. If we have a few weeks where the
number of listings are down, that isn't going to cause us to fold up shop. I
actually urged sellers in a private message last week to consider not listing
all that much for this next week because both Bruce and Heritage will be
going head-to-head during that time and I didn't see any point in MPB
trying to float a lot of auctions while these two giants were
battling it out next weekend.
In the final analysis, MPB isn't running for office, and so we don't follow
the polls or pay all that much attention to week-by-week numbers. Heck,
we actually shut MPB down completely for two weeks during the Christmas
holidays, just so everyone could take a break, relax and enjoy the season with
their families. We're not eBay -- and don't want to be eBay. We're a specialty
movie posters-only auction site. We provide an extremely low-cost, personal
service platform for movie poster sellers to offer auctions to people
specifically interested in buying movie posters in an environment of mutual
trust and confidence. That's the goal.
Rest assured that MPB will keep on doing its thing. We continue to
register new members every day. We would love to have more sellers listing
regularly -- but the potential bidders and buyers registered with the site would
love it even more.
Once again -- and as always -- I invite all straight-dealing movie posters
sellers to come on board and start listing on www.MoviePosterBid.com ...
but it might be best to wait until March 18 to start any new auctions...
the Battle of the Giants, you know :)
-- JR
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2005
20:20
Subject: Re: [MOPO] Movie Poster Bid - A
Belated Testimonial
Hey Fred, et al...
I really hoped MPB would have taken
off too.
I think it all comes down to one big mistake JR made.
Well, not really a
mistake per se. When MPB first opened, they needed
to have 5 or 10 major
dealers (and even more minor dealers) use the site
exclusively. He needed
people like Bruce Hershenson, Marty Davis,
Rotman, etc... All listing
posters with little or no reserves.
Continually. I noticed for the first
month or two, there was a decent
selection of posters (and they sold for
decent prices - even better than
eBay). Not an eBay selection, but good
nonetheless... Then
nothing. I almost never check the site anymore as I
know there's
usually not much I'd be interested in (or the starting bid is
higher than
what that item would sell for on eBay).
eBay took off because there was
a good selection and decent prices. Do you
think eBay would ever have
turned out to be the giant they are today if all
of their original sellers
started their auctions at high retail? Not a
chance.
MPB needs
major dealers to continually list great posters over and over
again - to
draw in traffic. But, that has never really happened. I
commend
Fred for sticking it out so long (and being about the only seller
on the
site listing good posters at good starting prices).
Bidders
will come if there's good stuff to bid on. I think MPB spent far
too
much time drawing in bidders (and did a good job of it) - and FAR
too
little drawing in sellers. What MPB desperately needs is
sellers! I can't
stress that enough... If there were a thousand
(or even a couple hundred)
really good posters on MoPoBid every day for the
first year, we wouldn't be
having this conversation right now. It
would have been giving eBay a run
for its money this very
moment.
It's a self-fulfilling prophecy... I think that most
dealers are too scared
of losing a great poster for a low price. So,
they start it at a high
price. So, bidders don't bid (and eventually
end up leaving the site). So,
seller's become even more
scared... It's a vicious cycle.
It's not too late for MPB, but
time is running out. Right now there are 35
total domestic posters
(1900-2005) on the site. That should be a hundred
times higher.
I think JR needs to do whatever he can to draw in dealers.
If that means
getting rid of inclusion fees (so they don't lose anything if
an item
doesn't sell) or reserve price fees (why should there be a dollar
charge to
have a reserve price anyways?), so be it...
I've been meaning to list a
few auctions on the site. But, I don't sell
enough to make a
difference. And as I said, one or two dealers won't help.
Maybe if
every dealer on the list promised to list five or ten items (all
with small
or no reserves) - preferably items they just sold on eBay (so
they can
compare their net)...
Night,
Bob
www.damnthe.com/sale/
-----
Original Message -----
From: "Fred Sliman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To:
<[email protected]>
Sent:
Thursday, March 10, 2005 5:26 PM
Subject: [MOPO] Movie Poster Bid - A
Belated Testimonial
> Good evening, MOPO
friends,
>
> Sorry for the belated weigh-in on this few-days
old
> topic. I have to say that the original author here
>
has been among the only persons to openly give a
> critique and opinion
about the MoPoBid site. I got
> frustrated about soliciting information
and feedback
> good or bad about the site on the forums, though
some
> good feedback was given on occasion. Usually though,
> when
I'd ask for opinions, there were usually a couple
> of polite
endorsements and well wishes, and then a lot
> of silence. Sometimes in
other threads, I'll see
> criticisms about why the author doesn't use
or
> frequent the site. The lack of auto snipe
> capabilities, the
necessity to log in frequently, and
> a couple of others come to
mind.
>
> I was literally the first person to list on MPB. I
was
> actually surprised, because I thought there would be a
>
"line at the door" since the hobby has long expressed
> the desire for a
specialized site, focused on posters
> and other original memorabilia,
with real live people
> running it who were in tune with both buyer and
seller
> needs and would be there to help. With JR, the
>
inventor/proprietor of MPB, we have that, and he has
> consistently gone
above and beyond to make this
> endeavor run like the vision that I
thought we all
> had.
>
> Well he built it and they didn't
come. Or they did,
> but not like in the droves that we'd have thought
they
> would. I know of sellers that have had some damn good
>
runs on there (one seller of mostly quads comes to
> mind that had a
superb percentage rate of sales that
> would make any seller proud), but
many I haven't seen
> back. I know of others who seem to price
themselves
> out of the realistic market, but that's not an MPB
>
exclusive; that can be found on the big E every day.
> But let me speak
for myself and my experiences.
>
> I have tried to maintain a mix
of very low openers
> (.99 to $3), mid range (10 to 40) and higher (say
50
> and up.) I have had success in all these areas. I know
> that
serious, bigtime collectors often have little use
> for newer/current
titles, but there are those out
> there who have made out nicely on my
low priced runs,
> and I've had some good regular customers on my
mid
> range items.
>
> Last September I held an MPB
exclusive sale that I
> advertised fairly strongly (though I never like
to
> take the risk of overexposure, which can backfire and
> incur
the wrath of list and forum members). I
> previewed it, listed the lots
on my website with image
> and descriptions a few weeks in advance and
held the
> sale over a weekend in thirds. The results were
>
excellent, (better than I've done on ebay in ages) and
> a very nice
bottom line. Two of the items I sold were
> a Some Like It Hot and Rear
Window, both into 4
> figures. Many other items went from 20 to 1 or
2
> hundred.
>
> Afterward, I tried reporting (again, trying
to walk
> the fine line to avoid boasting overkill) to let
>
others know that there was definitely action on
> MoPoBid, hoping it
would spur others to jump on board.
> By and large, it didn't happen
then and hasn't
> sufficiently to date. That frustrates and saddens
me.
> Here is a great site, run by a good man who's there
> 24/7
to help in a real, live fashion. There are, or
> have been, posters for
every budget, taste and market.
> So I don't have a good answer to tell
you about why it
> hasn't taken off into the stratosphere like
it
> logically should have. Jon makes the excellent point
> about
habits, and ebay certainly is one to me and
> probably most of the rest
of us on here. But it
> certainly isn't the only game in
town.
>
> I have sold on MoPoBid to MOPO'ers, MPT'ers,
Style
> B'ers and a lot of new buyers looking for some good
>
inexpensive titles. I have sold Alfred Hitchcock and
> Vin Diesel;
Katharine Hepburn and Hilary Duff; vintage
> horror and I Know What You
Did Last Summer. I continue
> to support and list on it and hope that it
finds the
> success it so deserves during the coming
year.
>
> The listing prices and final fees are VERY
favorable,
> and the answers to all your questions and concerns
are
> there from a live person when you need them. The
> features
continue to be enhanced, and new members
> continue to join and browse.
I cannot think of a
> downside. So again, I urge sellers to give it a
shot,
> if only a percentage of what they'd list on ebay in
> any
given period of time. And I certainly urge buyers
> to make it a regular
stop as you might find a few
> great bargains to meet your collecting
interests.
> MoPoBid is too good an endeavor (not to mention the
>
answer to what a lot of our hobby professed that they
> wanted all the
years before it) to let flounder and
> fade. I hope the lights never
darken and the curtains
> close, but I'm there for the long
haul.
>
> And, in closing, thanks again to JR, for his
insight,
> vision and hard work in bringing this to our
hobby.
>
>
> Take care,
>
Fred
>
> Visit the
MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com
>
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