The moment came when they started to alienate sellers. There was a point where many sellers only sold on eBay. The constant changes and threats of suspension, etc, etc etc forced sellers to look elsewhere and find alternatives. I have spent a lot of time developing my website to a point where it is now doing very well. Another thing I have done is to set up a retail outlet and I have to say that the sales have well and truly exceeded my expectations. More importantly, it is a lot more fun than selling on eBay. Perhaps this is an indication of how times have changed because when eBay was powering ahead, many sellers were closing retail outlets and selling exclusively on eBay.
The thing about this is that eBay is ultimately losing a massive amount of business through all of this. They would have been better off looking after their sellers and encouraging them to list as much as possible on eBay instead of on other websites or retail outlets. Regards John Visit my Website: www.moviemem.com JOHN REID VINTAGE MOVIE MEMORABILIA PO Box 92 Palm Beach Qld 4221 Australia ----- Original Message ----- From: Bruce Hershenson To: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 8:08 AM Subject: Re: [MOPO] When do YOU think was the moment when eBay "jumped the shark"? While I appreciate the compliment, that was a sign of the aftermath of the shark jumping, not the shark jump itself. I think the purchase of Skype was a worthwhile moment, as was the adding of "Store-in-Search", which was a huge success that eBay then ended when they saw it would greatly cut listing fees. I often wonder if eBay would have done incredibly well if they had simply left "Store-in-Search" on the site. They would have received most of their fees from sales commissions, and not from charging them for listing. But now we will never know, because you can't undo the harm done by a Pandora's Box once it has been opened. Bruce On Wed, Jan 14, 2009 at 2:19 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: When they let Bruce Hershenson leave to start his own web site. All down hill from there. The move was letting him move. CJL In a message dated 1/14/2009 1:56:27 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes: I think almost all of us can agree that eBay has clearly "jumped the shark"*. But exactly WHEN do you think this happened? When did eBay make the move that changed it from a company with a bright future, and started it on its current downhill path? Of course, there is no one "right" answer, but I have my own opinion, which I will gladly share once some of you voice your opinions. When do YOU think was the moment when eBay "jumped the shark"? Bruce *N.B. According to Wikipedia, the phrase "jump the shark" refers to a scene in a three-part episode of the American TV series, Happy Days, first broadcast on September 20, 1977. In the third of the three parts of the "Hollywood" episode, Fonzie (Henry Winkler), wearing swim trunks and his trademark leather jacket, jumps over a penned-in shark while water skiing. Even before "jumping the shark" was employed as a pop culture term, the episode in question was cited many times as an example of what can happen to otherwise high-quality shows when they stay on the air too long in the face of waning interest—or when they simply cease to maintain quality standards for writing or acting, resorting to cheap sensationalism etc. The infamous scene was seen by many as betraying Happy Days' 1950s setting (as well as reversing its earlier character-developments, as noted above) by cashing in on the 1970s fads of Evel Knievel[1] and Jaws. Producer Garry Marshall later admitted that he knew the show had lost something as the crew prepared to shoot the scene. As Marshall pointed out in the reunion special that aired on February 3, 2005, however, Happy Days went on to produce approximately 100 more episodes after the "jumping the shark" episode. During the same special, in response to an audience member's question, Marshall introduced the notorious clip and noted how the show had inspired the term. The first public use[2] of the phrase as a direct metaphor is reported to have been on December 24, 1997, when the jumptheshark.com website was launched by Jonathan M. Hein. According to the site, the phrase was first coined by Hein's college roommate, Sean J. Connolly, in 1985. The term first appeared in print in the April 9, 1998, Los Angeles Times Calendar Weekend section. The phrase has been used more recently outside the realm of popular culture, representing anything that has reached its peak and has declined in quality. If one thinks a stock or a sports team or a subcultural phenomenon has reached its peak, for example, one can say that it has "jumped the shark." The phrase can also be specifically, the phrase also refers to a particular event that demonstrates this decline beyond all doubt, such as whenever an entertainment company or business makes a grave mistake, and therefore rapidly loses ratings or fans, becomes bankrupt or is sold. Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inauguration '09: Get complete coverage from the nation's capital. Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
