What Hi-Fi Classifieds Section
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As discussed in another recent thread (and previously), it's in the whathifi.com development plans. Lots of options being considered as to how it'd work best - we're not going to rush it for the sake of having it, so it'll be a good few months yet.
fatboyslimfast
Well-known member
You should charge a fiver an ad Andrew - far better value that that auction site, and then it would pay for itself in a short space of time!!!
Y'see then we'd get into a whole mechanism of administering payments and so on - and I bet, having worked for big companies for many years, a fiver an ad wouldn't even cover the costs of doing that...
fatboyslimfast
Well-known member
Maybe in the olden days, but with ecommerce / paypal?
Anyway, point taken - we'll keep waiting but won't hold our breath!
Anyway, point taken - we'll keep waiting but won't hold our breath!
Ravey Gravey Davy
Well-known member
Andrew Everard:Y'see then we'd get into a whole mechanism of administering payments and so on - and I bet, having worked for big companies for many years, a fiver an ad wouldn't even cover the costs of doing that...
Conservative estimates in 2003 on raising an invoice and whatever that entails put it at £25 per invoice for low value orders ,I believe it is now £50 .,but then again these are accountants working it out, and if you laid all accountants end to end you wouldn't reach a conclusion.(allegedly)
Conservative estimates in 2003 on raising an invoice and whatever that entails put it at £25 per invoice for low value orders ,I believe it is now £50 .,but then again these are accountants working it out, and if you laid all accountants end to end you wouldn't reach a conclusion.(allegedly)
fatboyslimfast:You should charge a fiver an ad Andrew - far better value that that auction site, and then it would pay for itself in a short space of time!!!
Thing is that if you charge a fiver per ad then you are not making yourself competitive with that "other" site so whilst you will attract the hi-fi enthusiast and the disgruntled the main stream will simply not make the conversion across.....
There are a few other problems was well, like because the classified ad's here will be a defined price/o.n.o. adverts Ebay (oops sorry, 'that' place) is an auction so how many bargain hunters are going to be attracted away from that.....?
Ebay also pretty much guarantees (if you sell sensibly) that your hi-fi will be gone in 5/7/10 days..... where as a 'classic' advert could be there for weeks (that you have paid a £5 for).
So far I may seem like the C.E.O. of Ebay.... I am not. I would love for Ebid or even What Hi Fi to become so competitive that I never have to go there again..... but the bottom line is that Ebay have kind of plugged a gap in the market for a high efficiency selling site that allows both the buyer and the seller able to feel that they have the best price.... it is because of that that Ebay exploit that position so much and provide terrible customer service..... and I think that it is because of that that a classic 'classifieds' pages would provide so little reward for a company like What Hi Fi...... it is sad but I can understand why there might be higher priorities here.
Thing is that if you charge a fiver per ad then you are not making yourself competitive with that "other" site so whilst you will attract the hi-fi enthusiast and the disgruntled the main stream will simply not make the conversion across.....
There are a few other problems was well, like because the classified ad's here will be a defined price/o.n.o. adverts Ebay (oops sorry, 'that' place) is an auction so how many bargain hunters are going to be attracted away from that.....?
Ebay also pretty much guarantees (if you sell sensibly) that your hi-fi will be gone in 5/7/10 days..... where as a 'classic' advert could be there for weeks (that you have paid a £5 for).
So far I may seem like the C.E.O. of Ebay.... I am not. I would love for Ebid or even What Hi Fi to become so competitive that I never have to go there again..... but the bottom line is that Ebay have kind of plugged a gap in the market for a high efficiency selling site that allows both the buyer and the seller able to feel that they have the best price.... it is because of that that Ebay exploit that position so much and provide terrible customer service..... and I think that it is because of that that a classic 'classifieds' pages would provide so little reward for a company like What Hi Fi...... it is sad but I can understand why there might be higher priorities here.
Alec
Well-known member
bloatedgut:
fatboyslimfast:You should charge a fiver an ad Andrew - far better value that that auction site, and then it would pay for itself in a short space of time!!!
Thing is that if you charge a fiver per ad then you are not making yourself competitive with that "other" site so whilst you will attract the hi-fi enthusiast and the disgruntled the main stream will simply not make the conversion across.....
There are a few other problems was well, like because the classified ad's here will be a defined price/o.n.o. adverts Ebay (oops sorry, 'that' place) is an auction so how many bargain hunters are going to be attracted away from that.....?
Ebay also pretty much guarantees (if you sell sensibly) that your hi-fi will be gone in 5/7/10 days..... where as a 'classic' advert could be there for weeks (that you have paid a £5 for).
So far I may seem like the C.E.O. of Ebay.... I am not. I would love for Ebid or even What Hi Fi to become so competitive that I never have to go there again..... but the bottom line is that Ebay have kind of plugged a gap in the market for a high efficiency selling site that allows both the buyer and the seller able to feel that they have the best price.... it is because of that that Ebay exploit that position so much and provide terrible customer service..... and I think that it is because of that that a classic 'classifieds' pages would provide so little reward for a company like What Hi Fi...... it is sad but I can understand why there might be higher priorities here.
im not sure the idea is - or should ever be, for that matter - to have an auction section run by what hifi that competes with the other site, as people seem sto be calling it (thought we could say ebay? theyre not a competing site anyway...); Nor would i have thought it should be a place for the mainstream. many other sites have them in an "all geeks together" kinda way, and dont think such a section here need aspire to any more...?
fatboyslimfast:You should charge a fiver an ad Andrew - far better value that that auction site, and then it would pay for itself in a short space of time!!!
Thing is that if you charge a fiver per ad then you are not making yourself competitive with that "other" site so whilst you will attract the hi-fi enthusiast and the disgruntled the main stream will simply not make the conversion across.....
There are a few other problems was well, like because the classified ad's here will be a defined price/o.n.o. adverts Ebay (oops sorry, 'that' place) is an auction so how many bargain hunters are going to be attracted away from that.....?
Ebay also pretty much guarantees (if you sell sensibly) that your hi-fi will be gone in 5/7/10 days..... where as a 'classic' advert could be there for weeks (that you have paid a £5 for).
So far I may seem like the C.E.O. of Ebay.... I am not. I would love for Ebid or even What Hi Fi to become so competitive that I never have to go there again..... but the bottom line is that Ebay have kind of plugged a gap in the market for a high efficiency selling site that allows both the buyer and the seller able to feel that they have the best price.... it is because of that that Ebay exploit that position so much and provide terrible customer service..... and I think that it is because of that that a classic 'classifieds' pages would provide so little reward for a company like What Hi Fi...... it is sad but I can understand why there might be higher priorities here.
im not sure the idea is - or should ever be, for that matter - to have an auction section run by what hifi that competes with the other site, as people seem sto be calling it (thought we could say ebay? theyre not a competing site anyway...); Nor would i have thought it should be a place for the mainstream. many other sites have them in an "all geeks together" kinda way, and dont think such a section here need aspire to any more...?
al7478:bloatedgut:
fatboyslimfast:You should charge a fiver an ad Andrew - far better value that that auction site, and then it would pay for itself in a short space of time!!!
Thing is that if you charge a fiver per ad then you are not making yourself competitive with that "other" site so whilst you will attract the hi-fi enthusiast and the disgruntled the main stream will simply not make the conversion across.....
There are a few other problems was well, like because the classified ad's here will be a defined price/o.n.o. adverts Ebay (oops sorry, 'that' place) is an auction so how many bargain hunters are going to be attracted away from that.....?
Ebay also pretty much guarantees (if you sell sensibly) that your hi-fi will be gone in 5/7/10 days..... where as a 'classic' advert could be there for weeks (that you have paid a £5 for).
So far I may seem like the C.E.O. of Ebay.... I am not. I would love for Ebid or even What Hi Fi to become so competitive that I never have to go there again..... but the bottom line is that Ebay have kind of plugged a gap in the market for a high efficiency selling site that allows both the buyer and the seller able to feel that they have the best price.... it is because of that that Ebay exploit that position so much and provide terrible customer service..... and I think that it is because of that that a classic 'classifieds' pages would provide so little reward for a company like What Hi Fi...... it is sad but I can understand why there might be higher priorities here.
im not sure the idea is - or should ever be, for that matter - to have an auction section run by what hifi that competes with the other site, as people seem sto be calling it (thought we could say ebay? theyre not a competing site anyway...); Nor would i have thought it should be a place for the mainstream. many other sites have them in an "all geeks together" kinda way, and dont think such a section here need aspire to any more...?
Well I was not saying that What Hi Fi should set up an auction
site.... I was thinking about if they added a 'classic' classifeds
site...
If one was set up then I would not imagine that it would
be for the mainstream, but that does not change the fact that it has to
operate at a certain level in order to make it worth doing.... and my
point there was that a mainstream and successful competitor might mean
that it never reaches it potential. The people of the forum will not
make a classifieds section viable.... you have to attract people from
other sources and if they are all out on Ebay that will not happen (it
is a consideration for the What Hi Fi team because if they are going to
impart resources setting up the 'classifieds' then they have to be
damned certain that it will work).
fatboyslimfast:You should charge a fiver an ad Andrew - far better value that that auction site, and then it would pay for itself in a short space of time!!!
Thing is that if you charge a fiver per ad then you are not making yourself competitive with that "other" site so whilst you will attract the hi-fi enthusiast and the disgruntled the main stream will simply not make the conversion across.....
There are a few other problems was well, like because the classified ad's here will be a defined price/o.n.o. adverts Ebay (oops sorry, 'that' place) is an auction so how many bargain hunters are going to be attracted away from that.....?
Ebay also pretty much guarantees (if you sell sensibly) that your hi-fi will be gone in 5/7/10 days..... where as a 'classic' advert could be there for weeks (that you have paid a £5 for).
So far I may seem like the C.E.O. of Ebay.... I am not. I would love for Ebid or even What Hi Fi to become so competitive that I never have to go there again..... but the bottom line is that Ebay have kind of plugged a gap in the market for a high efficiency selling site that allows both the buyer and the seller able to feel that they have the best price.... it is because of that that Ebay exploit that position so much and provide terrible customer service..... and I think that it is because of that that a classic 'classifieds' pages would provide so little reward for a company like What Hi Fi...... it is sad but I can understand why there might be higher priorities here.
im not sure the idea is - or should ever be, for that matter - to have an auction section run by what hifi that competes with the other site, as people seem sto be calling it (thought we could say ebay? theyre not a competing site anyway...); Nor would i have thought it should be a place for the mainstream. many other sites have them in an "all geeks together" kinda way, and dont think such a section here need aspire to any more...?
Well I was not saying that What Hi Fi should set up an auction
site.... I was thinking about if they added a 'classic' classifeds
site...
If one was set up then I would not imagine that it would
be for the mainstream, but that does not change the fact that it has to
operate at a certain level in order to make it worth doing.... and my
point there was that a mainstream and successful competitor might mean
that it never reaches it potential. The people of the forum will not
make a classifieds section viable.... you have to attract people from
other sources and if they are all out on Ebay that will not happen (it
is a consideration for the What Hi Fi team because if they are going to
impart resources setting up the 'classifieds' then they have to be
damned certain that it will work).
Terryff
Well-known member
There are plenty of other places with HiFi classifieds, though i reckon a simple section where you can post I have a....and i want this much for it, then enable some sort of contact system, would be relatively easy to set up.ÿ
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... and then police it to make sure it isn't dealers trading, resolve disputes, ensure stolen products aren't being sold...
Frankly, given the status of the magazine it's a huge risk to take, and any such project would have to be absolutely bombproof, watertight and entirely beyond reproach - which is where it starts to get expensive.
Frankly, given the status of the magazine it's a huge risk to take, and any such project would have to be absolutely bombproof, watertight and entirely beyond reproach - which is where it starts to get expensive.
EDITED by Mods - house rules violation if cost is the issue, then people could pay a small membership fee every year. There is no need to run a classified in the same manner as ebay, what would be the point.
hi fi newbie:if cost is the issue, then people could pay a small membership fee every year. There is no need to run a classified in the same manner as ebay, what would be the point.
Well I refer you to previous answers, no-one has said that it would be run in the same manner as Ebay...... so that makes you point rather moot.
Bottom line the two models are put no money into a classifieds section....... but then you run into Andrew's problem... a site with no policing and open to abuse..... which would damage the What Hi Fi brand.
The second is do a good traditional 'classifieds' section which does not compete with Ebay and generates absolutely no money for What Hi Fi but sucks up time and resources......
So beyond satisfying the idealists of the forum could anyone actually come up with a beneficial reason for WHF doing this?
Well I refer you to previous answers, no-one has said that it would be run in the same manner as Ebay...... so that makes you point rather moot.
Bottom line the two models are put no money into a classifieds section....... but then you run into Andrew's problem... a site with no policing and open to abuse..... which would damage the What Hi Fi brand.
The second is do a good traditional 'classifieds' section which does not compete with Ebay and generates absolutely no money for What Hi Fi but sucks up time and resources......
So beyond satisfying the idealists of the forum could anyone actually come up with a beneficial reason for WHF doing this?
I was just echoing that point that's all
and yes i am definitely an idealist and i do know it's fraught with practical problems. EDITED by Mods - house rules violation
Ravey Gravey Davy
Well-known member
Andrew Everard:Read. My. Lips: Not. Going. To. Happen. (at least in the foreseeable future)
And some fell on stony ground
And some fell on stony ground
hi fi newbie:I was just echoing that point that's all
and yes i am definitely an idealist and i do know it's fraught with practical problems.
The reason that I was a little sharp is that people seem to think that I am saying that WHF could not set up a better site like the one Ebay has.............. Ebay have spent, literally, 10-20 years pioneering online auctions.... of course I am not saying that WHF should set up a site like Ebay..... but that does not mean that a more 'traditional' on-line classifieds will not be in direct competition with and affected by Ebay......
The reason that I was a little sharp is that people seem to think that I am saying that WHF could not set up a better site like the one Ebay has.............. Ebay have spent, literally, 10-20 years pioneering online auctions.... of course I am not saying that WHF should set up a site like Ebay..... but that does not mean that a more 'traditional' on-line classifieds will not be in direct competition with and affected by Ebay......
It would be a good idea....there's no need for it to be anything like an auction, just a simple self posting classifieds affair, which using the same or similar web architecture of the main forums wouldn't be hard to implement.....
But, I can see Andrew's point regarding reputable association issues for the magazine....
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*EDITED*ÿ
But, I can see Andrew's point regarding reputable association issues for the magazine....
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*EDITED*ÿ
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