Comments on: Best Match - Podcast with IMA Member Larry http://imamerchant.org/blog/best-match-podcast-with-ima-member-larry/ Internet Merchants Association Blog - Thoughts and ideas from our IMA members for online sellers. Sat, 22 Nov 2008 03:40:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1 By: Mike http://imamerchant.org/blog/best-match-podcast-with-ima-member-larry/#comment-61 Mike Sat, 19 Apr 2008 04:30:45 +0000 http://imamerchant.org/blog/best-match-podcast-with-ima-member-larry/#comment-61 I agree that BM is a huge change. The issue is for businesses that stock inventory and need to plan out purchases for the year, BM creates a real problem because there is no way to tell how much exposure your products will get in the future since the listings returns no longer are standardized. It is this exact type of algorithm that makes a general Google search not a reliable way to drive customers to an online store. What is reliable is Google Adwords, because you can monitor clicl-thrus and conversions and therefore have cost analysis and budgeting. With BM, basically eBay is saying pay for the ads (listings) and you may or may not get conversions or views, and even if you do now, you may not later. With the DSR influence in the mix (somehow) it actually has been rewarding new sellers with little FB. The end result is a search that gives a seller no confidence in what results will be day to day. For businesses not relying on drop ships and in it for the long haul, this makes it a real issue seems to reward the fly-by-night businesses that eBay had been trying to control. Get a bad FB, get a new ID, start over. It seems to me they have bit off more than they can handle with BM and the long term erosion may be hard to monitor and lay blame, but I think it will be huge. It has dramatically changed the way that we view eBay's reliability as a consistent marketplace for us in the future. People have already hacked the searches and it will happen over and over again. Think of the effort Google takes to stay ahead of the game re the algorithms. We have seen our listings buried 5 pages back (including Featured Fixed Price listings -- now definitely a thing of the past for us) while sellers with 20 FB are occupying the first few spots. Even if it changes for us in the future in our favor, we can never rely on consistent results again with BM as the default. The trickle down affect on our planning has already begun. Thanks for your great posting and interview with Auctionbytes. I agree that BM is a huge change. The issue is for businesses that stock inventory and need to plan out purchases for the year, BM creates a real problem because there is no way to tell how much exposure your products will get in the future since the listings returns no longer are standardized.

It is this exact type of algorithm that makes a general Google search not a reliable way to drive customers to an online store. What is reliable is Google Adwords, because you can monitor clicl-thrus and conversions and therefore have cost analysis and budgeting.

With BM, basically eBay is saying pay for the ads (listings) and you may or may not get conversions or views, and even if you do now, you may not later. With the DSR influence in the mix (somehow) it actually has been rewarding new sellers with little FB. The end result is a search that gives a seller no confidence in what results will be day to day.

For businesses not relying on drop ships and in it for the long haul, this makes it a real issue seems to reward the fly-by-night businesses that eBay had been trying to control. Get a bad FB, get a new ID, start over.

It seems to me they have bit off more than they can handle with BM and the long term erosion may be hard to monitor and lay blame, but I think it will be huge. It has dramatically changed the way that we view eBay’s reliability as a consistent marketplace for us in the future.

People have already hacked the searches and it will happen over and over again. Think of the effort Google takes to stay ahead of the game re the algorithms.

We have seen our listings buried 5 pages back (including Featured Fixed Price listings — now definitely a thing of the past for us) while sellers with 20 FB are occupying the first few spots. Even if it changes for us in the future in our favor, we can never rely on consistent results again with BM as the default. The trickle down affect on our planning has already begun.

Thanks for your great posting and interview with Auctionbytes.

]]> By: Mike http://imamerchant.org/blog/best-match-podcast-with-ima-member-larry/#comment-62 Mike Sat, 19 Apr 2008 04:41:17 +0000 http://imamerchant.org/blog/best-match-podcast-with-ima-member-larry/#comment-62 I guess I should have added a few vitals to my earlier post so you could see what type of volume and ratings we have on eBay (at least until 5/1 when I do believe the world will not end, it will just get a little nuttier) - 12000+ Pos FB 5 Neg FB 100% FB Score DSRs 4.9 4.8 4.9 4.6 I guess I should have added a few vitals to my earlier post so you could see what type of volume and ratings we have on eBay (at least until 5/1 when I do believe the world will not end, it will just get a little nuttier) -

12000+ Pos FB
5 Neg FB
100% FB Score
DSRs 4.9 4.8 4.9 4.6

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