My name is Matthew Bredel and as of March, 2007, I am a full-time, work-at-home internet marketer.
For close to 10 years, I worked for a defense company which was an OK job, but I was so uninspired in life and frankly, I needed some more money. That is when I first discovered internet marketing! Now I admit that I didn't start making thousands in my first couple of months (in fact, I lost my shirt!), but I finally saw the "internet light"...
So here it is Thursday and I’m in one of the most awesome cities in America: Chicago! Last night, I made it a priority to head over to Pizzeria Unos, drink a beer and watch a Cubs game. It was true bliss (and the pizza did not disappoint, as always!).
I was hoping to do a [...]
So here it is Thursday and I’m in one of the most awesome cities in America: Chicago! Last night, I made it a priority to head over to Pizzeria Unos, drink a beer and watch a Cubs game. It was true bliss (and the pizza did not disappoint, as always!).
I was hoping to do a video blog today, but I stupidly left my Flip back at the hotel, so it will have to wait for tomorrow.
For those who have been following me for more than a year, you would remember that I went to eBay Live! last June in Boston and I raved about the energy and how much fun it was.
This year so far, it’s been pretty flat. There is very little energy and it seems like there are a lot less vendors and attendance.
I’ve been asking around a bit during the training sessions at what others think and the powersellers are just very ticked off as a whole. They feel the low attendance is due to a minor boycott in the eBay Powerselling community due to reclassifications of powerselling rankings and lack of seminar discounts.
I personally don’t understand it that much, but their pride is definitely shattered right now and you can feel it, too. It is only day one, though…Maybe by tomorrow there will be more attendance and those angry eBay’ers will loosen up a little bit.
It is kind of disappointing to me, but then again, I’m learning a lot and it is good to catch up with some old eBay friends.
On a good note, I won myself a PayPal security key (which is great, but these days PayPal is so on my S-List that I don’t even use them at the moment). A lot of people were jealous of my prize! (I won it playing Let’s Make a Deal).
I also accidentally bumped (literally) into Seth Godin while trying to read the back cover of his new book “Meatball Sundae”…and I didn’t even know I was standing next to him for about 5 minutes. He looks older than I thought (no offense to Seth Godin). I love his stuff, though, and look forward to hearing him speak in about an hour.
That’s all I have for today.
Until tomorrow…cheers…matt
P.S. I wish Worldwide Brands good luck on their launch of “The Wholesale” (which just took place about 5 minutes ago!) You can check it out at:
http://www.matthewbredel.com/wwb_twr2
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So first you tease me with a title about economics, and then you go watch a Cubs game without me.
Have fun, Matt. Give Collette a long, awkward hug for me.
June 19th, 2008 at 11:44 am
So essentially you wasted your time and they are all wasting their time.
They should go back to work and fix something. FI PP/eBay have no tools for determining fraud except the tracking numbers. They have an atmosphere of suspiscion and fear with every major listing now. One way feedback is not in any way shape or form an improvement. It is the end of all that was essential in determining reputation and capability. It should be a rule that no one may even ask for feedback or mention it at all, no veiled threats, no reminders. It should be limited to negging only a max of one of five, no more, if not rated in 45 days, the entire group of five transactions is automatically positive. This is only the beginning of a fair system. TRS ver 9 for a safe ecommerce future.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
This is exactly the kind of stuff I am hearing here!
Is it a waste of time? If I were here to focus on eBay, it may have been, but the networking has been good and the meeting of old friends, colleagues and partners is always invaluable.
I hear rumors that eBay Live! may not go on next year…I can’t say that I would miss the event, but the opportunity to see and meet people.
June 20th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
First off, great site Matt! I just came from thewebreviewer.com, very nice layout, clean, and easy to navigate through.. I know for a fact your getting some nice traffic on that site, and it is much deserved.
Onto the eBay thing, but from the affiliate standpoint - I don’t know what it is that this company is trying to accomplish, but to me they are going about it all wrong! As a company of any kind, your success if built primarily on your users/clients. If you become successful as a company it is because of the hard work and dedication of your users or in this case powersellers. To start blatantly screwing your prime earners in the rear without providing a jar a lube is not right.
Being an eBay affiliate, and having their program run through CJ for the longest time it really hurts to have them take the program in-house and then start screwing affiliates with faulty tracking, cookie cutter email responses and no direct answer for why their in house program isn’t working for a good portion of affiliates. A lot of people are loosing tons of money… sites are drowning… and they are not owning to the fact that they either effed up, or are out to screw the masses…
Anyways, it’s not cool. And I’m not too happy with eBay at this moment in time.
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Hey Elijah,
I totally agree! And the funny thing is that they don’t really even understand their own affiliate program (which is called the “Partner Network”) that well either. I’m like you, an affiliate, and first changing links is a pain and second, they have so many different referral programs now is it hard to make tails of what I should be promoting. CJ still manages their eBay Stores affiliate program. Then there is the Partner Network. Then there is the Store Referral Credit Program for current sellers.
None knows anything about the other, yet they are all kind of linked in one form or another. I figured it out (from Janelle Elms), but there people couldn’t explain it either.
The eBay affiliate program is a GREAT opportunity but like any transition, the major people who are most effected are usually their most successful participants!
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:32 am
An interesting response to exactly what I am talking about (and the way it affect eBay sellers!)…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuIERZKLHaE&feature=email
Also check out what Griff says:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuIERZKLHaE&feature=email
Does eBay even care do you think???
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:37 am