What is the E! True Hollywood Story About EBay's Former Top Seller Glacier Bay DVD?

What is the E! True Hollywood Story About EBay's Former Top Seller Glacier Bay DVD?

September 26, 2006 by
Randy Smythe  
Randy Smythe
Randy Smythe
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Glacier  |  Meg Whitman  |  The Shining  |  Whitman  |  Cheerleaders  |  Shutdown

Top EBay Seller Vanishes! Feb 2006 - What is the Untold Story?

Well, I’m not sure anyone is still interested in this topic, but since I owned Glacier Bay DVD, I thought I would jump in and explain why I no longer sell on eBay or anywhere else for that matter.

You might ask why I waited 8 months to speak up, well I’ve been observing eBay over these past 8 months and I’ve come to the realization that they are a ship without a rudder, and it is affecting a group of people that I care a great deal about: EBay Sellers. So I thought I
 would lend my voice to the discussion. I have a unique perspective on eBay, and since I no longer sell online I can speak freely.

When I shutdown Glacier Bay I was number 2 in total feedback with 265,950 unique positives and 539,703 total positives, but I was also seriously in debt. We had been losing money since March of 2004, and I had to make a decision. Do I keep trying to make this work or is my business model so broken I’ll never be able to turn it around. I made the decision to shut it down, which was a very painful process for me, my employees, my vendors and for some of my customers. If you were affected by the failure of Glacier Bay DVD I sincerely apologize for the trouble it may have caused.

Let me be clear, in speaking out now about eBay issues, I do not blame eBay for my business failings. I made the decisions or neglected the issues that caused Glacier Bay’s demise. I ignored the competition, I didn’t adapt to the changes in the marketplace, and I didn’t cut overhead when I should have. The reason I am adding my voice to the discussion on eBay now is because I believe it can still be a fantastic “venue” for small businesses and hobbyists, and I don’t want you to go through what I did. I also want to give something back to the community of eBay sellers that are truly some of the best people in the world.

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  • If you are interested in what some very thoughtful sellers have to say about eBay please read the comments on this message board.
 
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Wow. So interesting!!!!!
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Posted on 12/28/2008 at 8:12:07 PM

Joey, you are correct. The reasons for my business failure are much more complex and not tied strictly to one particular marketplace. Also, I made several bad choices that had nothing to do with the marketplace itself. Thanks for the comments.
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Posted on 03/13/2007 at 3:03:00 PM

Randy, while I am sorry to hear about your companies plight, isn't it a bit narrow sighted to blame the mechanics of a marketplace. Fees were too high, new competition, changing rules and marketing methods, isn't this what happens to all markets at some point? What I think people fail to realize is how volitile and dynamic ecommerce marketing and sales can be. I think that your experience provides valuable insight and would hope that independant sellers would take heed at the lessons regarding how to adapt to market changes.
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Posted on 02/21/2007 at 5:02:00 PM

This is weird that I should run across this now. They just increased rates again and I am wondering if I should even stay. I do remember Glacier Bay, and I have actually bought from you before. There was a time when I made most of my living on eBay, but since then the downturn has made that impossible. The regular rate increases, coupled with the regular postage rate hikes cut into profits so much that there is very little profit anymore. This Christmas profits were less than half what they were last year, and I am starting to think it isn't even worth it anymore.
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Posted on 01/10/2007 at 7:01:00 PM

I have lots of comments from both sides---seller and buyer. First, you all seem to really be speaking DVDs/Books and large volume (normally) items. Ebay still seems to hold the field in terms of collectibles. Prices have dropped, but I've wondered if they were inflated several years ago to start. I couldn't get those prices at my antiques booths, so like the stock market there was a bit of unnatural behavior with it. I really want to know what other sites you all are using. I've seen only one, and it isn't close. I have to think since I'm a reporter, and I'm actively looking, buyers will have a tough time getting to these places. From the opposite side, I had some really hinky problems as a buyer with ebay early on. The whole powerseller left a really bad taste in my mouth because it became very obvious to me that ebay (at that time when it appears they were luring you all in) was screwing the other side in a major way. There was a seller who was corrupt enough that the c
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Posted on 10/09/2006 at 5:10:00 AM

(Continued from above) whatsoever (I have been selling on ebay since 1998) no excessive shipping costs. I relisted the item again and sold it but never received my listing fees back for the removal of the original listing. I emailed ebay twice about this and never received a response. In short I see ebay heading downhill as more and more sellers are unhappy, or worse, put out of business by their excessive fees and inflexibility. For every action there is a reaction, so its a matter of a short time before a competitor like Google surfaces that will REALLY balance the marketplace as ebay likes to say. Good luck to you.
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Posted on 10/08/2006 at 6:10:00 PM

Hi Randy, I am sorry about what happened to you and can tell you that I looked up to GlacierBay for their achievements ever since I read the Wingo book. Being a seller myself that relies on ebay to make a living, I too have been feeling the pinch. Maybe it is unrealistic of me to think this, but if enough sellers said, enough is enough, and could organize themselves, they could bring ebay to its knees. After all, ebay IS the sellers. This is what I once saw as the beauty of this unique site. I remember telling all my friends what an ingenious and simple concept it was. Change is inevitable, but I suppose as with any company, the more it grows the harder it is to manage and lose perspective. Here's something that happened to me recently as an example of ebay's indifference. I had a listing removed recently for no apparent reason. Ebay did not send me an email about it, it was just removed. The item was an old Johnny Cash vinyl record, not a bootleg, not a promo, no listing violation
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Posted on 10/08/2006 at 6:10:00 PM

Ebays auction listings in the US market have now sarted to decline in year over year comparisons. I can't find this reported anywhere. This is the beginning of the end for Ebay. They have driven many of their biggest fans(sellers) to other sites. What kind of insamne business model is that?
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Posted on 10/02/2006 at 10:10:00 AM

J.J. Duane and Kay - Thanks for your comments. I'm positive you are not alone in your experiences and opinion on the direction eBay is taking.
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Posted on 10/02/2006 at 9:10:00 AM

ooops apologies for running over! Item specifics destroyed many a book seller back when that began, and of course it has gone on and on from there. Today I am going to Wagglepop, a new venue that has a lot of the "feel" of old eBay days and a great bunch of eB expats enthusiastically working to build it up. Keep up this excellent information Randy, Thanks so much!
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Posted on 10/02/2006 at 9:10:00 AM

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