Post Office Betting On eBay

from the need-help-now dept

With the rise of email and various private shipping companies, some have wondered if the US Postal Service can survive in the digital age. They've tried a few random things here and there, but most of them have been pretty silly (e.g., you could email the Post Office a letter, which they'd print out and deliver to someone's mailbox). However, it looks like someone finally realized that while the rise of the internet may have decimated the market for some types of mail, it's boosted individual shipments of packages from residential users thanks to eBay. With that in mind, they might as well jump on the eBay bandwagon and help train people to become eBay sellers -- while (of course) using the Post Office for all their shipping. While it makes sense for the Postal Service to do this, you have to wonder if some other online auction firms may get a bit upset that the US Postal Service seems to be promoting eBay over other online auction sites.
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  • identicon
    dorpus, 25 Aug 2005 @ 4:28am

    Those guys

    ebay approached me for a job interview once. They wanted me to believe that their stock price would keep going up and up, forever. I asked them why I would want to pay a fee to sell something through ebay, when I could sell them through any number of other sites for free. They had no answer. One of the interviewers was some older Native American guy, and I asked him what he plans to do when ebay gets rid of him because he's too old. He had no answer. Some fat white executive, same story. I don't know why that company ever succeeded.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 25 Aug 2005 @ 5:10am

      Re: Those guys

      >I don't know why that company ever succeeded.< br>Perhaps they looked beyond the people who want to sell their lawn mower and not have to pay for the ad.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 25 Aug 2005 @ 5:22am

      Re: Those guys

      >> ebay approached me for a job interview once.
      Sure they did....

      I asked them why I would want to pay a fee to sell something through ebay, when I could sell them through any number of other sites for free. They had no answer.

      #1 Answer: EXPOSURE

      I think you are full of it, brother.

      I came up with the #1 answer before I was done reading that sentence. I am sure that anyone else can do the same. So you expect us to believe that you stumped them with THAT question?

      Go away.....

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        dorpus, 25 Aug 2005 @ 6:13am

        Re: Those guys

        Exposure? I got flooded with offers when I advertised on the free sites.

        They should have been the first to answer my question, but they said that they "hadn't heard of any sites like that". When I mentioned several, they acted puzzled.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Oliver Wendell Jones, 25 Aug 2005 @ 6:25am

          Re: Those guys

          God, I would just love to see ebay with Dorpus working there.

          People would post an auction trying to sell a lawnmower and minutes later you would see:

          ------------
          The auction edited by Dorpus:

          "But what about all the Japanese suicide clubs who are killing themselves with garden instruments? Perhaps you should sell them, too"

          link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Skogin, 25 Aug 2005 @ 6:41am

          Re: Those guys

          The difference is if you approach those other sites, they have all heard of Ebay.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Mousky, 25 Aug 2005 @ 7:39am

          Re: Those guys

          Where are the links to these free sites?

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Simon, 25 Aug 2005 @ 8:51am

            Re: Those guys

            I WAS approached once to work as a project manager for Priceline.com for an ill fated auction site based on fixed fees. I DID ask them why someone would want to sell something for $30 when there might be someone willing to pay $40 (and therefore increase the commission for the site). I already had experience on eBay with people fighting for the right to overpay on auction items.

            The site fizzled before the beta test was over.
            There is a difference in asking a question based on sound business modeling and being like "dorpus"

            link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        g52ultra, 4 Nov 2005 @ 12:13pm

        Re: Those guys

        ditto!

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      z0idberg, 25 Aug 2005 @ 5:43am

      Re: Those guys

      "ebay approached me for a job interview once."
      they must have recognised your superior intellect by reading your posts on techdirt and jumped at the chance of hiring you.
      They will rue the day they let you get away dorpus. I'm selling my ebay stock right now!

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Ivan SIck, 25 Aug 2005 @ 8:12pm

    No Subject Given

    >"But what about all the Japanese suicide clubs who are killing themselves with garden instruments? Perhaps you should sell them, too" LOL< br>Anyway, if the post office is smart, they will offer the same service to every auction site, and make a contact link easily available (at usps.gov) to all auction sites and hell, all sites period. Nobody could bitch about favoritism, and they increase their market. What is wrong with these people

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      playwrites, 26 Aug 2005 @ 9:03am

      Re: postal ebay training

      We sell on ebay. We can calc it works. We tested overthere and could not calc it worked. It takes effort to post, for that effort we would like to see some return.
      As for postal training future ebay users..why not? Some will catch fire some will not. All will end up posting on ebay. Not because they are training for ebay but because they can calc it works.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Gabbi, 3 Apr 2006 @ 3:58pm

    cheerleading

    why isn't everyone on the same team

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Grace29, 13 Jan 2010 @ 5:07am

    Re

    The really good stuff connecting with this topic could be free for students, just because they want thesis writing service and good dissertation writing service or just format thesis.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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