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Lee, JS — I, for one, think the aggregator or portal is an excellent idea and bears immediate investigation. As to what to call it, WeBay is definitely out as a name for a portal, and for an eventual people’s auction site name too, because there is too great a chance eBay would sue over it, trademark infringement, etc. (We’ve used it as a concept because in a mere five letters it sums up the idea of a people’s site fairly well, especially since we users made the first eBay.) But what to finally call anything should be put to a vote, I think (this Point site in fact has a Motions function), maybe once some given number of people have joined the campaign.
Name aside, some things I can see re the aggregator/portal needing answers soon:
1. Would the competing smaller venues be in favor of this and allow bots onto their sites to collect the data? It would benefit them in terms of sales so you would think all would be in favor, but it’s something we’d need to know for sure straight away. It’s true that eBay wouldn’t allow it, in fact it’s quite definite, and the eBay Inc. v. Bidder’s Edge case proves it, since that’s exactly what that site did, using an “automated querying program.” EBay got them in the end. Our aggregator/portal would have to stand completely apart from eBay.
2. Is there any way eBay could claim an automated querying program like that used by Shopping.com is proprietary? Because, yes, like so much else, eBay Inc. now owns Shopping.com too, bought out fairly recently. An aggregator/portal would have to be distinct enough to avoid any such claims, so perhaps with some minor adjustments.
3. Is aggregation of feedback really necessary? A few competing sites already allow people to transfer it, and there is this ‘universal’ feedback search engine apparently owned by uBid Holdings and somehow connected with Nobidding.com. So the technology exists to compile feedback across sites, perhaps this model could be adapted?
4. There is bound to be variation in opinion on whether an aggregator/portal should be a stage toward a future ‘WeBay’ site, or an end in itself. There seem to be pros and cons for each. The ones I can see now…a big pro for the aggregator idea is cheapness and speed, it could be done much faster and far more cheaply than a full-blown people’s site to rival and consume eBay. But the big con I see is that, if we managed to get it up and running, to the point where there were two places buyers could search, eBay and then the portal (which would search all other auction sites simultaneously), I strongly suspect that eBay would quickly begin the process of chipping away at those sites, starting with the largest…iOffer, Bidville, eCrater, possibly in that order. This is essentially what they have done already, in order to become a monopoly, and I have little doubt they would try it again, buying out and digesting the competing sites one by one, leaving those to be searched by the portal fewer and smaller all the time. The WeBay idea was conceived to prevent exactly this from happening, because the collective ownership base would be too large for even eBay to afford to buy out everyone who made a living using the site. So unless we could come up with an aggregator model that prevented that outcome, it’s my feeling it’s better as a stage in the longer term development of a ‘WeBay’ — not to be one more competing site (there are about 40 now, no one needs another), but to literally swallow up eBay’s market in the end and eventually become a free common auction marketplace, as in the common on-line auction marketplace.
5. What do we know now about making such an aggregator? Who do we have that can advise on this now? Should it be free or should auction sites have to pay for inclusion? (I would hope not as some cannot afford it. Perhaps it could be paid for with ads?) Should the aggregator plan become a side Point campaign? Almost an emergency measure, but also something usefully used in conjunction with the master ‘Alternative Venue Chart’?
The priority of course is for sellers to remain in business and remain united in our opposition to eBay, united enough to coordinate action. That’s what really terrifies eBay, unity and coordination among the refugees. If we have that, we can’t lose.
The aggregator/portal seems like a winning idea to me and a real step in that direction so I throw the ball out there. This would solve our traffic problem, at least for a while. If others also think it’s worth a shot, do post. If enough interest, we can make a forum specifically to discuss and plan for it.
Regards,
Martin (+ Jul and Val, in general agreement)
