Trademe going global?

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mrdrifter

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#100562 13-Apr-2012 14:11

Not sure if everyone has seen this?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/6738158/Trade-Me-goes-global

Auction website Trade Me has signed a deal with international e-commerce company ChannelAdvisor, enabling online retailers around the world to list their products on the Kiwi site.

Trade Me, which listed on the New Zealand stock exchange in December, has said that it aimed to diversify more into selling new goods online.

The ChannelAdvisor arrangement would see new products on Trade Me in time for the 2012 Christmas season, the company told the NZX.

''With this deal we aim to provide Kiwis with access to an increased range of new goods from well-known brands in the familiar surroundings of Trade Me,'' CEO Jon Macdonald said. ''It's also a good way for retailers to get in front of New Zealanders without setting up a bricks and mortar store.''

The partnership was important in terms of delivering on Trade Me's strategic goals, he said.

''When we became a listed company... we talked about the importance of growing and diversifying the range of new goods available on Trade Me. ChannelAdvisor is a leader in helping brands boost their presence across various e-commerce channels, and it's great Trade Me will soon be an option for these sellers.''

ChannelAdvisor is an e-commerce platform that helps retailers sell more online through channels such as marketplaces and paid search and comparison shopping.

The company says it ''calms the chaos of online selling'' by enabling retailers to submit one inventory feed which is then translated into the specifications of numerous e-commerce channels and distributed accordingly.

Trade Me shares recently traded at $3.46, up three cents.

Personally, I don't see this as a good thing, there are a number of improvements Trademe needs to make locally before they flood the site with more items.
As a consumer, I don't believe people are aware of the downsides to buying in an auction either.

M

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#608774 13-Apr-2012 14:14

Doesn't so much like it is going global, but rather bringing international online retailers to us... probably for a price!

Will be cheaper to shop directly with the overseas retailer, I suspect.

mrdrifter

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#608779 13-Apr-2012 14:16

That's the way I read it aswell, it will end up having even more bulk loaded products.

If they go down this route, the best thing in my opinion would be a decent advanced search

keewee01

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#608782 13-Apr-2012 14:21

Wonder if this might prompt eBay to enter the New Zealand market proper...

itxtme

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#608787 13-Apr-2012 14:26

keewee01: Doesn't so much like it is going global, but rather bringing international online retailers to us... probably for a price!

Will be cheaper to shop directly with the overseas retailer, I suspect.

I suspect it will bring in protection that is traditionally lacking from having items shipped to you directly!

mrdrifter

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#608790 13-Apr-2012 14:32

I suspect it will bring in protection that is traditionally lacking from having items shipped to you directly!

That would be great, and is likely, in that to register as an overseas seller there would be some assurance you are a real company etc...

My bigger concern is around all the sellers on Trademe claiming that they will honour the CGA etc... but there is no legal basis for this as Trademe is an auction site.

The current review of the consumer protection laws may provide some answers to this as well though.

keewee01

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#608793 13-Apr-2012 14:42

itxtme:
keewee01: Doesn't so much like it is going global, but rather bringing international online retailers to us... probably for a price!

Will be cheaper to shop directly with the overseas retailer, I suspect.

I suspect it will bring in protection that is traditionally lacking from having items shipped to you directly!

That's a laugh - Trade Me has no protection, especially when compared to what eBay does with PayPal. Trade Me let people weasel out of trades again and again and again with out taking any action - just because that person also sells a few items on Trade Me. I've had this happen a number of times and TradeMe just will not take action against these people. Even when they back out of multiple trades with different people in the same week!

With eBay, when a deal goes sour or someone tries to weasel out of a trade, then there is still a great chance for the seller to still get their money from the buyer due to the Resolution Service they have. And the same goes if you buy and pay for something and it never arrives, and the seller refuses to pay out. Then you have eBay and PayPal on your side and you are very likely to get your money back.

(OK, not always, but it's far more likely than with Trade Me... but then I guess that is why eBay's fees are higher than TradeMe's.)

mattwnz

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#608833 13-Apr-2012 16:16

It's not so good for NZ retailers though is it? Would like to see ebay enter the market, but they may see NZ as being too small compared to the amount they need to spend in getting a foothold into the market.

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sleemanj

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#608860 13-Apr-2012 16:54

mrdrifter:

My bigger concern is around all the sellers on Trademe claiming that they will honour the CGA etc... but there is no legal basis for this as Trademe is an auction site.

Off topic, but when an item is purchased through Buy Now or accepting a fixed price offer, then (subject to the other necessities) the CGA can apply, as at that point, the sale was not by auction.

To return to topic. This sounds like a really bad idea to me.

Unless Trade Me makes it REALLY clear that these products are coming from overseas and what that means, a lot of people are going to be experiencing shipping problems.

Indeed, I can't imagine that customs will be that enamoured with thousands of dim witted TradeMe users suddenly being presented with an chance to individually import stuff. At the moment, only people who specifically go looking to import something themselves, do so, but after this...

---
James Sleeman
I sell lots of stuff for electronic enthusiasts...

mrdrifter

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#608876 13-Apr-2012 17:40

Off topic, but when an item is purchased through Buy Now or accepting a fixed price offer, then (subject to the other necessities) the CGA can apply, as at that point, the sale was not by auction.

This hasn't been tested through the system yet though has it? I imagine it would lead to an interesting discussion.

It would be interesting to know how it is handled when overseas sellers are introduced and items are regularly drop shipped. I don't know about others, but I generally expect a pretty quick turn around when i buy something on Trademe.
I would say the only fair way would be to display something that clearly highlights these sellers may be outside of New Zealand. This might also help if you're doing a region by Region Search. (unless the seller has local stock on hand?)

sleemanj

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#608884 13-Apr-2012 17:56

mrdrifter:
Off topic, but when an item is purchased through Buy Now or accepting a fixed price offer, then (subject to the other necessities) the CGA can apply, as at that point, the sale was not by auction.

This hasn't been tested through the system yet though has it?

Consumer.org.nz
If you bid on it and won the auction, you're not covered. If you bought it from a private person you're not covered. However, if you bought it at a fixed price, like "Buy Now' from a person in trade, then the Act does cover you.

Trademe.co.nz
If an item is bought through a Trade Me classified, or by “fixed price offer” or “buy now” from a professional seller, it should be covered by the CGA.

Consumeraffairs.govt.nz
goods bought at the ’buy now’ price in an internet auction are covered by the Consumer Guarantees Act.

Really not much arguing in that.

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I sell lots of stuff for electronic enthusiasts...

mrdrifter

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#608892 13-Apr-2012 18:13

Thanks, hadn't seen some of those.
----
Guess we will have to wait and see how this integration goes. They say in time for Christmas 2012, so it might take them a while to get it up and running.

mattwnz

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#608895 13-Apr-2012 18:16

mrdrifter: Thanks, hadn't seen some of those.
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Guess we will have to wait and see how this integration goes. They say in time for Christmas 2012, so it might take them a while to get it up and running.

I imagine they will be fixed prices. I mean here are other NZ retailers who sell on it, and they have fixed fees. But apparently the law change will change things.

Athlonite

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#609705 15-Apr-2012 20:15

I wouldn't mind if it meant paying the US price for something in NZ dollars instead of NZ re/eTailers ripping us off

Waterfront

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#609920 16-Apr-2012 11:57

This worries me a bit. It sends warning bells off in my head that Trademe will become more commercial. While it will be good for their income, it might make it harder for the site to be more "private sellers" and harder for people to get a look in. maybe they will introduce a search option in order to filter out the international sellers.

surfisup1000

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#610070 16-Apr-2012 15:21

Waterfront: This worries me a bit. It sends warning bells off in my head that Trademe will become more commercial. While it will be good for their income, it might make it harder for the site to be more "private sellers" and harder for people to get a look in. maybe they will introduce a search option in order to filter out the international sellers.

Why would you be worried? We operate in a market economy.

If trademe abuse their monopoly (and they do currently have critical mass) then it opens an opportunity for a new competitor to gain a foothold in the online auction market.

If that happened, and the competitor was astute then trademe could go bust very quickly.

Trademe increased their fees a while back, which I thought was quite wrong. They should grow their business through increased listings, not increased fees.

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