How would you improve Ebay?

[UK Contract Centre]

If you could improve ebay what would you change or add?

[s2p]

I setup and ran 4 auction websites of my own, and the hardest part was making sure that you had no scammers, or people selling dodgy goods. So it would be good to crack down on this more. I had no chance in competing with ebay, unless I had a large amount of cash to back the sites up with. So security and checking that all of the items are valid, or provide some sort of deposit as insurance before selling the goods which you get back once the transaction has been completed.

If anyone wants to setup an auction website, we have 8 licences using phpprobid auction software (the best on the market) and can set them up for you, host them etc If you have some cash behind you to market it. My idea was to have 8 in a group, using the same backend database, with each design a little different, once you join one, you have access to them all, or on a small scale, keep the sites seperate with their own speciality and then have one main site (a portal where you could search from) - I decided to call it quits, but would ressurect them if I had backing. I have a few ideas that would make the whole experience worthwhile.

One thing I do have is good ideas, but without money to back them they are a slow donkey, instead of a race horse!

[UK Contract Centre]

hmmm interesting, how would you combat scammers then, ?.. making sure the items are valid? or would you stop people from joining from certain fraud high risk countrys? Were currently having a custom auction site built... and we do have the capital to invest, when we launch were budgeting around 100k for the first month... Any advice or thoughts

[s2p]

There are quite a few ideas, but obviously wouldnt come cheap, if I did plan on ressurecting the sites I'd be giving the ideas away - and the end of my concept. Now an auction website or group of sites that where security is air tight, with fail-safes is the key to your success. Only the serious would need to apply. Scammers would try and break the system, but would probably fail. After evaluating the auction industry for a year, by running a few successful sites, but not successful enough as you have the element of security in peoples minds (using a new site, one that is not known widely will mean that you will get sellers, but NO buyers).

[UK Contract Centre]

Ok then, without giving your secret away can you give any tips or what you as a buyer would expect?

[s2p]

Security.
Value for Money, a reason to use your site rather than one of the bigger sites.
Exposure to the public. Else the selling ratio would be very low.

[UK Contract Centre]

Security is the main priority for us, we have a Unique Selling Point that will be revelaed when we launch,,, Like i say budget for first month is 100k and prob same again for first 2 years at least...

[s2p]

Good luck with it. I am sure that if you do it right, and you have had previously dabbled in this field with some experience to back you up, and i mean experience, not just using ebay to buy and sell, then you will be on the right path. I was unfortunate not to have the budget at the time, but anything can happen after my 3rd business is officially launched. I may ressurect the old sites, once again or sell the domains to the highest bidder. Alternatively, setup the sites and sell them!

[UK Contract Centre]

If your trying to raise capital try selling the sites.... Its better to have capital to invest into a new venture than having a ton of different companies with no capital at all

[s2p]

The new venture does not really need any capital to startup as such, as it will be a self sufficient business, and is more of a challenge for me, by creating something good from nothing, other than my time and the skills/experience I have gained through the past couple of years in business and my IT/Web knowledge to setup the infrastructure from the past 15 years in the industry.

It is a business that will help other businesses, whether new or existing to expand on their current client base. By helping other businesses to succeed will in turn help my business.