Timm, I feel your pain.
When running a web site, it is very challenging to 'keep up' with the constantly changing technologies. Consider this just from the standpoint of the number of browsers, the number of devices and operating systems, and then the number of versions and combinations which have to be supported. And sites which have dependencies upon other technologies like PayPal have no control over what and when they decide to roll out. All of this results in the need for constant review and testing for website owners and developers. This impacts the cost and drives up the need for testing and support personal.
So now imagine what Mark Rosenberg is facing. He purchased bidStart and also owns the new startup Hip eCommerce. While he can certainly glean efficiencies by using the same developers and support staff for both efforts there are only so many hours in the day. In his open letter he states,
Quote:
"Within HipComic.com and HipStamp.com, you'll find a wide range of features built exclusively for collectors of comic books and stamps respectively. For example, on HipStamp listings include attributes specific to stamps, such as Country, Catalog Number, Condition, Format, and more - each of which can easily be searched upon. There you will also find our Catalog section, where you can manage your Collection and Want List; as well as browse for items for sale in Country / Catalog order."
Further on he then states,
Quote:
"That being said, from a business point of view, bidStart follows a different model than the other business within Hip eCommerce in that it aims to provide a singular platform for all collectibles. This is a business model which serves different needs than that of HipComic or HipStamp, and I see no reason why bidStart can not also happily exist within the Hip eCommerce family."
The way I read this is that the HipStamp site is probably more technically robust but that the bidStart site has the existing customer base. HipStamp has the benefit of being new from the ground up and they were able to learn from the missteps that might have be taken with previous efforts. Coding is a lot like writing an article or paper, every time you rewrite it gets better.
Will bidStart sit beside HipStamp under the Hip eCommerce family umbrella? Will they be two distinct web sites? Or will they be connected and allow buyers to easily and seamlessly search/navigate across both? Will sellers be able to post a listing in one site and have it appear in both sites? If so, why have two sites? When I read that the plan was to keep both of them I immediately thought it unwise (insert something like, "having your cake and eating it too). If the two sites are kept separate and distinct they will compete with each other. Two separate and distinct sites also represents more cost and headaches. But merging the two sites is a bit like moving a traditional brick and mortar retail store, although you are making improvements you always see a loss of some of the existing customer base after a location change.
I am not making excuses for the issues you are seeing. My point is that trying to take on the well entrenched
ebay is daunting enough; doing it with two additional contemporaneously competing websites is something that I cannot fathom. I think he will eventually come to the conclusion that a single effort will better serve the marketplace but until then users may see these kinds of issues.
Don
APS #094826
Posted 08/05/2016 9:37 pm
