Wargames Market: New Logo to Go-Go

Hi everyone,

For anyone who cares to read it, here's a post I put in at DakkaDakka, after being told about the thread and joining so I could post there. In it, I try to address the main concerns about using a site like WGM, and why it's not such a bad idea after all.

*ahem*

By way of introduction, I'm the guy whose post (presumably on Bartertown) Rle68 read and decided to mention here. I've been a member of Bartertown, LordsotheBattlefield, CoolMiniOrNot, ClassicBattletech.com and eBay (the latter two under the name "the_knave") for many years. Morlock Bloodletter and Nuwisha asked me about this thread (ie "Gearhead, is that you?") so I thought I'd best come try to help out with the discussion.

First of all, Bartertown friggin' rocks, and I do not endorse anything negative Rle68 has said about it. It doesn't even fit into this conversation.

Second of all, I do not work for WargamesMarket.com. I do, however, desire very strongly for it to succeed because I'm sick of eBay putting the screws to its sellers. Some people over at CMON accused me of being a mole because I've taken the time to do some math and construct my arguments, but I started doing the math since eBay announced its latest fee changes and came up with some pretty compelling reasons to leave, which is why I went LOOKING for someplace else. Plus I have the day off and time to write. Hopefully, I'll be able to at least present a case that will make you take a look.

-eBay's getting more expensive for the little guys. I'm basing everything on a hypothetical item that is given a basic listing at and sells for $9.99 USD (happens all the time.) With eBay's new fee schedule, you save $.05 USD in listing it, but then pay an extra $.35 USD in increased Final Value Fees. I'll leave it to you to decide whether "free gallery" is worth it.

Wargames Market's fees are listed here: link That same $9.99 USD item would cost you absolutely NOTHING, given the same basic listing.

-Ease of use: My personal experience has been that WGM is much faster and simpler to use than eBay. You can set up a lot of standard settings to be automatically entered in each listing (like terms and conditions, etc,) Once you get the hang of it (didn't take me long,) it's like falling off a log. Again, for me.

What's more, there are some real fire-and-forget options. Listings can last from 3 days to 2 months, with the option of automatically relisting it for up to 10 times, FOR FREE, if it doesn't sell (or even if it does and you have more of the same.) This means that you can list a $9.99 USD item with Buy-it-now and have it run up to 20 MONTHS, and all it will cost you is the $.02 USD BIN fee.

-eBay's policies are getting VERY dracoinian. I almost left when they implemented the "If you accept Paypal, you must accept ALL forms of it." That meant upgrading to a business/premier account. Last I recall, that's a 2.9% + $.35 USD fee for every payment received. That's an additional $.64 USD on your 9.99 item, which means that eBay has now bled a bit over 13% of your GROSS sales. Some people, like me, simply stopped taking PayPal. Unfortunately, new and less-than-100-feedback sellers are now being FORCED to take it.

Furthermore, only power sellers are getting any kind of breaks. They get a 3% FVF rebate (oddly enough, the same amount by which FVFs have just been increased) for good performance on Detailed Feedback Ratings. Noone else gets this "break". Not only that, but this reduction in listing fees, which eBay hailed as a landmark acheivement in their original announcement of all this, is only of any benefit to the big guys. $.05 USD per item? You have to list 200 items just to save $10!

-Now, the main arguments against using WGM seem to be few sellers and few buyers. The thing is not to get people to jump ship completely and immediately (though if everyone did at once, wouldn't that be effective?) but rather coax people away. If you're a seller, it takes VERY little effort to start a side operation at WGM while continuing to sell on eBay, but you can refer your eBay clients to WGM as you go along, building up the buyer base over there. It would even be possible to offer them discounts for buying at WGM and still make more: remember that 13% cut eBay and PayPal took out of your $9.99 USD sale?

As for buyers who complain that there's nothing for sale- that's not an insurmountable obstacle! After all, what does it cost you to stop by and look now and then anyway? Not only that, you can ask your favorite sellers to start posting there, and tell them about how they can benefit IF everyone's willing to give it a try. There is practically no risk or effort required from ANYONE involved. Remember too that even eBay was small and relatively unknown at one time. But people gave it a chance, stuck with it, told other people, and it grew. Why not give another site the same consideration?

-Some criticize WGM or its proponents of trying to get business. Even if that were the case, and they were just spamming for bucks, why should that be a problem if they are actually offering a viable service? Everyone's out to make a buck or two, and WGM's offering a way for you to pay them LESS for a service you're already using elsewhere.

-Last of all (and this is why I'm taking the time and effort to write all this,) is that I honestly believe that WE, the wargamers, hobby painters, terrain makers, roleplayers, book readers, PC/console gamers, card collectors, and mini sculptors (and anyone else I failed to mention) can only gain from supporting an alternate site like WGM. They're gamers themselves, and they started the site as a place where hobbyists can sell their wares in a place friendly to their interests and which doesn't squeeze like a python every time you breathe out. I see this as a chance for gamers and hobbyists to do something for OURSELVES. And that's the whole point! eBay probably couldn't care less whether we live or die as a whole, so we're the ones that need to look out for us. And even if they did care, a healthy competing site simply means that both sites need to make sure to treat us right.

Bottom line: give it a try; it doesn't have to be an immediate and complete move-over. Get your friends, associates, and favourite sellers to come with you. STICK WITH IT for a while, and see if it doesn't grow!

And if you're still reading this, my heartfelt thanks for taking the time!