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GM’s eBay Experiment Expires

October 3rd, 2009 | Posted in: Dealers, Marketing

If you had envisioned yourself putting in a winning bid and skipping to the front of the line on a 2011 Chevrolet Volt on eBay, this news is not good. GM has decided to not extend the program into October, effectively ending the experiment last Wednesday, September 30th.

In a totally unrelated matter, I have a Californian postal address for sale if anyone is interested.

The eBay-GM collaboration came to life shortly after GM itself came out of bankruptcy protection. Mark LaNeve, GM vice president of U.S. sales, saw it as “…GM and our dealers reinventing the car-buying experience for our California customers.” /very optimistic indeed

Transactions through eBay have been offered from GM (through dealers) since August 11th. During this time, a buyer could choose from the two traditional eBay options consumers had grown accustom to at the site: ‘buy it now’ or ‘best offer.’

During the initial 30 days of the program, GM had amassed approximately 50 sales on over 16,000 listings…none of those sales were of the ‘buy it now’ variety.

According to Edmunds.com, part of the failure of the program was that the TMV (True Market Value) of the vehicles listed on eBay were 2% higher than the actual average selling price that occurred in dealership showrooms.

When the program was first announced, Ed Peper (Chevrolet Brand Manager) was asked by GM-Volt how this new system could impact sales on the upcoming Chevrolet Volt. Could eBay possibly be a tool to enable the company to sell early Volts through the auction system at a profit?

“Exactly right. We actually have been thinking about that same application to be able to do that, It something that’s definitely crossed our mind.”

Now, however, along with Mr. Peper moving to Cadillac, so too seems to have left his Volt idea.

GM-Volt reached out to GM spokesperson John McDonald for confirmation and clarification on this development, and he kindly responded:

GM and eBay concluded their six-week California Program September 30. The program has been a tremendous learning opportunity and a good example of GM trying new, innovative ways to reach consumers. The leads and the quality of traffic was tremendous and we delivered over 15,000 quality leads to our dealerships and had over 1.9M inventory searches on the microsite. This pilot is ending as planned and we will be looking to eBay for opportunities in the future. With our successful certified used pilot and the success of this pilot we see an opportunity to work with eBay to generate qualified traffic to our dealerships. One method that we are currently exploring is the inclusion of eBay in our third party lead program which consolidates internet leads and provides them to our dealerships.

It’s too early to say how we’ll market Volt. I suspect eBay won’t be needed to generate interest or awareness of the product — and that’s the main benefit of eBay.

It would seem, at least for now, that the traditional way to buy a car is still the best way.

Posted by: Statik

55 Responses to “GM’s eBay Experiment Expires”


  1. Jason M. Hendler
    +3 Vote -1 Vote +1Jason M. Hendler     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 8:58 am

    I hope they still come up with a way to preorder Volts.  

    (Quote)


  2. RB
    +2 Vote -1 Vote +1RB     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 9:17 am

    statik says “It would seem, at least for now, that the traditional way to buy a car is still the best way.”
    ————-

    Going to dealerships for new cars is the best way because it is the only way, so it is also the worst way, but at least it is a way (smile).

    The eBay idea was tossed out without there seeming to be much planning behind it. So the post quotes various gm people describing eBay as a way to generate leads for dealerships. It was presented to the public as a way to buy cars. When I go to Amazon, it is not as a way to generate leads for bookstores, and when I go to eBay to buy toys, it is not as a way to get phone calls from toy stores. Some confusion here.  

    (Quote)


  3. RB
    Vote -1 Vote +1RB     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 9:21 am

    statik notes “Now, however, along with Mr. Peper moving to Cadillac..”
    ———–
    It is worrisome how many high-level Volt people have departed.
    Hope the project keeps going under its new leadership.  

    (Quote)


  4. Vlad the Impaler
    Vote -1 Vote +1Vlad the Impaler     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 9:23 am

    R.I.P.  

    (Quote)


  5. RB
    Vote -1 Vote +1RB     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 9:23 am

    Pre-ording mechanisms and systems are being studied by a government committee…. (smile)  

    (Quote)


  6. CDAVIS
    +3 Vote -1 Vote +1CDAVIS     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 9:25 am

    __________________________________________
    GM spokesperson John McDonald said:
    “…It’s too early to say how we’ll market Volt. I suspect eBay won’t be needed to generate interest or awareness of the product — and that’s the main benefit of eBay…”
    ———–

    Lyle’s GM-Volt.com website has already done a great job in having generated interest and more buyers for the Volt than GM will be able to push through the line in the first two years of production.

    Statik,
    Thanks for that post and job well done getting a direct response from GM although I imagine those guys start nervously twitching when they see an inquiry coming their way from you…lol
    __________________________________________  

    (Quote)


  7. RB
    Vote -1 Vote +1RB     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 9:31 am

    Interesting how Mr Peper’s earlier enthusiasm for eBay as an auction mechanism for Volt now disappears from Mr McDonald’s view of eBay as a third-party system to send names to dealers. Remembering about “a foolish consistency” one knows there are no little minds at gm :)   

    (Quote)


  8. Dave K.
    Vote -1 Vote +1Dave K.     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 9:40 am

    The eBay experiment was interesting.

    Traditionally, a good portion of eBay sales are from used items. NGMCO would do well to list newer trade ins on eBay and continue with direct new car sales through the dealerships.
    Part of NGMCO’s success in 2010 is going to be the high volume showroom draw. Potential buyers will visit dealerships to see the Volt, the Camaro, the Cadillac line, the Buick LaCrosse ($28k), and the Equinox (23k).
    Why DO people visit dealerships? To see and try the new cars. Why DON’T people visit dealerships? The pressure and overbearing attitude of sales people.
    It would do NGMCO well to offer “come down and try our car” days throughout the dealership system. Offer hot dogs, snow cones, corn on the cob and Volt chocolate bars. Get national Volt test drive lots set up throughout the U.S.A. and at least in the Southern areas of Canada.

    The last series of Volt test drive videos and field sightings show a very nice working car. According to Mr. Weber, the video displays were not fully functional. First get the LCD gauge cluster and control panel NAV screens functioning. Then begin the test drive campaign as early as Christmas of 2009. Placing 10% of the advertising budget into this effort will do much more than cranking out ads where a GM guy yells louder than a Nissan guy.
    Simple, basic, smart, public friendly and profitable.

    yes we can?

    =D~  

    (Quote)


  9. nasaman
    Vote -1 Vote +1nasaman     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 9:44 am

    “Going to dealerships for new cars is the best way because it is the only way, so it is also the worst way, but at least it is a way (smile).” I agree regarding new cars, RB. But I bought a Jeep Cherokee several years ago on eBay Motors and sold it a few years later on Autotrader.com. Both the purchase thru eBay & the sale thru Autotrader.com were fast, flawless, worry-free experiences —and the selection of comparable vehicles at both eBay Motors & at Autotrader.com was enormous. Far better than visiting countless local used car lots! :)

    / The eBay seller had posted excellent detailed digital photos of the entire car’s interior & exterior; and I conveniently was able to use these same photos when I sold the car later.  

    (Quote)


  10. CorvetteGuy
    +2 Vote -1 Vote +1CorvetteGuy     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 10:47 am

    WOOO-HOOO !!!!!!!!!

    Happy days are here again
    The skies above are clear again
    So let’s sing a song of cheer again
    Happy days are here again

    Altogether shout it now
    There’s no one
    Who can doubt it now
    So let’s tell the world about it now
    Happy days are here again

    The dumbest idea to come out of Detroit since the Pontiac Aztec is DEAD-DEAD-DEAD !!!!

    Let me say it again:

    WOOO-HOOO !!!!!!  

    (Quote)


  11. DonC
    +2 Vote -1 Vote +1DonC     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 10:47 am

    Completely OT, but the other story this week was the abandoning of even a pretense of journalistic integrity at Fox News (or maybe that would just be same ol same ol). On something of a campaign againtst EVs — why is unclear other than a reflexive negative reaction to anything supported by Al Gore — the Fox “News Team” put together some whoopers about the DOE loans for Fisker and Tesla. A complete rundown of the factual inaccuracies, which you’d assume a high school reporter wouldn’t have made, can be found here (my fav is the implication that Irvine California is located in Finland):

    http://mediamatters.org/research/200909280033

    How far has Neal Cavuto fallen? In any event, the whole thing is good for a laugh.  

    (Quote)


  12. Frank D
    +2 Vote -1 Vote +1Frank D     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 10:50 am

    It was a silly idea to use eBay to sell a very important product that’s not a toy. Bidding on objects is an emotional game, not a serious way for the consumer to get important information.  

    (Quote)


  13. CorvetteGuy
    Vote -1 Vote +1CorvetteGuy     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 10:54 am

    Jason M

    I hope they still come up with a way to preorder Volts.

    ___________________________

    Yes sir! They can do it the way they have always done it.
    Put all the pricing and options into GM DealerWorld and let the local Chevy stores ORDER your VOLT to your exact specifications.

    Let the dealers in the areas where customers demand electric hybrids reap the benefits of being in the right area at the right time; AND not to mention having survived the GM axe from just s few short months ago.

    I am more than happy to take your deposits as soon as I have an ordering system that allows me to quote you an MSRP.  

    (Quote)


  14. stuart22
    Vote -1 Vote +1stuart22     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 11:13 am

    The lesson I see here is that personalization through direct contact or through advertising is the big key to auto sales, with few exceptions. Ebay listings are extremely impersonal, so it’s no surprise that the sales/hits ratio was ridiculously poor.

    GM ought to consider reimplementing the Saturn no-haggle sales experience if they want to figure out how to attract and repair the trust which is now lacking among buyers.

    And yeah – bring out a sporty Volt to really draw attention their way….. maybe call it the Corvolte.  

    (Quote)


  15. Noel Park
    Vote -1 Vote +1Noel Park     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 11:27 am

    CorvetteGuy:

    Amen to that.

    Oops, sorry. I was going to respond to Dave K.’s comment too, and I got out of sequence.  

    (Quote)


  16. Noel Park
    +2 Vote -1 Vote +1Noel Park     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 11:35 am

    Dave K.:

    Several years ago, GM got Dick Guldstrand to take a couple of semi loads of Corvettes around the country and give demonstration rides to potential customers. We had a chance to participate, and I thought it was great.

    I agree that something like that would be great with the Volt. With the limited availability, at least to start with, i assume that the dealers are going to be hesitiant to use them as demos. This way they could run up the demo miles on just a few cars.

    And, best of all, they have a list of 50,000 red hot prospects to start with. While I would buy one sight unseen just for the gee-whiz factor, my wife, whose car irt will be, WILL NOT consider buying a car without driving it. Gee, what an attitude! Although she has kept me from making several mistakes in the past, LOL.  

    (Quote)


  17. Noel Park
    Vote -1 Vote +1Noel Park     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 11:36 am

    CorvetteGuy:

    Amen. See above.  

    (Quote)


  18. Noel Park
    Vote -1 Vote +1Noel Park     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 11:41 am

    I have bought my last 2 trucks using the GM website to spec them out, search the local dealers’ inventories, and make offers. I have gotten really good deals both times, with absolutely no hassle.

    Who needs ebay? Although I guess that a lot of people use ebay who are not aware of the very sophisticated system GM already has in place. Anyway, I find it to be a lot less stressful way to buy cars than going down and confronting the dealer system in person.

    Sorry CorvetteGuy, et al, but there it is.  

    (Quote)


  19. Noel Park
    Vote -1 Vote +1Noel Park     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 11:41 am

    RB:

    Yeah, I had the same thought.  

    (Quote)


  20. Noel Park
    Vote -1 Vote +1Noel Park     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 11:44 am

    Same ol same ol. I don’t watch it, period. It makes me almost physically ill.  

    (Quote)


  21. LRGVProVolt
    Vote -1 Vote +1LRGVProVolt     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 12:01 pm

    In case you l didn’t know it, Nissan is taking orders for it BEV Leaf which Nissan will be selling 5,000 vehicles to selected cities and have indicated an additional 5,000 also to be offered in 2010.

    Happy trails to you ’til we meet again.  

    (Quote)


  22. CorvetteGuy
    +2 Vote -1 Vote +1CorvetteGuy     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 12:16 pm

    Hey. I’m all for the ‘no-haggle’ business model. The margins are so low now on new Chevys there is little to haggle with anyway.  

    (Quote)


  23. omnimoeish
    Vote -1 Vote +1omnimoeish     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 12:21 pm

    GM Execs have really bat 1,000 in the last 30 years haven’t they? I used to believe in the expression “Even a broken clock is right twice a day”, but sadly I think GM has figured out a way to even surpass that degree of pitifulness. Of course they got it right with the Volt, so they’ve been right once, although I think they should started with a little smaller battery, like a 20 mile range, but I’ll take what I can get.  

    (Quote)


  24. LRGVProVolt
    +1 Vote -1 Vote +1LRGVProVolt     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 12:23 pm

    After hearing about the GM-Volt. com “Want List”, and its 50,000 plus record, GM has been smart testing the market through Ebay, IMHO. It hardly seems a failure in my opinion, just not as successful as some people would have liked to hear. I agree with Noel Park’s statement below: “Although I guess that a lot of people use ebay who are not aware of the very sophisticated system GM already has in place.”

    GM will wisely use every method available to get the public knowledge of the Volt up and spreading. As a member of Picken’s Army, I put a sign on my car to get people in the valley to visit PickensPlan.com. At this point and time with Pickens being successful in getting Congress and the Administration listening to his plan to use Natural Gas as a fuel for large transport trucks, I am planning to change out the sign for one promoting the Volt.

    If anyone has an opinion of what it should say, I will appreciate the feedback.

    Happy trails to you ‘tiil we meet again.  

    (Quote)


  25. LRGVProVolt
    +1 Vote -1 Vote +1LRGVProVolt     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 12:31 pm

    Mr. Peter moving to Cadillac is good news. I’d like to see Cruiz on the Voltec trive train an hope Lutz original idea comes real.

    Happy trails to you ’til we meet again.  

    (Quote)


  26. LRGVProVolt
    Vote -1 Vote +1LRGVProVolt     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 12:45 pm

    “Lyle’s GM-Volt.com website has already done a great job in having generated interest and more buyers for the Volt than GM will be able to push through the line in the first two years of production.”
    ______________________________________________________

    Toyota only sol 300 Prius vehicles in Japan the first year, 1997, and in the third year, only 15,200! In 2000, the sold it world wide, and it wasn’t until 2003 that they sold any where near 50,000. Should sales result from the “Want List” of anywhere near 50,000 then the Volt will be a huge success compared to the Prius.

    Secondly, GM has the capability to produce better than 50,000 in the first year. Someone correct me if I’m wrong. The Battery Pack plant has a potential of 75,000. What is the assembly plant maximum output?

    Happy trails to you ’til we meet again.  

    (Quote)


  27. LRGVProVolt
    Vote -1 Vote +1LRGVProVolt     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 1:07 pm

    Thanks for the comment DonC. Fox News is dangerous. They bend the truth! And Conservatives listen to that bunk. Unbelievable!!! Your right about a good laugh. They are the clowns of Media.  

    (Quote)


  28. LRGVProVolt
    Vote -1 Vote +1LRGVProVolt     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 1:17 pm

    The problem right now is that folks jsut don’t have the money to buy new cars, and those that did got in on the Cash for Clunkers deal. But next year is just around the corner, and a whole new crowd of buyers will appear. We have all those Want List buyers just waiting for the Volt to go on sale, and their saving there money until then.

    While grocery shopping the other day, an assitant manager friend of mine and I were talking about my varorite subject, the Volt. He commented that the problem with low sales is no one has the money right now.

    I am hopeful that what they say about employment lagging of other signs of a recession ending is correct. I just might resort to drinking beer again. lol! just kidding!

    Happy trails to you ’til we meet again.  

    (Quote)


  29. Mike D
    +5 Vote -1 Vote +1Mike D     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 2:18 pm

    The best way to buy a car is the old fashioned way of ordering it!!! Ebat auctions are very unattractive because why make people fight over a car auction style just to drive up the cost?

    I have no sympathy for car dealerships either…they’re just another useless middleman, you’re forced to cope with options on a desired vehicle that you probably dont want, and paying $100 for floor mats, or $150 for a cargo net. Car dealerships exist only to inflate price. I’m a capatalist too so it takes alot for me to hate a business… and car dealerships? they’re worthless. All of them can go out of business tomorrow and the world would be a better place.

    Oh but we should be sympathetic to them, they have families to feed! Nope, they can do something else for money.

    The best way to buy a car is to add an “order” button to the “build and price” option on each automaker’s website. Done. Easy. Your car will be ready in a few weeks. Only the options you want. E-bay is dumb, dealerships are dumb…just my sassy two cents.  

    (Quote)


  30. LRGVProVolt
    Vote -1 Vote +1LRGVProVolt     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 2:46 pm

    Nissan is planning on taking pre-orders for the Leaf in Early Spring 2010.

    http://www.greencarcongress.com/2009/10/leaf-res-20091002.html#more

    GM should be able to do the same thing.

    Happy trails to you ’til we meet again.  

    (Quote)


  31. LRGVProVolt
    Vote -1 Vote +1LRGVProVolt     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 2:48 pm

    I posted this link above on another post.

    Here it is again;

    http://www.greencarcongress.com/2009/10/leaf-res-20091002.html#more

    Happy trails to you ’til we meet again.  

    (Quote)


  32. GM
    -2 Vote -1 Vote +1GM     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 3:26 pm

    Another success story from GM.

    Is anyone at GM ever held accountable for all the mess that goes on over there?

    Pathetic.  

    (Quote)


  33. Dave K.
    Vote -1 Vote +1Dave K.     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 4:36 pm

    Noel Park .. .the last new car our family bought was in 2006. It happened to be during a dealership hot dog day. As the salesman and I worked out the final numbers on our new 4dr my wife and son talked with people out front and enjoyed hot dogs with Pepsi. This dealership is in L.A. about 100 miles from our house. The reason we went there is because I had researched the lot inventory and prices on the internet and liked the selection.
    Green tag pricing, food and drink, and low pressure car demo days can make a difference. One way dealerships can make profit on a vehicle is to offer a lower up front price with a handshake on the customer returning to them for service. I did this with my Kawasaki Ninja and have easily spent $5000 at the dealership since. $2000 alone for repair after a wreck. Another $1200 on performance upgrades. The rest on regular full service appointments. We both made out okay on the deal.
    Initially my plans were to wait for Voltec truck. As time goes on the Volt is looking like it may meet our needs. The Converj is quite a bit above the budget.

    =D~  

    (Quote)


  34. RB
    Vote -1 Vote +1RB     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 4:52 pm

    nasaman –> I agree that other channels work well for used cars, and I have used them too. It seems to me that such channels also could work well for new cars also, but I suppose various state laws as well as tradition makes such a change impossible, at least for gm.  

    (Quote)


  35. RB
    Vote -1 Vote +1RB     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 4:54 pm

    Noel
    Glad to know that such a plan has worked for you. I learn something every day from this blog and may try it myself next time. However, I’d have to give the sales people some credit, as they have given me some good information too.  

    (Quote)


  36. RB
    Vote -1 Vote +1RB     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 4:57 pm

    I don’t know why gm can not make more Volts in the first year, but they have said 10K would be the number. My guess is that gm’s contracts are to buy parts for that many.  

    (Quote)


  37. RB
    Vote -1 Vote +1RB     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 4:58 pm

    We have to remember to all stay very serious here and not smile like I am doing right now. :)   

    (Quote)


  38. Luke
    Vote -1 Vote +1Luke     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 5:46 pm

    Initially my plans were to wait for Voltec truck.

    The Mahindra small diesel pickups are looking promising. They claim their first US sales will be starting in the fall of 2009, and they’re hinting about a diesel-electric hybrid in 2011. But they’re just putting together their dealer-network, so we’ll see how they’re doing in the spring.

    I’m guessing that their hybrid won’t be an ER-EV, but it might make a nice upgrade for my Ranger — assuming that it can run on biodiesel…  

    (Quote)


  39. Dave K.
    +1 Vote -1 Vote +1Dave K.     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 6:08 pm

    Thanks for the tip Luke. Will need to be an EREV (REEV).

    Voltec is the way to go. Clean quiet operation. Very few gasoline stops. V6 power up to the 100mph top speed. Refuel at home with a110v outlet. Or opportunity charge at work. The 8 hour work shift is a perfect fit. This will cost your employer about 10 cents per hour per EV. The Volt will cost 8k to10k more than most 30mpg 4 cylinder sedans, but worth it.

    Was stuck behind a limo at the Arco station yesterday. Drivers were squeezing in all around. And backing into “wrong way” refueling lanes. It’s goodbye to that noise and to the twice per week OPEC contributions.

    =D~  

    (Quote)


  40. Rickey Bobby
    +1 Vote -1 Vote +1Rickey Bobby     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 6:41 pm

    RB is also being studied by a government committee……..;)  

    (Quote)


  41. Luke
    Vote -1 Vote +1Luke     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 8:02 pm

    I favor the EREV too, but I don’t know that I’ll be able to afford a pickup truck — especially if I buy a Volt as my primary vehicle… If the Prius-fighter is $40k, then what will the much larger/heavier pickup truck cost?

    Fortunately, my usage-pattern is such that a plugin passenger car will take care of nearly all of my personal oil dependency — so I have more options for the vehicle used on weekends to move heavy objects.  

    (Quote)


  42. Frank D
    Vote -1 Vote +1Frank D     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 8:58 pm

    I smile all the way to the bank after some serious buying decisions!  

    (Quote)


  43. Loboc
    Vote -1 Vote +1Loboc     Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 9:37 pm

    I was reading elsewhere that GM dealers were swamped with eBay ‘make an offer’ deals that were not reasonable. (like 2500 for a 24000 car)

    Imho, eBay is not a good way to market new cars. (Although, I have been looking for a ‘57 Chevy project car to re-construct as an electric.) Used cars, yes. New cars, nope. GM needs something like Dell. Build it, compare it, buy it.

    Btw, the article graphic should say something on the order of 420 days until auction ends on the Volt :)   

    (Quote)


  44. JeffB
    Vote -1 Vote +1JeffB     Says:
    October 4th, 2009 at 12:09 am

    The GM EBay experiment may inspire others automakers to try it…with the possibility for a much better level of success. Of course with the laws that protect the dealer business model, how could it compete?  

    (Quote)


  45. joe obrien
    Vote -1 Vote +1joe obrien     Says:
    October 4th, 2009 at 5:14 am

    15,000 quality leads to our dealerships and had over 1.9M inventory searches

    For about 50 sales.

    Yep, sounds like a runaway success.

    Seriously this failed because the prices were unrealistic. Just lame dealer ads of the same thing Xs 500 of the same car. Boring, and for NO price discount.

    Bad idea, makes you wonder if they thought people would bid the price up on average gas guzzlers?  

    (Quote)


  46. Shock Me
    +1 Vote -1 Vote +1Shock Me     Says:
    October 4th, 2009 at 8:14 am

    Well, given that funds are fungible, and that Fisker has contracted assembly of the $89,000 Karma to the Finnish comany Valmet and we have no assurance that cars produced based on project Nina will (not just could) in fact be assembled here, I think it is reasonable to question the loan if the stated purpose was to produce jobs here.

    If we are going to make the mistake of financing business through government, it would have been nice if all the money could have stayed here instead of a portion being siphoned off for Valmet.

    That being said I hope Fisker (and GM) is successful in bringing a lower-priced EREV to the market.

    I think Media Matters is overstating their case. I heard nothing in the commentary suggesting Fisker or Tesla was not based here. While it is was stated clearly that there would be jobs in Finland as a result. Which is true.

    To bad they couldn’t have blown the billion dollars on a fast-charging infrastructure along transcontinental routes like Interstate 80 so that all electric cars could benefit. Oh well.  

    (Quote)


  47. DaV8or
    +1 Vote -1 Vote +1DaV8or     Says:
    October 4th, 2009 at 10:20 am

    Jason M-

    “I hope they still come up with a way to preorder Volts.”

    ———————————————————————————————

    The better way would be for GM to start it’s own site patterned after Priceline. Customers would configure their car online and then submit an offer for that car to GM who would then send the offer around to all the dealers in an area defined by the user. If the offer is too low it would be rejected, otherwise one or more dealers would accept. The site could also have user ranked rating system for each dealer so you could choose which one you’d like to do business with. This way, the dealing is more one on one with no embarrassing public auction. Serious buyers matched to dealers. This system would help aggressive volume dealers and benefit under performing dealers in dire need of business.

    Basically, this is how I have been buying new cars for the last decade and half. I first used fax and now email, but basically you just do your homework on line and come up with what you want to pay for a car and also what would be fair for the dealer to accept. Then shoot that fax or email off to all the dealers in the area you are willing to travel and see what happens. As long as you offer the dealers a fair profit on a quick and painless sale, one or more will respond. Then you just pick one, call them on the phone and tell the sales manager you’re on the way with a check. At the dealership, you cut straight through the shark tank and go straight to the sales manager, fill out the paperwork (Which I wish you could do on line at home first!) hand over the check and drive away. Simple and easy. A website could just facilitate this process and the dealership could win too. More sales with less time and labor involved.

    IMO, this is what GM should be looking at for a web sales mechanism instead of hokey eBay.  

    (Quote)


  48. Philip Cohen
    Vote -1 Vote +1Philip Cohen     Says:
    October 4th, 2009 at 12:31 pm

    And, some more food for thought …

    Shill Bidding on eBay: Case Study #2

    Shining some light on the more sophisticated and therefore harder to detect shill bidding activity by some “professional” sellers on eBay auctions

    This time a spreadsheet analysis of multiple auctions, from some “professional” sellers from the US and Australia. Needless to say the analysis demonstrates, once again, that, contrary to eBay’s claims, shill bidding by many “professional” sellers is rampant on eBay auctions. The full comment and spreadsheet download links at:
    http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=24296
    And, the earlier case study of blatantly naïve shill bidding at:
    http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=24033

    A most disingenuous, unscrupulous organisation—eBay that is.  

    (Quote)


  49. statik
    Vote -1 Vote +1statik     Says:
    October 4th, 2009 at 10:33 pm

    CDAVIS:

    Actually I can’t take credit for that quote at all. Lyle ran it down for comment himself. It is a great quote…all points and credit to him.

    Sidenote: Sorry I wasn’t here earlier to mention this. I went to watch the Tiger/Sox series and was ‘offline’…sadly, still one more game to play to decide it all – game 163, against Minnesota on Tuesday.  

    (Quote)


  50. MuddyRoverRob
    Vote -1 Vote +1MuddyRoverRob     Says:
    October 5th, 2009 at 9:27 am

    At no time did I ever get the impression that this was anything more than an experiment.  

    (Quote)


  51. MuddyRoverRob
    Vote -1 Vote +1MuddyRoverRob     Says:
    October 5th, 2009 at 9:29 am

    I stopped using ebay a long time ago.  

    (Quote)


  52. N Riley
    Vote -1 Vote +1N Riley     Says:
    October 5th, 2009 at 11:01 am

    It needed to die quickly and it did. IMO.  

    (Quote)


  53. R. Ashton
    Vote -1 Vote +1R. Ashton     Says:
    October 6th, 2009 at 8:47 pm

    Right now someone just posted an ignorant piece on the Huffington POst about how supposedly something called “The Leaf” is superior to the Volt. I think they said Toyota makes the Leaf, its a prototype. The writer claimed it goes 90 or 100 miles on a charge, and has no gas engine, therefore it is better than the Volt. He also says the Volt gets only 40 miles per charge, as a pure electric.
    This guy is full of it. For one thing, no one wants a car that only goes 90 or 100 miles. I do not recall the exact numbers, but I know the Volt gets a lot more than he says as an electric, and the tiny superefficient gasoline engine emits very little carbon yet boosts the range of the Volt to I think over 300 miles. His anti-GM and anti-American car bias is evident. He does not realize that every electric car indirectly emits some carbon anyway, a lot of it, in fact, if the owner lives near coal fired power plants. A car, like the Volt, that is practical enough to be driven hundreds of miles in a day WILL BE USED MORE THAN AN IMPRACTICAL SHORT RANGE CAR. Therefore it will prevent more carbon from going out, since the weekend trip will not be taken in the 2nd vehicle. Anyone owning the Japanese “Leaf” will just park it and drive their Lexus most of the time, accomplishing almost nothing for the environment.
    Wake up, American car haters. Admit you’re wrong.  

    (Quote)


  54. Mike
    Vote -1 Vote +1Mike     Says:
    October 6th, 2009 at 11:50 pm

    If the Chevy Ebay thing was sucsessful it would not have ended.
    Have you ever wanted to end something that made you money?
    I did not think so. I read the ebay feedback comments, and the GM dealers are still pulling the same crap today, as they did 20 years ago.
    Their ebay rating was 73%. That’s horrid by ebay standards.
    Bye bye GM.  

    (Quote)


  55. Guy Incognito
    Vote -1 Vote +1Guy Incognito     Says:
    October 8th, 2009 at 3:59 pm

    20.
    Guy Incognito Says:
    October 8th, 2009 at 3:59 pm

    Why does it have to be different with the Volt?
    You go to a dealership to buy it, as you would any other car.

    This is the way its always been done.
    Once again, why should it be any different with the Volt?  

    (Quote)

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