How good is the Colombian version of Ebay? Is it taking off or not quite there?

bigtexas1974 says on Aug 25, 2008, 12:25:

I thought about posting my car for sale to the site, but after looking through it found NO car with ANY bids!!!!!!! Going through some of the other areas, never have been able to find much of a complete list when looking for something, nor extraordinary prices. I don't personally think that the concept fits the culture

"Sex is one of the most wholesome, beautiful, and natural experiences money can buy." - Steve Martin "You don't appreciate a lot of stuff in school until you get a little older. Little things, like getting spanked every day by a middle aged woman."

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Bill Turley (Trustee board) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Aug 25, 2008, 12:40:

miamimike says on Aug 25, 2008, 13:20:

Mercadolibre is a faux copy of eBay in the USA or Europe. The Problem is, a big one, is the payment system! They have No Paypal setup and you must set an Account with one of the banks listed in their Tutorial(on their website). And if you are a foreigner without a cedulla you are SOL! Now you could have a native set up a Strawman account that you run but you better know and trust the native as they have access to your bank account and money. I had a very well informed PBH member go to their Bogota Office(their address is listed on their website) to check them out and his opinion was they "made it extremely difficult" to do business with as their format is set up presently. Another Friend listed her House on Mercadolibre(it didn't sell) 2 years ago and when she went to pay the bill it turned out to be a major ordeal. If they had paypal, she could have payed electronically in 2 seconds. They wouldn't accept her check, money order or cash either. She had to go and open a account with one the banks listed on their website and then she was able to pay. It was a hassle. Someday they may be more transparent and up to speed as we know it but they are a far way from that point presently. And, Colombia's MercadoLibre is not a a full eBay partner, say like England or Spain is, they are simply an eBay Affiliate. Big difference! eBay isn't into Colombia or any of the other south american countries as of yet and one of the main reasons is Internet Security.

Avatar Legend: Bush "If any of you Reporters are wondering, it was a Size 10"

0 funny, 1 helpful.

el_scouser says on Aug 25, 2008, 13:38:

...Not Quite there i'd say. The truth is I just dont think ecommerce is as popular yet in Latin America as it is in North America and Europe. Ive been using mercadolibre in Argentina and it doesnt come close to eBay. Payment is a problem as Paypal are reluctant to set up in Latin America but I think this will eventually change. However if you can find something popular that you can import I think the margins are much higher especially for electrical items, ipods, laptops etc. Give it say 3 years and I think it will be different.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

GregYohn says on Aug 25, 2008, 13:59:

Hola!

The prices are bandido!

12VOIP.com gives free calls to Colombia.Greg

0 funny, 0 helpful.

webmanco says on Aug 25, 2008, 14:01:

MercadoLibre is fine, what Colombia lacks is good delivery and a few more paying options.

...A yo, déjenme queto y no me jodan má! ...

0 funny, 1 helpful.

dogfart says on Aug 25, 2008, 15:41:

I didn`t know it existed, now I`m scared to use it ...

0 funny, 0 helpful.

paulr says on Aug 25, 2008, 15:57:

Quite the exotic name you got there Dogfart. Mercado Libre is much the same as ebay with the trust feedback, don´t buy anything if the seller is new or has bad feedback, that´s my rule of thumb(where did that fraze come from?).

"paulr threatens me with death !" pobrecito

1 funny, 0 helpful.

La_Huella says on Aug 25, 2008, 22:13:

Mercadolibre will be good when Colombian banks stop sucking and decent shipping options come down in price, like Webmanco says.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

miamimike says on Aug 25, 2008, 22:49:

Have you actually went to Mercadolibre's Bogota Office and attempted to talk withthe managers? Try it sometime and you may come away with the idea that its not only colombia's banks and shipping as the problem. They(ML) have internal problems also not very conducive to business,,,

Avatar Legend: Bush "If any of you Reporters are wondering, it was a Size 10"

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Marge says on Aug 26, 2008, 00:33:

Thanks for the feedback :-) They do have something like Paypal called MercadoPago, for what I´ve read it allows you to pay using credit card or bank transfers, which I find safer. Problem is, you have to be a Colombian resident to open an account (which I´m not yet). Has anyone used it so far?
at miamilike: I completely agree with you, the website is not very user friendly. The tools to advertise and sell an item are extremely poor in comparison to the ones on Ebay. It blew my mind to find out that Mercado Libre just celebrated its 9th anniversary :-0
at Billturley: I´m too much of a newbie at PBH to know if I´m allowed to post links but here is a peek of what we plan to merchandise: http://picasaweb.google.com/guglmeil/FloralisDeRemate Mainly high quality Colombian handcrafts and souvenirs. I see a good potential market for the copper stuff.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

johnny2008 says on Aug 26, 2008, 02:42:

I have seen MercadoLibre in Colombia and Chile, and there isn't the bargain culture that there is on Ebay, I will list a car starting at 99p here knowing that it will find its market value because of the critical mass of users and them getting enthusiastic. In Colombia there will be a second hand ten year old bed starting at 250,000 pesos.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

miamimike says on Aug 26, 2008, 05:17:

I completely agree with you, the website is not very user friendly
==================================================================

Marge I am not saying JUST the website! Go to their Bogota office in Person and tell me your imprerssion!

Avatar Legend: Bush "If any of you Reporters are wondering, it was a Size 10"

0 funny, 0 helpful.

sloopskipper says on Aug 26, 2008, 05:52:

Marge, you have some great looking stuff!

But, I think the appeal would be much greater outside of Colombia, if you are able to export.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

scumbuster says on Aug 26, 2008, 14:00:

Looks like you could sell that stuff on eBay. Cant you list it from there and sell it world wide?eBay is in a number of other countries.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Tinto (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Aug 26, 2008, 14:19:

Either they're making money or they've got backers that believe in them:

=========================
MercadoLibre to pay $40M for DeRemate operations

MercadoLibre buying DeRemate operations for $40M, expects to help business in Chile, Argentina\

August 26, 2008: 09:52 AM EST

NEW YORK (Associated Press) - Buenos Aires, Argentina-based online auction site operator MercadoLibre Inc. said Tuesday that it agreed to pay $40 million in cash and a promissory note for online trading platform DeRemate's operations.

MercadoLibre said it will pay $22 million in cash and issue DeRemate a promissory note for $18 million.

The deal is expected to be finished in the third quarter, and MercadoLibre thinks it will significantly increase its presence in Chile and build up its position in Argentina.

DeRemate operates sites in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Mexico.

MercadoLibre shares fell 5 cents to $30 in morning trading.
=================

0 funny, 0 helpful.

tejasmarcos says on Aug 26, 2008, 19:43:

never used it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MercadoLibre.com

trying to walk a straight line on sour mash and cheap wine...

0 funny, 0 helpful.

manINred says on Aug 26, 2008, 20:42:

Strange, I always thought Mercado Libre was Argentinian. From living in Argentina to this day I still have the Mercado Libre song stuck in my head

0 funny, 0 helpful.

manINred says on Aug 26, 2008, 20:43:

My suspicion was correct, as proven by tejasmarcos' link: "MercadoLibre was established in August of 1999 in Argentina and rapidly expanded to Brazil "

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Marge says on Sep 8, 2008, 16:50:

Thanks everyone for your feedback...very helpful :-)

Did some more research and finally came to terms with Mercado Libre: I can't really aim at finding the same advance features, tools and reliability in Mercado Libre as in eBay but, like many things in Colombia, you got to give them a try, wait and see what happens even though they may not look all too shiny and perfect at first sight :-o

So... crossing my fingers here I go: http://eshops.mercadolibre.com.co/floraliz/

Comments are appreciated, bids are highly appreciated! ;-)

Cheers

0 funny, 0 helpful.

JumboBond007 says on Sep 9, 2008, 08:22:

I was looking there to buy hammocks; and would consider buying from there as longer as it comes from a business company rather than from person

Deaf But Happy :)

0 funny, 0 helpful.

toneloc24 says on Sep 9, 2008, 10:08:

I think in general, there is a very healthy distrust of ideas like this in Colombia. It reminds me of the USA pre-2000 with online shopping, banking, and bill payment.I recently asked some of my well-educated friends about Mercado Libre, and they just laughed about it. No way.

The infrastructure in Colombia lends to this, with the lack of transparency across the board from banking to mail service to, to some degree, each other. EBay works because these things are generally in place in the USA/Canada to protect both the consumer and the business/seller.

Plus, we have this thing in the USA called recourse. If a party fails to deliver on a commitment on EBay, there is an immediate recourse policy.

In contrast, here's a quick story about lack of recourse by a Colombian bank in August 2008. The aunt of my friends is a well-respected, long-serving special needs teacher. Pay day comes and she goes to the ATM (cajero) to withdraw some money. No money in the account. Goes inside BBVA to inquire as to what's going on. The direct deposit paycheck had been wiped out of the account internally. BBVA is supposedly doing an investigation, but in the meantime, tough shit. She's done nothing, and even has the pay stub to show what should be in the account. Apparently, this exactly scenario happened to several other teachers as well. She's since switched banks to BanColombia, where her niece and some friends work. BBVA's research? One month and counting, no response.

Also, with only 28% of Colombian household having PCs, I don't think this type of thinking will change anytime soon.

"PBH is dead!!!!"

0 funny, 0 helpful.