The rush is on!
Good evening everyone.
Before the company and site name change I posted a blog update about some upcoming changes to our Bonanza sales functionality. Obviously we had to change the name, but there was a lot more behind our desires to re-envision Bonanzas than the need for a new name. I’m happy to announce the next generation of our Bonanza functionality – now known as the ‘Bonanza Rush.’
A Rush is pretty similar to a Bonanza sale. They are still sales held by our fantastic merchants. There’s still a strong social component to them. They still are for a limited time. And they still have a set discount requirement for participation. However, there are lots of things that make a Rush different.
First, a Rush is now category specific. In order to attract and convert customers we need to focus our efforts. And the haphazard buyer experience of our former Bonanza functionality was really hard to promote and certainly hard for buyers to shop. There were just too many different types of items scattered across too many locations. So now you’ll see Rushes on certain combinations of categories that make sense for a specific customer. Women’s Shoes and Clothing? That sounds like a good Rush. Bath & body, fragrances, and hair care? That sounds like a good Rush too. Men’s Shoes and Women’s Scarves? Not so much.
Second, each Rush is now at a set-time. Historically you could have a Bonanza at any time, but this ignored the fact that there’s strength in numbers. By pooling multiple sellers who have similar merchandize together in a single Rush we can provide great value to our buyers and more focused marketing.
Third, each Rush is now held in a single location. Everyone who participates in a Rush will sell their items on one dynamic page. This will create an abundance of goods and social activity for our buyers. Also, it will give all of us a single URL or web address to promote in email, on the site, or on Twitter and Facebook. Working together we can make Rushes great.
Now I know there are probably tons of other questions so I’ve done my best to address some of them below.
How do I see if there is a Rush for the types of items I sell? Easy. Just check out your ‘Sell’ tab and click on the ‘Sign Up for a Rush’ tab.
Then set your discount and then click ‘Join’ and you’re all set. We’ll send you a notification when the date and time has been determined.
Why isn’t the date shown? We want to make sure there are enough items in a Rush before we schedule it to make sure it has broad appeal to buyers. We’ll get better at this over time and may change this in the future. In the meantime, if you have signed up for a Rush we’ll email you at least 72 hours before hand once the Rush is scheduled.
Do I need to be online during the Rush? You don’t, but we recommend it. We understand that you may not be able to attend each Rush your items are a part of, but if you are available we feel it’s always best to be there for customer questions and/or offers.
Will you advertise Rushes? Yes, but you probably won’t see ad banners across the web. One of the big advantages we see with specific product groupings is that we can pursue a select audience. This will make email marketing and social outreach efforts on Facebook and Twitter more effective. Also, when a Rush is on everyone on the site is going to know. It won’t be buried on the ‘Buy’ page and it won’t be scattered across different booths. Each Rush will live on one page we all can promote.
Why do I have to discount all of my items in each Rush to participate? To maximize buyer interest we want to have a wealth of merchandise in each Rush. Participating in a Rush is optional of course, but we hope you’ll give it a try.
How long is a Rush? A Rush will last from 4-6 hours, but exact length is TBD.
What happens if I have a coupon? The Rush discount will be added to any coupons you have. If you don't want to offer a coupon and offer a Rush discount you can remove the coupon or just don't publish it publicly during the Rush.
We’re pretty excited about our new functionality and feel the combined elements of focused inventory, a better and more shopper friendly experience that's easier to find, and a little more marketing muscle will make a Bonanza Rush a fantastic event for buyers and sellers alike.
This is all pretty new and if there’s one thing we’re sure of it’s that we’ll need to experiment with Rush functionality and marketing over time. So, thanks in advance for trying this with us and giving us feedback as we endeavor to make a Rushes great.
You can read more about Rushes on our Rush FAQ page.
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147 responses to The rush is on!
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Hi NancyNostalgicDolls – what’s your question?
What If you have a mix of items in your booth Like scarves,jewlery,bath and body ect. What catagory would someone like me be put in.
It depends on the Rushes that are configured. You likely would be eligible to join multiple of them based on the items you describe.
For example, if there is a women’s shoes and scarves rush you could participate in that. If there is a jewelry one you could participate in that too. Check out the ‘join a rush’ tab from your ‘sell’ page to see.
Ok Alex, thank you….no rush on old Barbies
Good idea for others wanting a Bonanzle!
Late at night…just computing to me ♥
♥♥♥♥♥
Ah, we may very well soon. We will experiment with different Rush categories to see what works best.
You better believe those old Barbies are hot
Thank you, I appreciate it…
Good idea, everyone likes a sale…
A little more details??
@ NancysNostalgicDolls – you can learn more on the FAQ page.
http://www.bonanza.com/site_help/booths_setup/get_the_rush?layout=&title=Because+we%27ve+got+more+answers.
♥Thank you♥
The Rush sounds like a great marketing plan and something many members have been crying for since the old Bonanza disappeared. I think if everyone accepts the new concept and goes with the flow we’ll be able to work out any and all the bugs if there are any.
Good idea and KUDOS for setting this up technical-wise!
Good name too!
This SHOULD be working good, not to say WAY better than that ‘funny’ thing we had before.
Sounds interesting, will give it a try.
Fantastic idea!
This will work so much better!
I always thought that the old Bonanza’s would be better suited for the site once it became a destination due to the internal part of it.
This is a wonderful marketing idea.
Thank you!
OK – granted I have not looked at the rush page …. only have had one cup of coffee and it is 4am …BUT
What?? Let me see if I grasp this – say there is a ‘rush’ for books … I have a few books, although I mainly sell Vinyl. I can still join the Rush and add just my books??
Or must I be a booth the only sells books??
….More coffee before I look at this … (shuffling off to kitchen)
OH Yeah … what about the custom categories?? Will that throw this off ??
( man I do need more coffee)
OK .. think I got it … one more cup of coffee might help
Sounds like a great marketing plan to me. Guess I’d better get some books listed for the rush! I love the new changes myself.
Wow, what a great idea! I’m all for it! Though it wasn’t articulated, I hope that you will research when certain types of items sell best to schedule the Rushes. For instance, I sell mostly clothing and accessories, and there are 3 prime days and a certain span of time each day that these items sell best.
Hmm…will have to have stuff in my booth for me to peek at this. Right now due to streamlining to a specific target group, I have changed my inventory, so it will be awhile before I can check this out. :( wanted to see.. so.. is there going to be Antiques?
What happens when a buyer buys an item during a Bonanza Rush with say a 15% discount and the seller already has a 15% discount (or more) with the Coupon Code “renfaire”? Will the buyer be able to buy the item with a 30% discount if they use the code, along with the discount during the Bonanza Rush?
Oh, too early…is this as clear as mud???
I sell incense, and my prices are already discounted as low as i can go, but for the rush, you say we have to have a discount for it. what happens when we can not go any lower, can we still do the rush thing or not?
Wondering if we will be able to turn off coupons offered on just the items we would have listed in the Rush. Or will this give both discounts.
Targeted marketing is good. I think this will work. Great idea, Alexwbwerg!
Very exciting! I really like the sound of this. There is definitely power in numbers.
interesting idea. I signed up for one of the categories, now let’s see how it works! And I am also curious about already existing coupons and booth discounts. As of now all these things are additive and we have to be very careful.
How will outside buyers and consumers know that a particular rush is happening or is this just an internal promotion that only those that know about the site will be aware of?
And to echo another member up there, my prices are already set at what I am willing to sell the item at in the marketplace.
So I am not sure the rush idea will benefit a seller like myself.
JMHO.
Okay, I signed up for the Rush. What happens when I add more items to my booth? Will they automatically be added to the Rush or do I have to manually update the Rush in each category I’ve signed up for?
Interesting concept, I like the fact that it is all in one place….keep up the good work.
I’m up for a rush! Just signed up … can’t wait to see what happens. Sunday has always been my best day to sell. Please consider Sunday as that is the only day I have time to buy.
That is much more promotable to the outside world. I like it.
@ Alex I am curious: would a Google shopper viewing my item be made aware that it is part of a sale consisting of similar items, and thus be led away from my listing?
Thanks for reading this. -perma
how about letting one know how many visits to a certain item one has had would give an idea sorta what more are looking at and maybe sale more of it or put on sale? thanks
Will keep a watchful eye on this before I participate. It could be filled with advantages, but also drawbacks as well.
Sounds like a good idea. I will check it out. I never did have a Bonanza with the old way, but went to one or two.
For the items in my booth that are already at the lowest possible price I can sell them, I will just have to put them on reserve until after the rush is over. Same for coupons and booth discounts, right? Just have to suspend those things until the rush is over to prevent multiple discounts.
Sounds great!
the marketing aspect sounds good
but, I think it will no be good for the more eclectic sellers or those that have everything but the ordinary
do not understand why people couldn’t put in what they want like before but have the marketing like you suggest
I just do not see this as a good thing for a good % of sellers
Ok! I wasn’t in any of the catergories so I changed to a category that you had on your list and signed up for a “Bonanza Rush”
However it says I have 0 items in that category when I just put all my items in that catergory. Any suggestions? or explanations? Did I do something wrong? Thanks! Judy
OH, but, I was thrilled to see Bill is now sending email
thank you
Sounds interesting…but I have the same question as Renegade..many have widely varying categories and/or 1,000 items in their booths…so it does not make sense in this regard… if you are having a book rush..and want to attract interested buyers…it would in reality not be item specific..for if someone has say 10 books in their booth but has 990 other types of items…I for one would be a little annoyed that I was trying to shop a book sale but would have to wade through hundreds of items that are not book related….I think that scenario would be a big turn-off and shoot the great idea in the foot so to speak very quickly…I would suggest being able to pick and choose items in your booth to be in a specific rush. For that matter, if I were you boyz and gal..I would not allow unrelated items in a specific rush for the exact reason stated above..Or..does the rush sign up already select by category and if so, yes, what about our custom categories, etc.
How about if we are allowed to select the items from our booth as in a former bonanza and if a person puts unrelated items up, then you could just delete them…like in a venomous thread…for we all know..that those participating will be on the watch for someone stepping over category boundries…I do think though that say with a book sale…bookends, bookmarkers, bookplates, bookcases and other related items should be allowed…ok, carry on
But, I love the idea
Sounds good – I’ll sure give it a try, sign’d up for two of the categories!
Will Premiere Members get top billing?
This sounds like a great idea however I would only participate if I can choose which of my items I’d like to discount. It’s just too “Big Brother” to mandate that I have to discount everything in a particular category.
This sounds great! Signed up for one category already, and may try a second one. I also love the new Seller Update emails- thank you guys!
Great idea! I just joined 3 Rushes. If I add more inventory in the meantime, I’m assuming the items will be included also?
I do think that this is a step in the right direction.
Sue
I read all the info and understand it. Great concept and wonderfully simple. I signed up and look forward to seeing this idea take off!
Lets give it a try….I signed up.
“Will you advertise Rushes? Yes, but you probably won’t see ad banners across the web. One of the big advantages we see with specific product groupings is that we can pursue a select audience. This will make email marketing and social outreach efforts on Facebook and Twitter more effective.” I assume that customers would have to have signed up and agree to receive such an email? Could you expand on who, how it will be advertised on FB & Twitter?
I really like the major marketing push versus single booth’s dibs and dabs. I really like that I can pick my own % discount! I really like that Bonanza suggests which rushes might apply to me. I really like that Bonanza tells me how many of my items Might fit a Specific Rush! I really like that it is easy to “leave” a Rush.
I edited this message and replaced “love” with “really like” but here’s hoping I LOVE the exposure and the sales. I’ve signed up for two of my booths that are somewhat specialized.
Is there any way to exclude individual items?
Re: PhoenixResale’s question. I wonder if putting an item “On Hold” will exclude the item?
@renagade – no custom categories to start, but I imagine we’ll want to test and try lots of things as we try and measure results.
@ gypsygirl – there is an antiques Rush. To see all the planned Rushes (regardless of whether you have items to participate) click ‘See Rushes where I have few items’ on the ‘sign up for a rush’ page.
@maddog1122 – that’s correct. you need to discount your items to be in a Rush. We’re doing this to provide the best possible value to our sellers. There is no difference from our old Bonanza sales functionality in this regard.
@ Vintagemaven – outside buyers will know thanks to our email marketing efforts, broadcasts for each Rush on Twitter and Facebook, and through the efforts of the community. We’ll look for other avenues too of course, but this is the plan to start.
Couldn’t you just create the category that is being rushed by calling it something like “Books Rush”? That way we could create that category only for the items that we want to include in the rush.
@ permacrisis (et all) – when a Rush is active all users (shoppers and buyers) on the site will see a global notification, but it won’t broadcast specific items. So it won’t force Google searchers away from your item page, but they will know a Rush is actively occurring. This can be easily dismissed of course (the notification).
Sounds very interesting, I can definitely see the positives, but here are a few questions wandering around in my head, lol.
I’m wondering how you decided on the name “Rush”?
How long will a rush last?
As previously asked, can we put items on reserve if we do not wish to offer a discount on them?
If we sign up and then find the time is not good for us, because we are going on vacation, or whatever, can we just unclick and not participate?
@ stationerybyjudy2 – I’ll see if I can get someone to help you out.
Thanks for the email. Long overdue and much appreciated!
@ nutz4bookznstuff – A rush is comprised of certain categories. So a Rush on books will contain books.
@ Cheyenne2u – no special functionality right now for subscribing members but this may change.
So on the rush, You pick out My Items?
and You pick the day and Time?
For me hard on the time as I run 2 businesses and
oh! will there be a couple of time choices?
How many sellers will be in the rush?
I’m still a bit confused about how it will work. Do I select a category I want to participate in and the discount be applied to only those items, or…?
I think it’s a great idea and will be sure to give it a try after the Ren Faire and learning a bit more about how it all works. Great job all you busy, busy Bonz peeps!!
For those asking about coupons. Coupon discounts have always been available ON TOP of any other discount you may have going on, including Bonanzas.
Hi Alex – sounds good; I’ll take a look at the rushes available to me later on.
p.s. MerchandiSe has an S in it.
@ sofyblu2 – we will experiment with different outreach methods on Facebook and Twitter. To start we will focus our messaging on the types of items being sold and the savings to be had. This way prospective buyers can easily decide for themselves if they are interested.
As for email we will continue to let users easily unsubscribe from our communications as we do now and endeavor to keep our marketing efforts as relevant as possible. That’s in everyone’s interests.
Also concerned about the time factor and how much control I’ll have over what is being discounted.
@ ERAsistible – there is a category Rush for books, but you have to include all your items to participate.
To maximize buyer interest we want to have a wealth of merchandise in each Rush. We do not intend for Rushes to become a liquidation bin for the least desirable merchandise — we want them to have a breadth of high quality, well-priced inventory. This will keep buyers coming back – something we all want.
Participating in a Rush is optional of course, but we hope you’ll give it a try.
I guess I will never be able to do a Rush as taking 15% off would make me pay more for the items than the customer. That is like paying them to buy my items!! lol
I try to sell my items at the lowest prices where I may only make about $5 or less.
I don’t want to discount my items but instead offer free shipping. Is this something that can be done?
@ TheGreenGoat – if you sign up for a Rush all of the items that you have in the applicable category (books, jewelry, etc) are in the Rush. We will pick the day and time, but will experiment with different times to see what works best.
Remember a Rush isn’t just your items it’s all sellers who have items in the given category and choose to participate. All optional of course. It’s up to you – we won’t sign anyone up for a Rush.
@purpleiris – you select the category and set your discount. All items in your category will be discounted during the Rush.
@jlowe51 – not at this time. We have a lot of work to do to get our Rushes ready, but will explore lots of ideas as we get results and more feedback.
So right now will it say how many items or will it not show the items till the day of the rush? Because I signed up but it says 0 items.. right now..
@ stationerybyjudy2 – you can sign-up to be notified of a Rush as a spectator (in other words, if you have zero items in the given categories at present)
I now offer 10% off when you buy $60.00 or more from me. In the Rush, if someone buys $60.00 or more from me do they get the 10% off that I already offer plus the 15% off for being in the Rush?
Alex,
Just to be absolutely clear, if I were to sign up for the Rush on Sewing, Fabrics and Needlecraft it shows I have 30 items in my booth in that category. I have over 300 items in my booth that don’t fall under that category. I am assuming that only the 30 items in that category will show up in the Rush. I would not want to give a discount on the jewelry for example, or the collectibles. Does it mean that someone who comes to my booth for the Rush will only get a discount on the 30 items in the Rush, not the whole booth? Is my thinking correct on this. I would hate to find out that buyers were able to purchase any of my items with the same discount. Thanks.
Where are Mark and Bill ?
It had a Homier touch when they would tell us.
No Offense……
Interesting concept…good PR for everyone involved. I like the idea of banding together. You definitely need to add a handcrafted/handmade Rush category!
I also love it that we’re finally getting emails about major events on the site. Thanks, you guyz!
I don’t think you have answered yet about custom categories. Are the categories pulled from the site categories or the booth categories? AND I don’t think you’ve answered about overlapping discounts, if we have a booth-wide discount for purchase over X amount, is that added on to the Rush discount or not?
Has anyone answered the question about multiple discounts, e.g., 15% discount with Renaissance Faire AND 15% discount with Bonanza Rush…double discounts? Or, do we just turn off the renfaire code during the Bonanza Rush?
@ NYMarts. Sorry I lack the a homier touch! ; )
@ well, lots of folks. Coupons are additive just like they were in our Bonanza sales functionality.
@kayceestudios2 – Rushes are created from site categories. See above regarding discount and coupons.
@bloomermo – if you are signed up for a Rush any new items that you add that live in the same category will automatically be added to the Rush.
So if there is a Rush on jewelry and you choose to sign up for it and then add new jewelry items those new items will indeed be in the Jewelry Rush. If you add new items that aren’t in the Jewelry Rush you signed up for then they won’t be included in the Rush. Hope that’s clear! ; )
Thank you for your answer Alex. I do appreciate that.
While the rush idea may work for others here, I know my customers do not use Twitter or Facebook to find their collectibles or wants.
My only hope is that some kind of other outreach program is used by management here to garner attention in some realm of advertising.
My prices can not go any lower than they are now or I will be paying the customers to buy my items or just giving things away.
If rushes are intended to have a large amount of great quality and desirable items amongst them,which is a good idea in theory, then the emphasis should not be pricing.
It should instead be on selection and quality of merchandise
to be found here by buyers.
JMHO
Alex I love the changes so far. I had never done a Bonanza because it just didn’t work as it was set up but this,This is cool!
Love that the Rush page tells you how many items you have in what categories,how many people have signed up and what categories you have are eligible for a Rush.
The fact that the Rush lives on one page makes it easier to market.
I’ll email you after my rush to let you know how it went as far as functionality etc,etc.
Gladys
This is AWESOME! I know people hate mentioning other sites, but this is exactly what places like Gilt Groupe, Rue La La, and Hautelook do! From the looks of it, their “one day sales” all seem to sell out! Can’t WAIT to be a part of this! :-)
Hey Alex, thanks Homey! This is really cool! Thanks so much Alex, you are awesome for popping in so much to answer a multitude of questions.
As an example, refer to the Books category.
Wondering if the Rush will only benefit the sellers with the most items in that category?
Will all the books from participating sellers just be lumped together in one spot?? Will the items be entered in lumps by seller, in other words, will a sellers items be offered all near each other so that a buyer would have to wade though one seller and then another?
If some sellers have 1000’s of books and I have 50, will my books be mixed in or will they be in line at the end of the line?
Oh, thanks for the email notice.
my catagory yard garden i have 503 items in that catagory, and this time of year i would like to have a “Rush” on certain garden items in my booth, and i dont want all the items in the “Rush†ughhh because most of my items are in this catagory i will probably never have a rush in this particular catagory, anyway i just feel we should be able to include the items we want in the rush under the catagory. JMHO
once were signed up and given the 72hr notice, at that time, can we remove some of the items?
Alex, thanks for all the info so far, but do you have answers for any of the questions I posted above?
Perhaps I overlooked this information,if so I apologize. How long will a rush last? Hours? A day?
Would there possibly be plans down the road for sellers to be able to select which items to put on special with coupons, either by category or item?
@thegreengoat – you can remove all of your items, but not specific ones. This is the way it works for now, but we will change Rushes over time as we see what works and what doesn’t.
You say if you add new items to your booth that is in the same category as the Rush your in at the time the new items will show up in the Rush. What about the flip side of that? Since I sell on other sites too if I sell out of an item on another site that I also have listed here, so I delete the item from this site will it delete it from the Rush if its in a Rush at the time?
@TimeSpanTreasures – sorry having a hard time keeping up. ; )
Ryan suggested Rush as a name. We like that it is short and sweet and conveys the fast action that you’ll find in a Rush. Also, it ties nicely to the definition of a Bonanza. Gold Rush, etc.
A Rush will be a few to several hours a day, but we will experiment with timing.
If you don’t want an item to be in a Rush (for now) you can put it on reserve but that would put it on reserve for every prospective buyer and not just those in the Rush.
If you sign up you can always ‘leave’ a Rush. There’s a ‘leave’ button on the same page where you sign-up. Easy!
Sounds great! Thank you! Anything that will make sales easier is good to me! I guess I would have to wait until renfaire is over before I can join though if it’s true that coupons are additive. Am I correct, Alex?
Thanks Alex-I was hoping it might be a little longer than the previous Bonanzas. Give more buyers time to look(and buy). It will also help with prime shopping times through the many time zones.
wow. i love innovation in business…sounds like a great way to build more traffic for a sale event. Love all the great new changes!
Yes, hammillauctions, you are correct.
I think it would be worth a try, and you could always put some items from the category on Reserve for the duration of the Rush. As Alex says, they will be invisible to everyone, but if it’s only for the day, ??
I think it’s unreasonable to expect Mark & Bill to continue to do everything, folks. We want Bonanza to expand in both members and listings, and as it does, the folks running it also have expanded. Bill & Mark cannot be everywhere at once.
@jlowe51 – if you delete an item it won’t show up in the Rush.
I am excited about this Alex, the former Bonanzas boggled me a little but this sounds more targeted and efficient! I would especially like it if you could participate as much as you like, as long as you have multiple catagories within which you list. Thank you for the information!
Great!!!This should help increase sales.
Chiming in to say thanks – the Rush is a great idea. Definitely expect my involvement.
Question 1: I signed up for 4 Rushes — in each instance, you have listed the number of items I have in the category — how did you arrive at that number?
Question: how do I know what the items are?
Please know that these are not criticisms; I just want to know how this will be handled.
Example: in toys and hobbies, I have to assume you have included dolls, since there is no other way to arrive at the number?
Have you included Halloween, Christmas and Easter items in Collectibles?
I guess what I’m asking is are the items selected using your stock categories, rather than those which we designate in our booths? Again, no problem, but I would like to know — it would help me to configure.
Thanks.
Carolyn
You are making the same mistake as so many other sites.
COMPLICATED
All sorts of trick nonsense.
If you put all of this effort into promoting the site and its listings you might accomplish something. I took down all of my listings. Being told it was on me to do the promotion when the management was generating little traffic got old fast.
I kept hearing about how great Google worked to get me traffic & sales. No way, it was impossible to understand and did NOTHING.
When i do Google searches i am sent to ebay but NEVER to Bonanzle/Bonanza.
You seem to like changing names and making small changes in stuff that is meaningless.
Traffic
sales
Simplicity
low fees
That is what dealers care about. The rest is jive.
One more question: where are dolls?
They aren’t being listed as toys or as collectibles? (At least, mine aren’t showing up there — their primary category is bears and dolls…..It this planned for well before Christmas, I hope?)
I have made my own categories in my booth. Do I have to have my items listed in Bonanza’s categories to be able to participate in a rush? Thank you.
This sounds awesome for me as we are just getting started back up here after a rather long hiatus and want to get reintroduced and have a new focus of items from what we had carried before!
DONE! Just signed up for our first “Rush” and yes it was easy! Now I am going to start some self promoting and “Rush” promoting for all sellers involved as I have quickly learned if you don’t promote or advocate as well for yourself and fellow sellers in any little way you can your bound to flop on your face!
@blutoboy – sorry you feel that way. We’re trying to make it simple by bringing together targeted items at a good value to customers who are interested in them.
@cshort0319 – no problem asking questions. I take them as just that.
The categories in each Rush are indeed the Bonanza categories and not custom ones that you set-up in your booth. If a Bonanza category is in a Rush all applicable sub-categories should be included.
@ GoldFire – yes, your items should also be in Bonanza categories so they can show up in a Rush.
Hypothetical question? A seller doesn’t have womens clothing but sells womens jewelry. A BZ Rush category for an upcoming Womens Clothing Rush does not indicate their womens jewelry to be applicable to the rush, so they can’t join. Why can’t they just change the category of the particular jewlery items they want to be included in the Womens Clothing Rush? After all, if I see a blouse from one seller that goes great with a funky neclace from another seller I might buy both. Again, this is just hypothetical so don’t get stuck on the product(s) exampled here. The question would apply to any cross category marketing (sporting goods for example frequetly cross categories in marketing). Makes you go Hmmmmmm?
Great idea ! I also believe that it will bring more people into booths to take a looky lou at what other goodies are out there.
Please consider changing to EVENING HOURS because most everyone is working during the day and can’t access their computers with enough time to browse all the products.
I think Bonanza Rush is a fantastic idea…because it combines the urgency and deadline of an auction…with the best of Fixed Price at DISCOUNT….in the buyers favorite categories.
It introduces true browsing…which is the way buyers of antiques, collectibles and books like to shop.
I can envision that many new buyers will come here just for the Bonanza Rushes.
But, I feel that the daytime reduces the potential greatly…
Thanks for considering changing to the evening.
Best Time: 8pM—where you can maximize convenience in all time zones in the U.S..
If this question was answered… then I missed it.
If a seller has 10% off on a $50 purchase, and 15% off on their rush, will both discounts be applied if more than $50 is spent in that booth during a Rush?
And btw, I think the Rush is a great idea!!
I may have missed the answers but 1) How long does the rush run? and 2) I know someone asked this, but did not see an answer: I now offer 10% off when you buy $60.00 or more from me. In the Rush, if someone buys $60.00 or more from me do they get the 10% off that I already offer plus the 15% off for being in the Rush?….OH lastly: When I just do a general search on Bonanza, we do not come up, only the old tv program. Just wanted to mention that. Thanks for trying to help out us sellers.
A question regarding the book category.
Will your software for a Book Rush separate all the participating sellers books by
BOOK CATEGORY AND BOOK SUB-CATEGORY?
Example: All antiquarian books from every participating seller would go into Antiquarian…and THEN, into respective SUB-CATEGORIES…say Illustrated…etc…
Book browsers will want to see all books in their specific categories of interest….and not have to wade through thousands of titles un-categorized which are not of interest to them.
This will be the same for antiques and collectibles.
Thanks so much…
I signed up and got this message, after I put all my itmes under the craft category…
-———-No items match search in category “Crafts >> Scrapbooking & Paper Crafts”
You may have better luck if you remove your category filter.
OK I have stupid question, does check out automatically take the 15% off when the sale is made? I have never done a sale or a discount, so I do not know how that works.
Alex, thanks for answering all my questions.
One suggestion- if dolls and bears are not currently scheduled for a rush, they need to be! Just look at the thousands of listings for them, and the thousands sold in the last year.
Also, the overall collectibles category is huge. Would it be possible to pull out the holiday categories from collectibles, to run as a separate rush, at some point? Just thinking, as these are good sales for many….
@ stationerybyjudy2-maybe you are not showing anything yet because you changed your category, and the system hasn’t caught up to the change yet?
good idea
Okay, I was able to join up for next month’s Bonanza Rush….two categories: Books, and Toys and Hobbies. It did not say exactly when for next month?
I think this is a good idea to try. The old Bonanzas were not effective from what I hear. I think it is a good form of helping to brand Bonanza. Thanks for trying to make Bonanza (rushes) more successful for the sellers here
I wanted to add about the dolls and bears…trust me. There are some great possible sales to be made from this category. It would be nice to see it added so people can join up on this category for the first rush
@ Rita1 – discounts add up. If you have a coupon public the Rush discount you pick would be added to that. This is the same as the old Bonanza functionality.
@ BeautifulBooks – shoppers will be able to browse within subcategories within a given Rush.
@ misskeech – A Rush will last from 4-6 hours. Exact time is TBD. And coupons are additive as they were with Bonanzas.
A Rush will only last for 4-6 hours???? Oh, I thought we were talking about something that would last at lease two days so it would give many more buyers a chance to come and buy. Maybe if Bonanza would send an email to all past buyers letting them know when and what Rush will be running and a link to it then maybe this will work better.
This sounds like a great idea! Would there happen to be any involving Breast Cancer Awareness Month??
Why can’t you just call it a “Bonanza GOLD Rush”—That would more clearly explain that customers can save “Gold” if they buy during one. They can tell their friends, “they are having a Bonanza (gets site name out) Gold Rush (sale)” Much better name recognition than Bonanza Rush or just Rush (people will think of “hurrying” or frat/sorority rushes—too many other connotations with just the word “Rush”.
You know, keep it simple stupid? No offense meant.
@ Sunblades – instead of gold we’ll use the category name. This will tell them what the products are. So, we’re having a Bonanza Fashion Rush or Bonanza Collectibles Rush (you get the idea). Knowing what is on sale is critical to attract buyers.
Always a fan of simple. ; )
Great idea !
I would just like to mention that the Block Party concept came to be thanks to Nic who also generously volunteered her time to host it, but can’t now because she is to much of a successful business mom to find the time .. Hughes Tees And Gifts
http://www.bonanza.com/booths/hughesteesandgifts
I like the rush idea. The only drawback I can see is that if buyers associate Bonanza with Rushes (sales), they might choose to shop almost exclusively for items on sale, rather than full priced items – always keeping an eye out for the next Rush. That could hurt sellers who prefer not to participate. It also might lead to people inflating their ‘original’ prices so they can get a reasonable profit from the ‘sale’.
Any thoughts on how handcrafters/artisans are going to be supported following the influx of 1000 Markets vendors? A lot of handmade things don’t fall neatly into one category, but perhaps handcrafts or OOAK (one of a kind) sales could be included as Rush ideas, even though they are not category specific. It would also be nice to see handmade items defined according to the following (or similar), either for a Rush, or just in general to help people get more sales:
1. Items made from components, that do not require specialist skills, but do require an artistic eye to look nice (beads on wire etc.)
2. Items made using specialist skills, but from an existing (legally used) pattern
3. Items made using specialist skills, and from the artist’s own pattern
I would call 1, Handmade; 2, Handcrafted; 3, Artisan – but I realize those terms have different meanings for different people so perhaps a ‘grading’ system would work better. It would also be great to have a focus on luxe items. One of the biggest complaints I have seen in the online handcrafting communities, is the difficulty of finding and promoting the highest quality handmade/handcrafted/artisan pieces that really need a category of their own. Sorting items according to skill level will mean that buyers can more easily navigate the ‘grades’ of handmade items.
I have become very concerned Alex.
In the forums, people are talking about raising their prices just to participate in this and not take any kind of loss due to the minimum 15% off thing.
http://www.bonanza.com/forums/4/topics/134111?page=3
Also note lionessgold’s thoughts above about inflating prices.
I would like to see Bonz do something to inform sellers that that behavior is against the FTC rules, guidelines and laws in regards to advertising.
Keep the sale, a REAL sale and don’t allow anyone to be deceptive no matter how good their intenetions may be.
Here is the info I am talking about from the FTC:
It is against the law and consider a deceptive practice to raise your prices to hold a sale for the purpose of recouping the discount offered:
§233.1 Former price comparisons.
(a) One of the most commonly used forms of bargain advertising is to offer a reduction from the advertiser’s own former price for an article. If the former price is the actual, bona fide price at which the article was offered to the public on a regular basis for a reasonably substantial period of time, it provides a legitimate basis for the advertising of a price comparison. Where the former price is genuine, the bargain being advertised is a true one. If, on the other hand, the former price being advertised is not bona fide but fictitious — for example, where an artificial, inflated price was established for the purpose of enabling the subsequent offer of a large reduction — the ``bargain’’ being advertised is a false one; the purchaser is not receiving the unusual value he expects. In such a case, the ``reduced’’ price is, in reality, probably just the seller’s regular price.
(b) A former price is not necessarily fictitious merely because no sales at the advertised price were made. The advertiser should be especially careful, however, in such a case, that the price is one at which the product was openly and actively offered for sale, for a reasonably substantial period of time, in the recent, regular course of his business, honestly and in good faith — and, of course, not for the purpose of establishing a fictitious higher price on which a deceptive comparison might be based. And the advertiser should scrupulously avoid any implication that a former price is a selling, not an asking price (for example, by use of such language as, ``Formerly sold at $XXX’’), unless substantial sales at that price were actually made.
© The following is an example of a price comparison based on a fictitious former price. John Doe is a retailer of Brand X fountain pens, which cost him $5 each. His usual markup is 50 percent over cost; that is, his regular retail price is $7.50. In order subsequently to offer an unusual ``bargain’’, Doe begins offering Brand X at $10 per pen. He realizes that he will be able to sell no, or very few, pens at this inflated price. But he doesn’t care, for he maintains that price for only a few days. Then he ``cuts’’ the price to its usual level — $7.50 — and advertises: ``Terrific Bargain: X Pens, Were $10, Now Only $7.50!‘’ This is obviously a false claim. The advertised ``bargain’’ is not genuine.
(d) Other illustrations of fictitious price comparisons could be given. An advertiser might use a price at which he never offered the article at all; he might feature a price which was not used in the regular course of business, or which was not used in the recent past but at some remote period in the past, without making disclosure of that fact; he might use a price that was not openly offered to the public, or that was not maintained for a reasonable length of time, but was immediately reduced.
(e) If the former price is set forth in the advertisement, whether accompanied or not by descriptive terminology such as ``Regularly,‘’ ``Usually,’’ ``Formerly,‘’ etc., the advertiser should make certain that the former price is not a fictitious one. If the former price, or the amount or percentage of reduction, is not stated in the advertisement, as when the ad merely states, ``Sale,’’ the advertiser must take care that the amount of reduction is not so insignificant as to be meaningless. It should be sufficiently large that the consumer, if he knew what it was, would believe that a genuine bargain or saving was being offered. An advertiser who claims that an item has been ``Reduced to $9.99,’’ when the former price was $10, is misleading the consumer, who will understand the claim to mean that a much greater, and not merely nominal, reduction was being offered.
§233.4 Bargain offers based upon the purchase of other merchandise.
(a) Frequently, advertisers choose to offer bargains in the form of additional merchandise to be given a customer on the condition that he purchase a particular article at the price usually offered by the advertiser. The forms which such offers may take are numerous and varied, yet all have essentially the same purpose and effect. Representative of the language frequently employed in such offers are ``Free,‘’ ``Buy One — Get One Free,’’ ``2-For-1 Sale,‘’ ``Half Price Sale,’’ ``1 Sale,‘’ ``50% Off,’’ etc. Literally, of course, the seller is not offering anything ``free’’ (i.e., an unconditional gift), or \1/2\ free, or for only 1, when he makes such an offer, since the purchaser is required to purchase an article in order to receive the ``free’’ or ``1’’ item. It is important, therefore, that where such a form of offer is used, care be taken not to mislead the consumer.
© Accordingly, whenever a ``free,‘’ ``2-for-1,’’ ``half price sale,‘’ ``1 sale,’’ ``50% off’’ or similar type of offer is made, all the terms and conditions of the offer should be made clear at the outset.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/guides/decptprc.htm
I think in concept this sounds like a good idea. The problem I have is not being able to choose items to add to the “Rush”. Not because I have items that are less desirable, because I don’t. The problem is, when your whole booth is item specific (jewelry) you have to have a variety of price ranges to attract all walks of life. I try to carry inexpensive items that anyone can afford. But I cannot afford to discount them 15% or I would be paying someone to take them, especially since I offer free shipping on every purchase. I had a couple of Bonanza’s and I could choose which items would get discounted. I’m afraid this idea, while looking good on paper, in actuality, would hurt a number of merchants who, for the same reason, will be unable to participate. I will not be participating in any of the Rushes & losing money. :(
http://www.bonanza.com/booths/CHEROKEE25
Hopefully, with changes, it may be an option for me in the future…
I’m in.
“Rush” is a good name. Short and easy to remember, the way Neiman’s successfully markets their “Midday Dash” sales via email. Not that I would admit to going ;-)
Alex is homey enough. He’s just the kind of homey you’d want in your hood.
How will OBO items work in a Rush? I’m assuming the discount will be off the marked price.
Rush is huge in Canada. I’m, of course, referring to the band.
Kudos DakotaGold for pointing out the legality of factoring the discounts into the selling price. Even if it were legal to do this, were everyone to makes a massive move to increase their prices to accommodate the rushes it would be detrimental to sales site wide. I think it would be destructive any reputation we have established. I have gone into antique malls where a booth had a 20% discount and at that the items were way above book value. I don’t even look at booths with inflated prices.
My biggest problem with a rush is that I put a lot of my consignor’s and dealer’s items in my booth here. I have no problem with a 15% discount on my own items but my consignors can’t afford to give me 25% + fees and also give a 15% discount to the buyer. That would be 40% off, hardly worth their while. I have to say that if you can’t choose what items you want included that the best option would be to put any items you can’t discount on reserve for one day.
As for the sellers who are concerned that they can’t afford to discount their items I am guessing that with the old bonanzas they didn’t participate so this should be a moot point.
I for one like the idea of category specific bonanzas. I quit doing them because I felt that my items got lost in the confusion the old way.
I LIKE the overall idea but I want to be able to choose my ‘rushed’ items.
Also, when it says so-and-so many items are in your category for the rush now, I NEED to be able to see which ones they are. I might have to change categories or take some items on reserve.
Need to see what’s in my rush
Answer: Oh hellloooo! I see. There is the number to be clicked on and I can see my items that are under that specific category.
VERY cool! And WOW to the programming
Remember everyone, that you need to have put items into a category for them to show up in a category…. Could be time to look at batch edit, and see if your items are indeed categorized, and if not… Use Batch edit to do so. I believe that I have put items into Bonz cats for Bonz search, and Custom Cats for search-ability in my own booth because it is so large.
I think a great idea would be for Bonanza to send an email to all present and past buyers telling them about the Rush and let them sign up to receive an email notice from Bonanza, if they like, telling them about a Rush, what category it is and when it will start. This would bring many more buyers to the Rushes. What do you think?
Straightforward, Simple, and Sounds like a good plan! Again… a Change I am Very Happy With!
Thanks a million!
Lisa
I left a reply last night. Where is it? i guess those who are not rah rah guys get erased.
Love this idea. I’ve signed up for 2 rushes.
@blutoboy… your post is still here, just scroll up, you’ll see it.
@dakotagold – Thanks Dakotagold. We certainly don’t encourage or endorse such behavior and are exploring different steps on our end to prevent it.
@jlowe51 – we do plan on doing some email marketing to promote each Rush.
@lionessgold – I suspect handcrafted items could fall in a number of different categories. Though perhaps a handcrafted Rush is in our future. We’ve only just begun.
@ everyone!
Thanks all for the feedback and questions. I’m not sure if this is a blog comment record, but it’s up there. For more information on Rushes please consult the post or check out our FAQ page. We’ll keep updating it as news develops. When our first Rushes get scheduled we’ll be sure to post an update here and email folks who signed up.
Here’s a link to the FAQ, but you can also email [email protected] if you have questions. http://www.bonanza.com/site_help/booths_setup/get_the_rush?layout=&title=Because+we%27ve+got+more+answers.
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