6 ms·

CarsForaGrand.com: Simple idea that's generating big bucks

41 points by peter123 17y ago

climber 17y ago
how does this make money?
- vaksel 17y ago
  eBay affiliate id, someone goes to the site clicks open a car ad, sees its an eBay listing, and closes it. But the cookie remains, so when they come back to eBay a few days later to buy a TV the guy gets the affiliate credit
  - brm 17y ago
    You get paid between 50 and 75% of your referees winning bid revenue, see: https://ebaypartnernetwork.com/files/hub/en-US/gettingPaid.html https://ebaypartnernetwork.com/files/hub/en-US/gettingPaid.h...
  - wallflower 17y ago
    See also http://belowabuck.com http://belowabuck.com
  - niqolas 17y ago
    Is this true?? Why wouldn't ebay fix this to avoid giving away affiliate $$ unnecessarily?
vaksel 17y ago
Not a bad return if $100K is real(could still be a PR stunt to get more coverage). Probably not a recurring thing though, since I don't see anyone coming back to a site that only has eBay listings
GiraffeNecktie 17y ago
Illustrates that some people don't understand the concept of filtering search results. Here's the same thing from eBay: http://motors.shop.ebay.com/items/Cars-Trucks_?_dmpt=US_Cars_Trucks&_fln=1&_sacat=6001&_ssov=1&_trksid=p4506.c0.m282&_mPrRngCbx=1&_udlo=&_udhi=1%2C000 http://motors.shop.ebay.com/items/Cars-Trucks_?_dmpt=US_Cars...
- deleted 17y ago
  [deleted]
- shaunxcode 17y ago
  which in turn illustrates that a "viable" business can be built on making existing data more immediately accessible/refined.
- run4yourlives 17y ago
  People not understanding things is the reason for 99% of all business. You wouldn't call a plumber if you knew how to fix that leak yourself.
  - whatusername 17y ago
    having the cash. lack of time. not wanting to pull apart a toilet. I can think of a few good reasons to call a plumber even if I kknew how to do it. (I can cook, but that doesn't stop me eating out - or even getting take-away sometimes)
    - run4yourlives 17y ago
      Yes, but plumbers don't make their living from people who are too busy, they make their living from people who are ignorant. (In other words, lack of knowledge is far and away a bigger customer). I didn't say though that it was the only way, just that it was the main reason most businesses exist.
pj 17y ago
I think there is a lot of false hope in what the 37signals guys are telling their audience. Just because someone out there does very little to make a lot of money doesn't mean that's how the average jane or joe has to do it. Anecdotes to prove your case are easy to find, but the exceptions aren't the rule. You can go buy a lottery ticket and win too. The question is, how many people just like this guy and the plentyoffish guy, etc exist compared to those who attempt to find success on the internet? I'm not saying don't try hard and don't take risks. I'd be a hypocrite if I did, but don't forget to be realistic about how really hard it is to build a company and make money. The traditional rules of business apply to the internet as well. Lots of people got lucky striking oil in the old days, but there were way more prospectors than there were Rockefellers.
- ahoyhere 17y ago
  pj, yes and no... If somebody thinks they're just going to go to SVN, take a winning idea, and copy it, and make big bucks, well, yes, they're not going to succeed. Just cuz the person ahead of you in line at the lotto bought a ticket and won doesn't mean you will -- in fact, it decreases your chances. But when a whole town calculates the odds, forms a strategy, and chips in to buy a critical % of all tickets available -- and then hits the jackpot -- you can't just say "well they just bought a lottery ticket." (This has happened before.) It's not just the act, it's the attitude, the legwork, and the dedication. I've made lots of "easy money" (and publicity/fame/cred) off things that didn't take me much time at all. But the key is that I am the all-grown-up version of a kid who read business books for fun & spent all night mucking around with Photoshop.
  - brent 17y ago
    If lottery tickets are generated randomly how does the person in front of you winning decrease your chance of winning?
    - run4yourlives 17y ago
      Sounds like the whole 3 doors game show problem: Does an additional data point decrease your odds, or does it do nothing to alter the situation? IMO my answer to your question would be, it doesn't.
socratees 17y ago
Very Neat. I like the concept of making money through ebay sales leads rather than cramming your site with full of ads.
vaksel 17y ago
I like this comment: Couldn’t $9,999.99 be considered high six figures in the most literal sense?
pchristensen 17y ago
37s use specific examples to get across a general point: quickly implement a decent idea and let the market tell you if it's good or not. You don't need millions of dollars or years of effort, you just need a good idea executed quickly and well.
- minalecs 17y ago
  and free publicity from 37 signals blog, isn't too bad for your business either
mildavw 17y ago
Feh. Only has half the revenue of carsfortwogrand.com.

41 points by peter123 17y ago

climber 17y ago

how does this make money?

vaksel 17y ago
eBay affiliate id, someone goes to the site clicks open a car ad, sees its an eBay listing, and closes it. But the cookie remains, so when they come back to eBay a few days later to buy a TV the guy gets the affiliate credit
- brm 17y ago
  You get paid between 50 and 75% of your referees winning bid revenue, see: https://ebaypartnernetwork.com/files/hub/en-US/gettingPaid.html https://ebaypartnernetwork.com/files/hub/en-US/gettingPaid.h...
- wallflower 17y ago
  See also http://belowabuck.com http://belowabuck.com
- niqolas 17y ago
  Is this true?? Why wouldn't ebay fix this to avoid giving away affiliate $$ unnecessarily?

vaksel 17y ago

Not a bad return if $100K is real(could still be a PR stunt to get more coverage). Probably not a recurring thing though, since I don't see anyone coming back to a site that only has eBay listings

GiraffeNecktie 17y ago

Illustrates that some people don't understand the concept of filtering search results. Here's the same thing from eBay: http://motors.shop.ebay.com/items/Cars-Trucks_?_dmpt=US_Cars_Trucks&_fln=1&_sacat=6001&_ssov=1&_trksid=p4506.c0.m282&_mPrRngCbx=1&_udlo=&_udhi=1%2C000 http://motors.shop.ebay.com/items/Cars-Trucks_?_dmpt=US_Cars...

deleted 17y ago
[deleted]
shaunxcode 17y ago
which in turn illustrates that a "viable" business can be built on making existing data more immediately accessible/refined.
run4yourlives 17y ago
People not understanding things is the reason for 99% of all business. You wouldn't call a plumber if you knew how to fix that leak yourself.
- whatusername 17y ago
  having the cash. lack of time. not wanting to pull apart a toilet. I can think of a few good reasons to call a plumber even if I kknew how to do it. (I can cook, but that doesn't stop me eating out - or even getting take-away sometimes)
  - run4yourlives 17y ago
    Yes, but plumbers don't make their living from people who are too busy, they make their living from people who are ignorant. (In other words, lack of knowledge is far and away a bigger customer). I didn't say though that it was the only way, just that it was the main reason most businesses exist.

pj 17y ago

I think there is a lot of false hope in what the 37signals guys are telling their audience. Just because someone out there does very little to make a lot of money doesn't mean that's how the average jane or joe has to do it. Anecdotes to prove your case are easy to find, but the exceptions aren't the rule. You can go buy a lottery ticket and win too. The question is, how many people just like this guy and the plentyoffish guy, etc exist compared to those who attempt to find success on the internet? I'm not saying don't try hard and don't take risks. I'd be a hypocrite if I did, but don't forget to be realistic about how really hard it is to build a company and make money. The traditional rules of business apply to the internet as well. Lots of people got lucky striking oil in the old days, but there were way more prospectors than there were Rockefellers.

ahoyhere 17y ago
pj, yes and no... If somebody thinks they're just going to go to SVN, take a winning idea, and copy it, and make big bucks, well, yes, they're not going to succeed. Just cuz the person ahead of you in line at the lotto bought a ticket and won doesn't mean you will -- in fact, it decreases your chances. But when a whole town calculates the odds, forms a strategy, and chips in to buy a critical % of all tickets available -- and then hits the jackpot -- you can't just say "well they just bought a lottery ticket." (This has happened before.) It's not just the act, it's the attitude, the legwork, and the dedication. I've made lots of "easy money" (and publicity/fame/cred) off things that didn't take me much time at all. But the key is that I am the all-grown-up version of a kid who read business books for fun & spent all night mucking around with Photoshop.
- brent 17y ago
  If lottery tickets are generated randomly how does the person in front of you winning decrease your chance of winning?
  - run4yourlives 17y ago
    Sounds like the whole 3 doors game show problem: Does an additional data point decrease your odds, or does it do nothing to alter the situation? IMO my answer to your question would be, it doesn't.

socratees 17y ago

Very Neat. I like the concept of making money through ebay sales leads rather than cramming your site with full of ads.

vaksel 17y ago

I like this comment: Couldn’t $9,999.99 be considered high six figures in the most literal sense?

pchristensen 17y ago

37s use specific examples to get across a general point: quickly implement a decent idea and let the market tell you if it's good or not. You don't need millions of dollars or years of effort, you just need a good idea executed quickly and well.

minalecs 17y ago
and free publicity from 37 signals blog, isn't too bad for your business either

mildavw 17y ago

Feh. Only has half the revenue of carsfortwogrand.com.