Censored! Purging eBay to usher in a new era....

Censors run wild!

Our guest blogger today, we will call her "Anna" (not her real name) posted this in an eBay forum, where it went POUF! within seconds. Do you see anything objectionable or violating forum usage policy in this?

Anna says

I'm a former PowerSeller that stopped selling when the changes were announced. My DSRs are all 5s except for shipping which is 4.6, & I have 100% feedback. I was dropped from the PS program two weeks ago due to zero sales for the last 5 months.

These new feedback policies certainly do bring out the worst in people! Perfectly good eBayers going bad. It becomes more and more mind boggling every time someone shares another experience.

My opinion only (for what it's worth), but I think eBay is trying to purge the site - of both sellers AND buyers. People have complained for years about bad sellers AND bad buyers, but nothing much was done to keep either in check very well.

Sure, these new policies leave most sellers neutered and ready to quit, BUT they are also doing a bang-up job of flushing out the dishonest buyers en mass. Even good buyers who in the past never gave a thought to screwing a seller over or some who are sellers themselves - all are running amuck - tossing negative & neutral feedback left and right, backing out of sales, returning empty boxes and ruined items. It's incredible - but its happening and I'll bet there's a method to eBay's madness concerning this as well.

The big retailers they are trying to lure aren't interested in selling their stuff alongside of used flea market items any more than they would want to deal with the rotten, buyers who are currently wreaking havoc here.

These feedback policies expose the bottom feeders for what they are. If eBay wants to clean up the site to make it more appealing to retailers, ridding it of this unsavory element is a good way to start. They are encouraging sellers to report the non-payers. Maybe they will take action and keep them from creating new IDs this time?

Or maybe we are all just playing into their hand. Ebay will be able to point to the Sodom and Gomorra this place will have become and say to the media: "We tried to clean up the site but are disappointed and horrified at what it has become. Regretfully, the original eBay values and philosophy are no longer viable; therefore we are announcing the "new direction and future of eBay...." Enter the big retailers - exit the used items and what's left of the smaller sellers. And eBay comes out looking great. "We've cleaned up the site! Welcome back buyers!" Wanna bet they'll make everyone re-register and we'll see user verification at last?

I've seen fishermen who catch small sharks in their nets take those sharks, slice their bellies and toss them back into the water, to keep from catching them again. The little sharks feverishly begin devouring their own entrails, not even realizing they are contributing to their own demise by eating themselves as others join in to finish them off.

We buyers and sellers of "the old ebay mentality" are those clueless little sharks and eBay is sitting back with their dripping knife, watching and waiting for us to finish each other off so they can usher in a new era: "the new and improved eBay buying experience."

I'll bet they change the eBay logo along with it - perhaps something like a colorful phoenix rising from the ashes of what once was the eBay we all knew and loved.

What do others think?





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