Saturday, May 31, 2008

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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5 comments:

ms.pat said...

Hey Henrietta - you are right on as usual. I stopped listing - have the last two items ending today. This...after 10 years of selling on ebay I'm stopping with 100 percent feedback and 5,5.5.4.9. I can't be seen even with a feedback record like that. Ebay certainly is deliberately trying to discourage small sellers to elave - they're doing it in a way that sellers will leave slowly so they won't lose a dollar of revenue while they usher in the big retail sellers! This should be the most callous and hated company in the country. The sad part is the public doesn't know and the media doesn't understand ebay enough to accurately write on it.

As for me, I'm retired and earned a peaceful retirement - I'll miss that extra money but I'll recoup that 100 fold in less stress and worry!

www.ACEOart.net

theking said...

hy........no good ebay staff--no good the news..i'm a serious seller but ebay have stopped my account..all my insertions are delete..WHY?????-NO ANSWER TO MY QUESTIONS__this is the new ebay????this is the new reality...30 days for ?????i dont know because....3 reclame to paypal and i have all the postal tickets of the spedition?????paypal is ebay

Henrietta said...

Roberto benvenuto, sì, questo è la nuova realtà di vendita su eBay. Dovete trovare un nuovo luogo per vendere se desiderate continuare nel commercio.

Welcome Roberto, yes, this is the new reality of selling on eBay. You must find a new site to sell if you wish to continue in business.

Anonymous said...

I think you are on to something. Taking in consideration all the actions taken, review of Donahoe's past. half statements, PR and all you may just be right on the button. Churn us all to hell, kill off as much as possible of the noise and behold "the eBay you will not recognize in 2009.

Really good analysis on your part.

TomH

Anonymous said...

Meanwhile in today's Auctiobytes Update is an article titled "eBay Goes Green from the Inside", where Ebay effectively trades on the fact that they are green due to how much used goods are sold on the site instead of going into landfill.

You can not move around Ebay's forums or policy changes without being blindsided by mixed messages currently. I agree with the author that much is being done to undermine small sellers and sellers of used goods, but at the same time they trade on these types of sellers when it suits their message or purpose.

They are killing community, and much more importantly bad policy is killing the livelihoods of long term faithful clientelle. Ebay UK is currently the most ignorant in their disregard for people's livelihoods (see Tamebay, and if you can, observe Richard from Ebay UK in action both there and on the UK powersellers board), but it is happening on all Ebay sites currently. There is no appeal system, and there is no monitoring to protect people that should not be affected from losing their livelihoods due to factors beyond their control. Calling these victims "edge cases" but removing their livelihoods for 30 days, or even 12 months, is not a satisfactory outcome.

I actually feel an ethical dilemma in continuing to trade on Ebay, but like so many others I do have to consider my own livelihood as well (thus, I guess, labelling me one of those little sharks in a confused feeding frenzy).

It is sad, Kevin