These Boots Are Made For Stompin

Often at the moment when things are happening we are so busy reacting, doing damage control or simply trying to understand, that it becomes very difficult to look up and see what is ahead so we can be pro-active.

We know we need a plan. Success does not come to those who do not plan. Most of you reading this had a plan which involved eBay. eBay, which likes to keep plans secret, has announced so many major changes recently; implemented with their normal lack of forethought (or maybe not, who knows?) that any pre-existing plans we had are worthless. Sometimes I feel as if management is busy fiddling while eBay burns, Donohoe as Nero.

My plan was to 'duck and cover'. I certainly suffered from 'unease and paranoia' for a while there! I pulled my listings and joined the boycott. I have come out of this with my reputation intact which was my goal. Now it is time to look forward and make new plans; so let us take a step back together in order to try & see more clearly what lies ahead.

I just finished re-reading John Lawson's (President of 3rdPowerOutlet) funny and very informative three guest blogs on Scott Pooler's Trading Assistant Journal. Please go read John's takes 1, 2 and 3 on the Pesa/ECMTA Summit in New Orleans April 23rd 2008, be sure to read the comments on Part 3, and then come back.

For me, a very small ex-eBay seller it is interesting to read what the 'big boys' worry about. To summarize, in order, Detailed Seller Ratings (DSRs) and feedback, eBay's desire to see free shipping, and DSRs. In the comments he mentions being unsettled about the secrecy surrounding the Buy.com deal. SNAP! Exact match. These are what would prevent me from returning to eBay in the forseeable future.

In many ways I agree with John on the question of feedback. I would agree totally if the whole feedback/DSR scheme weren't so loaded and so tied to finding. If I had more belief that eBay would step up to their responsibilities, which they never have, I might be able to swallow it. eBay's whole historical modus operandi has been to strap on the bovver boots and start stomping first, then look at the dead seller on the floor and go 'Ooopsie, a glitch'.

Just about a month after implementation of feedback changes there are a lot of damage reports on the boards both in the UK and Australia. I admit I don't check the US boards, it is a disassociation thing and I will not apologize.

To summarize, we have sellers being suspended or restricted. Sellers who have not been TOLD WHY they are suspended or restricted, or how long they are suspended for; because eBay does not know, it is an automated process with no appeal. Sellers who have no access to their dashboards so they can complete their contractual obligations to buyers of listings ended prior to suspension. A venue which obliterates those listings in the suspension process so sellers loose all the data, and that my friends, is pure spiteful pettiness.

What do you think? What direction does your new plan take you?

Y'all come back

Give eBay Enough Rope & They Will Hang Themselves

Are eBay too Clever For Their Own Good?

It is certainly beginning to look that way! Some years ago when I was actively bustin' butt selling on eBay I received some advice on the Answer Center that made a lot of sense, and I took it. I set up a buyer ID so that a diligent buyer would not be able to find what I had paid on an item I was reselling. Feedback built, slowly, most wholesalers at that time didn't give a rip about feedback, and I also used it as a personal buying ID after a fellow seller got a neg from a newbie seller from buying on her selling ID. My alternative ID sat, mostly unused as I worked my exit strategy and built my website, making new baskets to put my eggs in.



Earlier this year I bought a plate & paid for Priority shipping which takes about 4 days. It never arrived. I communicated diligently with the seller and got three different stories: it had been mailed one day last week she couldn't remember which; she states clearly in her listing that items might not get mailed for ten days (this is a PayPal TOS violation Sec.11.3.g which invalidated Seller Protection); she had been out of town for a family emergency. Remember this is a very low feedback ID, says noob in big green letters. I had too many red flags waving in my face & filed NPS with Paypal. She never responded and about a month later I got a refund. She got a negative stating, "never arrived filed PP disp /date /invol.refund /date". On the 19th I got a negative too. Since I have exactly 4 transactions this year, on that ID, I am clearly an undesirable bidder with 75%. Because I filed a dispute I am screened out from a lot of sellers (which is very understandable).

Meanwhile back at the ranch, what do we have?

We have an apparently newbie buyer, who can't buy on that ID. When I bid my bid never registers. Since I am not a crook I wouldn't know to just get a nice new ID. I couldn't sell on that ID to build my feedback, so I am effectively off eBay and MAD because I really wanted that plate. Would I buy again on eBay? Hell NO!

Add this to mixture and stir vigorously

PowerSellers who thought they were insulated from all the dwama and flea market noise are feeling a little draft in the nether regions. Somebody bit them in the biblical donkey, there is a large rip in their pants and they are feeling very vulnerable. eBay sales are flatter than a pancake. They are just dolphins caught in the net.

Garnish with a cherry on top

To top it off many eBay Education Specialists are in danger of losing their qualification. The program retention criteria specifies

"You may use this title as long as you are a member in good standing in the program. maintain an eBay Feedback rating of 98% or higher and continue to pay the yearly renewal fee and meet the minimum Instructor Rating."

Sigh. What goes around, comes around. Some call it karma. Karma is a lovely lady dog.

Y'all come back and be sure to click VICTORIOUSLY on any interesting links in the sidebar!

Retaliation Defined

In answer to a question asked on Richard Brewer-Hay's eBayINKBlog

“Can you please explain how the 2004 and 2007 ratio of retaliatory feedback numbers was determined?

Brian Burke, Director of Global Feedback Policy, responded

"We used a really simple definition when determining exactly what constituted retaliatory negative feedback. It was strictly a user who received a negative feedback and subsequently left a negative feedback.”

A comment to this astounding information (not by me)

Ok, so the answers to my questions regarding the actual specifics to what EBAY IS GOING TO DO to protect sellers is basically, business as usual - nothing.

Sorry Richard, but you did not tell us anything new, more of the same. You even confirmed all the flaws in ebay’s thinking for us.

drew the following response from Richard:

Can you define “us”? (You stated that you stopped selling completely on eBay in February) Are you speaking for people that don’t use eBay or people that used to use eBay? Once “us” has been defined, please point out where I confirmed flaws in eBay’s thinking of you specifically.

Yes Richard, I can define "us" for you!


We are registered eBay users.
We are sellers and ex-sellers.
We are buyers and ex-buyers.
We are members of the eBay community, many of us from since before it was eBay.
We are sellers who despite 9 years (on my part) of positive selling feedback 'have no track record'
We are ex-sellers because we are tired of being less than chopped liver.
We are ex-sellers because we value our hard earned feedback from years and years of honest trading.
We are not PowerSellers, most of us, though not all, have never been PowerSellers.
Most (though not all of us) are professional sellers, defined as selling product rather than surplus stuff from our homes.
We were Answer Center Volunteers
We reported hundreds of thousands of listings in Violation of TOS whether we agreed with TOS or not.
We reported suspected hijacked accounts, over and over until action was taken.
We reported fraudulent listings.
We reported pornographic listings out of Mature Content.
We opened stores and stocked them with thousands of items and revised each listing manually every time eBay changed policy.
Each time eBay arbitrarily changed policy we re-wrote our business plans and learned new skills to survive.
Each time another piece of straw was placed on our backs we held firm and plodded on.
Then you, eBay, threatened our reputations. That was the final straw.
You told us we were not valued members of the community.
You told OUR buyers that 'bad sellers' would leave.
We are the fleas in John Donohoe's opinion.
We are 'noise' to Usher Lieberman.
Your other spokesmen referred to us as 'disgruntled sellers'
With each successive announcement Ebay shows its disdain for small sellers.
You continue to show us how little we were valued by giving all the candy to PowerSellers, all the protection is for PowerSellers, the discounts, what little Customer Service there is, all for PowerSellers.
The vast majority of "us" have never left negative feedback except for NPB.

Here is the fatal flaw. eBay in ITs vast wisdom defines retaliatory feedback as like left for like. Almost all like for like feedback is left by high volume sellers using automated 'like for like' feedback programs because they don't have time to leave meaningful individualized feedback. Did you know that Richard?

Instead of preventing use of those programs which are designed precisely to be retaliatory eBay has placed smaller and low volume sellers in a situation of extreme vulnerability and REWARDED the givers of retaliatory feedback, over and over.

Will the 'valued sellers' with 'track records' man the Answer Center, report fraudulent listings, listings in Violation or suspected hijacked accounts? Time will tell, but meanwhile, don't hold your breath.

Can ya see a flaw in eBay's thinking for "us" specifically?


Y'all come back and be sure to click VICTORIOUSLY on any interesting links in the sidebar!

Digital Downer

At lunchtime on March 24th 2008 the world lurched for Sellers of digital goods on eBay. Brian Burke, eBay’s Director of Global Feedback Policy announced that effective March 31st all goods that can be digitally downloaded or transferred electronically must be listed using the Classified Ads format.

We are not talking solely about purveyors of 1c eBooks on how to make your first million on eBay; although there are many of them. I was surprised to find this policy affects an enormous range of Sellers including designers of craft patterns, logos and templates, business consultants, accountants, photographers and artists, musicians etc. Anyone who sells a product on eBay.com (USA) which is delivered as a download or by email is effectively out of business with 7 days notice. Sellers on other international sites are required by law to be given 30 days notice and they will be gone by the end of April.

The stated reason for the policy is feedback manipulation by those dishonest and untrustworthy Sellers. Quotes are from Brian Burke on eBay Chatter

Most items that require digital delivery, once created, can be very easily replicated. This ease of replication creates the opportunity for sellers to list thousands of the same item in an attempt to manipulate the Feedback system. It also creates a perception that even legitimate sellers of Digital Goods are manipulating the Feedback system.

A little thought reveals the holes in the theory and why is it always the Sellers who are crooks?

Once upon a time to become a PowerSeller you needed to sell $1000 Gross Sales Value per month for three successive months. In November 2007 eBay changed that

to include both high volume "seasonal" sellers and sellers who move a high volume, but with a low average sales price.

That opened the door to hordes of new PowerSellers who qualified by selling as little as $100 GSV monthly. PowerSeller Status confers benefits and benefits cost money.

Sure enough here it is:

Today less scrupulous sellers have more to gain from manipulating their Feedback and Detailed Seller Ratings, which are also an important factor in a seller's performance in Best Match and their eligibility for benefits (like PowerSeller eligibility and discounts). This makes feedback manipulation an even greater concern for the marketplace. Not only is safety and integrity of the Feedback system an issue, so is the fair administration of seller standards and rewards.

Ease of replication Oh gimme a break! Anybody can buy or create a small object, shippable in a regular first class envelope for pennies per dozen and sell them singly at 1000% markup, providing a feedback enhancement service and making a profit. Not as much profit as through digital downloads, & with greater risk but the market opportunity exists.

Follow the money trail

Question: Couldn't eBay have established a minimum dollar amount for these listings that would eliminate potential feedback manipulation?

Answer: We considered that option, as well as a number of other alternatives -- for instance, we considered allowing only approved sellers to list these items. After investigating these and other alternatives, however, we determined that the Classified Ads format provides a more flexible and scalable solution for our sellers.

Classifieds

The cost of a Classified Ad is $9.95 per month. Sellers can take advantage of the special benefits of using this format. For instance, you can combine multiple similar items in the same Classified Ad. If you sell standard listing templates, for example, you can include all your listing templates in the same ad. If you also sell eBooks on how to list, you must use a separate ad

Finally, from the destroyers of the feedback system:

The integrity of the Feedback system has always been a critical part of trust on eBay. As the company focuses on improving the buying experience, we're working on a number of initiatives to improve the integrity of Feedback and ensure buyer Trust.

Ina Steiner of Auctionbytes did an interview with Brian Burke last year.

Next post . . . the Workshop featuring Uncle Griff's priceless pearls of Wisdom Y'all come back and be sure to click VICTORIOUSLY on any interesting links in the sidebar!