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Auctionbytes-Update, Number 115 - March 21, 2004 - ISSN 1528-6703     Previous Story | Contents

Letters from Readers March 21, 2004

Hello, When a business like Auction Drop gets a patent, what do they get a patent for? What kind of an invention is it? And lastly, is there a website that I can see what exactly they're getting a patent for? Thank you. Irene Reply: AuctionDrop is an eBay consignment drop-off store. Here's what AuctionDrop told me when I asked them about the patent: "We've filed two patents which cover much of our processes and intellectual property. These patents are being reviewed. We cannot divulge the contents of these patents until they have been granted. If we do, it can possibly invalidate them." ******** Hi Ina, I noticed our "Me" page was not working for several hours yesterday (3/5)(see email from eBay below acknowledging the issue). Do you have any contact with anyone at eBay who can provide any explanation of why some site issues like this one are not publicly announced. I noticed someone else complaining on the DNF that their About Me page is no longer showing up on Google where it was showing up consistently the past few years. Thanks, Dan ******** Hi, Do you know how to format an eBay auction so that it will show up on Google? I use Google all of the time, and more and more often it brings up search results reflecting eBay in progress auctions. I list primarily state view post cards, so I type in a town name coupled with a city in order to get information about what is shown on a given card. Of course, I would like to figure out how to get my auctions up there as well. Many personal web pages show up and I know how that works. It's the eBay auctions I want to figure out! Any information will be appreciated. Thanks, Jill Reply: eBay doesn't allow Google to search the auctions on eBay, but Google can search other parts, including Store listings. You can create a Web site - even one page that many ISPs give for free - and put some content on it, with links to your eBay auctions. Then if people are searching Google for postcards and your site comes up, they go to your site and see a link to your auctions. "Search engine optimization" is a specialized field, but we've found if you have good content on a site and have meta-tags, Google will find you. Feel free to post your question on the AuctionBytes marketing forum for more advice. http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=15 ******** Regarding USPS Business Line,... Not sure if this can be replied to at this address, but wanted to point out that my post office has a service similar to this - if you mail more than 10 packages at a time, they request you make an appointment. They claim this is a nice service for eBayers (I live within 3 miles of ebay HQ). This would never work for me as I never know what my schedule is from day to day. Currently I use endicia.com for postage and drop my packages in the closest mailbox at my convenience! :-) Amy ******** Ina, On the business line. They have had one in Maryland for years, but I find that it is often LONGER to wait in this line as Business users have more packages to ship on average, making their "window time" longer. This is a similar experience as I have with the Business line at a bank. Best, Dan ******** Hi Ina, I read your most recent editorial dated March 7th on the direction that Ebay is moving in and couldn't agree more. The big corporate sellers are in and the small and middle sellers are being squeezed out. As a seller on Ebay since 2000 and a power seller, I can't bring myself to spend endless hours preparing and listing auctions for ever diminishing returns. The big Ebay glitch of today had everyone on the Ebay Tech board fuming and ranting as things have been generally weak on Ebay as it is and getting worse by the week. Quite a few sellers are have been listing even though they're beginning to understand and acknowledge that after they consider all the factors involved in overhead including time spent, Ebay fees for listing and a final value fee, then the Paypal fee...with about a 40-45% turnover rate...there is NO PROFIT being made there other than Ebay and Paypal. Ebay has passed critical mass with the fee structure and the declining turnover rates. Like many other sellers at this time, I'm leaving Ebay for a smaller but more friendly site. It was a nice run but the profit and ease has gone out of the equation. Best regards, Neil ******** I could not agree more with your assessment of eBay. We had a strong presence on eBay until the fees started eking out a big portion of our profits. We did better marking them down and putting them in our brick and mortar store and bypassing eBay all together and you know, don't miss the cat-fighting, dog-eat-dog business and fattening eBay's pockets. I, too, miss the old eBay days. Molly ******** Dear Ina: I'd like to share some information (new to me) with the readers. In the last 6 months or so I've had the U.S. Postal service lose 3 packages. Two were in their own priority mail boxes! I've filled out the forms, etc. and called my local post master, whom I've come to know well. He suggested I go to the USPS web site for FREE priority tracking labels! I didn't know you could get them for FREE?! At usps.gov you can print priority mail labels with your address, the recipient and approximate weight without postage and get a unique tracking number to view the progress of your item through the system. I am very pleased! Normally tracking (delivery confirmation) for packages is 45 to 55 cents extra per item. This FREE tracking service only applies to express and priority mailings, but what nice way to save and still be able to say to your bidders, "hey, I sent it and it arrive on this date!" I know that you can purchase postage on line, but for this FREE delivery confirmation tracking you do not have to sign up or give credit card info, etc. I thought that you're readers, those who are small or casual sellers would be interested! Juli ******** Hi Ina, I never wrote to you before, but now I have to point out something about a restriction on the promo page for the current promotion: http://www.ebay.com/promo/10PreFilled I'm in Germany and have to pay VAT, and this promotion is not available to users who are subject to VAT. I guess I don't need to tell you what this means :-(. Thanks for all you do, and keep up the good job. Regards, Sabine ******** I don't understand if VeRO participants are requesting eBay cancel auctions, then why does eBay advertise these questionable items on their home page? And if they shut one person down, why not shut everyone down? If VeRO continues to shut everything down then ebay will no longer be in business. What is the worst thing that can happen to a seller who sells brand name products? Jail? Lawsuits? It just doesn't make sense why eBay will accept the listing fees from sellers then cancel their auctions but never bother certain sellers and even advertise Brand Name handbags on the home page? It seems like entrapment to me. Thanks ******** Regarding Newsflash article about "Recommended Emails" http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y04/m03/i12/s01 Dear Ina, I understand this woman's frustration. My husband occasionally has bid on laptop computers at eBay. Much to our dismay, about a year ago, we received one of the "similar item" emails (I personally consider this to be spam as I did not ask for them to send this type of emails to me). Bob actually bid on 3 of them and won, but even worse than that was the auctions weren't even for a laptop. The auctions started very cheaply and went up to $350. It was for a pyramid scheme that gives you a CHANCE TO GET A LAPTOP! PayPal and eBay said "Read more carefully" and did NOTHING to help. This crook still sells these chances on eBay (using another ID) with a picture of and a complete description of the Laptop with only very brief details about the other scam. Thank the heavens we had used a credit card and could protest through another source. It took nearly 4 months to get things totally straightened out. I really think that the least eBay could be is more responsible for the types of auctions they send out. I even had to deal with other unfortunately scammed people giving advice as to what they could do to help themselves get out of a deal with a crook. Anyway, I just thought you might want to alert your readers. Colleen ******** Hello Ina, In reading your article Seller Decries eBay Policy on Diverting Bidders, I agree that it isn't fair but, eBay owns eBay Auctions and it is a privilege to be able to do business there. How would this upset Seller feel if eBay wrote a letter to cease and desist from further buying or selling on their site? And they can sure do it, even without a reason if they so desire. My theory is, after 45 years of owning my own businesses, that if someone doesn't treat me as I think I should be treated then I move on: or I remove my feelings from the business deal. Thanks and best regards, Jerry ******** Hello! I read your current newsletter, and became very angry about what eBay is doing: "If you opt out, bidders who bid on your auctions will not receive links to similar items, nor will they receive links to your other auctions." When eBay sends out follow-up e-mails anyway they are directly lying about their policy. I opted out long ago, with the clear understanding that eBay would not send out follow-up e-mails with competitors links to my unsuccessful bidders. EBay is just lying through its teeth about this. There is nothing confusing about what eBay says "If you opt out, bidders who bid on your auctions will not receive links to similar items..." This is completely clear. There is nothing confusing about this statement. EBay is just lying, and they know it, and they are just lying intentionally. I, also, thought I had opted out years ago, and now I realize that eBay has all along been promoting my competitors, at my expense, by directly and knowingly lying to me. I am very angry about this. EBay should be class-action sued over this. ******** My thought on the emails sent out to lost bidders.........I get these quite often when I am drifting around eBay and have lost auctions. I think it's great - saves me time from looking all over eBay for some of these auctions. I know they do it to me. It's all fair - I say. I figure if my customers like me well enough that is not going to deter them from coming back again later to check out my stuff. Just my thoughts. Pat ******** Hi Ina, As usual, eBay takes a one-sided approach to this issue. However, what really amazes me is that ebay feels that there is no problem in their sending emails to my unsuccessful bidders, however, their policy expressly forbids me to do so, except through their second-chance offer mechanism. If eBay is "only a venue", then the bidders on my items are engaging in a business transaction with me. Whether or not the bidders are successful, those bidders are my "customers" by the virtue of their submission of a bid. I am sure a lawyer could express this in better legal language. Even if one wanted argue the above statement, my "successful" bidders are absolutely, without any doubt, my customers. I have the right to communicate with them in the future however I please (with their permission, and within normal legal constraints that apply to any business). Yet, eBay tries to tell sellers - and buyers - that they shouldn't or can't communicate with each other outside of the eBay venue. eBay's attitude and messages "reek" of the disinformation that my customers can only have a "safe" transaction with me if it is done within the context of eBay. At a minimum this is abusive. All of this seems extremely unfair to me. I think that many sellers would agree with me, however, they simply are too afraid to make their feelings public. Where are the state and federal Attorneys General on these issues? I believe that eBay's policies in these matters constitute restraint of trade (intrastate, interstate, and international)! ******** Dear Ms. Steiner, I apologize for writing about a two year old article (20 Jan 2002 - eBay Serial Offenders http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y202/m01/abu0062/s05), but as I read it, felt you touched on an issue that I am puzzling through with eBay. Simply put, I was a buyer who left a positive reply for a seller. The seller in turn left negative feedback. His complaint in essence was that my comment could not mention anything that was not 100% glowing (I had made some minor quibbles but said I was ok overall. Hence the positive reply). After his complaint, I wrote a reply. The complaint and reply are, of course, to be found on my transaction history on eBay. My question, is why is this dispute only reflected on the buyer's record, while the seller preserves his positive response from me and consequently his 100% positive rating, despite my negative feelings now on record with eBay in the form of my reply listed after his complaint? This particular seller had actually done this same thing to another person, who independently contacted me after my experience. (And another who purchased from the seller after me had the same problem). ... I am just interested to know if this is a well-known problem, or am I just failing to see the logic in this approach by eBay? Another way of viewing this, that if you are the first person to leave positive feedback (buyer or seller) you at risk of having the other party leave a negative reply with impunity. Here is a possible solution: If there is a transaction that is in dispute, the only fair approach is for the records of both parties to reflect the full exchange of feedback. While it may not be possible to alter the ratings (e.g. the 100% seller or buyer rating) a counter could list how many of the seller's or buyer's transactions were in dispute. It is unfair of eBay to only supply partial information on buyers and sellers records when transactions are in dispute. It is particularly harmful to buyers who rely on seller's information in deciding to bid. To keep this as it is, appears to be skewing the eBay feedback system to the benefit of sellers, and the detriment of buyers. In any event, I appreciate your taking the time to read this. Thank you. Larry ******** I had troubles with the last few downloads of Turbo Lister. On 3/9/2004, the last download made using Turbo Lister impossible. I immediately emailed them through their help section. It took them 2 whole days to get back to me. I emailed again on 3/10 becuase I had not even gotten an auto responder message. Finally on 3/11 (after my more computer savvy hubby had already figured out a fix) I got 2 separate replies from eBay with 2 different fix methods. I just thought you might want to know. ******** I enjoy your information, but I think you should state some of the bad things about ebay also. There customer service is horrible, there fees are high, and they let someone if they sell enough rip other people off. I realize ebay, is big and powerful, but they also have alot of bad qualities, My identify, has been taken from me on ebay, about 10 days ago, no one can help me, and my account is suspended, these are issues, that should also be mentioned. They make a killing with ebay fees, and paypal fees, I'm not given you a hard time, I think what you issue is wonderful. But the money they make doesn't go towards customer service. Thanks again Mike ******** Regarding Newsflash article about glitches http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y04/m03/i10/s01 Dear Ina: Thanks so much for your response. And thank you for posting on Auction bytes. However these problems are much much worse than you have reported. For over a week now people cannot sell, eBay's own Turbo Lister is not working, third party auction users cannot submit, auctions are vanishing, Search is working only intermittently, My eBay is vanishing, but the absolute worst part of this is that people cannot bid - I strongly urge you to give this much more attention. This is the worst I have ever seen, I personally have not been able to list for over 7 days, I had to do manual listings today. Please please investigate this further it is absolutely astonishing that something so widespread affecting thousands of buyers and sellers has met with no response from eBay. Thanks again Ina, I look forward to an update... Ryan