In every issue, readers soundoff about issues important to them. From feedback to payment services, from increased fees to posting policies, AuctionBytes Soundoff gives you a chance to air your views.
You can also read the AuctionBytes blog, which has a place for reader comments under every posting (http://blog.auctionbytes.com).
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Ina, I don't know how many of your readers are aware but many recycling centers in the bigger cities GIVE AWAY all the bubblewrap and peanuts you want. My daughter lives in Atlanta and their recycling center always has a huge stock of it.
With prices going up on everything these days, it's nice to get something free!
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Ina,
Have you had many comments about eBay search the past week? I am finding that selecting various sorts does not return the intended results. For example, searching one of my items, then sorting on "Price + Shipping: lowest first," is showing higher priced items with free shipping above lower priced items with a shipping cost. My sales fell off a cliff on Wed and are still there. Lowest daily sales in years, and my eBay store page views and visits are down 30+ %.
Jim
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Ina, although I have known since Sept. that eBay would end my 1200 listings that do not conform to the new shipping caps*, I could not get them all changed. Selling Manager told me: "This item cannot be edited by bulk functionality", and neither Selling Manager nor Turbo-Lister would not give me the 5 Cent sale. Between our full-time eBay/Amazon business and my ill mom, I have not got them all updated by hand.
Now they are ending the listings. It is Dec. 1, the height of Christmas shopping, and every day they put another 100 items in my Unsold!
Why not do this in June, or, better, in March?
Although I appreciate the 5 Cent sale, I am continually puzzled at their decisions. More on this in a separate e-mail.
Thanks for all your work,
L.
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Winning bidder (also) not yet hidden in the UK!
I find it quite intriguing that in the UK there has as yet not been any announcement that in the UK too the winning bidder also is to be hidden.
Now, why do you think that would be? If there is any logical purpose for such application elsewhere, why not in the UK also?
We can only hope that it could be due to the UK consumer affairs regulator looking at this devious, unscrupulous, application of “hidden bidders” generally.
Regards
Philip
http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=6499878#6499878
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Subject: New "movement" at eBay
Hi Ina:
I recently posted on seller central, your article about the big box sellers and eBay. The irony of it was astonishing. In any case, this morning I noticed that my post as well as a number of others had been moved to "The Soap Box" discussion board. I guess eBay didn't think the information was "Helpful" and moved it from the "Help Boards" section to the "General Discussion" section.
In any case, this is apparently the latest "Movement" on eBay......and another example of why eBay's reaction to being "pushed around by the big boys" is so hilarious.
I do well on eBay Ina and have not been personally affected by some of their changes. I also realize that I've probably just been very lucky.
Sandy
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Hi Ina,
I thought it was interesting how this article points out that volume at thrift stores is showing increases while sales at eBay are declining.
I guess the Donahoe team simply picked the wrong time and strategy by jumping to convert eBay into E-Mart and chasing so many sellers of second hand items.
http://www.thestreet.com/story/10448757/1/ebay-absorbs-the-bidder-truth.html
Best regards,
Ric
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Hello Ina:
In the last two weeks I have had 3 non-paying bidders and while that may not seem like a large number I'm a small time seller who solely depends on Ebay so every completed sale counts. I think now that Ebay has changed to electronic payments only they should also change their NPB policy from 7 days to 5 days.
I will go one step further and say that once a bidder wins the payment should be taken immediately...one couldn't order from say Avon or LL Bean on line and not be expected to pay via credit card at the time of the sale so it shouldn't be any different from Ebay.
Just some thoughts from a frustrated seller.
Thanks!
Melody
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Hello Ina.
I am bemused! It seems that I can no longer sell on Ebay USA as my ratings for postage & packing charges have dropped to 3.9 which is under the standard expected!!!
I have 100% for about 2000 feedbacks, everyone is reasonably happy - obviously? Yet some amazing "geek" ay Ebay has decided I cant sell with a rating like that.
Has no-one heard of customer choice? Has no-one ever told a buyer that they can bid a bit less to compensate for having to pay postage from the UK to the USA which is obviously more than inland postage? Has no-one ever realised that it takes time and materials to package things properly. Ane we are not a Charity!
Come on Ebay - get your act together, you are losing so many sellers with the arrogant - no prior warning - way you treat your sellers.
The competition is hotting up. if they want to stay No1 - they just have to learn that there are two sides to each transaction, the heavily protected buyer (fine by me) who has a choice of how much he/she bids on items offered by the heavily handicapped(unfair) seller.
Thanks for listening Ina
John
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I had one of my auctions pop up with an error saying it could not launch. Here is the error that I got:
>>>
We noticed that you chose to offer credit card as a payment option. To confirm that you can support this process, please fax a copy of your most recent merchant processing statement to (408) 904-7387. Please ensure the statement is complete and includes all pages
Please include your eBay user ID, phone number and email address in the fax so that we can contact you.
While we confirm your merchant credit card account, you can continue listing items on eBay with PayPal as the payment method. PayPal is convenient to use and offers buyers and sellers protection against fraud, chargebacks, and theft of financial data.
<<<
I thought it was strange that they want a statement from our credit card processor...seems like personal business information that we should not have to fax off to them.
If a seller is lying about processing credit cards, it would only hurt the seller...buyers buy and cannot pay they way they want.....seems like the negative feedbacks would shut the seller down pretty quick.
J.
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Ina, I absolutely love your newsletter and all you have done. But being a crankly old codger, I can't stand the flashing ads in the right hand column next to stories I am trying to read. I realize that it is an income producer and don't begrudge anyone from doing business on their own site. But, it is so irritating I just clicked off and stopped trying to read the stories. I don't even know what the ads were saying. Please forgive the criticism- I really mean well - it is so distracting it ruins the viewing experience.
If I didn't appreciate what you have done and are doing (the great good will you have developed) I wouldn't even bother to write this. I am concerned that others will be be turned off but you may never know it - and you just won't hear from many of them again. Ray
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Ina
I have read your site for some time now, and really appreciate the way you keep people informed about eBay and the problems and scams that take place.
I am a regular poster on the eBay Trust & Safety board, and thought I would bring to your attention the fact that the "Nigerian" scammers have changed the wording of their scam emails with regards to fake auto purchases.
We have a great poster who brought to our attention the fact that it would appear that the scammers are reading message boards offering advice to others on how not to get scammed. And they have changed the wording of their emails to reflect this advice.
If you have time, or are interested, please read this eBay thread, and warn your readers about the current changes to the wording of their scams, in an effort to spread the word and protect online users from this type of scam.
This is the thread:
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=520053258&tstart=0&mod=1227546675811
Thank you
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Ina,
There is a new post on ebay's forum tonight that is quite interesting (you might already have this info from others)
This gentleman claims that his wife bought 2 books from BUY and they were not the books ordered. She leaves 2 negatives and receives an email back from ebay stating "feedback removed by eBay as not according to the guideline"
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=520053448&tstart=0&mod=1227671409849
Thanks and you have a great Thanksgving
Tammy
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FYI for you. Tonight there are a bunch of threads being moved over from Seller Central to The Soapbox, and this has never happened before. Not the off topic threads mind you, but threads that expose a lot of "issues" lately with the boards and with ebay.
Very, very strange arrangement going on!
Nancy
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Hello. Thank you for the reply. I think something really is going on with the discussion boards on ebay. It appears that none of the "news" type of discussions are being permitted on the boards. I found a more complete version of the pulled thread that I sent you earlier in my computer's cache and I saved a copy of the page. What the poster described in a second post was that his/her thread was moved to the "soapbox" forum and other have reported that some of their posts to SC have been diverted to the "soapbox" board at the end of an old thread here - http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000601049&start=1520
It appears that no one has been able to successfully post any of the discussion from the article on Auctionbytes today which was an interview with Damon Billian. It really does seem strange what is going on.
(name withheld)
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Hi Ina,
In the last 2 days, eBay has been summarily deleting entries on The Forum or moving entries on The Forum to different categories. For instance, a number on threads which were posted on Seller Central were moved to The Soapbox.
This particular activity has been seen by me and many others on Seller Central but I'm sure there are other categories in which this has happened.
One eBay member thinks that moving threads to The Soapbox is an attempt by eBay to hide threads from the news media. I don't have any idea whether that theory is correct. It is obvious that eBay is trying to get rid of a good number of threads that may reflect badly upon them.
Threads that were formally deleted by eBay were followed by an email to the poster as to why the thread was deleted. Sometimes eBay would suspend the poster for 7 days after the thread was deleted. I've had about 6 threads deleted and others moved from Seller Central with NO explanation from eBay whatsoever. Therefore, there certainly is something afoot at eBay concerning their Community Forums.
I hope you will be able to investigate this activity from your end.
Thanks !!
Jim
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Ina,
I wanted to pass this along. It looks like ebay is now moving threads left & right from the SC forum board to the SOAPBOX (which many sellers have never even heard of!)
http://forums.ebay.com/db1/forum.jspa?forumID=124
http://forums.ebay.com/db1/thread.jspa?threadID=510049767&tstart=0&mod=1228582872365
Wondering if ebay is wanting the regular poster's who state their opinion regarding the "new" ebay to not be seen anymore on Seller Central, since this is where the new diamond sellers will go to.
Thanks!
Tammy
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re: Seller Central Board
Many "Threads" are being Totally Deleted; dozens of others are being moved to the Soapbox Board.
Ebay is obviously concerned that Seller Central Board Posters are waging war against Ebay, Inc. (or is it self-defense?).
SC Posters revealed "Uncle Griff's" phony Power Seller Status; they have revealed the Bogus Feedback for the Diamond Sellers, and more.
Take a look quick, if you please.
And, thanks for all that you do!
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Hi,
I was wondering if anyone else has noticed a sharp decrease of sales on eBay. Maybe you can write about it and see if other people are experiencing the same thing. It's not the economy. I am getting sales off of eBay. I have had one sale in four days on eBay. I won't be a power seller for very much longer if this continues. There must be a reason behind this. Help!
Thanks.
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Hi Ina,
Sellers that made payments on 11/30 for their eBay fees have had their payments deducted from their PayPal accounts, but no record of the payment appears in their eBay Seller Accounts.
Other sellers that have not made payments, are seeing payments credited also on 11/30.
Click here: eBay Forums: NOV 30th Paid Seller fees but Live Help ...
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=520058581&tstart=0&mod=1228535583237
In case the thread gets pulled as has been happening over the last few days, I will add it below.
Best regards,
Ric
