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What exactly is this forum for?
Summary: 5star_general_seller expressed frustration over perceived misinformation and lack of accountability in an online community, particularly regarding eBay's operations. Discussion participants debated the purpose of forums, with some defending the community’s role in providing honest advice and others criticizing its tone. The conversation also touched on conspiracy theories and distrust of eBay's business practices, while others suggested potential improvements in community interactions, urging empathy without compromising the integrity of responses. The thread highlights tensions between new and experienced members, as well as differing expectations of what the community should offer.
So much misinformation on here.
So much belittling of innocent sellers looking for answers in a time of need. When they feel broken and are just looking for support.
A Forum is to share knowledge and better man-kind.
I dont understand why deny that Ebay is broken , flawed and on probation for its outlandish actions. It can be fixed but will it be fixed is the real question.
I dont see anyone ever getting a CLEAR answer to anything. Nothing is official and no one stands behind what they say. They stand behind a 2nd account and hold no accountability.
kibble-net
·2 weeks agoI'm not a big fan of "posting IDs" either, but I do recognize the need to protect one's identity.
I think there's a lot of good answers that are posted here. Could some people be a little nicer? Sure, but we don't get paid to be nice. We're volunteers.
I've been trying to be more positive. But sometimes it's difficult to be polite when the person asking a question is TYPING IN ALL CAPS and seems more interested in venting rather than solving their problem.
At the end of the day, we're donating our time - it's unfair to have high expectations for something you're getting for free. Most of the answers supplied can be found by using a search engine, which is a fairly important skill to have in 2026. It was a handy skill to have in 1998, and still is today.
I would advise anyone who posts a question and doesn't like the answer they get to go to their favorite search engine and ask there instead.
simba6
·2 weeks agoGot to bring back the pinks.
kathiec
·2 weeks agoHeck, I'd settle for the level of moderation there was in the old forums. 'Cause there seems to be none in the 'new and improved'.
simba6
·2 weeks agoYes, but those mods took down my puppy chow joke and the one about the WIZ badge. They were no fun.
thief_in_the_night_100_rating_seller
OP2 weeks agoWell I had about 100 of my posts removed so plenty of authoritarians crawling around here. Ebay doesnt have 7400 employees in the USA for nothing!
New and improved was just to get ur Hope's up. Sorta like when u have a buyer of ur item but ends up being a scammer, false alarm that's gonna cost you.
kathiec
·2 weeks agoThe forums have never been moderated by eBay employees. They've always been run by outside companies. Khoros was the pre-change moderation company; not sure if they still are. So it's never been eBay employees taking down your posts.
kibble-net
·2 weeks ago · Edited100? That's impressive. I've only had one removed on the new forum so far. Literally told someone to vote with their feet and leave if they hate ebay so much. Apparently I'm not allowed to do that, but they're allowed to shell out diss tracks seven ways to Sunday?
shire123
·2 weeks agoGiven the tone and gist of those posts it was correct that they should be removed. Those posts generally were put downs and extremely sarcastic regarding various issues.
Not valuable at all.
gone.c-33
·2 weeks agoThat’s what tends to happen when you take your disapproval of eBay policies out on other posters and call everyone you disagree with a a paid eBay shill or a cheerleader.
This isn’t Facebook or Reddit, a certain decorum is expected and that has nothing to do with “controlling” the narrative, it’s simply a matter of keeping the boards harmonious.
profitweb
·2 weeks agoI tend to agree. However, I know eBay has been actively looking for new community "Mentors".
My hope is there will be more supportive and helpful recruits. I do wish all responders would take a pause and try to add empathy to their message... or just don't respond at if they can't.
The Community would be a much better place for it. You are not wrong! Help be the solution :-)
Spread the love and support here. We're family!
bonanza125
·2 weeks agoAll the regular contributors of this group are supportive and have knowledge to give the best advice or answer possible. A lot of the time we get OPs who start placing blame on either buyer/seller or Ebay. There is this sense of know it all mindset or not absorb information/suggestions without being wrong. When someone posts a thread here they made some kind of mistake here a chance to get a quick and accurate response. When OPs clap back at everyone and don't absorb information that can cause issue. It's disrespectful then to volunteers.
lady_madonna
·2 weeks ago · EditedVery well put!
As an aside - also when regular contributors start "clapping back" at each other, and bickering, it's not very helpful to the OP nor conducive to addressing the OP's issue.
powell-collectibles
·2 weeks agoNice message and agreed. Thanks.
mam98031
·2 weeks agoEbay is always trying to get more Mentors. It isn't a new thing.
Sadly the nature of blogs tend to embolden some people to be bullies and otherwise treat others differently than they would if they were having a face to face conversation.
grann-4629
·2 weeks ago@mam98031
That's been one of the problems since Al invented the internet. Here, you can be anyone you want to be, say anything you want to say, and change your MOO as often as you want ... you never have to 'meet' that linebacker that you just told to take a hike.
Wait ... maybe it's a good thing we don't really know who or what we are talking to ...
mam98031
·2 weeks ago@grann-4629
AI did not "invent" the internet. Human scientists and engineers did back in the late 80's, maybe early 90's.
No you can't say anything you want to here. There are rules for the Community. It is not a free for all.
Sadly for some, being civil doesn't come naturally to them and they prefer to be rude with no filters, as for those that are pretty anonymous makes them feel they are entitled to do as they please without ramifications. Worse yet, they all too often get away with that behavior here and on other types of internet communications.
thief_in_the_night_100_rating_seller
OP2 weeks agothey'll never claim anything that could negatively harm their brand or gross income. Theyre so sneaky they dont even release information that pertains to how they make money. Its not released to the public and is "trade secrets" and "confidential imformation" which if relased to the public would be detrimental to their success.
Thats normal.
mam98031
·2 weeks agoEbay is a publicly traded company and has specific rules and laws they have to abide by. Can you be more specific about what numbers it is you want to see that Ebay is not publicly publishing?
There is such a thing as "trade secrets", that isn't necessarily a bad thing just because it is not released to the public. I suppose if you start out believing that you have the right to know everything, that could certainly present a problem for some. But that has never been true for any kind of company, not just Ebay.
As for "confidential information", that goodness they protect that. I for one sure don't want Ebay or any other company releasing my private information without my consent or knowledge. Ebay holds a lot of very sensitive information and they protect it as they should. Are you suggesting they should publish all our private account info? The release of that would not just be "detrimental to their success", it would be detrimental to all those they released that information about.
What is it that you are after? Be specific.
grann-4629
·2 weeks ago... if you start out believing that you have the right to know everything ...
It would eliminate the need for spies. Can you imagine a world without James Bond?
grand-and-glorious-purpose
·2 weeks ago · EditedWithout reading anything and seeing the OP has low feedback and a terrible score...gonna go out on a limb and say they don't know how ebay works and don't want to follow the rules.
jonathanbrightlight
·2 weeks agoI don't think that's much of a limb, it seems quite obvious that you're correct.
gurlcat
·2 weeks ago@5star_general_seller Why did you post this in the BUYING forum???
thief_in_the_night_100_rating_seller
OP2 weeks agoPrefer response 1 or 2, working on my algorithm ai response tone towards unwanted guest.
BC I have the authority to do so and my little cheerleaders will clean it up.
Or
2. Fix what i break is your best look yet, congrats.
gurlcat
·2 weeks ago · EditedUhhh, wut?
It seems like maybe you didn’t understand the question. Never mind.
thief_in_the_night_100_rating_seller
OP2 weeks agoI dont comprehend uselessness.
I only speak it and at times preach it. You've came at the right time.
fabrics24
·2 weeks agoI've had lots of questions answered here and gotten lots of sound council. You're welcome to look through my started threads and see some helpful replies to my questions.
Sorry you haven't had a great experience; most people here are very patient and nice to me, and have helped me out tremendously.
thief_in_the_night_100_rating_seller
OP2 weeks agothanks but no thanks.
mudshark61369
·2 weeks ago@5star_general_seller ,
What exactly did you think the forums were about when you started posting here?
As far as I can tell now that i see all of your posts, it seems all you want is to have ebay accommodate you and your issues. It doesn't work that way. While not every policy ebay has is a good one, they were put in place to protect buyers mostly, and some times sellers.
The thing is you can find a lot of info about ebay's policies by doing searches online as questions starting with Why does, How do I, Can I, Why Can't I... and tag the question at the end with either " ,ebay or | ebay. Not only can you be directed to a policy, but you can see community topics about a question's issue as well. You may not like what you find out, but unfortunately, the policies are rarely changed. That's what you have been hearing from many of the members who have replied to your other posts.
If you think that posting on the Community will institute changes, you are mistaken. eBay's upper management, doesn't pay attention to the community and hasn't since a new CEO took over in 2008, and made some serious changes to the policies and labeled those who disagreed with them as "NOISE".
He went even further in a 2012 interview where he said (paraphrased since I deleted the statement) "These changes we made to the protection policies and ones we may consider in the future, may lead to dissatisfaction on the part of sellers, and lead to increased incidents of transaction fraud on the part of buyers"
Even after J.D. left ebay his hand picked successors have followed his lead, instituting policies that make things harder on sellers, especially the lower volume ones.
If you think any of us are ebay cheerleaders you're 99% WRONG. Just about all of us community regulars, as buyers and sellers, have experienced issues because of policies we cannot control and complain about them or try figure out ways to get around them. So you're preaching to the choir.
FYI, just because someone's profile does not show any selling feedback, or very few buying feedback, it can be because they sell under a different username, or use a different one for posting on the boards.
profitweb
·2 weeks ago · EditedI think you just proved the OP's main point.
This community is better when it's a supportive family. That makes eBay a better place to buy and sell :-)
Expecting a seller community to offer a baseline of decency and constructive help when someone is struggling isn't 'asking eBay to accommodate us'.
It’s just expecting a functional community. We can share facts and navigate bad policies without tearing down the person asking.
mam98031
·2 weeks agoThat can get rather tricky sometimes. The OP is not aways right, nor do they always come here with clean hands in a transaction. It benefits no one to ignore this, except maybe an OP [not necessarily the OP of this thread] that is trying to make things seem differently than they are. Sometimes as we gather more info on any given thread the facts / truth rises to the top and that sometimes isn't as pleasant for some as they would like, but the truth nontheless.
thief_in_the_night_100_rating_seller
OP2 weeks agowasting time and wasting others time.
mam98031
·2 weeks agoAre you assuming that the OP of any given thread is always right or acting responsibly?
jonathanbrightlight
·2 weeks agoThat is indeed what you are doing.
12345jamesstamps
·3 weeks agoAsk a question here?...Where can you find it later?...laugh out loud.
'Direct message'...type a name and it can't be erased?..or can it?
'Ask a Mentor'...might get one answer...from the mentors.
Too bad a question can't be asked to everyone...but to maybe one person.
I can get better forum using TikTok and find answers quickly or ask a question and get several answers.
Sad this is no longer what it was...
thief_in_the_night_100_rating_seller
OP2 weeks agoYea, its ebay. You sound suprised.
thief_in_the_night_100_rating_seller
OP3 weeks agoId rather Ebay not run the forums and regulate and control the narrative. Kinda defeats the comments / opinion debacle
lacemaker3
·3 weeks ago · EditedThere are lots of other forums discussing eBay that are not financed by eBay.
Go find one of them and post there.
And you need to apologize to your parental units because you didn’t learn manners, or courtesy, or how to speak in public when they were supposed to teach them to you.
thief_in_the_night_100_rating_seller
OP2 weeks agono need to, they speak the truth. i know the truth, so im doing what good people do for others, spread the word. Practice what you preach.
take it for what its worth, or dont. it is what it is either way. the key is to listen and learn not play dumb as they come.
Im here for you.
jonathanbrightlight
·2 weeks agoeBay doesn't run the forums directly, the mods work for another company (I don't remember the name right now) that just moderates based on the rules set up. Bashing or badmouthing eBay certainly doesn't seem to get posts or comments removed, though I can't say all of the moderation decisions are consistent or logical. It's not eBay trying to "control the narrative" though, it's just a mix of poorly implemented AI moderation and I believe human moderation that isn't transparent about what they do or why.
If you want a forum eBay has nothing to do with, though, you could always go to Reddit or another online forum. This one exists specifically do be a place that eBay does offer for its users.
gurlcat
·2 weeks ago*Bevy
jonathanbrightlight
·2 weeks agoThat's the one, thanks!
thief_in_the_night_100_rating_seller
OP2 weeks ago · Editedcool story bro.
If for one second you think ebay is going to give its Ebay brand and PERFECT REPUTATION over to someone else to control that ISNT UNDER THEIR CONTROL, youre a couple of billion dollars a year off on what they spend their money on. they protect their brand better than they protected their own executives freedom.
They got charged by the FBI and sentenced for deleting evidence during an investigation even after notifcation not to do so.
Man i know im not the smartest but damn. Maybe that is why after 15 years with no sells you're still here at ebay chat .. im starting to see a little clearer
gone.c-33
·2 weeks agoPlenty of people post here about their disapproval of eBay and or its policies.
Their posts remain because they’re able to do so while keeping within the community guidelines which are pretty basic.
Not everyone who disagrees is an eBay shill.
profitweb
·2 weeks ago · EditedAgree to an extent, though I don't think eBay is actively pulling the strings here. It's mostly just a few very active posters who love 'telling it like it is' in the harshest way possible.
Honest answers don't have to be delivered with "edge". When the delivery just leaves an already frustrated seller feeling worse, it completely defeats the purpose of a help community.
Best advice is to TRY to ignore them and the echo chamber. Filter out the tone, take any actual facts you can use, and leave the rest.
mam98031
·2 weeks agoWhy? Then it would no longer be a Community blog but one for Ebay to just post what they want. How does that help?
thief_in_the_night_100_rating_seller
OP2 weeks ago....and for example.... ^
jonathanbrightlight
·2 weeks agoFor example what? You just seem to think you and only you have the right answers.
thief_in_the_night_100_rating_seller
OP3 weeks ago · Editedsorry for the confusion.
I just wanted my money so i can part ways. Simple.
Waiting another 30 days For becoming apart of this community forum was useless. Express your mind, get penalized. Ebay doesnt agree, stuff gets deleted.
Simple as that.
I dont think anyone is getting made fun of, im no longer in 1st grade. I wish my feedback was 0%, Who really cares. Make another account and move on. See you in the near future as xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
soh.maryl
·2 weeks agoCan you explain your comment that you just want your money? Guess I missed your original message about that.
shire123
·2 weeks agoIt’s because his seller ratings are so low that the one sale he had recently has a 30 day hold. I think that is what instigating all his posts
soh.maryl
·2 weeks agoThank you. But watch out for at least one post calling you out because you mentioned his low seller ratings.
jonathanbrightlight
·2 weeks agoFrom a certain member, probably.
mam98031
·2 weeks agoSome may not like this, but it is likely that some of your buyers felt the same way about getting what they paid for judging from some of the comments on your feedback page.
If your current account is being sanctioned, you can cause yourself additional trouble by opening another selling account. If this one is not yet being sanctioned but you operate your next account in the same way, you are doomed to repeat history for yourself.
mam98031
·3 weeks agoI would suggest that there are other reasons for forums like this too. Certainly the reasons you suggest are good ones, but just not the only ones. It may be that is all you WANT the Community to be about, but it simply isn't the case in reality, nor has it ever been.
Being here in the Community as well as even the use of Ebay for buying or selling is a voluntary act. If Ebay doesn't work for you, I can respect that.
Does Ebay need to improve. Yes, that is true, like any and ALL other similar sites. They could all use some improvements here and there. Change is a constant thing. It moves as people and requirements change. Whether it is because a law has changed or the needs or desires of buyers and seller change. Change will always happen. Some we like and some we don't.
Not sure I understand what your point is actually.
grann-4629
·3 weeks agoA Forum is to share knowledge and better man-kind.
I doubt if Caesar would agree with that ...
lakefor94
·3 weeks ago@5star_general_seller There are a lot of very experienced sellers and buyers here that do not waste the time to coddle members. Many of these folks gain nothing by coddling. It is about assisting members with problems they are experiencing and tough lessons are needed at times or they learn NOTHING.
This is one of the “easiest going” help forums I have been a part of. The real problem is a lot of the posters with issues do not like the solid answers they receive because they are still on a baby-food diet and wearing diapers. Been that way their whole life.
Many of the problem children out themselves here and the tough love provided is not received well because they have never experienced any. It is all about assisting members in being successful though many cannot seem to get out of their own way.
As a full-time seller, I for one use this forum for just about any issue that comes up. No problem getting solid answers to questions.
msha3839
·3 weeks agoWell said…this forum is not a mental health clinic..🥃
thief_in_the_night_100_rating_seller
OP3 weeks agoAnd you are here for physical health ?
msha3839
·3 weeks agoNo, simply entertainment…
jonathanbrightlight
·2 weeks agoThat type of sarcastic response isn't really convincing anyone that you're here with good intentions...
thief_in_the_night_100_rating_seller
OP2 weeks agoNo one is here for good intentions.
The ones that only say slick comments are here to better themselves by feeling of seniority, begging for any type of human respect but lost on how to get it . Its a psychological problem, thats been obvious..
Im here for a limited time only. waiting on my 30 day hold for the 2nd time to disappear. well really just waiting for my money, i canceled enough orders to piss of as many customers as i could. I gave up , it got boring.
Hell i started this screen name with 30 sales with 0 delivers and 100% satisfaction rate. Im sure that pisses off the diehard ebayers. Hell i didnt get a bad review until 50 sales! at that point i had acutally decided to send out a few things instead of burning the innocent. If i can cancel 30 orders in a row and still have 100% seller rating, THE SYSTEM IS FLAWED. I didnt even reply on any cases. And i owed ebay $5.00 bc one time i wanted to see if i took blame for the cancelation, and sure enough, charged me. How stupid is that? All i have to do is lie to an automated system to get what i want in return. I dont even have to fake anyone out or explain my situation, just click buyer wanted to cancel and that is fool proof. Same with Item not as described. Both situations need to be re-evaluated and if you think otherwise... well... convince me otherwise.
jonathanbrightlight
·2 weeks agoGo wait somewhere else. Or, better yet, drop the attitude and listen to the people who attempted to help you (I know you aren't likely to do that, though).
thief_in_the_night_100_rating_seller
OP3 weeks agoIve yet to come across any. Maybe in the future. Only time will tell.
bonanza125
·3 weeks ago · EditedFor the most part regular contributors of this community give the answers and advice needed for OPs. If you personally feel someone is misinformed then just ignore them. You aren't required to reply to them. Some OPs absorb the knowledge given and try to understand the issue when other OPs lets say they think they know it all so they clap back at every comment they get. That is disrespectful. You have to understand that people here are volunteers giving time to answer questions and give advice. If any comment or thread violates the rules of this forum the comment or thread gets removed. Now if there was a real large scale technical issue Ebay would provide an announcement and they would notify all users of this issue. Which then we let people know if they missed it. If not and it's a technical issue then report it and wait until Ebay fixes the problem. We are buyers and sellers only. We are not technicians.
annadryl
·3 weeks agoEbay is "broken" or "on probation" by whom? It's been working as normal for me recently.
thief_in_the_night_100_rating_seller
OP3 weeks agoby The FBI. Read up
stephenmorgan
·3 weeks agoI did not know the FBI put companies on probation. Seems like that would be a job of the Federal Courts after a conviction.
eBay had some trouble several years ago where they paid a fine, some of their employees received jail time and some received probation. It is public record, nothing to hide, no secret.
soh.maryl
·2 weeks agoThe FBI is investigating eBay? Where can I read about this? Am always up for a good scandal.
mudshark61369
·3 weeks ago@5star_general_seller ,
"So much belittling of innocent sellers looking for answers in a time of need. When they feel broken and are just looking for support"
I take it that you've had some issues as a seller and felt like you were being mistreated when you posted about them on the Community. A little over a month ago we could have looked at your community profile and see the posts you wrote, the explained the replies you received. However, ebay just switched to this Community Format and we can no longer find those and possibly explain the replies.
"I dont see anyone ever getting a CLEAR answer to anything. Nothing is official and no one stands behind what they say".
Are you sure you didn't get clear answers? Maybe you did, but they were not the ones you hoped to receive. We do not post misinformation on these boards! What would be the point? Some back their answers with links to policies, but others do not, feeling that you should have done more reading of the getting started info before you started selling. Granted, there is a lot of reading to do and there is some seemingly contradictory info in the info, but for the most part the policies are clear. If you questioned the policies, you have to keep in mind that we are all buyers and sellers, and not ebay employees, so all we can do is to explain or point you to the policies, but we can't change them.
You may have been called out for the feedback you left 3 buyers. One of ebay's rules about feedback, is you cannot leave negative feedback or comments for buyers. You may have had health issues that prevented you from shipping some items, so you cancelled the transactions. But unfortunately, ebay doesn't make exceptions for those situations. I'm sure you could have gotten online when you were hospitalized, and ended your listings, so that you wouldn't have run into the problems.
msha3839
·3 weeks agoInteresting that OP was in the hospital based on response to negative feedback by buyer but indicated that buyer requested cancellation..just shows the general lack of honesty…so much for credibility..🤧🥃
gosimus
·3 weeks ago@mudshark61369
< A little over a month ago we could have looked at your community profile and see the posts you wrote >
I didn't know about that change, and apparently I must have misunderstood, because I just now checked your community profile, clicked Discussions, and gained access to the posts you've written. I know you're expert, so I conclude I didn't understand what you had referred to. Would you elaborate, please?
mudshark61369
·2 weeks ago@gosimus ,
That was the first time since the change over that I checked a member's community profile. I did not see the 3 buttons on the bottom right under the banner. My bad because my page size was set at 150%, to make it easier to read topics. I'll have to remember that in the future. Thanks for the heads up.
Bevy is not an improvement!
thief_in_the_night_100_rating_seller
OP2 weeks agoThey changed the feature the next day and now u can do as you mentioned. I speak the truth and have no need to speak otherwise ... (i may say some sarcastic things but its pretty clear when im joking around and being serious.)
but by that happening, after people saying its been years since this or that, its obvious it WAS something, but what was it? We will never know and the ones that do, will just cover it up as they attempted to in the past and plead guilty to federally. You cant take the Ebay out of Ebay.