"happy ebay-versary"
Got an email saying congratulations on 26 years. As usual with these "thanks" it 's just a message to buy more stuff, not even a coupon for 5% off an order. So impressive. Pretty sure I commented on this last year though.
27 comments
simply-the-best-for-you
·8 months agoThere are almost 20M sellers, rounded up a bit for ease of math. Even if it's only 1%, that's 200K people. Not so bad if it's a coupon, cuz most won't use them, but prolly too much for a gift card or gift of some sort. Most everyone I know seller-wise has been here for at least 20 years. I think it's a lot more than 1%. Using the 1%, a $25 gift card would be $5M each time.
simply-the-best-for-you
·8 months agoI've been selling & buying since 96. I do think once eons ago I received a paper certificate suitable for framing, I think it was when I became a Powerseller. I never framed it though. I remember people being mad back then too that all they got was this 'silly frameable piece of paper'.
A coupon or gift card would sure be nice, but I think it's just way too many people to do that for.
ETA - oops, hadn't read ALL the prior posts, I guess I'm remembering correctly & it was when I became a Powerseller.
keziak
OP8 months agoI still think a zillion dollar business like EBay could cough up a coupon as a thank you, even if it's a lot of people making whatever milestone. Even just something utilitarian like here is a coupon for anything from Ebay supplies. Would that be so hard?
simply-the-best-for-you
·8 months ago@keziak It wouldn't be hard. It has the potential to be expensive though.
keziak
OP8 months agoHow many sellers have been on the site t hat long though?
meme6253
·8 months agoThat's a Major accomplishment!, Congratulations!, That's a long time to deal with all of this.
eoma689485
·8 months ago1998, when I started using eBay...
Anyone could leave you feedback – if they purchased an item or not.
You had to self-host your own images, and insert HTML in your listing.
A lot of sellers used animated GIFS, blinking text, and music.
Paypal didn’t exist – money orders and personal checks only.
Sellers had to email the buyers to exchange addresses.
eBay was mostly auctions.
If a buyer didn’t pay or the seller vanished – you were on your own.
A seller could bid once on their own items.
Don't miss any of that.
inhawaii
·8 months ago@keziak
Happy 26th!
hartungcards
·8 months ago"...it 's just a message to buy more stuff, not even a coupon for 5% off an order."
This is due to an annual increase in system activity experienced during this period, which has caused processing delays.
mcdougle4248
·8 months ago@keziak
Congratulations on 26 years! That is quite an accomplishment!
fullers_uk
·8 months agoAny excuse to send a communication, later today you will get another saying sorry there was a mistake in the one they sent earlier.
"Was this email useful" ?
rugerskick
·8 months agoWow, congrats on making it here 26 years! Seriously, that's not an easy accomplishment.
kibble-net
·8 months agoCreating an account is not an accomplishment - but all of the things in between sure are. Congrats from one 26 year ebay veteran to another 🙂
ed8108
·8 months agoeBay could easily have provided you a certificate of recognition suitable for framing & display.
Someone recently claimed eBay to be a creepy corporation.
May good fortune await you in 2026
kibble-net
·8 months agoBack in the day, ebay would mail out PowerSeller certificates, when that was still a thing.
Can't see them mailing out certificates just for having an account. There would have to be a minimum sales criteria or something.
mcdougle4248
·8 months ago@kibble-net
I remember those Power Seller certificates. I received one when I reached the Bronze level, and I think I received another one when I reached the Silver level. It seems so long ago...
mr.emk
·8 months agoMaybe on the 30th anniversary, you'll get a gift or a coupon. Anyway, Happy Anniversary to you.
keziak
OP8 months agoWonder how many people out there have been on ebay for 30 years? I may well retire before thenl
pickapaper
·8 months ago@keziak wrote: "Wonder how many people out there have been on ebay for 30 years?"
I'll bet there are still some sellers who have been selling since the very beginning. I've been selling on eBay 27+ years, since Aug 4, 1998 (on my other account). I didn't start earlier because I didn't have a computer.
I remember many years ago eBay used to send "certificates of recognition" that a person could print off. I haven't gotten one of those in years.
68barbie
·8 months agoSame here! I started in 1998 and was selling via a computer at the library. I don't think I've ever received an anniversary note from eBay so won't hold my breath for the 30th in a couple of years. 🙂
-C
keziak
OP8 months agoWe've seen it all haven't we? Frantic free listing on Boxing Day, the start of Paypal (remember it was always free?), taking stacks of checks and money orders to the bank, etc? When I started I literally took my photos on film and had them developed then I scanned them. I could make good money on just several hundred books.
Oh well, times change. I am personally restricting the time I spend on work. My therapist pointed out that I had a lot to talk about but stress over my work/life balance wasn't one of them. Of course I only make "mad money" these days so I don't usually dip into the family bank account (hubby does pay utilities, groceries and gas, he has no idea what I spend my business money on).
bashort
·8 months agoremember when ebay used to send out these?
keziak
OP8 months agoOne significant Ebay memory is the time they flew people to headquarters for a focus group. We saw Meg Whitman's cubicle, got free snacks and dinner at a fancy Japanese restaurant. It was about Half.com. One woman and I talked so much they said hey, in the second session why not flip the group and you sit in the back. We just dominated from the back. I remember the guy who was an antiquarian dealer. He had a lot of suggestions but really, for Half.com?
I wonder if they do focus groups by Zoom these days.
pickapaper
·8 months ago@keziakwrote: "We've seen it all haven't we? Frantic free listing on Boxing Day, the start of Paypal (remember it was always free?), taking stacks of checks and money orders to the bank, etc? When I started I literally took my photos on film and had them developed then I scanned them."
Same here with the scanning of photos. I remember taking pictures with a 35mm camera and having to take the film to be developed and if they didn't turn out good enough, having to do them over again. It took several days for the film to be developed so sometimes it could take a week or so to be able to put together a listing.
One memory I have was when eBay's system went down for about a week, probably about 25 years ago. Everything was tied together back then so one problem caused the entire system to crash. After that, they made a lot of things separate so that if one part crashed, it wouldn't affect the rest of the site.
keziak
OP8 months agoI seem to remember things ground to a half on free listing day but I may be mistaken. I suppose many newbies here didn't know how l ong ebay ran free listing days.
duffy4444
·8 months ago@pickapaper:
I've been here since July 19, 1998, just 2 weeks difference from your date.
On a related note, early on I fought hard to obtain Top Rated Status. I finally got it. But all I got back then from eBay was a cheesy piece of paper suitable for framing. Since then, I've seen that my loss of TRS didn't result in any downward trend in sales or loss of income. So it's not something for me and my business model to be stretching my neck out for any longer. Any benefits in TRS or lowering of fees is more than made up for in the big savings I get from selling a lot of non-trackable First Class Envelope items that keep me out of TRS.
Whoopie...
Cheers, Duffy
ed8108
·8 months agoeBay should do something to recognize & even reward loyalty ! Very sad what eBay has become today.