I need to vent at ebay.... this is unfair business practice...
ebay picks and chooses who gets to succeed on this platform.. and it's boiling my blood...
I just recieved a puff piece article about someone who sells in my same category, is being featured on ebay live.... and looks like a great guy (not my issue here)....
My issue? I am a seller who's been on the platform longer, I have sold more items, I have almost 100x more items listed than they do, I have a 100% positive feedback record (they have almost 70 complaints on their account, I have 1 neutral that should been removed as the buyer didn't understand the product) .....
Am I just being a Karen and jealous? If I was I wouldn't be writing this lol.. my issue is I have applied to do ebay live streams twice.. never been responded to. I have asked the highest reps I can for access to things like this person was just handed on a silver platter.... I am writing this awaiting resolution on a major account issue I have been not responded to by 5 different reps currently (IE I am told I would get a follow up that never occurs, have to call back in, rinse, repeat).... and this person who has a smaller account, less items for sale, and been on the platform much less time than I have... gets an puff article blasted to every person on ebay, their account advertised to millions for free, and ebay live access.
The only difference between this person and I? They have a tiny youtube channel.... I only sell on ebay to hundreds of thousands of customers. I guess ebay wants the few dozens people a youtube channel might attract over loyalty to SELLERS WHO HAVE BEEN ON HERE SINCE THE 1990's!!!
10 years ago I was bigger than accounts on here that are now infamous for criminal activity. ebay continues to advertise them, give them access to things they won't even acknowledge are real (IE much lower fee's that allow my direct competitors to advertise consignment under cost), and here I am... busting my a** every day... called a "unicorn" by tech support because of my sales record / feedback score... and treated like I will literally never matter to this company.
/rant..... I had to get this off my chest.
christworks
·4 months agoThe thing is you have to have the personality for live selling. From what I've read of your posts, you don't have that personality. Someone with a YT channel, especially if it has some traction, has already proven they do have a personality that clicks with people. You seem to rub people the wrong way. It comes across in your posts. I can only imagine what you might be like live.
imac7065
OP4 months agolol judging someone based on forum posts is crazy.... I've been a vendor at multiple national trading card shows (shows with more than 500,000 attendees).. I ran a hobby shop for 3 years... I have been doing consignment for 20 years, and I have 100% positive feedback.. clearly I know how to deal with people my friend... but please.. judge me venting frustration in forum posts instead of looking at my actual career.
luckythewinner
·5 months agoebay picks and chooses who gets to succeed on this platform
eBay provides a venue, and some sellers have a business model that is a better fit for the venue.
If you think that having a eBay Live stream is the only path to success on eBay, I think you are mistaken.
The only difference between this person and I? They have a tiny youtube channel
From the outside, you see about 10% of what eBay sees. eBay knows everything about both your eBay account and that seller's eBay account.
I guess ebay wants the few dozens people a youtube channel might attract
That is 100% speculation on your part.
imac7065
OP4 months agoYour message borderline infuriates me lol.... I have over 257,000 sales.. I have sold millions of dollars on this platform... I have 100% positive feedback and thousands of followers in my ebay store ... I get millions of impressions each month (meaning my items are very visible to the community) ..... you basically just spit in my face with that comment my friend lol
stainlessenginecovers
·5 months ago@imac7065 would you spend 6-8 hours a night on a live feed??
imac7065
OP4 months agojust seeing this question now.. and yes, if it meant processing hundreds if not thousands of orders.. absolutely... my house is a warehouse storing my more than 91,000 item inventory.. I would LOVE to process as much of that as I can much quicker than I have been
12345jamesstamps
·5 months agoWhen they gave those $10,000.00 grants out last year...some of those sellers were 'drop-shippers'(with lousy feedback I might add.)
meme6253
·5 months agoI wouldn't waste my time wondering the reasons why!,Just keep doing what you do, you are a successful seller be satisfied with that accomplishment!
tobaccocardyahoo
·5 months ago@imac7065 It is highly unlikely that the seller who you feel is being favored over you has or had "a major account issue" which has been resolved or not resolved by Ebay.
It is hard to have "a major account issue" unless a seller has violated Ebay policy or the law. And usually such issues are fatal to the selling account.
You have undermined your entire post because YOU have "a major account issue".
The puff piece on your competitor focuses highly upon the person, and probably is not having much of an effect. He seems like a great guy and has a great story. But if he is also selling three dollar cards, like you are, I would prefer to admire him from a distance.
imac7065
OP5 months agoNot sure if you read that properly.. I am the one with the "account issues" (IE I get literally every bug and glitch on the platform because of the age and volume of my account, the head of ebay MSO explained this to me in great detail.... I frustratingly will always have a broken account)... sorry if that confused you.. it had nothing to do with seller performance.. the person they spotlighted has a 99.99% positive feedback record and I'm sure they're a great guy.. I just have a much larger account and zero complaints from buyers lol
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
·6 months ago@imac7065 ebay has been gradually expanding access to ebay Live , but has previously stated that experience with the FORMAT has been one of the criteria they look at closely. Since ebay doesn't seem to want to allow sellers to get their feet wet on THIS platform, that means that most (if not all) sellers who end up doing ebay Lives get their experience on sites like WhatNot, or You Tube, Instagram, etc.
So, my suggestion is, if you really , really want to do eBay Lives, you need to get some experience with Live sales. Think of it as an actor creating a demo reel for casting directors. If ebay likes what they see, they'll likely consider you for ebay Lives. Now, I don't know you, so this is no reflection on you, but the fact is, not everybody has the personality for Lives. You might have great inventory, a great customer service track record and so forth, but you also need to be good in front of a camera...
I do wish you the best of luck if you give this a try.
gurlcat
·5 months ago@my-cottage-books-and-antiques What's this? Actual comprehension of the OP's issue, and solid advice for it? Whoa!
imac7065
OP5 months agoawesome... my buddy who I literally taught how do to do ebay was given the green light for ebay live because he's a brick and mortar store.. he's never done live format anything and wants me to help him do it ON HIS account.. which is about 15% the size of mine. I wouldn't have written this, knowing I would get trolled (which, of course, has happened lol) if I didn't know that I was being ignored in favor of others.
gurlcat
·5 months ago@imac7065 eBay might regard his having a BAM store as similar to live video selling, or maybe even better. There could be all kinds of info they were able to find out about him to give the green light.
It does sound like you're being ignored in favor of others, but the favoring has nothing to do with account start dates or dollars sold.
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
·5 months ago@imac7065 If I'm understanding you correctly, you have applied more than once and have not had any luck. Based on many posts I've seen on this Board, and on various ebay social media groups and so forth, you are definitely NOT alone in that.
"Many apply, few are chosen."
Does ebay play favorites? Sure---here's one way---YOU are in a "favorite" category of ebay's, so you at least have a shot at doing a Live....most sellers , including many with successful live selling experience on other platforms, have NO chance of selling with ebay Live because we don't sell in any of ebay's favorite, chosen categories. How terribly unfair. Boo-hoo, boo-hoo...
But, hey, too bad for us, because we don't sell in ebay's "special" category like YOU do.
My post was informative. It wasn't a troll. I was genuinely trying to provide helpful advice. If you actually want to try to improve your chances of getting selected, you can try getting some live experience. Or, of course, you can just complain because you feel entitled to a spot on ebay Live and don't believe you should have to put in any extra effort to get one. You've got lots of cards, you've been selling a long time, etc, etc. You believe that should be enough. And, maybe, as ebay expands the selling pool, maybe it will be. But if this is something you really want to do, maybe you need to figure out what it is ebay is looking for that you have NOT provided, and try to provide that.
I've heard rumors---rumors only---that if you gain a strong following on ebay Live, ebay will help you out. Need some grail cards for your next show? ebay will see to it that you have some. Of course, that doesn't mean you get to keep all the money from the sale. But these Lives....they are NOT just about the inventory or the seller...(in fact, again, rumor, but Live sellers have contracts, they don't pay standard FVFs the way you and I do as regular sellers...)...Live sales do bring in revenue for ebay, but right now at least, they are very much a hybrid---they are about sales revenue, but they are also an ebay marketing tool. They are a DRAW---to bring buyers to the platform (who will hopefully also buy non-Live items as well).
So, saying: I have a LOT of inventory, or I have a GREAT customer service record, well, that means you are a good, maybe even a great regular platform seller. And, seriously, good for you! But obviously, ebay wants to see more than that.
So, maybe try this: Instead of saying: "I have a lot more inventory than that guy in the monthly seller profile! I've been around a lot longer!" Maybe watch some of his Lives. Maybe sit down and try to figure out what makes him--and other Live sellers--- stand out to ebay. Because it apparently isn't his many years of selling on ebay, or his vast inventory. And it probably isn't that he has a small following on You Tube....maybe it has to do with something ABOUT his You Tube videos.
But look, you do you....apply again, and who knows, maybe third time's the charm.
gurlcat
·5 months ago@my-cottage-books-and-antiques Excellent follow-up, but honestly after he dismissed your previous (purely helpful) reply as "trolling" I can't help but wonder what all things eBay has observed in him, what notes they have written on his applications, etc.
After PigMaskGate, I'd expect eBay to be extra paranoid about bad publicity, and recordable (sharable) live video opens up way more risk of that than a plain ole item listing. I wouldn't be surprised if they go in and read lots of message history with buyers, activity on social media, including here in the forums, when considering an applicant. I highly doubt they'd approve me, but then doing Live selling looks like a tequila stress nightmare to me so I'd never be interested anyway. 😆
imac7065
OP4 months agothe ebay live aspect is just one of my frustrations... they have "pick and chose" my direct competitors against me for nearly 20 years.. I've watched people I am larger than, more successful than, with much better feedback than simply blow up over night, then start charging consignment fee's UNDER EBAY FEE COST (IE 8% on items over $100) .... clearly they get sweetheart deals to expand rapidly while I keep being told that's "not possible" or "it doesn't exist" or "they must be taking a loss to offer that" ... which is insanely frustrating to be told when you know better lol
natoman777
·6 months agoSo...I understand that it is tough to see another seller making it... I have been here since 1999 so I understand some. But I don't think at all that eBay is unfair. Sales are pretty hard to understand a lot of times. If they are doing promotions, listing daily, tweaking listings...this can increase sales. I have never done promotions and don't think i ever will. I would strongly suggest not wasting time on seeing what another seller is doing. Just keep on keeping on and do what works. Sales is what matters at the end of the day for me. Who cares about youtube sellers, ebay live? Not me😎
imac7065
OP5 months agoto clarify.. I have a multi million dollar account.... you can check my id right here... I have over 88,000 current items listed in over 26,000 listings.. I sell thousands of dollars, and hundreds of items every week... my issue is ebay picking and choosing who "wins" with special access they then tell someone like me doesn't even exist.
grand-and-glorious-purpose
·6 months agoWell it isn't so much ebay "picks" but it is who pays them the most.
johnrj1226
·6 months agoMaybe you can convince eBay to start up some thing like the "Hollywood Walk of Fame".
reallynicestamps
·4 months ago@johnrj1226
You do know that the "honoree" pays for the Star and for annual maintenance , right?
inhawaii
·6 months agoIt's ok/normal to feel jealous.
imac7065
OP5 months agoif this was jealousy it wouldn't be posted... I have no issue with the guy and wish him the best success... my frustration is the access given to a 'chosen few' while sellers who have been loyal for literal decades are treated like they don't matter. I was offered a contract by other platforms.. I have been offered things that would blow you mind.... I stayed on ebay because this has been my "baby" since I was in high school. I know this platform better than most of their employee's do lol.... my anger is with ebay.. not a person. You may notice I haven't named anyone as well.
toomuchstuffagain35
·5 months agoBe careful what you wish for.
Remember that successful shoe guy (can't recall the user ID offhand) who ebay dumped in a heartbeat.
inhawaii
·4 months agoSeriously, anyone who has over 27,000 items listed, you have my utmost respect ... no matter what kind of crazy things you say on the boards. 😉
imac7065
OP4 months agoappreciate the sentiment.. this post is me basically venting lol... I would hope my account and selling history speaks for itself
kibble-net
·6 months agoIf you seriously think ebay chooses who is going to succeed, then quit.
Pack it all up and quit.
None of us are going to convince you to stay.
We have enough competition already.
So long, farewell, auf wiedersehn, goodbye.
imac7065
OP5 months agoLet me try to put my frustration into context for you... your account is older than mine... imagine opening your messages one day and seeing someone who created their account a couple years ago with 200-300 feedback and 10 items for sale being "spotlighted" in an email blasted to millions of ebay accounts, and given access to ebay live where they will get to greatly expand their customer base and sell items much faster... while you tried to get the same access and were completely ignored by the company you've worked with for 27 years.. I can see this is a hobby for you.. this is my career.
inhawaii
·5 months agoThe example you gave wouldn't bother me one bit.
Life is not fair.
When things don't go your way it's not always that someone is out to get you.
tools*
·6 months agoIf it's any consolation, I never read anything eBay sends in a message or an email, beyond the title. If it came printed on a roll of soft paper, I might find it useful.