Being accused of keyword spamming for using "not"

[missmelindalou]

We listed an item "Pair 2 Bose Double Cube Speakers Black Work Great Cosmetics Not Great" and our selling privledges are temporary restricted for keyword spamming because "not great" violates ebay policy of keyword spamming because "not great" is somehow a "brand name, celebrity name, specific product or much searched word".  Additionally this is apparently our 3rd or 4th offense, but all of the offenses are relisting this one item.  So we are getting close to getting kicked off ebay because we are keyword spamming when we have never keyword spammed.

We have spent hours and have got no where.  Both myself and my girlfriend have tried to explain that although using "not" plus some other word might be a typical way of keyword spamming, "great" is not a celebrity namebrand name, product name or typical keyword search.  Even though "cosmetics" was not part of the complaint in our email from ebay, we tried to explain that the word cosmetics has multiple meanings in english which seemed to be confusing to one operator.  The worst was one ebay rep who seemed to get more and more annoyed about our refusal to stop keyword spamming and all explanations were met with some sort of "if you don't stop keyword spamming you will be kicked off ebay" with the operator never acknowledging that there might be some mistake after we had explained the error many times.

I sort of feel like this comes into the general category of racism, where non-native speakers blame and accuse and punish and blame and accuse more because they cannot accept that their understanding of English misses certain nuances.  Sort of as though someone from the US were to accuse and blame and punish a minority or a foreigner because the majority US person did not understand them and could not accept that there might be a different point of view.

We are really concerned that we might be kicked off ebay for good

[coolections]

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@mistressmine wrote:

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@missmelindalou wrote:

I agree with you, it's a bit odd that I seem to like to use the word "not" a lot.  But my prefering to use this word does not mean that I am illiterate and dumb.  If it were illiterate and dumb for people to use unusual wording then all people beginning to speak English would all be considered stupid.

I am not sure what drives people to post here.  Most people have been very helpful, even if being super weary and suspicious about it which I totally get.  But every internet anything always seems to have a bit of trolling, and a I am superior to other people aspect to it. 

Look, I dunno, I really felt that somehow there was some component that had to do with me not being listened to/CS not understanding nuances of English and I stated this.  I am not infallable, but I also do not believe that my initial statement was incorrect.  Reasonable people can disagree, etc.

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BTW your accusations of racism towards the CS is well...kind of racist

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Unfortunately it is becoming the new norm. It's a real shame it has come down to that.

[missmelindalou]

I understand that reps are getting yelled at all day, etc, but still if someone has a clearly legitimate frustration, it is not helpful to randomly transfer after rep says they will look at account, be given wrong information, argue over what a word means with a native speaker or just be a complete jerk.  If I could rate individual reps, I would not hesitate to give last one a very high rating, because although he didn't help, he actually listened and acknowledged the problem and was willing to put forth effort to look into possible solutions.

[coolections]

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@missmelindalou wrote:

he actually listened and acknowledged the problem and was willing to put forth effort to look into possible solutions.

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There is an easy solution. Instead of saying what it is not say what it is. No buyer is going to do a search for something an item is not anyway. It was a wasted keyword and it is a slight comparison to actual keyword spamming.

[missmelindalou]

Wow, you've been a member for over 8 months, but like last two you also don't have any listings and no feedback.  I fail to see the wisdom in sending a goon squad after someone making money for ebay and generally doing a very good job of it, when members who are far more likely to be legitimate have already stated that they believe that I am incorrect about there being any racism.

[missmelindalou]

I might be wrong, but I thought there is a native american word that means something bad, that english speakers used to describe native americans because they either did not understand or were trying to be jerks. 

If other legitimate members think I was out of line, then I probably was.  I was pretty annoyed and maybe should have used a different word because that word somehow has serious weight, but I used it because it seemed like something like intolerance was at play.  But if I was wrong and out of line, I was wrong and out of line.

If ebay Phillipines employees are really ganging up on me (and I am extremely sorry if I am guessing incorrectly) because I am some other and they want to defend their people and blame some other, then this is a whole new issue.

But I am done posting.  Please don't keep adding negative comments if you are not an ebay seller or buyer. 

[coolections]

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@missmelindalou wrote:

Please don't keep adding negative comments if you are not an ebay seller or buyer. 

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With the exception of a rare post by an ebay employee ALL posters are Ebay sellers and buyers just like yourself.

[uzumakey]

LOL this is absurd. I assume you've never experienced actual racism, since you have a totally ridiculous notion of what it is. Your entitlement is off the charts here. "These people from a different country don't understand MY superior country's colloquialisms and linguistic nuances! HOW DARE THEY!"

Also, how is it that you're now throwing a fit when you've had FOUR chances to rectify the situation? You literally got four warnings. Why in the world didn't you just revise your title after warning #1? "Cosmetics not great" is something you include in the item condition box, not your title.

You're either trolling us or off the charts obtuse.

[margarenisa_0]

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@missmelindalou wrote:

Wow, you've been a member for over 8 months, but like last two you also don't have any listings and no feedback.  I fail to see the wisdom in sending a goon squad after someone making money for ebay and generally doing a very good job of it, when members who are far more likely to be legitimate have already stated that they believe that I am incorrect about there being any racism.

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Goon squad?

you have a persecution complex and a great love for dramatics

We're sellers just like you. We set up posting ID's so unhinged individuals won't attack our selling accounts and livelihoods.

You're correct about EBay CS. It is abysmal. Which makes this Discussion Board crucial for sellers like me just trying to make a living. 

We've tried to help you and you've been nothing but insulting and rude.

Good luck

[omgitlightsup]

I can see this has gone far deeper than you ever wanted but I would just add that, in absence of punctuation, your title is ambiguous. It may not be keyword spam, but it's confusing to read, even when you do understand English.

Are the once-great cosmetics now no longer great? "works, great cosmetics not great"

It's too many words. And eBay prefers that you put detailed information about item condition in a specific field, not in the title or description; so that there is no confusion where the buyer should look for that information.

Limit the words in the title to identifying the item for sale, and use the condition field and description to fill in the details.

I don't know if the Filipino reps are ganging up on you but on a recent business trip to the Philippines, I was advised never to tuck my shirt in, because that way people will assume I'm carrying a weapon and not mess with me.

[z50com]

USED

UNUSED

EXCELLENT CONDITION

VERY GOOD CONDITION

GOOD CONDITION

FAIR CONDITION

POOR CONDITION

All of the above are acceptable wording

[z50com]

I've been on eBay for 19 years and have NEVER used the words "not", "rare" or "vintage" in any of my searches.

[z50com]

OMG!

You're blaming eBay because you CAN'T pay a bill?

it's NOT eBay fault. . .

[z50com]

My last piece of advise.

When you have something to sell, look up sold items.

Look at them and pick the title that seems the most logical

Copy it and chances are yours will sell also. . .

My competitors have been copying my titles for years word for wrod.

I'm NOT offended by it, in fact it makes me feel like I'm in 1st place and they want the same results I get. . .

PS: I'm OFFENDED you think Filipino's are racist, my Mom is Filipino! (that means so am I)

[mexicanfoodking]

Each of you have made some great points and the underlying problem here is that eBay's bots aren't always able to differentiate between an actual brand name and a common word used to describe an item. 

[dhbookds]

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@mexicanfoodking wrote:

Each of you have made some great points and the underlying problem here is that eBay's bots aren't always able to differentiate between an actual brand name and a common word used to describe an item. 

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Yep, no search engine can.........  Likewise negatives ..not Disney.....are recognized as Disney which is the reason for the Not/keyword rules.    Same thing is true of Not Blue, Not Small......

Computer "language" in search is different from the spoken or written word because of the computer's inability to read/recognize context.   

Poster got involved with CS trying to justify her terms, which in spoken language make sense......CS was undoubtedly trying to tell her what everyone here has tried to...... but it sounds like she couldn't see their point....and made the judgement THEY were wrong and put it down to unfairness.....and worse. 

Hardest thing to learn in life is that not everyone sees and understands the same way you do.....having an open mind to at least acknowledge the possibility of a different interpretation will take you farther than insisting the world will/ must conform to what you think.  jmo