I wholeheartedly disagree with this analogy as it pertains to sellers, especially not with a seller that’s been with eBay 25 years with no negative feedback.
I’ve seen restaurants go from great to bad under new management, but I’ve never seen the same owners just let their good restaurants turn into garbage. This seller has been on eBay pretty much since its inception. It’s the same person; it’s not like they sold their account to someone else.
Your analogy *is* relevant to eBay though. It used to be an enjoyable place to buy and sell, but now it seems like a totally different operation. I’ve also been a member for about 25 years, and until very recently, I had nothing but good things to say about eBay.
I acquired a lot of my favorite things here and I’ve also sold a lot when I wanted to trade up or if I needed money. Having been around since the beginning, I felt almost like part of the family, and I’ve never had reservations about recommending eBay for anyone looking to buy or sell.
But now, eBay seems like a cold, cutthroat operation out to milk every possible cent out of all users at the expense of long-term goodwill, always prioritizing sellers at the bottom. They make sellers prove themselves over and over, and seem to be trying to send the message that we’re lucky to even be here.
All establishments know that treating their regulars well is key to ensuring repeat customers and positive word-of-mouth reviews. A restaurant doesn’t give long-time customers shoddy service just because they figure they’re already entitled to their business, but that’s exactly what EBay’s doing.
eBay *should* treat people who have been here forever a lot better than they are. We helped build eBay. If someone’s had no negatives in 25 years, they shouldn’t be treated as brand new sellers. They should be given the benefit of the doubt unless they screw up, instead of making them jump through hoops to prove themselves worthy. That’s what they should do if they value loyalty and if they want us to reciprocate.
