Is eBay poised to pass Amazon in Internet Sales???

[mr_lincoln]

From a C/Net article:

"Amazon on Monday confirmed that it's significantly delaying US deliveries of nonessential items, as part of its effort to get more medical supplies and household staples to its customers during the coronavirus pandemic. According to product listings on its website, some of these shipments will be delayed by as much as a month."

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One advantage eBay has is that it's Sellers are individual accounts, NOT warehouse based.  With Amazon "delaying" shipments on non-essential items as much as a month perhaps Buyers will be less likely to purchase from them not wanting to wait that long?!?  If eBay Sellers can still ship their items they stand a good chance of having their sales increase IMHO.

[earlyant-77]

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

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@the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth wrote:

People do just love a good conspiracy theory don’t they?

I think that’s because people are feeling out of control. They’d rather blame tragedy on some bad guy they can stop in the future than nature, which always wins in the end.

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During the first onset of the plague in the 14th century too many people were certain that it was a sign of human wickedness or the fate of a people 'in the hands of an angry god.'  In England the Brotherhood of the Flagellants had a resurgence and there were squads of these people heroically whipping themselves through the streets - not just little whips, but waling on themselves with real flagella with hooks. 

So we could try that.  If nothing else, it'll keep people away from us.

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Well, I would prefer to join the 'Brotherhood of Flatulence' instead - THAT should keep people away from us with less pain to ourselves .............

😀

[mr_lincoln]

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@earlyant-77 wrote:

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

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@the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth wrote:

People do just love a good conspiracy theory don’t they?

I think that’s because people are feeling out of control. They’d rather blame tragedy on some bad guy they can stop in the future than nature, which always wins in the end.

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During the first onset of the plague in the 14th century too many people were certain that it was a sign of human wickedness or the fate of a people 'in the hands of an angry god.'  In England the Brotherhood of the Flagellants had a resurgence and there were squads of these people heroically whipping themselves through the streets - not just little whips, but waling on themselves with real flagella with hooks. 

So we could try that.  If nothing else, it'll keep people away from us.

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Well, I would prefer to join the 'Brotherhood of Flatulence' instead - THAT should keep people away from us with less pain to ourselves .............

😀

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Would that be considered the "Blazing Saddles" approach perhaps?

[chapeau-noir]

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@prettywoman-2012 wrote:

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

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@prettywoman-2012 wrote:

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By the way, am I the only one to wonder why some African countries with some of the most underdeveloped infrastructure, reported such low numbers of infected? Is it just the calm before the storm, or is there another explanation to people living in much more crowded togetherness than we in the U.S.A., exhibiting much more risky cultural and private health habits, have gone down far less with COVID-19 then highly-developed, fully industrialized countries? Is this just a coincidence, or can be explained by lack of testing kits, inadequate diagnostics or... because there is not much in monetary value that could be taken away from them, anymore?

PW🐿

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My theory is that not many go there, and not many leave.  People and movement are the vectors for this.  

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There actually are a lot of people going to Africa, and from China, also. In many African countries, they are building large projects *railway, other public transportation, hospitals, schools, etc). Search the internet for those, some billion dollar projects. Tens of thousands of Peace Corp employees, UN employees, contractors, healthcare workers, NGOs, etc. from Europe, Australia and the U.S.A. So, depending on which African country we are talking about, those are not really closed societies. 

But I guess my previous theory that we may be accusing the wrong country, now suffered a backlash after reading this in the news: 

https://news.yahoo.com/suspected-sars-virus-and-flu-found-in-luggage-fbi-report-describes-chinas-bio...

I think we will never know the full truth, this is way too complicated! And there could have been other people caught carrying bio-hazardous stuff., too, that we do not hear about. Hmm. 

Oh, well. One thing is sure: Somebody DID something (or failed to do something else). Now we have this huge tragic mess, and many other countries, too.

And back to the original topic by @mr_lincoln - I think that eBay may not outperform amazon, but it may come up as one of the strongest marketplaces currently, online, because I already see an uptick in orders (not on this account alone, but overall on eBay). 

We must maintain our confidence that this will not last forever, and that we get through the coming weeks with as little loss as possible, both in terms of human lives, and in terms of financial loss. May you all be safe from harm

PW🐿

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Yes, there is movement, but I'm thinking in the poorest, most vulnerable regions where there's a lot of isolation.

[lindyslucky]

Spoiler

Africa is mostly poor. 
the people don't get tests. 
There isn't much care.
Who knows what's going on there.


Im all for keeping spirits up going through this as best we can.
But, the fact is, not all of us will make it through.
we will begin knowing people who died.
This will touch everyone.
Its truly grim. 

[bghunter916]

lol, you are kidding right ? ebays skid off the run way of life will only slow a lil, the crash is inevitable.

[chapeau-noir]

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@lindyslucky wrote:

Spoiler

Africa is mostly poor. 
the people don't get tests. 
There isn't much care.
Who knows what's going on there.


Im all for keeping spirits up going through this as best we can.
But, the fact is, not all of us will make it through.
we will begin knowing people who died.
This will touch everyone.
Its truly grim. 

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I have no doubt that it's only a matter of time, and not much time. But at this time there are all kinds of theories why cases in Africa, for instance, are so low.  Cases in the southern hemisphere are in general reported to far fewer than in the northern hemisphere.  Trade and migration (less robust connections with the far east) which have much lower engagement overall, but there's also lack of testing, reporting ability, climate and the fact that too many tropical diseases may mimic symptoms and make it impossible to distinguish.  Countries like Japan and South Korea have had low transmission rates due to early border control, testing and the like. Russia, one northern country which has not reported a great many cases also has strict border controls and migration, despite its robust contacts with China - though last month a number of US officials accused Russia of mobilizing its troll army in a disinformation campaign (never miss an opportunity) and I tend to wonder if there isn't a lot of under-reporting there, too.

[prettywoman-2012]

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@dk0 wrote:

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@prettywoman-2012 wrote:

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@dk0 wrote:

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👀🐿

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If some entity was going to intentionally release a pathogen for the purpose of world domination, don't you think they would have created a vaccine for their own people first?

And the argument that all theories (regardless of how implausible they are) need to be investigated just means nothing ever gets determined, because you will NEVER run out of implausible theories.  (But, you are a defense attorney's dream juror!) 

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You certainly have a good point about the vaccine. However, if we accept this argument then it is even LESS likely that it was the Chinese who started it. Because, if it were them, then they would have first had a vaccine in place, and would not have let so many people of their own die in the process. But keep the good ideas coming! 

Regarding your second paragraph: One of the reasons that human kind is at the level of advanced technology etc. as it is today, is that it never stopped thinking outside the box, or exploring even the most unlikely theories. That is what scientists are doing today, also. They brain-storm and then one by one, discard of those theories that are proven to be incorrect, or impossible to happen. 

PW👀🐿

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I've yet to hear from any scientists who support your "wicked person" theory.  There is a big difference between scientists "thinking outside of the box", and wild conjecture by those of us who are hardly experts in the matter and have no evidence whatsoever to support those claims.

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Uhmm...let me just say, I would like to kindly protest the plural form of the sentence, "those of are hardly expects in the matter." Please speak for yourself. Thanks so much! 

PW 😊🐿

[prettywoman-2012]

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

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@prettywoman-2012 wrote:

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

@prettywoman-2012   I am sure a lot of people don't want to go there either but sometimes truth is stranger then fiction.  While I am by no means saying what I posted is true or not the chronology of events is what it is ... 

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That is fine with me. I rather discuss things with someone who has limitless imagination - even if some of what he or she is saying may sound weird - than with somebody whose imagination is limited to which end of the tooth-paste he / she would squeeze every morning. Bring it on! Love your ideas. 

PW🐿❣️

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It's the limitless imagination that allow scientists, medical professionals, engineers and everyone else to think outside the box.  Its a well know fact that when a group of people put their heads together they come up with ideas that individually they may never have thought of.  This is a discussion and every viewpoint is welcome regardless of what it is ... even if some people need to vent and rant because of the stress or pressure they are under ... it's ... okay ...

I have given "Helpfuls" to posters who vigorously appose my opinion or viewpoint or openly criticized me ... sometimes its hard to resist the temptation to enter in to an argument because at the end of the day they are welcome to their opinion, have every right to post it and at times they may even influence me to change or alter my opinion ... I learned long ago that by respecting another person's opinion does not mean I have to agree with it but acknowledging that they have the right to state it ...

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Thanks, your response did not disappoint me! Alas, interesting article below (if you care to read it to the end; warning: LONG!). According to this article, the idea that the virus was artificially "manufactured" appears to be incorrect. Of course, as we all know, caution is well-advised with published materials as they sometimes serve the purpose of creating fog more than making the fog lift. Still, it looks like these scientist looked into the matter deeply and found some evidence that they say makes it unlikely that the SARS-COV-2 is created in a Lab, it is more likely it just "naturally evolved" to have "fangs" to grab the cells they wish to penetrate. Hmm. 

https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus-not-human-made-in-lab.html

This appears to be the latest valid publication on the matter; but sometimes, contradictory findings appear in various scientific journals. I say, we need to find some tool that the virus grabs in error - instead of those poor cells! Kind of like they do with crocodiles and their ilk, before the loop is pulled over their neck. Some form of a bait that confuses the virus into believing that it is grabbing the cell? 

PW

[prettywoman-2012]

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@prettywoman-2012 wrote:

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@dk0 wrote:

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@prettywoman-2012 wrote:

---

@dk0 wrote:

---

👀🐿

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If some entity was going to intentionally release a pathogen for the purpose of world domination, don't you think they would have created a vaccine for their own people first?

And the argument that all theories (regardless of how implausible they are) need to be investigated just means nothing ever gets determined, because you will NEVER run out of implausible theories.  (But, you are a defense attorney's dream juror!) 

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You certainly have a good point about the vaccine. However, if we accept this argument then it is even LESS likely that it was the Chinese who started it. Because, if it were them, then they would have first had a vaccine in place, and would not have let so many people of their own die in the process. But keep the good ideas coming! 

Regarding your second paragraph: One of the reasons that human kind is at the level of advanced technology etc. as it is today, is that it never stopped thinking outside the box, or exploring even the most unlikely theories. That is what scientists are doing today, also. They brain-storm and then one by one, discard of those theories that are proven to be incorrect, or impossible to happen. 

PW👀🐿

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I've yet to hear from any scientists who support your "wicked person" theory.  There is a big difference between scientists "thinking outside of the box", and wild conjecture by those of us who are hardly experts in the matter and have no evidence whatsoever to support those claims.

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Uhmm...let me just say, I would like to kindly protest the plural form of the sentence, "those of are hardly expects in the matter." Please speak for yourself. Thanks so much! 

PW 😊🐿

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OOPS: Typo or auto-correct error? I meant, "let me just say, I would like to kindly protest the plural form of the sentence, those of us who are hardly experts in the matter..." etc. 

PW🐿