Updated Community Guidelines

[sheila@ebay]

Hello Community,

We want to make the Community a safe and enjoyable place for all to come participate and learn from one another. The Community team has recently updated the Community Guidelines. You can find them here.

I'll keep this post up for until the end of day on July 6th for feedback on the Guidelines.

Thank you for participating in Community!

[simply-the-best-for-you]

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sheila@ebay wrote:

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@buyselljack2016 wrote:

death pile (stuff you want to sell) sure isn't what comes up with a google search

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 A few months ago, the eBay for Business team posted a post asking everyone to share pictures of their 'death pile' and it was fun way for everyone to share what they want to sell but haven't had a chance to list yet. I guess this is more of an eBay term and has made it to Google yet.

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IDK about Google, but it's a common reseller term, esp among clothing sellers.  I remember first hearing it at least 15+ years ago. 

[partfinds]

@nocoolnamejane

„That’s why posting IDd exist. Make one.”

i tried multiple times and it was removed, blocked , I wasn’t able to relog in next day and I didn’t violate anything .  Someone decided I can’t have posting is I guess. I saw other people complaining about the same.

[evry1nositswindy]

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@nocoolnamejane wrote:

That’s why posting IDd exist. Make one.

sheila@ebay

Any chance of bring back the ignore function? It was very useful in preventing disruptive postings and never ending pile on arguments.

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BUT..then no one believes you because they don't see much FB and no listings.  Can't win for losing.

[evry1nositswindy]

I agree with everything except this:  you can disagree with another user without angering them.  So if that is the reason why you are afraid to post with your actual user ID you can eliminate that fear by how you respond to others in the Community. 

[wrong66]

Exactly. How many times have we heard "how would you know, you're not even a seller"? MANY.

[partfinds]

@brian_burme@ebay

”without angering them”? What does that mean? We are saying that some members get angered when you disagree with them or criticise Ebay change etc and you saying I should be walking on egg shells not to anger them ?
 I am not calling names, harrassing, abusing anyone and am looking for the same. i don’t follow members’ posts to intimidate them, be malicious, trip them off, instigate. 

i am selling on ebay want to be successful and when something negatively impacts me I want to share to find solution. It seems that it is not allowed or even discouraged here. And when i complain i immediately have several members calling on me 

[allthingssurplus]

I have been in business form 50+ years.  I had a business in the 80's, 20 Arco AM/PM's,  with gross volume in the $68 mil range.  All of those stores were franchises in one form or another.  In 2005 I founded nationwidesurplus, eBay account.  Within 7 years this account was in the $mils with eBay.  This account also lobbied in Congress for eBay about the sales tax issue.  Fast forward, in late 2011 I sold my interest to nationwidesurplus and now that company has changed the name to revite.it, doing considerable volume.  I state this to show you I have the ability to run online sales and deal with franchises, which truth to be know eBay is.  

I launched allthingssurplus in December of 2011.  In short order the new company was doing $60-80k.  This is about the time eBay decided it should get involved in item specifics.  Realizing that eBay had no clue about my category I knew this was going to be a real issue.  Going forward eBay is hanging its hat on item specific that are incorrect for many of our products.  A month ago I had an issue and still do with your computer insisting that some of my product should be in a different category.  That insistence is based on the info gathered from years past about the part we are listing.  I made many calls to CS finally getting someone willing to work on this issue.  That person is Rick Adkinson.  Neither of us knew that your computer was insisting that I list that item in the PC category not the enterprise category where it  clearly should reside.  The part is a CPU, P/N SR1AM.  If Buyers wanted to search for this item it could be only found if they knew the item title, word for word exact or if they had the Item ID and that was told to Rick by your IT department.  This is effecting  around 15% of my 4000+ listings.  If you check my listing of this item you will see that I now have it listed incorrect, PC category, in order for it to be viewed.  I deal with many companies in the computer parts business and all are having this issue.

It is clear eBay has no intent to correct the platform.  Its working fine as the company views it.  If I were in management and was aware that in one year the stock price went from $77 to $44 I would be looking to see what we have done wrong.

When you limit the community board speak you limit any chance to get warranted complaints.  Yes there is a great deal of garbage written.  However I fine many like minded people with the same concerns.  

eBay seems to think the mobile app is the end all to the buying world.  Does anyone in your company really think I can do 4000+ listing properly on the phone.  If so management is in LaLa land.  

We have had change upon change upon change and none are remotely launched working.  Most are damaging to the Seller and all are designed to raise more revenue for eBay.  This from someone who has been on the site 22.5 years and has done millions on the site.  

Here is where I am today, along with many Sellers I do business with.  I have five employees that just do online sales.  With the advent of the latest bad program, new listing tool, I will need to hire more people.  I tell CS when I call in on issues that eBay represents 12% of my business, currently, and is 90% of my problems.  This is a company with gross volume of $2.4mil.  I find it telling that no one at eBay really cares about lost volume from guys like me.  I could go on and on about the wrongness of the current programs and how they impact Sellers.  If you care to have a real conversation give me a call, 602 300-6140.  I will not be serving any KoolAid.

[evry1nositswindy]

@partfinds  Agree with you.  I have posted a correct answer, gotten really hostile responses, and quickly blocked that person for fear of retaliation.  I have blocked more members from their responses on the community than those who have not paid me, returned, or were otherwise PITA buyers. 

To say we should be able to answer without angering people is naive.      

[katzrul15]

Absolutely.

And once is all it takes.  Was on the receiving end and will never post on the boards with a Selling ID again.  Took several weeks to remove that sea of red.

The retaliation also can stem from issues that are not post specific.  Anyone who thinks otherwise has not posted in the forums very long.

[pburn]

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@wrong66 wrote:

Exactly. How many times have we heard "how would you know, you're not even a seller"? MANY.

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I've even heard that from someone currently posting in this very thread who's now complaining about it! LOL!

[allthingssurplus]

Was seeing if you had a response to my last email and you did, you removed it.  That's what I mean when I said "Looks like eBay has decided to not want to hear what is wrong with the platform or what costs Sellers money any longer. "  You really do not care about the interaction between eBay and the people that pay you, the Seller.

[partfinds]

@pburn 

you always assume that someone is a newbie and require a lort of explaining. I remember when you screened me and led interview. 
open mind is a good thing.

Sellers are looking for obejectivity and not scripted and often times copy pasted replies and sometimes don’t even apply or contradict ebay written policies. Wierdly enough same people post always same response for every poster and the response is always in favor of protecting eBay (actions, updates etc)  which in some cases are hurting sellers and are unfair. Would you belive that?

i angered multiple members by stating that service metrics hurt and that they are unfair and Ebay does lower visibility if you are in the high level. I was attacked by several members for it. All that I said is in the policy. So why is misinformation being pushed for newbies? Why was I being attacked?

aren’t you angered by complainers? Maybe separate feel good section of the board would be a good thing to keep those that have low tolerance for solving problems and complaints. Don’t know.

[evry1nositswindy]

@partfinds I see your last post on page 5

[simply-the-best-for-you]

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brian_burke@ebay wrote:

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@allthingssurplus wrote:

Looks like eBay has decided to not want to hear what is wrong with the platform or what costs Sellers money any longer.  In the eBay world free speech is not legal or wanted.  Looks like only eBay facts are real and those of long term sellers with ligit complaints will no longer have a voice.  When you only want to hear praise, you will never get corrective change.  This is along the same lines as if your tell a lie long enough and hard enough it begins to be the truth.  So no matter how damaging new programs, like listing tool, come along we will be told how great it is for the Seller and Buyer experience.  This is how countries fall and this is how eBay will Fail.  SAD

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@allthingssurplus  - I'm sorry you feel that way. It's the opposite of what we want from our seller community and you will find our executives are more than willing to listen (and make changes). 

For us on Community, every week via a weekly "Voice of the Customer" report we identify key topics and send them to a wide group of people internally, including executives. We also identify key questions being asked by users and highlight them. In addition, I'm part of a team that manages a panel of 15,000 sellers who provide feedback via surveys, phone interviews and small discussion groups on a host of topics throughout the year.

If you would like to be part of the panel, let me know and I will include you. 

If there is a specific issue about the site you would like addressed IM me. 

Thanks for selling on eBay.

Brian

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Thanks for sharing with us about the Voice of the Customer report, I had no idea that you guys did that & it's great to know a bit of the behind the scenes! 

On the posting ID issue, I must chime in to say I do wish there was a way to post without outing our ID's, yet allowing others to see our experience level.  I cannot take responsibility for how others react.  I can think of countless times where I've posted & someone's thought I was terse or rude & there was no such intent, I just don't use a lot of flowery language (IT person lol). 

I have been on the board through 3 different iterations & companies, pretty much from the beginning of the boards & know of quite a few interferences from people intent on causing a seller harm or even an eBay employee & family being targeted.  I've even been on other boards where people have bragged about their antics here.  I'm sorry to say, it really isn't that rare 😕  & since we can't control how someone interprets what we've written, it often isn't a problem of the poster's communication style.   There are still plenty of sock puppets too.  

All in all though, I think the boards are in great shape.  They were the crazy, wild wild west back in the day & are so tame & much safer now.  I just hope the off-topic stuff can be on it's own board b/c I don't really care to see photos of people's dinner LOL.  

[evry1nositswindy]

@simply-the-best-for-you 

On the posting ID issue, I must chime in to say I do wish there was a way to post without outing our ID's, yet allowing others to see our experience level.  I cannot take responsibility for how others react.  I can think of countless times where I've posted & someone's thought I was terse or rude & there was no such intent, I just don't use a lot of flowery language (IT person lol). 

^^^^

I love this idea.  Number of years selling comes to mind.  It is hard to convey tone through text.