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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@evry1nositswindy wrote:

@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.

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That's actually a very easy way to convey longevity, if not success rate.   I like it! 

[a_c_green]

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@evry1nositswindy wrote:

@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.

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Just to build on that idea: I think you'd need to define what constitutes a year of selling; i.e. a minimum number of sales per year in order to establish your experience, or credibility, or something. Certainly someone with several hundred sales per year is probably better qualified in general to discuss sales topics than someone who's sold, say, eight. 

Just as a data point, I have a selling account and a buying account, and I post here with both. I generally reserve my seller ID posts for non-controversial or non-argumentative topics, and my buying account for anything where the OP or other thread participants might disagree (sometimes vociferously; you can never predict with certainty).

[pburn]

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@evry1nositswindy wrote:

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

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If there's one thing I've learned in my few years as a member of the Community, it's that the number of years a person has been selling does not necessarily have any correlation with their knowledge or expertise on the subject. 

How many times do we see a board regular post, "You've been selling XX# of years and you didn't know that?" Topics like sellers leaving negative feedback for buyers or eBay's FVF fees being charged for shipping (and, more recently, sales tax) come most readily to mind.

[evry1nositswindy]

@pburn Sounds like there might be a quiz first!

[itsjustasprain]

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@evry1nositswindy wrote:

@pburn Sounds like there might be a quiz first!

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Count me in - as long as there are no essay questions.

[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 ”

Somehow I miss typed brian_burke@ebay / @brian_burke earlier. I do make typos often. I apologize. English is not my native language and sometimes wording is off too. Sorry.

[pburn]

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@itsjustasprain wrote:

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@evry1nositswindy wrote:

@pburn Sounds like there might be a quiz first!

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Count me in - as long as there are no essay questions.

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No language skills required . . . 😊

[janet9988]

sheila@ebay 

Share, celebrate… and have fun!

Buying and selling on eBay isn’t the only thing that is important to you. Share your hobby, or complain about your pet peeve. Celebrate your latest thrifting score, or post a death pile photo. This community welcomes hearing about your latest personal triumph, a moment where you need support, or just an amazing meal you made (in the appropriate forum). This community is designed to connect people, and the more we get to know each other, the more our businesses will grow together. 

What boards are these off  ebay topics going to be allowed on. IFor example, I see mods move a shipping question on the seller board to shipping. Some questions fall under more than one category IMO and should not be moved.

Content and actions not permitted 

Inappropriate content or content in violation of these community guidelines, or the eBay User Agreement, should not be posted. You agree to refrain from posting content or taking actions that are:

•  
• duplicative or repetitive - including forum posts and replies

   Does that mean from the same member OR does it  mean all members should not keep asking the same question as other members have already posted?

    And once someone answers then no one else should even be responding to perhaps word things differently?

• advertising listings, products, or services in order to solicit sales or otherwise use the Community as a marketing platform
• Additional resource: eBay fee avoidance policy
• Additional resource: Member-to-member contact policy

    I notice some posters come asking very weird/ short/confusing questions...they all have newer accounts. BUT their questions only lead me to believe that they want us to click their name to look at their listings....like they think it will help drive traffic to their items.

• promoting off-eBay sites, groups, or forums, or suggestions that encourage users to leave eBay

  If an item is NOT allowed to be listed on ebay shouldn't we discourage them from listing it on ebay? Especially if the listing has been pulled by ebay?

[herbaearth]

Can we get a clarification on what kind of stories are acceptable on the seller board? I can write fun stories that would entertain many veteran sellers, but they would be about the community shills who might cry and report their feelings.

I for one would love to know the back story on that adorable goat you’re holding. Thanks for the update!

[emerald1830]

🤣🤣🤣

Oh my goodness...I needed a good laugh today..😂

[joseh1445]

Say what?  Is ebay community going to start taking care of sellers?  Or take to continue to take care of investors, and your boss dear community manager?  Just asking?

[katzrul15]

sheila@ebay 

Sheila - I would like to seek clarity on the following:

• promoting off-eBay sites, groups, or forums, or suggestions that encourage users to leave eBay

Often, a poster will start a thread about wanting to "sell" something of really high value or something that is large and inappropriate to try and ship (i.e. would need to be freighted) and/OR the item(s) they are posting about are items that truly as a ""brand new" seller, would make them an immediate scam "target" (i.e. XBOX systems, PS5's, Computer hardware, crypto-miners, Latest & Greatest I-phones (new), etc etc)

The responses on the board are typically 1 of 4 things:

a) Consider selling the item(s) locally

b) Do not sell these types of items at all online on this (or any) site

c) Do not sell these types of items "now" - wait and build up your profile

d) Online selling is not for you - these types of items are SCAM magnets

Based on the 4 comments above and the bulleted stated board "offense", are these 4 statements considered to be in violation of the community guidelines as now outlined?  

BTW, it is often wondered on these boards how "new" sellers are even able to list HV items at all, but often, they can, while others have very low thresholds for the item total(s) when they start out.  A mystery for sure and a type of thread that comes up really often on the Selling board.

Thank you in advance.

Katz

[pburn]

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@katzrul15 wrote:

sheila@ebay 

Sheila - I would like to seek clarity on the following:

• promoting off-eBay sites, groups, or forums, or suggestions that encourage users to leave eBay

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For context, here's what the guideline said prior to this revision:

"Members are not permitted to tell others to stop selling on eBay or to leave eBay for any reason, which includes promoting off eBay sites, groups, or forums by name or by providing links." 

And here's the relevant verbiage contained in the latest revision:

"You agree to refrain from posting content or taking actions that are:

• promoting off-eBay sites, groups, or forums, or suggestions that encourage users to leave eBay"

It appears the following point of the outlined violation has been removed:

"Members are not permitted to tell others to stop selling on eBay or to leave eBay for any reason . . . "

Personally, IMO, I find that to be an oversight in the newly revised guidelines. It's also, IMO, poorly drafted in terms of grammar and clarity, as the entire revision seems to be. I agree with another posted who stated, essentially, the revised guidelines are awkwardly worded and poorly composed. 

[soh.maryl]

Personally, I don't have a problem when it's necessary to explain to posters that they're not addressing any official part of eBay.  

[katzrul15]

Thank you, but I was asking Sheila (or Brian, etc) for an official board response.  brian@ebay 

I have read the prior language (thank you @valueaddedresource ) and the reviewed the current links posted by sheila@ebay multiple times.  Thus, the question.

I am asking the Community Manager to clarify based on my post and the types of threads that are frequent on this board. 

No offense to you, but not wishing to debate this with other posters.  Sheila indicated to ask for clarification and that is the purpose of my post.  Debating this on any level does not lend clarity - Would like for those who updated the Community Guidelines to address so that for future threads, it is known what parameters make sense and which violate board policy.