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!

[nobody*s_perfect]

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sheila@ebay wrote: ...these ranks were implemented long before I joined and I'm not a fan of them. I need to do some digging to see how Community members progress up the ranks, so I'll take a look at this sometime the later half of this year.

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Or you could just decide that they're pointless, and drop them, and save yourself the trouble of figuring out how they're determined.

P.S. Since it's July we're already in the "later half of this year."  😉

[sheila@ebay]

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@mam98031 wrote:

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sheila@ebay wrote:

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@evry1nositswindy wrote:

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@ckimodog wrote:

@valueaddedresource 

People will receive better CS on these boards than the CS that ebay provides.  Just my opinion. 

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True story but many posters don't believe or heed the advice they are given.  The labels are goofy...rock star doesn't exactly scream " knowledgeable and experienced seller here, listen to me".  sheila@ebay 

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Agreed. The ranks were implemented long before I came onboard. It's on my list for next year to figure out better names or maybe remove them all together but still have a way to acknowledge our top posters.

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sheila@ebay 

Being a "top poster" does not mean they are a knowledgeable poster.  It just means they post more than maybe others might.  A lot of members with lots of post are social in nature and often pull a lot of helpfuls too which kind of makes that number a bit wacky too.  

I'm not suggesting anyone is doing anything wrong.  I'm simply saying it may not represent what it is that many think it should.

The current ranking names are solely based on how many posts a given member makes.

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@mam98031 I need to do a little more digging, but I can confirm that the rankings aren't based on posts alone.  There are many other factors such as the number of kudos and accepted solutions.

[sheila@ebay]

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@wrong66 wrote:

You getting any of this, Sheila?

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Brian and I are reading all of the posts. Yep, we're getting it.

[brian_burke@ebay]

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@donsdetour wrote:

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@allthingssurplus wrote:

The person asking for clarity on the issue from those that wrote it is correct in doing so.  To date I have asked many questions about policy using the written word as the reason for the question.  I never get a 100% answer.  This policy change is a potential for being kicked off the site.  Its not an insult to any Seller or Buyer to ask those that drafted a policy to answer  that Sellers question.  The question is on point.  When you get answers from CS that "well how you are reading it is not how is is intended" you have to be carful.  The written word always trumps the spoke word.  

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Use to be some one in the legal profession wrote the policy: now days I am not sure some ones kid is doing such.

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@donsdetour  I want to confirm that eBay Legal reviews (and edits) all policies, including the Community Guidelines (responding to the highlighted text above). 

Thanks 

Brian

[stacy_pme]

Thank You!   I have grave suspicions this does indeed happen, and with all the rules and moderating I get from the very limited participation I do.... I have pretty much stopped my participation.  The community is no place to put yourself out there to participate and share....  There are too many consequences for very minor "offenses".

[brian_burke@ebay]

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@allthingssurplus wrote:

I find this interesting.  mam98031 in past email has suggested I sell somewhere else if I was so unhappy with the platform.  My how times change.  Everyone that is on the board for any period of time has seen that comment.  If we don't have free speech we have nothing as a country or a community board.  You can use an old AA term "take what you want and leave the rest".  Now that really applies to this Community.  This thing is going to get so sterile you will be in violation for signing on to it.

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@allthingssurplus The policy is enabling more engagement in eBay Community compared with the previous policy.

The specific clause you reference (e.g. promoting off-eBay sites, groups, or forums, or suggestions that encourage users to leave eBay) is about limiting advertising of off eBay sites. 

I hope that clarifies. 

Brian

[donsdetour]

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brian_burke@ebay wrote:

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@donsdetour wrote:

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@allthingssurplus wrote:

The person asking for clarity on the issue from those that wrote it is correct in doing so.  To date I have asked many questions about policy using the written word as the reason for the question.  I never get a 100% answer.  This policy change is a potential for being kicked off the site.  Its not an insult to any Seller or Buyer to ask those that drafted a policy to answer  that Sellers question.  The question is on point.  When you get answers from CS that "well how you are reading it is not how is is intended" you have to be carful.  The written word always trumps the spoke word.  

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Use to be some one in the legal profession wrote the policy: now days I am not sure some ones kid is doing such.

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@donsdetour  I want to confirm that eBay Legal reviews (and edits) all policies, including the Community Guidelines (responding to the highlighted text above). 

Thanks 

Brian

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good to read such.

And me sarcasm does get lost: everyone is some ones kid.....

[maxine*j]

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sheila@ebay wrote:

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... I need to do a little more digging, but I can confirm that the rankings aren't based on posts alone.  There are many other factors such as the number of kudos and accepted solutions.

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sheila@ebay 

Even the number of solutions is pretty wacky. 

On another board, there is someone who asks to have items identified.  When an item is, the person posts, "Thanks" and marks that post as the solution. The person now has over 100 solutions and yet has not one time posted to anyone else's thread to offer an iota of help, much less a solution.

I have something like 660 solutions.  I have correctly answered probably three times that many queries, accurately identifying art, antiquities, antiques, collectibles.   At the same time, though, several of the solutions I do have credit for were not mine, or were not even solutions.   So that 661 is almost a random number.

Wacky, also, are my kudos, at least half of which are just for some funny remark or cartoon.  It's pleasant to have my wit and charm (ahem!) recognized but that doesn't address the potential reliabily of any advice I might offer.

I don't have any ideas about all this, mind you, as whether it should go or stay or be modified.   But I will note that once upon a time there were no monikers, or leader boards, or badges, or the like, and enquirers were credited with the ability to sort through responses to find the useful ones;  i.e., those which were pertinent, articulate, logical, and (as appropriate) included references for verification.

-

[mr_lincoln]

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brian_burke@ebay wrote:

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@allthingssurplus wrote:

I find this interesting.  mam98031 in past email has suggested I sell somewhere else if I was so unhappy with the platform.  My how times change.  Everyone that is on the board for any period of time has seen that comment.  If we don't have free speech we have nothing as a country or a community board.  You can use an old AA term "take what you want and leave the rest".  Now that really applies to this Community.  This thing is going to get so sterile you will be in violation for signing on to it.

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@allthingssurplus The policy is enabling more engagement in eBay Community compared with the previous policy.

The specific clause you reference (e.g. promoting off-eBay sites, groups, or forums, or suggestions that encourage users to leave eBay) is about limiting advertising of off eBay sites. 

I hope that clarifies. 

Brian

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brian_burke@ebay   Can you give me some clarification of the difference between "promoting selling off eBay" and Sellers who simply state that they sell on other venues too?  I think there is a marked difference in those two statements but both point to a Seller who sells elsewhere too, like myself and others. 

Another example would be this ... most of what I acquire I try selling on eBay first BUT, if in a given time period it does not sell on eBay I move it to a different venue.

HOWEVER, stating it that way to me is NOT promoting Sellers to leave eBay to sell elsewhere, it just explains what I do to liquidate inventory when it does not sell on eBay. 

Regards,

Mr. L

[mr_lincoln]

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sheila@ebay wrote:

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@mam98031 wrote:

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sheila@ebay wrote:

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@evry1nositswindy wrote:

---

@ckimodog wrote:

@valueaddedresource 

People will receive better CS on these boards than the CS that ebay provides.  Just my opinion. 

---

True story but many posters don't believe or heed the advice they are given.  The labels are goofy...rock star doesn't exactly scream " knowledgeable and experienced seller here, listen to me".  sheila@ebay 

---

Agreed. The ranks were implemented long before I came onboard. It's on my list for next year to figure out better names or maybe remove them all together but still have a way to acknowledge our top posters.

---

sheila@ebay 

Being a "top poster" does not mean they are a knowledgeable poster.  It just means they post more than maybe others might.  A lot of members with lots of post are social in nature and often pull a lot of helpfuls too which kind of makes that number a bit wacky too.  

I'm not suggesting anyone is doing anything wrong.  I'm simply saying it may not represent what it is that many think it should.

The current ranking names are solely based on how many posts a given member makes.

---

@mam98031 I need to do a little more digging, but I can confirm that the rankings aren't based on posts alone.  There are many other factors such as the number of kudos and accepted solutions.

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sheila@ebay  I would be VERY interested in that formula as well ... if of course it is available for us to know ...

[allthingssurplus]

Brian, I assume you were not around when eBay was suggesting to Sellers that they should be on other selling site.  That did happen!!

[wrong66]

When was this? Can you provide links or proof?

[mam98031]

sheila@ebay 

"I need to do a little more digging, but I can confirm that the rankings aren't based on posts alone.  There are many other factors such as the number of kudos and accepted solutions."

The ranking of a member on the boards is ONLY due to how many posts they have made.  It IS based on posts alone.  Helpfuls or Kudos or accepted solutions have nothing to do with it.  It just isn't that complicated.  It is simply number of posts.

[brian_burke@ebay]

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

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brian_burke@ebay wrote:

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@allthingssurplus wrote:

I find this interesting.  mam98031 in past email has suggested I sell somewhere else if I was so unhappy with the platform.  My how times change.  Everyone that is on the board for any period of time has seen that comment.  If we don't have free speech we have nothing as a country or a community board.  You can use an old AA term "take what you want and leave the rest".  Now that really applies to this Community.  This thing is going to get so sterile you will be in violation for signing on to it.

---

@allthingssurplus The policy is enabling more engagement in eBay Community compared with the previous policy.

The specific clause you reference (e.g. promoting off-eBay sites, groups, or forums, or suggestions that encourage users to leave eBay) is about limiting advertising of off eBay sites. 

I hope that clarifies. 

Brian

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brian_burke@ebay   Can you give me some clarification of the difference between "promoting selling off eBay" and Sellers who simply state that they sell on other venues too?  I think there is a marked difference in those two statements but both point to a Seller who sells elsewhere too, like myself and others. 

Another example would be this ... most of what I acquire I try selling on eBay first BUT, if in a given time period it does not sell on eBay I move it to a different venue.

HOWEVER, stating it that way to me is NOT promoting Sellers to leave eBay to sell elsewhere, it just explains what I do to liquidate inventory when it does not sell on eBay. 

Regards,

Mr. L

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@mr_lincoln You are interpreting it correctly. Intent is always tough to measure, but there are some indicators. If you start a thread and it's titled "Use Craigslist for selling large items like couches" that would be "promoting", if you respond to a seller with a question about whether eBay is a good place to sell their couch and you state "you can use the Local feature on eBay to advertise large items, and I've also had success using FB marketplaces and Craigslist for couches" we would be ok with it. If your response was "NEVER sell couches on eBay, only use FB marketplaces" I would view it as promotion. 

And remember, you will never be restricted from Community for one post (unless you're threatening bodily harm to others).  So if there are any issues with a single post we remove, it will not impact your selling or result in suspension. 

Thanks!

Brian

[mr_lincoln]

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brian_burke@ebay wrote:

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

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brian_burke@ebay wrote:

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@allthingssurplus wrote:

I find this interesting.  mam98031 in past email has suggested I sell somewhere else if I was so unhappy with the platform.  My how times change.  Everyone that is on the board for any period of time has seen that comment.  If we don't have free speech we have nothing as a country or a community board.  You can use an old AA term "take what you want and leave the rest".  Now that really applies to this Community.  This thing is going to get so sterile you will be in violation for signing on to it.

---

@allthingssurplus The policy is enabling more engagement in eBay Community compared with the previous policy.

The specific clause you reference (e.g. promoting off-eBay sites, groups, or forums, or suggestions that encourage users to leave eBay) is about limiting advertising of off eBay sites. 

I hope that clarifies. 

Brian

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brian_burke@ebay   Can you give me some clarification of the difference between "promoting selling off eBay" and Sellers who simply state that they sell on other venues too?  I think there is a marked difference in those two statements but both point to a Seller who sells elsewhere too, like myself and others. 

Another example would be this ... most of what I acquire I try selling on eBay first BUT, if in a given time period it does not sell on eBay I move it to a different venue.

HOWEVER, stating it that way to me is NOT promoting Sellers to leave eBay to sell elsewhere, it just explains what I do to liquidate inventory when it does not sell on eBay. 

Regards,

Mr. L

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@mr_lincoln You are interpreting it correctly. Intent is always tough to measure, but there are some indicators. If you start a thread and it's titled "Use Craigslist for selling large items like couches" that would be "promoting", if you respond to a seller with a question about whether eBay is a good place to sell their couch and you state "you can use the Local feature on eBay to advertise large items, and I've also had success using FB marketplaces and Craigslist for couches" we would be ok with it. If your response was "NEVER sell couches on eBay, only use FB marketplaces" I would view it as promotion. 

And remember, you will never be restricted from Community for one post (unless you're threatening bodily harm to others).  So if there are any issues with a single post we remove, it will not impact your selling or result in suspension. 

Thanks!

Brian

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My sincere thanks for the clarification brian_burke@ebay

Mr. L