Wow Call me crazy, but what has become of eBay and its policies??

[inthepastcollectibles]

So, I re-opened my store for Christmas and was doing some research on my product for pricing.  I typed in key words 100 Mini Lights Red Green.  As I scrolled the listings, I saw this.....

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=100+mini+lights+red+green&_sacat=0

At the bottom of the page, I saw sponsored "websites" (not eBay sellers) advertising "like items".  What the heck?  I thought eBay didn't want to drive sales off site?  I thought it was against eBay policy to do so, but apparently it is now OK, unless you are an eBay seller.  Good luck with that eBay!!  So very very wrong (at least for this long time seller).  I will tell you I won't be buying A THING on eBay and will close my store again after December.  Ebay, the bad gift to sellers that just keeps on giving!!  No wonder there is such disgust by sellers selling on eBay.

[gracieallen01]

Well, you see, it is sort of like the person spinning the sign on the busy corner.  One day they spin one sign, and the next, they spin another.  It doesn't make any difference which sign they spin or what day it is - they get paid for spinning a sign.

[grayirongolf]

Yes, it's greed plain & simple.   Upper management want's to make dang sure they fill up before they find themselves floating face down.   

[johnrj1226]

eBay stock is taking a beating from a high  of around $45 in Feb 2018 / share to $28-29 today. The stock decline  has been on a steady SE curve decline from Feb.

eBay is operating in the red since the first of Dec. 31, 2017.

A 38% decline is nothing to sneeze at.

Check out the reality first.

GM  and Chrysler tanked in 2010 - gov  had to bail them out at the taxpayers expense   At onetime GM was the #1 autocompany inthe world. expense.  Ford didn't take a dime - they restructed on their own.  Look where they stand now

Below are the top 10 Car Brands in World 2018:

1st Place : Toyota

2nd Place : Volkswagen

3rd Place : Daimler

4th Place : General Motors

5th Place : Ford Motor

6th Place : Honda Motors

7th Place : SAIC

8th Place : BMW

9th Place : Nissan

10th Place : Fiat Chrysler

When you are at the top of the mountain there  is only one way to go.

[dr.clockenstien]

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@johnrj1226 wrote:

eBay stock is taking a beating from a high  of around $45 in Feb 2018 / share to $28-29 today. The stock decline  has been on a steady SE curve decline from Feb.

eBay is operating in the red since the first of Dec. 31, 2017.

A 38% decline is nothing to sneeze at.

Check out the reality first.

GM  and Chrysler tanked in 2010 - gov  had to bail them out at the taxpayers expense   At onetime GM was the #1 autocompany inthe world. expense.  Ford didn't take a dime - they restructed on their own.  Look where they stand now

Below are the top 10 Car Brands in World 2018:

1st Place : Toyota

2nd Place : Volkswagen

3rd Place : Daimler

4th Place : General Motors

5th Place : Ford Motor

6th Place : Honda Motors

7th Place : SAIC

8th Place : BMW

9th Place : Nissan

10th Place : Fiat Chrysler

When you are at the top of the mountain there  is only one way to go.

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I hope that from your first reply you understand that I AM empathetic for the workers who were and will be laid off.

That was the point of my post.  The same pattern of laying workers off and chasing money to be at the top, only to fall down cost us as well.

There is great value in reputation, and smart business choices.

Ford did not take a dime and stand strong and steady at #5.

GM slashing jobs to move, after receiving bailout $ from taxpayers is a very low blow to the American marketplace.

Those in charge are selling out to fill up their wallets and have now taken money from the goverment.

Was it not the idea to help business here to keep our economy rolling?

One member there is at the helm here in ebay!

ebay also laid off employees this year, after it paid $3B to it's some of it's shareholders in the first three quarters in '18.  (This is why they say the stock value is down).

I don't think many of those former employees are coming to buy from ebay, let alone the reputation IT is losing with its current sellers and overall customers here.

[caninekopz]

Ha, dont think for a moment that Ford did not get a bail out........

When I was in Iraq, all the support vehicles for our military, contractors and the vehicles purchased by the US for the Iraqi government were FORD vehicles.  And BTW they were broken down all the time becuase they could not handle the heat, sand and climate.  All of these big companies get something in one way or another to keep them from going under.  Ford was just granted contracts while GM took the beating publicly.  

I could care less about either one as I am not in the corner of either one.  I like them both, they both make good cars, they both keep the economy rolling along, and they both take money from the government.  PERIOD.  

Rich 

[dr.clockenstien]

Lesson learned, thanks for the correction.

[books...forthememories]

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@dr.clockenstien wrote:

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@guybemis wrote:

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@inthepastcollectibles wrote:

So, I re-opened my store for Christmas and was doing some research on my product for pricing.  I typed in key words 100 Mini Lights Red Green.  As I scrolled the listings, I saw this.....

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=100+mini+lights+red+green&_sacat=0

At the bottom of the page, I saw sponsored "websites" (not eBay sellers) advertising "like items".  What the heck?  I thought eBay didn't want to drive sales off site?  I thought it was against eBay policy to do so, but apparently it is now OK, unless you are an eBay seller.  Good luck with that eBay!!  So very very wrong (at least for this long time seller).  I will tell you I won't be buying A THING on eBay and will close my store again after December.  Ebay, the bad gift to sellers that just keeps on giving!!  No wonder there is such disgust by sellers selling on eBay.

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LOL. Corporate greed at it's finest. They would rather blow off billions of dollars of future long term profits from items sold on the site, to make a couple of quick bucks on off site advertising links. They only care about what they can make today. If the company goes broke tomorrow, they will all just get jobs at another company and run that into the ground too.

It reminds me of a lot of news media sites.  Where every news story is a sponsered link that takes you to another website. Of course they make a lot of money on the links, until people stop coming to their site, becase all the news is elsewhere. There is no logic when it comes to greed.

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Yup!

GM just laid off thousands of workers last week before the holiday season with plans on closing more plants.

Guess who just happens to be on their Board of Directors as of earlier this year... Devin Wenig.

His business strategy just keeps infecting big companies all around.

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He makes Darth Vader look like an Eagle Scout...Weinig's job description: "kiss of death director."   

[membersinceaug2001]

Sears is still paying their top people millions of dollars in bonuses!  All court-approved.

[moondogblues]

"GM slashing jobs to move, after receiving bailout $ from taxpayers is a very low blow to the American marketplace."

GM paid back every dime of the bailout...and I notice that no one has mentioned the TARIFFS as a reason for the layoffs and plant closures. Will you censure Harley Davidson too? Or Carrier? Or the soybean farmers who couldn't sell their crop to China because of the tariffs?

[tunicaslot]

GM lays off employees at this time every year and I have friends who work there. Others are laid off in the summer months when production is slow. They love it as they get extra paid vacations.

The plants closing have to do with a retool of the line of new vehicles. They are eliminating many of the cars in the line up and focusing on trucks and SUVs as that's what folks are buying these days. If they want a car - most folks buy Toyota or Honda so both GM and Ford's car sales have diminshed

[johnrj1226]

1.  Ford was  the #2 auto maker in the world at one time and Chrysler the number 3.  Hence the label BIG 3.

2.  Ford Motor company did not  get a bailout.  They  may have received a government contract to make vehicles for the US government (military) but that is a supplier and buyer arrangement.  This is not an uncommon thing, Chrysler received  similar  contracts going back to the1950's.  and  has receivedother US government pailout  money.   neighbor of ours a Major in the US Army used to inspect Chrysler & Willis Jeep plants to make certain the products were being made to the military standards.

3.  Ford did in fact take  mortgages out on their company owned facilities to provide finances to keep their company going.  The first time in history that Ford did not own any property.  They  have since paid off their mortagages.  GM did repaytheir government bailout $ but did so a the  rate of about  50 cent on a dollar.  The condition of the payback was based a fixed number of GM  stocks with a 'projected' valued of about $46/share and had a given repayment date.  The stock value never approched that  level and the US tax payer  took it on the chin.   Chysler paid their  bailout  ahead  of schedule.

4.   At one time the Ford Rouge  facility in  Detroit & Dearborm was the world largest self sufficent facility in the world.   That meant they built every part of the automobiles right there.  And in their  "hay day" they employed 300,000 people.  Today they only employ about 6500 people at the  new Dearborn Assembly Plant - many of their other operations were sold off to other company (liketeh glass plant), steel making an foundry plants shut down, etc. their.

5.  How do I know all this - I was  born &  raised  in the Down River area, I worked at the old Dearborn Assembly Plant, where the  Mustangs were built at the rate of 67 cars per hour 67 hours per week in the summers to pay my college (R& B, books, tuition and a little spending money.  In oursuit of my **bleep** in Automotive Engineering w/Bus. Ad. Minor.  I read the history of Ford Motor in college.  I am forever indebted to FoMoCo for giving me the opportunity to earn my college degree.  I have always bought American made products - Ford & GM only - they make good stuff.   Example, still  have a 1998 Ford Explorer V6 with 278K miles still  runs just fine.  Used to pull  a bass boat every weekend 'til 2007   Other than  maintence items (brakes, etc)  and a heater  blower motor it is all original parts.  It use a little engine oil  a pint, every 3K.  It is our go to Home Depot & recycle center vehicle now.  BTW the military vehicles  adn other  equipment meet tehspecification set forth by  the militiary and  teh contract are issued to teh lowest bidder.  A company I worked for sold forklifts to the military and they had to met  a spec called Mil 268C and prove that they did met them through  actually  testing.  Suspect  those yousaidbrokedown inIraq did met those specs set forth.

[vanman1029]

 I own a 2005 Toyota 4 Runner, my buddy has a 2005 Chevy trailblazer. Both were bought brand new and both have around 150,000 miles.  Both were maintained and driven similarity. The Chevy has had the radiator, heater core, EGR valve, starter, altenator, fuel pump, fuel injector assembley, both front hubs (not the wheel bearings, the entire hubs!) rear axle seals, brake lines, turn signal switch, body mounts, sway bar bushings, and ball joints replaced. He has a folder over one inch thick of repair receipts. And now  the frame is showing signs of rusting. My Toyota only had a intake manifold gasket replaced, everything else is original. So which is the better engineered car? Now wonder American cars are shunned by customers. 

[johnrj1226]

@dr.clockenstien

I was not implying or inferring anything about your  lack of empathy for the GM situation.  People will survive but  they  may have to sacrifice - like relocating,  taking a  job at lower pay or or just collect unemployment for a while - all personal choices based on their own personal financial or  family  situations.  My nephew works a the GM plant in Warren, Michigan and is pondering taking early  retirement - he has 30+ years with GM and very close to being eligible for SS.

I simply stated I had  a little empathy due to a real life situation that happened to me in 1981. That is all.   You know the phrase been there done that phrase (or been there lived that) I had a lot of friends at that company that were in the same boat (25% of 1250 people where cut in one day on a Friday - a black Friday for sure) - and many of them did what I expect those affected by the GM cut back/plant closing will do.  The big difference between 1981 & now is the  fact there are  a lot of  jobs now i.e.  10+% unemployment in 1981 and 3.1% now.  In either  situation - not  many bring on new hires at the end of the year or the beginning of the  next year.

[johnrj1226]

Only bought American made vehicles since 1 965  Ford & GM.  Never had any significant issues.   One thing  I recall in my auto engineering classes my instructor in formed us that  Oil/fluids is always cheaper than metal.  Can't comment on your buddys vehicle and how he maintained or  drove his vehicle (but  going by  what you stated - he either  has a PP mechanic work on his car or he goes mudbogging every time it rains but I do know that there a 3 dirtys, that will shorten the live of  any car Dirty oil/fluids, Dirty air and the Dirty B ____ that didn't change them  - this applies to Toyota.  I own a 1998 Ford Explorer, V6 with 274K+ miles (almost double as both your & your buddies vehicle put together) - for most it life, like the first 200K, towed a  bass boat every weekend from early spring to late fall, up and  downhills and down red dirt/gravel roads in Georgia and hot temps/humid days.  The only  thing  ever replaced other  than common wear items (brakes, batteries, tires etc.) was the heat/air blower fan - $30 adn  an hour to  R/R.   Still drive it to HD and the recycle center and other odd jobs - starts just fine but like me it is old and uses about a pint of  motor oil every 3K miles - just changed the antifreeze.  I say that ain't too bad for a US made & built vehicle. If you are every in my 'hood' come buy and see for  yourself and review the maintenance record history from day 1.

PS - had a 1985 Trail Balzer - no issues - traded it  on a  1990  Chevy Celebirty - no issues to each there own