Interacting with spammers on community

[nicole@ebay]

Hi everyone! I wanted to share a tip that'll help keep our Community clean. When encountering spammers on Community, please refrain from interacting with spam posts as this encourages the spammer to keep posting. Replying to spam posts, encourages the spammer, and keeps the offensive material at the top of the Community forum list. By not replying, it has the chance to sink down the forum list. Let's not 'feed the troll' who's looking for a reaction from Community.

We ask that you please report this behavior to the moderators by clicking the options menu  then report inappropriate content. Our Moderators will remove the content as soon as possible.

[pburn]

👍

[aqeeqsouq]

Most spam posts posting from members from SL.

[sheila@ebay]

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@donsdetour wrote:

Hi spam is usualy some one advertising an item for sale:

Some of the other problems that happen are folks saying they need to find a seller;

a high risk situation.

Is that considered spam???

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@donsdetour can you share some examples with us when you come across one? 

[donsdetour]

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Is-there-someone-in-the-Orlando-area-who-would-partner-with-me... 

[sheila@ebay]

Several weeks ago, we had spam content on the Selling board of x-rated content. These posts were posted during a time the Moderators weren't on the boards so no action was taken until the morning. This is the type of post that you don't want to engage in because it feeds the troll and bumps the post back up to the top of the page.

Advertisements is another example of spam posts. 

If you see this type of post, 'Buyer can't pay' posted back to back and each poster has posted only one time in Community. I consider that spam post. I've seen the 'Buyer can't pay', several times in a row on Community.

My advice, if the post looks suspicious, don't engage and report it and let the mods decide if it's spam content of not. 

[donsdetour]

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sheila@ebay wrote:

Several weeks ago, we had spam content on the Selling board of x-rated content. These posts were posted during a time the Moderators weren't on the boards so no action was taken until the morning. This is the type of post that you don't want to engage in because it feeds the troll and bumps the post back up to the top of the page.

Advertisements is another example of spam posts. 

If you see this type of post, 'Buyer can't pay' posted back to back and each poster has posted only one time in Community. I consider that spam post. I've seen the 'Buyer can't pay', several times in a row on Community.

My advice, if the post looks suspicious, don't engage and report it and let the mods decide if it's spam content of not. 

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Thanks for the clarified use of spam in this case;

Inappropriate posts, spamming the boards is for sure a troll trying to gain attention.

"Spamming" (the term) came from a person(s)  or bots spreading ,usually; advertising (spam)  by bombarding the boards with posts.

Old terms for us old timers that now days are used a bit differently.

[redmodelt]

Not being anti Sri Lanka, but I would consider most all the post made by them as spam or waste of time answering. Too many posts with exact same question/wording made by different posting IDs. Most never seem to come back and read the replies anyway after they post. This last weekend or weekends in general, when moderators are not working, seems to receive the most post. 

I have also noted that there are a number of posts made by them as replies to questions that have no base in how things work here. 

Taken on the surface, given just the observations made by myself and others, I am thinking that what has been suggested that someone is telling these people that posting here helps with their standing on eBay. 

Re actual spam posts: People need to stop replying to them and just report. Every time those posts gets a reply, it bumps it up.  Report them by opening the drop down from the down arrow in the circle at upper right over the time stamp. 

[sheila@ebay]

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@redmodelt wrote:

Not being anti Sri Lanka, but I would consider most all the post made by them as spam or waste of time answering. Too many posts with exact same question/wording made by different posting IDs. Most never seem to come back and read the replies anyway after they post. This last weekend or weekends in general, when moderators are not working, seems to receive the most post. 

I have also noted that there are a number of posts made by them as replies to questions that have no base in how things work here. 

Taken on the surface, given just the observations made by myself and others, I am thinking that what has been suggested that someone is telling these people that posting here helps with their standing on eBay. 

Re actual spam posts: People need to stop replying to them and just report. Every time those posts gets a reply, it bumps it up.  Report them by opening the drop down from the down arrow in the circle at upper right over the time stamp. 

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I've reached out to the posters via DM who keep posting the same message over and over and asked why the same messages? I haven't heard a response yet, but hopefully someone responds so I can give accurate information which is posting on the Community boards have no impact on their status as a Seller.

[nocoolnamejane]

A looong time ago, back when the New to EBay board was still up and it was pages after pages of “What is the best method of payment? Looking forward to the helpful vote”, we would ask then exactly why they were asking these copy pasted questions. 

One poster answered that that’s what they were told to do in order become allowed to sell (selling from SL was impossible legally at the time since PayPal accounts from there couldn’t receive payments) in “How to sell on eBay” courses sold in Sri Lanka. They were also told getting their post accepted as a Solution or getting Helpfuls was… helpful. That has died down since the reconfiguration of the boards but we are left with the copy pasted questions, or sometimes people copy pasting entire past threads. 

[sheila@ebay]

@nocoolnamejane @redmodelt @donsdetour @aqeeqsouq do me a favor. The next time you see multiple of the same questions posted on the board, back to back. Can you tag me? I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet, but I'll at least reach out via DM. Anyone is free to post on the Community, but I want to set the record straight that posting on Community isn't a requirement to sell on eBay.

[donsdetour]

Hi Sheilla: this situation is due to new users usually from Sri.  Usually different users with strange questions that they post;

I deal with such by simply moving em with a link to the seller academy now days if I catch where they are from.

Problem with this stuff it bounces some things down the board.

It can be irritating but really is not a major problem other than what ever info they get from the get rich fast thing they are using is of course wrong.

[sheila@ebay]

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@donsdetour wrote:

Hi Sheilla: this situation is due to new users usually from Sri.  Usually different users with strange questions that they post;

I deal with such by simply moving em with a link to the seller academy now days if I catch where they are from.

Problem with this stuff it bounces some things down the board.

It can be irritating but really is not a major problem other than what ever info they get from the get rich fast thing they are using is of course wrong.

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Sadly there's so much misinformation out there. 😥

[krazzykats]

Could a pinned thread be addressed to brand new users to read first before selling on ebay?  Then some links to send them to for selling, like the ebay academy?  Setting up MP and Payoneer,  using ebay to research...some basic links, and simple, so as not to overwhelm a new user.  

New to ebay Read this first to get started

Something like that, but not buried in a bunch of other links.

[dhbookds]

People need to stop replying to them and just report.

Yep.......but how do you get them to stop replying?  There are some regular posters that reply to anything/everything  even repeating (seems as tho they never read the replies) what others have said.  It's one thing to "concur" with an answer.....it's "unhelpful"  to simply repeat an answer that's already been given as if it's a new answer. 

Frankly, I think if helpfuls were discontinued it would solve alot of problems.......obviously not the real spam........go here to buy this......but the Sri Lankan stuff and the repetitious replies might be reduced.  

[krazzykats]

I may be one of those who interact with some of them. 

But I grew up in a different world where there was no such thing as a stupid question even if one has to repeat themselves.