07 July 2009

Back In Time - eBay Would Like Your Input

Back In Time - eBay Would Like Your Input
7 July 2009
EventHorizon1984



eBay sends out surveys to gather data to justify their future plans. And we get a lot of them.

We received yesterday (7/6/2009) the survey email below (personal information edited out). And it told us a great deal about how organized eBay is today.

The email is dated "From eBay Research Wed Jun 17 21:24:51 2009"


"Tell me Doctor, where are we going this time? Is this the 50's or 1999?"
Huey Lewis and The News
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4hwY061yQ4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgyvMp5YWcI

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Dear *****,

We would like to invite you to participate in a survey about your experiences on eBay. Your input will help eBay to improve its communications and ability to meet customer needs. Your feedback is highly valued!

eBay has partnered with Decipher, an independent marketing research firm, to conduct this survey. This survey is for research purposes only. All the information you provide will be treated as strictly confidential and will be used only for bona fide market research purposes. Survey results are viewed in aggregate. Individual responses are not identified.

We hope that you will take the time to complete this 12-minute survey, as it is an effective and easy way to share your feedback with eBay.

To take the survey: Please click here

Thanks for being a part of the eBay community, and we hope to see you on eBay again soon.

Kind Regards,

eBay Research Department



This email was sent to you (*****) because your Notification Preferences indicate that you want to receive eBay product surveys. These surveys will ask you for your opinion on various topics; you will never be asked for personal information such as your password or credit card/bank numbers. If you do not wish to receive further communications, please sign into "My eBay" by clicking on the "My eBay" link found at the top of the eBay home page, and change your Notification Preferences. Please note that this change may take up to 10 days to process.

Decipher, Inc., an independent market research firm, is conducting this online survey for eBay. For questions about its validity, you may email us at research@ebay.com. To stop receiving e-mails from Decipher, Inc., please click here.

Have safety concerns? Learn how to protect yourself from spoof (fake) emails at:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/account/reporting-spoof.html

For questions about eBay's communication policies, please visit our privacy policy at
http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/privacy-policy.html and our User Agreement at
http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/user-agreement.html

Copyright © 2009 eBay, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
eBay and the eBay logo are registered trademarks of eBay Inc.
Other trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners.
eBay is located at 2145 Hamilton Avenue, San Jose, CA 95125.

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Comments

mylegacy-treasures
Recently, it appears that Mr D. and staff aren't asking Qs just to get the answers that they want to hear.

Perhaps we can return to 2005, 2003, 2001 or even 1999! And have a happier, healthier and more successful buying and selling environment.
Jul-07-09 14:17:48 PDT 
madcat1010
I got one that asked for my age!! I assumed it was a scam and sent it in to ebay.....they said it was legit.
Jul-07-09 14:22:49 PDT 
cdlucel
check your ebay email first, before responding to your normal email provider..always go through Ebay..for all your needs..lol ;) woof woof
Jul-07-09 14:26:50 PDT

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02 July 2009

Richard Ambrose Is Leaving eBay. Does It Matter?

Richard Ambrose Is Leaving eBay.  Does It Matter?
1 July 2009
EventHorizon1984


During the irregular perusal of Tamebay we came across the article Richard Ambrose leaves eBay for new challenges.

Not being in the eBay European theatre of operations we (including me) went, "Who??"

For those unfamiliar with Tamebay, it an excellent blog covering eBay from the European point of view. Or for some posters over there, the British interpretation of how best to use eBay.

Getting back to "Who??", in the article, Chris Dawson of Tamebay wrote:

"With over 1000 feedback (and no negs!) Richard knows eBay inside out. He was a valued and valuable member of the community, spending his own time on boards and forums talking to buyers and sellers and taking their concerns back to eBay’s internal teams."

The impressive description was followed by multiple posts, including one that stated:

Since he took the reins – incidences of serious fraud
affecting multiple users have become the exception rather than rule

"We" being the curious type decided to ask:

Citation with actual numbers please?

And promptly received multiple responses, none with numbers.

Still leaving the issue of "Who??".  Not to mention the new issue of a rise in hits from eBay related IP addresses, after we made the tiny post.

This interest in Richard Ambrose got our collective interest up.  And like the keepers of The Prisoner, "we want information."



"Trust me. I know what I'm doing."
Sledge Hammer!

Richard Ambrose's eBay.co.uk ID is medievalist (918).

Richard Ambrose






Richard Ambrose

From article dated, 14 November 2007.

Feedback Profile

medievalist ( 918)

Member since: 12-Jan-99 in United Kingdom
Recent Feedback Ratings (last 12 months)
 1 month6 months12 months
Positive feedback ratingPositive39115205
Neutral feedback ratingNeutral000
Negative feedback ratingNegative000
Detailed Seller Ratings (last 12 months)
CriteriaAverage ratingNumber of ratings
Item as described57
Communication57
Dispatch time57
Postage and packaging charges56

Feedback is excellent, but as wryly noted by many he is an eBay employee.

Speaking of which if you check his complete listings you will find something missing. 

eBay Employee Trading and Community Content Policy

The following are the rules that all eBay Inc. company employees must follow to use an eBay company Web site:

  • When eBay company employees list an item for sale on eBay, the eBay company employees must identify themselves as eBay employees and include the link to this Web page in their listing.

The above required disclosure remains oddly missing from Richard Ambrose's listings.

Not to worry though as Richard Ambrose, before leaving eBay, was "UK's Head of Customer Support and Trust & Safety."



"So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish"
Douglas Adams (1984)

Here's his goodbye post on an eBay forum.  European style date of "01-07-09" is equivalent to U.S. format "07-01-09".

Mr Ambrose, if you're lurking :-x


medievalist  (915 ) View Listings | Report
Afternoon everyone,

Thanks for the (mostly!;)) good wishes.

It's been a great privilege to spend six years at eBay supporting the buyers and sellers on the site.

I've particularly enjoyed posting on the boards during that time (though I haven't done it much this year) - it's the best place there is to take the pulse of the community and understand how the changes we make are really affecting people. I'm pleased to say that James is doing a great job of making sure that all the staff who don't come here so much see the posts that are made and read the opinions that are aired here. They are more widely read, and have more impact on the decisions that eBay makes, than you might imagine.

It's also been a pleasure getting to know some of you personally. Sorry for those of you who have ever found me direct in the past - I prefer not to mince my words, and I apologise for any times when that may have caused offence.

I'll still lurk from time to time, and wish you all many happy and profitable years to come on eBay.

Cheers
Richard

PS trufflington, many thanks for your post. James now owes me a fiver :-D
01-07-09 16:31 BST 39 of 303

Since this was an informal goodbye, we'll overlook the violations involved.

  • When eBay company employees submit Community content as members, not as employees, they must identify themselves as eBay employees and state that the content reflects their personal views and is not written on behalf of eBay Inc.
  • Content posted by eBay employees acting in an official eBay capacity will normally be identified by a different treatment from content published by members; for example, a pink bar highlighting the User name.



"I hired you because you look good. It's like having a nice piece of art in the lobby."
Dr. Gregory House, House

According to Linkedin, like the mythical 'Elephant Graveyard' a company where ex-eBay employees end up:

Linkedin Profile:

Richard Ambrose
Director, Trust & Safety at eBay Europe
London, United Kingdom
  • Director, Trust & Safety
  • eBay Europe
  • (Internet industry)

  • November 2008 — Present (9 months) 

  • Head of Trust & Safety
  • 
eBay
  • (Public Company; ebay; Internet industry)

  • October 2007 — October 2008 (1 year 1 month) 

  • Head of Finding
  • 
eBay
  • 
(Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; ebay; Internet industry)
  • 
September 2004 — September 2007 (3 years 1 month)
  • Senior Manager, Collectables & Entertainment 

  • eBay

  • (Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; ebay; Internet industry)
  • 
September 2003 — September 2004 (1 year 1 month)
  • Head of Business Development 

  • Music Choice Europe
  • 
(Public Company; 51-200 employees; Media Production industry)
  • 
January 2002 — June 2003 (1 year 6 months)
  • Commercial Manager 

  • Talkcast

  • (Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Internet industry)

  • January 2000 — September 2000 (9 months)
  • Consultant 

  • Decipher
  • 
(Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Management Consulting industry)

  • June 1999 — January 2000 (8 months)
  • Analyst 
Mercer Management Consulting
  • 
(Public Company; Internet industry)

  • 1996 — 1999 (3 years)



"The trouble with being infallible is that you have to deal with everyone else making mistakes."
Emperor Cartagia, Babylon 5

Anyone who's gone through stacks of resumes might be thinking 'what's behind the titles?'.

Glad you asked that.  Here's a small sampler of Richard Ambrose projects.

eBay to make free P&P compulsory for DVDs
Saturday, October 11th, 2008 at 1:08 pm

  • "Richard Ambrose from eBay stated that some of the maximum rates will be below actual cost and for DVDs they will insist sellers offer free post, although upgrade to priority services and overseas postage can still be charged."
Ebay Spokesman Richard Ambrose on Feedback Strike Boycott
February 22 2008

eBay Hopes to Boost Membership by Removing Seller Feedback
3:22 PM Feb 7, 2008
  • Starting Feb. 20, the online auction site will block sellers from leaving negative feedback about buyers.
  • "The feedback system has been around for more than ten years, and it remains right at the heart of what makes eBay work," said Richard Ambrose, of eBay UK.
  • "But it needs to evolve a little bit."
  • But eBay says sellers shouldn't worry.
  • "As buyers are more honest about their feedback, good sellers are going to stand out more and more," stated Ambrose.
  • "We're also going to increase the help we give to sellers when they occasionally encounter a buyer who doesn't pay. And we're going to make it much easier for them to report that and get their money back."
eBay 'sorry' over policy change
Friday, 20 April 2007, 17:01 GMT 18:01 UK
  • "eBay's Richard Ambrose says the changes make the site 'fairer'"
  • "Until recently, items put up for sale by eBay customers on the UK site automatically appeared in the search results on the bigger American ebay.com site.
  • But since February, the most common 'simple search' on ebay.com only brings up items for sale by US sellers."
eBay's 10-year rise to world fame
Friday, 2 September 2005, 17:11 GMT 18:11 UK
  • EBay spokesman Richard Ambrose confirms that the company intends to make the site more user-friendly for businesses trading in bulk.
  • "If you want to sell, say, 50,000 Jiffy bags or 25,000 bricks, you can do it, but it's not a great experience," he told the BBC News website. "In the next few years, we will be making it easier to wholesale items on the site."
  • Mr Ambrose says that despite eBay's dominant market position in many countries, the company is not complacent about the future.
  • "We're in a strong, but not impregnable position," he says. "We're under severe pressure from Yahoo! in Asia - we're in a fierce battle with them in China."
  • EBay stirred up controversy among users by increasing some of its fees earlier this year. Mr Ambrose says this was to ensure that certain popular ways of making sellers' listings stand out were not devalued through overuse.
  • "From the outside, it's easy for it to seem that we're trying to flex our muscles. But in the long term, we want people to grow on eBay and maximise their profits. When they grow, so do we."

The inspector calls on eBay
12:01AM BST 26 Sep 2004

  • However, the Government is increasingly concerned that the sheer size of eBay means the Revenue is losing millions of pounds in tax.
  • "What has really made the growth explode is the shift which we have seen from being a site that is associated with collectable, quirky, hard-to-find, used, vintage items to one where people buy what we call practicles," says Richard Ambrose, eBay's UK category manager.
  • "By practicles we're talking clothes, cars, golf clubs, watches. We're seeing more professional traders and we're also seeing more private individuals who are just thinking of eBay as a place to sell things that they wouldn't have in the past."
  • But just how easy is it for tax authorities to investigate traders? After all, this is cyberspace. How can investigators be sure tax dodgers can be tracked back to the real world?
  • "When people register with us we do check that their personal details are accurate and that their phone number is accurate," Ambrose says. "Any seller is obliged to register a credit card with us."
  • And what about the taxman? "Anybody buying or selling on eBay needs to be aware of what their tax responsibilities are," Ambrose maintains. "But we are not in a position to enforce it . . . although we can and do co-operate with outside bodies."



"Even though your wording was within the letter of the policy, it could easily have been interpreted as violating the spirit of it."
Richard Ambrose, eBay

Coming back to the original question, 'does it matter that Richard Ambrose is leaving eBay?'.

Based on what we've learned over the intervening hours:

Even though Richard Ambrose was working within the letter of the law, his actions could easily have been interpreted as violating the eBay Community spirit.

We find Richard Ambrose leaving eBay to be a non-event.

END RUN

"Gentlemen, I'm simply an honest businessman."
Harcourt Fenton Mudd, Star Trek

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25 June 2009

The eBay PayPal 10% Hold Solution

The eBay PayPal 10% Hold Solution
25 June 2009
EventHorizon1984

See also

The eBay/PayPal legal/financial team was busy at work implementing the new and improved 10% hold policy.  Where PayPal holds 10% of PayPal payments made to sellers.

The dunning template (we edited in the Fill In The Category) letter sent out on June 23rd reads:

Your business is important to us, and we are working hard to provide an easy, fast and secure payment service to you and your customers while keeping our prices competitive. We're also committed to clearly communicating changes to our policies and procedures. To that end, we are writing to inform you of a change to your PayPal account, which will take effect 30 days from the date of this email.

Beginning 07/23/2009, a small percentage of the total payments you receive will be held temporarily as a reserve in your account. This small reserve amount helps to ensure that funds are available to cover payment reversals or buyer chargebacks, if you do not have a sufficient PayPal account balance and do not provide the funds to do so.

A reserve is like a security deposit for your PayPal account and is standard practice in the payments industry, especially for retail segments like
Fill In The Category where there is a higher-than-average risk of reversals or chargebacks. This does not mean that you have done anything wrong. We are requiring a small reserve in your account because you sell in a category that has a higher risk of reversals and chargebacks and because you are relatively new to PayPal as a seller.

Your reserve amount will be 10% of the total payments you receive, which will be held on a rolling 60-day schedule. That means 10% of the money you take in each day will be held in your account, and then made available for withdrawal 60 days later.

For example, if you receive $2,000 every 60 days into your PayPal account, then a reserve amount of about $400 would be required on a rolling 60-day period. In other words, about $6.67 would be held in reserve each day, then released 60 days later.

If you are a PayPal Money Market Fund customer, you will still earn interest on your total balance while your money is in reserve. Click here for more information or to enroll in the PayPal Money Market Fund.

We recognize this is a change in the way we do business with you. By requiring some merchants to reserve money in their accounts, we're able to lower our own costs. Keeping our costs low helps us to continue providing competitive pricing for all sellers who use PayPal.

If you have any questions about this change, please call us at 1-877-729-7252. We appreciate your business and look forward to a continued partnership.

Sincerely,

PayPal

According to orange_cape_hides_me the Fill In The Category covers:

  • "purses, clothing & fashion accessories
  • books
  • industrial
  • motor parts
  • games, toys (aver. price $25.00 or less)
  • stamps
  • fabric
  • pool supplies
  • and pet supplies"

According to PayPal:

The end of second quarter (June 30) looming for eBay and PayPal, explains the timing of the 10% hold policy.  Essentially new financial quarter, new revenue.  The why hold at all can be found in knowing what the "1%" represents.

Using numbers from eBay's SEC (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) filing, 23 October 2008 10-Q Quarterly Report  Form 10-Q, the following is the worse case (for sellers or best case for eBay/PayPay) calculation of "1%" per quarter.

  • Active eBay users affected:  830,000
  • Active registered PayPal accounts affected:  548,000
  • Net total payment volume, HELD:  $115,690,000

PayPal's revenue in this case would be the interest on the $115 million per quarter, or $450 million per year.  Plus incidental fees.

As we've noted on previous occasions, this is what eBay/PayPal considers to be "small."


"Keep On With The Force Don't Stop
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"
Released 1979, Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

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15 June 2009

PayPal Has Never Been Compromised?

PayPal Has Never Been Compromised?
15 June 2009
EventHorizon1984

Commentary


It's always interesting when PayPal quantifies what they mean by "low". 

According to PayPal, in the WBBM article Suburban Cop Becomes PayPal ID Theft Victim, their fraud rate is 1/3 of 1%.

Let's use numbers from eBay's U.S. SEC (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) filing, 23 October 2008 10-Q Quarter Report, and see what "one-third of 1 percent" represents.

The worse case amount for PayPal fraud in one year (not one quarter) at "one-third of 1 percent":

  • Gross merchandise volume Fraud Committed:  $191,933,000
  • Net total payment volume Fraud Committed:  $154,253,000

We suppose it's good to know that when PayPal says "low" they mean in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Incidentally, about this PayPal PR statement made in the same article:

Read the recent article PayPal's security 'flawed' for one out of many PayPal security issues.


"One of the reasons we are safer"
Charlotte Hill, PayPal

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01 June 2009

AP - Analysts: Several factors involved in missing jet

Flight 447 Is Missing
1 June 2009
EventHorizon1984

Commentary


Sadly on the heels of the passing of the last RMS Titanic survivor, comes word of the loss of a Flight 447.  An A330 carrying 228 people.

As to what happened, it's frightening obvious.  And unlikely to see print.  Which is why you'll see experts dancing around the possibilities.

The article "Vast search of Atlandic Ocean for Air France jet" reports:

  • Bands of extremely turbulent weather stretched across the Atlantic toward Africa, as they often do in the area this time of year.
  • The plane "crossed through a thunderous zone with strong turbulence," Air France said. About 14 minutes later, at 11:14 p.m. local time, 0214 GMT (10:14 p.m. EDT Sunday), an automatic message was sent reporting electrical system failure and a loss of cabin pressure. Air France said the message was the last it heard from Flight 447.

To understand this, think of "hurricane" force instead of "extreme turbulent weather", and think professional Hurricane Hunters.

Find it hard to imagine an unprepared plane and pilot flying into what appears to be stormy weather, only it's actually "extreme turbulent weather"?

This is an aircraft with "a loss of cabin pressure" at 24,000 feet in perfect flying weather.

  • Aloha Airlines Flight 243, 28 April 1998
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Byt8NAgydo
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alnkfgEmohc&feature=related
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnNKR-32xjk&feature=related
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eMdWP_KNRc&feature=related
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxZiSSquJLY&feature=related
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ4CS7v6yQI&feature=related
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R24A0D3AOuw&feature=related

Will leave it to your imagination as to the condition of an aircraft with "electrical system failure and a loss of cabin pressure" at 35,000 feet in "extreme turbulent weather."

Another traumatic grim reminder that despite what we humans think of ourselves and build, we are not gods.


"Rule books are paper - they will not cushion a sudden meeting of stone and metal."
Ernest K. Gann, Fate Is The Hunter (Book, 1961)

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Full article available at:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_brazil_plane_causes
Analysts: Several factors involved in missing jet
By SLOBODAN LEKIC, Associated Press Writer – Mon Jun 1, 5:32 pm ET

BRUSSELS – The lightning and turbulence that may have hit an Air France jet flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris are rarely the cause of plane crashes, analysts say. But they note that rough weather may have triggered a series of malfunctions that led to the disappearance of the jetliner.

Chief Air France spokesman Francois Brousse suggested the plane could have been struck by lightning.

But most experts say lightning doesn't usually bring down a modern airliner, unless it coincides with other factors that contribute to the accident.

"Planes are built with lightning strikes in mind and are struck reasonably frequently," said Patrick Smith, a U.S. commercial pilot and aviation writer.

"I've been hit by lightning in my career a number of times, which at worst resulted in a superficial mark on the outside of the plane," Smith said in a telephone interview from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Aviation safety statistics indicate that each large passenger jet — such as the Airbus A330 — is struck by lightning about once every three years on average. Regional aircraft, however, which fly at lower altitudes, are hit more frequently — about once a year.

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20 May 2009

Philly.com - Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty In eBay Forgery Scheme

Philly.com - Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty In eBay Forgery Scheme
20 May 2009
EventHorizon1984

Commentary


It's a rather standard commentary that most "authentic" autographs on eBay are fake; i.e. forgery on eBay is not news.

What personally grabbed attention were two things.  One, have some of these autographs, which were obtained free or for the cost of a book.  Authentication by standing in front of the author while they signed the book.  Second have some knowledge of 'rubber' stamping.

  • Hint to forgers:  Some signatures are in PENCIL.

If you collect enough autographs, a well done ink stamp signature when examined closely looks perfect and fake.

With "400 unsuspecting purchasers" of these forgeries, I have to suspect that most thought those fakes were real.

To those who weren't fooled and filed charges, good for you.


"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."
Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, Star Trek

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Full article at:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/20090520_Pa__man_pleads_guilty_in_eBay_forgery_scheme.html

Posted on Wed, May. 20, 2009
Pa. man pleads guilty in eBay forgery scheme
Robert Moran

"A Reading man pleaded guilty yesterday to a scheme to sell forged signatures of famous authors - including Truman Capote, Tom Wolfe, and Tom Clancy - over eBay that netted him more than $300,000"

{Forrest R.} "Smith obtained documents that contained authentic signatures and had ink-based stamps made for each signature, Magid said. The signatures were then stamped into the books, which he later sold at inflated prices on eBay. The indictment alleged that, since December 2006, Smith sold the books to more than 400 unsuspecting purchasers, and made more than $300,000."

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