San Dimas is Big in France, Apparently Posted Jun-27-07 17:00:16 PDT
I've been very pleased by the positive reaction to San Dimas. We have beta testers from all over the world -- the US leads the way in terms of number of beta testers, no surprise there. However, I was surprised to find out that the number 2 country is... France! This is despite both Germany and the UK having bigger eBay usage. Also, there is no translated version of the interface yet, and we have done zero press about San Dimas in France up until now.
As if it weren't enough to be number 2 in beta testers, French bloggers and media have written up a storm about it. Here are some of the stories:
This was the first French article, and was published back in April. After this was published we saw a big spike in beta user registrations from .fr email addresses.
What appears to be an in-depth review of the San Dimas features. I say "appears to be" because I can't actually be sure, since I was an abject failure in learning French, this despite my four years of French class in junior high and high school.
One of the commenters on the blog post says this:
"Pour en revenir au graphisme, moi je le trouve au contraire très bien foutu : plus classe que du html avec de légers dégradés, et surtout un écran pas surchargé du tout où l'on pourrait se perdre, comme sur la homepage d'ebay. On ne peut pas non plus le constater sur des screenshots mais la navigation est très agréable également. Bref joli test pour une jolie application !"
Which Google translates into this:
"To return from there to graphics, me I find it very well on the contrary foutu: more class that HTML with light ranges, and especially a screen not overloaded of the whole where one could lose oneself, as on the homepage of ebay. One cannot either note it on screenshots but navigation is very pleasant also. In short pretty test for a pretty application!"
Another in-depth review, I think. My favorite quote is the following:
"La grande force de San Dimas est à mon avis cette navigation complètement nouvelle qui casse les codes d'une page web, ou même d'une application de bureau plus classique : fini les pop-up, les rechargement : ici tout se fait par onglets ou par panneaux, profitant à merveille des technologies Flex et Air pour donner un style à part entière à San Dimas."
Which translates as:
"The great force of San Dimas is in my opinion this navigation completely new which breaks the codes of a Web page, or even of an application of more traditional office: finished the popones, recharging: here all is done by mitres or panels, benefitting wonder from technologies Flex and Air to give a style to whole share in San Dimas."
There is a small San Dimas mention in this article, which is a three part magnum opus on Rich Internet Applications. (3 part blog post! Take that, Twitter!).
What I like about this one is that it refers to San Dimas as "projet San Dimas d'eBay".
I've saved the best for last. Somebody made a 17 minute (17!) video of a San Dimas walkthrough. In French. I have no idea what the narrator is saying. Can anyone help translate this?
For those of you who have already received invites: we pushed out an update yesterday to version 0.5.013. To update, all you need to do is open the application, and it should prompt you to auto-update after a few moments (depending on your connection speed). The auto-update process seems to be working very well, but we are still very early in the beta process, so it may not work 100% of the time.
What's new in this version? Lots of fixes, that's what. Including:
Entire HTML description on item should be scrollable (so listings with long descriptions are no longer cut off)
Fixed syncing issues with adding/removing on watch
Fixed image error when loading search results. This was the most frequently reported bug.
Currency symbols now show correctly for non US listings. International support is still very raw, so we appreciate feedback in this area in particular, especially with testing the whole buying process from an international site.
Changed scrollbar skins
Feedback confirmation window improved
Most of these fixes were prioritized because of the bug requests that you, the beta community, entered in the application. Thank you to everyone who reported bugs, or added feature requests!
One of the big issues that has been reported is excess CPU usage, even when idling. Thanks to everyone who has reported this, we are looking into some optimizations that should help with this.
The charity auction for the first San Dimas beta invitation was a big success! Winning eBay user "selltouzed" from Denver, CO came by the offices of EffectiveUI, the development group that is working with eBay on the project, to pick up his T-Shirt and certificate. The winner (his name is Steve) got to try out the beta before anyone else, right there in the office, and he went home and promptly logged a bunch of feature requests and bugs. I got a chance to talk to Steve on the phone, and I was so glad that the logistics worked out such someone on the San Dimas team could meet him in person. Here is Steve with Rebecca from EffectiveUI, proudly wearing his "Preston/Logan '08" shirt, and displaying the inaugural Certificate of Betachievement.
The guinea pigs of Aurora, Colorado also say "thanks!" to Steve for winning the auction, in the process raising $216 for the Cavy Care Inc. guinea pig shelter. Actually, they said "wheek, wheek" and I translated for them.
Actually, it started yesterday, but I was so busy with stuff here at the developers conference that I wasn't able to blog about it until today. I started sending out invitations last night, and I'll send out some more today and throughout the week.
I got to show San Dimas in the keynote yesterday, which was a great experience.
If you haven't yet signed up for the beta, be sure to do so soon - if you do it is likely that you'll get an invite within a few weeks.
The first beta invitation for San Dimas is up for auction right now. San Dimas is entering beta soon, and if you win this auction, you will get it first. This is for the Alpha-Geek who has everything!
Auction Includes:
First invitation to the San Dimas beta program Will be sent out at least 6 hours before any other user gets an invitation. Exact timing of when the invitation gets sent out is not guaranteed, but we promise the winner won't have to wait too long.
Official looking certificate Provides documented proof that you are in fact the first San Dimas user. Certificate will be signed by me, and by a real life eBay executive, if I'm successful in convincing one to do so.
"Preston/Logan '08" XL size T-ShirtSorry, no other size is available. I bought this on eBay, of course, and if all you want it the shirt I'm sure you can use your eBay search skilz to find another one just like it. I will also sign the t-shirt (additional fee may apply for me to not sign the shirt).
More details on the auction page. You can also grab an eBay togo widget from my personal blog (too bad eBay blogs doesn't allow embeds -- Hey Nii, can we fix that?)
My name is Adam Trachtenberg, one of the people working on Project San Dimas.
One of the questions I often hear when speaking about Project San Dimas is: "Why is San Dimas called San Dimas?" Good question. So, I thought I'd let everyone into the answer.
At eBay, we like to use code names for products before they go live. At the time we started working on San Dimas, there was another product nicknamed "Baldwin Park".
If you don't live in Southern California, Baldwin Park is a suburb of Los Angeles. So, when trying to come up with a name for this project, Alan decided to look at neighboring LA towns -- and came across "San Dimas."
San Dimas, of course, is the hometown Bill S. Preston, Esq. and Ted Logan, best known for their work in the band "Wyld Stallyns."
That's right, it's a reference to "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure", that great work of late 80s cinema, and the first movie with Keanu Reeves that anybody ever saw.
I promised that I'd blog about features in San Dimas, and the first one up is very simple. In the search box, when you start typing a few characters, a drop-down menu appears showing popular searches that match.
This has a few benefits - one is that if you happen to be looking for something that is on the list, you can click directly on it and save time. But what I like it for best is for finding stuff to buy that I didn't even know that I needed. The other day I found "cushman" was one of the top "cu" keywords. If you are not familiar with Cushman utility vehicles, you may be surprised what you find when you search for it.
San Dimas is not the first application to have this kind of feature, but we are looking in a few areas to improve on the basic model of showing popular searches in this way. The first is integrating a user's own past searches in the same drop down as the general purpose popular searches. We are toying around with various ideas on how to do this. The main question is whether to have a single merged list or to have a single list that intermixes personal with popular search terms. This is the kind of thing that is hard to form an opinion on until you see it in action, and even I won't be sure which I prefer until it is actually implemented in the product. Leave a note in the comments with your thoughts.
I've started writing an frequently asked questions (FAQ) section for the projectsandimas.com website. So, what do you want to know? Features? Who is working on it? When it will come out? Where the name came from? Reminder that you can comment on this blog by logging on with your eBay username.
We rolled out a fix to the website that should fix the welcome email issue. Please comment here to let me know if you sign up for the beta but don't receive a welcome email.
Just a quick note - if you have signed up for the beta you should have received a welcome email from "[email protected]". Some users have told me that they are seeing the emails flagged as spam, in particular GMail users. We haven't sent out any invitations yet (the welcome email is just that, a welcome email), so we'll be sure to test the email system to try and resolve that issue before sending out any emails. Dont you just love email? (Sarcasm)
The Wall Street Journal has an article on the "Clash Course" between Adobe and Microsoft. San Dimas is built on the new Apollo platform from Adobe, and the article contains a nice screenshot of San Dimas. I'll post more about the Apollo platform later, but I wanted to mention the article because it contains a nice summary of the technology landscape. The journal is usually paid, but this article is free, at least for now.
We are so excited to share project San Dimas - a new eBay desktop application that is currently being in development. I and the rest of the team will be using this blog to share what we are doing, ask you questions, share stories, and help make a great application for eBay. We are working hard on the product, and will be opening up the beta in a few months. Be sure to sign up over at the San Dimas website. All we need is your eBay username and an email address (doesn't need to be the one you use for your eBay or PayPal communication). The sooner you sign up the more likely that you'll get in to the beta. We'll be updating the site with more information soon - we've been so busy working on the project that we haven't had time to work on the website until a few weeks ago.
Please feel free to leave comments here, or blog about it on your own blog -- tell us what you think!
For new newsgroup readers, these are not our forum posts. Any comments to the posters below should be made on the applicable thread, marked in bold below.
//
From eBay Trust & Safety (Safe Harbor) Today's Scams In Progress http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000304195&tstart=0&mod=1169594248663
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pi_r_square (11 ) Jan-23-07 14:15 PST
Pi's Postoffice Wall Here is a list of some scams recently pulled on eBay members Protect yourself against them! (There are several variations on these scams, so be vigilant!)
Handy links to visit to arm yourself against scams or learn what to do if you were scammed.
The Scam: Spoof eBay Email
Scenario: Fraudsters frequently forge "email from eBay", and ask recipients to click on a link to update their ID info. Some time after, the scammed eBayer finds his/her account hijacked, or his credit card used.
Protection: NEVER click on a link in an email message that supposedly takes you to an eBay ID page. eBay never asks for sensitive information in an email! If you want to go to that page, MANUALLY enter the address into your browser. Remember, all official email from eBay will be found in your "My Messages" section of your "My eBay".
If you see one of these emails FORWARD the email, with full headers, to [email protected]
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Unsafe Safety Board
Scenario:
eBayer bids on a too-good-to-be-true auction, and soon gets an email supposedly from the seller, offering the buyer an unbelievable deal if buyer sends money (usually by Western Union Money Transfer) right now.
eBayer replies to email, asking for some kind of protection if money is sent..
Fraudster fakes email from eBay, claiming eBay will cover any losses from their $40,000 Safety Board reserve. (Alternately, the faked email promises protection via "Square Trade" or "Trust and Safety" or some other trustworthy name)
Protection:
NEVER succumb to an off-eBay "deal", particularly one for expensive widgets.
NEVER use Western Union instant cash transfers to a stranger
Neither eBay nor Square Trade are escrow companies. See Fake Escrow Account for more information.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Hijacked Account
Scenario: Fraudster obtains an eBayer's ID and password, and starts posting phony auctions using the "good name and feedback" of that eBayer.
Protection:
Protect your own account by observing the warning given above, and by checking your "My eBay" page frequently, even if you are not a seller.
Remember, ALL official email from eBay will be in your My Messages section. Don't fall for a "phish" email from a scammer! That info can be used to hijack your account at a later date.
Protect your pocketbook by being vigilant. If a seller that usually sells inexpensive widgets is now selling expensive digital cameras, beware! If the seller's previous feedback shows activity only as a buyer, and is now selling Harley Hogs, beware! If the seller's eBay registration is in the USA, and the auction page indicates the seller is now in Europe, beware!
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Fake Escrow Account
Scenario: Fraudster offers eBayer a too-good-to-be-true deal. eBayer intelligently asks that the transaction be done through an escrow account. Fraudster agrees, indicating he doesn't know the eBayer, and an escrow account will protect him as well. Fraudster gleefully offers a fake escrow account, and eBayer sends money.
UPDATE eBay now recommends ONLY escrow.com. The fraudsters have already switched tactics. Click here for more information.
Protection: You can learn more about good and bad escrow services here:
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Indonesian Credit Card Scam
Scenario: eBay seller receives email from overseas buyer (usually from Indonesia or the Philippines), offering to buy the widget immediately, using PayPal or other money transfer service. Buyer usually offers an additional inducement to quickly send the widget to Indonesia, and to get sale completed soonest. Seller does so, only to find the card number was stolen, and PayPal or other card handler takes the money back.
Seller thus loses the item, the payment, and possibly additional fees.
Protection: Beware of such offers. If you use PayPal as your credit card handler, make sure you follow ALL of the requirements of the PayPal Seller Protection Policy.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Western Union Wiggle
Scenario: eBay bidder sees a great offer for a very expensive widget. Listed payment methods might be Western Union Money Transfer, certified check or "contact seller". Bidder may receive email from "seller", stating extra widgets are available, and free shipping might be available, but bidder must use Western Union Wire or Money Transfer to send money right away, or offer will disappear. Bidder pays by Western Union Wire. Item never arrives. Money disappears, as does the supposed seller. (Can be a precursor to the "Unsafe Safety Board" scam)
Protection: NEVER, never, NEVER use Western Union Money Transfer to send money to somebody who is not your relative or VERY well known to you! Read what the Western Union folks have to say about this problem.
Update: As of Jan 15, 2006, eBay began enforcing its policy of forbidding sellers to solicit cash, Western Union, Moneygram, StormPay, Greenzap, e-gold and some other means of sending money. Read their updated policy here.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Win A Car Contest
Scenario: eBayer gets email supposedly from eBay, announcing the recipient's eligibility to win a Ford Explorer (or other desirable car). eBayer is invited to click on a link to fill out a form to confirm eligibility. eBay doesn't offer such a prize. The information is used for later scams.
Protection: NEVER click on a link in an email to log into eBay!!! Instead, manually log in to your My Messages account to see if the email was REALLY from eBay. (You can also forward the suspicious email to [email protected] to get an answer)
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: UPS Exchange Collect Confusion
Scenario: This is another escrow service scam. Fraudster offers a service whose name is similar to that of the real UPS Exchange Collect service, and points the eBayer to a website whose name is similar to ups.com. eBayer is fooled into thinking United Parcel Service of America, Inc. is insuring the transaction, and sends money to a scammer site.
Protection: UPS does indeed offer an escrow service called "UPS Exchange Collect". The service is "a fast, secure, simple payment alternative for financial settlement of international trade". If you are offered this service, manually enter the ups.com site into your browser rather than clicking on something in a potential scammer's email.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Counterfeit "Second Chance" Offer
Scenario: Soon after losing an auction, the second place bidder gets an email, supposedly from the seller, stating the highest bidder pulled out of the sale, so the item is available. Second place bidder replies, and gets another email, telling bidder to transfer money, usually by Western Union Instant Cash. Sometimes the second place bidder gets an email from "eBay" stating the auction is "insured", or "guaranteeing" that the seller is honest. The buyer sends the money. The widget doesn't arrive. The buyer learns it was a scam, and the money did not go to the real seller.
Protection: Legitimate second chance offers exist. They can be offered if the high bidder backs out of an auction, or if the seller has multiple, identical items. Second chance offers will ALWAYS go through the eBay mail system, and will always be handled through another eBay auction -- a Buy-It-Now, set up solely for you.
Second chance offers are NOT conducted directly via email or via auctions on which other people are bidding.
If the offer is genuine, these second-chance offer auctions will be visible in the second-chance bidder's MyeBay pages. You can see Second Chance Offers that you have received in the "All Buying" section of My eBay Views, under the "Didn't Win" section. You can also see Second Chance Offers that you received in the "Buying Reminders" section or directly in the Closed View Item listing.
Second Chance Offer emails with the subject of “Message from eBay Member” are fake.
Real Second Chance Offers come directly from eBay and appear in My Messages with a blue background and subject that states: "eBay Second Chance Offer for Item..."
If you suspect you may have received a phony second chance offer, forward the email to [email protected]
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Company Check Crumbles
Scenario: Winning bidder informs seller that bidder doesn't have personal checkbook handy, but is willing to send seller a recently-issued company check. The company check's dollar amount is much greater than the auction amount, but the bidder tells seller that the bidder will trust him to refund the difference with a money order or Western Union Instant Cash, after check clears. Check appears to clear seller's bank. Seller ships widget and money order. Soon thereafter, bank informs seller that the check is fraudulent, and has not been paid to the bank, so the money is deducted from seller's account. Seller loses widget, money order, and full amount of check!
UPDATE: Scammers now sending a "certified check" or phony money order for much more than the auction price. Use same safeguard to protect yourself -- check with your bank to assure the bank on which the check or MO is drawn exists, and the account has sufficient funds before proceeding. Assure check is PAID (not merely cleared) before proceeding.
Protection:
Do not take third-party checks! If you do accept checks, and if the dollar amount is high, wait for the check to be PAID rather than just to CLEAR (talk to your bank representative for definitions of these terms). Do not exchange "good as gold" money orders for possibly fraudulent checks!
Try to limit accepting money orders to those issued by USPS only. They are harder to forge.
Suspect ANY bidder who wants to pay more than you asked, and wants some kind of refund of the difference.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Deceptive Double Whammy
Scenario: eBayer with PayPal account gets email from total stranger located overseas. Stranger says he cannot handle PayPal because of his location, but wants to sell to people who use PayPal. Stranger offers eBayer a deal: eBayer will receive a percentage, if eBayer accepts funds from stranger's auctions in his PP account. eBayer is asked to wire money to stranger, after the PayPal deposits are made.
(Optionally) Suspicious eBayer wants some protection, so accepts the deal, but on the condition that money will be sent only AFTER copies of tracking numbers are sent to eBayer.
The scam can go in any of several directions at this point.
The auction winners pay with fraudulent funds. PayPal notifies eBayer that the transfer has been cancelled, AFTER the eBayer wired funds to the stranger. eBayer is unprotected, because he is not the seller of record or for another failure to follow seller protection rules. eBayer loses all the money. eBayer cannot recoup money that was wired from his bank. eBayer loses real money equivalent to the value of the auctions plus Western Union fees.
The winners pay with money from hijacked accounts or other illegal gains. eBayer wires money to overseas stranger, thus laundering the money for the scammer. eBayer enjoys his percentage, until tall men in trenchcoats knock on his door, with federal warrants.
The stranger ships a brick. Buyers complain to PayPal. PayPal agrees a brick is not a widget, and reverses the payment. Seller again out the money he wired to stranger, in trouble with PayPal, and may be in trouble with the buyers and eBay.
The stranger ships a counterfeit or stolen widget. Buyers detect fraud and complain. eBay, PayPal and local police pound on eBayer's tender head, after extracting real money from his account to reimburse buyers. eBayer loses double the auction value (since he already wired the money to the stranger), and may find himself talking to a judge.
Stranger and buyers are in cahoots. Buyers claim nonreceipt of widget and stranger says wired money never arrived due to eBayer's fault. Buyers complain to PayPal and eBay, and win their case. eBayer owes buyers a refund. Stranger tells eBayer that Guido and Salvatore will visit eBayer at next opportunity, unless eBayer wires the money again. eBayer pays again. eBayer loses triple the money and double Western Union fees.
Protection: Do not pretend to be an escrow service. Do NOT wire money to strangers. Do NOT get between two possible sharpsters.
PayPal says: Do not use your PayPal account to collect and transfer money for someone else, or to list or purchase goods on behalf of someone else on a shopping site (e.g. eBay). These types of activity are often conducted as forms of money laundering or mail fraud, and may result in significant criminal penalties.
If someone contacts you with any of the above requests, you should deny the request and Contact Us immediately.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: ICQ, I Scam U
Scenario: eBay / PayPal member receives an email from an overseas location, offering the member 20% of proceeds if member joins the overseas money exchange or escrow organization. Email promises lots of money, as (they claim) many overseas users can't use PayPal. Rather than use email for further contacts, the scammer tells prosepective member to use a specific ICQ address. Member joins, and soon starts receiving money in their PayPal account. Member sends 80% of the received money to the overseas address. Member is happy until tall men in trenchcoats carrying FBI badges knock on door and accuse member of money laundering.
Protection: There are plenty of legal ways to send money to overseas locations. Don't put your PayPal (or bank) account at risk by pretending to be an amateur / private escrow service.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Buy-It-Now, but off eBay
Scenario: eBay seller has a "click here to buy it now" link in the auction, but it is NOT the official eBay Buy-It-Now button. Buyer clicks on link, and is invited to buy / pay for the widget. Transaction takes place off-eBay, and buyer is unprotected in case of nondelivery.
Protection: If you Buy-It-Now, make sure you are clicking on the official eBay button, and your transaction takes place ON e-Bay. Help prevent this scam from happening again, by reporting the problem to eBay.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Spoofed eBay Pages
Scenario: eBay buyer bids on a camera or other expensive widget. Buyer gets email, apparently from an honest eBay seller, telling buyer that seller will set up a special, private Buy-It-Now on eBay for that widget. Seller includes a link to the auction page to make things easy. Buyer clicks on the link, and sees the auction page. Everything looks great. Buyer clicks on the BIN icon and begins the financial process. Unfortunately, the "eBay page" is spoofed. Although some browsers show the page as being hosted at eBay, the link takes advantage of a bug in some browsers, and doesn't show ALL of the link ... which really takes the buyer to some non-eBay site. The page looks EXACTLY like an eBay auction page, and the beginning of the address says "cgi.ebay.com/" but the page is NOT at eBay, and the payment goes to a scammer.
Protection: Get the latest patches for your browser. If you click on a link to go to an eBay auction page, look hard at the address block in your browser. Look harder at the last part of that address. It should NOT be your login name! Now look in the middle of that address. It should NOT be some other website name! Try clicking on the "watch this item" link in the spoof page. It might not activate. Help prevent this scam from happening again, by reporting the problem to eBay. Click HERE to go to the report page, or to learn more about how to make sure you are visiting an eBay page.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Drippy Drop Shipper
Scenario: eBayer gets an email from a "wholesaler", asking the eBayer to sell the wholesaler's goods. Wholesaler states he is new in the market, and doesn't have an established eBay feedback record, so would prefer the established eBayer sell the widgets because more purchases would be made from somebody with a good FB record. Drop shipper promises to send goods soon after payment, directly to the auction winners. eBayer is offered 20% - 50% of the final bid, or maybe all the profits after some minimum is met. eBayer happily lists dozens of the wholesaler's widgets, and is even happier when most of the auctions close at very good prices. eBayer then sends money to the drop shipper, and awaits positive feedback from the buyers. Unfortunately, eBayer receives complaints of nondelivery, and starts making excuses on behalf of the wholesaler. Eventually, eBayer realizes no goods will be delivered, gets booted from eBay, and suffers financial loss from PayPal and/or credit card companies. eBayer's credit rating is ruined.
Protection: There are many honest drop shippers and wholesalers that will offer decent deals to eBay sellers. Be vigilant, and verify any "offers" from supposed wholesalers / drop shippers. Check the history and background of such companies. Always be suspicious of an unsolicited proposal to make money!
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Dangerous Questions
Scenario: eBayer gets an email, supposedly via the eBay Mail Forwarding System, with a title something like "Question from Buyer". The email contains a question about an auction, and a link to an auction page. eBayer may note that the auction is NOT something they are selling; but, to make sure, eBayer clicks on the link and seemingly is taken to the eBay signin page or a supposed auction page. Phony signin page is used to get eBayer's ID info for later scams. Phony auction site loads a Trojan or keystroke tracker on the eBayer's computer. Some of these programs have been known to disable antivirus software. Later, nasty things happen to the computer or the eBayer's account. If the eBayer answers the email rather than clicking on the auction link, the scammer then has the eBayer's real email address, and can add it to a list of future potential scammees that may get "email from eBay" telling them to verify their eBay and PayPal data.
Protection:
If you get a "Question from Buyer", do not click on any embedded links unless you are ABSOLUTELY SURE they go to an eBay page and refer to one of YOUR auctions!
NEVER click on a link to log into your eBay or PayPal accounts.
If you do visit one of these phony sites; make sure your antivirus and antitrojan software has not been compromised, run the programs and change your passwords. If you think your antivirus program has been affected, go to http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/start_corp.asp and allow their program to scan your computer.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Phony escrow.com
Scenario #1: eBayer inquires about an expensive widget. Seller returns email, stating that there are lots of "unserious" buyers, and he would prefer to be paid through escrow.com, because it is recommended by eBay. Seller claims he has sent the widget to escrow.com for inspection and storage. Seller requests buyer's home address, and payment via Western Union Money Transfer. Soon thereafter, buyer gets an email from "escrow.com" stating the widget is in their warehouse, and it is OK to send the seller the money. The seller sends money as requested, but never gets the widget.
Scenario #2: eBay buyer wisely chooses escrow.com to help assure a good transaction on an expensive widget. Buyer manually logs into escrow.com, reads all the information, and deposits the money. Some time later, buyer receives an email from "escrow.com" asking buyer to "click here to log in" to verify some information. Buyer clicks, enters ID data for confirmation. A little later, buyer learns that escrow.com released his money, even though the widget was not received! The "confirmation" email was a spoof!
Protection: The REAL escrow.com does not store items. Neither do they send transaction emails with shipping instructions. They do NOT accept money via Western Union or MoneyGram. The REAL escrow.com will collect your money, but the widget is sent directly from the seller to the buyer. All parties sign into escrow.com for more info or tracking (again, escrow.com does not send transaction emails). Copy and paste this link into your browser's navigation box, OR type it in yourself:
www.escrow.com
That is a safe way to get to escrow.com. Don't click on a link in an email to get there. Read their FAQ and other information.
UPDATE: Some scammers use nasty software that makes your computer think it is going to escrow.com when the site is something else. (Tecchies: it modifies the HOSTS file). Remember: when you visit escrow.com, the address window should show the letters "https" at the beginning of the link. The "S" is important! It shows you are on a secure link.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: African Adventure
Scenario: eBay seller receives email from a bidder or potential buyer claiming to have a store (or a relative) in Africa (usually Nigeria). "Buyer" offers to use his own UPS or FEDEX account to ship the widget to Africa, and offers guaranteed payment with Western Union, PayPal or a money order. (Sometimes, the "buyer" does not bid on the item, but encourages an "off-eBay" transaction.) The seller soon gets a "confirmation email" from the "payment service", stating money is on its way. Seller also gets an emailed UPS or FEDEX label, and a very near term date the truck will arrive to pick up the shipment. Seller believes all the emails, and is further convinced when UPS or FEDEX arrives to pick up the shipment. Since all seems to be going well, the delay in receiving payment is ignored; after all, the payment was confirmed! A few days later, UPS or FEDEX notifies the seller that the shipping label was charged to a stolen account or paid with a stolen credit card, and the seller is liable for full payment of the shipping costs! In addition, the supposed payment is proven to be fraudulent, and the money doesn't appear. Seller loses the widget, AND has to pay for its shipment to Africa!
Protection:
Don't engage in "off-eBay" deals.
If you receive a money order or cashier's check under the circumstances listed above, take it to your bank for confirmation. Ask them to check with the Department of Justice.
If you receive PayPal payment, be aware that the Seller Protection Policy will not cover this transaction (PayPal Seller Protection Policy is invalid for US sellers whose buyers are not in the USA, Canada or the UK). Consider clicking on the PayPal REFUND button. (The PayPal payment is fraudulent, and will be withdrawn from your account in any case)
Call UPS or FEDEX to cancel the pickup, and bring the label (and hardcopy of accompanying emails) to them for further investigation.
Make sure your eBay Selling Preferences are set to block bids from countries to which you do not ship.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Weird Wedding
Scenario: eBayer gets an email, telling a story about an upcoming wedding (or birthday or other event). The sender wants to surprise the bride and groom with a gift, but doesn't want them to know who sent it. The sender asks the eBayer to send the auctioned widget (or money via Western Union Cash Transfer) to the bride and groom. In return, the sender says he will not only reimburse the eBayer, but will add a nice cash sweetener for the eBayer's troubles. The eBayer agrees, and awaits a (check, money order, PayPal payment). The payment appears, and the eBayer sends the widget or Western Union Cash Transfer to the bride and groom. A few days later, the payment is found to be from fraudulent funds, and the eBayer's bank (or PayPal) retracts the deposit. The eBayer loses his money.
Protection:
Don't engage in "off-eBay" deals.
If you receive a money order or cashier's check under the circumstances listed above, take it to your bank for confirmation. Ask them to check with the Department of Justice.
If you receive PayPal payment, be aware that the Seller Protection Policy will not cover this transaction (PayPal Seller Protection Policy is invalid for most overseas locations). Consider clicking on the PayPal REFUND button.
Even if you get the money, money laundering is a crime. You may find large men in trenchcoats ringing your doorbell.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Uninsured "Insured Payments"
Scenario: eBay buyer gets an email from a seller that states the seller paid extra money for "eBay Insured Payments". Supposedly, since the seller is a member of "The eBay Purchase Protection Program", the buyer will be refunded up to 100% or $10,000 if anything goes wrong with the transaction. The eBayer agrees, sends the money to the seller, and waits ... and waits ... and eventually sends an email to "eBay Purchase Protection Program". The email bounces. There is no such program. The seller scammed the buyer into believing there was an escrow program other than the one eBay approves.
Protection:
Don't engage in "off-eBay" deals.
Use ONLY safe means of transferring money. eBay states that escrow.com is the only "approved" escrow establishment.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Reverse Western Union Wiggle
Scenario: eBay seller gets an email, supposedly from some payment system, stating that a buyer's bid is pending. A little while later, a similar email states the buyer's bid has been approved, a money order is being prepared, and it is OK to ship the widget to the buyer. Additionally, in order to receive the money, the seller must send certain personal identification info to "Western Union" (or the payment system). The seller agrees, ships the widget and fills out the personal information. The money never arrives, OR a fraudulent money order does. The seller soon gets hints that his/her ID has been stolen.
Protection:
If any payment system notifies you "the money is on the way", wait for the money to arrive, and exchange the paper for cash before shipping the widget!
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Fake Money Order
Scenario: eBay seller-of-expensive widget receives message from successful buyer, asking if seller will overnight express the expensive widget, if buyer quickly sends a money order with extra funds for the express shipment. The seller agrees. Money order appears quickly. Seller ships the widget immediately after receipt of the MO. The money order is later found to be fraudulent, and the seller loses both the expensive widget and the money
Protection:
Consider accepting ONLY USPS money orders, since they are more difficult to counterfeit.
If you accept a NON-USPS money order, call the issuing bank to make sure the document is legitimate.
Cash your money order, and ship only after you have the dollars in hand.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Compromised Credit Card
Scenario: Credit-card holder gets a phone call, supposedly from his/her bank or credit card company. Caller states that an online ecommerce site was hacked, and many credit card numbers were stolen. Caller asks credit card holder to read the credit card number, to see if that number was compromised. The holder reads the numbers, and the caller confirms that number was compromised. The caller then asks the holder to verify his/her identity by reading the security code on the back of the card. The holder does so. The caller thanks the holder, and states that the old card will soon be cancelled, and a new one will be sent soon. Meanwhile, the cardholder should not use that card, but should await delivery of the new one. "Don't worry if you see some unexpected charges on your invoice, we will take care of them".
Protection:
If you are unsure of the identity of the caller, call your bank or CC company by using the number on the back of your credit card. Do not call them back using a number given by the caller, unless you can independently verify that number belongs to your bank or CC company.
If you received one of these calls, and answered the questions, call your bank or CC company NOW and tell them what happened.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: FedEx® Follies
Scenario: An eBay auction's Terms of Sale include PayPal payment and shipping by USPS within 48 hrs of payment clearing. The auction is won by some bidder. The seller receives an email from buyer, stating that PayPal will be used to pay, but seller must use buyer's FedEx [or other shipper] account to immediately send the widget overseas to a third party. Seller sees PayPal deposit, uses emailed FedEx shipping numbers, and ships widget. A few days later, PayPal notifies seller that funds were fraudulent, and PayPal Seller Protection does not apply because shipment is overseas. About the same time, seller gets note from FedEx that account number was stolen, and seller owes FedEx all shipping costs. Seller loses widget and must pay shipping company.
Protection:
You spent some time developing your Terms of Sale. Follow them! Buyers should not be able to change YOUR Terms of Sale after auction close!
Make sure you are familiar with eBay and PayPal Protection Policies. It is not their fault if you don't follow them!
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Empty eBay Endorsement
Scenario: USA eBay buyer gets an email offering him/her a fantastic deal on an expensive, slightly-used (tractor, car, motorbike, etc) that happens to be located overseas. Email sender states the item is licensed for use in the USA, is in really prime condition, and can be shipped from the overseas location in a matter of days. To sweeten the pot, the "seller" may even include free shipping, and state that the deal will go through eBay, and eBay will guarantee satisfaction. Some of these sellers even state that eBay will hold the money, and give you 15 days to inspect the widget before releasing the money. The seller then asks the eBayer for his/her email and street address, to start the transaction.
The eBayer happily sends the email and street address, and soon gets an "email from eBay" guaranteeing the performance of the "seller". "eBay" asks for the money (or a large down payment) in the form of a certified check, Western Union Instant Cash, or other easily-cashed method. There might even be a clickable link that will take the buyer to "eBay" to see the auction page. The eBayer, believing in the trustworthiness of eBay, quickly sends the money, and waits for delivery of the motorized widget. And waits ... and waits ... and eventually sends unanswered emails, and finds that clicking on that old link to "eBay" results in an error message.
Protection:
If it is too good to be true, it usually is. USA-type motorized vehicles, particularly if they are made in the USA, are NOT cheaper overseas, particularly if transportation is included, specially if it is air transportation!
eBay is NOT an escrow company, and neither holds your money nor makes guarantees of satisfaction.
Make sure you are really on the eBay site if you clicked on a link in an email to see an auction.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Tempting Triangle Toss
Scenario:
eBay seller gets an offer from a "wholesaler", offering to supply well-known, high-quality widgets for the seller's eBay store and auctions. "Wholesaler" promises 10% - 30% discounts.
eBay seller lists a few widgets, which are bought quickly. Payments start rolling in. Seller gets good feedback from the first several sales, so increases the orders from the "wholesaler".
eBay seller discovers deliveries are in Amazon, Sears or other store boxes; marked as gifts to the buyer. Seller asks "wholesaler" what is happening, and receives answer that "wholesaler" has friends in or special deals with those stores.
eBay seller starts receiving letters and phone calls from stores and credit card companies, accusing seller of engaging in fraudulent credit card practices.
eBay seller learns that the widgets were credit card purchases, billed to total strangers. eBay seller is accused of credit card theft.
This is an example of a not-uncommon "triangulation scam", in which the scammer uses stolen credit card numbers to launder money by buying widgets for the "winners". The scammer collects clean money from the eBay seller. Since the scammer used the eBay seller's ID info to buy the widgets, the scammer can easily hide, while the eBay seller suffers acute financial embarassment.
Update: Some scammers are dropping the "middleman", and try to deal directly with the eBay buyer. In these cases, the buyer may get the goods (as described above), but is asked to pay using an eBay-unapproved method (Western Union, MoneyBookers, etc). Sometimes these scammers ship BEFORE payment, to strongly entice the buyer to send them clean money for items paid with stolen credit card numbers. Since the buyer's name (rather than the scammer's name) is on the company invoice, the buyer may be liable for redress.
Protection: Be VERY careful if you are offered special deals for your eBay stores or auctions! If the "wholesaler" has such good offerings, why can't he/she sell the widgets with his/her own auctions? If you are a buyer, and are asked to pay with eBay-unapproved methods, don't complete the transaction!
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Counterfeit Cancellation
Scenario:
eBayer (either a buyer or a seller) gets an email, informing him/her that an auction in which they were involved was cancelled. The email has a clickable link to get more information.
The eBayer clicks on the link, and is brought to an "eBay login page". eBayer logs in, but does not recognize the auction.
Some time later, the eBayer learns that he/she has sold very expensive widgets, and the buyers are complaining of nondelivery. It is evident that the eBayer's account has been hijacked.
Protection:
ALWAYS log into eBay or PayPal manually, or through a "safe" link in your favorites.
Make sure the login page address starts with "https" (note the "s" at the end)
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Phony FAX Verification
Scenario:
Member receives an email from "eBay" or "PayPal", stating the account has been compromised, and the member must FAX certain information to "eBay" or "PayPal" to verify their account.
The member collects the requested info, and FAXes it to the phone number given in the email.
Some time later, the eBayer learns that his/her ID has been stolen, and nasty things are happening.
Protection: eBay does indeed request FAXed information to verify members who have certain account problems. Unfortunately, some scammers do too. If you receive such a verification request,
Make sure the email is legitimate. It should contain your real name. The underlying code of the email should show it is from eBay or PayPal. If the email is from eBay, it should also be in your My Messages section on eBay.
If you are in doubt, contact eBay LiveHelp or phone PayPal Customer Service to see if the phone number is one of theirs.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Phony PowerSeller Proposal
Scenario:
Fairly new eBay seller with very good feedback receives an email from "eBay" inviting member to join the exclusive group of Power Sellers. All member need do is "click here to sign in" and accept the offer.
The overjoyed member signs in, identifies him/herself, and leaves some other ID info.
Some time later, the eBayer learns that his/her account is now listing plasma TVs, Kubota Tractors and cellular phones instead of the handcrafted widgets normally sold.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Dangerous Dispute
Scenario: Member receives an email from "eBay" or "PayPal" or a supposed transaction partner, congratulating them on winning a widget (or complaining the widget was not sent or not paid). Member KNOWS (s)he has nothing to do with that widget, and clicks on a link that invites buyer to dispute the transaction. Member signs in, and fills out a "dispute form". Some time later, the eBayer learns that his/her ID has been stolen, and nasty things are happening.
Protection: NEVER click on a link in an email to log into eBay or PayPal!!! Instead, manually log in to your account to see if the claimed transaction really took place.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: The Great Gift Gyp
Scenario: Member receives an email from "eBay Gift Services" (or similar name) congratulating member on qualifying for a free gift. All the member has to do is click on the link to get the gift. Member clicks, logs in, and happily awaits delivery of the gift. Some time later, the eBayer learns that his/her ID has been stolen, and nasty things are happening.
Protection: NEVER click on a link in an email to log into eBay!!! Instead, manually log in to your My Messages account to see if the email was REALLY from eBay. (You can also forward the suspicious email to [email protected] to get an answer)
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Where's The Warehouse?
Scenario: Bidder receives an email claiming the widget won is in the eBay warehouse, ready for shipment to the bidder. All the bidder has to do is send money and identification information to the sender of the email. Sender claims the transaction is fully protected by eBay, Trust & Safety, Square Trade or some other guaranteeing organization. Sometimes, the bidder is told that he/she will have up to 30 days after payment to inspect the widget, and there is a full money-back guarantee. Bidder sends money to the supposed seller. The widget never arrives.
Protection: eBay does not have a warehouse where sellers' items are stored. The abovementioned companies are not escrow organizations -- they do not guarantee shipment or satisfaction.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Compromised Cancellations
Scenario: eBay seller suddenly notices that high bids on his/her auctions have been cancelled in the last few minutes of the auction, with no notice from eBay. eBayer is upset that this happened, and wonders why the bids have been cancelled. eBayer notes that low bidders will now win the auction, with bids significantly lower than those made by the cancelled high bidders.
Information: Cancellations can be made only by the seller or by eBay. (Buyers can retract bids under limited circumstances, and not in the last few hours of the auction). When bids are cancelled without the knowledge of the seller, it usually means the seller's ID was hijacked, and the hijackers cancelled the bids. The hijackers then make phony second chance offers to the bidders, and entice them to send money to the hijackers rather than to the real seller.
Protection: The best protection against this scam is to prevent one's account from being hijacked. The most frequent method scammers use to hijack IDs is to send a phony "email from eBay" to the ID. The ID owner then clicks on a link in the email, and signs in at a phony eBay site. Thus, the ID owner gives his/her account information to the scammer.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Play It Again, Sam
Scenario: This might better be called the "Pay Me Again, Scam". In this scenario, an eBayer bids and wins a widget. eBayer pays quickly, and awaits delivery.
Soon, the buyer gets an email, stating the payment has not gone through (the check or money order hasn't arrived, or the payment was sent to the wrong PayPal address). The buyer doesn't want an Unpaid Item Dispute, so re-sends the money to the address provided in the email.
Eventually, the buyer realizes he/she has paid twice, and has not received a return of the supposed incorrect payment. Emails to the seller disclose the "Pay Me Again" emails were not from the real seller, but from a scammer.
Protection: Assure your payments go to the REAL seller! If you send PayPal payment to an email address not associated with the auction, you have no protection from PayPal. Similarly, if the "seller" wants a second check or money order, make sure the first isn't cashed before sending the second.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Double Signin Signin Scam Scam
Scenario: Ebayer logs in to eBay, and starts searching for good deals. Finds something interesting, and clicks on the link (or something in the auction). eBay signin page reappears, so eBayer logs in again, and continues to wander around the eBay fairgrounds.
Not long thereafter, the eBay sees some strange auctions appearing in his/her ID! Expensive cellulars, Kubota tractors, mountain bikes, plasma TVs, lots of high-priced stuff. The eBayer might even see some purchases he/she does not recognize.
A little investigation shows the eBayer's ID was hijacked. The eBayer knows he/she did not answer any phishing emails, so how did this happen?
Protection: NEVER sign in to eBay, then sign in again while searching or viewing an auction. Some scammers are now placing code in the auctions that presents a phony eBay login page. Unsuspecting eBayers log in again, thus send their ID info to the scammer. There are several techniques to do this, some almost unnoticeable. Almost all look like real eBay login pages! The safest way to sign in is to manually enter https://www.ebay.com in the browser window.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
The Scam: Email Me to Get Scammed
Scenario: Ebay buyer finds a particularly good deal, but the auction states potential bidders must email the seller to get the "Buy-It-Now" price, and get approved to bid. Since the buyer really wants a good deal on the widget, (s)he emails the seller.
Seller replies. The scam can go in either or both of these directions at this point:
1. Seller asks for immediate payment -- but states his/her PayPal account is temporarily having problems, so buyer must send a money order or Western Union payment instead. 1a. Buyer sends money 1b. Item never arrives. Since it was a NON-eBay deal, there is little recourse for the buyer.
2. Seller's return email has a "click here to bid on my auction". 2a. Buyer clicks, and logs into "eBay". 2b. However, it was not really eBay. Buyer just left private ID info at a scam site, and later learns his/her ID was hijacked.
Protection: NEVER click on a link in an auction to get the BIN price. NEVER click on a link in an email to go to eBay.
Remember, there are many variations of these scams. If the message you receive is at all similar to these, be wary!
Handy links Read more about scams on eBay, how they are proliferated, and how to protect yourself against them here. Remember, eBay is merely a venue, and although they try to keep the fairgrounds free from undesirables, some do sneak in!
Remember: The first line of defense against being scammed is YOURSELF! Be vigilant! If you suspect a scam, report it to eBay, using this form. If you see an ongoing auction with fraudulent activity, CLICK HERE then click on the appropriate choices in that page.
The three "Gs" of getting scammed: 1) Greed 2) Gullibility 4) Gormlessness
Tech Support Alert: Prepare for Item ID number expansion by June 1st
Updated 5/23/2006 with June 1st date
Last week, a global change to accommodate the expansion of item ID numbers to 12 digits was wired on to eBay sites. We are aware this caught many in our eBay developer community by surprise. We apologize for the inconvenience we caused some developers and their eBay customers.
Looking forward, eBay needs to accommodate the expansion of item ID numbers very soon, and we want to communicate to our developers about how to make sure your applications using eBay Web Services support this expansion. This item ID number expansion will be wired on eBay.com in the US and across eBay sites globally on Thursday, June 1st. If your application does not support expansion up to 12 digits by June 1st, your applications could generate errors with new and revised listings.
To prepare for this item ID number expansion on June 1st, we are recommending that developers building applications using eBay Web Services allow your applications to support eBay item IDs of up to 19 digits, so that your applications will not experience issues with future item number expansions being planned. Item ID and transaction ID are defined as signed long int and could expand to a maximum of 19 digits.
Please use this opportunity to check all your tools and applications to ensure they can handle the IDs being up to 19 digits in the future. Furthermore, we recommend that developers never try to build logic about item ID ranges, other than treating each item ID as a unique identifier. Eventually the range for every item category will be updated and any previous assumptions about the item ID range will no longer be valid.
Developers will be able to test your application with the new item number expansion in the Sandbox no later than early next week. We will communicate the exact date for the Sandbox support as soon as possible.
Kumar Kandaswamy, our Senior Manager of Product Strategy for the eBay Developers Program, will be addressing your questions or concerns about supporting expansion of item ID numbers in this Developer Product Feedback/Wishlist forum thread.
As originally announced in mid-May 2006, developers building applications with eBay Web Services should be aware that eBay item ID and transaction ID could expand up to 19 digits. If your application does not support expanding ID numbers up to 19 digits, then your application could generate errors with new and revised listings.
As of late January, eBay transaction IDs will be expanding to the 7 billion range. Developers who tested their application back in May to ensure that their item ID support was compliant with our ID number expansion should ensure their transaction ID support is also compliant. Please use this opportunity to check all your tools and applications to ensure they can handle these IDs growing up to 19 digits in the future.
Furthermore, we recommend that developers never try to build logic about ID ranges, other than treating each ID as a unique identifier. Eventually the range for every item category will be updated and any previous assumptions about the ID range will no longer be valid.
Sandbox support for the transaction ID number expansion to the 7 billion range has been enabled, so that you are able to test your application before the late January expansion.
System status, updates to the schedule and other information will be updated in the API Production System Announcements:
All API production sites (US, CA & Motors and International): week of January 29th
"The importance of this application should not be overlooked. While the project goal is to drive metrics on the eBay Buying experience" Rob Abbott, San Dimas
After 31 months at eBay, I have decided to resign from my position in the Disruptive Innovations (FastCompany.com) team.
For most of my career at eBay I have been paving the way for Flash technology and Rich User Experiences. We launched Flash home pages in China, the U.S., and eventually in Taiwan. It has been a road of many obstacles both for engineering and user experience in the eBay organization across our locales. Despite these obstacles we been triumphant many times through the years, especially with the visibility we have gained and the recognition we have received from the executive team.
Most recently (December 2006) I took on the lead design role on San Dimas (see the TechCrunch post by Nick Gonzalez referencing my article) to redesign the current application. San Dimas was good as a prototype but, the implementation and design did not effectively represent the needs of our eBay users or a compelling interface. After being in UED at eBay for 2 years I have intimate knowledge of the eBay product, business and user experience. It is essential for this intimate knowledge to find its way into the design of the consumer facing product, eBay desktop.
After assessing the redesign effort and the limited resources I had; I immediately enlisted the team at Metaliq (based in San Francisco) to assist me with the redesign. Beau Ambur and Danny Riddell have been icons in the Flash, Flex and RIA community for many years and they oversee an extraordinary team of talent consisting of some of the most respected developers and designers in the world (Grant Skinner, Michael Kemper, Caleb Haye, Guido Rosso to name a few).
The team at Metaliq displayed a fantastic ability to ramp up quickly on the project and eBay’s needs. We hit the ground running and started rolling out new designs during the first quarter of 2007. Here is a preview of one of those designs.
We started delivering highly efficient, relevant and contextual information architecture to illustrate the most compelling user experience for the eBay community. Since we were leveraging Adobe Apollo, we took advantage of the opportunity to push our designs past the normal RIA experience and focused on relevancy and efficiency. This mentality alone helped us conceive of radical ideas to drive value in the user experience for eBay users. Our efforts pushed our development team to meet the unique needs of the proposed designs.
Despite our success and raves from the San Dimas team, all design work on our side ended abruptly at the end of Q1.
Before I go on, I would like to publicly thank Beau and his team at Metaliq (especially Michael Kemper).
Metaliq is responsible for a lot of rich application development and design for companies like Microsoft, AOL, VitalStream, Macromedia, Adobe, Adobe Labs and most recently eBay. They do the majority of their work quietly behind the scenes, most of which will never be publicly credited to their name.
It was an impressive experience to work with them and I will look forward to working with them at Ribbit when the opportunity arises.
They are a classy bunch and most importantly are extremely professional in every interaction.
More…
An eBay desktop environment built on Apollo is the light at the end of the eBay Product & User Experience tunnel for Buyers and Sellers. The importance of this application should not be overlooked. While the project goal is to drive metrics on the eBay Buying experience it is solely overshadowed by the simple fact that a new dimension for innovative design and development has been carved out in a low risk environment.
Adobe Apollo is cross platform and encompasses an array of web technologies (Flex, Flash and Ajax) to design and develop on top of.
Apollo is THE Platform for Innovation.
Designing in this application environment is cheaper, faster and therefore more efficient than any design implementation process for eBay.com. As equally important, developing for Adobe Apollo is cheaper, faster and also more efficient than any development process for eBay.com.
This means the innovative culture at eBay can take risk in a low risk environment and not affect the 150+ million registered users on the core eBay platform (eBay.com). It’s an amazing revelation and opportunity.
It gives eBay a chance to be disruptive in its Product Design process, as well as in its development of the functionality, which is supported by the back end.
This is critical to the future of the eBay experience. A disruptive product environment like Adobe Apollo can help guide the incremental product design of the core product (eBay.com).
Companies on the web across the world can benefit from the same philosophy and practice.
Working at eBay has been a great journey and one that has helped shape me as a professional and as a person.
eBay is a company full of passionate and very talented individuals who enjoy pioneering “communities built on commerce, sustained by trust, and inspired by opportunity.” This is quoted from eBay and it very much reflects those who I have enjoyed working with over the past 31 months.
The relationships and friends that I have made represent a network of individuals who I have the most profound respect for. I value this experience and all that I have learned from this amazing team and culture. It was a fantastic opportunity.
In the Valley it is never “goodbye” but more like “until next time.”
I wish you/them all the best.
If it wasn’t for Eric Hikade, I wouldn’t be where I am at today. Thanks Hik…I owe you.
Where I am going…
For the next couple months I will be spending time to be with my family, traveling abroad and entertaining new opportunities.
My interests were to either accept a role as a user experience lead at a startup or close funding with my business partner on an idea we would love to pursue.
Since, my announcement I have been entertaining offers from various startups in Mountain View, Palo Alto and San Francisco.
My decision finally came down to Mozilla and Ribbit.
I had the great pleasure of speaking with Mike Beltzner who is the Director of User Experience at Mozilla. He was down last week from their offices in Toronto, ON Canada. We spoke about my work on San Dimas and the upcoming version of FireFox 3. One of the most important things I liked most about the opportunity was the Mozilla team and its amazing culture, which would of been a great fit for me.
If you’re in UI/UE and are looking for a chance to work for a great cause and immerse yourself into a beautiful culture of talent, contact Dan Portillo ([email protected]) at Mozilla. Here are the current opportunities.
I would go to Mozilla in heartbeat if it wasn’t for this other compelling opportunity. Ribbit.
Since the new company is in stealth mode I cannot really say much about it besides that it is lead by a very talented team from the telecommunications industry some of which have been working together for the past 15 years and have successfully sold companies they’ve started.
A few words from the Ribbit web site…
Independence and individuality…are what Ribbit believes in.
Putting voice and choice back into communications…is what Ribbit does.
Ribbit offers a new way to communicate without the hassle of additional software or hardware, and without having to purchase a new device.
A powerful service that’s easy to use.
Stay tuned Ribbit is coming!
In my new role as Principal, User Experience at Ribbit, I will be defining the blueprint for design and interaction as well as the holistic user experience for Ribbit products and technologies.
So, quite an interesting post…as you can see I believe in transparency…a lot.
Check back over the next couple weeks I will probably be posting more details on Ribbit.
UPDATE: Ribbit Team
As promised I have posted more details on Ribbit and this time it’s about the Ribbit team.
Last Friday, several peopleresigned, those who I admire greatly. One particular event is important to Ribbit.
Charles “Chuck” Freedman resigned as the Senior Flash Platform Engineer from the Flash Platform team at Yahoo!
Chuck is now the Director of User Experience, Flash Platform at Ribbit and I will have the pleasure of working alongside him as we build and design Ribbit’s products and technologies.
We are both very excited about the opportunity we have to work together. Chuck and I originally met at Fidelity Investments in Boston, MA and he was very instrumental in convincing me to leave Fidelity.com and join eBay.com.
Offline Chuck and I collaborated for 2 nights a week, 6+ hours/night for an entire year crafting a couple products.
I must point out that three companies (Fidelity, Yahoo and eBay) had the chance to snag us both over the years. Finally our valuable combination was realized by a great company. Ribbit.
After a year of planning, I am proud to finally announce ‘San Dimas‘.
San Dimasis the code name for our new unofficial eBay Desktop application built on Adobe Apollo1.
See San Dimas in action - DEMO 07 conference presented by Adobe Apollo Senior Product Manager, Mike Downey.
Way back in October of 2004, I built an eBay Desktop demo for Macromedia MAX in New Orleans. The thought was to place an eBay Buying Experience on the desktop using application interactions, personal settings, and a rich interactive experience. All the characteristics of a Rich Internet Application for the desktop and it just so happens Adobe has defined Apollo in the very same way.
The key reason for building such an application was to drive efficiency and streamline the eBay Buying Experience for users.
Alan Lewis from our eBay Developers Program kick started a project last year with the Adobe team, which had a similar goal. I was brought on board at the same time to consult on Rich Interaction Application design, the eBay user experience and the technologies of Flash, Flex and AJAX (some of the technologies Apollo encompasses).
During most of the summer and early fall of 2006 Alan, Adobe and a third party vendor planned and built an initial prototype of San Dimas (Alpha) that was later demo’d at the Adobe MAX keynote in Las Vegas.
Alan and the teams involved did a wonderful job of building the initial prototype. It demonstrated Apollo’s technology and shed new light on its great potential when applied to a fresh eBay experience. The third party vendor, Effective UI who built and initially designed the application displayed exceptional skills and execution during the build process.
The San Dimas demo at Adobe MAX was well received by the Adobe Developer Community and was later written about over at ZDNet Ryan Stewart, who provided some great coverage on the application as well as the technology behind it. The application was also later TechCrunch’d by Michael Arrington.
Shortly there after, we were excited to hear the project became an internal initiative (i.o.w. we received funding) at eBay. Alan and I both accepted key roles on the project, he as the Product Manager & Evangelist and I as the User Experience Lead overseeing the information architecture & design and the user experience of the application.
I will be writing about this application and the design effort quite a bit so check back for weekly updates on our unofficial eBay project.
1Adobe Apollo is a cross-operating system runtime being developed by Adobe that allows developers to leverage their existing web development skills (Flash, Flex, HTML, JavaScript, Ajax) to build and deploy rich Internet applications (RIAs) to the desktop.
Announcing "San Dimas", a new desktop application from eBay. It provides a new search interface, a fun way to bid, access to your personal eBay history, and much more. We are sharing this project in the very early stages because we want your input. Sign up for the Beta, and help us build this brand new way to use eBay.
- Alan Lewis, San Dimas Product Manager
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Adam Trachtenberg is eBay's Senior Manager of Evangelism and Disruptive Innovation. http://videos.webpronews.com/2007/06/13/ebaydev-adam-trachtenberg-on-ebays-new-platform-extensions/
Adam Trachtenberg is eBay's Senior Manager of Platform Evangelism. http://devzone.zend.com/node/view/id/781
My name is Adam Trachtenberg, one of the people working on Project San Dimas.
One of the questions I often hear when speaking about Project San Dimas is: "Why is San Dimas called San Dimas?" Good question. So, I thought I'd let everyone into the answer.
At eBay, we like to use code names for products before they go live. At the time we started working on San Dimas, there was another product nicknamed "Baldwin Park".
If you don't live in Southern California, Baldwin Park is a suburb of Los Angeles. So, when trying to come up with a name for this project, Alan decided to look at neighboring LA towns -- and came across "San Dimas."
San Dimas, of course, is the hometown Bill S. Preston, Esq. and Ted Logan, best known for their work in the band "Wyld Stallyns."
That's right, it's a reference to "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure", that great work of late 80s cinema, and the first movie with Keanu Reeves that anybody ever saw.
Is it an official eBay product, or is it just a prototype?
Yes, San Dimas is an "official" eBay product. However, since it is currently in beta it is not a supported product, meaning that you won't be able to get technical support through eBay customer service during the beta period.
So is this going to be one of those "forever in beta" projects?
No way. We aren't using the "beta" designation as a marketing gimmick.
Features
What features are in San Dimas?
We are currently developing three main types of features. First: the "core" eBay buying features, including search, browse, watch list, and bidding/buy it now. Second: unique desktop-specific features, such as alerts and a browsing history. And third: features such as checkout and feedback that are integral to the eBay experience, and that if they weren't included would require you to go back to the eBay website on a regular basis.
What about selling?
We are planning a simple selling feature for San Dimas, targeted strictly at "casual," non-professional sellers. However, this feature will not be included in the initial beta release.
What about features x, y, z, etc...?
The San Dimas roadmap is very flexible. While we have certain features in mind, once the beta is out we will rely very heavily on the feedback of our users to determine what new features we implement, how we change existing ones, and even which features we remove.
Will it run on a Mac?
Yes, San Dimas will run on both Windows (XP and Vista) and the Mac (OSX 10.4 or higher).
What are the minimum system requirements to run San Dimas?
We don't know for sure yet, since we haven't done performance tuning. Informal performance tests have shown that it can run with acceptable performance on most any computer.
Technology
I'm interested in the technology... tell me more
OK. San Dimas is built on the Apollo platform from Adobe. Apollo allows developers to use Flash, HTML, and PDF to build desktop applications. Apollo allows applications to run cross-platform (Windows and Mac, and Linux in the future), and it provides the ability for internet-connected applications to run "offline" (without a continuous internet connection).
How does San Dimas work? How does it get the data from eBay?
San Dimas uses eBay Web Services to communicate with eBay. Web services are a mechanism by which client applications communicate with a server via a standard network protocol to exchange data via a well-understood format like XML. In fact, there is nothing preventing other companies or developers from creating applications like San Dimas, using the web services just like we do. You can learn more about this at the eBay Developers Program website.
I promised that I'd blog about features in San Dimas, and the first one up is very simple. In the search box, when you start typing a few characters, a drop-down menu appears showing popular searches that match.
This has a few benefits - one is that if you happen to be looking for something that is on the list, you can click directly on it and save time. But what I like it for best is for finding stuff to buy that I didn't even know that I needed. The other day I found "cushman" was one of the top "cu" keywords. If you are not familiar with Cushman utility vehicles, you may be surprised what you find when you search for it.
San Dimas is not the first application to have this kind of feature, but we are looking in a few areas to improve on the basic model of showing popular searches in this way. The first is integrating a user's own past searches in the same drop down as the general purpose popular searches. We are toying around with various ideas on how to do this. The main question is whether to have a single merged list or to have a single list that intermixes personal with popular search terms. This is the kind of thing that is hard to form an opinion on until you see it in action, and even I won't be sure which I prefer until it is actually implemented in the product. Leave a note in the comments with your thoughts.
-Alan
//
//
//
For new newsgroup readers, these are not our forum posts. Any comments to the posters below should be made on the applicable thread, marked in bold below.
//
From eBay Stores Forum eBay Coming to Your Desktop ... http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000389289&tstart=0&mod=1182446652037
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wayoutwestusa2 (78 ) Jun-21-07 07:03 PDT Currently in Beta (course, that's kinda like the entire eBay site, eh?), so now's the chance for all store owners get their voices heard regarding any issues (hidden store items, etc)
eBay client for your desktop. Instead of browsing to the site via the web, it's a program that you run on your computer and it will interface directly with eBay.
elonica (0 ) Jun-21-07 09:26 PDT 1 of And sellers need this because...???? Just to have another download on their hard drive? I am not a specialist so can someone more computer savvy come and explain - does this eBay client have something to do with eBay servers overload, does it mean seller's computers are going to host part of the data that now ebay hosts or I don't get this right?
"It provides a new search interface, a fun way to bid, access to your personal eBay history, and much more."
Words like "new search" and "fun" give me a bad gut feeling...
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sandrarn83 (2690 ) Jun-21-07 09:28 PDT 2 of Yes and Ebay wants me to download their buggy software on my new pristine website so we can "drive traffic to Ebay". YEP! pigs will be flying first too.
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19yearoldcat (19 ) Jun-21-07 09:40 PDT 3 of sorry not interested
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postcardsandmore (4312 ) Jun-21-07 09:48 PDT 4 of It looks like something for buyers only.
And, those words "new search" just made me feel ill!
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wayoutwestusa2 (78 ) Jun-21-07 09:54 PDT 5 of I thought it of interest for sellers because of this
We are sharing this project in the very early stages because we want your input
A chance to give them feedback about how crappy the search is before they release it.
Whether it'll make a difference or not, dunno (and prolly wont) but if you dont try to make it known that youre not finding the stuff you want (hint: store items)... After all, the chance if getting it changed after it's officially released is even slimmer.
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elonica (0 ) Jun-21-07 10:00 PDT 6 of wayoutwestusa2, they do not need our input cus they know better, they do what they want to do no matter what.
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postcardsandmore (4312 ) Jun-21-07 10:00 PDT 7 of In Ebayland I have found that the chances of getting anything changed once it's been offered in test mode is slim and none!
Test means..it's a done deal. This is a period for you all to complain and just get over it because it is here to stay!
The good news about the desktop feature is that everyone and their dog is offering a desktop feature, a toolbar etc and people are getting turned off by the whole thing.
My daughter took everything off hers and refuses to download anymore wonderful new desktop features that clutter up the space and eat up the memory (even on a brand new machine).
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frantichippie (12 ) Jun-21-07 10:13 PDT 8 of I think it's totally cool! eBay has opened up their API to developers in some amazing ways, prepare to see lots of cool new apps like this.
There is even a remote bidding API!
Susie
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postcardsandmore (4312 ) Jun-21-07 10:18 PDT 9 of Susie, see how cool you think it is if the "new search" is "best match" and your items never ever show up because you are a small seller with few page views therefore not popular and therefore no page views and therefore no possibility of ever being one of the popular choices!
Every download is potentially dangerous especially if you do not trust the company very much. About 2 years ago I made the stupid mistake to take a 3rd party survey on the ebay site, my computer went on fire, almost crushed, I got furious because I did not expect eBay to do this to me! So now I wouldn't download anything coming from ebay, period.
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world_securities (4918 ) Jun-21-07 11:35 PDT 11 of Would bet eBay will use this opportunity to reduce load on their own servers.
The additional power of 100 million Buyer computers.
Distributed computing is a method of computer processing in which different parts of a program run simultaneously on two or more computers that are communicating with each other over a network. Distributed computing is a type of parallel computing. But the latter term is most commonly used to refer to processing in which different parts of a program run simultaneously on two or more processors that are part of the same computer. While both types of processing require that a program be parallelized—divided into sections that can run simultaneously, distributed computing also requires that the division of the program take into account the different environments on which the different sections of the program will be running.
Drawbacks and disadvantages
If not planned properly, a distributed system can decrease the overall reliability of computations if the unavailability of a node can cause disruption of the other nodes. Leslie Lamport famously quipped that: "A distributed system is one in which the failure of a computer you didn't even know existed can render your own computer unusable."
Many types of computation are not well suited for distributed environments, typically owing to the amount of network communication or synchronization that would be required between nodes. If bandwidth, latency, or communication requirements are too significant, then the benefits of distributed computing may be negated and the performance may be worse than a non-distributed environment.
The effectiveness of a distributed computing project is therefore determined largely by the sophistication of the project creators.
Grid computing A grid uses the resources of many separate computers connected by a network (usually the Internet) to solve large-scale computation problems. Most use idle time on many thousands of computers throughout the world. Such arrangements permit handling of data that would otherwise require the power of expensive supercomputers or would have been impossible to analyze.
"By the time Skynet became self-aware it had spread into millions of computer servers across the planet. Ordinary computers in office buildings, dorm rooms; everywhere. It was software; in cyberspace. There was no system core; it could not be shutdown." John Connor, Terminator 3
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wayoutwestusa2 (78 ) Jun-21-07 11:45 PDT 12 of they do not need our input cus they know better, they do what they want to do no matter what.
In Ebayland I have found that the chances of getting anything changed once it's been offered in test mode is slim and none!
Youre both most likely correct. I just figured that since there might be a slim chance of effecting some change before the gadget gets finalized, that it might be worth messing with.
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elonica (0 ) Jun-21-07 12:00 PDT 13 of world_securities, thanks for your post. I'm not familiar with the term "Distributed computing" but I'm familiar with the "Grid" thingy as I'm a Second Life user. The system is highly unstable and buggy, it effects not only your in world (Second Life) experience but your overall computer performance. Since I downloaded SL on my desktop I started losing my wireless Internet connection and in the end it just could not be restored at all, still wondering how to deal with this. But Second Life needs the Grid because this is, I think, the only way to create their virtual reality. Keeping in mind all the problems eBay has NOW I can only imagine the mess that this eBay client will cause. Not to mention how bright is their idea to use YOUR computer instead of buying new servers. Mia
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postcardsandmore (4315 ) Jun-21-07 12:13 PDT 14 of Youre both most likely correct. I just figured that since there might be a slim chance of effecting some change before the gadget gets finalized, that it might be worth messing with
Point well taken. You just caught me in one of contrary moods due to the "now you see it now you don't" nature of search testing and store items.
My comments were in no way meant for you. I have always found your postings very helpful and informative.
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wayoutwestusa2 (78 ) Jun-21-07 17:12 PDT 15 of ^ aw shucks, PC&M. Youre too kind. I've always found your posts very helpful and infomative as well.
And you're probably right. Sometimes I just tend to forget that ebay has that corporate mindset of 'only the people in charge know anything' and actually hope that they might listen.
It's my cat's fault, he stole my tinfoil hat
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savoir-faire08 (58 ) Jun-21-07 17:45 PDT 16 of eBay Coming to Your Desktop
Certainly not to MINE
I would never download that product, after what I have read on the board yesterday, about the Trojan virus in the store template, who knows what isin the desktop software? I am paranoid about downloads, so if you think differently, go for IT!
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clact (3593 ) Jun-21-07 18:18 PDT 17 of I think you are missing the point. It is your customers that should have your store on their desktop. As a matter of fact I just suggested the stores people that the widget should be able to be emailed or popped up somewhere. Why would someone have to go through all the trouble of finding you again when they can have their eBay search for your store right in front of them.
Unrelated, to eBay a client developed something like this. Ironically the tech guy came to eBay and tried to get people interested in it here. It was a little different than what we have seen but represented an always "On" channel on the desktop. Anytime a customer wanted to see their "logo" on any item they would open this channel and see their logo on any one of thousands of items and new items. Sales soared. Many times the customers were doing the company's sales for them by saying "your bar glasses could look like this" . Designers started using the tool as part of their work for marketing plans etc.
Something is not even out yet and already you give it zero chance...
Ebay is the largest online marketplace in the world, Stores are the largest online mall in the world. Next to Visa, Paypal is the 2nd largest online payment solution in the world, Skype is the most downloaded and used telecommunications product in the world.
Some things are coming here that you will not see on your 3rd party websites for years if ever. So at the very least as some say you need to stick around to "use" ebay to feed leads to your products.
But the most successful will capitalize on the world markets and do something amazing here.
There are tons of things to be excited about, pick and choose what you like or dont like. Just keep in mind most of us are small store sellers being shown the state of the art in internet technology, and that is a good thing.
Marty
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catbooks1940s (1169 ) Jun-21-07 20:00 PDT 18 of Something is not even out yet and already you give it zero chance...
because ebay has lost our TRUST. trust they are even capable of putting out any product that doesn't have signficant bugs and glitches. (except this would be our computers at risk.) trust that they wouldn't misuse the power this would give them. trust, period.
::waves at wayoutwest::
yeah,ebay's idea of getting feedback is, they present their newst, and if you say anything except 'great, fabulous widget/idea!' they go deaf. joan
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homedecorstudios (11 ) Jun-21-07 20:10 PDT 19 of No thanks I have google desktop.
Ebay is the largest online marketplace in the world, Stores are the largest online mall in the world. Next to Visa, Paypal is the 2nd largest online payment solution in the world, Skype is the most downloaded and used telecommunications product in the world.
I don't care how big it is if there are no paying customers in it.
Some things are coming here that you will not see on your 3rd party websites for years if ever. So at the very least as some say you need to stick around to "use" ebay to feed leads to your products.
My websites have almost zero glitches, no downtime, no non paying customers, no FVF fees, no listing fees, no nigerians...Basically No headaches. Your right it will be years if ever before I have these problems outside ebay.
Just keep in mind most of us are small store sellers being shown the state of the art in internet technology, and that is a good thing.
Go to any techie show, Ebay is not cutting edge. They just BUY the cutting edge after someone else starts it.
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world_securities (4918 ) Jun-21-07 20:19 PDT 20 of clact I think you are missing the point. It is your customers that should have your store on their desktop.
No overhead, and a part of every browser on the planet.
What eBay is proposing is a dedicated front end. Taking processes eBay's servers already handle, and offload that processing onto individual computers. In effect eBay receives free processing cycles, and the individual who downloads the front end takes a performance hit as their processing cycles become eBay's.
clact Something is not even out yet and already you give it zero chance...
People aren't giving it a zero chance. They're being very picky as to what gets loaded onto their computer. The old buzz term being 'practicing safe computing.' This is no longer the 80's where new computer owners loaded every new routine into memory they could get their hands on.
You have to be very brave to load software, that even eBay says has bugs, on your pristine business systems.
Free advice. Anyone who chooses to do so, backup EVERYTHING first.
It would be very informative to see how many Wall Street types that would load this on their Business systems, right now.
Why don't you wait until San Dimas passes eBay internal beta testing? Because I guarantee anyone who deals with computers on 'the deep levels' will be waiting. Those same individuals and organizations will be waiting for test results from the usual places: PC Magazine, InfoWorld, MacWorld, etal.
clact Some things are coming here that you will not see on your 3rd party websites for years if ever.
You underestimate the inventiveness of these 3rd party people and organizations.
These are students, 3rd party if you will, beating out eBay's programming brain trust. Superior finished tool bar versus eBay so-so beta.
clact But the most successful will capitalize on the world markets and do something amazing here.
Actually "the most successful will capitalize on the world markets and do something amazing" period.
Sam Walton Bill Gates Steve Jobs Gordon Moore Donald Trump
Hope some of you get the point that it's YOUR large/medium/small Business. You need to make decisions. Letting unknown people make your business decisions, without your complete acceptance, is future disaster in the making.
clact most of us are small store sellers being shown the state of the art in internet technology, and that is a good thing.
Sorry, what eBay is doing is 'novel', but it isn't really state of the art.
Store sellers who want to stay current, Read. Read a lot. A extremely short basic recommended reading list:
Wall Street Journal Business Week PC Magazine, MacWorld, InfoWorld, etc.
You want to see business? You want to see technology? Read unfiltered material.
As a business cradle, eBay is not a bad place to apprentice. But always consider the long term. Staying or going, using or not using, should be what You want for the long term.
"The Earth is the cradle of mankind, but one cannot live in the cradle forever." ~Konstantin Tsiolkovsky
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elonica (0 ) Jun-21-07 20:48 PDT 21 of Yeah, "state of the art" glitches, no one can beat this, LOL
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psychocat1959 (268 ) Jun-21-07 21:00 PDT 22 of I have one word for this .
Scary!
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joint_runner (Private ) Jun-21-07 21:28 PDT 23 of being shown the state of the art in internet technology
Marty, Marty, Marty. I mean no disrespect, but what color is the sky in your world? eBay's had 10 years and they can't even make a lister work properly. Now suddenly they are going "state of the art"? C'mon.
Pretty well any reputable third party software, etc, makes their technology look like a dinosaur.
world_securities (4919 ) Jun-22-07 10:55 PDT 25 of A little comparison history of project names, and a HUH?? Save that last link data. It might disappear.
Project Apollo Lunar Landing, Man on the Moon, 20 July 1969
Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto, and the twin brother of the chaste huntress Artemis, who took the place of Selene in some myths as goddess of the moon.
In Roman mythology he is known as Apollo and increasingly, especially during the third century BC, as Apollo Helios he became identified with Sol, the Sun.
Apollo was an oracular god. He was the prophetic deity of the Delphic Oracle, as well as one of the most important and many-sided of the Olympian deities. Apollo also had dominion over colonists
Technically the project should have been named Artemis, but you get the idea.
The Apollo program was the third human spaceflight program undertaken by NASA, on behalf of the United States of America. Its goal — “to land humans on the Moon and return them safely to Earth
In Greek mythology, Orion was traditionally a great huntsman, who was set amongst the stars as the constellation called Orion. He is also described as a great hunter in the Odyssey, when Odysseus meets him in the underworld.
Orion is a spacecraft design currently under development by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Each Orion spacecraft will carry a crew of four to six astronauts, and will be launched by the new Ares I launch vehicle. Both Orion and Ares I are elements of NASA's Project Constellation, which plans to send human explorers back to the Moon by 2020
Saint Dismas (sometimes spelled Dysmas or only Dimas, or even Dumas), also known as the Good Thief or the Penitent Thief, is the apocryphal name given to one of the thieves who was crucified alongside Christ according to the Gospel of Luke 23:39-43.
My name is Adam Trachtenberg, one of the people working on Project San Dimas.
One of the questions I often hear when speaking about Project San Dimas is: "Why is San Dimas called San Dimas?" Good question. So, I thought I'd let everyone into the answer.
At eBay, we like to use code names for products before they go live. At the time we started working on San Dimas, there was another product nicknamed "Baldwin Park".
If you don't live in Southern California, Baldwin Park is a suburb of Los Angeles. So, when trying to come up with a name for this project, Alan decided to look at neighboring LA towns -- and came across "San Dimas."
San Dimas, of course, is the hometown Bill S. Preston, Esq. and Ted Logan, best known for their work in the band "Wyld Stallyns."
That's right, it's a reference to "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure", that great work of late 80s cinema, and the first movie with Keanu Reeves that anybody ever saw.
Be excellent to each other and party on dudes.
-adam
"We're not asking you to spy. We're just asking you to steal." Noah Bain, It Takes A Thief, 1968
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savoir-faire08 (58 ) Jun-22-07 11:51 PDT 26 of Just wanted to thank you, world securities, for responding to Marty's long stretched email in response to my post. I could not have said it better. Generally, I enjoy Marty's posts as they have some good info in them. This time, we disagreed. I think one can not be cautious enough on-line. Thank you wolrd securities!
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bhearsch (302 ) Jun-22-07 17:17 PDT 27 of http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/06/14/eBay-store-owners-voice-concerns_1.html With Finding 2.0, eBay wants to improve the relevance of search results without sacrificing what Durzy calls "serendipity," which eBay considers a key ingredient of the eBay experience: Stumbling upon a product that happily surprises you.
Do you suppose Hani Durzy was referring to the Popular Search showcased in eBay's new desktop application? It sure sounds similar to Alan Lewis' comments about the Popular Search feature: http://blogs.ebay.com/projectsandimas/entry/Feature-Highlight-Popular-Searches-In-Search-Box/_W0QQidZ215751010 This has a few benefits - one is that if you happen to be looking for something that is on the list, you can click directly on it and save time. But what I like it for best is for finding stuff to buy that I didn't even know that I needed. The other day I found "cushman" was one of the top "cu" keywords. If you are not familiar with Cushman utility vehicles, you may be surprised what you find when you search for it.
serendipity = stumble upon? We used to call that BROWSING before eBay took it away.
Blanche
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clact (3594 ) Jun-22-07 18:54 PDT 28 of Wow, now its the terminator software! I think that is getting too dramatic!
Speaking of the WSJ and BusinessWeek they both ran articles on it. I have read BW since my first year in college and a hint to anyone that age it keeps renewing at the college rate so dont give up your subscription. Its been 29 or 39 bucks a year for 20 years for me LOL
Dont worry about it crashing your computers though cause ill test it in Beta and If I go Poof youll know not to try it out.
With the negative possibilities there are some great things like it stores the category structure on your computer instead of recalling 20megs every time you need it on eBay.
The technology itself is praised by tech gurus mainly because it can be run across many platforms (Unix etc).
Heck for $400 for a Dell PC these days, you can have your whole eBay system seperate from anything else if you really wanted to.
I wish I saw the charity auctions sooner, the buyer got some good publicity for being the test rat for only $250 bucks!
Marty
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homedecorstudios (11 ) Jun-22-07 20:35 PDT 29 of there are some great things like it stores the category structure on your computer instead of recalling 20megs every time you need it on eBay.
I never used ebay to list & have it all saved in Marketworks.
Heck for $400 for a Dell PC these days, you can have your whole eBay system seperate from anything else if you really wanted to.
Why waste time & money pouring over a ebay only computer?
Ebay is no longer the It thing or even that useful as a marketing tool. It just one of many ways to drive sales.
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world_securities (4919 ) Jun-22-07 21:25 PDT 30 of clact Wow, now its the terminator software! I think that is getting too dramatic!
It's a generalized description of networked computers put in fictional terms to provide an understandable analogy. Apparently if you understood that, so did the average computer user.
Frankly if you're trivializing the inherent abilities of the software, then obviously you don't understand how it works. But it would explain the fascination you have with it.
What you find so state of the art, is an old concept. In 'computer years' anyway.
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/client-server-faq/section-11.html The distribution of applications and business logic across multiple processing platforms. Distributed processing implies that processing will occur on more than one processor in order for a transaction to be completed. In other words, processing is distributed across two or more machines and the processes are most likely not running at the same time, i.e. each process performs part of an application in a sequence. Often the data used in a distributed processing environment is also distributed across platforms.
The list of fallacies generally came about at Sun Microsystems. Peter Deutsch, one of the original Sun "Fellows," is credited with penning the first seven fallacies in 1994.
The Fallacies of Distributed Computing are a set of common but flawed assumptions made by programmers when first developing distributed applications. The fallacies are summarized as follows:
1. The network is reliable. 2. Latency is zero. 3. Bandwidth is infinite. 4. The network is secure. 5. Topology doesn't change. 6. There is one administrator. 7. Transport cost is zero. 8. The network is homogeneous.
clact Speaking of the WSJ and BusinessWeek they both ran articles on it.
Repeating eBay's press releases. You're free to cite the articles.
Given the official beta was released June 20th, any articles released before this is questionable as to what was tested. And Wall Street Journal and Business Week are not known for being computer test beds.
The real testing by die hard professional testers will play out over several months. clact Dont worry about it crashing your computers though cause ill test it in Beta and If I go Poof youll know not to try it out.
You're implying that you have the technical expertise of, say ZD Labs or similar testing facilities. Do you?
Leaving out a discussion of your computer testing background, try this tiny simple list.
What's your baseline system configuration? Will you run San Dimas in an isolated network? If not, will you determine if San Dimas actively seeks out other systems?
Can you provide figures regarding cycles used, memory used, network access, storage used, bandwidth used, search time, pre and post? Can you provide the 'hooks' San Dimas sinks into the operating system? Would you recognize a crash caused by San Dimas or something unrelated?
Can you provide more than, "loaded it and ran fine?"
clact With the negative possibilities
Great to see you recognize this. Frankly I know no reputable professional that would recommend loading betaware on ANY Business Production system. It's irresponsible.
clact there are some great things like it stores the category structure on your computer instead of recalling 20megs every time you need it on eBay.
Only "20megs?" Projecting needs outward, more like oh 10GB? to get a good test environment. Pushing perhaps to 100GB and more of a buyers computer resources, to be utilized by eBay in this distributed processing front end.
Were eBay's server architecture as state of the art as you say San Dimas is, this would not be a problem. Since you do have inside information, thank you for confirming what was said earlier. eBay is using this front end software to load a buyer's computer with eBay data and use the buyers computer cycles.
Then again, anyone who knows about distributed processing would have figured those things out already. This 'state-of-the-art' process is older than eBay. Abet eBay is using state of the art equipment to implement it.
Once you allow an outside system to dictate what it needs on your own system, the needs continue to expand to the maximums. Worse case in a parasitic relationship, the user's needs are subordinated to the needs of the single process. I'd call it vampireware, but the term already exists.
This is not a bad thing, if you really need the application. Any 'only load 250 GB' Halo players understand the feeling?
But is San Dimas a must need application? Given portable wireless Internet access, and browsers and bookmarks?
clact Heck for $400 for a Dell PC these days
Heck, most people don't own computers because of that 'low' price. If this is eBay's assumption, that buyers won't have a problem with San Dimas because computers are 'cheap', it's a bad one.
As a side note; readers some help here. Long ago there was an in passing remark from corporate about the construct of the 'eBay computer.' Any notes or links regarding this would be welcome.
clact you can have your whole eBay system seperate from anything else if you really wanted to.
Did you read what you wrote? You essentially said 'eBay dedicated computers will access eBay.'
IF this is the direction eBay is collectively thinking, and you tend to get eBay insider information, that's megalomania or hubris.
megalomania -
A mental condition where the patient is exhibits delusions of grandeur, patient has a greatly enhanced opinion of himself.
hubris - exaggerated pride or self-confidence.
Essentially you're saying the eBayOS?
MicroSoft made that argument for their operating system, but as can be seen, most of you do need MS OS to get anything done on your computer*. But tying up a computer, remember most owners have only one, dedicated to eBayOS?
* easy there: Mac Q G5, G4, & 2 AMD Dual Core, etc.
Over the coming 12 months, the sales pitch for that should be interesting.
"HAL was told to lie - by people who find it easy to lie. HAL doesn't know how." Dr. Chandra, 2010
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frantichippie (14 ) Jun-23-07 05:30 PDT 31 of Frankly if you're trivializing the inherent abilities of the software, then obviously you don't understand how it works. But it would explain the fascination you have with it.
Where are you getting that this new software is even based on distributed networking?
How would a distributed network even function with a website like eBay anyway? eBay runs off a huge database server farm, so in order to distribute their network calls to all the people using this software, they would have to store a little chunk of the database on everyone's computer and then when someone searches and each of our computers return a chunk of the results?
Susie
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monkey*see*monkey*do (Private ) Jun-23-07 07:00 PDT 32 of So at the very least as some say you need to stick around to "use" ebay to feed leads to your products.
I've heard "stick around", things will be better for a year now. Guess what? They aren't. eBay is getting worse with no relief in site.
eBay has proven once again that they will continue throwing money out there for stuff like this instead of fixing the REAL issues regarding the CORE of ebay.
They want to reignite auctions and core? What exactly have they done to fix any of it? Nothing.
I am sick and tired of search changes, sick and tired of their so called tests, I'm sick and tired of their inability to maintain servers and make items visible to any searcher anywhere at any time of the day. I am sick and tired that eBay doesn't get it.
Every new tool they launch is useless to me unless they fix the real issues first.
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world_securities (4920 ) Jun-23-07 13:37 PDT 33 of frantichippie Where are you getting that this new software is even based on distributed networking?
I'm going to use 'distributed' in extremely general terms. Please do not confuse the use of these general descriptions for the actual depictions of specific concept terms.
Let's start with removing the misnomer that equates 'distributed' to massive. This large scale may have it's origin in the book (1966) and movie (1970) "Colossus: The Forbin Project."
Basically sentient computer taking over/distributing itself into every computer on the planet and threatening humanity with extinction. "Obey me and live, or disobey and die." Colossus.
Today, 'distributed networking' is common due to small scale implementations. For instance, powered on computers cable connected are being used minutely for distributed processing of the cable providers computers. It's in the user agreement, that polling your computer and adding data to your hard drives. Simple monitoring of the entire cable network using the individual computers as one of the monitoring devices.
On one of the other ends of distributed processing, there are games and simulated worlds. Think Halo, World of Warcraft, Second Life, etc. Were this type of application played completely on the host servers, the genre would have died last century. Think how long it takes to download a large photo on your system, then image the hundreds of pictures necessary to generate the illusion of a moving object.
A network game depends on the processing power of it's servers and the processing power of the it's user computers. Distributed processing.
The network server sends the bare minimum of data to a user's computer. The user's computer has preloaded the application that is able to use the server constant real time data stream. User computer translates the server data to a moving visual image. The quality of the display image is almost entirely a function of the user's computer capabilities. A normal application will allow scalability. A system with bare minimum capability will have bare minimum display. A top of the line system will show the maximum possible.
The tradeoff is remarkable. Were a company dealing with 100 users, the choices are to have a supercomputer capable of processing the entire needs of 100 users internally and pushing out a 100 user wide data stream, or an average stand alone server servicing the needs of 100 users externally using far less bandwidth.
Moving to eBay.
frantichippie How would a distributed network even function with a website like eBay anyway? eBay runs off a huge database server farm, so in order to distribute their network calls to all the people using this software, they would have to store a little chunk of the database on everyone's computer and then when someone searches and each of our computers return a chunk of the results?
That is what clact said.
clact With the negative possibilities there are some great things like it stores the category structure on your computer instead of recalling 20megs every time you need it on eBay.
When you do a search through eBay.com and get a Category Page, an eBay Server is generating this data. Not your computer.
What clact described, requires eBay to have loaded on your system, the desktop application and data necessary to generate the Category Page. And requires your computer to do the computational work. Because the data changes one microsecond to the next, your computer would be configured to continually poll for these changes.
This is distributed processing. Your computer does more work, eBay's servers do less.
We are currently developing three main types of features. First: the "core" eBay buying features, including search, browse, watch list, and bidding/buy it now. Second: unique desktop-specific features, such as alerts and a browsing history. And third: features such as checkout and feedback that are integral to the eBay experience, and that if they weren't included would require you to go back to the eBay website on a regular basis.
How does San Dimas work? How does it get the data from eBay?
San Dimas uses eBay Web Services to communicate with eBay. Web services are a mechanism by which client applications communicate with a server via a standard network protocol to exchange data via a well-understood format like XML. In fact, there is nothing preventing other companies or developers from creating applications like San Dimas, using the web services just like we do. You can learn more about this at the eBay Developers Program website.
Despite what is being inferred, eBay does need a new user interface. And San Dimas, eBay 2.0, was born in 2006.
No software will take over the world; at least not today. They are tools. The tool of fire can light the way to rescue, or destroy billions.
It's your choice what that tool will do.
And, how eBay goes about implementing a new tool (user interface) is a matter that should be watched closely and discussed openly.
Colossus: The Forbin Project, 1970 "In time, you will come to regard me not only with respect and awe, but with love." Colossus "Never." Dr. Forbin
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clact (3595 ) Jun-23-07 16:05 PDT 34 of Its funny how Skype has 200 million users or something using this type of system as well as other companies using VOIP. And recently 400,000 plus computers were all over the news with a SETI screensaver that was searching for life in outer space when it popped up in another example of using this type of computing.
I did love that Forbin Project movie though, that was an excellent movie!
Thanks for putting all the articles in one place , since I missed some of those :)
Marty
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world_securities (4920 ) Jun-23-07 19:02 PDT 35 of clact Its funny how Skype has /advertising removed/ using this type of system
"It’s free to download and free to call other people"
It can be relatively easy to get a huge user base, when the service is FREE.
Your basis for "this type of system" please. The protocols for San Dimas and Skype are not the same.
2003 http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1402368,00.asp The service uses a peer-to-peer networking scheme, but rather than sharing files, connected PCs help route one another's calls. Skype also uses that routing technology to get around the need for (and cost of) central servers and directories
In the very generic short description, computers are used as glorified routers, not distributed processing nodes.
And you neglect to mention that San Dimas is completely eBay in house. Birth to beta is less than a year.
eBay bought 4+ year old (2003) Skype technology and did not create it. Free phone calls placed from a personal computer is not new or novel. And I think pre-21st Century. clact And recently 400,000 plus computers were all over the news with a SETI screensaver that was searching for life in outer space when it popped up in another example of using this type of computing.
Thought you would bring this up.
SETI@home http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SETI SETI@home is an extremely popular distributed computing project that was launched by U.C. Berkeley in May 1999, and is heavily sponsored by The Planetary Society. Any individual can become involved with SETI research by downloading and running the SETI@home software package, which then runs signal analysis on a "work unit" of data recorded from the central 2.5 MHz wide band of the SERENDIP IV instrument. The results are then automatically reported back to UC Berkeley. Over 5 million computer users in more than 200 countries have signed up for SETI@home and have collectively contributed over 19 billion hours of computer processing time. As of December 4, 2006 the Seti@Home grid operates at 257 TeraFLOPS, making it equivalent to the second fastest supercomputer on Earth.
This is a voluntary effort by computer owners. With open software created by scientists for altruistic purposes.
San Dimas is a commercial enterprise, with closed architecture.
SETI is a eight year old example to business of how much FREE processing power is available. The question is how to tap that power.
No later than 2005, eBay already had distributed processing within all of its internal computers. I believe the comment from one of the architects was along the lines of providing more processing power than the sum of the parts. I believe eBay markets the process.
When the computing power of the servers is maxed out, an increase in servers, increases the processing power. You can see indirectly the amount eBay is willing to spend on new machines in their quarterly budget statements.
When faced with the need for more processing power (and what business does not need more), and low cost, it takes no stretch of the imagination for someone at eBay to think, '100 million free processors.'
At it's very basic usage, San Dimas is capable of delivering that free power. Any process that an eBay buyer's computer does, means less processing for eBay's servers. Postponing and reducing the need for massive hardware upgrades.
Of course it remains to be seen what San Dimas is capable of for eBay and users.
"The importance of this application should not be overlooked. While the project goal is to drive metrics on the eBay Buying experience" Rob Abbott, San Dimas
From the slimy opposite end of distributed processing. A few malicious examples.
http://www.smith.edu/its/tara/viruses/parasiteware.html "Parasiteware", also known as "spyware" or "adware", is unwanted software that installs itself on your computer without your knowledge or consent when you view webpages or download files from the Internet. Parasiteware can dramatically slow your computer's performance, bombard you with pop-ups, or even cause you to lose your Internet access altogether. The most malicious types may take over your browser and reset your hompepage, or worse yet, allow outsiders to access personal information on your computer.
Even if you think you always browse the Internet responsibly, you are not immune from these pests. Parasiteware-writers have found many ways to sneak their files onto your computer without your knowledge or consent. According to Microsoft, parasiteware and other deceptive software is responsible for more than 50% of Windows operating systems failures, costing millions of dollars in computer support each year.
FBI tries to fight zombie hordes http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6752853.stm The initiative is part of an ongoing project to thwart the use of hijacked home computers, or zombies, as launch platforms for hi-tech crimes. The FBI has found networks of zombie computers being used to spread spam, steal IDs and attack websites.
"Well, I got good news and bad news, girls. The good news is your dates are here." "What's the bad news?" Karen "They're dead." Det. Ray Cameron Night of the Creeps, 1986
For new newsgroup readers, these are not our forum posts. Any comments to the posters below should be made on the applicable thread, marked in bold below.
At your own risk.
eBay had previously released this thread to Google. Do a Google search using "spopa2006" or "Sergiu D. Popa" and click the 'Cached' link.
eBay Forums: Phisher Indicted - check out this ... spopa2006. (2. ) View Listings | Report, Jun-26-07 13:34 PDT, 3 of 3. Listen guys. I am Sergiu D. Popa. I am that horrible guy! ... forums.ebay.com/db2/ thread.jspa?threadID=2000388887&tstart=0&mod=1182890093453 - 50k - Jun 26, 2007 -
eBay Forums: Phisher Indicted - check out this ... spopa2006. (2. ) View Listings | Report, Jun-26-07 13:34 PDT, 3 of 4. Listen guys. I am Sergiu D. Popa. I am that horrible guy! ... forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000388887&tstart=0&mod=1182907929201 - 51k - Jun 26, 2007 -
From eBay Stores Forum Phisher Indicted - check out this article http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000388887&start=0
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jan** (803 ) Jun-20-07 11:29 PDT 'Phishing' lands man in legal trouble A Romanian immigrant was indicted Tuesday in federal court in Minneapolis on charges that he operated a computerized "phishing" scheme for several years that raked in financial records and personal identification from thousands of individuals, including many from Minnesota.
By Dan Browning, Star Tribune Last update: June 20, 2007 – 11:35 AM
A Romanian immigrant has been indicted in federal court in Minneapolis on charges that he operated a computerized "phishing" scheme for several years that raked in financial records and personal identification from thousands of individuals, including many from Minnesota. Sergiu Daniel Popa, 20, of Shelby Township, Michigan, was indicted Tuesday on three counts of possessing 15 or more devices designed to access data on the Internet without authorization, and three counts of aggravated identity theft.
Popa had email addresses for more than 10,000 individuals, and investigators found evidence that he planned to solicit them to visit fraudulent web sites, where they might be tricked into leaving personal information, according to a sworn statement by Theodore Theisen, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigations who works on the Minnesota Cybercrimes Task Force in Minneapolis.
"One of the collections of emails consisted of addresses of TCF Bank customers," Theisen noted.
FBI agents in Minneapolis began investigating Popa and others suspected of widespread Internet thefts in the United States and elsewhere in 2005, he wrote. The heart of the alleged thefts was a phishing scheme in which unsuspecting victims are tricked into divulging personal information to what appear to be legitimate businesses.
From May 2004 through February 2007, Popa allegedly used two Yahoo email accounts and numerous phony web sites that contained computer programming code set up to collect credit card numbers and personal information, the indictment says.
Theisen says in his affidavit, which was filed in Feb. 27 and unsealed Tuesday, that Popa also had more than 7,000 identities of victims of various phishing schemes, together with bank account, credit card and Social Security numbers, and passwords for some eBay, online banking and e-mail accounts. Popa offered to sell the stolen information to others, he said.
Popa also allegedly offered to sell "a phishing/spamming toolkit" for $1,500, with step-by-step instructions, Theisen said. Authorities found one file in his Yahoo account that contained identification and credit card information for more than 5,800 victims; 96 of these had addresses in Minnesota, and 34 of them were in Hennepin County.
Popa's emails led authorities to conclude that he has worked with others in various credit card fraud and identity theft scams. In January 2005, Theisen said, Popa sent an e-mail to one individual saying, "i am a accredited vendor in underworld. i have many scams, shop admins, and many full credit cards. i can also pull up credit reports and cash out ATMs. I charge for my services but I am great provider of everything."
Popa entered the United States on a six-month visitor visa in June 2000 and overstayed his visa illegally, Theisen said. Popa has lived with his parents and on his own in New York, and after his parents divorced, he moved with his father to Michigan.
Popa was convicted of larceny by conversion on June 12, 2006, stemming from a case in Saline, Mich. He was accused of using a hijacked eBay account to trick an individual into sending him $1,448 to buy a product that didn't exist. Popa served 71 days in confinement, Theisen said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested him as a deportable alien in July, but he filed for permanent residency and sought to suppress his felony record for immigration purposes. The FBI filed a criminal complaint against him the day before he was scheduled to appear in immigration court for a deportation hearing. amishgoodslogo
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5 replies Date posted Reply #
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roc** (2313 ) Jun-20-07 16:53 PDT 1 of 5 And it ONLY took the FBI at least 2 years to arrest him. Typical. And he may still get away. And he's been an illegal alien since Jan. 2001. Geesh, how many breaks does this guy get?
Just like all those muslims involved in 9-11. The government had been watching them for years. Not that it did any good.
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mon** (Private ) Jun-20-07 18:16 PDT 2 of 5 Maybe he paid his taxes?
Listen guys. I am Sergiu D. Popa. I am that horrible guy!
Now let me make things a bit clear for you. First and foremost, I think that the Feds are a bit mentally challenged to put me behind bars because I have access to a lot of databases and I can predict every single move one tries to make against me.
And by the way, employing the described techniques by the newspaper article I successfully obtained about 1.1 Million dollars. I never run a Western Union Scheme as the newspaper says. I run an insurance scheme and therefore there shouldn't be any complaints. Insurances have plenty of money.
They also fail to mention in the newspapers reports who I really am in terms of my education and my real story. If you would really know my background and my level of education, you would probably realize that I can listen to your phone conversation, or maybe take a refinance loan on your house without you knowing. I am really appalled by the fact that you guys are making such comments on my behalf. Who are you to judge me? You guys make me laugh.
They also failed to say that I used to work as a mortgage broker and I regret the mistakes I made by scamming insurance companies but I was only 16 at the time I was doing it. I also offered to pay restitution to the Government. However, they always have to win, and they will never accept restitution because they want to prosecute me.
I have also seen a newspaper article where I was described as speaking a broken English. Let's analyze that for a second. At 14 I was teaching Differential Equations and Mechanics at a 4 yr college in New Hampshire, and by the time I was 15 I graduated high school. I am not a wannabe. As a matter of fact, I think I read more books in my life than the whole FBI Minnesota office. If the newspapers are going to write an article about me, I ask them to tell the whole truth. Call my college professors and ask them who I really am.
I know FBI, NASA, BOP and all those other government bonehead agencies are not happy when a kid who immigrated from another country penetrates their systems, but such is life. Get used to it. If in this life, we would all have an equal level of intelligence the world would come to an end. But how would you guys know that? I bet you guys never actually read a sociology, philosophy or psychology book and actually made something out of it.
But here is a warning to everybody who will post bogus information about me:
I will make your life a hell. Do not test me. Do not post information that is not accurate. I already have enough bad publicity and I do not want more. I want to be left alone.
This also applies to the Feds. I have been a nice guy with you, but once again, you are not smart enough to catch me for one, and I would really hate to see you guys back to stone age. How much would the Feds loose if one of their databases were to be completely deleted?
I am not an evil person, but I could be if I wanted to. Let's all live in peace and harmony. Mind your own business and I will mind my own.
Very Truly Yours, Sergiu D. Popa
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the*** (1381 ) Jun-26-07 18:32 PDT 4 of 5 Is this a joke?
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From eBay Stores Forum This Is Odd...Anyone Else Having This Going On ?... http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000388797&tstart=0&mod=1182367316265
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bribaiki (1041 ) Jun-20-07 08:51 PDT I know that this is not something new, but on top of sales be extremely poor I am noticing something that has been reported before...all month my sales have been horrible, I can now see why. Any measly sales I have been making are all coming from the same area.
Started the month on a dismal note...I think I had 1 sale maybe. Last week any sales I made all came from the West Coast, mainly California, one in Arizona one Nevada. Week before was Texas. This week we have moved to the Mid states...Illinois.
I have had this happen before...the sales were really good then, but still all coming from one area of the country.
So, it seems like a double whammie going on here. Invisible as it is with stores, poor sales and I suspect that in part due to only certain areas seeing us at a time. I find it more than a coincidence...looks like manipulation to me.
Madame Kazoo Kitty
"Look into my eyes...you will obey those that wear Fruit Helmets..." Proud member of the Fruit Helmet Club since 5-31-07
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monkey*see*monkey*do (Private ) Jun-20-07 11:04 PDT 1 of Bri - you know the answer to that.
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thewoodlandgirl (Private ) Jun-20-07 11:44 PDT 2 of yup, regional selling has been going on strong for over a year now. Usually it doesnt effect sales that much though, cuz one way or another something sells.
I think its more the pulling of Google adds that is doing it!
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sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 11:49 PDT 3 of woodlandgirl you know that's correct. I get a TON of CA buyers and they all can't have their preferences set on "seller geographically closest". I appreciate the break on shipping fees with my free shipping offers but again I knew it relates back to search manipulation by Ebay. Now that's one place I would like to see in person is the "finding" team and their data.
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oas3 (14199 ) Jun-20-07 12:00 PDT 4 of bribaiki thats how the rolling blackout sales work. List 4 or 5 thousands different items and you will see the pattern. When you get into the thousands of items listed minor problems that affect sellers with few items listed really get magnified with the more listings you have in place. Right now and for the past week there is a huge time difference in emails. I get a paypal payment in for a item that sold I wasn't aware it sold gets boxed and somedays already in the postal system before a ebay email comes in showing the item was sold..
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monkey*see*monkey*do (Private ) Jun-20-07 12:04 PDT 5 of I want to throw in the possibility that Google ads were also somewhat responsible for geographical sales outside the US. Maybe even domestic.
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thewoodlandgirl (Private ) Jun-20-07 12:07 PDT 6 of That could be a possibility.
I have yet to figure out how its done. Cuz I get the same search results if Im signed in on my CA account or if I browse as a visitor.
Unless it reads your isp and knows your the same person?
I have yet to see the regional selling on a search, but as a seller I know it exsits.
I get more CA sales than I have in my 6 years on ebay put together.
Also Texas and Florida.
I never sell to the midwest. I find it hard to believe people in the midwest hate my items?
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rustyaccents2 (995 ) Jun-20-07 12:10 PDT 7 of Yep Madame Kazoo Kitty its been going on for a while. Someone mentioned this in a post last year and it got me to thinking. So I started paying mor attention to the region from which my sales were coming. I even mentioned it to another seller friend of mine. They hadn't noticed until I mentioned it and come to find out it was also true with their sales. The only time I see any difference in sales from various regions in the US is if I have a sale from a previous customer.
Generally around the 1st of the month, most all my sales are from my home state (Texas) with a few spread out from other Central States.
Sad but yes its happening.
This time last year for me sales were good but I'd only been back selling for about 1 1/2 months. This month so far stinks, only 17 items sold. At this point, May of last year (my first month back) will be better than June of this year.
I am trying something new though. I have no items in Core, only in my store. I'm testing just to see how sales are without any Core items and yes I know core items pull buyers into your store. I generally list my big sellers in Core all the time however, I'm headed to a show this weekend and supply for my big seller is very very low so I figured this would be a good time to test sales in my store only.
Just my .02
GayNell Rusty Accents
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catbooks1940s (1168 ) Jun-20-07 12:21 PDT 8 of i've been seeing the same thing as y'all for the past year. it started around the same time ebay took store out of search. maybe a month or so later.
i can see it even with having few listings.
prior to whatever change they made, i would sometimes get sales in the same area/country, but it happened within the realm of coincidence. entirely different thing now.
monkey, ebay had been buying adwords for a long time, so i don't think that's related.
we did not agree to pay for our listings to only be shown in rotating geographic areas. we paid for our listings to show up regardless of geographic area. we're paying the same price for LIMITED exposure and were not informed of this.
woodland, if you have cable or dsl, you have a static ip number. that's how these things are tracked, by ip number. so ebay would know it's you (or your geographic area), no matter how you're signed on.
i have dial-up, which is a dynamic ip. i get a different ip when i sign on. isps buy banks of ip numbers, so there is a finite number of them available to me. joan
For new newsgroup readers, these are not our forum posts. Any comments to the posters below should be made on the applicable thread, marked in bold below.
FYI apologist post_a_note aka 20th_century_art posts spin and damage control supporting eBay ...
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From eBay Stores Forum Servers http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000388662&tstart=0&mod=1182361481804
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mgkmkl (22 ) Jun-20-07 00:09 PDT Hey everyone!
I have just opened up a store and am getting everything set up, but I have been reading around this forum and what is all this stuff about being on different servers and not getting as many sales because of it?
Aren't everyone items viewable to all ebayers when they type in the keywords of the search?
Any advice on this subject would be much appreciated!
- Mike
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mrbubbe2 (721 ) Jun-20-07 04:32 PDT 1 of In short your items do not show in search. There is some criteria and it seems to be changing all the time and I find it hard to keep up. But if less than 30 or 20 items show in core stores may show at the bottom. Also they have been mixing in EE and other things so I am not 100% sure what is the rule today. Then also there is the spigot effect that is getting thrown around. This is something all together different to deal with.
Confused yet.... stick around a while. joe
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bribaiki (1041 ) Jun-20-07 09:00 PDT 2 of Like joe stated above... And to answer your question, it appears lately that if you are somehow found you are only found in certain areas of the country at any given time...not the whole country...just certain parts. For me, last week my sales were only on the West Coast...mainly California, one Arizona, one Nevada...oh...and they didn't realize I had a store either...they purchased through auction...had to tell them I have a store. This week we have moved to the Mid states...namely...Illinois. Few weeks before...Texas only.
Madame Kazoo Kitty
"Look into my eyes...you will obey those that wear Fruit Helmets..." Proud member of the Fruit Helmet Club since 5-31-07 .
bribaiki (1041 ) Jun-20-07 09:01 PDT 3 of Oh and before that...No sales in the U.S. only international (U.K. and Australia)
Madame Kazoo Kitty
"Look into my eyes...you will obey those that wear Fruit Helmets..." Proud member of the Fruit Helmet Club since 5-31-07
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sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 09:04 PDT 4 of WOW I was on the international server for a while. Then I headed to the southern states and now I am primarily selling to CA buyers. Some days you wonder do they just have a map up on a wall and set the servers to where the dart lands on the map.
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bribaiki (1041 ) Jun-20-07 09:16 PDT 5 of Some days you wonder do they just have a map up on a wall and set the servers to where the dart lands on the map.
LoL!
I swear they do...I too was on the international server for a while. Prior to the greater U.K. area, I was in Italy and France. Then I travelled to the greater Singapore area. No U.S. during this period at all.
Madame Kazoo Kitty
"Look into my eyes...you will obey those that wear Fruit Helmets..." Proud member of the Fruit Helmet Club since 5-31-07
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post_a_note (0 ) Jun-20-07 09:18 PDT 6 of I have no idea whether this server visibility issue is real or myth.
The majority of posts in these threads seem to be little more than speculation at best... total fiction at worst.
I have never done a search for my items and found them missing. I've never had a friend, acquaintance, or customer complain that they searched for my items and found them missing. I'm baffled. But I'm open to the possibility that there are server issues which I'm not aware of.
Frankly, I'm pretty clueless when it comes to servers and that sort of thing. Perhaps I need to bone up a bit. In any event, if anyone has a good layman's tutorial on this subject, I'm all ears.
But if all you have is "Last week all my sales came from the west coast and this week they're all from Florida." Well, I consider that absolutely meaningless. I had two sales from Canada yesterday. Would you conclude I was stuck on a Canadian server?
Disclaimer: This is a Posting ID. If you are uncomfortable with posting IDs, feel free to ignore this post. Thank you in advance.
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sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 09:29 PDT 7 of
PAN I was always neutral on the search engine theory until recently. Shortly after Ebay made it a point to tell us they were going to be doing some real beta testing with their "findings" team I got my answer. I wound up on the international market and didn't have a single domestic sale. I still cringe waiting for the Hong Kong, Singapore, and UK pacages to arrive and my star ratings to drift in. I had ZERO and I mean ZERO domestic sales for days. That's unheard of at my level. I knew then that Ebay's ability to manipulate search was no longer a theory. It is a fact and Ebay has become a master at using it. They can shut any seller out of a market without a blink. It's been shown to me without a doubt. Now I want to know when they are going to start punishing sellers who they feel are misbehaving with these same "finding" methods. Probably already have. (Ebay by the way I can be bought! You just gotta find my greed factor to shut me up!)
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rdora (85 ) Jun-20-07 09:47 PDT 8 ofFor awhile - until ebay took it off as "illegal coding" I have had the sitemeter.com little tool installed on my store page. The little gadget show me who visited the store, how long they stayed, and WHERE - which area they come from. I posted the result several time in this board, and there was absolutely no doubt that indeed several days all visitors come from East cost - except a handful exception- while another days they come from West coast, some days I had no another visitor beside Chicago area, then California, then mysteriously only UK.. or from Europe. Now I'm not in any server seems like but to me it is not a myth that the search is artificially manipulated. Dora
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sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 09:52 PDT 9 of Dora I have no doubt you are right too. If you wouldn't mind could you email me some of those results I would love to pass them along to some friends.
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monkey*see*monkey*do (Private ) Jun-20-07 09:53 PDT 10 of
When this server issue rose, 3 sellers that I am in a group with did a test. We all cleared our cashe, deleted cookies and searched the SAME term at the same time.
One person is in CA, one in Ohio and one in FL.
All 3 of us got different results.
Those results were also posted here and discussed to great lengths.
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sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 09:58 PDT 11 of monkey you got any screen shots of those threads?
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bribaiki (1041 ) Jun-20-07 09:59 PDT 12 of PAN I was always neutral on the search engine theory until recently.
I was as well. I would see it here and there, but really didn't chalk it up to much because it was something that took place over a course of say 1 or 2 days and then sales would be from all over again.
I as well pretty much have had a pretty consitant sell through rate all year round. Lately though since all these special announcements and changes and whatever, I have noticed the same thing as sandrarn. I as well have never not had a U.S. sale during a given time frame. And the person who had bought from me from out of the "area" was a repeat customer who had gone directly to my store. They purchase from me often and don't search for my items at all. Most of the individuals I have contacted in regards to answering questions had no idea I even had a store until I told them, while another thought I only had like 12 molds listed in core when in fact I had 87 in core at that time and no they were not just listed either. I have not experienced sales like this in all the time I have been here. Yeah, there have been some times when things were slower than usual, but the few sales I had came from all over and things would pick up again after several days. Now, sales have been horrible and when something does come in they are all only in certain areas and spread out over a week or more. Then it moves to another area...same thing...then another...then out of the U.S. all together for an extended period of time.
Madame Kazoo Kitty
"Look into my eyes...you will obey those that wear Fruit Helmets..." Proud member of the Fruit Helmet Club since 5-31-07
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bribaiki (1041 ) Jun-20-07 10:09 PDT 13 of When this server issue rose, 3 sellers that I am in a group with did a test. We all cleared our cashe, deleted cookies and searched the SAME term at the same time.
I did a similar test too as well with a few people.
I am in Mass, had my sister in New York, my friend in Conn., another relative in North Carolina, and a friend in California. All of us reported different findings...I would like to add that the friend in Conn lives right across the Mass border 5 minutes away from me (I am on the Mass/Conn border) and we had gotten different results.
I have to agree with you as well Dora and monkey see...something is up, no doubt in my mind about it.
Madame Kazoo Kitty
"Look into my eyes...you will obey those that wear Fruit Helmets..." Proud member of the Fruit Helmet Club since 5-31-07
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sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 10:11 PDT 14 of I think that was the one that sent me over the edge as far as Ebay was concerned. I can neutralize any advantage Ebay gives an auction seller with my selling strategies. I can not compete when Ebay completely stacks the deck against me with the servers and visibility. I really think this needs to head out into the court system and to the buying public's eyes. I think Ebay's ability to alter search and visibility needs to publicly be addressed with the buying public so they can realize just exactly how Ebay is altering their buying habits and limiting what they are seeing.
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rdora (85 ) Jun-20-07 10:11 PDT 15 of Sandra I would but this was a while ago, and I don't have them anymore.. I thought about it reinstalling again until *opps*LOL or someone else might try it it is sitemeter. Another interesting thing was to see that for over a month while I have it, there was not once the visitors numbers match the omniture numbers.
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sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 10:14 PDT 16 of Dora I think you might just have peaked Chop's interest what this comment "Another interesting thing was to see that for over a month while I have it, there was not once the visitors numbers match the omniture numbers" Were your stats higher or lower than the Omniture stats?
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bribaiki (1041 ) Jun-20-07 10:20 PDT 17 of I agree sandrarn...this is something that no seller can "adjust" to. How can you ? It's ridiculous. Even listing in core...I mean come on! How can I have 87 items in core and some see all 87, others only see say 40, while still another only sees 12 and others don't see me at all ? This just being an example, I have done searches with other posters here and I can say I have gotten different results than others and others got different results than mine, some had the same and we were all searching the same thing...there are many different posts about it here.
Madame Kazoo Kitty
"Look into my eyes...you will obey those that wear Fruit Helmets..." Proud member of the Fruit Helmet Club since 5-31-07
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monkey*see*monkey*do (Private ) Jun-20-07 10:22 PDT 18 of Sandra - uh, I will email you if it is ok.
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sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 10:24 PDT 19 of Money thank you it is most appreciated. Mail it please directly to my ISP. [email protected] by filling in the name please. .
monkey*see*monkey*do (Private ) Jun-20-07 10:27 PDT 20 of also - you are right. Many things we can overcome and adjust to but issues like that are impossible. .
rdora (85 ) Jun-20-07 10:44 PDT 21 of Sandra Omniture was ALWAYS much higher... not talking about a little but many time a 100 or more
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sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 10:50 PDT 22 of That's been the general consensus of several sellers lately. That Omniture stats appear to be grossly inflated. Dora I must say you have been a delightful ray of sunshine for me today. It's refreshing to learn new things on these boards and I do every day that I come now. Thank you and I'll check out some of your software advice it's been great advice and will be heeded.
. rdora (85 ) Jun-20-07 10:55 PDT 23 of Sandra, someone might get away with it for awhile... I know I did LOL.. - of course it is very obvious why it is "illegal coding" when the site says that you can install it ANYWHERE but that's not IT
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sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 10:57 PDT 24 of Oh I didn't plan to install on it on my site. Too many eyes and ears. I'll let others do that for me. I fully understand what you are saying and I appreciate the advice. It too will be heeded. Thanks again.
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rdora (85 ) Jun-20-07 11:38 PDT 25 of I never thought that you would LOL
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sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 11:40 PDT 26 of ROFLMAO oh my Dora. I can hardly type.
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catbooks1940s (1168 ) Jun-20-07 12:47 PDT 27 of hmm, very interesting about omniture's stats being significantly higher than those reported on sitemeter.
I have never done a search for my items and found them missing.
pan, you wouldn't. i know you have either cable or dsl, which means you have the same ip number when you're online.
I really think this needs to head out into the court system and to the buying public's eyes. I think Ebay's ability to alter search and visibility needs to publicly be addressed with the buying public so they can realize just exactly how Ebay is altering their buying habits and limiting what they are seeing.
^ what she said. joan
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post_a_note (0 ) Jun-20-07 12:54 PDT 28 of
monkey: Those results were also posted here and discussed to great lengths.
Do you have a link to the thread? I did an advanced search on the word 'server' and couldn't seem to find it. I probably didn't search right, oh well.
Thanks!
Disclaimer: This is a Posting ID. If you are uncomfortable with posting IDs, feel free to ignore this post. Thank you in advance.
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sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 12:57 PDT 29 of The majority of posts in these threads seem to be little more than speculation at best... total fiction at worst.
I doubt you will call Billy C discussing the "finding" team and their new testing and tweaking of the "finding" system total fiction. You need to go back to the previous Town Hall and listen to the whole thing. (not the Live one the one before that). He specifically addresses this issue. This is not cloak and dagger stuff. It's quite out in the open and being discussed on the radio by Ebay's number 2 (uh-oh number 3?) man during a Town Hall. No big dark secrets hear. It was definitely something that perked up my ears believe you me. When they proceeded to roll out the much discussed searches it was obvious that Ebay has had a great deal of success with this concept. I think it's been called "surgical precision" by the military. Quite impressive but I don't think it will sit well with people when they find they aren't being provided with all the possibilities. My surprise was that Ebay was so open about the finding team and the manipulation.
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monkey*see*monkey*do (Private ) Jun-20-07 13:23 PDT 30 of Do you have a link to the thread? I did an advanced search on the word 'server' and couldn't seem to find it. I probably didn't search right, oh well.
I was going to search for them for someone else too but I didn't have time. Most no longer exist if you get my drift.
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sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 13:26 PDT 31 of Unless they do a Rosemary Woods and erase the Town Hall tapes those are still there to listen to. If not I have a MP3 download of it. Just for backup shall we say.
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psychocat1959 (268 ) Jun-20-07 17:08 PDT 32 of Right now I am on the West Coast server. Have been for a couple weeks. Not a bad place to be, except I wonder if anyone else can see me?
As for eBay manipulating search, they have been very up front that the have and are continuing to restrict in various ways what shows up where and when. Take the so called "serendipity factor". They won't say precisely what it is, just that it is used in smart search. What I find amazing is that a seller can search for their own auction items using exact wording from titles and not get those listings in the search results. That is not fiction or fantasy. That is proof positive that eBay manipulates what you find when you search.
Wish eBay would figure out that the more buyers see, the more buyers buy. If they can't find it, they can't buy it! It has never made sense to me from a business stand point that they raised final value fees in stores and then made it so hard for peeps to find them and buy from them.
Unless of course FVF's are not all that important in the money scheme of things. Just a thought. .
I think ebay emps should search for their paycheck See if they can find a best match that's appropriate
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menagerie1 (3915 ) Jun-20-07 18:05 PDT 34 of If you have a few hours/days on your hands (idle sellers?) read that post that Choppy referenced. Just read the Techie posts.
Print 'em out and have an IT person look at what is stated. The words Load Balancing will be a hot topic. The word 'myth' will not come up.
Highly plausible. Standard practices. But, never in real time settings. Inadequate. Cheap hosting sites do that. Money issues. Infrastructure.
Intentional? Probably not. Unless you count lack of forethought as intentional.
This site will have more glitches occur when there are approx. 12-M listings, than when there are 19-M listings. Especially right after a 19-M listing "bonanza".
Why? Because there's huge chunks of empty space on the servers. Load balancing has one heckova time then.
You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who can do nothing for them or to them. ~Malcolm Forbes
"Items are now stored on hosts by seller rather than by category. Thus, sellers are assigned ranges of item numbers, rather than categories having all similar item numbers.
To address the second part, the secondary sort in search results is indeed the item number. Thus, when a buyer sorts by "Ending Soonest", "Newly-Listed," etc., within those search results, the secondary sort will be by item number.
Basically, what it boils down to is that items are now stored on hosts by seller rather than by category. Thus, sellers are assigned ranges of item numbers, rather than categories having all similar item numbers."
END QUOTE
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OBSERVATION Original poster name edited.
t (5695) Nov-01-06 07:54 PST 81 I've been told by a third party that the first two numbers refer to server numbers and are used for load balancing. In other words, listings are dealt out to various servers to help keep any particular server from getting bogged down.
It does potentially explain why higher numbers seem to perform more poorly than lower numbers, if the higher number servers are lower performance or there are further load-limiting restrictions. Such as geographical, algorithmic decisions on whether to display the item ... all speculative but the possibilities are endless. If you accept that the numbers are for load balancing then that part makes sense.
It does not explain why the numbers are allocated in seller-specific fashion. Why always 30 for example, when random selection would work better for load balancing and isn't any more difficult? Logically since the effect is to control distribution of your listings, the purpose would be to allow ebay to control traffic on a per-seller basis.
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catbooks1940s (1169 ) Jun-20-07 19:48 PDT 36 of To address the second part, the secondary sort in search results is indeed the item number. Thus, when a buyer sorts by "Ending Soonest", "Newly-Listed," etc., within those search results, the secondary sort will be by item number.
can someone explain to me, in plain english, what this means? what is a secondary sort? joan
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psychocat1959 (268 ) Jun-20-07 21:10 PDT 37 of OK, this is a very basic simplified explanation.
The first sort is your overall or general sort. Say you have a bunch of marbles in different colors, sizes, values, and owners. On the first sort you sort by owners and values. You know have them divided according to two criteria. Now you do a second sort dividing the first sort up further. This time you sort by size and color. Maybe for a third sort you sort by age and condition. You continue to beak the original group into smaller and smaller subsets.
Now suppose that you take all of the items from the first sort that are owned by sellers with names starting with A through M and put those on one set of very good servers and rotate them. You take the remaining sellers marbles and put them on the older less efficient servers. Within each separate server group you then divide down further as mentioned above.
Searches can be done the same way. Group "A" and all of it's subsets may show up, while group "B" and it's subsets will not. Or they may be rotated so that group "A" shows up part of the time and group "B" shows up part of the time. Any set or subset can be used as criteria to be included or not included in the search.
so it is as we suspected months ago, the searches are being manipulated by ebay using the banks of item numbers we're assigned to. joan
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psychocat1959 (268 ) Jun-21-07 00:08 PDT 39 of Based on what eBay's own people have said, I'd say that is probably the case. What we don't know and they won't tell us are what all the actual criteria are used in sorting sellers and listings. They give us some, but keep a lot of it secret. I don't think it is so much paranoia on their part about stores or sellers so much as it is a means of controlling sellers and manipulating numbers to their own ends. Those quarterly quotas have to come out the way they want or stocks suffer. If stocks suffer, they look bad.
Unfortunately, this type of short sited manipulation is not healthy overall for the long term good of the company. Wish they would figure that out.
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mainstreetmallonline (3518 ) Jun-21-07 07:02 PDT 40 of
For new newsgroup readers, these are not our forum posts. Any comments to the posters below should be made on the applicable thread, marked in bold below.
FYI clact is a well known eBay Award winning seller and fervent support of eBay who provides rather sound eBay selling advice. However, only very very very rarely does he let his enthusiasm run to overflowing and unfettered.
FYI mark-your-word is a Troll.
//
From eBay Stores Forum ebay's Paranoia over Google Checkout gets Physical http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=1000514497&tstart=0&mod=1182373373174
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gone2deriver (0 ) Jun-20-07 01:02 PDT You know you have an inferior product when your Senior Vice President Chief Marketing Officer along with ebay Security thugs resort to manhandling two kid's at an ebay Live dance because one was wearing a Google sweatshirt.
You think ebay executives like Gary Briggs could spend their time trying to fix the mess that Paypal is and try to compete instead of trying to root out the Google "spies" infiltrating the performance of "Kool and the Gang".
So those of you who accept Google Checkout make sure your doors are locked tonight.... Gary may send his Thugs after you ; )
Here is the blog of the two guys booted telling their story:
chopsueysisters (2068 ) Jun-20-07 01:50 PDT 2 of Let's get physical, physical! I want to get physical Let's get into physical!!
I'm going to sing that song all week!
I think ebay emps should search for their paycheck See if they can find a best match that's appropriate
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wayoutwestusa2 (77 ) Jun-20-07 02:58 PDT 3 of What woulda been hilarious - if Google woulda stood at airport and outside of convention area and given out bags like the ones Alibaba gave out last year. Thousands of ebayers carrying bags with Google logo plastered on them, wandering the halls of eBay Live
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minnymalse (679 ) Jun-20-07 03:19 PDT 4 of Their storefront sounds pretty cool...
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clact (3590 ) Jun-20-07 04:00 PDT 5 of You would think the Google wouldnt need to send such backpack toting dudes since they are so great and the be all and end all of the world. These days a backpack heading into an event protesting can get you held up as a terrorist, no questions asked! (hey I didnt make the rules).
Its funny how Ebay never had to do this kind of stuff at other peoples parties.
Interestingly, while I am always posting about how I think Google's success is overated here I was enlightened with some recent news from a friend..
-Google is moving servers to China (not all of them but some of them.
-Google is ranked LAST in privacy. Getting the only BLACK mark by the watchdog group, while EBay,wikiepedia and the BBC were the only players deemed "privacy aware"
-Google is petitioning the US Govt to allow more foreigners in on work visas so they can hire them. Anyone in tech knows this is how you get high level help on the cheap
-Rumors have it the checkout party wasnt even approved by the top people and resulted in million in lost revenue, there will probably be a little less of a party atmosphere in the toy room at Google.
My point is that it is always easy to knock a company like Ebay by looking at one side of the story.
While I believe Google gets more credit than they deserve business-wise, they do have a strong sense of the environment, did their IPO in a way that allowed retail investors (the small guy)to get in more as opposed to the big boys and I can name many other good things.
So the point is, be the best, do the best you can and the people will come, they dont need people to pass the message by ruining someone elses party..
Marty
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melrose_stamp (13709 ) Jun-20-07 04:05 PDT 6 of That blog post was a great read. Perfect guerrila marketing, this kind of thing could make those two superstars.
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wayoutwestusa2 (77 ) Jun-20-07 04:29 PDT 7 of Google is moving servers to China (not all of them but some of them.
From my understanding, theyre not moving servers, but rather simply building more datacenters all over the world.
Theyre building a few new datacenters in the US. They recently bought 520 acres in South Carolina, and just bought 800 acres of land in Oklahoma (in addition to recently buying land in a few other locations in the US)
With that many acres, I feel confident that theyre planning on staying long term. The scary thing is how much land they bought. The sites will start out small (200 employees each) but theyre obviously planning on future growth. And, with all that land, that's a whole lot of room for data that theyre apparently planning on maintaining on each and every one of us. .
clact (3590 ) Jun-20-07 04:37 PDT 8 of Yeah the bloggers have a link to another page where they say they are presenting their idea at eBay Live on June 16th.
Thats fair to all the people that paid to be exhibitors huh?
The drag n drop is fairly cool, bet they would had better luck showing it to people at eBay.
Marty
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tattered*primitives (322 ) Jun-20-07 05:15 PDT 9 of Has Google owned up to knowing these people? They may have been on their own campaign and Google may not affiliated with them at all.
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dorothysew (803 ) Jun-20-07 05:42 PDT 10 of -Rumors have it the checkout party wasnt even approved by the top people and resulted in million in lost revenue, there will probably be a little less of a party atmosphere in the toy room at Google
My PR theory abounds? Of course, it would behoove the top people not to know about it now.
d
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monkey*see*monkey*do (Private ) Jun-20-07 05:45 PDT 11 of Google is petitioning the US Govt to allow more foreigners in on work visas so they can hire them. Anyone in tech knows this is how you get high level help on the cheap
Maybe eBay should do this. eBay could use some high level help and we all know that.
Shortcuts in business will kill you every time and I was raised with the understanding that you do it right the first time or don't bother doing it at all.
Both parties in this situation were wrong. The guys for donning Google shirts and eBay for reacting in such a childish manner. I'm quite sure these weren't the only people with backpacks or bags.
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sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 06:00 PDT 12 of Marty do you realize how ridiculous you come across now? The cheerleader for Ebay can no longer tolerate two kids with Google shirts at a Live function. It's becoming sublime on this boards the lengths you will go.
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monkey*see*monkey*do (Private ) Jun-20-07 06:06 PDT 13 of I have to say that Google has done more for my business than ebay has in 2007.
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rickskatie (1669 ) Jun-20-07 06:11 PDT 14 of Sounds like the kids need a serious civil rights attorney.
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sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 06:14 PDT 15 of You can take that statement to the bank too. How many thousands of dollars has Google saved Bonniesplants this year? Following Bonnie's lead I no longer accept Paypal on my website. Don't feel the need to do so. I have Google to process payments for folks who don't want to offer their credit card info and it's FREE. I get preferential treatment on their search engine rankings too which hold 78% of the market for shoppers.
I am doing just fine with Ebay not paying Google for adwords. It's helping my off Ebay businesses quite nicely thank you. While that lame decision is definitely causing a downturn on the site. You can thank Ebay's management for negatively impacting all the sellers on this site. Besides Google hasn't asked me to make a widget either.
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owen*and*emma (3853 ) Jun-20-07 06:48 PDT 16 of Google is petitioning the US Govt to allow more foreigners in on work visas so they can hire them. Anyone in tech knows this is how you get high level help on the cheap
Maybe eBay should do this. eBay could use some high level help and we all know that.
Actually eBay already does this. When I went to eBay I met many wonderful from all over the entire world.
My group spoke at an employee event. There was a lovely gentleman with a turban in the crowd. I remember how striking he was.
Sadly, a day later he was on the same flight I was on from San Jose to Phoenix. He had a young wife and baby with him. Other passengers became upset and the air marshall (who was SO obvious BTW) had to come and sit behind him to calm the passengers.
I felt horrible for him and his family and wanted to jump up and scream that he worked for eBay.
~Ann~
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owen*and*emma (3853 ) Jun-20-07 06:59 PDT 17 of Oh, and for the record, I would say that it is a 50/50 split between eBay and google for helping me build my business.
~Ann~
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unknown-shopper (769 ) Jun-20-07 07:13 PDT 18 of You would think the Google wouldnt need to send such backpack toting dudes since they are so great and the be all and end all of the world.
I must have missed your proof of them being sent by Google. Would you please repost the link(s)? .
sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 07:57 PDT 19 of I smell desperation in the air. Desperate and foolish moves on Ebay's part to treat two INVITED vendors this way. I am not sure what type of publicity Ebay expected when they reacted in this manner. I hope Gary got to make that long and painful walk to Meg's office for a much needed lesson in manners. When reading the blog it's obvious that Ebay was not happy with a Google presence. Probably because of the excitement they generated in their sellers. Something that Ebay themselves could not induce at this year's Live event. When you watch the Auctionbytes videos you can gauge for yourself the lackluster applause and the silence in places that Ebay speakers expected rousing cheers. Even Pierre's presence wasn't enough. I hope Ebay Live taught them some painful lessons and definitely some much overdue lessons in etiquette.
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postcardsandmore (4309 ) Jun-20-07 08:00 PDT 20 of When you watch the Auctionbytes videos you can gauge for yourself the lackluster applause and the silence in places that Ebay speakers expected rousing cheers. Even Pierre's presence wasn't enough.
It was very obvious they audience was not the usual cheerful crowd. You would think that would tell them something over at Ebay.
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gingersdolls (2716 ) Jun-20-07 08:05 PDT 21 of Well, at least these guys got some great publicity! I just checked their storebuilder site, and love the drag and drop feature. Why can't eBay do something easy like that for us?
Meg..Get outta my sandbox!
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postcardsandmore (4309 ) Jun-20-07 08:17 PDT 22 of I think Ebay was just jealous. What they are offering is very similar to the widget to go since you can embed it right into your own webspace. And, it appears to work great. I can't wait to learn more.
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switchplateplanet (4121 ) Jun-20-07 08:38 PDT 23 of Marty do you realize how ridiculous you come across now? The cheerleader for Ebay can no longer tolerate two kids with Google shirts at a Live function. It's becoming sublime on this boards the lengths you will go.
Ouch. That wasn't very nice.
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sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 09:14 PDT 24 of If Marty had bothered to actually read the article before he posted he would have realized these were not uninvited gate crashers but invited guests to the event.
I find it offensive that he feels the need to plead the Ebay company line without bothering to actually read the article or check any facts. That's why I called him on the carpet. Not for his views but his one sided determination to maintain the "party line" without bothering to check the facts. Bad manners is still bad manners.
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mark-your-word (0 ) Jun-20-07 10:09 PDT 25 of two words
HORMONE THERAPY
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gone2deriver (0 ) Jun-20-07 10:13 PDT 26 of I should have read Gary Brigg's pre-ebay Live announcement, now it all makes sense now:
sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 10:19 PDT 27 of gone2deriver I LOVE IT. Nice job there. Well done. BRAVO.
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thewoodlandgirl (Private ) Jun-20-07 10:24 PDT 28 of Marthy
The proof is in the puddin so to speak.
Ebay stock under $35
Google stock over $500
Hum...........
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clact (3590 ) Jun-20-07 12:03 PDT 29 of As to the stock , run a comparitive from IPO to now..
Ebay is up 1500% from IPO til now..
Google is up 500% from IPO til now..
Ebay is further along its path and hopefully learned from its many mistakes. Google is on a great path but still is just starting to get challenged and might need to weather some storms to mature.
Marty
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sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 12:15 PDT 30 of Marty but Ebay stock has hit it's high and is selling way under it's historical highs. Google is till meeting and making new historical highs. Ebay stock was recently devalued on Wall Street. Google's is not.
It's childish to play Google VS Ebay king of the mountain. It's what's works best that fits your individual selling needs. Right now Google advantages far outweigh anything that Ebay can or has offered to me. Therefore my website has Google features as well as my merchant account. They no longer have any presence on my website. Paypal and I have different views after losing a dispute as a buyer. When you don't receive anything for your money then you won't get my money again. Therefore the $25 dispute I lost has already cost Paypal five to ten times that figure in lost Pro fees. I had plans to offer both Paypal and Google. Now Paypal is eliminated from my site. TSK TSK Ebay now I control the terms not you.
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owen*and*emma (3853 ) Jun-20-07 12:42 PDT 31 of Even if you offered paypal alongside google and a MA, website buyers will not use it. Paypal is an "ebay thing". In the real world of e-commerce buyers expect to pay direct by CC.
~Ann~
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sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 13:23 PDT 32 of Ann Paypal Pro WAS my credit card processor for the website. It acts behind the scenes as the merchant account processing all the credit card sales. Your customers think it's just another MA but it's really Paypal. AuthorizeNet was reactivated and up running in under 24 hours. Thank goodness I still had everything in place. Starting up it would have been cheaper to allow Paypal to do it until the sales were high enough to equalize out the fees. I decided to wack Ebay financially for Paypal's failure to protect my interests as a buyer. I did just that by removing Pro as the processor and Paypal as a payment option. Right now most of my sales are coming from my regular Ebay customers. I wanted to offer Paypal until the newness wore off. Too late now.
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*fired-up* (238 ) Jun-20-07 13:25 PDT 33 of I emailed Alex, aka. the guy with the Google logo on his shirt, and told him he was being discussed here. I also told him I thought it was absurd that he was escorted out of Ebay Live. And by the Sr. VP of Marketing, no less. I gave him a link to this thread, and he came here and read it. I don't know if he's going to post anything, but he thought this was a great read.
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sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 13:28 PDT 34 of Hopefully it will make their blog. Or at least the link to it.
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jtrothaars (693 ) Jun-20-07 14:02 PDT 35 of Google is petitioning the US Govt to allow more foreigners in on work visas so they can hire them. Anyone in tech knows this is how you get high level help on the cheap
It's not that simple. There aren't enough Americans with the education to perform many high-tech jobs. You can't just take someone who doesn't even understand algebra and train them on the job to be an engineer.
I see this myself at school. The higher I get up in math and computer science courses, the fewer Americans I have as classmates. It's wall-to-wall immigrants. Nothing is stopping Americans from taking these courses. After all, they let me in. Americans are voluntarily choosing to obtain degrees outside of math and the sciences, causing a labor shortage in those areas.
Instead of pushing our children toward the sciences, Americans are instead encouraging them to disavow evolution, believe that the dinosaurs lived together with people, and further to believe that scientists are all evil, godless heathens. Not all Americans think like this, but enough of them do to have created this labor shortage.
A smaller part of the equation involves Americans who have the education but who plain refuse to move where the jobs are, such as the idiots who refuse to leave the San Francisco Bay area and move to, say, North Carolina. They'd rather stay in Cali, be broke, and spend their days whining about how unfair it all is than pack up and move their duffs to where they can obtain gainful employment and have a nice lifestyle. GOD FORBID they can't live in SFO anymore. Living there makes them IMPORTANT. ----------------------------------------------- I'm going to need to borrow your tank. SAVE JERICHO! We did it! Jericho's back! See my ME page for details
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clact (3590 ) Jun-20-07 15:20 PDT 36 of Sandram you know I wish you luck no matter where you sell or what payment method you use, hopefully each place will work for you
JRott, I agree to an extent however, there is a history here that people have to understand. During the dot com boom there were plenty of IT people everywhere. Then none could find a job anywhere. One guy , profiled in BusinessWeek a while back had worked in the steel industry and made a great income with great benefits. That industry died when the micro steel mills took over and he retrained in IT and was make 100k plus. Then they outsourced that job to India.
The problem is, all the people making the money get outsourced and all the new people not requiring as much money get pulled in from overseas. This is why there is a shortage to a certain extent.
Its that way with accountants now also. There is a firm that advertises in our CPA bulliten that I can have accountants in India working for me for 7 dollars an hour or less (and this is the middleman figure). So why would I want anyone to work here in the US ? I do not use this service but a lot of people do and some of the bigger firms have not hired as many accounting grads.
Connecticut might not be indicative of the country as a whole but right now a heckuva lot of college grads are coming out with 100k in debt to find nothing jobs. One client that works hiring for a liquor distributor has had tons of applicatations from college grads for 25k a year jobs in sales.
Marty
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gone2deriver (0 ) Jun-20-07 21:20 PDT 37 of firemeg adds his two cents:
oldklutz (2675 ) Jun-20-07 22:23 PDT 38 of So we are supposed to believe what someone says on their blog. Sounds like a good story to end up an urban legend.
So why did it take so long for the word to get out? I would think it would have made news as soon as it happened. Where are the witnesses?
My stars are doing a strip tease....I think that's sexy
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catbooks1940s (1169 ) Jun-20-07 22:56 PDT 39 of i doubt ina would have written about it if she didn't trust her source. joan
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gamerbiz (562 ) Jun-20-07 23:39 PDT 40 of As to the stock , run a comparitive from IPO to now..
Ebay is up 1500% from IPO til now..
Google is up 500% from IPO til now..
Yeabut, Ebay went public during the dotcom boom when all you needed was just an idea for the stock to appreciate 500% or more and Google is a more recent IPO than Ebay. If I used the same analogy as you, I could claim that a railroad stock my family purchased in 1865 is a better company than Google because it is up 16,000% since it's IPO. Nope, stock prices is all about what have ya done for me lately. Google is the post boom poster child now for success in the Web 2.0 formula. Give eBay credit for SURVIVING the dotcom crash and becoming profitable, but now lets check the reality of the current stock prices...
Wall St. analysts base their internet fortunes and trends on what they call The Big Four:
Google Yahoo Amazon Ebay
Google is by far the leader. It is the most profitable, rivaling what Microsoft did in the 80's as far as a monster of a growth potential. (by the way, they probably will never split the stock. The founders and board are VERY envious of what Warren Buffet has done with Berksire Hathaway). Google has a market capitalization, what the company is worth, of 159 BILLION.
Now Amazon has been lagging until this year. The stock shot up, starting in Feb., going from $35 to $70...doubling it's price in less then six months. Wall St. LOVES what Amazon is doing. Amazon has a market cap of about 28 billion.
Yahoo...wow...what a mess Yahoo has been. The company hasn't really done anything the past three years. They missed out on social networking when they could have bought myspace. They botched getting facebook. They missed getting You Tube...the list goes on and on. Finally, after three years of the stock going nowhere, the shareholders (including finally the institutional holders) revolted, and the CEO resigned this past week. Yahoo stock has been camped in the 20's and it's market cap is 37 billion.
Ah...now we come to Ebay. Ebay is now also entering it's third year of stock depreciation/stagnation. The last year it finished higher in December than January was 2004. Wall St. is now beginning to rumble about them too. Hmmmm...maybe it won't be long before Meg and the gang are asked to step aside. I would say the next six months are VERY crucial to their existence at the helm. They are now under the microscope, so they can't come up with quick cash schemes like 10 cent listing fees. They are now the last of the Big Four that needs change to get back to being a growth stock, and the spotlight is REALLY on them now that Yahoo is changing management and Amazon and Google are growing. Ebay has a market cap of 42 billion
As you can see, Google is a monster. It is larger than Ebay, Amazon and Yahoo combined AND it's reached this level in about 6 years. THAT is why Wall St. loves 'em.
Personally, this old Wall Streeter would love to see Meg and the gang go. They had their moments in the sun, but they really have made a mess of this place, and their bandaids won't fix it. I'm bettin' on Wall Street to fix it.
For new newsgroup readers, these are not our forum posts. Any comments to the posters below should be made on the applicable thread, marked in bold below.
//
From eBay Stores Forum Ready, Set, Go!!! eBay Stores To Go is Live! http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=1000514128&tstart=0&mod=1182281779431
We are pleased to annouce that eBay Stores To Go is live in beta. After hearing from you about your desires to advertise your Stores in blogs and popular social networking sites, we decided to piggyback on the popular eBay To Go widgets, and create a Store version, just for you.
The Stores To Go Widget offers a window into your Store. Users can search your entire Store in one of two views: An exciting and engaging Gallery view, and an easy to navigate list view. All listings are paginated. Users can also learn more about your Store, and identify with your brand through the accented Store colors and your logo. We are very excited to give you the opportunity to showcase your Store in a new and snazzy Web 2.0 experience.
How to get going:
The Stores To Go widget is now one of the types of widgets that you can access from http://togo.ebay.com.
Step 1: Select Your Version: Just follow the link, click on the Store version thumbnail.
Step 2: Enter a Store: Upon clicking "I Want This One", you will be taken through the creation flow. Enter your User ID, click on Search, and you will see your widget appear in the right pane. Click "Next".
Step 3: Enter a Search: Enter a beginning search term, and click "Next".
Step 4: Set it Free: Click "Copy" and the embed code will be copied to your clipboard. If you would like detailed instructions on how to paste to a particular website, click on the pull-down menu and select the website of your choice.
Step 5: Paste the embed code across the Internet, and let new buyers know about your Store and what you sell!
We hope that you enjoy playing with Stores To Go! This product is still in beta, so we also would love to hear your feedback.
Best of Luck:
Raj & The Store Team
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75 replies Date posted Reply #
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postcardsandmore (4300 ) Jun-19-07 10:11 PDT 1 of
I personally would never advertise my EBAY store (pretty pathetic store since I have gone from 3000 listings to 7 due to lack of exposure in the under 30 rule....my items started appearing on page 7 or 8 and never ever on page 1 around May 3) outside of Ebay until it is fixed so we can get the referral credit for anyone using it.
Why would we want to? Why not just build our own links with the referral credit built in?
Please make that change and I will immediately put it up at other locations.
The affiliate program would be nice to include as well but I'll settle for the referral credit.
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huckster3000 (292 ) Jun-19-07 10:14 PDT 2 of
will TO GO widget users qualify for the usual affiliate and store referral commissions when customers enter their listings via the widget?
huckster3000
DEAD END DRIVE-IN DVD
"It's not the kind of activity one partner normally does with another."
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melrose_stamp (13702 ) Jun-19-07 10:17 PDT 3 of
Postcards- Maybe the Stores Team thought we wouldn't notice that referral codes weren't built into the links.
-wupszee-
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postcardsandmore (4300 Listings | Report Jun-19-07 10:25 PDT 4 of
lol melrose.
I think they thought we wouldn't care. Ebay is so sure we are all desperate to bring in outside buyers that we will do whatever the ask.
They still haven't caught on that we actually believe we are paying hundreds of dollars a month in Ebay fees for THEM to bring in the outside buyers.
If I have to bring in my own I'll bring them into a site that charges NO listing and FVF.
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sandrarn83 (2685 ) Jun-19-07 10:27 PDT 5 of
My standard post to Ebay's rollouts anymore. Pass AGAIN!
I know that many of you are concerned about the Store Referral Credits inclusion into the widget links. Rest assured, that we are working on that, and as we work through the beta of this product, that topic is front and center as one of the enhancements we'll be looking at as we build out the technology.
We're here to listen, and we would love to get any constructive feedback. In the meantime, I do suggest utilizing this widget to generate excitement and drive traffic to your Store.
Raj
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postcardsandmore (4300 ) Jun-19-07 10:31 PDT 7 of
In the meantime, I do suggest utilizing this widget to generate excitement and drive traffic to your Store.
LOL...Pass!
Let me know when the beta with the referral credit rolls out.
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monkey*see*monkey*do (Private Listings | Report Jun-19-07 10:33 PDT 8 of
*steps outside and screeeeeeeeeams*
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sandrarn83 (2685 ) Jun-19-07 10:39 PDT 9 of
Pass again. "Let me know when you beta testing the referral credit". Thanks for posting it's a pleasant surprise Raj. I'll continue to spend the time driving traffic to my new website though until that time.
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chopsueysisters (2068 ) Jun-19-07 10:41 PDT 10 of
you know alot of us already have gallery widgets on our listings. Why can't I insert this into my listing. Those you already can insert into our blogs and sites.
Seems like a duplicate thing to me.
and here's another thing because you guys are such cheaparoonies. You let the api include galleries for non-gallery items. You give EE express galleries when they didn't pay but you dont put out for this when you know it will be plastered all over the internet. It's pretty, nice bells and whistles. Now go FIX Markdown Manager
It's 3 weeks & I can't find the featured upgrade section of the SYI form Can the finding team help me find that? I couldn't make this stuff up even if I tried! rofl
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mygift2u (6531 ) Jun-19-07 11:02 PDT 11 of
Question - Once we create that widget - can it be pasted into our listings or Stores Home Page?
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meecabay (1222 ) Jun-19-07 11:05 PDT 12 of
....
Hi Raj.... it is great you are 'here'.
I myself believe that ALL comments/feedback is constructive.
Anything and everything that helps bring us to the right solution in the construction of something is helpful.....
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meecabay (1222 ) Jun-19-07 11:09 PDT 13 of
.......
If one is seeing a ladder falling and a MAN is on it.... should one stop, jump-in and help to try and steady the ladder?
OR
Should one walk away in fear of hurting the MAN's pride?
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sandrarn83 (2685 ) Jun-19-07 11:14 PDT 14 of
It depends if it was Meg/Billy C on that ladder. Define your theory some more please.
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mygift2u (6531 ) Jun-19-07 11:16 PDT 15 of
I was able to paste it into my Store Home Page but not individual listings. Just playing with it. I will probably take it off my home page but I will leave it for a couple of days to see if it generates any additional sales.
Still waiting for the "Stores Tab". Wake me when it is up and running...
In regards to your post regarding pasting the HTML in your Store Custom Pages: Yes, you can! In fact, I have noticed that chopsueysisters has pasted the html embed link in her About Me page.
Thanks,
Raj
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mygift2u (6531 ) Jun-19-07 11:20 PDT 17 of
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mygift2u (6531 ) Jun-19-07 11:22 PDT 18 of
p.s. Raj -
Could you please have someone put me on the "Live" server? Stores sales are "dead."
Sure hope that Stores Tab helps.
Thanks!!
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wayoutwestusa2 (74 ) Jun-19-07 11:35 PDT 19 of
In the meantime, I do suggest utilizing this widget to generate excitement and drive traffic to your Store.
Perhaps once the referral credit thing is deal with.
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victorias*curio (1329 ) Jun-19-07 12:18 PDT 20 of
Vicki -
Have you noticed any increase in sales since you have used that tool?
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mygift2u (6531 ) Jun-19-07 12:20 PDT 21 of
Vicki -
Have you noticed any increase in sales since you have used that tool?
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victorias*curio (1329 ) Jun-19-07 12:24 PDT 22 of
Well, it's brand new and just utilizing it today; so I'll just have to wait and see. I have it up on Yahoo! 360, MySpace, My Blog and my ME page. It is very visual and I like it. Check out my ME page and see what you think.
As far as hits and sales, I'll just have to wait and see. I'd really like a referral credit set up with this. That would be awesome!
Vicki
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monkey*see*monkey*do (Private ) Jun-19-07 12:25 PDT 23 of
Wow - a killer for dial up users???
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loosebindings (0) June-19-07 12:25 PDT 24 of
I haven't even gotten over the excitement of Express yet!
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chopsueysisters (2068 ) Jun-19-07 12:35 PDT 25 of
I love my ebay store, because I can drive customers to it and before they reach the site tell em they can buy it from me direct at a discount. lol. Ebay stores, may not have alot of traffic for sales conversions (on ebay) but its the most effective place to dump your junk and use it as a catalog
I might like this widget after all.
snort
It's 3 weeks & I can't find the featured upgrade section of the SYI form Can the finding team help me find that? I couldn't make this stuff up even if I tried! rofl
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sandrarn83 (2685 ) Jun-19-07 12:36 PDT 26 of
Victoria is that thing on your ME page the new widget thing? I think that is out on my redirect page on the internet. I have a page parked somewhere the designer made that used to point to my Ebay store. It says something about "shop my Ebay store" and it looks like that and takes customers to my Ebay store. Maybe she already did it.
So I've heard you loud and clear on the issue of the Store Referral Credit. It's definitely something we'll work on in the future versions, so that's #1 on my list.
I am glad that some of you are liking it and hopefully can see some of the strong marketing benefits. As I have mentioned before, this tool is in Beta, so I would love to gather any other feedback as well, such as what other features/tweaks might be of benefit.
It would be great if you all shared some interesting ways that you have applied this widget with the rest of the Stores Community, so they too can embed their "mini-store" across the net.
Raj
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chopsueysisters (2068 ) Jun-19-07 13:02 PDT 28 of what team are you talking about. Are you talking to us or did you mean to post this elsewhere?
It's 3 weeks & I can't find the featured upgrade section of the SYI form Can the finding team help me find that? I couldn't make this stuff up even if I tried! rofl
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katiyana (3908 ) Jun-19-07 13:18 PDT 29 of I put one on my Profile Page over at MySpace and it seems to work - but I'm thinking space wise you're probably limited to one widget in that space allowed - I'll play with it and see if you could put multiple panes in there.
I could not get it to work on a Squidoo lens - but will experiment some more there.
The how-to-insert instructions for specific sites will be helpful for newbies, I think.
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victorias*curio (1329 ) Jun-19-07 13:20 PDT 30 of sandrarn83 - Yes, it's the new Widget thing. I used different searches that brought up different items and those widgets I posted on my blogspot. For my ME page and MySpace I just used "Victoria's Curio" in the search term area and it brought up different items in my store. Am I clear as mud on this? If you go through the directions using the link above you'll see what I mean. It is very easy.
Vicki
. victorias*curio (1329 ) Jun-19-07 13:23 PDT 31 of Here is the address to my blog so you can see the different variations I used of this:
relentless_mtg (6059 ) Jun-19-07 13:29 PDT 32 of Looks okay but doesn't work. Tested on my Myspace page. Non-functioning buttons = 'Visit the Store', 'Bid and View' and 'Seller'.
Search returned "sorry, couldn't find any search results for 'shoe' "
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mygift2u (6531 ) Jun-19-07 13:44 PDT 33 of Raj -
From reading your posts today, I think I might like you. First time in a LONG time that a pink actually sounds like he/she is listening to us and is responding to our concerns. There are "real" issues being addressed here on the Stores Boards -- along with the jokes and mindless posts (admittedly some of which are mine.)
Please realize that when our posts and replies get somewhat heated that we are very frustrated since Stores have been treated as step-children at best for the past year. When eBay took out SIS, they took away some of our lifeblood. So we of course, have doubts and distrust on any upcoming "enhancements". The best way to win our trust again is to be honest, upfront and tell us what is really going on.
Ok, so when will we get our STORES TAB?????
And, when will eBay put ads back on Google? This is killing us!
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mygift2u (6531 ) Jun-19-07 13:48 PDT 34 of oh, and one more thing Raj -
If the boardies decide they like you enough, we might let you join the Fruit Helmet Club. Except instead of a lime helment you probably would want a PINK Grapefrult one. I will have to check with Chop Sewey Sister on that.
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sandrarn83 (2685 ) Jun-19-07 13:59 PDT 35 of Okay vet is cancelled. One cat hiding and can't find. Here is a redirect page of mine sitting out on the internet. This is what my customers have been instructed to use now to enter directly into my store since their other link was "hijacked" and redirects now to my website. This is what repeat customers will see. How is that different from your widget or is it a widget by another name? http://www.sandysclosetlingerie.com/ .
mygift2u (6531 ) Jun-19-07 14:06 PDT 36 of sandy - I picked a different style widget. I just stuck it on my Stores Home page just to see what it looks like.
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sandrarn83 (2685 ) Jun-19-07 14:09 PDT 37 of I remembered the music from last time and turned my speaker volume to off. I have a bad heart you know! Heading over to check yours out.
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mygift2u (6531 ) Jun-19-07 14:13 PDT 38 of Sand -
I am working to take it out of all my listings. Those babies need a good mom.
I have removed it from about 60% so far. Funny, my sales have dropped since starting the removal!
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postcardsandmore (4300 ) Jun-19-07 14:13 PDT 39 of Can we put this inside our core listings?
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sandrarn83 (2685 ) Jun-19-07 14:13 PDT 40 of Oh I get it. NO, no no! Mot unless there is a fee rebate on that thing. It will mess my new custom storefront design up. It's ugly and there has to be money involved before I am posting that thing on my storefront. Probably never will go on my storefront but I can hide it somewhere. I prefer my "widget" it has fee rebates attached. My regulars who enter through that portal thing provide me with reduced fees. They got used to the bonus freebies I provide when they use it and I get used to reduced fees.
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postcardsandmore (4300 ) Jun-19-07 14:13 PDT 41 of I like the one you chose mygift
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menagerie1 (3915 ) Jun-19-07 14:17 PDT 42 of (priv msg)
Sandy, your x-cart (.Net) site comes up with that same Rover applet. That shouldn't happen.
If the "home.php" is placed on the end of the URL, then your site comes up. That shouldn't be necessary to get into your site.
Anyway,none of the links to your ebay store have the "?refid=store" referral suffix.
You should beat that designer senseless. Or not. (/prv msg)
You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who can do nothing for them or to them. ~Malcolm Forbes
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world_securities (4916 ) Jun-19-07 14:17 PDT 43 of ** post 11 **
Much as "I" normally don't say this after years of dealing with an exasperating entity: Give them one more chance.
With 2nd Quarter ending, eBay is very very aware that their actions are under the News microscope.
The speeches from Corporate are almost conciliatory. There have been more notices about improvements to eBay Stores in the past week, than there have been in years. Improvements actually useful to eBay Store owners.
And then there's how eBay is conducting this thread, versus two years ago.
From eBay Workshops Discussion Forum eBay Workshop: Stores Logo/Branding Change - Thursday, June 16th http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=200100172&start=149 "I don't know if it is just the "rabble rousers" who come to the boards but it is clear that the people on this board who are responding negatively to the logo are a minority of the total eBay Store sellers. This is merely a numerical fact." Chris Tsakalakis
Two years later, and What a difference in tone.
No condescending speeches. Answers are being given to questions posed. And Pinks are/were giving near-real-time responses.
"On Earth, we have a saying: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, Star Trek
Juggernauts do not change direction overnight. Our position is to wait 60 days and see what happens. We will make course corrections based on the course adjustments eBay makes. And why 60 days? It marks the very early beginning of the Holiday (Halloween, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years', etal) shopping season. Normally it would be 90 days, but there are limits even to "my" patience.
As is the patience of the "minority of the total eBay Store sellers."
Conflicts can end. Remember 18 June 1815, Waterloo? This was reenacted to commerate the 190th anniversary of the Battle. This time casualties were due to over enthusiasm.
Big IF this is eBay extending the hand of truce. IF eBay will deal in good faith to eBay Store owners, you have nothing to lose At This Point.
IF eBay is using Marketing feel-good tactics. IF eBay is stalling to establish a better face to the Press, well you already have plans for that don't you?
mygift2u (6531 ) Jun-19-07 14:20 PDT 44 of Postcards -
in response to your question can we paste it in our listings. Don't think so. I tried and the html didn't "take" there.
Let me know if you find out differently.
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sandrarn83 (2685 ) Jun-19-07 14:21 PDT 45 of No it doesn't. Take off the word "lingerie" on your search and type it in. Only the Ebay store has the Lingerie domain name now. Website only has the SC domains all FOUR of them. The other ones all got redirected to the website to hijack customers checking into the Ebay store. Worked on that little surprise for months.
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meecabay (1222 ) Jun-19-07 14:23 PDT 46 of .....
WHOOPEE.... I just got back and started reading this linc and I am so delighted 'we' are actually something now ......
Team 'somones'
Of course we are part of the Team if we are willing to offer our help.....
Ya don't want the paid Team to think they are 'speaking' to the 'wind'......
Yes, yes, yes, we are someoneS YIPPEE ..... a bunch of volunteer someoneS
I hope my words won't be dashed as I continue reading on.
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meecabay (1222 ) Jun-19-07 14:29 PDT 47 of ......
Oh.... and darnsand: Are you being nice today?
There is no IF or OR or AND answer.... It is a point you must discover for yourself!
I know it is backwards..... I am being nice to you.
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meecabay (1222 ) Jun-19-07 14:30 PDT 48 of ......
and a bit 'altered'.....
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sandrarn83 (2685 ) Jun-19-07 14:34 PDT 49 of meecabay I am not sure exactly what you are saying but the royal "we" are not part of any team with Ebay. Ebay dictated that decision not me. Until the day my business is treated in the same manner and offered the same benefits as an auction seller then "we" are not part of any team with Ebay. I can tolerate a discussion with Ebay because it's the only way we are going to get this site back on track. Make no mistake I have no trust nor do I have any respect for Ebay. Those are things Ebay will have to earn back in my book.
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onsnapper (265 ) Jun-19-07 14:36 PDT 50 of Get lost ebay, don't EVEN come around offering me more stuff until you come up with a SINGLE GOOD SELLER TOOL THAT WORKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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menagerie1 (3915 ) Jun-19-07 14:37 PDT 51 of Yeah, I see what you're saying, I got confused.
I've followed your site buildup. Make that sites.
And I know where you have had problems doing redirects to the various sites. I can't say much here. Follow? I have an x-cart site.
You can have what is called a "Meta-Refresh" statement in the .index page that will do a redirect instantly.
That is also how the x-cart site should be set up. So no one lands on a "portal page", but goes straight into the home(php) page.
The ideal way to redirect for all of your sites (to ONE site) is by using DNS redirects, but that involves dealing with your domain hosts/sellers.
You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who can do nothing for them or to them. ~Malcolm Forbes
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postcardsandmore (4300 ) Jun-19-07 14:41 PDT 52 of mygift...I did it and it works.
But, it looks like it may slow down the page load too much.
I guess my question should have been: are we allowed to, or is it recommended to be used as a means of getting regular auction buyers into our store.
I have it embedded in the Golden Mall Burbank postcard if you want to see.
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postcardsandmore (4300 ) Jun-19-07 14:41 PDT 53 of Until we get the referral credit I don't see any other use for it other than maybe on my me page.
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postcardsandmore (4300 ) Jun-19-07 14:49 PDT 54 of BTW...I really really like the way it looks in my listing so if we are allowed to use it that way for core listings then it will be hard for our buyers and browsers to miss the fact we have a store with more items hidden out back.
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mygift2u (6531 ) Jun-19-07 14:49 PDT 55 of I don't see an advantage of putting it in the listings. I will take a look at it in your listing. Thanks
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mygift2u (6531 ) Jun-19-07 14:50 PDT 56 of post cards -
It came up extremely fast for me. However, I do have High Speed. It actually looks good in your listing.
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postcardsandmore (4300 ) Jun-19-07 14:51 PDT 57 of In core listings only to bring people to store. I've put stores tags, a little storefront, a huge search box and everything else I could come up with over the years.
This might just be the best yet.
For store Items it may not have much use.
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postcardsandmore (4300 ) Jun-19-07 14:52 PDT 58 of Hey Raj, please let me know if this is OK with Ebay.
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huckster3000 (292 ) Jun-19-07 14:54 PDT 59 of With 2nd Quarter ending, eBay is very very aware that their actions are under the News microscope.
true and good. but isn't it also nice to know that when the heat's not on, they don't care?
huckster3000
DEAD END DRIVE-IN DVD
"It's not the kind of activity one partner normally does with another."
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monkey*see*monkey*do (Private ) Jun-19-07 14:57 PDT 60 of LOL Linda - Looks good.
I am thinking ebay wanted sellers to use it off ebay but see no reason why they wouldn't want it used in listings.
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postcardsandmore (4300 ) Jun-19-07 14:59 PDT 61 of I am thinking ebay wanted sellers to use it off ebay but see no reason why they wouldn't want it used in listings.
Let's see....Ebay introduces Ebay Express.
Ebay says it will never be used to drag customers away from .com
Ebay says it is ONLY intended to bring NEW customers to Ebay.
6 months later...where is the EE ads....right above our regular .com listings in every search available.
OK, I thought I would just cut to the chase.
Ebay has already done the experiment and found out you can't drag new customers into Ebay...you have to redirect the ones that are already here.
That's what I want to do with this widget.
Off Ebay, I want to direct them somewhere that I only pay $29 a month in fees, can list what I want when I want as many as I want for the same fee, and pay NO FVF.
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meecabay (1222 ) Jun-19-07 15:02 PDT 62 of ....
sandrarn83: It doesn't matter whether you have trust or no trust or whatever.... the point is your sharing your true feelings and thoughts and maybe suggestions.
And.... that SHOULD BE invaluable to eBay. I will assume you would like to see eBay where it should be and working correctly and also I am sure from your words you would like alot of other things to be different also..... why do I assume this: as you here taking the time to Post!
You are one individual person and your thoughts and feelings are as important as anyone's.
I just hope there is an eBay Division that has a program computer program set-up to import and annalyze the individual likes and disklies of individuals......
... NOT BY THE ACTUAL PERSON (no name of person, of course!) ..... but by a whole bunch of things: like area, male or female, age, country.... things like that.....
I am meaning for those that CHOOSE to post on these boards either for helping another eBayer strictly or using this board to just complain or to give input....
eBay is giving this opportunity by providing posting boards: We have the choice of using them or not. eBay can CHOOSE to learn from them and use what volunteered info they read to better their site, etc......
So technically we are all part of the eBay Team in that sense since we know eBay is reading our Posts and hopefully we feel we are being helpful.
Well, of course, maybe some come here to just blab to theirself or another but they must realize any good company seeks out any feedback they can obtain..... and what better place than these boards to get FREE feedback and we don't hold-back.... nice relaxed place and place where there should be no judgments! But, with courtesy and respect.... well, as much as possible I know it is very hard sometimes!
I myself am here on the boards posting at this time for a definite purpose.... to help this eBay site.
At the moment I don't need help of the community or eBay with questions as I am not in Selling mode right now. When I get back to selling I will probably have a gazillion questions. I have kinda forgot everything I have learned
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monkey*see*monkey*do (Private ) Jun-19-07 15:04 PDT 63 of Linda - I know what you are getting at and I am right with you on that.
I just had to giggle about it.
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monkey*see*monkey*do (Private ) Jun-19-07 15:05 PDT 64 of I did get a banana thrown at me earlier.
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postcardsandmore (4300 ) Jun-19-07 15:06 PDT 65 of LOL, did you throw it back?
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postcardsandmore (4300 ) Jun-19-07 15:07 PDT 66 of But, seriously, if it was developed to help us get more sales I think I just stumbled upon the perfect use.
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meecabay (1222 ) Jun-19-07 15:07 PDT 67 of ...... Good point onsnapper:
I also feel everything should be fixed before anything new is introduced.... but maybe eBay is just desperately trying to help us Store Sellers like an emergency ???????
I really don't know... as I can't absorb yet what this new 'thing' is, how it works and how it is suppose to work, etc. etc. .
postcardsandmore (4300 ) Jun-19-07 15:10 PDT 68 of just desperately trying to help us Store Sellers like an emergency
Excuse me but I nearly choked here.
Then where is the Stores Tab? Why are the store links disappearing from some searches? Why are our FVF's not reduced for the summer?
Ebay is simply trying to use us, the store sellers, to drag in new Ebay buyers from the outside Ebay world. It's cheaper to make a widget for us to plaster all over the world than for them to make new TV ads or any other advertising medium.
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postcardsandmore (4300 ) Jun-19-07 15:11 PDT 69 of But, it is a really cute little widget to use within Ebay.
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meecabay (1222 ) Jun-19-07 15:12 PDT 70 of ......
OH... thanks postcards!
Now I know why I couldn't absorb anything about IT..... something wasn't exactly clear
But, will people use IT? Is it easy to use?
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sandrarn83 (2685 ) Jun-19-07 15:17 PDT 71 of meecabay I agree with you there. There is a purpose to my postings. It's been posted previously. More than Ebayers read these posts now. Our posts provide a window into Ebay that normally only sellers can see. By posting you provide outsiders with a better understanding of what it's truly like to sell on Ebay. The frustrations that we all have with all the broken software glitches and programs. the fact that Ebay doesn't use the announcement board to post problems anymore because of their fear Wall Street will find out, all the dirty laundry being aired publicly. These boards do provide a window directly into that and the people who need that information have learned where to find it. So we all (Ebay cheerleaders and non alike) provide outsiders with the most current up to date info out there.
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menagerie1 (3915 ) Jun-19-07 15:20 PDT 72 of It's cheaper to make a widget for us to plaster all over the world than for them to make new TV ads or any other advertising medium.
Oh, what a mean thing to say. Next you'll be saying how this is their backup plan for not purchasing any google adwords.
Oops! Looks like I said it. So sorry!
You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who can do nothing for them or to them. ~Malcolm Forbes
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sandrarn83 (2685 ) Jun-19-07 15:24 PDT 73 of Hey we website owners are celebrating that stand Ebay took. I hope Ebay makes it permanent to punish Google some more. I could use the time to put my website in the top "nine" slots for all brands where buyers can find it.
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postcardsandmore (4300 ) Jun-19-07 15:26 PDT 74 of If store listings were free or even reasonably priced I would agree. Man I would dump the website, close the other sites and yell off the rooftops that people should rush to Ebay.
I'd change my car bumper stick to Ebay is great instead of having my website on it, I'd put this little widget everywhere.
But, Ebay fees are totally outrageous for store listings. I just can't see any reason to pay that high a fee to bring my own traffic in. I thought I was paying the high fees for the traffic Ebay generates.
If that isn't the case then I guess I'm paying the fees for nothing much.
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sandrarn83 (2685 ) Jun-19-07 15:34 PDT 75 of postcards I have a question. What am I paying Ebay fees for? Why am I doing their work? Same reason I did not write more guides and/or reviews when I found out why Ebay wanted me to do it. They make enough money off me to pay for their own advertising for this site. Something other than Meg's new cupholders for the corporate jet ought to come out of their line item budget. I think Ebay can do without me making a widget for my store. I don't think it's a budget breaker.
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bangkokbint (453 ) Jun-19-07 17:20 PDT 76 of I just used it on my Blog. It's a nice feature but, unfortunately, it's too WIDE. I have a Typepad blog where these types of widgets are listed in the columns at one side - the other widgets I have for that craft place and the River place fit perfectly in the columns. EBay's is too wide so half of it disappears.
Unfortunately, if it stays wide I'll probably remove it as it spoils the look of my blog
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bangkokbint (453 ) Jun-19-07 17:26 PDT 77 of Yep, sorry, I removed it from my Blog. It's just too wide and looks a bit stupid.
Nice idea, and I would have used it but it doesn't fit in with Typepad's size specifications for a widget.
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katiyana (3911 ) Jun-19-07 17:27 PDT 78 of Hey postcards, this widget reminds me of a version of Oscar's Tool - remember that?
That was very successful for drawing people into my other Store Listings - this COULD be the same thing, in theory.
I must say, I like the mosaic effect of my little sweaters in the panorama view...
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babybcp (804 ) Jun-19-07 17:29 PDT 79 of I manually re-sized the one that I was messing with. Just go into the html and change the spots where it says '355' to whatever size you want it to be.
Jennifer
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world_securities (4916 ) Jun-19-07 17:35 PDT 80 of With 2nd Quarter ending, eBay is very very aware that their actions are under the News microscope. huckster3000 true and good. but isn't it also nice to know that when the heat's not on, they don't care?
Yep. Hearing 'we will change' followed by the 'bupkus song' far too many times, no one here will take anything said at face value. And One widget on it's own will not make eBay Stores better.
But the process I'm seeing is mildly encouraging. Time will tell, 50 some odd days, whether in Aggregate the eBay Store improvement process is real or Marketing talk.
Plus I have seen no indication that store owners are going to let up on the heat any time soon.
And to anyone at eBay reading and working the problem; Develop a hide.
Everything being written on these boards isn't anywhere close to the being roasted alive situations in the real world. Being unable to handle this reflects badly. You can choose to be a lump of cold hard iron, collect your paycheck, and remain where you are until eBay cuts you loose.
Or be tempered steel. Yes, beaten, molded, blazed in hellish temperatures, yet becoming stronger than the sum of its parts.
And eminently hirable in the real world.
"I want you to paint this name on the nose of your ship: Leper Colony. Because in it you're gonna get every deadbeat in the outfit. Every man with a penchant for head colds. If there's a bombardier who can't hit his plate with his fork, you get him. If there's a navigator who can't find the men's room, you get him. Because you rate him."
Brig. Gen. Frank Savage Twelve O'Clock High, 1949
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clact (3590 ) Jun-19-07 17:41 PDT 81 of Raj, thanks a lot for posting this update for you I knew it was coming soon nice to know its here!
Postcards. Your page loaded fast. I think (To me) the images are too small to get the right amount of attention you might want to try the big picture one with the move arrow. Maybe for each category (might take you a few weeks to get them set up, but once you have one for each search then you will have the entire category in your show for each similar item.
Steph, I wondered about the mosaic look myself , have you tried one?
I just got back here so Ill have to get one up and running here!
Marty .
bangkokbint (453 ) Jun-19-07 17:42 PDT 82 of I manually re-sized the one that I was messing with. Just go into the html and change the spots where it says '355' to whatever size you want it to be.
babybcp, I tried that but it didn't work. Let me go off to try again and I'll report back .
babybcp (804 ) Jun-19-07 17:48 PDT 83 of Bangkok - there are 4 spots that have '355' written in (I know little about HTML, but have figured out enough to change small things). It didn't work for me at first because I only saw the first 2 spots, after a couple of tries I saw the other 2 and changed them as well. That did the trick.
Jennifer
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postcardsandmore (4309 ) Jun-19-07 17:53 PDT 84 of Katiyana,
I looked on your me page but you don't have one there. Is there one posted I could look at?
Marty I thought there was only one "store" choice so I'll have to look again and see what you were referring to. It might be the incentive I need to beef up the other categories.
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clact (3590 ) Jun-19-07 18:12 PDT 85 of Holy Carp, I blew it up and it looks great! I changed the 2 355s to 655s and now I can see everything.
Now I want something else though. I want the ability to send this baby over to every customer in an email where they can click and this would pop up, just have to figure if thats possible if not we need to ask for it.
All they will need it a pop up like this, it can even be customized to whatever that buyer ordered.
Marty
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bangkokbint (453 ) Jun-19-07 18:14 PDT 86 of babycp, Thanks for all the info. I tried all the changes but it looks really icky (everything just gets pixely and out of focus) so I finally gave up and deleted it.
Companies like amazon, etsy, google etc. have already designed widgets that work perfectly with Typepad blogs. When Ebay can do that, I'll reconsider using it, but right now it's pretty useless for my blog as it just looks horrible.
Thanks though
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bangkokbint (453 ) Jun-19-07 18:16 PDT 87 of Clact, yep, I think it would look really good big, but it looks HORRIBLE small and there's no other way to fit it into my blog sidebars so it's not going to work for me unfortunately.
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clact (3590 ) Jun-19-07 18:32 PDT 88 of Check it out on our myspace..
When you get there is is showing books but type Funny Friends into the search box. The good news is though it says "search ebay" its really searching your store.
I love it!
I want to call this My Catalog and be able to send it out to people Ill just this !
relentless_mtg (6064 ) Jun-19-07 18:37 PDT 89 of Marty, I am having the same problem clicking through your widget to any of your listings or to your store, same as with mine on myspace. Seems to work fine on my Me page though. Stefan
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meecabay (1222 ) Jun-19-07 18:55 PDT 90 of ........ Hi sandrarn83 Post #71:
Maybe that is your reason for posting.... but it is not mine.... I post to share my thoughts, ideas, etc. and hope mine will stimulate other eBayers and other Posters stimulate me with more and new and refined thoughts and thus in this type process of us sharing and learning eBay gets some valuable 'stuff' to help them refine their own thinking/planning.
The word again is:
REFINE.... it is a process!
I really don't believe alot of non-eBayer's have the time or even want to bother reading these Posts other than say people who may be thinking of building their own site....
People will come and just set-up and start selling and assume everything works great!
I didn't even know about the boards for a few years.....
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clact (3590 ) Jun-19-07 18:57 PDT 91 of Stefan, that is probably that myspace backlink thing, we need to get that sorted out quick! Thanks for finding that! Ill check your about me page..
Marty
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huckster3000 (292 ) Jun-19-07 19:29 PDT 92 of hi marty!
i'm curious as to what your thoughts are about the TO GO widget's affiliate/referral issue, as i don't believe you have yet mentioned it in any of your posts. do you think that this issue matters at all to most ebay sellers who will be using the widget? do you tell those that you encourage to use the widget about this issue? also, from your "inside" ebay contacts, do you personally have any sense at all for when this functionality actually might be able to be "built out" into the real world application of this widget?
thanks!
huckster3000
DEAD END DRIVE-IN DVD
"It's not the kind of activity one partner normally does with another."
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katiyana (3911 ) Jun-20-07 07:12 PDT 93 of postcards, I currently have 4 of them on my custom page for my doll & bear clothes - using the mosaic style, clact, if you want to check that out.
I kept them at 355 so they'd fit 2 across the page without scrolling. I'm going to create some custom pages specific for the different sizes of dolls that I sew for, and will probably use a blown up version of this on those as well.
I have found they click through fine from this custom page, but are NOT working on the MySpace page (www.myspace.com/katiyana).
I don't currently use any of the other options they suggest.
It also isn't working on Squidoo, I can't get it to come up at all when entered in the HTML of the introduction, for example. I'll email them about that and see if they can come up with a module to handle it.
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sandrarn83 (2688 ) Jun-20-07 07:30 PDT 94 of huckster we are all waiting for Marty's post about the referral credit. I know he's been here because he posted on the Google thread. I am sure it's just an oversight on his part.
Let's recap shall we "i'm curious as to what your thoughts are about the TO GO widget's affiliate/referral issue, as i don't believe you have yet mentioned it in any of your posts."
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bangkokbint (453 ) Jun-20-07 07:55 PDT 95 of Well I finally got mine up on my blog (couldn't get it to work properly in the side bar - too wide or out of focus no matter how much I tried to change it), but I did get it on my blog as a post:
It looks really nice and works great. I especially love what it does when you click on it to go to My Store. Nice job to whoever designed this .
postcardsandmore (4309 ) Jun-20-07 08:02 PDT 96 of Thank looks really nice bangkok. I didn't realize that layout offered larger pix when you mouse over.
You did a great job.
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scarboroughseaashells (2041 ) Jun-20-07 08:06 PDT 97 of Katyiana, Bangkok and Marty they look great! I've been itching to get mine up but I have a ton of editing work that just wont wait so I can't make one up until I fix the other stuff I need to do first. I did play around and the only thing I'm not thrilled about is that the mosaic doesn't look quite as nice if there are not enough to fill each row. It sorta falls short of spectacular. But all in all, I agree with katyiana. Very nice to see all my stuff layed out in a pretty pattern like that!
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meecabay (1222 ) Jun-20-07 08:20 PDT 98 of .....
Hi All!
I just clicked-on the linc in Bangkok's post. Looks nice I clicked on a few of the pictures and then my pc locked-up and I had to shut-down and restart
I do not know much about computers.... just reporting this.... I haven't tried any of the other lincs on this thread and now am a bit hesitant.
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melrose_stamp (13709 ) Jun-20-07 09:34 PDT 99 of Stores Team-
I would like the eBay Stores To Go widget to display feedback rating just like the eBay Seller To Go widget does. That would be helpful. Thank you.
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katiyana (3911 ) Jun-20-07 09:47 PDT 100 of 100!
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huckster3000 (292 ) Jun-21-07 00:25 PDT 101 of hi everybody!
well i decided to wait at least 24 hours before posting about this subject again - just to see what would happen! with the exception of sandy, nobody else who posted to this thread since my last question even acknowledged the existence of the issue of no referral credit when using the TO GO widget. so i have to assume that everybody here is A-okay with the idea of giving up that 75% FVF referral commission refund, especially since that would mean that ebay would be forced to add a few more lines of code to the widget. and we all know how difficult it is for rich multinational internet-based corporations to write basic code! lol!!
hiya marty!
huckster3000
DEAD END DRIVE-IN DVD
"It's not the kind of activity one partner normally does with another."
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clact (3591 ) Jun-21-07 04:01 PDT 102 of We heard the referral credit was coming in an earlier post and that is consistent with what I heard at Live (affiliate or referral credit I guess?).
In any case, people complain they dont get the credits now, so I dont see the point in claiming it doesnt give you the credits you were not getting before anyway LOL
Sales at this point would be good.
Tara , that problem was one I had, that is why I didnt like having to add a search term. I just picked a general category with enough items in it and then the buyer can search for whatever they want in the box. Ill add text to let them know that.
Maybe you can use "shell" or "seashell" as your term and fill the boxes? Im sure you shells look better than my hodgepodge! LOL
For new newsgroup readers, these are not our forum posts. Any comments to the posters below should be made on the applicable thread, marked in bold below.
FYI apologist post_a_note aka 20th_century_art posts spin and damage control supporting eBay ...
//
From eBay Stores Forum $0 earning for the past 3 days....what is happening eBay?!?! http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=1000513641&tstart=0&mod=1182225005320
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ham** (5952 ) Jun-18-07 13:10 PDT Is scare me, starting on 15th afternoon I got no sale from auction or BIN,is never happen before! I wonder what is going on on eBay?? If it keep going no sale I have to close my store ! I use to have a lot of over night sale but now no more....is eBay want to close down??
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bav** (242 ) Jun-18-07 13:16 PDT 1 of I had the same thing going on with both of my stores last week. Last night sales started picking up again, also in both stores.
I am really starting to believe the old server theory.
Gabriele
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cho** (2068 ) Jun-18-07 13:20 PDT 2 of Try registering a new selling ID and throw down some stuff over there. See if u get any sales then
It's 2 weeks & I can't find the featured upgrade section of the SYI form Can the finding team help me find that? I couldn't make this stuff up even if I tried! rofl
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oas** (14196 ) Jun-18-07 13:24 PDT 3 of bavarianliving if you look at my feedback do you see a drop in the last year? Being stuck in the 1500 series of servers has been just about the kiss of death my rolling blackout time starts around 9pm CST and doesn't comeback into view until around 6:30 am CST. Most sellers never notice due to less than 2000 items listed,but if you're a rainbow seller selling in all different categories with over 2000 listings the blackouts are very easy to spot..
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post_a_note (0 ) Jun-18-07 13:29 PDT 4 of I wonder what is going on on eBay??
Looks like you are running less than 5% core listings. That seems very low. Perhaps you've been hit by the Google adwords cancellation. Hard to tell. But I'd definitely run more core. I'm running between 10-15% right now, and that's on the low side. But I am selling.
Hope things pick up!
Disclaimer: This is a Posting ID. If you are uncomfortable with posting IDs, feel free to ignore this post. Thank you in advance.
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bav** (242 ) Jun-18-07 13:32 PDT 5 of Oas3 I can already see the difference between 6 months ago and 12 months ago in your feedback.
I just started selling recently on this ID, so it's hard to tell, but most sales come over night. I will keep an eye on it.
On my other ID, my items start with 22, I just to get sales all day and night, now I just get them in the morning, between 8 and 12 EST.
Actually, this was the main reason for me to start a separate store and not throw everything into one. I though, if one Store is on the dead server, at least theother one will sell.
It's almost funny if it wasn't so sad.
Gabriele
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ric** (1668 ) Jun-18-07 13:42 PDT 6 of We are running about 1/3 of our normal monthly sales but I have noticed it is coming in spurts (two-three orders at a time then nothing for days) rather than spread over the days in a more typical fashion.
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lam** (6949 ) Jun-18-07 14:15 PDT 7 of Yes, you are not alone...we have done really well with Ebay for several years...this will be the worst month we've had by far ever. We've started our own website a few weeks ago and that takes some time...The final straw was when our internet competitors ahow up at the bottom of our listings- good grief- what was Ebay thinking???? That's almost as bad as the ill-conceived Ebay Express...it all means less sales for us all...The "powers-that-be" seem to be making changes in "search" which should help sales, but....way too little...way too late. Lamppartsguy
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ban** (452 ) Jun-18-07 14:19 PDT 8 of Absolutely pathetic sales here too - down 70% from this time last month.
Ah well, I'll be putting all my stuff on sale in 2 weeks and bailing from EBay. It's just become a complete waste of my time :(
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oce** (759 ) Jun-18-07 14:27 PDT 9 of OP, you really need to update your ME page. You talk about Dec. 06 and getting stuff before Christmas.
I had told very clearly if ship via letter post it will have a very high chance arrived broken
Don't offer to ship this way. It's up to the seller to know which shipping method is best for their items.
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che** (11127 ) Jun-18-07 14:31 PDT 10 of yes...it is true...about 5 months ago I found a drop in email contacts...noticeably so...with over 9k items in my store people would email about all kinds of parts not listed and ask plenty of questions about items that are listed...it seemed like a headache to wake up to 100-200 emails but compared to now when i get 10-20 emails ever morning...life was good...there are many reasons why ebay is still making money..it is mostly because of you and i long term sellers...they tweak and they change but the bottom line is they do not have the infrastructure (servers) to keep everything up 24/7...i remember when selling 15 items was a bad day...20 -40 was normal...and had a bunchof thousand dollar days...(which takes a lot of doing at 20-40 dollars per) today was the best though...turbo lister has been changed and will not allow access to change preupdate lister files...tried to upload two items...it said they were listed but they are no where to be found...and i mean no where...they hyped the stores and supported the concept for a while...adwords actually worked...and sales were good...now you had better have a bunch of expensive regular auctions to use as hooks to find the fish...if you have only a store...kiss it goodbye...
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oas** (14196 ) Jun-18-07 14:41 PDT 11 of cheapusedcarpartsco it's nice to see someone else who has seen the overload problem. I try to explain it but very few sellers have enough merchandise listed to grasp what is happening. I like the roll thru a different country feature one day sell 6 items to France next day 6 items to spain...
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rwe** (4142 ) Jun-18-07 14:45 PDT 12 of OP, I can sympathize. I did not have a single sale from the afternoon of the 15th until this afternoon (and that is a buyer from peurto rico that is sending a money order) Roseanne
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oas* (14196 ) Jun-18-07 14:48 PDT 13 of The reason store listings were removed from search was ebays servers couldn't handle the overload had nothing to do with buyers displeasure of seeing to many items. Had store listings stayed in search ebay would have had a major site meltdown in less than 2 weeks they were getting more daily glitches and mini site outages everyday and the longer it was allowed to go the worst it was going to get. How about store listings interfered with core sellers. Core levels are at or below 2001 levels and with a less than 20% sell thru rate in core that listing number is going to continue to drop like a rock..
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cat** (1167 ) Jun-18-07 15:01 PDT 14 of hamutie28, you have my sympathies.
this probably won't make you feel any better, but i have had a total of ONE sale this whole month. that's never happened before in the 8 years i've been here.
oddly, the one item that sold has been in my store longer than most, has never had many watchers, yet within one day i got an asq on it and not too many hours later a sale - not by the same person. i don't know what to make of that.
i can attribute part of my lack of sales to not being able to list anything new since may 7th (which will be changing soon - thank you again, you know who you are!!), but still that isn't enough to explain ONE sale in over half a month. i've had fewer things in my store than i have now many times, and still got decent sales. so it's not that. joan .
oldklutz (2673 ) Jun-18-07 15:09 PDT 15 of Always slow when the kids start summer vacation. Will pick up in July when school stuff begins to sell. Most people have planned their vacations by the end of May and have purchased what they need. June and July are the most traveled time for vacationers. They are spending their money on that not ebay.
My sales go in spurts...Weekdays are usually slow.
September will be the next slow down...when the kids go back to school and household routines are disrupted.
At least that is the way it is for my stuff.
My stars are doing a strip tease....I think that's sexy
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neg** (16159 ) Jun-18-07 15:12 PDT 16 of Last night was the first night EVER that I had auctions running with *zero* sales. I have had a trickling of store sales and am getting some bids but nothing is following previous buying patterns (time of day etc). a higher % of my store sales lately have been international ...have to wonder what is going on! My traffic report still shows about the same % coming from Google - I think something is more wrong than ebay pulling the ads. I never thought I would say this, but I pray they don't run a listing sale to get good numbers for end of quarter reporting.
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cat** (1167 ) Jun-18-07 16:10 PDT 17 of it's about vacations or kids starting summer in my case. i have the stats for all previous 8 years. i've never seen anything like this before.
obviously i'm not alone. joan
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ibe** (1276 ) Jun-18-07 17:18 PDT 18 of I thought is was just the used book business that was stinking. It's not seasonal and it's not just here on Ebay unfortunately.
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fun** (2526 ) Jun-18-07 17:37 PDT 19 of The reason store listings were removed from search was ebays servers couldn't handle the overload had nothing to do with buyers displeasure of seeing to many items. Had store listings stayed in search ebay would have had a major site meltdown in less than 2 weeks they were getting more daily glitches and mini site outages everyday and the longer it was allowed to go the worst it was going to get.I don't have a Harvard MBA.....but, how about BUY some more durn servers.....obviously the traffic/sales were resulting from SIS....and the fees generated would have more than paid for more servers....but ebay doesn't want to buy servers.....their last quarterly showed less $ allocated to server purchase/lease rather than more...Sorry I don't have the link to the auctionbytes article anymore...where that fact was quoted.
mes** (6414 ) Jun-18-07 17:45 PDT 20 of i AM SO GLAD THAT SOMEONE ELSE HAS MENTIONED THE 1500 SERVERS. I will be sending them a subpoena for my bankruptcy case.
This time last year i was selling just on e-bay $30000 a month and more. 100 of this item and 100 of that item. Coins and stamps from around the world to people around the world.
August hit and the store mess came on us and then they hired these moon beams to totally destroy search, and to make it work for them they started at the results and worked it back up to the top to get the results they wanted. Not for us, but for them to make them look good.
They dragged this on till the week before Christmas then they gave them some time off to pat themselves on the back
we are so fantastic
Christmas was a total loss I got 2 weeks of business $25000. The week before and after Christmas.
Thinking that we were going to now be able to get caught up then the first week of January came and we then start all over again with the
circus of servers/search/finding/lying. All the while Rome is burning and Nero is playing the fiddle.
I hear that this one and that one are on Sabbaticals what the hey they need to be on the unemployment line not rewarded for this mess.
Today I am sending out bid requests to liquidate my stuff because now that they are not even advertising on google I need to come up with $2000 in fees and my sales this weekend were $78.
I only hope that these people can just get a clue with the people here today just a bout to give it up
wake up e-bay before it is to late!
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pos** (4298 ) Jun-18-07 19:03 PDT 21 of If you think 1500 servers are bad then you should be stuck on the 2600 servers.
On my second ID my sales make those on this ID look good (and this one is only running 15% sell through in June).
I even moved some items from the other ID here and sure enough, they sold. But, over there I can barely give things away.
That's too bad too because I would love to keep my postcards separate from the records and postcard lots. I'm debating what to do next. I wondered if writing and politely asking to be moved to the same server as this ID would do any good.
Also several of Ebays biggest and best are on 1500 servers. If any manipulation is being done I think it is being done by ID...like the second one hasn't sold in a long time and now those items that are listed rarely get bids or sales from store.
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pos** (4298 ) Jun-18-07 19:05 PDT 22 of Where I was going with that, since that ID is only running about a 2% turnover even in core (I'm only listing 10 or 15 total items over there trying to build it back up) then maybe they are being hidden as being from an "unpopular seller".
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pos** (4298 ) Jun-18-07 19:08 PDT 23 of I have a 3rd ID I list seasonal items on and it was doing great around Christmas. But, this second one is just dead. And, this one has it's good weeks and bad weeks.
I have to say that my core sales here seem to have slowed way way down about the time I reopened the store. I'm beginning to think that might even have something to do with it. Before that I was selling 20 to 25% of items and one week even 40% in May after closing store the 17th. Now that I have reopened store, even though nothing is in it, the core sales have just stopped.
Coincidence? I guess it could be. But, this will be one of my worse weeks on Ebay.
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theres_someone_in_my_head (0 ) Jun-18-07 19:19 PDT 24 of "Where I was going with that, since that ID is only running about a 2% turnover even in core (I'm only listing 10 or 15 total items over there trying to build it back up) then maybe they are being hidden as being from an "unpopular seller""
I think that is exactly what they are doing. I have a competitor who is currently running 10 times the number of core listings than I am. Their store and core sales have not taken a nosedive, but mine have.
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mes** (6414 ) Jun-18-07 19:37 PDT 25 of The unpopular seller idea. Recently I sold three items to a buyer in Spain.
They totaled over $150US i sent them to him via global priority mail. I have sent maybe a 1000 items like this. They never get lost. On the envelope i always put on the custom report. It has a number on it and the postoffice can tell if it was delivered.
So he goes to the item not delivered process, e-bay sides with me and drops his complaint. He is ticked off so he gives me three negatives. Since then I can not even give the stuff away. In better times I would have given him the money back to avoid the negs but i can absorb the negative easier that a $150 refund.
This is the state that I am in today with this cara bot sel of e-bay
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mes** (6414 ) Jun-18-07 19:58 PDT 26 of About changing servers.
I asked my customer rep about this and the lying was so profuse about it, is in my head it can not be possible!
I was turned down flat as they did not want to start anything. Some servers service a certain place and item mix. She told me in a round about way that this ID is on a server servicing buyers of stuff i did not sell.
I have an item that i sell for $36.49. on this ID i have sold 5000 or more of them in the last three years.
For three years all I ever did to it was relist and re-add to the count when it went down.
the same ad and pictures and price. 5-10-20-50 at a time these sold to people through the US.
Six months ago they stop selling, stopped dead.
I contacted her and its bip boop bim if i was there with here I would have got a floor show, such an act.
I started another ID, took the exact same auction, template. pictures and price and set it up there.
Boom they are selling again.
It must be the price, the auction, the layout, you need to get this program and that program she exclaimed.
I then mentioned,
but I am using the exact same layout, pictures and prices on the other ID. the only thing different was the server number.
well She went on a sabbatical, maybe we need to ask e-bay if we can go on a sabbatical so we can rest while they spin the wheel to see what will be next to wreak oooh fix!
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pos** (4298 ) Jun-18-07 20:03 PDT 27 of I might have to do that. Change ID's to see what number I get on the other account and then combine the two and close the one I'm using now.
Because something is just not right over there.
And, I'm really curious why my sales on this one stopped dead once I re-opened the store.
I don't have but 7 items listed in the store and I closed it in May because sales died. The week I closed it I started doing a normal sell through on auction listings and continued until I opened it back up. I only opened it to have a place to stash stuff as I moved it to my website but that may have been a very bad idea.
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hom** (11 ) Jun-18-07 20:10 PDT 28 of ebay is not the most stable website for sales. At any time they can change, cancel, add or glitch up any part of the site, search or service.
It's advisable to not rely solely on ebay for a income.
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and** (85 ) Jun-18-07 20:15 PDT 29 of Help me out. When you mention running 10-15% core items what exactly does this mean? Run 15% of your total items in auction format?
Thanks for the help.
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postcardsandmore (4298 ) Jun-18-07 20:29 PDT 30 of Right now I'm running 90% core items and they have died since I re-opened the store.
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andyg7373 (85 ) Jun-18-07 20:31 PDT 31 of what is considered a core item?
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overthere! (72 ) Jun-18-07 20:50 PDT 32 of I'm getting a few sales every now and then. Sales have been really slow lately compared to a few months ago.
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ban** (453 ) Jun-18-07 21:26 PDT 33 of I wouldn't recommend anybody run more things in Core.
I've run 25% of my items in Core this month, with less than a 7% sell thru so far. It's just wasting money and until Greedbay fixes the search system I've stopped listing anything else.
I won't be able to pay my fees at the end of the month if this continues (well I will, but I won't be paying them!) there's no way I'm going to pay 60% of my sales in fees so, ebay, I suggest you turn my server on or you won't be getting my money!
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theres_someone_in_my_head (0 ) Jun-18-07 21:43 PDT 34 of what is considered a core item?
An auction or fixed priced listing that is not a store listing.
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ham** (5953 ) Jun-18-07 22:20 PDT 35 of It is not because I don't have enough auction running or Summer slow season is here. The fact is sale suddenly dead! Before 15th I've stability sale, around $80-$120 each day, but when I woke up on 15th everything is dead! Even no question email from buyer! I know there something happen with ebay system but I have no idea what it is.
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how** (1375 ) Jun-18-07 22:43 PDT 36 of Sales have never been this bad for me! On one ID or another, I've been on ebay since '98. It's not the economy, summer vacation, phases of the moon or how I set my jaw. It's ebay. Period.
I have my last few core items ending tonight and I'm not listing anything more in core until the end of the month (if then). I'm going to spend every free moment getting my web site finished and on line.
After that, I'll only be here to advertise my site and not depend on ebay.
This carp is getting old.
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seo** (284 ) Jun-18-07 23:02 PDT 37 of I do have sales, like 1 or 2 when I wake up. My norm is 12 to 15 average a day.
Funny thing this time is only my letter sets and stationery category is selling. My headbands nothing, I only sold 2 from my store to a regular. Out of 12 sales, 8 is to Europe.
Start to thing I am under category and countries server switch.
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che** (11136 ) Jun-19-07 22:14 PDT 38 of absolute bummer..sales were fine until they played with the search, banner ads, and other money(for ebay) generating fixes...my thought is get a few people from around the world and obviously different time zones...and simultaneously ...click enter on the same search...the results will show the fate of the nation...as it were...I'm in Hawaii...Aoha!
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kin** (214 ) Jun-20-07 09:37 PDT 39 of My sales are drop too... as compare to last month. Scare me off as a new seller.
Really hope this is a summer holidays syndrom and I'm not alone....
Looks like the sellers will need to buy from each other to generate sales...
When is the summer holidays going to end?
regards
Vanda
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the** (Private ) Jun-20-07 11:42 PDT 40 of like cheap.....
My sales are 1/4 of what they were last month. Summer is bad enough, but with the loss of Google too, its like death around here. I still have sales, but nothing like Im used to.
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rwe** (4144 ) Jun-20-07 15:12 PDT 41 of postcards I am on the 2800 servers I am still pretty much dead in the water right now I am running more core than usual
UGH! Roseanne
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elquattrocacti (0 ) Jun-20-07 15:14 PDT 42 of How do you know what server your ID is on?
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pag** (1237 ) Jun-20-07 15:31 PDT 43 of Like postcards I have found in the past that closing my store after core sales dies has rejuvinated my core sales, except this time it didn't work. I am getting almost no hits compared to what I would usually get and no bids for a WEEK. Yes my stuff is somewhat seasonal but still every other summer for the last 6 years I have survived. This year I don't know what I will do to survive. Moving off ebay has never been successful for me so that won't work. I must have been put on the slow seller server. So how do we know what server we are on? What about this idea that combining accounts will get you on a different server? So like if I combine my buyer & seller accounts into one I may get on a different server? It can't be any worse than the one I am on now!
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san** (2688 ) Jun-20-07 15:35 PDT 44 of If I may be so bold as to ask what's a decent server number? My items sit on the 12 server. Although I do a great deal of traveling these days- Hong Kong, Singapore, UK etc my sales run hot and cold. Amazingly good and dead cold. You can tell when they are "turned on" and "turned off".
I have quit running core. If Ebay manipulates search to the extent I am seeing then why am I wasting money for product visibility. I am either "on" or "off". I'll keep my extra money I used to spend on core fees.
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wor** (4916 ) Jun-20-07 15:43 PDT 45 of Best Match as of mid-2006. Based various 2005 server architecture reports by eBay on server specifications.
Terms used are descriptors and are not actual names.
Four logical groupings
Server Farm 00 10 'server banks' Server Bank and corresponding Item ID Prefix 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09
Server Farm 01 10 'server banks' Server Bank and corresponding Item ID Prefix 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
Server Farm 02 10 'server banks' Server Bank and corresponding Item ID Prefix 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29
Server Farm 03 7?? 'server banks' Server Bank and corresponding Item ID Prefix 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35?, 36?
In other words, your item number (made up) 150078999444, prefix "15", is probably on logical 'Server Farm 01' 'server bank' 15.
Which means very little unless you know exactly the computer hardware being used for each logical grouping.
Again, for made up example.
'Server Farm 01' 'server bank' 15, run on upgraded TRS-80. 'Server Farm 03' 'server bank' 10, run on CRAY-XMP.
Yes, there's more and someday it will get written up.
Frankly if you want to see eBay's computers, ask for the tour. But don't even think about getting a camera past their security.
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mon** (Private ) Jun-20-07 15:50 PDT 46 of well, I do know that if you choose a webhost that crams you on an already overloaded server, your website will be up and down more than acceptable.
So when I relate this to ebay, it makes sense.
If your server is non functioning at the moment, what do you think will happen?
Correct me if I am wrong please.
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efa** (1182 ) Jun-20-07 15:52 PDT 47 of
Quote:
homedecorstudios (11 ) Jun-18-07 20:10 PDT 28 of 44 ebay is not the most stable website for sales. At any time they can change, cancel, add or glitch up any part of the site, search or service.
It's advisable to not rely solely on ebay for a income. --------------------------------------------------------
If this were proven in a court of law, trouble for eBay.
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ste** (1032 ) Jun-20-07 15:53 PDT 48 of this weeks score website 1 ebay store 1 website was the first order since i opened it 2 weeks ago approx..
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dor** (803 ) Jun-20-07 15:54 PDT 49 of How do you know what server your ID is on
not sure if this answers your question or not, but when people refer to being on 28, 15, etc., they are referring to the first numbers of your item IDS.
d
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san** (2688 ) Jun-20-07 15:56 PDT 50 of Congratulations steve2221. How do you like those free and clear sales? It was scary the first time a sale notice came thru. I was like "uh how do I do this?" I got used to it very quickly. It gets to be a comforting experience each and every time.
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mon** (Private ) Jun-20-07 16:10 PDT 51 of LOL - nearly peed my pants the first time.
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for** (26561 ) Jun-20-07 18:58 PDT 52 of Sales have been just terrible. As posted, their is no doubt some games are going on. I had my worst week ever last week and over the weekend sold 7 items. Then yesterday out of the blue sold 12 items and again now today i've sold just 1 item all day. I've been selling long enough to know when things don't add up. I don't know if it's search, servers or a combination of both but no doubt my items aren't being seen of late.
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hom** (11 ) Jun-20-07 19:04 PDT 53 of If this were proven in a court of law, trouble for eBay.
Why? It's their site & they are allowed to have rolling blackouts, change the design, search, UA or anything at a whim.
Amazon does the same thing (without the listing fees), ebay is just trying to be like them. .
pos** (4312 ) Jun-20-07 19:10 PDT 54 of Amazon does the same thing (without the listing fees), ebay is just trying to be like them.
Fine. Drop the listing fees and I'll take my chances. But, If I'm paying I expect to be seen (even though I realize that won't necessarily happen).
I bet a mass exodus will occur if that happens and fees are still charged.
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wor** (4916 ) Jun-20-07 19:13 PDT 55 of homedecorstudios Why? It's their site & they are allowed to have rolling blackouts, change the design, search, UA or anything at a whim.
There is NOTHING in the User Agreement that guarantees search views of ANY kind. There is no criminal act, based Solely on that basis.
However one well place Subpoena, and there would be a PR (Public Relations) disaster of apocalyptic proportions. If you think it completely through, no one would want that.
"A strange game. The only winning move is not to play." Joshua, War Games, 1983
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hom** (11 ) Jun-20-07 19:43 PDT 56 of Fine. Drop the listing fees and I'll take my chances. But, If I'm paying I expect to be seen
With ebay's new changes it will be even harder to be seen.
As I said ebay is not the most stable venue to make a living off of.
I bet a mass exodus will occur if that happens and fees are still charged.
It's happening now. Stores have been invisible for a year. Best match is rolling out.
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rus** (996 ) Jun-20-07 20:08 PDT 57 of How do you know what server your ID is on
not sure if this answers your question or not, but when people refer to being on 28, 15, etc., they are referring to the first numbers of your item IDS
Okay so if one of my item numers is 140100306623 then I would be on say the 1400 Server? I'm seeing most of my auctions begin with 1400 or 1401.
Might have to try setting up a new ID and see what happens.
I haven't had a sale in 4 days and that 1 has its problems. Compared to this time last year, I'm not even at an 1/8 of June 06 sales.
GayNell Rusty Accents
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old** (2675 ) Jun-20-07 20:25 PDT 58 of If I'm paying I expect to be seen
No, you are paying for space on another's web site. The rest are bennies that nobody has to supply...but they do.
The is still lots of exposure here.
My stars are doing a strip tease....I think that's sexy
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cat** (1169 ) Jun-20-07 20:27 PDT 59 of GayNell, yes, you're on the 1400 server.
i checked my reports for june '05 and june '06. i have NEVER seen anything like this before. june of both years, i was doing fine. it's the 19th today, and i've had 2 sales since june 1st. joan
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cat** (1169 ) Jun-20-07 20:30 PDT 60 of i thought what i was paying for was my listings being hosted on ebay's site, searchable according to if someone types in the words i have in those 55 characters of title space. nothing more than that. that has always been my understanding of what i was paying ebay for. joan
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ste** (1032 ) Jun-20-07 21:20 PDT 61 of the first sale on website was really kinda weird i kept looking for the fee's. hmmm there were none...but its only one. but a start..only way is up now...
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pos** (4312 ) Jun-20-07 23:23 PDT 62 of i thought what i was paying for was my listings being hosted on ebay's site, searchable according to if someone types in the words i have in those 55 characters of title space. nothing more than that. that has always been my understanding of what i was paying ebay for.
Cat, me too. I guess we were mistaken. We are paying to have our listings here and whether or not the almighty Ebay deems it necessary to give someone a peek at 1 or 2 is purely a side benefit...and yes, I'm getting bitter again.
This smart search thing is a load of carp and it is coming and I'd be willing to bet my last dollar that it will be the default!
CSS...you said PESA could squash Ebay...looks like they decided to squash us instead. Endorsing smart search and all.
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pos** (4312 ) Jun-20-07 23:32 PDT 63 of Maybe they have already been testing smart search on stores in deciding who gets the favored placement in the under 30 rule!
I know my 1600 items stopped showing on page 1 of any test search I did in early May and that was the end of my Store sales.
Now, I just use it to organize and try and show buyers other items I have available.
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cat** (1169 ) Jun-20-07 23:40 PDT 64 of postcards, that was the agreement, up until about a year ago. i have a hard time believing there isn't something illegal about changing the agreement so radically, without informing us. joan
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pos** (4312 ) Jun-20-07 23:48 PDT 65 of They informed us...remember the popup that said Ebay wasn't guaranteeing how long it would take for your item to show up?
They just forgot to add that it might not EVER show up (at least on the first page).
With sales so low now I really don't think this will fly. But, I've sat back and watched other remarkably bad ideas succeed (for Ebay, not sellers) and i could be wrong this time as well.
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pos** (4312 ) Jun-20-07 23:50 PDT 66 of Who knows, maybe they will have some type of rotation where we all show up for 5 minutes every 3rd day if that day falls on a Sunday and has the number 8 in it.
Ummm, come to think of it, I think that is what they are doing now as well.
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pos** (4312 ) Jun-20-07 23:51 PDT 67 of Then again, I probably shouldn't have been bragging about the 24% Ebay fee to total sales I had in May. (after closing store).
They wanted to be sure that didn't happen again so this month it is over 50%.
Hello everyone...It's good to be here in the fantastic city of Boston. Last night I -- along with Meg (Meg Whitman, eBay Inc. CEO) and Rajiv (Rajiv Dutta, President of PayPal) -- had the opportunity to address 10,000 eBay buyers and sellers at our keynote. We webcast the keynote live for folks at home, and I hope you had a chance to join us online.
I want to share some of the announcements I made for eBay.com last night. Rajiv will also be sharing some important PayPal announcements he made last night, plus some of my team will offer more specifics in their own posts later on.
Creating Colorful Commerce By now, most members have heard us talk about "re-igniting the core." What we mean is that we're investing in the quintessential eBay experience of buying and selling � person to person � in an auction format. Today online shopping is main-stream � but it's also becoming boring. We're taking a stand for what we believe � that different is good � that people are more interesting than things � that eBay is still the place to go for the rockin' deal � and that the combination of all these things is what has created eBay.com into a destination like no other.
Bringing this promise to life is a "high stakes balancing act" as I said last night. Millions of people use eBay every day. We understand that as we work to transform the site, any change is a potential disruption to our members. The benefit must be absolutely clear. I think you'll agree that the projects we're working on now bring significant value to the marketplace � and make the most of our "eBay-ness."
New Homepage - We're testing a number of variations of a new design for our homepage. You'll notice that we've made a conscious shift with these new designs � moving from a static table of contents to a page that serves as a gateway to the world of eBay. The new homepage will be better organized, more relevant to you, and much simpler. There's even some white space! You can get a sense of the new look in Mike Osborn's recent Announcement board post. Look for a final launch of our new Homepage this fall.
Visual Navigation � I said last January that fixing Finding would be a top priority for us this year. A big step forward on this front is a new feature we call Visual Navigation. Visual Navigation makes shopping more like shopping, and less like reading from a restaurant menu. You can sort by price or color across almost any category. We've begun to introduce Visual Navigation in new products such as eBay To Go and eBay My World. Over the next several months, provided it meets your needs, we'll be introducing this into several categories where we think buyers will appreciate a more interactive shopping experience.
eBay Countdown - Our Buyer Experience team is working on a number of new ways to make bidding more exciting and more convenient. You recently learned about eBay To Go, a new widget that lets you showcase your eBay discoveries on your blog or website, as well as Bid Assistant, which gives buyers a fun way to bid on multiple auction listings at one time, so you get more chances to win the item you really want. Another feature we're working on is eBay Countdown. eBay Countdown celebrates the competition that is such a big part of the eBay auction experience. eBay Countdown is a new tool buyers can use with a BIG clock and a..."price ticker thingy"...to remind you of items you've saved or are bidding on. Look for eBay Countdown � plus, a new fast way to place a bid in the last 15 minutes of an auction � this fall.
Now I'd like to talk about our sellers. Buyers have more options online these days, but so do our sellers. We know that many of you are multi-channel, and we know that we need to continually add to the value that you get on eBay.
eBay Stores First I'd like to acknowledge that after eBay Live! last year, we did something unusual and raised our fees for Store Inventory format listings. Many of our Stores sellers weren't happy about that � but as I said then, there was a pressing need to rebalance the marketplace. I'm pleased to say we're seeing the results we wanted, and we appreciate our sellers for their support. While growth in overall listings has slowed (as we expected), conversion rates have improved, due in part, to better quality inventory on the site.
Now, for those who may be wondering, I want to share with you what I shared last night � there will be no increase in selling fees this July.
We're doing a number of important things to make it worth your while to have an eBay Store. Darlene Clementz of the eBay Stores team will be following up this letter with information about some great new Stores improvements, but I'd like to personally let you know about one change I mentioned last night.
A few weeks ago we launched a new header design. Our Stores sellers have made it clear that they don't like it, because there is no eBay Stores link. Well, you're right � you should have one. Within the next 30 days, we plan to put eBay Stores back where they belong � in the header at the top of every eBay page.
PowerSeller Program PowerSellers are vital to the marketplace. As we work to upgrade the buyer experience, we also want to revitalize the PowerSeller program to offer incentives, rewards, and recognition to those sellers who consistently delight eBay buyers.
New eligibility requirements for Seasonal and High-volume/Low ASP sellers - You've asked for these changes for a long time. Sellers who have a high-volume seasonal business, or who specialize in items with low average selling prices (like trading cards, media, etc.) want to get recognized for their hard work, and we agree. Starting this fall, we're adjusting the eligibility requirements to accommodate these groups of sellers. Edurne Jorda who manages the PowerSeller program will be back to give you more details.
Unpaid Item Rebate on Auction Feature Fees � For years you've asked us to insure you from losses on those occasions when a buyer doesn't pay. Well, we've heard you, and starting on August 1st, PowerSellers will get a rebate on unpaid item feature fees for auction listings (where Immediate Payment is not an option) when they accept PayPal and specify reasonable shipping & handling fees.
I also told the audience last night that we're currently evaluating how a seller's PowerSeller status and excellent track record serving customers might be factored into our search logic on eBay. It's something our best sellers have been wanting for a long time. We're not ready to do this yet � but it is something we're moving towards.
So these are some of the ways we're investing in our sellers, and we'll be announcing more throughout the coming months. By investing in the success of our sellers, we're investing in the eBay marketplace.
And on that note -- before I close -- I'm pleased to offer our sellers a little summer relief to your selling costs. Starting June 19th and continuing through August 5th, we will LOWER the first tranche of Final Value Fees from 5.25% to 4.5%. This applies to auction, auction BIN, or pure fixed price format listings. Consider it a little eBay Live! gift to our fantastic community.
So stay tuned for more information on these and other announcements. And thank you for your partnership � no matter how sophisticated our features get, what really matters is you, the people!
***eBay Stores News From eBay Live! 2007*** June 15, 2007 | 02:39PM PST/PT
Darlene Clementz
Hi everyone...This is Darlene Clementz with our eBay Stores team. eBay Live! has been fantastic so far � we've had a lot of traffic to our booth (#839 if you're here with us in Boston!), and have received some very good feedback from our sellers who are here with us.
If you listened to the keynote address webcast last night, you heard Bill Cobb share some great news about some improvements to eBay Stores. Here are a few of the highlights he talked about:
Adding eBay Stores to the Site Header As Bill mentioned, recently we launched a new header (the links at the top of eBay pages) across the site. Our new design did not include a link to eBay Stores, and many of our Stores sellers did not agree with this decision. You made your opinions heard, and we listened. I'm pleased to let you know that we are putting eBay Stores back in the header in the next 30 days.
More Value for Featured and Anchor Subscribers Featured and Anchor Stores are our top-of-the-line offerings, and we've been working to make them even more valueable. Beginning in September, we're going to include more business tools and resources for these tiers, as well as make a few other changes:
Featured Stores renamed to Premium. We're changing the name of the Featured tier to "Premium." It's a minor cosmetic change, but we feel it more accurately reflects the benefits, namely the advanced business tools, this tier offers.
Free Marketplace Research. Both Premium and Anchor Store subscribers will receive eBay Marketplace Research free with their subscriptions.
Increased Email Marketing allotment. Both Premium and Anchor Stores will receive a larger Email Marketing allotment. Premium subscribers will be able to send 7,500 emails per month, and Anchor subscribers will be able to send 10,000 per month.
Dedicated 24/7 phone customer support for Premium Stores. Premium subscribers will now have access to customer support by phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week!
40% Off the Anchor Store price. We're cutting the Anchor Store subscription fee to $299.95 a month. That�s a savings of 40%!
Showcase your Store with eBay Stores To Go Based on our popular eBay To Go widget, we've just launched eBay Stores To Go! eBay Stores To Go lets you share your eBay Stores listings, as well as your Store's look-and-feel beyond eBay. Simply add the widget to your blog, website, social networking site, or just about anywhere on the web to give your viewers a convenient window into your Store. They can even bid and buy right from the widget itself! To learn more, visit www.ebay.com/storestogo.
Spruce up your Store at the eBay Stores Design Center Whether you're looking for ways to improve your Store's appearance, or trying to build an eye-catching storefront from scratch, the eBay Stores Design Center is for you. Here you'll find design Do's and Don'ts, as well as FREE eBay Stores design templates. If you need a little outside help, check our Certified eBay Stores Designer Directory for designers who can help your vision become reality. We've even provided a few examples of eBay Stores that went through an "extreme makeover" to inspire you about the possibilities.
New Educational Resources We've also just completed a revamp of our onsite education. Check out this valuable information by visiting our new and improved Stores Tutorials and Success Stories pages.
We hope you're as excited as we are about these new improvements. To learn more about other eBay Stores features and education, visit the eBay Stores Resource Center.
eBay Express was officially one year old on 14 June 2007.
If you missed the Official Announcement from eBay regarding the anniversary, don't worry about it. They never issued one.
eBay Corporate proclaims that eBay Express is a popular success.
http://internet.seekingalpha.com/article/32757 eBay Q1 2007 Earnings Call Transcript April 18, 2007 5:00 pm ET
"Lastly, eBay Express continues to experience increased adoption and growing success. For those of you who remember our eBay velocity statistics from the old days, on eBay Express an article of clothing sold every 67 seconds during the quarter, while a piece of jewelry sold every 2.5 minutes." Meg Whitman
But despite the glowing praise, and after over a year of promotion to the world, is eBay Express really popular? Or is this a Corporate eBay Urban Myth?
To answer this, let's use the free Alexa (www.alexa.com). There are always questions of accuracy with any tool, and Alexa is no exception. While there exist several subjective reports regarding Alexa's measuring methodologies, there are NO objective reports or hard proofs showing Alexa's lack of accuracy. Each reader will have to judge whether findings from Alexa meet their own criteria for usefulness.
Keep in mind that if you want Professional numbers, you have to pay Professional prices. Alexa is FREE.
Sites will be pulled from the often referred to Auction Site list from Power Sellers Unite. And we'll throw in some extras and ringers. The ringers provide a means to compare like sites, and to show the accuracy limitations of Alexa.
For the number of items on eBay Express, let's use eBay Corporates' assumption that everything on eBay.com is on eBay Express. We'll leave out the ongoing contribution from Half.com, given eBay does not provide those numbers. eBay Store counts are left out because eBay provides no day-to-day counts, and as of the end of April 2007 eBay began pursuing an aggressive policy of reducing the visibility of eBay Stores products.
Ultimately, as can be seen from the charts below, the number of items available is not necessarily proportional to the number of potential buyers. Or as put by the old saw, 'size doesn't matter.'
Here are the terms and the raw data chart.
Reach: Reach is typically expressed as the percentage of all Internet users who visit a given site. For example, this means if you took random samples of one million Internet users, on average 19,400 of them visit eBay.com
Page Views per user: The page views per user numbers are the average numbers of unique pages viewed per user per day by the users visiting the site.
** Per conflict of interest notice, we have in the past or currently have items on or have bought from eBay, eBay Express, Yahoo!, Bidville, eCRATER, Blujay, Wagglepop, Overstock, Ewaey, Amazon, BestBuy, Buy.com, CompUSA, WalMart, Google. All shares of eBay stock were sold in the summer 2004.
Let's move measures of popularity, Page Views and Reach, leftward.
Remove Yahoo! as they have closed shop on auctions. They're still Number 1 anyway.
Organizations have good and bad days. Let's use 3 months data to average this out. Round up everything. Order lists according to Page View and Reach.
eBay Express is dead last in Page Views per user. eBay should reconsider touting to the Press that Page Views is an all important statistic of site performance.
Postal administrations in several international countries have contacted the United States Postal Service about the declaration of value placed on customs forms. They have noted that in many cases, the declared value is understated when compared to the actual invoice or known value of the item, especially for sales conducted over the internet.
While this applies to sellers both on and off eBay, the USPS has asked us to remind our sellers to declare the proper value on all customs forms.
The correct value of each item is required on customs forms as it helps determine the proper duties and taxes, and whether they should be applied. Some countries will soon begin taking steps to address this issue, such as levying fines on the addressee when the declared value is determined to be lower than the invoice.
To make sure you're complying with international regulations, please make sure the stated value on your customs declaration is supported by your invoices or other documentation.
From eBay Seller Central Forum Read The New Announcement on Customs Declaration Forms http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000204633&start=120
internetrailroad (11454 ) May-07-07 17:53 PDT 131 of 134
**gosh** are we still talking about this one? I haven't been on the boards since last summer, but I've always been amazed that there are sellers who would even consider falsifying a customs form. If you have to facilitate a violation of United States federal law to sell something on eBay, maybe you shouldn't be selling things on eBay! Ya think?? I mean, I'm not the one subject to 5 years in San Quentin here, but if you have to do something illegal to close a sale, maybe you ought to get a job!
junky48 (28 ) May-30-07 21:29 PDT 132 of 134 So folks dont think another country can fine them? HAHAHAHA You better think that one over.......
Fried of mine shipped an antique oil can to Canada. It had been opened years ago and a little oil residue inside. Well it leaked and made a spot on the box. Canadian customs caught it. They reported it to the USPS.
USPS fined my friend $700.00 !!!!
He lied on the customs form and also when asked "anything fragile liquid flammable or perishable" he said no.
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FYI apologist post_a_note aka 20th_century_art posts spin and damage control supporting eBay ...
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From eBay Stores Forum Can you believe the ba**s of this buyer? http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000465422&start=0
post_a_note (0 ) View Listings | Report Nov-11-07 18:25 PST 12 of 20 "I would not falsify the documents, it is a Federal offense."
Probably a very serious Federal offense, on a par with sending a magazine with advertisments in it by 'media mail.' That kind of serious Federal offense.
Anyone in this forum who has been charged, prosecuted, fined, or convicted of mistakenly checking the 'gift' box on one of their customs forms... please raise your hand.
{crickets chirp}
As usual... mountains out of molehills.
This is a posting ID. The views and opinions expressed here may resemble those of eBay employees or management.
For new newsgroup readers, these are not our forum posts. Any comments to the posters below should be made on the applicable thread, marked in bold below.
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From eBay Stores Forum Ebay Store Sales Off 75% - Anyone Else ????? http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=1000511136&tstart=0&mod=1181794213673
friscoman (537 ) Jun-13-07 18:03 PDT Since Ebay changed Search, my store sales are off 75% and I am in danger of losing my Power Seller status. It all started recently when Ebay "tweaked" the search feature.
Anyone else seeing this kind of decline??????
Why are they doing this to us? My ebay bill was almost $400 in March and now it is barely $100. If all store sales are down significantly it has to be hurting them financially! don't they get it????
Tell us horror story! Misery loves company!
gerrhagirl (636 ) Jun-13-07 18:21 PDT 1 of I have not had one sell this week and I was running 17 autions with no watchers. Down you say?
mylildeucecoop (4 ) Jun-13-07 18:42 PDT 2 of Yep, you are preaching to the choir- same here, down by 70% on my Power Seller ID- Ran 35 Auctions last week, typical loss leaders- drove little traffic to my store- few sales. Right now I have 3 FP finishing up tonight- no watchers. But I did have three items purchased by higher feedback buyers- you know the type- the kind that KNOW stores are out there and will persevere with the BS Ebay calls search, until they find what they want, by SEARCHING STORES.
I am not sure what I am going to start tonight auction wise- I sold all my best store traffic driving stuff for pennies on the dollar last week- Core is carp for prices- I make my money in my store. And so does Ebay. With so little traffic being driven to my store by the auctions and FP, I might just forgo the auctions and see what happens- it will save me $$ as with 99 cent starts on auctions, I lost $$. Most of that 99 cent stuff goes for 8-30 in my store.....when the search works.
rockinghorsegirl4now (2310 ) Jun-13-07 19:01 PDT 3 of I've had 3 sales this week and that is two more than last week, and 1 more than the week before. This is terrible. I keep waiting for it to end but it doesn't look promising. I used to average about 60 sales a month.
And I had to refund to one buyer today because I couldn't find the item. I tore my house apart and about went crazy, but finally had to give up. It really hurts because sales are so bad now.
rockinghorsegirl4now (2310 ) Jun-13-07 19:04 PDT 4 of I only sold one auction from the .20 listing sale, and one from the .10 gallery sale. All the others went unsold. Core stinks. It even stinks for advertising my store.
tachev (107 ) Jun-13-07 19:34 PDT 5 of I'm pretty new at this, but I started doing well in the beginning, a couple months ago. Now, I have no watchers, only 2 sales in the last 3 wks or so. It's been so dead.
I have received only a few feedback since they started stars, and I don't have any... It used to come in pretty regular.
My DH usually does quite well and he can't get anything to sell in core.
This is the worst that we have seen it.
More people need to add to this post so we can see how bad it really is.
My misery needed some company. Thanks for the vent..
lynnsthriftshop (1162 ) Jun-13-07 19:36 PDT 6 of I have only sold 1 item in 2 days - What's Up?
steves2221 (1025 ) Jun-13-07 19:42 PDT 7 of i had zero sales the last week until today..had 5 sales. not big ones but a sale is a sale at this point. it makes no sense of course thats the ebay way..
faeries_finest (771 ) Jun-13-07 19:44 PDT 8 of My sales were down the two weeks following the postal increase as we had taken down listings, getting them up and had a week of very little core running. This last week has been back to normal levels.
Faerie
pastgenerationtoys (3928 ) Jun-13-07 19:56 PDT 9 of Me too... that's actually why I was looking around the boards. I was wondering if I was the only one tanking sales... Also, my store visitors have also dropped. I know its all related but is it really the search function in eBay? I guess it depends on what you sell but I seem to remember that sales go down as it gets closer to Summer due to vacations, etc...
faeries_finest (771 ) Jun-13-07 20:26 PDT 10 of If you sell then you have sales cycles. My worst months are always April and May. Sales start back in June and rise steadily through the end of the year. That's been a consistent cycle for our business. After a year on Ebay and Amazon we've found it to be as true in those venues as it is on our website.
Faerie
bangkokbint (450 ) Jun-13-07 20:39 PDT 11 of Awful sales. Normally at this time of the month, I have about 60 sales. So far, only 32 sales - down almost 50% from the last three months. Thank God I'm selling more elsewhere or this would really suck :(
Is Ebay finally tolling the death knoll do you think because I haven't heard anything positive on these boards for weeks - just more and more sellers complaining and more and more sellers leaving.
rockinghorsegirl4now (2310 ) Jun-13-07 20:55 PDT 12 of My traffic reports for front page views are only tiny blips---barely show; must be less than 10. I've never had that happen before. I used to get 60 a day on the last graph. Now I'm only getting that number on the first graph and I used to get 300. During SIS I got 600 visits a day.
marudedog (1685 ) Jun-13-07 21:03 PDT 13 of This is awful! I've only had 4 sales since June 1!!!!!:O When you shut the store down....how long will it be available to open up again???? July and August are usually SLOW as it is and if it's like this for May and June what's in store for us later?
homedecorstudios (10 ) Jun-13-07 21:10 PDT 14 of Geez I'm Glad I bailed when I did. I really feel for all of you that rely on ebay for income.
I have never seen a company go so far out of it's way to screw it's customers. I'm sure the reps at ebay live are pouring sugar in all the sellers gas tanks too.
haldagobay (151 ) Jun-13-07 22:26 PDT 15 of I feel bad for all of us, but particularly for the new store owners if they entered this period with such high hopes and expectations. It's an anxious time when you take the plunge, and to get established, and as weeks go by without a sale or a piddly amount, they may have more self doubt than those of us who have seen it go up and down. The postal rate really bites more than ever, the search changes, and these horrible, horrible glitch after glitch (loading pics, doing revisions, you name it) episodes sure don't help!
I can't understand why people are going to eBay Live. Sounds like it never accomplishes a thing, that the big whammies come AFTER false reassurances and nothing really comes out of the sessions. It's a marketing gala, nothing more, from the sound of it.
Regarding sales- listed about 22 the past two weeks, didn't bother putting them back in the store if they didn't sell immediately- that unmotivated! Of the 15, I sold 5 I think. So 1/3rd. I just sold a bigger bisque item tonight that was in my store, and sure enough, it was a repeat customer.
I'm working on St Elsewhere store material and would recommend if you haven't, start looking around for a good shopping cart/registrar/host. It can take quite a while to redo your material to fit other templates, so don't wait until you want to start selling elsewhere to reformat all your material and bail out of the 'bay!
For new newsgroup readers, these are not our forum posts. Any comments to the posters below should be made on the applicable thread, marked in bold below.
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From eBay Stores Forum No Traffic?? eBay commits Suicide. ebay Pulls All Google Advertising. http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=1000510819&tstart=0&mod=1181794228538
gone2deriver (0 ) Jun-13-07 12:58 PDT ebay has really done it now. In it's childish tiff with Google over checkout, ebay pulls all Google Adwords ads! Yes this is true, they are no longer buying the complete dictionary at Google. From Ina:
We reported early this morning that eBay and Google are duking it out over eBay continuing to ban Google Checkout. Today, reporter Juan Carlos Perez (IDG News Service) confirmed the report from ComparsionEngines.com that eBay has pulled its paid-search ads from Google in the US: "Durzy said the decision to "reallocate" the Google ad budget elsewhere isn't tied to the Checkout protest party, but he acknowledged that the Google event hasn't gone down well inside of eBay."
Hani Durzy is of course referring to the Google "Let Freedom Ring" party in Boston on Thursday evening.
We'll keep you posted live from Boston! Hopefully no one will be swimming in the harbor.
sandrarn83 (2678) View Listings | Jun-13-07 14:50 PDT 3 of Today, reporter Juan Carlos Perez (IDG News Service) confirmed " gonetoderiver Stay tuned for tomorrow's edition by Juan. I think you will find something very familiar in it.
bangkokbint (450 ) Jun-13-07 20:11 PDT 4 of Oh yay! Everybody, support Google where you can. I'm off to do a bunch of searches and click on some ads
rockinghorsegirl4now (2310) View Listings | Jun-13-07 20:25 PDT 5 of Last year at Ebay Live the rival Chinese auction service (I forget the name) offered free lunches to Live Attendees, plus some free gifts in competition with Ebay. Many attendees were carrying around their orange tote bags all over Ebay Live. And one competing service (maybe the same one) had limo rides to a big bash with food one day. Evidently they weren't big enough to bother Meg & Bill.
It's so silly for Ebay to get hot & bothered by google since google has no auction service and is not really a competitor. Google Checkout might make a dent into Paypal's profits but Ebay could become more competitive to handle that. Ebay just doesn't want to lose a penny.
faeries_finest (771 ) Jun-13-07 20:31 PDT 6 of I hope while people are clicking on ads to help Google they remember that other businesses are paying for those clicks.
Faerie
rockinghorsegirl4now (2310) View Listings | Jun-13-07 20:44 PDT 7 of You know, for Ebay to abandon its sellers by not advertising is showing us poor faith. Why do we lose buyers and lose advertising to punish Google? Since Google also owns YouTube, I imagine that advertising is out also.
Ebay mostly depends on sellers to advertise themselves in blogs, reviews, MySpace, YouTube, Squiddoo, paid Google ads, store malls, etc. And if we don't, we just don't have any sales.
pepins4b8e (8 ) Jun-13-07 20:45 PDT 8 of I can find better causes that supporting the poor billionaires of Google. eBay has its fault but I still find no better place. Even the anti-eBay boardies spend all their time here
One billionaire is like any other, and we support Meg plenty. And she probably isn't the only billionaire at Ebay.
joint_runner (Private ) Jun-13-07 21:02 PDT 10 of Even the anti-eBay boardies spend all their time here
First and foremost that's because as someone said on another thread, "It's like watching a train wreck". Secondly, now that we don't have to spend our days and nights revising auctions because eBay made a change for the sake of change we actually have time to watch the train wreck.
As transparent as eBay itself.
sandrarn83 (2678) View Listings | Jun-13-07 21:08 PDT 11 of pepins4b8e I watched a video about Google employees. Do you realize they LOVE to go to work? Google is probably everyone's dream employer.
You can take your pet to work. You can take your laundry to work. You can either do your laundry at work free or you can have the free dry cleaning service do it for you. They have free gourmet food. All meals are free. Want to learn a different language? Fine you can learn it in on the job. If it's one they don't have just notify Human Resources. They'll find a teacher. Need a break from your crazy day? Then go play the free pinball machines and arcade games or go out side on the basketball court and shoot some hoops. They have full gyms. OMG when I watched this video I realized I wanted to go to work for Google.
Do you think these poor Ebay Live Helpless reps get perks like these Google people? As one Google employee said "If you haev to work for a living this is the place to do it." I have never been so impressed with an employer as I was Google.
kias (70 ) Jun-13-07 21:10 PDT 12 of OMG - I wanna work there not here
homedecorstudios (10 ) Jun-13-07 21:14 PDT 13 of I read google gets 3000 job applications a day.
They are can spend 25% of their time on their own projects. Also the entire googlplex is wired so you work inside, outside, wherever.
pepins4b8e (8 ) Jun-13-07 22:54 PDT 14 sandra, if you work or worked for a large corporation, you should know such work conditions don't last. The best thing that can happen to a company is hardship. Take IBM for example, they got so fat and happy, eager and aggressive competition attacked them on all sides; so bad that in the early 90's they cut employee count in half and the Walton family (yes, Wal-Mart) had an offer to buy 51% of the share, becoming the controlling body. IBM turned around and hired a CEO from the outside (against their culture) and re-shaped everything. Today, IBM don't even make PCs, they are a services business.
Anyway, my point is that Google is about to get attacked on all sides, and I'm not even referring to eBay. The works conditions indicate very fat profit; I hope they enjoy it while it lasts and don't become complacent. There are some hardships that even money don't solve. Watch what Google is up against in about 3 years.
I'm not anti-Google...They don't create bad nor good emotions in me. Just a search engine to me. I make money on eBay, not Google, therefore I care more about eBay.
Not a great fan of sport allegories. But does this other one sound familiar?
"Leading up to the fight he had declared he was going to 'dance' and use his speed to keep away from Foreman and out box him. However in the first round Ali headed straight for the champion ... Ali caught Foreman nine times in the first round with this technique but failed to knock him out." [3]
Leading up to the June 14th opening of eBay Live! 2007, Google had this to say:
"Join us for a celebration of freedom and your right to use Google Checkout. Hop on a classic Beantown trolley outside eBay Live! and follow the freedom trail to the Old South Meeting House, where revolutionaries launched the Boston Tea Party and where eBay sellers will have a party of their own."
eBay reacted, and action from eBay was predictable to anyone.
The Hare
Shift mindset to long country drive for a moment and think about this.
eBay reacts quickly to stimuli, and prioritizes short term over long term. The latter leading to ignoring problems that have no immediate consequence.
"The notion that managers must above all appease investors drives behavior that focuses exclusively on quarterly results." Clayton M. Christensen and Scott D. Anthony [4]
To get an earful of how eBay reacts, read through eBay's Discussion Boards at http://pages.ebay.com/community/boards/
When you pick out that scintilla of how eBay runs it's day to day operations, you'll see it matches Corporate policy.
"The key thing is, if you make a mistake, have the courage to fix it quickly. I do think the price of inaction is far higher than the cost of making a mistake." Meg Whitman, eBay, 2002
The thing about this philosophy is it only looks good on paper. Or as might be found in some forgotten pseudo-hypothetical eBay Training Manual. "You don't want to make the problem worse by solving symptoms of the problem only to have the problem get worse or manifest itself in another way."
Or put another way:
"Never chase a man over a cliff." Constable Benton Fraser, Due South
The Tortoise
Google reacts slowly, thinks long term and is methodical about what it does. The weakness here is over thinking a situation to death and going nowhere.
"If opportunities arise that might cause us to sacrifice short-term results but are in the best long-term interest of our shareholders, we will take those opportunities," the letter read. "We will have the fortitude to do this." Larry Page, Google, 2004 [5]
"Let's solve the problem but let's not make it any worst by guessing." Gene Krantz, Apollo 13
"When you get in situations where you cannot afford to make a mistake, it's very hard to do the right thing. So if you're trying to do the right thing, the right thing might be to eliminate the cost of making a mistake rather than try to guess what's right." Ward Cunningham, Inventor of the Wiki
A measure of this patience is seen in Google's Google Operating System project. [6] This has been ongoing for years with a projected 2010 release.
Neither method is perfect, but they do work. Billions in revenue is fair proof of that.
You can observe a lot just by watching. [7]
The distinction between eBay and Google planning philosophies is striking.
It also makes for easy predictability of how one will react.
Google, and anyone capable of thinking past 90 days, would have anticipated eBay's eventual removal of ads from Google. eBay had already established an exclusive ad relationship with a Google competitor, Yahoo! in May 2006. With more ads to come.
"The Yahoo ads now appearing on eBay is a sore topic among eBay sellers. AuctionBytes has speculated that eBay may make an announcement this week about eBay Express ads possibly appearing on Yahoo's ad network." AuctionBytes, 2007 [8]
And there have been sufficient hints and facts dropped to anticipate what eBay would eventually do.
"What's most important to eBay, analysts say, is that it turn more profit from advertising as its auction business matures." August 2006 [9]
Not much forethought is required to see these probabilities. When you have a customer that appears to have bought more of your product, but not directly from your business, you know they're looking elsewhere.
The questions become:
Will they remain a customer?
Will they buy less from you? How much less? Over how long a period?
Will they stop buying from you? When?
The smart seller asks a customer, 'how can I make this better for you?'
Not being privy to Google and eBay talks, I'll take the leap that Google did ask eBay the same question. And got essentially got a nothing useful answer.
Depending on the source, Google receives $25 to $100 million a year in ad revenue from eBay.
Google Ad Revenues [10]
2006 $10,604,917,000
2007 Q1 $3,663,971,000
This represents less than 1% of Google's yearly ad revenues.
Any business intending to exist for the long term would be loathe to lose even this amount of revenue. But what if you could project down the road that purely based on the mercurial whim of the customer, the 1% would eventually become zero?
And what if the customer is aggressively moving into areas you sell in, reducing your own revenue stream?
Feint [11]
A feint attack is designed to draw defensive action towards the point under assault. It is usually used as a diversion to force the enemy to concentrate more manpower in a given area so that the opposing force in another area is weaker. Unlike a related diversionary maneuver, the demonstration, a feint involves actual contact with the enemy.
A feint retreat is performed by briefly engaging the enemy, then retreating. It is intended to draw the enemy pursuit into a prepared ambush, or to cause disarray.
Any reasonable person would expect eBay to react to Google's Boston party. Predictable behavior; prod eBay and eBay jumps.
The actual response is not 100% predictable.
Okay, you're Google. You need to know what eBay will do that will impact your business. eBay won't tell you. Your job then is to see how eBay responds in kind.
Possibilities.
eBay takes the high road and does nothing. Free speech, right to assemble.
eBay gives the appearance of strength, and does nothing except to say,"We keep an eye on their efforts." Hani Durzy, April 2007
eBay goes society tsk tsk and does nothing except say, "When we heard of their plans to have their party and the way they were marketing it, we were disappointed." Hani Durzy, eBay Live! 2007
eBay goes defensive and pushes the benefits of PayPal, and takes no other action.
eBay goes defensive, pushing the benefits of PayPal, and warning sellers about Google, "In our estimation, it fails in at least one requirement of the Accepted Payments Policy." Hani Durzy, 2006
etc.
And the very last possibility that an adult might expect from another adult:
eBay throws a tantrum.
Now you know eBay's response. Now you know what eBay can and will do.
Now everyone knows.
And everyone has seen your response. A Gentleman's response to doing something that bordered on questionable, but within your rights as a business.
And again if you're Google, you already had planned responses to eBay's responses.
And you absolutely know you're playing chess against an opponent used to Nintendo.
"This company truly is built by the community of users." Meg Whitman [12]
"It's a little like Frank Perdue crediting his chickens." Adam Lashinsky [12]
At this time, the message eBay sent to Google, also filtering to eBay sellers: ads can disappear at any time and sales decreased as a result. This is called collateral damage.
TSK, TSK.
You'll need a lot of patience following Google v eBay, as this tableau between Google and eBay may run several months.
I am betting though that Google is up to something, and this is only a peek.
What is the moral? Must be a moral. [13]
Remember the fight mentioned at the beginning? Fights last more than one round, and it's a lesson in patience.
"We will have the fortitude to do this." Larry Page, Google [5]
Ali vs Foreman, 30 October 1974:
"He then decided to take advantage of the young champion's one weakness: staying power.
In the second round, the challenger retreated to the ropes inviting Foreman to hit him, whilst counterpunching and verbally taunting the younger man. Ali's plan was to enrage Foreman and absorb his best blows in order to exhaust him mentally and physically.
The champion threw hundreds of punches in seven rounds but with decreasing technique and effect.
Alexander Communications, Inc. (ACI) is a technology PR specialist with a global reach. For almost 10 years, ACI has sustained a commitment to being a participant in the accelerated evolution of the information age. In doing so, Alexander Communications has earned a solid reputation for its broad and extensive understanding of the technology industry. ACI's philosophy is built on intelligence and action, giving its clients immediate access to the accumulated knowledge of its entire staff.
ACI specializes in serving clients in emerging technology markets including the Internet, online-related products and information appliances. Whether dealing with sophisticated networking hardware, consumer software titles, innovative business-to-business solutions or the latest online information services, ACI's staff of communications professionals is best positioned to deliver the right message, through the right media to the right audience.
Path: nntp.gmd.de!Germany.EU.net!EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!swiss.ans.net!prodigy.com!usenet From: [email protected] (HANI DURZY ) Newsgroups: rec.sport.hockey Subject: Re: Expansion Date: 7 Nov 1994 23:35:11 GMT Organization: Prodigy Services Company 1-800-PRODIGY Lines: 8 Distribution: world Message-ID: <[email protected]> NNTP-Posting-Host: inugap2.news.prodigy.com X-Newsreader: Version 1.2
I think that two cities that are being overlooked are Phoenix and Atlanta. Atlanta has past the statute of limitations on letting the Flames get away (it was a different city and a different era then), and Phoenix is a new metropolitan hot spot that baseball is looking at closely. Personally, I'd like to see Minneapolis get a team again. There is just something not right about hockey in Dallas, while Minnesotans gaze longingly from afar.
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Bruins' New Logo January 12, 1995, 11:39 am http://groups.google.com/group/rec.sport.hockey/msg/e134be1def7bf4bf?dmode=source&hl=en
Path: nntp.gmd.de!Germany.EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!swiss.ans.net!prodigy.com!usenet From: [email protected] (Hani Durzy) Newsgroups: rec.sport.hockey Subject: Bruins' New Logo Date: 12 Jan 1995 21:39:11 GMT Organization: Prodigy Services Company 1-800-PRODIGY Lines: 10 Distribution: world Message-ID: <[email protected]> NNTP-Posting-Host: inugap2.news.prodigy.com X-Newsreader: Version 1.2
I understand that the Bruins have confirmed with the NHL that they plan to change their uniforms for the 95-96 season. Have they submitted a final design for approval by the league yet? If so, does anyone know what it looks like? Finally, is anyone else upset about the possible retirement of the spoked "B"? Merchandising gone mad.....
Hani A. Durzy
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http://www.sun.com/smi/Press/sunflash/1996-04/sunflash.960430.2179.xml Cupertino, CA - April 30, 1996
JAVA TO BE EMBEDDED IN INDUSTRY-LEADING OPERATING SYSTEMS
PR Contacts for Press and Analysts: Novell Corp.
Hani Durzy Alexander Communications 415-923-1660 or 408-577-7721
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Java to be Embedded in Industry-Leading Operating Systems http://groups.google.com/group/alt.www.hotjava/browse_thread/thread/7715c9e1665f0f45/ebc1a7ede899ba9f?lnk=st&q=&rnum=6&hl=en#ebc1a7ede899ba9f
The following Java press release was announced yesterday, Tuesday, April 30, 1996.
NOVELL CORPORATION "As the first vendor to deliver a Java execution environment in a major network operating system, Novell supports Sun's open licensing of this important new technology," said Steve Markman, executive vice president, Novell Products Group. "Java and Novell's NetWare make a powerful blend for developing, distributing and accessing applications on intranets and the Internet. We view NetWare as the next major server platform for Java, offering a high performance environment for executing Java applications, and Java as the next major development environment for NetWare."
Contact: Hani Durzy Alexander Communications 415-923-1660 or 408-577-7721
Note to Editors: Calico Technology will be demonstrating Concinity in private press meetings at COMDEX/Fall. To arrange a meeting on Monday, 11/18 or Tuesday, 11/19, please contact Hani Durzy at the Alexander Communications meeting room, Las Vegas Convention Center, Pavilion 3&4 (CTI and Mobile and Wireless Showcase), Room P309BR to schedule a meeting.
Tech Data will be demonstrating TDXpert(TM) at its booth, L4816, at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. each day.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-19220366.html From: Business Wire Date: 3/19/1997
About CitySearch
CitySearch, headquartered in Pasadena, Calif., was featured in Fortune as one of "The Top 25 Coolest Companies", ranked fourth in NetGuide's listing of the top 100 Internet sites, and was recognized in PC Magazine's list of the Top 100 sites. CitySearch is a complete and current community guide, delivering up-to-date information on arts and entertainment events, community activities, and local businesses to consumers via the Internet. It provides rich communication tools to facilitate discussion and debate on important issues in the community, and to support interaction with merchants and community organizations. It may be personalized to assist people in planning entertainment and activities, and making purchases in their local communities. Unlike other city sites which aggregate links to pre-existing content, CitySearch is built from the ground up in the community, in partnership with local government, community and volunteer associations, business and professional groups, educational institutions, and visitors bureaus.
CitySearch was founded by Bill Gross, who previously founded Knowledge Adventure, Charles Conn, a former partner with McKinsey and Company, and Jeffrey Brewer, the former online applications manager at Knowledge Adventure. Early investors include seasoned entrepreneurs and managers of multimedia, entertainment and financial companies, including Board Chairman Robert Kavner. Compaq Computer Corporation, Comcast Corporation, Goldman Sachs, AT&T Ventures, Far West Capital Management, Simmons New Media and EnCompass Group have also made substantial equity investments.
For more information on CitySearch, visit Www.citysearch.com .
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1997 MAR 27 (NB) -- REPEAT/By Ian Stokell. CitySearch has announced the addition of two online editors to its management team. They will reportedly lead the development of CitySearch's original editorial content delivered through its local online services.
David Zweig, co-founder, and former publisher and president of Salon online magazine, will be the new vice president of content for CitySearch globally.
Deanna Vincent, former vice president of marketing development for iVillage, will serve as CitySearchNYC's editor-in-chief.
(19970326/Press Contact: Alexander Communications Inc., Hani Durzy, 415-923-1660. Reported By Newsbytes News Network: http://www.newsbytes.com)
Founded in 1994 and privately held, GRIC Communications, Inc. (formerly AimQuest) has offices in California, Asia and Europe. For additional information, please contact GRIC Communications at 1421 McCarthy Blvd., Milpitas, CA, 95035. Phone: 408/955-1920. Fax: 408/955-1968. Email: [email protected]. Web site: www.gric.com.
Note to Editors: GRIC and the GRIC logo are trademarks of GRIC Communications, Inc. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.
CONTACT: GRIC Communications Jon Porter, 408/955-1920 x1162 [email protected] or Alexander Communications Hani Durzy, 415/923-1660 x113 [email protected]
//
Episode 4 Summary? http://groups.google.com/group/alt.tv.sopranos/msg/8b4ae23f12e7e621?dmode=source&hl=en troutmaster1968 June 30, 1999, 9:00 pm
From: [email protected] Subject: Episode 4 Summary? Date: 1999/07/01 Message-ID: <[email protected]>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 496018032 X-Http-Proxy: 1.1 x39.deja.com:80 (Squid/1.1.22) for client 165.247.33.125 Organization: Deja.com - Share what you know. Learn what you don't. X-Article-Creation-Date: Thu Jul 01 14:35:57 1999 GMT Newsgroups: alt.tv.sopranos X-Http-User-Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 4.01; Windows 98)
Unfortunately, i was on a plane last night, and missed episode 4 (6/30/99 airing.) Would someone who saw it mind posting a summary of it?
And, on a related note, i would be interested in finding a tape of the episode.
thanks.
Hani Durzy
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.tv.sopranos/msg/a08a3447b31f25af?dmode=source&hl=en troutmaster1968 June 30, 1999, 9:00 pm
From: [email protected] Subject: Re: Episode 4 Summary? Date: 1999/07/02 Message-ID: <[email protected]>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 496481731 References: <[email protected]> <[email protected]> X-Http-Proxy: 1.1 x29.deja.com:80 (Squid/1.1.22) for client 165.247.35.162 Organization: Deja.com - Share what you know. Learn what you don't. X-Article-Creation-Date: Fri Jul 02 18:02:08 1999 GMT Newsgroups: alt.tv.sopranos X-Http-User-Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 4.01; Windows 98)
excellent. i feel like i just watched the episode. thanks.
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (TVFan87656) wrote: > [email protected] wrote: > > > > >Unfortunately, i was on a plane last night, and > >missed episode 4 (6/30/99 airing.) Would someone > >who saw it mind posting a summary of it?
//
College http://groups.google.com/group/alt.tv.sopranos/msg/e875f24c849281f9?dmode=source troutmaster1968 July 7, 1999, 9:00 pm
From: [email protected] Subject: Re: College Date: 1999/07/08 Message-ID: <[email protected]>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 498757964 References: <[email protected]> X-Http-Proxy: 1.1 x30.deja.com:80 (Squid/1.1.22) for client 216.33.227.191 Organization: Deja.com - Share what you know. Learn what you don't. X-Article-Creation-Date: Thu Jul 08 18:26:07 1999 GMT Newsgroups: alt.tv.sopranos X-Http-User-Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 4.01; Windows 98)
I was wondering where that was. I went to Bates, and knew that that certainly wasn't Bates. And those girls that Meadow got drunk with at the bar CERTAINLY weren't the crunchy granola-type women that populate COlby in reality.
//
http://donteattheshrimp.blogspot.com/2006_05_01_archive.html Saturday, May 27, 2006 A little more on Edelman/A&R Acquisition
I wish Edelman and A&R the best with the acquisition. I just have to add that I am cautious in my optimism for its success. This is because I was involved in a similar acquisition in 1998.
I started my PR career as an intern with Alexander Communications, Inc. in 1996. At the time, the San Francisco office where I started had about 17 employees, and the Atlanta office had about 30. That was ACI at the time. The marquee client was Novell, and they had just landed two divisions of HP, the network server division and the new "Pavilion" consumer division. It was an amazing time to be involved with technology and the office was full of incredibly smart people including Pam Alexander, Holland Carney, Brian Johnson, and Amy Messenger.
The 'middle management' at the time was also very strong with Kim Hughes, now with Blueshirt, Hani Durzy, who now is with eBay and Mark Bingham as account supervisors.
By 1998, ACI had grown to almost 200 emloyees, revenues of $12 million, , a kick ass client roster, and several more offices, including Silicon Valley where I moved and our upstairs neighbor was Be, Denver and Boston. We were easily in the top 3, and many say 'top 1', tech boutique PR firms (anyone see any parallels here?). Technology was booming and the major interational firms wanted to be part of it so there was a buying frenzy. In the course of a few weeks, both ACI and our primary competitor, were both purchased by major international firms (again any parallels?) .
I can only speak for my experience at ACI, but for all of the posturing and talk of synergy and respect for the brand.......Ogilvy killed it. I was there until 2000, as were many others who hung around for bonuses, and then began the real industry-wide benefit of the consolidation that was taking place. Smart people with great backgrounds, that learned at the feet of an industry legend went out on their own.
Right now, I know of at least five firms led/founded by Alexander alums (not including Mark's firm) including, The Usher Group (founded by Usher Lieberman), Fama-PR (co-founded by Anthony Citrano), Volume PR (founded by Elizabeth Robinson), Montgomery Pacific Group (founded by Ken Montgomery), and Morgan/Dorado (founded by me ;-).
And AlexanderOgilvy? Try and find a reference to it on the Ogilvy site these days. Amy Messenger is still there, but I'm not sure if any more of the original nearly 200 are.
I hope this works out for Edelman, I really do. But if it doesn't, look for a boom in new technology PR firms in 2008.
Richard Edelman, Pam Pollace, and Bob Angus, I recommend that you contact some of the people above and see why they left.
But more importantly, maybe try Amy Messenger at Ogilvy, and see why she stayed.
Hani Durzy is leaving eBay after nearly five years. In an email blast, he wrote "eBay has been, and continues to be, a wonderful place to work and to learn. It has afforded me the opportunity to do what I love best - to tell stories and to work with the media. It has challenged me to do things I couldn't have imagined doing five years ago. And it has given me a front-row seat as the Internet and ecommerce entered the mainstream, along with all the fun and thorny issues that go with them."
Hani followed Kevin Pursglove as main contact in North America. Kevin was at eBay from 1999 - 2003 and from what we hear, currently spends a lot of time on the golf course.
Not so for Hani. He is joining strategic communications consulting firm 463 Communications as partner. He said in his email, "As much as I have enjoyed my time at eBay and will miss all the people and excitement here, I am really looking forward to this new opportunity. It lets me explore the world of tech policy more deeply, and it should provide me with many opportunities to help organizations communicate more effectively and credibly with the media and bloggers."
I tried reaching Hani to ask him what he will miss the most and miss the least in his role as eBay spokesperson. He's currently tied up. (He's at the dentist - a good time to get him to talk, I thought, but perhaps wisely he put off our conversation until later.)
Shannon Stubo remains eBay's VP of Corporate Communications. Hani's last day is January 11, 2008.
//
Readers Comments
PR Spokesperson Hani Durzy Leaving eBay
by: Jeff S
Tue Dec 11 2007 12:50:44
It's been fun, Hani.
PR Spokesperson Hani Durzy Leaving eBay
by: Randy Smythe
Tue Dec 11 2007 14:54:07
I know I've made fun of him a few times, with my rants about "eBay Speak" but I wish him well in his new endeavor.
Funny, how I wasn't included in that email blast.
PR Spokesperson Hani Durzy Leaving eBay
by: bonni
Tue Dec 11 2007 19:58:59
"to tell stories and to work with the media" More like "to tell fibs and manipulate the media".
Maybe they can get someone in the job who actually knows how to communicate without a bunch of spin, weasel words, and management blah blah.
Nah, this is eBay we're talking about. Clear communication? No way. Doesn't fit the corporate image...
PR Spokesperson Hani Durzy Leaving eBay
by: Alex
Tue Dec 11 2007 20:16:39
I never saw his picture before.
I can't believe his nose isn't bigger....
:O)
PR Spokesperson Hani Durzy Leaving eBay
by: Alex
Tue Dec 11 2007 20:18:13
''I can't believe his nose isn't bigger....''
Think Pinocchio...
PR Spokesperson Hani Durzy Leaving eBay
by: Anon E. Mouse
Wed Dec 12 2007 012:59:30
Before he leaves, maybe he could explain to the world how or why a neutral on eBay counts as a negative.
Or why a 4 or even 4.5 star rating doesn't cut-it.
For new newsgroup readers, these are not our forum posts. Any comments to the posters below should be made on the applicable thread, marked in bold below.
Party with Google Checkout at eBay Live - Thurs June 14 Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2007 20:51:01 -0500
Join us for a celebration of freedom and your right to use Google Checkout. Hop on a classic Beantown trolley outside eBay Live! and follow the freedom trail to the Old South Meeting House, where revolutionaries launched the Boston Tea Party and where eBay sellers will have a party of their own.
Who eBay Live! attendees Where Old South Meeting House Downtown Boston 310 Washington Street Boston, MA 02108
What Google Checkout Freedom Party When Thursday, June 14 8:00pm - 11:00pm RSVP Click here to RSVP for this event Feel free to bring a friend
In other words, have fun with it. And tell 'em where you got it from.
Log of the I.S.S. Galactus Here Be Dragons
Cruiser: A starship capable of independent action.
I.S.S. Galactus AHL-CF-6425 Imperial Azhanti High Lightning Class Cruiser Extended Edition Length: 330 meters Displacement: 66,600 tons.
First Flight: Imperial Year 1099 (5620 AD) Declared Lost With All Hands: Imperial Year 1103 (5624 AD)
Galactic Imperium Quick Fact. The average life expectancy in the interstellar Imperium is 143 years. Approximately 238 years in the technologically advanced star-faring portions of the Imperium.
This is the story of the little girl and her pony.
Once upon a time.
Nova Armani, one of the space-borne. Her flight time journal started as a not quite day-old infant drifting alone in an emergency capsule from the starliner Nova Armani, lost 54 years previously.
Enter the Imperial X-Boat Network (IXN).
The business of the growing Imperium would grind to a halt without speedy communications, and IXN serviced that need. The interstellar X-Boat system functioned in the same capacity as the Pony Express of Old Earth. With no faster-than-light (FTL) electronic communication available, the FTL but tiny X-Boats ferried physical messages, information, and the occasional priceless small cargo between star systems.
The IXN pilots were young and dedicated. Which was good because X-Boats do not stop moving.
One day a frontier X-Boat pilot found her by chance, because as it happened her X-Boat was at a relative dead stop. The off the main route rendezvous with the Imperial Destroyer went flawlessly, and Sandi Mylner made preparations for the return voyage home. Her X-Boat crammed full with a year's worth of station personnel goodies offloaded from the Destroyer. Plus one tiny Classified Military packet.
Seconds from departure, Sandi visually sighted the relatively slowly drifting emergency capsule nine clicks away. Well past it's safe operating margin, the capsule was dead save for the last ergs of power running the life support stasis field.
'Report it and go home,' she thought. 'Nothing could be alive in there.'
She looked anyway. The Destroyer left her X-Boat with a full load. With fuel to burn she moved closer. With oxygen to spare she externally examined the capsule. And managed to peek inside.
It took her two hours to dump the cargo, except the Military packet.
It took another three hours to jury rig the emergency capsule to the too small cargo hatch.
It took less than a second to cross fingers and pray that the jump field would not collapse due to the irregular configuration of X-Boat and emergency capsule.
We'll skip what happened immediately upon her return. Fortunately sounds do not carry in a vacuum.
Named after the ship stenciled on the capsule, she was christened "Nova Armani" by her adopted mother. In time as the grumblings of 'out the airlock' died down, a second Mom adopted her. Then a Dad. And in time the entire small post.
There came a day when Nova was old enough to be entranced with a threadbare vacation brochure. A fantasy land to dream upon. And within a photo of laughing children on ponies.
"I want to ride a pony Mommie." "There are no ponies here Dear." {sniff} Cradling the sobbing child near the porthole, she said, "We have something much much better." And the child's eyes went wide at the outside lights.
Not limited by the mental constraints of 2D planetary horizons in her new environment, Nova grew adept in the ways of 3D space. She wanted to ride that pony in the window. She learned safety. She watched everything her parents did. And her parents were the best.
And in the Zero-G areas she could do everything her parents could.
There came a day when Nova copied what one of her parents did and rode the pony. Her first solo flight at age 3.
Without permission.
One of her parents, already at a separate destination station, waited grimly for the stowaway toss out the airlock. Living on the frontiers of the Imperium, station consumables were life-and-death matters. There were margins, and every body had an allotment. You don't hold your breath for 30 minutes to make up a for loss. Then again that was the law, which was as flexible as the airlock hinges. Waste everyone's means to survive, and You make up the difference.
All of Nova's parents had 'forgotten' to report about the then infant, now a consumable using precocious little girl.
"Nova?" "Yes Sir." "How old are you?" "Three Sir." "Interesting. And three years of 'leakages and spills'. Nova, do you know what you did?" {squealing} "I got to load the saddlebags and ride the Pony Sir." He looked at Nova, then the airlock. "Don't do this. Fire me, I got six years weight allowance and she'll fit." "It's placed in a vacuum." Before he could speak, the Manager's hand went up. "Do you know how to read and write?" Head shook. "Yet you managed to pack an X-Boat to over-brimming, and make a perfect non-fuel wasting run?" Nova looked up. "Just like Daddy Sir." "Want to be a pilot Nova?" "I am a Pilot Sir. Pilots ride Ponies Sir. Manager looked at 'Daddy', then the airlock. "At the very least, she knows how to say "Sir." No stowaway has piloted one of my X-Boats. Ever. So it's called embezzling. OR, overlooked paperwork for the cost of three years room and board consumables. And tack on ninety days expenses Teach Tapes. No one stays here who can't read, write, or sign a contract. Throw in Deep Space Certification training expenses, and we'll overlook the flying without a license. Expense for a proper fitting suit and scheduled upgrades as long as she stays here. Expense for real clothes and uniform."
"Would you like your own room Nova?" "Yes Sir!" "Room and board expenses starting today." The Manager looked 'Daddy' in the eyes. "She's your sole doing." "Yes, Sir." "I doubt it." and handed him a Padd. "You're all in on it. And that's the itemized bill and allowances for her and your den of thieves." 'We'll work freebies for the next 20 years but she'll live.' Daddy thought, then looked at the Padd. "It's Green??" "Do you know how substantial the cargo bonuses are, given the weight difference between an adult in a suit and an bubble suited child?" The Manager broke a smile. "Especially when it's the entire Emperor's Special Handling Required Cargo."
"Special Dispensation. Do you know what that means Nova?" "No Sir." "It means, You Ask Permission First." Dejected, "yes sir." "It also means No deadheading. You have permission to take the next loaded pony back." "YES SIR!" "And put extra stuff in the saddlebags."
A relative 43 standard Imperial years later.
"Even my first adopted Mom didn't know why she dumped valuable message cargo for an unknown passenger. After all, a standard Imperial rescue on the frontier wouldn't have take more than a couple of decades.
And I regret I will never know for certain whether J.J. Samuels was motivated by credits or wanting to find any reason at all to keep a little girl alive. Despite the uncertainty I remember my X time fondly.
But there was one X-Boat rule I would never follow. I will never leave anyone in space. Ever." Nova Armani, Pilot.
And so it came to pass that the little girl who rode ponies. Became the woman who rode horses. On the biggest range in history.
I.S.S. Galactus Log Entry IY 1125 (5646 AD)
A wailing sound and flashing lights accompanied words that echoed off ceiling, wall and deck armor.
"общие четверти!" "безопасный для переход фазы."
Roused out of his temporary sleep, a suited and seated pilot verified the automatic deployment of the seat restraints.
"пять, четыре, три, "
Then switched on the universal translator.
"two, one. Phase Transition."
I.S.S. Galactus exited the void between universes with a burst of sparkling blue light, and entered a new universe.
"We are now in normal space. All hands to Battle Stations!"
All breach births being traumatic, entering a universe induced systems trauma on the starship, as major electrical systems scrammed. Priority went to maintaining the massive engines that sustained the starship's quantum signature. Without this protection, in an incompatible universe Galactus would simply disappear.
This left Galactus militarily vulnerable for 30 seconds to 10 minutes, while the major systems were restarted and brought back on-line. Ironically the longer the period the more compatible the universe. With an average wait of 3 minutes, starfighters would be the eyes of Galactus in the new universe.
Long seconds elapsed before the decision was made to launch the starfighters, least they too evaporate like soap bubbles on a hot sunny day. Each pilot was aware that should a situation deteriorate, Galactus would exit the universe.
With or without them.
-Mustang Sally, now baby- -Guess you better slow that Mustang down-
"Core system transferring control to alert craft, launch when ready."
-Mustang Sally, now baby- -Guess you better slow that Mustang down-
Launch tubes powerless, the manually instrumented alert starfighters sped unassisted and unguided through them and into the void.
-You've been running all over town- -Ooh, I guess you gotta put your flat feet on the ground-
"Mustang Sally" had left the building.
-All you wanna do is ride around Sally- -Ride, Sally, ride-
"Green Lights." Nova Armani, call sign "Finder" -All you wanna do is ride around Sally- -Ride, Sally, ride-
The "Evil Dead" emerged in short order. "Green Lights." Ash, call sign "Lefty"
Operations, "Good job Chief." Chief West ran the operations decks for Galactus's fleet of spacecraft. Nothing that flew off Galactus did so without his final checks.
"Quantum Signature stable. All systems remain green. Starboard visual scan clear. Rotating. Clear. Engaging outward search pattern." Armani "Quantum Signature stable. All systems remain green. Port visual scan clear. Rotating. Clear. Engaging outward search pattern." Ash
With Galactus still vulnerable, the starfighter pilots completed the spiral pattern visual inspection of Galactus and immediate space. Their attention now focused to deeper scans of surrounding space.
"We have a body out here. Visual sighting. Three point seven clicks. 140 mark 10." "Scan confirms. Human female." Ash
"Fredo. You in the mood yet?" Armani. Coded: [Are systems operational?] "Another bottle of wine, and we'll be fine." Coded: [10 minutes]
On private channel "Damn you're good." Ash zoomed the optics, and shared the fine details of the visual. "You didn't deserve this Red" Armani. "Coordinates stored and transmitted. Don't worry Nova. We'll bring her home when the transporter is up." Ash
Something flashed on Ash's console. "No." Quickly and calmly he keyed the autopilot. Open channel. Ash: "I'm suiting up. Get a medical team to docking bay two. She's alive."
Spacecraft launched and methodically searched surrounding space until Galactus sensors were fully restored. Nothing else living was found.
While the trauma team worked to keep the woman alive, the Amazonian Shaman Doctor Doctor M.D. whistled. Ogi of the Ancient Oni race nodded in agreement.
"Spill." Admiral Nogumo. "You mean her surviving in hard vacuum without a suit?" Doctor "We have crew that can do that. The question is always, how?" "Magic." Ogi, "Protection Spell. A very strong Protection Spell that completely encapsulated her."
"We're in intergalactic space. There are no substantive or otherwise close astronomical objects out there. Save our presence, there are no traces of nearby space travel. All relatively speaking of course." Nogumo. "She'll have a fascinating tale to tell." Doctor, "If she lives."
"Get back in Finder. Fourteen hours is enough." "And if I miss someone?" "There's nothing else out there Finder." {thump} "Thump?" Moving at maneuvering thruster speed, Armani's fighter shields brushed by something equally physics oriented.
"A worm hole??" The 3D briefing room hologram displayed the position of the anomaly relative to Galactus. "It's perfectly edge on to our sensors." "This is where our visitor emerged?"
The course plot of Galactus's guest was overlaid on the display. "No. And we expanded the search both ways. This time we're certain there's nothing else out there." "Is it stable?" "Formed around the time of creation of this Universe." "Launch a probe. Launch a lot of probes."
"And get me a", and was immediately handed a Padd. "Except for my name, because I just gave the order, every pilot ..." "And Robot Union 18." something mechanical intoned. "ah hem." "and other assorted personnel are on this list.
Eyes in the room and scattered throughout Galactus stared intently. "Draw lots?" "By the book this time. My book. First in, first flight out."
The Padd displayed the last names on the list. Nagumo scrolled upward and reached the top of the list.
"Command deck. Bring the ship to Yellow Alert." "All Hands Condition Yellow." Nagumo overlaid the top of the list on to the main display.
"Wouldn't going straight to Red be easier?"
And the unmanned probes returned.
At the end of the worm hole, a Solomani-type system lay a half-light year away.
Starbuck entered the Deep Exploration Shuttle or D.E.S., and spotted Lufy in the pilot's chair. Boots on the panel controls.
"You're in my seat." "You know how many shuttles you've crashed in the last ..." Starbuck planted himself in the co-pilots seat, and looked at the boots. "You're on the emergency booster controls." "Panel's dead until I say so hotshot." They smirked at each other.
"But if you behave, I might give you the keys to fly us back." "Oh would you Mom?" "Don't press your luck Pops."
"Interrupting family business?" said Duncan Macleod as he entered and strapped in. "Speaking of old." Duncan leaned forward. "You codgers have a couple of million years on me."
Feigning a pained look, a middle-aged human M.D., aka 'Junior', marched in, "That's what that is. Arthritis." "Good to see you Junior."
"You want to tell me why I'm always stuck with you?" Jack Deth. "My good looks and rapier wit." Ash. "And completing the ensemble, the Odd Couple."
Boots dropped to the deck and main panels lit up. "Core system transferring control to probe craft, launch when ready."
"Show time."
After a leisurely hour flight through the twisty turny winding worm hole, the shuttle exited back into normal space.
"Probe results confirmed. Ship to ship Comm remains down." Junior "Planet three is inhabited." Everyone shrugged. "Like it's never." Ash.
A quick hyper-jump placed the shuttle just behind and above the Moon. Lufy starred for a moment and wandered back ten million years. "You okay with this?" "Anything to get in my seat." "Am I that transparent." "GET A ROOM."
"EM bands dead. No orbital traffic. Probe results confirmed." Junior "Time to spook the natives." Lufy The sound of multiple throats clearing was heard. "You kids are no fun."
On the descent to a lower orbit, all heck went loose, as an energy burst from the surface struck the shuttle.
"Right through the shields." "Main drive out." "Falling rock time."
The shuttle plunged through the atmosphere, and at the last moment managed a soft landing in a forested area. "Think they bought it?" "Except for the explosion and crater, we went down like a dead ship." "Where's the source?" "Between 5 and 10 kilometers." "Ash, Junior. Get to work on the mains. Time for the rest of us to invite ourselves to the party." "Some of you get all the fun."
The optical view of the outside, from inside the shuttle, looked no better than being outside. Dead bodies littered the landscape. The smell of burnt flesh was everywhere.
"Coordinates and clothing confirm Old Earth China." "Old?" "Very. Old Earth calendar 12th to 14th Century." Duncan. Half in the open drive panel Ash responded. "Medieval screw-heads with high power energy weapons. How wonderful for us."
From horizon to horizon, the region was a mass of rolling hills, large open field patches, and forests. Save for the ongoing signs of death and destruction, the area was rather peaceful.
Duncan whispered, "Life signs." as the group avoided the open areas and stealthily moved through the forest toward the approximate source of the energy burst. "Doesn't make sense. Ten meters that way, but there's no energy signature."
From the forest, Lufy peered through the optics into the clearing. "More bodies." "No. They're alive, but barely." Duncan 'Not again.' she thought. "Junior grab your medkit and grav lift. Our position."
Lying prone she watched four warriors walk into the small clearing. 'It's over.' she thought. Lufy sadly looked back, "Bastards. They're fighting children."
Back at the repaired shuttle.
"Take care of them first." said The Priestess fading in and out of consciousness. With blood everywhere except her, Junior did not argue and moved among the other wounded. "Pack the limbs carefully gentlemen." {hiss} "That's the last of the meds. They're temporarily stabilized, but they all need emergency treatment. And it gets worse. Most of this damage is mana based." "Experts on Galactus. Two trips." Lufy. "Then pick which half dies." Junior
All the crew were capable pilots.
"Hell we can wait." "We can all wait." "Doctor, Pilot. Full ambulance. Cold Equation problem." Deth. "Tanks are full. Drain out anything not needed for the return trip. No matches." The laugh heard was the joke that the fuel for this specially equipped shuttle actually took a lot of science to get it to ignite. "Toss gear and ship ordnance. Full burn margin." Lufy Crew reacted before she finished. "Safe flight Luf." Starbuck. "Now while we have a few seconds. What happened here Prie ...". And then a Mana burst slammed Lufy into a nearby tree.
"Get them on-board!" . "Leave ..." "Over my dead body you're staying." Standard issue crew armor had the feel of cloth with the strength of hull armor. Something had penetrated Lufy's armor and her tunic was completely red.
A fire-fight ensued with the crew fighting something in the forest.
Closest to the hatch, Junior and Starbuck loaded the wounded onto the shuttle.
"Starbuck. Get them home." Lufy.
With Priestess firmly in his grip, they moved back toward the shuttle.
Something leaped from the forest and landed between them and the shuttle. Claws slashed Starbuck's head.
He stared upward and pointed, "Look. Up in the sky." The Demon looked up. Starbuck and company rolled under and past the demon. Amazed he said, "And what planet are you from??" while ducking into the shuttle.
The Demon approached the shuttle but was deterred by what looked like gnats. Not gnats at all but gauss rounds, the contents pouring from Lufy's well aimed mini-gun.
"You better have a fresh uniform for me." "Clean and pressed ..." the hatch clanged. "Ordnance and fuel dropped." Junior grabbed the last passenger. "Go!" Starbuck leaped into the pilot's seat. "Emergency Boost." Disaster solids ignited and threw the shuttle into the sky.
Disoriented the Demon, peered into the smoke. Lufy tossed a catalyst and ordered "Distance and fire!" ordered. The crew repositioned, took cover, and fired at the piles near the Demon. Ordnance and fuel exploded.
"Got ya, ya bastard." Lufy.
Despite the declarative, the battle raged. Radio traffic continued.
After barely clearing the atmosphere, the shuttle hyper-jumped to the worm hole. Starbuck opened the throttles and plunged in.
Long minutes later at full thrust.
"Talk to me Junior." "Help him ..." then silence. Junior ran the scanner. = No pulse. No respiration. = He grabbed and tossed the long emptied hypo. = No motor activity. No chemical activity. No electrical activity. = With nothing left he began CPR. = No neural branch activity. No brain activity. = And with much hesitation stopped. "She's gone." Junior The shuttle cleared the worm hole and the dormant radio sparked to life "Galactus to D.E.S. One. Report." "We have eleven wounded." "Meow." "Now where did you come from?" Junior pet the little creature, and found fur and blood covering his hands. "We have twelve, repeat twelve wounded. Code Blue. Code White. Code Pink. Scramble all Med teams." Junior "Clear the dock. We're coming in hot." Starbuck
"O.R. Stat." "Most of them have rapid metabolisms. No way to tell how long they'll be out." The Chief Surgeon remarked on the stability of the patients. "You did good Junior." Robots, projections, and other personnel rapidly transported the wounded.
One determined figure went in the other direction. "Where you going hotshot?" Chief West grabbed Starbuck. "Catch the next ride out." "Not with that wound." "Watch me." Yank. Yank. "I got him." Junior shouldered Starbuck, and both headed back into the shuttle bay. "Not good enough." They somberly walking past the cloth covered figure on the stretcher. Chief West watched. "Yea. If I could, I would too." then faded out and in to another section of the bay. "Get that in position NOW!"
As the last survivor of a humanoid race wiped out by mechanoids, casual banter with the current pilot was easy. "You're in my seat." Starbuck The large humanoid shaped Omega, the last survivor of a mechanical race wiped out by humanoids, turned and gave Starbuck a one lens stare.
"That a new head?" "You belong in sickbay." "I can get us there faster." Long picoseconds later, Omega moved over. "You're bleeding." "I don't have time to bleed." "You Did like it." "Chief, I promised Lufy a fresh uniform." "Doesn't she, as you carbon's say, grate on your cheese?" {sound of a hatch closing and pressure seals} "That's nerves." "Pressed and dry cleaned." Chief West. "Looks like stringy cheese to me." {hist} A hatch opened. "Prepping launch sequence." A hatch closed. {hist}
{tap} Omega turned and gave a two lens stare at Red. "Something tells me I must go." "Weren't you in a coma and dying?" {deathly cough} "I got better." Staring at Starbuck, "I'm sorry I was interrupting." "Okay look, I, empathize with her. Her entire race was wiped out." Starbuck "She's the last of her kind, do tell?" Omega "All of you?" Red Murmurs in the back of 'sure' 'yes' 'sadly' Looking back, "Hey, I know for a fact that You aren't." Omega looked at Starbuck, looked behind, and silently counted internally. "Us against a Demon. You do know when 7 is involved this becomes epic?" and moved to third seat. "There are only 6 of us in here." "Call it a 'human' hunch." "Strap in tight. Shutting down the inertial dampers to get more boost." "ahem" said Omega motioning to Red. "She's covered," said a gravely voice in the back. "Ready Alert One and Two have launched. Armed Response Transport you are go for position two. Standby and prepare for launch.
Core system transferring control to Hammer's Slammers, launch when ready."
Starbuck executed a full throttle launch, and burned by the previously launched starfighters. Nova Armani watched with some amusement. "He must have switched off the dampers." Nick {click} "Works for me." and Armani pursued.
Starbuck entered the worm hole neck and neck with Armani. She flared by. "You'll get yourself killed. And don't you ever sleep?" Starbuck "I read coordinates fast, and it's that damn insomnia again, lowbie 'shuttle' pilot." "That thing is trouble." "Aren't they always? Junior. Give me everything on the hostile. I'll be on the scene and have this mopped up before you touch down. Armani out." "Don't get cocky kid." "Not built for it. And we're clear. Catch you later." A safe distance away from the shuttle, Armani switched to turbos and disappeared from sight.
Meanwhile back on alternate Earth.
"Is that your best shot?" {BAM} and Ash sailed into the trees. {zack} "Don't tick him off pal." {zack} Deth run'd and gun'd. "Why don't you die?" roared the Demon. "Not our week." "Oh such soft tender skin."{rip} "Hey Ash. Move two feet." {BAM} Deth sailed into the trees. Duncan and Demon slashed flesh from each other. Lufy leaped on the demon's back, performing light sabre acupuncture. "Why don't you die!"
The Operating Theater was full and angrier than usual.
"Relax. We don't all look it, but we really are the good guys." With the Doctors running the gamete between looking like something from Sector General to the Cantina Bar, there were some problems with the patients.
"They're stirring." "Watch the second Tranq dose people. We don't want permanent comas." "Human male approximately 10..." "He's first. Get the armor off." "Gangrene? Necrotic??" "Human male approximately 20 ..." "His hand is bleeding." A surgical trainee moved to unwrap a cloth hand wrap. "Leave the superficial he's not bleeding out there." "Scan says 4 years old." "What kind of a wacko?" "Rest child. You're in the six tentacles of a healer not a demon." {hiss}"Please don't eat me zzzzzzzz." "They're only children." "Who's leg is this?" "Keep your minds on the job. We save them first." "He's next. Crack him open." "Human female approximately 6 ..." "Put her under again now." "Get off him!" "Lie back, we'll fix him good as new. Use gas on this one."{hiss} "NOoooo." "These two are a matched set." "Cordrazine." "Get that heavy worlder orderly in here." "Restraints. Heavy Tranq before there's organs all over." "They're trying to kill each other??" "Get the Velociraptors in here Stat." "More Tranq!" "Human female approximately ..." "They're Healers! Let Them Help You!" "Sleep child."
The sounds from the wounded quieted, replaced by methodical wet sounds. "Where is our Junior?" "He's representing us, in a different operating theater."
Meanwhile back on alternate Earth.
The battle raged, each side chipping away at the other. But it was not going well for the side with numbers.
"Only children huh? That's what you call people with no brothers and sisters. WHAT the hell kind of children were they??" said Deth. "Spirited." said Duncan. "Least you'll survive this." Ash
Leaving what remained of the forest, the battle had moved to a larger open field, the smell of death overpowering. Hundreds of human heads sat on pikes carrying the extra scent of the Demon. Duncan looked at Ash. Ash looked at Duncan and shrugged. "You think?" Duncan
Finally conscious, He slowly gathered his remaining strength. His opponent left him alive, and that was a mistake. Then He saw the tableau in the distance and knew why He was rudely ignored.
There was no more backing up of the crew. No groveling at this last stand. Leaning on each other, they stared at the approaching Demon death. {click} "Empty" {bizz} "out of gas" Ash {sparkle} "Empty" Deth "Drained" Lufy "I can't believe it ate my sword." Duncan "Run Duncan." "Over my dead body." "Which should be in about 8 seconds." Ash Deadpanned. "I knew I should have gotten that haircut." Jack Deth grabbed a nearby pike with skewered head. "How about a little head baby?"
He saw the Demon was distracted and made his move. Only something slightly above and behind him moved much much faster. 'Another enemy?' {BOOM}
{WHEERVROOOOMM!} Hydrogen propelled death zoomed by. -Fire all of your guns at once-
Twin plasma cannons from the starfighter scattered ground and Demon pieces into the sky. -And explode into space-
"Someone order two topping pizza?" -I like smoke and lightning- "You always know how to make an entrance Nova." Duncan. -Heavy metal thunder-
The fighter executed a high-G burn turn and soared back. -Like a true nature's child- "Give a working girl room to work." -We were born, born to be wild-
'Nothing human moves like that' He thought, and continued to move forward to battle.
The Demon grew physically in size. The horrific head on monstrous body supported by gigantic legs faced the oncoming fighter. "Here's a freebie you don't see everyday." said Armani, "A bigger target." Lufy laughed, "You're almost as good Nova." "Aw shit." Deth. Armani swooped to the deck on full afterburners. "Koochie, koochie." and burned underneath the monstrosity. A trail of small canisters thunk-ed loudly on the ground.
Proximity mines exploded.
He moved ever swifter. His extraordinary hearing picked out her voice as she whooshed past again. Perhaps, unfortunately perhaps, He found a canister.
'Possessive Demoness, you want him as badly as I do.' and was quickly stunned.
The ballet of death continued.
"Time to end this." said Armani. "We're clear. Toast him." Lufy. Armani armed the miniature anti-matter missile.
The Demon lashed out with magical flares. Again Armani weaved skillfully around them. But this time the flames turned back and seared away sections from both sides of the starfighter as she launched the missile. Fighting for control she watched the missile miss the Demon and destroy a kilometer of forest and ground beyond.
"Come on lock on. I know you got one more in you girl." Cockpit indicators blinked red. And winked out. "Mayday. Mayday. We have an in-flight emergency." From horizontal, the mortally wounded starfighter streaked space-ward riding emergency boosters. 'Climb.' mouthed Lufy
The Demon shot a spear of mana at the starfighter.
-One of these early mornings- -I'm gonna be wiping those weepin' eyes,-
Suddenly the white bird plunged toward the horizon. In the west a second sun shined.
-yeah-
"Nova" Lufy. The funeral pyre of the starfighter rose into the heavens.
Fading in and out of consciousness, He watched the new sunrise. 'I should be your opponent. Not ...'
"You Bastard!" Lufy dragged herself toward the Demon, but something powerful lashed out at her.
In victory the Demon laughed.
"Hey! Ugly!" "Pick on someone your own size." The Demon turned and stared below at the unarmored diminutive peasant before him. "What the hell?" Duncan "Now why don't I feel sorry." grinned Deth. "Are you crazy?? Mouser that thing is lethal! Stop playing around and get out of there!" Duncan. The Demon one handed thrust Grey Mouser into the ground, then turned to finish off his ... {tap}{tap} The Demon turned and stared into a orange face on a moving rock wall. "Know what time it is?" as the orange eight foot tall rocky armored figure picked up the Demon. "It's Clobberin' Time!" {BAMM!!!}
[1 The Grey Mouser aka Rocky]
"OOou, that's gotta hurt." Ash
Dazed the Demon fell up and gravity arced down toward a humanoid shaped metal figure. Omega appeared calm, as always. "My Great Granddaddy used to say." {BAMM!!!} "It's the Machine, not the man."
[2 CMDR Omega aka Heavy Metal]
In mid-flight the Demon began shaking off the haze. {tap tap} Demon looked at the flying fire and magic of an Oni. "Don't fly impaired." cracked Ogi. {ZACK!CRACKLE!BASH!!!}
[3 Ogi, Ancient Oni aka Spellslinger]
The Demon was deflected downward toward something white and soft looking. It wasn't a pillow.
"As my father before me, I swore an oath to do no harm." said the M.D. Twelve feet of furious Great Master Mellor lashed out {BAMM!!!} "Tumors don't count." said Junior, looking like a nightmare polar bear with the mouth of a great white shark.
[4 LT Robert Ito, JR, M.D. aka Junior]
The Demon struck the ground, missing a man standing next to a large boulder. It raised it's head slightly.
"The coward has returned." "That's harsh." Strangely tapping and rapid tinking the boulder. "I'm just a simple tinker." The man circled the Demon. "And tailor. Didn't I tell you, I had to bring back Lufy's suit from the cleaners?"
Before claws lashed out the Demon smelled a familiar scent of blood, but not from the mortal striding before him. The Demon rapidly expanded it's physical form and extended body upward, and slowly turned.
Seven meters above the ground, body broken and bleeding from every pore, but ever defiant, Lufy stared the Demon in the face. {tink}{tink}{Thunk} "Next time more starch." Visor quickly resealed she waded in.
57th Century gleaming white combat MechSuit claws grasped Demon, while expanding defensive screens shredded surface flesh. "Know what time it is?!" {WHOMP!!!} The Demon sailed skyward. "I Don't Know! That's for breaking my favorite chronometer!"
[5 CMDR Lufy aka Starleaf]
"OOou, that's really gotta hurt." Ash
If anyplace could be called safe, Red watched the Demon battle her new friends from it.
Suddenly something human shaped stirred from the brush.
They stared at each other.
His glare changed direction and He rose. 'Five more demons on the field' He thought. He watched intently an armored figure fighting like the possessed. A demon leading the charge and taking blows no human could survive. No, "I'LL KILL YOU! YOU BASTARD!", a Demoness striking His foe.
"He is Mine Warrior!"
Oblivious of his injuries, Sesshomaru lumbered toward his enemy. Red placed a hand on his arm. Her hand glowed. And the light of Self illuminated her soul. "I remember now! I am ...'
Moving away from the touch "Naraku" said Sesshomaru. "Naraku? ah no. I'm not. Oh." looking again toward the battle, "Na ra ku has a powerful mind."
She placed her hand on his one arm, and felt something. And remembered more.
"Test my patience with your death Sorceress."
"This battle can not be won by strength alone. This battle will be won by the superior intellect. Is it his?"
"Or Yours?"
The battle raged on as twilight approached. Maddened almost beyond reason, Naraku did not notice his tormentors disappearing one by one.
Undeterred, he continued to swing at the lone mortal before him.
And missed.
Claws lashed out, and the mortal leaned back slightly to scratch his back. Naraku's shadow passed over the mortal. Mortal hand stretched out "Darkness beyond? Twilight? Or possible rain?" Naraku's blast of magic missed as the mortal seemingly turned to pluck a flower from the ground. "Lovely color of crimson. Beyond blood that flows."
"Stand and fight me coward." ichor foaming from the mouth, and Naraku thought 'no mortal is this lucky.' "You wound me. Buried in the flow of time twice in one day you call me coward." Naraku lashed out and missed again. "In thy great name, don't you think I'm misleading you again?" and the mortal leaned on the oddly familiar boulder and looked right.
Driven to the depths of paranoia Naraku looked left. "I pledge myself to darkness that will envelope you Monster." 'What is that other sound thought Naraku? Suddenly the mortal looked left and the distracted Naraku swung right. The mortal laughed "You're just another one of those fools who rise up to oppose us."
Naraku hovered over the boulder and looked behind it. And in the process completely surrounded the mortal. Wielding the final death stroke Naraku exclaimed "Who Are You?!" Sadly, "Someone that shall be destroyed by the power someday." The mortal looked up hand shading eyes and squinted. "That You?"
"I Do Not Fool A Second Time!"
Faster than Naraku thought possible, the mortal struck a flint off Naraku's nose, lit an odd smelling cylinder, inhaled and blew smoke in his face. "And I Starbuck, possess Energize. "
Naraku's strike passed through the fading image of Starbuck, and destroyed the boulder. "Two voices??" "DRAGON"
"What Is That Noise?! And with sickening comprehension looked straight up."
And Naraku felt final fear as his vision zoomed in on the terrible visage of Sesshomaru staring back, and holding a human female.
And the human spoke one simple word.
"SLAVE!"
Unimagined power from another universe flowed through Sesshomaru and the human. The light of a thousand suns illuminated the field below them.
And of Naraku standing at the epicenter?
All that could be said was his last thought remained unfinished, as it was drowned out by the roar of a spell never heard before on the planet. Or since.
Completely expended, the now harmless words of the spell drifted in the twilight and faded into the background noise of the universe.
In the Operating Theater, surgery continued but at a less frantic pace. One by one patients, and not bodies, were wheeled out. The surgical trainee untied the intricate knot covering the hand of the Monk. The knot proved tenacious, but the orderly finally exposed Moroku's open hand.
And wiped the blood from the palm. "Where's the cut?"
Meanwhile back on alternate Earth.
In the encroaching darkness, Deth surveyed the moon-like landscape before him.
"Nice work Red." said Ash. She starred to the west and cried.
"Red. Why do you cry for her?" intoned Sesshomaru "One of our pilots." Deth paused and turned westward, "Nova" "Armani" Ash look at the still rising pillar of flame. "Found 'Red' floating in space." "Wrapped in a spell" "That was failing." said 'Red' "I would have died alone in the darkness if she hadn't found me."
"RED" intoned Sesshomaru "A nickname. She was completely covered in her own blood, and couldn't remember who she was." "Somewhat traumatized." "Until a few moments ago."
"MY followers." intoned Sesshomaru Tears flowed down her face, "You will see them again soon. This I promise you, or I Sylphiel Nels Rada forfeit my life to you."
[6 Sylphiel Nels Rada]
{crackle} "vac. CQ." {crackle} "ello??" {crackle} "izza delivery. You forgot my ti" {crackle} "home. Request" {crackle} "nyone alive out there???" {crackle} "CQ. Strike Leader to Home. Request Evac. CQ." {crackle} "uit clowning around gu" {crackle} {crackle} "Damn. I gotta walk home?"
"Nova??" Ash "You're alive?" Deth
"Deth, Ash, Darlings. Someone could have clued me in about the plan to TOTALLY NUKE THE ENTIRE PLANET!" "Wasn't the Entire planet." Ash "Where are you? How are you?" Deth.
"Two thousand meters upwind. Of. My. Ride. On a small hill. Compound fractures in both legs. Sharp pointy bit through my uniform down there. Must be in shock. Half my ribs are cracked or broken. One shoulder dislocated {crack}{crinkly} smashed. Some creaking {snap} snapped back bones. Concussion. A few other possibly terminal nagging injury thingies. And I think I'm bleeding to death internally. Think one of you 'gentlemen' could send me your coordinates so I can drag myself over there?"
"The eject failed?" "West's hair trigger ejection system worked perfectly. Close touchdown thought, fifty meters from the crash site. Rolled into a deep gully with a jammed hatch. I would have gotten out and been fine, UNTIL YOU SET OFF A HUMONGOUS ANTIMATTER BLAST TUMBLING AND TEARING APART THE CAPSULE AND ME STILL ..." {click}
Sesshomaru had an odd look on his face. "Nice girl." Ash "Really." Deth
{click} {crackle} "AND ANOTHER THING! IS THAT WALKING FREAK SHOW DEAD?! IS IT DEAD DEAD! 'CAUSE IF IT'S NOT GOOD AND DEAD DEAD, IT WILL WISH IT WERE DEADER! WAIT UNTIL I GET MY GOOD ARM {pop} HAND {crack}{snap} FINGERS ON IT! I HAVE NEVER! Ever! Lost. A ride. before."
[7 CAPT Nova Armani aka Finder]
"Retrieve The Demoness. Before she comes here and kills all of you." Sesshomaru, "Painfully." Ash and Deth sped toward Nova, outpacing the racing Mech.
"Who is That Demoness." motioning toward the Mech. "She's metahuman or protohuman. I'm sorry. I'm so terrible with words." Sylphiel walked past Sesshomaru, reconsidered his question, stopped, turned, shrugged, "The one we're rescuing, she's metahuman too."
She bowed, "None of us were born on your world Lord." Then began to run with the pack.
"Know what they call that in other universes? The beings who hop from one existence to another?" " " Sesshomaru. "They call us Dimensional Travelers. Demons." The Oni belly laughed.
For an impossibly brief moment Sesshomaru looked. Strange. "You may not be a complete utter hopeless fool Inuyasha."
The Armed Response Transport touched down after completing it's final scan of the area. Previously, anything even remotely magically animated was snuffed out by the ship's mana cannons. And hit with everything else for good measure
High in the looming night sky, starfighters maintained their crisscross patrol.
First out and leading the troops, 'Wildman' Beckett strode onto what was left of the battlefield. Looking disappointed he propped the mobile mana cannon on his shoulder. "Missed the party again." Mouser. "Wonder if there are any more like it?" "How about that one?"
"Where are you Master?"
{click}{WHOOM}{click}"Too small."
"Rin!"
"More sport if it runs?" "Hey Fella! The big furry went that way." Jaken ran in the proffered direction. {click}"Pull."
"Nice guy that Narackhu." said Deth while taking one last look at the devastation. Looking at the cratered landscape Ash smirked, "Yesterday Master Villain cursed by all. Today just a sink hole."
And the evil magic that was the late-Naraku settled into the ground. And Ash's words would entwine itself into the magic. It would be centuries before natural rain fell upon the area and filled the craters. It would be more centuries before people would venture into the lands said to be inhabited by demonic lights in the sky and cursed. And those brave enough to make the journey would hear a message from centuries past. American English would meet regional dialect and change into the sound that people would call the area.
"Cursed Village of Zhòuquánxiāng"; Jusenkyo.
EPILOGUE
A repair tech exited the lift, and quickly grabbed a handhold. "Who turned off the gravity?" From the other side of the 'room' he saw T.S. Chen point upward. He smiled, gave a quick upward salute, and leaped toward a panel.
The massive bow, abet the narrowest part of Galactus, was a thick transparent hull hemisphere. Deceptively fragile looking, the 23 meter wide nose was the most armored portion of the starship.
And as Galactus lumbered toward it's close approach of the Moon, the bow was also the best view in the house.
"Try that again and you'll be the first Monk on the Moon." Sango "But look at that moon. So glowing, so round, so soft, so perfect. Like you. And sending me through the glass would cause us all to die." Moroku slowly reached out." "She doesn't care." Shippo. And stopped. "Hey Moroku, didn't you promise to do something when Naraku was destroyed?" Moroku appeared distracted by the female pilots and onlookers gathering in the bow dome. "A starship Captain can perform ..." Deth Drifting toward the growing female swarm, "Will you bear my child?" "This is not good." Shippo.
Tapping the transparent shell, Inuyasha asked, "You sure this won't break?" "Not from small taps like that." Ash. The other male stood rock solid in mid-air while others around him bobbed, "We are the first to get this close to Luna. And all you can think about is ..." Inuyasha pulled out Tessaiga. "SIT BOY!" "AIIEE!" "Stupid mutt." Koga
"Medical team to Casual Deck."
"Howl!" Ginta "Howl!" Hakkaku "What are you doing?" Ayame. "It just makes us want to shout." "I'm so embarrassed." Ayame "HOWL!"
Ogi and Doctor shook their heads at Junior. "No harm, no fowl." said the Amazon Shaman as he patted Junior on the shoulder. "Rookie mistake Junior." said the Oni, pointing at the two individuals gracefully seated on padded deck chairs. Apparently oblivious and unaffected by the lack of gravity.
Blood rushing through his ears, he looked up and pointed, "You weren't all one group?" "Each of us was drawn to Naraku's foul creation." Kikyo. "A time portal from Nippon to China." The Priestess looked up. "Oh to be young again." thought Myoga watching from the deck as Rin and Kohaku zero-G flew with Kirara. "I know you consider the distance trivial and time relative. But he sought the remaining shards on a battlefield of his choosing and creation. Naraku sacrificed hundreds to curse the land. The area's curse prevented us from leaving. The place's distance from ... Home. Made us weaker." "And the shards?" "Not destroyed. Drawn back through, the, Gateway." "Starting the cycle again. Where he failed, his minions will try again." "And we will defeat them too." Myoga spoke and dipped head toward the male arm. And was instantly snatched up. "A word to the wise blood drinker." said Nick Knight.
Clenching her right hand Sylphiel overheard all and thought, 'They're only children. After everything they've gone through. To do this again and again. That's not fair.'
Galactus main bridge.
"Closer Captain?" asked Crusher wistfully. "Steady as she goes." DeCarlo Galactus glided 500 meters and slightly to port of a lunar mountain peak. "Deploy the package." A small lunar surface colored object flared away from Galactus, and gently deposited itself half-way up the mountain, becoming another boulder. Except for a web of filaments stretching from the landing site, the rest of the object would permanently remain out of sight. Of this Earth.
A millennium later the ever curious humans of this Earth, would name this White Dragon Mountain; the Lunar Dragon. In part due to a fake boulder with carved markings.
Written on the surface in an oddly shaped rune, it would translate to:
"Log of the I.S.S. Galactus." "Here Be Dragons."
In a desolate region of Feudal Japan, Lord Sesshomaru looked toward the horizon and concentrated. Unimagined power from another universe began to flowed into him.
"Darkness beyond the twilight, Crimson beyond blood that flows, Buried in the flow of time. In thy great name, I pledge myself to darkness. Those fools who rise up to oppose us Shall be destroyed by the power That you and I possess. DRAGON SLAVE!"
A mighty flash of light began. And turned to sparks crackling from finger tips.
Sesshomaru looked at his hand, and heard Sylphiel's gentle smiling voice whisper to his consciousness.
'to oppose US.'
'That YOU AND I possess.'
" ", Sesshomaru.
'I am only a humble healer. The destruction of Naraku can only be a warrior's victory. The destruction of Naraku is Your Victory Great Warrior.'
Sesshomaru walked toward the horizon. And felt an odd touch.
'I will leave you a final legacy Lord Sesshomaru.' 'May Your Battles Always Be Legendary Great Lord.' And then she was gone.
"Human? You are a Demon Sylphiel." And all nearby creatures and demons withered away at the terrible sound. "HAHAHAHA. You ARE All Demons." Vegetation sizzled and died around him as He continued walking into the sunrise.
Oddly calm and serene he said, "Hakudoshi."
Watching from above, Kagura was bemused and wary. Kohaku suddenly hovered before her. "We will follow him. After a detour. "What?! How did you?" "Survive? I don't understand myself." "Enemies." "No.", hand extended, "Enter the gateway." "And feel the final pain of Hakudoshi crushing my heart? You are cruel beyond any demon Kohaku."
{crackle}"Is that all?" "?" Kagura {crackle}"Right. Right. Metaphysical De-attachment. Right. Possession. Right. Enchantment Barrier. Right. Displacement. Right. Right. First year stuff. Right. Right." {crackle}"Dog boy said kill you. But that's not the business I'm in." {crackle}"I do both, but Kohaku's vouching for you kid."
A tiny speck of hope. 'Free?' 'Traitor.' Goshinki "AAAYYYRR" {crackle}"Like we weren't expecting that." Kohaku jammed the injector into Kagura's chest, spreading ancient magic's and nano-tech throughout her chest.
{crackle}"Good shot kid. First rate demon slayer aim." Kagura looked wide eyed at her non-death and the hypo buried in her chest. {crackle}"Hey, no pressure. Pull it out, or when that stuff wears off you can finish everything after the "RR"." {crackle}"We're easy kid. Bothers you that much though, we can give you two hearts if that's what floats your boat."
-You've gotta have heart- Alone again, Sesshomaru marched on, leaving a trail that could be seen for miles.
-Miles 'n miles n' miles of heart- And days.
Sylphiel watched him slowly disappear over the horizon.
"Of all the beings on this planet, only you Lord Sesshomaru never coveted the Shikon Jewel." She opened her hand and an incomplete gem hovered over her palm.
"I will leave you a final legacy Lord Sesshomaru." With an arcane enchantment the gem vanished.
"All who want the Shikon, especially the strong and most powerful, hunt and battle the holders. To have the power of the Shikon Jewel for themselves. To corrupt it."
Sylphiel watched his shadow fade away.
"Permanently infusing the Shikon Jewel into a beings essence renders it inert. To have and not be able to wield it. To be unable to remove it except in death. To know the strong and powerful will seek that one out and battle to the death for that essence. It would be a cruel curse for anyone."
Smiling, "Save for a Great Warrior who wishes this." "May Your Battles Always Be Legendary Great Lord." And then she was gone.
I.S.S. Galactus Battle Bridge.
"Think we'll ever go home?"
Nogumo activated a display showing a spider web of phase probabilities. Routes to alternative universes.
"That one goes home."
"Not what I meant."
Admiral Nogumo smiled. "The journey is not over."
"General Quarters." Chief Engineer Death "Secure for Phase Transition." "Five, four, three, two, one." "Phase Transition."
With a burst of sparkling blue light, I.S.S. Galactus entered the void between universes.
And the pony died. THE END
"What kind of Mickey Mouse ending is that?" "Horses do die Ray." "Horses do die Ray. What kind of advice is that? If Dief died. No offense pal. If Dief died would you say dogs die so casually?" "Wolf." "Don't change the subject." "Ray." "A Man's ride." "Woman" "A person's ride is sacred. She always came back with her pony. Now she has no pony." "I understand Ray. That's why they have eye candy at the end of the credits." "Oh."
On Hangar Deck One.
"Happy 100th Birthday Nova!"
"Tell me your secret. How do you stay so young looking?" Ash
"I credit my looks to my parents, my adoptive parents, my friends, my career. Emergency surgery. And 54 years in suspension."
Chief West handed Nova a large box. "We all chipped in to get you this."
Nova opened the box and pulled out a detailed miniature of her late starfighter, Mustang Sally. "Good memories there. And thank you all, but enough mopping about, which one is my shuttle?" "Shuttle?" "There are no new fighters until we hit a new universe that has them. You know that." "Don't you want to open the card?" "Card?"
Something wrapped in bubblegum plastic was pushed out onto the flight deck. "Said we all chipped in to get you this." and Chief West pulled on the card wrapping. "Wasn't credits."
Nova's eyes met the gleaming white Imperial Starfighter. Mustang Sally II
"What's a few parts among friends?"
Nova put on her shades. "Not friends. Family."
"General Quarters." Chief Engineer Death -I am still breathing, and I still have my pride- "Secure for unscheduled Phase Transition." -And I have my memories, your life it never dies-
"Saddle me up." -Like the wind that blows in thunder- "It's not your ..." Chief West -Or the stallion on the fly - I got it all- Nova flared. -And I'm standing tall underneath these blue Alberta skies-
"You heard the Pilot. Get her ride in position NOW!"
-And I'm going to ride forever- -You can't keep horsemen in a cage- -Should the angels call- -Well it's only then- -I might pull in the reins.-
Footnotes Not marked in text:
Background based on a GDW Traveller campaign.
"lost 54 years previously". 57 years, Ripley, "Aliens" (1986)
X-Boat described here, not of the same design as in standard GDW Traveller. Nor is it the same as the Xboat described in other references.
J.J. Samuels, modeled after Samuel L. Jackson
IY or Imperial Year. The official calendar of the Imperium.
The Imperium of this I.S.S. Galactus is interwoven in Russian-like language, not English-like.
Term 'Phase Transition', from "Martian Successor Nadesico", involving tapping into the essence of a universe.
"Mustang Sally" by Wilson Pickett.
"Core system transferring control". "Battlestar Galactica"
NPC, Nova Armani. A veteran combat pilot, she has an athletic build and flaming red hair. But not the associated flaming disposition.
NPC, Ash, "Army of Darkness". The return potion didn't quite work right.
NPC, Chief West is a solid light hologram. Modeled after Red West, Mechanic Sergeant Andy Micklin, "Baa Baa Black Sheep"
"Fredo", homage to Fred Haise, Apollo 13.
NPC, Doctor Doctor M.D. hails from the Solomani Amazon. Name derived from "Good Lovin'" by the Grateful Dead, "doctor, doctor, mister m.d."
NPC, Ogi, classic giant variety D&D Japanese Oni. Sole family member on-board, he is one of 26 siblings starting with brother Oai and ending with sister Ozi. Father deceased after wanting child #27.
PC, Admiral Nagumo. Direct descendant of Admiral Chuichi Nagumo of WWII Japan.
NPC, "Robot Union 18." Automatons on one of the robot repair decks who gained sentience. Learned fast and formed a union.
"assorted personnel". While I.S.S. Galactus is of military origin, there are non-military beings on board. Comes from jumping from one universe to another.
Padd. Personal Access Display Device of "Star Trek" origin.
Solomani-type system. Earth-Sol system.
NPC, Starbuck, Original "Battlestar Galactica". This Starbuck saw the entire destruction of his civilization. And died. Sort of.
NPC, Lufy, "Gall Force" or "GallForce", anime. This Lufy saw the entire destruction of her civilization. And died again. Sort of.
NPC, Duncan Macleod, "Highlander". Victim of alien, not Galactus, abduction.
"You codgers have a couple of million years on me." Lufy and Starbuck pre-date the Imperium by 1 to 2 million years. Most of the time technically dead.
NPC, Lt Robert Ito, JR, Modeled after too. Spends most of his time in human form. Clone of his father, hence 'Junior' is less a nickname and more his actual family position. Dad was the last of the Great Master Mellors, a created super race of shape-shifters with other impressive talents. "Fringeworthy" from Tri Tac.
NPC, Jack Deth, "Trancers" The return portion from "Trancers V" didn't quite work right.
"Odd Couple" 1965 by Neil Simon.
"twisty turny", homage to the text computer game "Adventure" and the "maze of twisty little passages"
Moon. In Lufy's time, once a living world, now and forever a dead planet or a long dead civilization.
"GET A ROOM." Lufy and Starbuck realize they are essential different facets of the same person, so that's as far as it goes. Being them though, they play off it constantly.
Wounded (approximate appearance age) consisted of, Inuyasha (15), Kagome Higurashi (15), Moroku (19), Sango (16), Shippo (6), Kirara (that cute cuddly pet age), Koga (16), Ginta (15), Hakkaku (15), Ayame (15), Kohaku (10), Rin (8), and Kikyo (19). Myoga (ancient) was not wounded having retired to safety. "Inuyasha" by Rumiko Takahashi.
"Bastards. They're fighting children." Based on the ages of the landing party, from their perspective these are children.
Child clones did nearly all the fighting for Lufy's Solonoid race in 'Gallforce'. Seeing children fighting another desperate battle colors her judgment. She naturally sees the dead warriors as the children's doing, but not their fault. An objective look indicates at least another party is involved.
"Cold Equation problem" alludes to the short story "The Cold Equations" 1954 by Tom Godwin.
"Over my dead body you're staying." Lufy having done this before in Gallforce, and dying.
"Look. Up in the sky." One of the oldest tricks in the book, right next to the Trojan Horse. Never works. "And what planet are you from??" indirectly points to "Superman" and the source of the quote.
"Emergency Boost" and "emergency boosters" one shot, ala "Star Trek" "The Galileo Seven"
"Code Blue. Code White. Code Pink" Code Blue is often used to represent a real or suspected imminent loss of life. Code White refers to a pediatric medical emergency. Code Pink can denote infant/child abduction. At this point it is the Doctor that is pain.
NPC, Omega. Mechanical and outwardly changeable appearance, he currently is in shiny humanoid form. The last built of his kind, Omega was created as a final deterrent to sue for peace in the war against the humanoids. Never used Omega survived the entire destruction of his civilization. And eventually their enemy. Omega has the demeanor of "Cy" from "The Return of Starbuck", "Galactica 1980."
"I don't have time to bleed." "Predator" 1987 from a ship Solomani classic film night.
"I got better", 1975 "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"
"when 7 is involved this becomes epic?" "Shichinin no samurai" aka "Seven Samurai" 1956, Akira Kurosawa
"Hammer's Slammers" David Drake.
"Catch you later." From "Blue Thunder" 1983. Yes, she's being deliberately annoying, in a nice way.
" lowbie 'shuttle' pilot." Resources are not infinite. Pilots with no starfighters fly other craft. Short explanation of why starfighter pilots Starbuck and Lufy covet any Pilot's seat they can get. They do go through a lot of starfighters.
"light sabre acupuncture". Not a medically recognized procedure. "Star Wars" Lightsaber.
"Sector General" by James White.
Cantina from "Star Wars".
Cordrazine. Potent Starfleet stimulant. "Star Trek", "The City on the Edge of Forever."
Having expended everything else previously. In order, Ash's boomstick and chainsaw, Deth's signature energy gun, Lufy's light sabre, Duncan's katana
Think the "play with them" entrance of the Tomcats in "Final Countdown" 1980.
"Born To Be Wild" 1968, by Steppenwolf
Stand on tail stall and flip-over. Equivalent to a rider stopping a horse at a dead run, horse rising on it's hind legs, and turning around. Only with more G's.
"Koochie, koochie." She had inches to spare.
The anti-matter blast from the missile was a kilometer across. Nova had to keep Naraku busy long enough for her comrades to get to a safe distance. Somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes. About as long as the classic one-on-one anime battles with Naraku.
"I'm gonna be wiping those weepin' eyes", "Mustang Sally" by Wilson Pickett.
PC, Grey Mouser aka Rocky. "Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser" by Fritz Leiber, and The Thing from "Fantastic Four."
"It's the Machine, not the man." Mild disagreement here. "The quality of the box matters little. Success depends upon the man who sits in it." Baron Manfred von Richthofen aka The Red Baron.
"to do no harm." From the The Hippocratic Oath, "To please no one will I prescribe a deadly drug nor give advice which may cause his death."
"I'm just a simple tinker." "And tailor." The first of many baitings. Had Naraku attended film night, he would have known that Starbuck was giving his occupation and what he planned next; deception. "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" by John le Carre.
MechSuit. Homage to "Starship Troopers" Robert Heinlein. Extra large.
NPC, Lord Sesshomaru. "Inuyasha" by Rumiko Takahashi. Anime, Manga.
"battle will be won by the superior intellect". To laugh at the swollen ego of the enemy, "Star Trek: Wrath of Khan".
'no mortal is this lucky.' The legendary 'Starbuck Luck' in action.
Remember there are unarmed people who need protecting, and there are The Seven.
Starbuck is not one of the seven, abet he does do the most psychological damage to Naraku without laying a glove on him. Match doesn't count.
Striking match on face. William Holden, "Stalag 17" 1953
Dragon Slave! "Slayers". Anime, Manga.
"light of a thousand suns". Allusion to the book "Brighter than a Thousand Suns: A Personal History of the Atomic Scientists" 1956 by Robert Jungk
"Where's the cut?" With Naraku's death the "Wind Scar" vanished.
"Why do you cry for her?" and "I should be your opponent". After the crash, Sesshomaru never referred to Nova in the past tense.
NPC, Red aka Sylphiel Nels Rada, "Slayers". Thinking red haired Lina were you?
"DEAD DEAD". Standard horror movie drama of the monster coming back.
"Dimensional Travelers". "Demon" short for "dimensional traveler" homage to "Myth Adventures" by Robert Asprin.
NPC, 'Wildman' Beckett. IDET, InterDimensional Exploration Team, member. "Fringeworthy" by Tri Tac Games.
NPC, Jaken. "Inuyasha" by Rumiko Takahashi. Anime, Manga.
Jusenkyo from "Ranma 1/2", also created by Rumiko Takahashi. Anime, Manga.
Guest NPC, T.S. Chen. "Galaxy Quest" 1999
"It just makes us want to shout." "King for a Day"/"Shout" by Green Day.
NPC. Nick Knight, "Forever Knight". Victim of alien, not Galactus, abduction. Lot of that going around.
NPC, Wesley Crusher. Similar to, but not from "Star Trek."
PC, Captain DeCarlo. Previously Captain of a prestigious Alderan Starcruise Liner.
"A millennium later the ever curious humans of this Earth". Actual players did this during games. Homage to "The Sentinel" by Arthur C. Clarke.
"You ARE All Demons." A very tiny grudging amount of respect for fellow demons.
NPC, Hakudoshi. Now heir to Naraku's schemes. "Inuyasha" by Rumiko Takahashi. Anime, Manga.
"We will follow him". From "I Will Follow Him" by Little Peggy March, and "Chariot" by Petula Clark.
Kohaku in the Inuyasha manga is a follower of Lord Sesshomaru.
NPC, Kagura. Has missing heart problem. "Inuyasha" by Rumiko Takahashi. Anime, Manga.
NPC, Goshinki. Another Naraku heir. "Inuyasha" by Rumiko Takahashi. Anime, Manga.
"Dog boy." Referring to Inuyasha.
"You've gotta have heart." The song "Heart" from "Damn Yankees" 1955. Subtle demon theme here too.
"Think we'll ever go home?" This Galactus is no longer lost in the classic sense of "Lost in Space", "Star Trek: Voyager", "Gilligan's Island", "Quantum Leap", etc. They have the route to go home. But like Dr. Sam Beckett, they "never returned home." But there are an infinite number of multi-verses.
PC, Chief Engineer Jeanette Death. With I.S.S. Galactus from the start. And Galactus remains combat worthy.
Constable Benton Fraser, Diefenbaker, Ray Vecchio of "Due South" If you imagine them sitting in a dark theater watching this, also a homage to MST3K.
"There are no new fighters until we hit a new universe". Resources are not infinite. And Pilots hold on to their machines. Nova is resigned to flying whatever is available, until Galactus can obtain new craft.
"bubblegum plastic". Homage to Apollo 9, Command Module "Gumdrop".
"Nova put on her shades." Lights got brighter when the alert sounded. Or so she says.
From "Due South" the song "Ride Forever" by Paul Gross. The other inspiration for this piece.
It was a cool winter evening about 14 years ago when there came the recreational task of populating an GDW Traveller upgraded Azhanti High Lightning Cruiser with NPCs. Like extras in film dramas, the non-player-characters fill various roles that keep real people or PCs (player characters), busy.
A pleasing more relaxing past time than doing the same machinations in the real world. Less dangerous for the people involved too.
"It's Alive!"
Born 10 July 1994, Nova Armani was one of the more sketched out NPCs. Many years later she would remain a pile of papers, save for watching a 3 year old girl move purposefully about and getting into, or on anything that would move.
"I'm riding this!"
She also knows what to do with the car keys ......
Well, years ago I did owe someone a story.
If the multiverse exists, perhaps imagination can take form in one of those parallel universes. Then maybe somewhere, somewhen, in the infinite void a little miracle takes it's first breath.
Okay, just without looking at the news footage, I have a comment to make.
A Power Seller is someone who sells at least $1,000.00 a month. How could one negative put a Power Seller in the bottom 1%. In order for someone who is a Power Seller to hit the bottom 1% they had to get a whole slew of negatives, or just honestly been caught in a glitch. It just makes absolutely no sense.
i agree...i just saw the video and eBay sent her an email saying they just had a mistake...Whewww that's scary if that will happened to me too...if that could happen to a powerseller, how much more to the lower scored feedbacks
After viewing the news report, and knowing what I have witnessed in the past, I believe I know exactly what occurred.
Buyers are given way too much authority on ebay. Which is the reason a friend of mine had an experience that made them leave Ebay, even though they were a Platinum Power Seller. They were dealing with a Non-paying-bidder who decided to buy from another Seller, who had the same product at a cheaper price, which was proven with email correspondences, that were provided to Ebay Customer Service/Account Representative. They requested that the negative that the Bidder left be expunged (removed) because there was no basis for it, and that the Buyer went against the TOS. Ebay refused.
By the way, that same Seller had fought many an issue in regards to the rights to sell certain items, which they had won several times, but not without a couple of stern warnings (a privilege they only provided to Power Sellers, at the time -- They provide less service now than they used to.) It appears that anyone can claim that someone does not have the right to sell a certain item, and that people can make claims that a product, even one with lots of embelishment, such as those jeans she was selling, the original maker of the jeans did not provide the permission to sell their jeans. Ebay is very afraid of people counterfeiting items, and will pull auctions if it is even a slight possibility.
It is my best guess that Ebay made no comment because they were indeed afraid, because the mass of product she was moving, that they would be held liable for such a counterfeiting claim. Ludacris? Yes. Welcome to Ebay.
Hi everyone...this is Lara Housser with eBay Express. Like many folks around here, my team and I are gearing up for eBay Live! Not only is this one of our favorite events of the year, it's also a special occasion for another reason -- eBay Express turns 1 year old!
Did you know that on eBay Express an item of clothing is sold every 67 seconds, a piece of jewelry every 2.3 minutes, and a DVD every 4 minutes? The word is building that eBay Express is THE place for buyers who want that great eBay deal and who at times prefer fixed-price items. Furthermore, 9 out of 10 buyers have told us they love the shopping experience that eBay Express offers.
This is all excellent news for a site that's barely one year old, and we want to thank the eBay Community for all your support in helping to make eBay Express's first year a success.
If you haven't visited eBay Express lately, I invite you to come check it out. We�ve added a host of new features recently to make it even easier to buy and sell. Here�s a quick rundown of what's new:
More convenient shopping features, such as the ability to search for wish lists, see your recently viewed items on the eBay Express home page, and send notes to sellers during the Check Out process.
More merchandising exposure for sellers, such as the new 'Added-to-Cart' page. Once a buyer adds your item to their cart, we showcase more of your merchandise to them, highlighting shipping discounts where offered, as well as related items. (See for yourself by adding an item to your shopping cart.)
More integration with eBay.com, including a new section in My eBay with your eBay Express shopping cart details and a handy link to eBay Express from the eBay.com navigation header.
Inclusion of Half.com listings for Half.com sellers who opt in. (Read our previous announcement to learn more.)
A note to our sellers � Remember that getting your listings included on eBay Express requires no additional work beyond what you're already doing to sell on eBay.com! (For more information about qualification, read our eBay Express Selling Checklist.)
Stay tuned for more improvements in the future. And if you're heading out to Boston for eBay Live! next week, make sure to stop by the eBay Express booth so we can meet you.
We'll change the methodology somewhat in this version.
Instead of the free Alexa (www.alexa.com) service, we'll use the services of the free Compete (http://snapshot.compete.com) service.
Compete advertises itself as a more accurate and better than Alexa.
Since there are no hard facts to support or deny claims of accuracy, for Alexa or Compete, judgement should be reserved on the exact details provided.
The current data from Compete covers up to April 2007. We will use this baseline. Also the Compete data is a snapshot in time and not a running average. Situations can change rapidly on the Internet. Numbers can go from good to bad and back again in days.
In April 2007 eBay Express was one year old. After a year of promotion to the world, was eBay Express popular?
To answer this, let's use the free Compete (http://snapshot.compete.com), Auction Site list from Power Sellers Unite (www.powersellersunite.com). And throw in some ringers.
For the purpose of relative site comparison only, inventory counts will be left out.
Here are the terms and the raw data chart.
Rank: The Compete Rank is based on People Counts and does not consider page views or number of visits made to the site. Rank is often used as a complement to People Count to privide a relative metric that shows the significance of a site.
Pages Per Visit Pages Per Visit is used as an engagement metric. Pages are also known as Page Views and represent how many clicks a person makes on a given website.
People Count: People Counts are also known as unique visitors - they only count a person once no matter how many times they visit a site in a given month. People Counts are typically used to determine how popular a site is.
eBay Express is near the bottom in Pages Per Visit. And given the prime visibility afforded it, eBay Express still performs poorly compared to eBay ProStores. eBay should reconsider touting to the Press that Page Views is an all important statistic of site performance.
For new newsgroup readers, these are not our forum posts. Any comments to the posters below should be made on the applicable thread, marked in bold below.
//
From eBay Technical Issues Forum HELP!! What happened to ebay?? I can't find anything http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000373539&tstart=0&mod=1181174418685
Man ebay did a drastic change to the site. I can't seem to find any of the catagories I use to look at. The way they have it set up now makes it very difficult to find anything. When I am in any catagory the catagory listings on the left are gone PLUS the View Completed actions option box is gone! Is anyone else having this problem? Is there a way to go back to the old style of viewing things?
pin** May-22-07 20:02 PDT 1 of 13 matrix, where have you been? everything got changed in april. they have totally changed the whole site. that is why many ppl left or are leaving . trust me, nobody likes it. you can look for customise buttons and see if you can do anything there, but pretty much the old ebay is gone, sorry. ~^..^~ piney
mat** May-22-07 20:04 PDT 2 of 13 OMG I just figured it out!! Look what I found at the bottom of the page in small type
"You are currently testing eBay's new search experience. If you prefer, you can opt out of the test." I OPTED OUT REALLY FAST!!
THAT WAS THE WORST SEARCH EXPERIENCE EVER!! DAMN If Ebay goes to that crap we'er screwed.
oh! ok, you were on beta! i thought beta ended in march... there were about 6 different betas. one was great. it let you add to watch list w/o having to open the listing so you could save time and look later. of COURSE they did not keep that nice one i stopped buying early april. i stopped searching mid april. i'm only on ebay to run a group and try to be moral support for ppl. and help with piddly stuff if i know it. otherwise i'd be gone. between bad sellers, pp delays and horror stories on the board a person would have to be crazy to give this monopoly any more money... geesh. not a fun year. ~^..^~ piney
May-23-07 09:35 PDT 4 of 13 Well as a seller if people can't search I can't sell. I can tell you that something has happened in the last couple weeks. My sales have droped at least 75% in last couple weeks. If ebay doesn't get it togther soon I am going to stop listing.
May-28-07 05:29 PDT 5 of 13 The view completed items IS NOT gone. Maybe you need glasses or just do not know what your doing! Check again, its there, never went anywhere! I use it all the time to buy and to check to see what sells or not before I decide whether or not to list an item.
May-28-07 09:07 PDT 7 of 13 - we're under a triple-witching hour right now. We have the normal summer slowdown + ebay "enhancing" (this also encompasses "star mania") + USPS rate increases = (the Ebay equivalent of) "The Perfect Storm".
May-29-07 15:52 PDT 10 of 13 Beachy - Yeah, based on last year's sales (first year of total T-shirts) this is now my "up season". However, when I was handling a more traditional mix of merchandise, the summer was always down. Also, in my area of collectibles (tikis) the summer is always a down season.
May-29-07 16:30 PDT 11 of 13 post 5 - as far as the NEW search is concerned - go to the search board. lost/hard to find "ended items" search in the beta/test version is mentioned there.
Jun-06-07 01:48 PDT 12 of 13 My overall sales dropped significantly in April and are still not "up-to-par"...... I am a full-time seller (Power...whatever that means Right now I don't feel any power whatsoever.
My quarterly taxes are due next week and I'm going to have to pull half of it out of a CD that I toiled for many years to create. This is a first for me. It is not a good time, to say the least.
Years ago when I started, it was SO LUSH....good sales, perfect transactions. High-End Items really got the attention that they deserved.....now most days I feel like I'm working at a flea market. The only difference being that I'm not outdoors, basking in the sunshine and meeting a really neat array of people.....what a shame.
I have other plans in the works right now to turn this whole situation around, but don't really feel confident pasting them on some forum. (It's quite UN-RELATED, if you get the drift)
But the point of the matter is....Sales just aren't nearly as good as they used to be. Not even close.
And the scary thing about it is that I made SO many improvements to my listings and general appearance long before this drop in sales even happened (acquiring services outside of eBay...my site is gushvintage.com if you wish to see for yourself). I am quite professional, my items are Top Notch, I have great Feedback........what the hell am I doing wrong?
Jun-06-07 17:00 PDT 13 of 13 Before the big upgrade I can't think of anything that didn't work. They must have hired some young punks just out of diapers, who want to show how dumb the old guys were by upgrading everthing. Give them a diaper change and send them packing. cheers an old guy
"sellers and buyers should experience better results by letting eBay's logic do the work." Diana Baraniewicz, Finding Team
***Several Cross-Promotion Features to be Removed*** http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200705.shtml#2007-05-09144720
May 09, 2007 | 02:51PM PST/PT
Diana Baraniewicz
Hi everyone ... I'm Diana Baraniewicz with eBay's Finding team. As we focus on ways to make it easier for you to find the items you're looking for, we're also taking a fresh look at some of our existing tools and assessing their effectiveness. Tools that have not performed well for our members are being removed.
There are a few Cross-Promotion options that sellers have had access to that we'll be retiring soon. These options simply haven't been as effective as eBay's default logic in driving bids and purchases.
Item Cross-Promotion Rules Using our seller cross-promotion tool, sellers have been able to create rules for what types of their own items should appear in the cross-promotion display area on Bid/Buy It Now Confirmation pages, and at the bottom of Stores sellers' item pages. When a seller does not specify cross-promotion rules, eBay's default logic populates the space with relevant items, choosing additional items from the seller based on the buyer's search.
We'll be removing the item-level Cross-Promotion options in the next few weeks. These rules have had low adoption by our sellers, and have not had a positive track record in increasing bids/purchases among buyers. Please note that sellers will still be able to create Keyword to Keyword, Category to Category, and Store Category to Store Category rules.
Both sellers and buyers should experience better results by letting eBay's logic do the work.
Cross-Promotion Connections & Personalized Picks Also, in June we'll be removing the Cross-Promotion Connections feature, which allowed sellers to promote other selected sellers' listings on their item pages, as well as the Personalized Picks page in My eBay that makes recommendations for future purchases based on your buying history. These features have also seen very low usage. By removing features like these that under-perform, we help simplify the site and free up available resources that can be better utilized elsewhere.
eBay Express is a year old, and this is all eBay Corporate had to say about it. Nothing $pecific or current of cour$e.
//
http://internet.seekingalpha.com/article/32757 eBay Q1 2007 Earnings Call Transcript April 18, 2007 5:00 pm ET
"Lastly, eBay Express continues to experience increased adoption and growing success. For those of you who remember our eBay velocity statistics from the old days, on eBay Express an article of clothing sold every 67 seconds during the quarter, while a piece of jewelry sold every 2.5 minutes." Meg Whitman
For new newsgroup readers, these are not our forum posts. Any comments to the posters below should be made on the applicable thread, marked in bold below.
Post #94:
"I never said I was hacking the board right now. I said I knew how to do it." "I've seen and done all the tricks like posting with a pink titlebar" newlistings
Continuation of the posts from "A pink may not be a pink."
Background: Vladuz Was Never Here? - A pink may not be a pink. http://eventhorizon1984.typepad.com/event_horizon_1984_blog/2007/06/from_ebay_forum_4.html
Had not planned on continuing this particular topic. But Vladuz sightings and news continues.
The statement at the top invokes the image of a cowboy saying 'dance' while unloading their weapon at their own feet.
Nothing like watching a musical.
In case you're wondering, the responding individuals are decent people. But like the majority of posters, they have a low tolerance to trolling.
Or illegal acts:
"I never said I was hacking the board right now. I said I knew how to do it. And so do my partners." newlistings
"I've seen and done all the tricks like posting with a pink titlebar and everything I've said on this thread can be backed up." newlistings
Sounds like a Vladuz-copycat doesn't it? And doesn't it strike you, the reader, that this named individual is confessing to using eBay in an unauthorized and illegal fashion??
Okay, the interrogation was very good.
Believe eBay is required to report illegal intrusions to law enforcement.
eBay operates in multiple States. Federal jurisdiction, Federal criminal prosecution; Felony.
Applicable Statute 18 U.S.C. § 1030
http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/1030NEW.htm UNITED STATES CODE ANNOTATED TITLE 18. CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE PART I--CRIMES CHAPTER 47--FRAUD AND FALSE STATEMENTS
§ 1030. Fraud and related activity in connection with computers
(a) Whoever-- (2) intentionally accesses a computer without authorization or exceeds authorized access, and thereby obtains-- (C) information from any protected computer if the conduct involved an interstate or foreign communication; (4) knowingly and with intent to defraud, accesses a protected computer without authorization, or exceeds authorized access, and by means of such conduct furthers the intended fraud and obtains anything of value, unless the object of the fraud and the thing obtained consists only of the use of the computer and the value of such use is not more than $5,000 in any 1-year period; (6) knowingly and with intent to defraud traffics (as defined in section 1029) in any password or similar information through which a computer may be accessed without authorization, if-- (A) such trafficking affects interstate or foreign commerce
shall be punished as provided in subsection (c) of this section. (2)(A) except as provided in subparagraph (B), a fine under this title or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both, in the case of an offense under subsection (a)(2), (a)(3), (a)(5)(A)(iii), or (a)(6) of this sectio (C) a fine under this title or imprisonment for not more than ten years, or both, in the case of an offense under subsection (a)(2), (a)(3) or (a)(6) of this section (4)(A) a fine under this title, imprisonment for not more than 10 years, or both (C) a fine under this title, imprisonment for not more than 20 years, or both
And there's the Patriot Act. Might be Title II and sections 814 and 815? http://www.cdt.org/security/usapatriot/keyprovisions.pdf Guantanamo Bay comes to mind.
DANCE! Bang, bang. Ouch, ouch.
And let's not forget this:
"I think you should take a break and go back and read the whole thread" newlistings
"You probably already know you have the right to remain silent. Why don't you use it?" Det. Lennie Briscoe, Law & Order "the right to remain silent. Exercise it." Det. Ed Green, Law & Order
// // //
http://forums.ebay.com/db1/thread.jspa?threadID=1000444856 A pink may not be a pink.
la** Feb-25-07 10:56 PST 83 The fact that eBay admitted someone had access to eBay employee accounts is astounding!
Where does it say that? he said "access to information OBTAINED BY EMAILS."
Umm do you ever read before typing up responses? On the original post, "He's very good," Durzy said of Vladuz, "and apparently brazen." Durzy said to the best of eBay's knowledge, Vladuz has only had access to a handful of customer service representative accounts..
Can some of you old timers clue this new guy in ?
My userid is a little bit older than yours. I think you're the new guy here.
"hacking" into the powerseller boards by non PS's has been done many times in the past, as well as posting with a pink bar in many forms.
Umm, didn't I just say that people have been posting on the PS boards that weren't PSers from the previous post like SquareTrade employees? I thought posting my response to your silly comments the second time would have allowed it to set it in.
It's no wonder you are not allowed to manage CRM centers for Apple and BellSouth Internet anymore.
Never said I wasn't allowed. But if you've ever managed international sites before, you'll quickly find after a few years traveling on planes will get tiresome.
No one has come up with any shred of proof yet
Do you really think eBay T&S would share info with you?
Calling me insane does not prove your point. taking the word "access" out of context does not prove "access to eBay employee accounts"
It's called reading the news article. eBay has admitted someone outside their company accessed their CSR accounts. That is NOT good. That's a security problem.
no matter how many times you post your "point" or make the font bold does not offer real proof.
Gee, the fact that eBay says their CSR accounts have been accessed by someone else aside from an eBay employee, isn't that proof enough?
who's the broken record here?
eBay: Our CSR accounts got accessed without authorization. newslistings: No it didn't. Prove it to me.
????
la** Feb-25-07 11:16 PST 84 who said I was PS?
Umm...eBay says you're a PowerSeller. And if you're able to post on this board, I'd say you're either still an active one or you are on your last leg.
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-25-07 11:16 PST 85
eBay: Our CSR accounts got accessed without authorization.
where does it say "ebay" says this ? only in your posts.
post like SquareTrade employees
These are people that are allowed access.
someone outside their company accessed their CSR accounts
E-MAIL accounts.
My userid is a little bit older than yours.
yeah, but how long have YOU had access to the board?
well, you traded in your rubber knife for a gun, but you're shooting with blanks.
where does it say "ebay" says this ? only in your posts.
Read it again...
Auctionbytes-NewsFlash, Number 1481 - February 23, 2007 - ISSN 1539-5065, "He's Baaack - Vladuz 'Hacker' Taunts eBay" By Ina Steiner.
Durzy said to the best of eBay's knowledge, Vladuz has only had access to a handful of customer service representative accounts. He said there is no evidence that Vladuz has ever had access to customer databases.
These are people that are allowed access.
Stop bragging about being able to post on the PowerSeller board. You have been a PowerSeller and despite the fact that you haven't posted any new items, it doesn't mean that you lost your PowerSeller status or permissions on the board. There's a timed average when you gain and lose your PS permissions. Additionally, you can turn off your PS icon at any time.
someone outside their company accessed their CSR accounts E-MAIL accounts.
Any unauthorized access is a security intrusion. Come on now billy boy, you're proving my point he accessed CSR accounts (email or otherwise).
yeah, but how long have YOU had access to the board?
Does that matter to the discussion that someone accessed CSR accounts?
well, you traded in your rubber knife for a gun, but you're shooting with blanks.
Original...
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-25-07 11:52 PST 87
Come on now billy boy
You're about as clueless as the basketcase, you think you know who I am but you can't even grasp the idea that if someone has a MSN account doesn't mean their name is Microsoft.
You don't even know if I'm a boy or a girl.
There's a timed average when you gain and lose your PS permissions.
before you try and show how much you know, ask a more mature PS if the PS board that is hosted by liveworld (A different server than what ebay hosts their employees on), how many times the PS board has been hacked into by a NON PS.
la** Feb-25-07 11:58 PST 88 Come on now billy boy
You're about as clueless as the basketcase, you think you know who I am but you can't even grasp the idea that if someone has a MSN account doesn't mean their name is Microsoft.
? Don't be defensive, around here in Tennessee, that's a common phrase.
There's a timed average when you gain and lose your PS permissions.
before you try and show how much you know, ask a more mature PS if the PS board that is hosted by liveworld (A different server than what ebay hosts their employees on), how many times the PS board has been hacked into by a NON PS.
That comment was towards your rhetorical question, suggesting you weren't a PowerSeller posting on this board. Hahaha. And you were caught. Don't get all angry.
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-25-07 12:13 PST 89
ho hum, you're grasping at straws now and twisting the issue. I'm not angry, but I am bored. come up with something exciting to talk about. Yes, you might think I'm on my way out but my ebay business has been bought and sold to more people, more times than your colorado wastelands, you will see it listed here again, and again, you will not have a clue as to who the "anonymous fellow" is.
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-25-07 12:15 PST 90
oh yeah. and the term in tennessee is "billy bob" not "billy boy" so no backpedaling.
la** Feb-25-07 12:41 PST 91 oh yeah. and the term in tennessee is "billy bob" not "billy boy" so no backpedaling.
Actually no, here in Lebanon, TN we say billy boy. Not billy bob.
Yes, you might think I'm on my way out but my ebay business has been bought and sold to more people, more times than your colorado wastelands,
Ok...
you will not have a clue as to who the "anonymous fellow" is.
Ok...
Now that we got it straight that you were wrong about unauthorized access to eBay staff accounts (email or otherwise), and that you're actually a PowerSeller proud of the fact that you can still post on this board without having listed items in the past couple of months... I think the thread can end here. :)
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-25-07 12:47 PST 92
you were wrong about unauthorized access to eBay staff accounts (email or otherwise)
yet to be seen
I think the thread can end here
first intelligent post you've made. bye
ba** Feb-25-07 12:52 PST 93 You don't even know if I'm a boy or a girl.
Are you sure yourself? Aren't trolls unisexual?
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-25-07 14:02 PST 94
OH THAT'S GREAT.
None of you can come up with any proof to back up your stories, so now you resort to name calling?
Why don't you guys spend some time learning to read and comprehend what you read instead of making your own interpretations?
I never said I was hacking the board right now. I said I knew how to do it. And so do my partners.
Anyone that's been on the board longer than 5 years have seen us do it, and can verify it.
You nor the basket or the seed lady don't know who I am now or who I was a year ago, or even 5 years ago because selling an ebay business is as easy as changing an email address and contact info.
I've seen and done all the tricks like posting with a pink titlebar and everything I've said on this thread can be backed up.
Why don't at least one of you actually prove that the romanian or anyone else hacked into ebay's database instead of trying to call me names.Until then, I agree that the thread should've ended.
ba** Feb-25-07 14:10 PST 95 And so do my partners.
You mean of the marital variety?
//
//
//
http://forums.ebay.com/db1/thread.jspa?threadID=1000455531&tstart=40&mod=1173660461598 fyi: *** Romanian Hacker Broadcasts eBay Customer Accounts
For new newsgroup readers, these are not our forum posts. Any comments to the posters below should be made on the applicable thread, marked in bold below.
Much as I would like to comment on, first 'they' said there was no problem, then 'they' said it's your problem, then 'they' said ...
Check the datetime stamps to see how long eBay's vaunted programming staff takes to fix a simple problem.
//
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=1000436437 Issues with Using Back Button on Some eBay Pages
We think a fixed rolled last night resolves this issue for most people. If you are still having Back Button issues, post to the boards with the specific steps you take, so our tech teams can recreate your experience.
You can also read the Chatter blog for a bit more information on this issue.
Daphne Community Development
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000328748 Still having problems with back button (and forward, too)
[email protected] Mar-04-07 21:31 PST 2 of 3 This is precisely the symptoms of the Back Button problem.
In Internet Explorer, start on page A, click a link to Page B, use Back Button to return to A. Then the Forward button should go to B if clicked, however at this point Forward goes gray and cannot be clicked and Back is stuck unless you use the pulldown or sometimes click it really fast over and over.
Fixes to the eBay code that triggers this behavior on the My eBay pages you cite will roll out to the site this week, probably by Wednesday or Thursday.
For new newsgroup readers, these are not our forum posts. Any comments to the posters below should be made on the applicable thread, marked in bold below.
Definitely explains why there is no troll enforcement on the eBay Discussion Boards.
I don't know. In some real world places*, and even non-eBay discussion groups, trolls are eradicated.
* An individual that will constantly harass and verbally abuse people at work, unless they're tight with upper management, can expect severe consequences up to and including job loss and jail time.
Ignoring a problem, sweeping it under the rug, etc. does not make it go away.
Reading between the lines indicates eBay does not expend the resources necessary to properly manage the Discussion Boards.
Poor Avery. This is one of the few eBay employees that seems to care about the 'community.'
First of all, I've only recently come to allow myself to even cautiously use the word "troll". Frankly, I don't like it.
However, two things I have learned over time:
1) Such as thing as "trolling" exists. 2) Accusations of "troll" and "trolling" is far more prevalent than the behavior itself.
And that leads me to something that I feel is important. While it is easy to label a person ("troll"), the real issue is a behavior ("trolling"). In reality, the same person might exhibit this type of behavior in the forums on one site, and be the nicest, most helpful person on another set of forums.
Trolling is a behavior. And it is a behavior that is specific to getting people "riled up".
Yes, it is going to sound overly simple and maybe even a bit unsympathetic for me to say that the best response is no response to this kind of behavior. But responding to someone who is deliberately trying to get you "riled up" is exactly the point of behavior.
Walking away may not be the easiest thing in the world, but sometimes it is the best thing. Knowing when to respond and when not to respond is important.
So I mentioned a moment ago that I thought the accusations about trolling were more common than the behavior. This opinion stems in part from understanding the behavior to not be synonymous with the fellow poster who may not be the absolute sweetest person in the world.
Ok, sadly, I'm now using this word I don't like more times in this thread that perhaps the my entire life put together.
Not being overly fond of a particular person does not make them a troll. And labeling a person as a troll is either:
1) "not very nice"; or 2) Providing the very response that helps to extend disruptive activity
unfrozen*caveman*lawyer, for the time being, if there are really egregious situations that need to be looked into, please feel free to notify me by email. Please understand, though, that when I get "reports" by email, I really can't respond...which is why I generally don't post "please email me".
kangabitt, I'm not sure what I said that sounded like I can't answer email. I apologize for any confusion. I think a comment I was making earlier is that I don't usually post "please email me".
To explain further, the reason isn't because I hate email. Unfortunately, I have found that when people have emailed me about concerns rather than using the report button, it has sometimes led to frustration when I can't provide a specific response about action taken or not taken.
Actually, that reminds me of some of the posts that I noticed about presumed favoritism. One of the reasons that I am a strong proponent of process is to help ensure consistency. Yes, I get emails regularly about various types of situations on the boards. And generally I only respond to complaints in a very generic way. I am not in the position to listen to one side of an argument or take action only because of specific complaint.
Originally Posted Feb-24-07 13:10:28 PST Links have been updated.
For new newsgroup readers, these are not our forum posts. Any comments to the posters below should be made on the applicable thread, marked in bold below.
Interesting experience with blogs. Post links and articles and then some anonymous fellow calls me a "dufus." You can see their posts below.
Not that anyone doing a blog should expect universal adoration. That would be pathetic.
On the other hand when something's uncalled for:
"As for fear, if you enter my mind for any reason, I will twist your head off and use it for a chamber pot. If you'll excuse me." Susan Ivanova, Babylon 5
Background: More Say It Ain't So Hani - He's Baaack - Vladuz 'Hacker' Taunts eBay http://eventhorizon1984.typepad.com/event_horizon_1984_blog/2007/06/auctionbytes_he.html Say It Ain't So Hani - Mysterious 'Vladuz' again hacks eBay employee servers http://eventhorizon1984.typepad.com/event_horizon_1984_blog/2007/06/the_register_my.html Hani Durzy Spinmachine - eBay Addresses Vladuz Hacking Incident http://eventhorizon1984.typepad.com/event_horizon_1984_blog/2007/06/auctionbytes_eb_3.html
On the plus side, it is rather pleasant to see much better sellers using moi as a reference.
Besides, only following this advice:
"I think you should take a break and go back and read the whole thread" newlistings
Why make this public at all? Because this particular poster trivializes the incident. They engage in semantics, hacked not hacked, drawing attention away from the what did happen. eBay had a security breach and continued to have a security problem for a minimum span of 24 hours.
Playing word games and minimizing a break-in is irresponsible at best.
The poster does have all the sound and fury of a Spin Machine in action. Wash, rinse, spin, repeat post. Still I've give the benefit of the doubt that this individual has no first-hand experience in computer security.
And finally, there was a rumor floating around that newlistings is Hani Durzy. But I don't think so. Hani would never say:
"You're worse than the buyers" newlistings
We love* our buyers. * or something to that effect
// // // // // //
http://forums.ebay.com/db1/thread.jspa?threadID=1000444856 A pink may not be a pink.
la** Feb-23-07 11:07 PST From auctionbytes...
He's Baaack - Vladuz 'Hacker' Taunts eBay By Ina Steiner AuctionBytes.com February 23, 2007
.......... { edited out } ..........
ra** Feb-23-07 11:13 PST 1 of 65 white hats, black hats, ebay needs to tighten up its ship.
no** Feb-23-07 11:24 PST 2 of 65 eBay acknowledged that someone had gained access to a handful of customer service representatives' email accounts
What does this tell you? It tells me that eBay is so lax on their education about hackers and phishing email (not to mention protection from same) that their own employees don't even know how to protect themselves!
Durzy added that eBay already notifies users in the event of account hijackings
Yup, after the fact when it's too late!
ph** Feb-23-07 11:57 PST 3 of 65 There was an article (blog?) last week about this guy. He had posted screen shots of him logged in to an Ebay database with all sorts of "hidden" Ebay information including passwords.
http://www.ebaymotorssucks.com/rflello.htm
wh** Feb-23-07 12:03 PST 4 of 65 Ebay needs to HIRE this guy!!!
Com'on ebay, think about it! We need this guy on OUR side!
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-23-07 14:25 PST 5 of 65 He is not a hacker. Anyone can go to their preferences, change their email account to "@ebay" and then post on the board with a pink "titlebar". That is, until they get narued for posing as an ebay employee.
Do you really think that ebay can be hacked by one romanian? ha, the brits have more savvay and they can't do it either.
la** Feb-23-07 15:36 PST 6 of 65 Well now we understand you're not a hacker.
You can't imitate 'real' pink title bars. He got into the eBay network through a hijacked VPN connection. Additionally, he has published screenshots of Trust and Safety tools as well as usernames and passwords of eBay users (he blocked half of the password so others wouldn't steal it).
At any rate, this goes to show there's more than one way hackers can get your account. They might just hack eBay!
ba** Feb-23-07 15:43 PST 7 of 65 They can do hack eBay all the time. We've seen it right here on the board; people's feedback going from nothing to a thousand or two overnight, etc.
ra** Feb-23-07 15:46 PST 8 of 65 You do not have to be a skilled hacker to hack ebay or paypal. The advent of the 'net has made it way to easy to hack.
newlistings Feb-23-07 15:49 PST 9 of 65
screenshots of alleged Trust and Safety tools
usernames and passwords of eBay users
obtained from phishing
from nothing to a thousand or two overnight
merged ID's
ph** Feb-23-07 15:51 PST 10 of 65 I posted about the UK board discussion regarding this guy earlier this week and got no response.
After it got pushed to page 2 by all the "what should I name my new cat" and why does Rich do .....posts, I deleted it.
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-23-07 16:01 PST 11 of 65
You can't imitate 'real' pink title bars.
Look at all the ebayer's posts. They all have their usernames only in the title bars.
Look at all the pink's posts. They all have their usernames as "@ebay".
Go back and look at Vladuz's posts with the pink title bar and you will see that his username does not have the "@ebay" after it, which would show if he really did post as a stolen pink's name.
Just because someone says something doesn't make it true. You need facts to back it up. The truth is, ebay's site does NOT get hacked every day, much less paypal's.
ba** Feb-23-07 16:04 PST 12 of 65 The truth is, ebay's site does NOT get hacked every day, much less paypal's.
LOL...And you would know this...like...how?
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-23-07 16:07 PST 13 of 65
HYey, check out what I wrote about the "@ebay". Look at his posts. They do not have it. Wouldn't that be some proof that he did not post with a stolen pinks name?
Now show me the proof. Any shred of evidence where the ebay site gets hacked all the time, and I'll apologize to you.
my** Feb-23-07 16:08 PST 14 of 65 A pink is just a pink, a sigh is just a sigh
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-23-07 16:09 PST 15 of 65
and paypal
ph** Feb-23-07 16:24 PST 16 of 65 Do a Google search on Vladuz and come back. It's a hack and he's hijacked a TON of seller's accounts.
ra** Feb-23-07 16:25 PST 17 of 65 Anyone who thinks ebay/paypal are not hacked daily is living on the river known as denial. You can be locked out of your paypal acct with just a few clicks. And no, it has nothing to do w/phishing and spoof emails.
ba** Feb-23-07 16:38 PST 18 of 65 HYey, check out what I wrote about the "@ebay". Look at his posts. They do not have it. Wouldn't that be some proof that he did not post with a stolen pinks name?
No, that could just mean he may not have thought to hack that part, he didn't care to hack that part or he was drunk and had no idea he NEEDED to hack that part. Your first clue here might be that there is no preference option to make your posts pink. ;)
Now show me the proof. Any shred of evidence where the ebay site gets hacked all the time, and I'll apologize to you.
I have no idea how often the site gets hacked. I will email Meg and Bill Cobb for copies of their server log files and as soon as they get them to me, I'm glad to get them to you.
In the meantime, if THIS was not a hack, then why is eBay saying it was but downplaying it:
"Yesterday morning we reported on a spate of hacking attacks carried out against eBay Inc. by a Romanian hacker by the name of Vladuz, and also on an interview with eBay spokesman Hani Durzy done by Auctionbytes. In the interview Durzy flatly lied about Vladuz's abilities and "accomplishments" saying that Vladuz only HAD access to employee servers and their accompanying databases. Last night Vladuz responded personally to Durzy after hacking into the discussion forums on eBay.de (Germany) by taking responsibility for all of the recent account break-ins and fraudulent listings associated with such."
http://firemeg.blogspot.com/
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-23-07 16:40 PST 19 of 65
come on guys, use some logic.
Too bad all his posts are pulled from last night. Maybe someone will come here with a screen shot to show he only had a pink title bar without the @ebay after his name. If he hacked into ebay's site,why didn't he do it again after he was naru'd? You think ebay's techs can find some obscure security hole that only he knew about and patch it right away? They can't even fix the back button after months of errors.
If he had access to trust and safety tools, he'd be here right now, posting with the rest of us, pink bar and all.
st** Feb-23-07 16:46 PST 20 of 65 I bet if you posted a problem to the Valduz pink, you'd get a better response than from a real pink! :^O
ba** Feb-23-07 16:49 PST 21 of 65 newlistings, you are simply lost here but that doesn't mean you're a bad feller. Trust and Safety tools, don't have a darned thing to do with the hacking into employee servers and their databases that EBAY says was hacked.
Now, you wanted some proof, I provided you with the proof that even eBay admits it was hacked.
It's now your duty to refute that proof with some references. Thanks for your kind attention to this.
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-23-07 16:50 PST 22 of 65
"Yesterday morning we reported on a spate of hacking attacks
Any dufus can write a blog. He didn't even spell Rob Chesnut correctly. He's using the word "hack" in error.
Even so, you failed to read the most important part in the story of the alleged "hack"
"Whether Vladuz does have access to customer info or not has yet to be seen,"
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-23-07 16:53 PST 23 of 65
getting someone's password, is not hacking.
ba** Feb-23-07 16:54 PST 24 of 65 LOL...perhaps the silliest comeback I've ever read on here. A server can be hacked without gaining access to customer info. Do you understand how computers work?
ph** Feb-23-07 16:57 PST 25 of 65 I'm not sure why you are fixated on seeing a pink title bar without the @ but here you go: http://blogs.ebay.com/world_securities
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-23-07 16:58 PST 26 of 65
I provided you with the proof
You didn't prove anything. I said proof that ebay and paypal get hacked all the time.
Showing me one blog where two people use the word hack for stolen passwords is nothing.
The auuthor even admits that the rep he interviewed was a "new underling employee"
ph** Feb-23-07 17:01 PST 27 of 65 New, Do you believe the earth is round?
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-23-07 17:02 PST 28 of 65
seeing a pink title bar without the @
That's my point, thanks. Those aren't the posts I saw on the US board last night but you can see when he posted with a pink bar it only had his name.
If he really had a stolen pink's ID, it would've had @ebay.
Like you can see on claire@ebay's post at the very top of this forum.
ba** Feb-23-07 17:03 PST 29 of 65 He don't know what he believes, but he is just going to pick something and then argue it until blue in the monitor. :)
ma** Feb-23-07 17:05 PST 30 of 65 One thing's for certain: the fake pink sure did know how to say things as they really are. Hani Durzy must be seething...
ba** Feb-23-07 17:06 PST 31 of 65 Those aren't the posts I saw on the US board last night but you can see when he posted with a pink bar it only had his name.
So how did he do this without hcking into an emplyee server. Quit dodging and give the steps, 1, 2, 3 etc. as to how this is done.
If he really had a stolen pink's ID, it would've had @ebay.
No one said he had "stolen a pink's ID" Produce the post and quote where that was stated.
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-23-07 17:06 PST 32 of 65
argue it until blue
and you're not?
ma** Feb-23-07 17:07 PST 33 of 65 Those aren't the posts I saw on the US board last night but you can see when he posted with a pink bar it only had his name.
??? Because he didn't bother to include @ebay.com in his hacked user name you don't believe that he hacked into the system?
Maybe someone should write a guide on proper hacking etiquette.
ba** Feb-23-07 17:08 PST 34 of 65 and you're not?
Correct. :)
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-23-07 17:13 PST 35 of 65
??? Because he didn't bother to include @ebay.com in his hacked user name you don't believe that he hacked into the system?
You are missing the point. He posted with a pink title bar to "prove" he was hacking ebay.
Go back and read what I wrote about the difference in a pink's post and registered ebayer's post.
The fact is he COULDN'T change his name to @ebay because he really wasn't hacked in at all, he used a cheap trick to start a rumor that a few believe.
now, aside from a stray blog, can you show me proof that ebay and paypal get hacked all the time? Maybe a few CNN stories or reliable articles?
ba** Feb-23-07 17:17 PST 36 of 65 Time for you to start showing a little backup for your silly assertions. Prove this:
he really wasn't hacked in at all, he used a cheap trick to start a rumor
What trick? Detail it out so we can all be in on this tidbit of techy knowhow.
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-23-07 17:19 PST 37 of 65
I don't think I can do that....
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-23-07 17:20 PST 38 of 65
because it's against board policy to make repetitive posts.
But if you go back and read post #5 you can see the "tidbit"
se** Feb-23-07 17:20 PST 39 of 65 Newlistings, I know what you are talking about. You use the title bar in your post to make it look like another post?
ba** Feb-23-07 17:23 PST 40 of 65 I don't think I can do that....
Right, but keep arguing anyhow and don't let facts get in your way.
BTW, everyone but you noticed that the blogger wasn't opining on that site, he was quoting the auctionbytes site with links directly to it. That site is very reputable. It might behoove you to actually read what what I post. ;)
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-23-07 17:24 PST 41 of 65
no.
go to your my ebay. my account. change your email address to .......... { email address illegally posted, edited out } ..........
Then come back and brag about how you can hack ebay.
Then get ready for a naru for posing as a pink.
se** Feb-23-07 17:26 PST 42 of 65 Ah. Thanks I get it now.
Well then, I think it is someone elses turn to try.
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-23-07 17:27 PST 43 of 65
I don't think I can do that....
Right, but keep arguing anyhow
Looks like you only read things out of context to make yourself look right.
That site is very reputable.
We're going in circles now, you guys said ebay and paypal get hacked all the time.
I asked you for proof.
You come back with one blog that misinforms about one romanian with a small list of user names and say that's proof? come on
ba** Feb-23-07 17:43 PST 44 of 65 I asked you for proof.
Quit dodging. LOL…You ignore every post to you. It's time for you to put up or shaddup as you are just cutting and pasting your old posts that have been refuted. Now please answer these queries to you:
1) How do you address the FACT that eBay admits it was a hack. You simply try to twist the debate into, “yeah, but you guys have to prove how OFTEN eBay is hacked.” This completely changes the argument as I never made an assertion as to how often they are hacked. If you think I did, then quote and reference the post.
2) So how did he do this without hacking into an employee server. Quit dodging and give the steps, 1, 2, 3 etc. as to how this is done. Also how did he get into the German discussions about him when he had no access?
3) Your statement: he really wasn't hacked in at all, he used a cheap trick to start a rumor. How? What trick? Spell it out in detail.
Ahhh…But you won’t because your blowing air out of a body cavity. ;)
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-23-07 17:51 PST 45 of 65
Jesh, Just another {edited out}, You're worse than the buyers. Please read carefully.
Go to post 5. go to post 41.
Also, ebay did NOT say that they were hacked. You are reading a blog about two dufus's talking about things they don't know about.
Simply stated a hacker is any programming specialist who has the expertise to enter a computer or network without proper authorization http://www.bama.ua.edu/~wilso098/project/sources.html
This guy stole some passwords. Logged on to boards, changing his name from Vladu to Vladusgi and a few others. Anyone can do that.
YOU are the one that is dodging.
ba** Feb-23-07 17:58 PST 46 of 65 Go to post 5. go to post 41.
No thank you. I want you to put your argument in your own words as I do.
Also, ebay did NOT say that they were hacked. You are reading a blog about two dufus's talking about things they don't know about.
This is an old argument that has been refuted. That information came from auctionbytes a reputable site and can be found here:
Simply stated a hacker is any programming specialist who has the expertise to enter a computer or network without proper authorization
No chit, Sherlock? I think everybody already knows this. Now, quit dodging and answer your queries point by point as I do for you. Here they are again:
1) How do you address the FACT that eBay admits it was a hack. You simply try to twist the debate into, “yeah, but you guys have to prove how OFTEN eBay is hacked.” This completely changes the argument as I never made an assertion as to how often they are hacked. If you think I did, then quote and reference the post.
2) So how did he do this without hacking into an employee server. Quit dodging and give the steps, 1, 2, 3 etc. as to how this is done. Also how did he get into the German discussions about him when he had no access?
3) Your statement: he really wasn't hacked in at all, he used a cheap trick to start a rumor. How? What trick? Spell it out in detail.
They're not going away. ;)
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-23-07 18:04 PST 47 of 65
I want you to put your argument in your own words as I do.
AY CARUMBA....post 5 and 41 ARE my words.
I think you should take a break and go back and read the whole thread and you'll see that all of your friends have left you because they also, cannot show any kind of proof of how easy it is to hack ebay and paypal all the time.
Gotta go now, bye
ba** Feb-23-07 18:08 PST 48 of 65 Gotta go now, bye
How convenient. And I was just getting warmed up. :)
ph** Feb-23-07 18:14 PST 49 of 65 I thought I quit posting out of frustration. Hmmm....
la** Feb-23-07 18:58 PST 50 of 65 Just because someone says something doesn't make it true. You need facts to back it up. The truth is, ebay's site does NOT get hacked every day, much less paypal's.
You still don't get it. eBay has admitted he has hacked them. Which part of that don't you get? Also, I worked for a network security firm. So when I tell you what something can't be done and what can be, I know what I'm talking about.
You can't make the titlebar pink by itself. You can't use an HTML or Javascript code on a normal post and imitate it. The post was by an eBay staff member's account. There's no "tricks" -- the inherent permissions on that post were real.
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-23-07 22:30 PST 51 of 65
You still don't get it. NO YOU don't get it.
eBay has admitted he has hacked them.
No they didn't, the author said it was one new underling employee that he talked to and it still wasn't proven. Do you know that most of the ebay employees don't even know what the term "naru" means?
If ebay was really hacked, that guy would've gotten a lot more info than a few ebay sellers names and passwords.
If you really worked for security than you would know that even employees can't read encrypted info.
If ebay was really hacked, it would be Headline News, not tucked away in some blog.
Now for the last time.
Look at the link that you guys kindly offered with the name vladuzsgi in the pink titlebar on the german board. see?no "@ebay.com"
still doesn't address the many other ways to hack ebay/paypal, but at least it points out non-phished ebay hijackings are a real issue- and offers tips to protect yourselves
la** Feb-24-07 06:11 PST 53 of 65 Now for the last time.
Look at the link that you guys kindly offered with the name vladuzsgi in the pink titlebar on the german board. see?no "@ebay.com"
It's like talking to a newbie that doesn't know what he's talking about. What are your credentials in network security? None I assume from the way you're talking.
Your main argument on why the "hack" didn't happen is because the pink title bar doesn't have @ebay.com. Umm usernames on eBay doesn't necessarily have to get @ebay.com. Meg admitted she had a buyer id. It certainly wouldn't show @ebay.com. Your assumption here is that in order for an eBay employee to exist, they need to have @ebay.com. That's rather simple...let me explain why your argument doesn't hold water.
If the pink title bar exist, the privileges of an eBay employee or moderator exists. If he was able to modify his username and change it accordingly (like any eBay user can), he did it to reflect that he had the ability to. You cannot change the title bar pink unless you have the permissions to do so on the message board.
Do you get it now? Let me try to make it even more simplier. You can't start a car without a key or hot wiring it. This guy managed to start a car that he didn't own. Now you're saying oh because he didn't look like the owner he didn't start the car. But he did.
lol.
And now here's additional info for you from Auctionbytes....
eBay spokesperson Hani Durzy said he did not intentionally mislead reporters when he said on Wednesday that eBay had successfully prevented Vladuz from continuing to access the handful of customer service email addresses, but said that was true to the best of eBay's knowledge at the time. "He's very good," Durzy said of Vladuz, "and apparently brazen." Durzy said to the best of eBay's knowledge, Vladuz has only had access to a handful of customer service representative accounts.
Okay -- if eBay says their customer service reps accounts were hacked, why is it so hard for you to believe? Do you think eBay is invincible?
ba** Feb-24-07 06:30 PST 54 His elevator doesn't go all the way to the top. IOW, you're wasting your time. ;)
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-24-07 07:09 PST 55
Dang,if you are so smart, can't you do something about the weather? Seems like the rain canceled my boating plans so I'm stuck with you guys.
Seriously, if you do know as much as you pretend, why didn't anyone of you help this lady out with a simple problem ?
These threads were side by side when this discussion started.
And if you think that it is so easy to "hack" ebay why don't you put your money were your keyboard is and come back and tell me what my password is.
The original term for hacking was to gain access to a computer with administrative rights, not stealing someone's password. If the Romanian really hacked ebay like he pretended, he would have access to cgi scripts and sql databases. Not even most of the ebay employees have that kind of access.
If you want to compare it to driving a car like you did, then what you're calling hacking is sitting in the driveway with the motor running and saying that "daddy let you drive."
Did you even read any of the links you posted? If you did, you would see that all of them that claim to be about hacking, end up explaining that passwords were collected by phishing. Not thousands of usernames and passwords stolen like a real hacker would, but a few passwords where the "hacker" can log on as a "user" and steal the individual's credit card info.
You and the few self appointed experts that can write a blog are changing the term.
La**{edited out}, trying reading your own post with your monitor instead of your keyboard and you will see that "ebay" did not say they were hacked.
something eBay says happens due to phishing attacks.
People are confusing the word "hacked" with "account hijackings"
Click on the link in your own post and read this: eBay finally responded to an inquiry from the Register in the UK and acknowledged that someone had obtained access to a small number of eBay email accounts
That new spokesperson in the original blog that said the Romanian hacker had gotten into ebay employee accounts was only fooled the same way you were with the pink titlebar.
He didn't forget to add the @ebay to his name, he couldn't
Do you even know how computers work?
Well, I know enough that you can't "put" your username in the title bar. It's done by a code snippet when you post to a thread and it's designed to show the pink's name as [email protected] or .de or whereever they are and the "users" with just their screen name.
The Romanian fooled you. It was a hoax.
He's NARU'D by a real administrator.
If he was a real hacker, he would be posting to me right now.
ba** Feb-24-07 07:13 PST 56 LOL...You're a frikkin' broken record.
ph** Feb-24-07 07:18 PST 57 The links given earlier have screen shots of him posting with and without the @ebay. Are you arguing both sides?
se** Feb-24-07 08:08 PST 59 To PINK or not to PINK. That is the question....
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-24-07 08:11 PST 60
Jeesh, are you really that dense? Do a search for any username on ebay any where in the orld and it will not show your e-mail address as it does in this screen shot
my** Feb-24-07 08:18 PST 61 I wonder how many ebay customers we're loosing because of a stupid blog that talks about ebay's servers being hacked.
Boycott the Firemeg Blog!
Or maybe I'll do a counter blog to the firemeg blog. I'll be as bad as he is, but maybe the money I make from the counter blog will make up for sales I'll never make because of customers who will be afraid to have an ebay account for fear of a hacker getting to their info.
ra** Feb-24-07 09:53 PST 62 newlistings, do a little research on how you can lock up peoples' paypal accts and if you're really skilled, get to the security questions/verification page. it has nothing to do w/stealing anyone's password or phishing or spoof emails. it DOES reveal individuals' bank acct, credit card acct, and other identifying information. it can also be done w/ebay.
how do i know this? both ebay and paypal higher ups confirmed it via telephone in extensive conversations re the companies' multiple security loopholes. have any of you actually talked to ebay/paypal DIRECTLY regarding security? and by 'talk', i don't mean 'got a form email', but rather 'have direct #s to executive escalations and other individuals'.
anyone who thinks hacking ebay/paypal is just about 'phishing' is in denial.
ph** Feb-24-07 10:57 PST 64 Go back and look at Vladuz's posts with the pink title bar and you will see that his username does not have the "@ebay" after it, which would show if he really did post as a stolen pink's name.
You mean like this? http://blogs.ebay.com/world_securities
check out what I wrote about the "@ebay". Look at his posts. They do not have it. Wouldn't that be some proof that he did not post with a stolen pinks name?
Oh... you mean like this: http://www.ebaymotorssucks.com/rflello.htm
la ** Feb-24-07 16:55 PST 67 of 79 newlistings, you seem to have ignored my point and not create a counterpoint. So I went ahead and reposted my questions for you as well as making the content a little bit bigger to make it easier for you to read. I'm going to do my best to spell this out as slow and as easy as possible.
Now for the last time.
Look at the link that you guys kindly offered with the name vladuzsgi in the pink titlebar on the german board. see?no "@ebay.com"
It's like talking to a newbie that doesn't know what he's talking about. What are your credentials in network security? None I assume from the way you're talking.
Your main argument on why the "hack" didn't happen is because the pink title bar doesn't have @ebay.com. Umm usernames on eBay doesn't necessarily have to get @ebay.com. Meg admitted she had a buyer id. It certainly wouldn't show @ebay.com. Your assumption here is that in order for an eBay employee to exist, they need to have @ebay.com. That's rather simple...let me explain why your argument doesn't hold water.
If the pink title bar exist, the privileges of an eBay employee or moderator exists. If he was able to modify his username and change it accordingly (like any eBay user can), he did it to reflect that he had the ability to. You cannot change the title bar pink unless you have the permissions to do so on the message board.
Do you get it now? Let me try to make it even more simplier. You can't start a car without a key or hot wiring it. This guy managed to start a car that he didn't own. Now you're saying oh because he didn't look like the owner he didn't start the car. But he did.
lol.
And now here's additional info for you from Auctionbytes....
eBay spokesperson Hani Durzy said he did not intentionally mislead reporters when he said on Wednesday that eBay had successfully prevented Vladuz from continuing to access the handful of customer service email addresses, but said that was true to the best of eBay's knowledge at the time. "He's very good," Durzy said of Vladuz, "and apparently brazen." Durzy said to the best of eBay's knowledge, Vladuz has only had access to a handful of customer service representative accounts.
Okay -- if eBay says their customer service reps accounts were hacked, why is it so hard for you to believe? Do you think eBay is invincible?
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-24-07 20:08 PST 68
newlistings, you seem to have ignored my point and not create a counterpoint.
"if eBay says their customer service reps accounts were hacked"
He didn't say ebay was hacked, or the accounts were hacked. Did you read it? He said "only had access"
"The only information he had access to was information contained in emails,"
I did address the other question also about how he posted as a pink but that post is missing somehow. Before I answer the question again I wanna apologize to the powerseller that I indirectly called a dufus. It appears that he was offended. I didn't mean you were a plain dufus, I need to clarify that. You're most likely more intelligent than most of the ones trying to win this arguement because you can read and write. But you are a [dufus for posting a blog] about ebay being hacked before you investigated the truth. Now here's the truth: look closely at the link someone posted here
http://www.ebaymotorssucks.com/rflello.htm
you will see from the screen shots that this guy registered a name [email protected]
It shows it that way in the lookup.
SO
Obviously, when he posts(on the board), it is going to show his complete username (as an email address) in the titlebar.
when someone looks for your username, it doesn't show your email address as his did. Look closely at the screen shots and you will see that I am correct.
Now, if he could really post as a pink, like I was explaining it would've shown in the titlebar as:
If someone was a real hacker they wouldn't keep getting naru'd and making new user names. HE DID NOT HACK INTO EBAY'S SITE
One thing you were right about, Mr blog writer.
I am "some anonymous fellow" HOWEVER,when you submit a copy of MY posts to your blogs, it is very unethical to change the actual words as you did.
Now I've pretty much debunked all your links, myths and rumors but some of you still only believe what you wanna believe.And you're dangerous for spreading rumors.
Maybe if you guys were nicer to me, I would've let you in on some real "hacking" techniques like how to post on the powerseller board for years without even being a powerseller. Or how to make money on ebay without listing a single item for 3 months in a row. I have a feeling that would go way over your heads also. Now I'm bored. I'm going to read some blogs about dishtowels, that would be more interesting. ta ta
la** Feb-24-07 21:48 PST 69 One thing you were right about, Mr blog writer.
Umm...now this is where I scratch my head and say...what? You've lost me. What blog are you talking about?
I am "some anonymous fellow" HOWEVER,when you submit a copy of MY posts to your blogs, it is very unethical to change the actual words as you did.
Once again...you need to make sane statements, what blog are you talking about?
Now, if he could really post as a pink, like I was explaining it would've shown in the titlebar as: [email protected]@ebay.com
You still don't get it. eBay staff member usernames do have a default username that shows the email address but they can at any time change their username as this person did.
He didn't say ebay was hacked, or the accounts were hacked. Did you read it? He said "only had access"
Ok, now you've proved my point that this person had unauthorized access to eBay employee accounts. HELLO! Is there something wrong with your reasoning? A person that has unauthorized access to employee accounts is DANGEROUS. I've managed CRM centers for Apple and BellSouth Internet, nearly all CSR (customer service representative) accounts have some sort of access to user information whether it be username, password, address, etc.
This is dangerous to have. The fact that eBay admitted someone had access to eBay employee accounts is astounding! Now you seem to think this isn't "hacking" -- I don't know what fantasy world you live in, but in the network security industry, any security intrusion is considered hacking (or cracking in script kiddie terms).
Maybe if you guys were nicer to me, I would've let you in on some real "hacking" techniques like how to post on the powerseller board for years without even being a powerseller.
Oh boy, now I've heard everything. Now you're an almighty hacker, "look guys I can post on PowerSeller board without being a PowerSeller" hahaha -- join the club, SquareTrade employees have 0 feedback and they've been posting on here.
Or how to make money on ebay without listing a single item for 3 months in a row.
...and then you woke up. Welcome to the real world, nice to see you.
ma** Feb-25-07 03:07 PST 70 RE: Post 68
You missed typing GOTCHA! at the end...
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-25-07 07:39 PST 71
ma**{edited out}***, You are almost the only one besides myself that has posted anything intelligent on this thread. Please remember to explain it to the others how it works after my post gets pulled again. Or maybe they can copy the post of this PRIVATE board and submit it on one of their public blogs again. I hope they keep the original words intact this time. Any writer that "quotes" someone [copied posts]and then changes the original words have less scruples than a tabloid writer. They have lost all credability.
La**{edited out}***, You have come to a gunfight with a rubber knife. that babble in your last post only proves that you read with your mouth instead of your eyes.
la** Feb-25-07 08:13 PST 72 of 79 You have come to a gunfight with a rubber knife.
Now that you've embarrassed yourself...if you really can't counter back anymore with any legible remarks, I guess I can accept that comment as an excuse to bow out.
la** Feb-25-07 08:30 PST 73 of 79 RE: Post 68
You missed typing GOTCHA! at the end...
ma**, I agree. I was really wondering if newlistings was kidding, but he (or she) was actually serious. Goes to show, sanity isn't a requirement to be a PS.
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-25-07 08:41 PST 74
who said I was PS?
ra** Feb-25-07 08:58 PST 75 of 79 lol if sanity were a requirement to be a PS, this board would lose a lot of characters.
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-25-07 09:15 PST 76
The fact that eBay admitted someone had access to eBay employee accounts is astounding!
Where does it say that? he said "access to information OBTAINED BY EMAILS."
Can some of you old timers clue this new guy in ?
"hacking" into the powerseller boards by non PS's has been done many times in the past, as well as posting with a pink bar in many forms.
It's no wonder you are not allowed to manage CRM centers for Apple and BellSouth Internet anymore.
No one has come up with any shred of proof yet, that ebay's site has actually been hacked, or cracked or whatever you want to call it.
Calling me insane does not prove your point. taking the word "access" out of context does not prove "access to eBay employee accounts"
no matter how many times you post your "point" or make the font bold does not offer real proof.
who's the broken record here?
wh** Feb-25-07 09:30 PST 77 .......... {edited out, responding to ra** not newlistings} ..........
newlistings (1158 ) Feb-25-07 09:52 PST 78
wow, finally a logical post, I was beginning to wonder what the ps board has come to.
ra** Feb-25-07 10:03 PST 79 .......... {edited out, responding to wh** not newlistings} ..........
ma** Feb-25-07 10:12 PST 80 .......... {edited out, responding to ra** not newlistings} ..........
ra** Feb-25-07 10:15 PST 81 .......... {edited out, not a response to newlistings} ..........
ra** Feb-25-07 10:16 PST 82 .......... {edited out, not a response to newlistings} ..........
For new newsgroup readers, these are not our forum posts. Any comments to the posters below should be made on the applicable thread, marked in bold below.
After minimum effort, eBay will be launching their New Search on users.
eBay Presentation, Merrill Lynch Conference February 13 2007 http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/ebay/96103743x0x75856/c3e92e6e-19f6-4c15-b0e7-fa02a9c36bcc/eBay_MerrillLynch_Feb07_FINAL_web.pdf
The New Search is villified by many, with comments to match. Though I'd share the tail-end of the discussion.
//
http://forums.ebay.com/db1/thread.jspa?threadID=1000338138 Test: Making Buyers More Efficient - A Redesign of Search Results
wandererbornagain (573 ) Feb-20-07 11:55 PST 2118 of 2125
If you look at page 7 of the slideshow...
''Overall purchase process satisfaction'' is, what, 70%? Is eBay actually proud of that number?
Oh, but they're ''leveraging our loyal customer base.'' So that's a rosey number. If they leveraged THE ENTIRE customer base, I'm guessing it would be around 50 or 60%.
Do the Great Gods of eBay actually consider a 30-50% dissatisfaction rate acceptable?
Anybody want to lay bets on what next year's numbers are going to be?
sko74517 (519 ) Feb-20-07 15:37 PST 2122 of 2125
To answer the question about customer satisfaction: No 70% is not considered good in any sector, public or private.
I administer employment and training programs for a living. A few years ago,we adopted the same customer satisfaction standards that are used by top businesses around the country who are concerned about the issue. The standard is up around 85-90%. If the 70% is based on eBay's "loyal primary customer base", it will definitely be lower when you factor in the people who buy once or twice a year.
Furthermore, companies who are really concerned about customer satisfaction, don't use their customers as guinea pigs by foisting a search on them that they didn't volunteer to beta test.
Companies who really care about their customers, conduct surveys frequently. They are brief, direct and to the point....not designed to "pull out the answers we want". In most cases, changes are only made when a consistent pattern of dissatisfaction begins to show up over time and then only to correct those concerns addressed by the customer.
Over the years I've visited and participated at a lot of websites. Most of them are graphics sites....all designed to build a sense of community among the users. One of the things that these sites understand that eBay apparently doesn't understand, is the importance of the user interface. They rarely change the appearance of the site or where things are located, without thoroughly involving the members of their on-line community. People by nature are inclined to not like change. They frequent websites where they feel comfortable and where things are familiar. They don't want to have to "re-learn" the site every time they go there. And that's exactly what eBay is doing to people.....changing things constantly and for no obvious reason.
I wonder how Meg Whittman Billy Cobb would feel if they went home one night and discovered that some unknown person had rearranged their entire house....moved the furniture, repainted the walls some ugly color they didn't like.....and hid the remote control!! I'll bet Billy boy would be pretty ticked if he couldn't find his remote or that six pack he just put in the fridge!!
That is pretty much what eBay is doing to its users. The entire approach used by the finding team, flies in the face of any sound approach to customer satisfaction I've ever seen.
For new newsgroup readers, these are not our forum posts. Any comments to the posters below should be made on the applicable thread, marked in bold below.
Very long thread. Providing the link and a few posts only.
Someone at eBay was blazingly fast in responding ... other threads on the subject were immediately deleted ...
Next in quick response speed are posts of probable eBay employees camouflaged as posters. Easy to spot. They're trying to change the subject. And they're essentially saying eBay is not at fault.
The speed of the eBay Security Team response at fixing this hack is ... well ... like a stampeed of raging turtles ...
//
//
//
http://forums.ebay.co.uk/thread.jspa?threadID=1200089939 Home > Community > Discussion Boards > Community Question and Answer Board > Discussion somebodys hacked my listing
rstb** (192 ) 17-02-07 21:41 GMT 17-02-07 21:41 GMT i have listed a rover 420 gsi turbo(its the only one on ebay so easy to find)somebody has hacked the ad offering buy it now with an email address how do i get it removed,cheers
art** 17-02-07 22:12 GMT 4 of 695 Blimey - looks like the op is not the only one this has happened to:
Sorry if the link stretches the page, but I count 54 auctions when searching for that email addy using title and description searches. They all appear to be cars. How has the scammer hacked this many accounts? Ebay need to do something about this and fast! Get onto Livehelp op, straightaway.
art** 17-02-07 22:36 GMT 26 of 695 Right, this is getting silly now. I just found an auction that has been hacked twice - by two different scammers.
This must be the latest craze - after the oversized rubber cheque, and the phoney Second Chance Offer, we get the magic multiple hijack...
art** 17-02-07 22:49 GMT 33 of 695 The numbers are going up as we speak - 236 hacked items on that search now. This needs a techie to figure out how they are doing it and stop them. It can't be account theft - how on Earth could they be hacking accounts at that rate? They must be hacking into the pages themselves somehow.
art** 17-02-07 23:00 GMT 42 of 707 Found these so far, and haven't spent too much time searching:
I reckon this is just the tip of the iceberg. How many potential buyers have already mailed these jokers? How many more 'I sent the money but the car hasn't arrived' threads do you reckon we'll see over the coming weeks??
gadfly-calling 17-02-07 23:15 GMT 44 of 707 I've reported a few but the wretches are still listing. Add [email protected] to arthur-lager's list
gad** 17-02-07 23:23 GMT 48 of 707 sgissc13 has 195 items listed sgissc2 has 11 items sgissc3 has 3 items
art** 17-02-07 23:23 GMT 50 of 707 This really needs the attention of a Pink...426 auctions hacked so far, all high ticket items.
the** 18-02-07 00:44 GMT 71 of 707 This ain't "phishing", this is a massive hole in eBay security.
the** 18-02-07 00:54 GMT 76 of 707 Well, my thread on RT went AWOL on this subject, quick ain't they.
ana** 18-02-07 02:24 GMT 97 of 720 That was the search I did landrover. Then I searched for:
THERE IS A NEW TYPE OF SCAM ON EBAY IF YOU SEE A LISTING THAT HAS HAD THIS OR SOMTHING SIMILAR ADDED TELL THE SELLER AND REPORT TO EBAY DO NOT USE THE EMAIL
THE SCAM IS SOME SORT OF SOFWARE HACK AFFECTING THE LISTINGS & WILL LOOK LIKE THIS
On 17-Feb-07 at 16:13:24 GMT, seller added the following information:
For BUY IT NOW price contact me at: [email protected] Dont forget to include the item number in your message!
PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT TO SEE WHAT THEY HAVE DONE SO FAR
http://tinyurl.com/2nmblp THIS IS ONLY ON ONE EMAIL ADDRESS THERE ARE OTHERS.
STAY SAFE
krs** 18-02-07 03:52 GMT 155 of 721 Hullo from acroos the pond...saw the cross posting on the T&S board
This was reported on both the Account Hijack and regular live help chats.
Neither seemed to concerned until I reminded them that by having PROOF of reporting the hijackings and their lack of reponse, if there is a victim in all of this, eBay is liable for it.
I've printed the searches and am creating an excel spreadsheet of the item numbers in order to contact any winners if need be.
I've got copies of both chats just in case, as well as both threads.
eBay's lack of response is just as criminal as the hackers.
Thank you all so much for all your hard work!
(Will cross post this on the us site)
lan** 18-02-07 05:17 GMT 213 of 725 they should not cancell the listings. it not the sellers
that snot going to solve the problem is it. they eill brush it under the carpet. and i a i trype i recive anought warning about contacting a seller. bstards
lan** 18-02-07 05:19 GMT 214 of 725 that spelling was carp bulldy hell.
sorry
ick** 18-02-07 05:20 GMT 215 of 725 She said that was all she could do, but to carry on reporting (!) as they had a 'dedicated team' that would look into each report. She took 12 seller id's as that was all she had time to look at before her shift ended.
k!s** (Private ) View Listings | Report 18-02-07 06:21 GMT 232 of 725 Just want to give you an update. I went to Live Help and connected with Live Help agent Nicolette in Salt Lake City. I explained the magnitude of this problem and Nicolette alerted her supervisor and the senior Live Help supervisor. I was allowed to paste in all of the listing numbers that appeared at the time I did my search and there were 396 live listings. As I pasted in the listing numbers, Nicolette acted as the intermediary and the supervisor and senior supervisor began securing the accounts. By the time I finished pasting in all of the listings, 226 accounts were still not secured, but will be.
Live Help is working as quickly as possible to secure the accounts by listing number and it is not necessary for anyone to submit webforms. I will return to Live Help in 90 minutes and begin the process again if necessary, as they are waiting for a status report from me.
lan** 18-02-07 06:23 GMT 233 of 725 well done k!ss
i have just recived this but u still dont think she understood.
Hello,
Thank you for writing to eBay. My name is Mary and I appreciate the chance to assist you with regards to the email you received from "zootus123", "white196", "dowler6093" and "faransaenz". I'm happy to provide further information about the "Communication Partner Warning" email you received.
I have checked your account and I assure you that there are no problems with your account at this time.
Please be informed that the emails wasn't sent by eBay, and is not endorsed by eBay in any way. It was sent by a third party using an eBay member's account without their permission. It's likely the unauthorised user found out the account password using a spoof email. Unfortunately we weren't made aware of this until after this email was sent.
Once we became aware of this unauthorised activity, we took immediate action and we are now working to restore the account to its original owner as soon as possible. For privacy reasons, I can't give you any further details regarding this member's account. However, I assure you that we are doing everything we can to ensure that eBay remains a safe and reputable place to shop.
We strongly advise you not to respond to this email. It's likely the sender was trying to get you to buy or sell outside of the security of the eBay website. As you know, we strongly discourage buying and selling between eBay users outside eBay. Off-eBay purchases are not protected by our feedback and buyer protection programmes.
How to cut down on spam emails
Make sure you take advantage of the junk email filters in your email program to eliminate unwanted emails from your inbox.
Please continue to report spam emails from eBay members to us. You can contact us from any eBay Help page.
Thank you again for reporting this email to us.
Kind regards,
Mary Issacs eBay Trust & Safety
rst** (192 ) 17-02-07 21:41 GMT i have listed a rover 420 gsi turbo(its the only one on ebay so easy to find)somebody has hacked the ad offering buy it now with an email address how do i get it removed,cheers
k!s** 18-02-07 10:00 GMT 353 of 736 These thieves didn't make any money on this. They did it intentionally as a diversion for something else they are doing that we haven't found yet. They know that that eBay's manpower is tied up securing these single listings on accounts. The question is, what are they up to?
By the way, we figured out how this happened. The thieves hacked any account that has a third-party association on it, like Andale. It could be any TPA. A thief does not need to know the password of the eBay account to load listings if he can get into the TPA, and there is definitely a vulnerability there. Listings can also be revised through the TPA. So, if you use a TPA, please disable that feature on your account.
k!s** 18-02-07 10:11 GMT 365 of 739 I am not technical enough to know, so I had to rely on someone else's expertise to get the information. But, we don't think it is any particular TPA, we think it could be many of them or all of them. We are confident that is where the hole is.
We saw this problem earlier in the week, and saw the hijackers just sitting in many accounts. This was coming up on our email search reports. The commonality at the time is that each of these accounts had those scrolling pictures at the bottom to show other listings. We believe the hole was coming through there, but didn't have any proof, just suspicions.
When I spoke to Live Help tonight it was confirmed that the accounts that were hacked all have third party associations. Hopefully, they will all be disabled, but it still means that the hijackers can hack other accounts that have TPAs.
the** 18-02-07 10:20 GMT 370 of 739 What I meant to say in #369 is that I think TPAs are a potential security weakness, simply because people are not encouraged to keep an eye on them. I don't think that the mechanism itself is flawed.
People get advised to change passwords, make them strong, never click on links, etc all the time.
Perhaps we should start adding checking TPAs to that list, to encourage people to be vigilant.
k!s** 18-02-07 10:33 GMT 383 of 739 The TPA is flawed because to upload to eBay you do not need the eBay password. eBay discontinued that.
This excerpt is from the Auction Bytes article from February 17th.
In 2004, eBay implemented the Authentication and Authorization program, a security measure that eliminates the need for users to give their eBay passwords to third-party vendors.
See the new thread I have done explaining TPA's please. TPA's are NOT flawed, an ebay password is required to create the TPA!
pre** 18-02-07 10:41 GMT 387 of 739 kiss - they were probably compromised months ago -
lil** 18-02-07 10:42 GMT 389 of 739 Kiss, it is likely that the passwords etc have been in the hands of the hijackers for a while.
They have obviously decided that a mass hijack has a better chance of overwhelming Ebay T&S
k!s** 18-02-07 10:48 GMT 391 of 739 I don't believe that in the least. It is more time consuming to hack individual listings and revise them. Think of all the coordination it would take to find all of those accounts, with listings on them, just to hack 1 listing on each account? I don't give the hackers enough credit to pick and choose and do all of that research.
As long as the TPA is established, a password is not needed later. If you can find the vulnerability to get into the TPA as a whole, then every account that has the TPA is at the hacker's disposal.
k!s** 18-02-07 10:50 GMT 392 of 739 womble, and after all of these phish/spoof compromises, all of these particular accounts just happened to have at least 1 active listing on the same day. That's quite a bit of coordination.
This where a little knowledge is dangerous, sorry.
You said :
As long as the TPA is established, a password is not needed later. If you can find the vulnerability to get into the TPA as a whole, then every account that has the TPA is at the hacker's disposal.
See this thread as to why you are way off the mark :
No it simply means eBay are preventing you from communicating with another ebay user when you are not involved in a transaction with them!
We make eBay Bidding and Searching easier and better :^O
sut** 18-02-07 11:01 GMT 401 of 757 auctiontrax
Even if the information is encrypted could you not sit and sniff ports? You would not need to know which account the information is for only that it is the packet exchange necessary.
Sit there for awhile and collect packets and then at a later time simply send the information to add to a listing. The token itself may be encrypted but if you capture this and then spoof a server as the TPA... Well I don't see how you couldn't be successful.
Please explain how this is not possible in your perspective.
Please, don't spread this hysteria any further, when it is simply a case of some ebay users, now or in the past fallen for a basic phising email or web page, and the phisher is now starting to use the data they have.
We make eBay Bidding and Searching easier and better :^O
sca** 18-02-07 11:41 GMT 419 of 757 I'm sorry to disagree with auctiontrax here but have you ever heard of the 'Legendary Vladuz' who hacked into eBay.de a few weeks ago and even took over the account of an eBay pink to post on the German discussion boards?
This is primarily a security problem ... not only that but a second list of more up-to-date eBay ids and passwords appeared on the web at the end of last week, after the first one had been removed (it contained info from pre 2000 I understand) http://blog.auctionbytes.com/cgi-bin/blog/blog.pl?/comments/2007/2/1171726205.html
the** 18-02-07 12:08 GMT 426 of 757 Funny innit, you guys have brought this to the attention of eBay in the correct manner and all credit to you. EBay could, no SHOULD have dealt with this by now, they have all the (sophisticated) software, they have the staff, they have the power to have dealt with this at the drop of a hat. Yet here we/you are over 14 hours later and there are still a multitude of corrupted listings still running. Tell me, how is your faith in eBay now as a "Safe Environment To Trade"? Gutted!
the** 18-02-07 12:19 GMT 428 of 757 EBay have the facilities and power to stop this, you have to ask yourself why they have not and also why there has been no world wide announcement or cautionary warning.
I bet eBays small competitors are going to experiance another welcome influx.
rst** (192 ) 17-02-07 21:41 GMT i have listed a rover 420 gsi turbo(its the only one on ebay so easy to find)somebody has hacked the ad offering buy it now with an email address how do i get it removed,cheers
jin** 18-02-07 13:12 GMT 455 of 767 #454
They're changing the emails. Go on the word search string.
rob** 18-02-07 13:29 GMT 467 of 767 Ebays famous anti shill bidding software is featured on that page...and ebays VPN...and an "account takeover tool" which seems to be able to harvest the details of ebay members ready for hijacking...
art** 18-02-07 13:39 GMT 481 of 771 470 - unfortunately eBay won't have to deal with any of this. Anyone who actually emails the scammer for his Buy It Now price, and subsequently loses their money, will have done an 'off eBay deal' and eBay will not be interested in the slightest. The fact that the scammer used eBays facilities to perpetrate the fraud is incidental, and eBay will blame it on poor user security.
I for one am not convinced that individual users are to blame here - particularly in light of at least one hacker being able to take over an ebay pink id and post on a forum with it to prove it possible. I don't believe for a second that an eBay Pink would fall for a phishing email. They'd be out of a job so fast their feet wouldn't touch the ground!
auctiontrax (2 ) View Listings | Report 18-02-07 13:56 GMT 497 of 771 ..............all is becoming a little clearer to me now, as I have expressed my doubts on eBay being hacked.
What is clear is that an ebay employee has been phished, and it is not within the realms of a possibility this could happen.they could have simply responded to a users email to see about 'this auction' and been presented with a log in screen, a phishing one, they entered their details, and were then forwarded to the auction, just like we normally are - they were set up by the phisher.
The phisher then has the employees details, and given that employees have many varied levels of access to ebay data, they got lucky and were able to access certain user details................ !
We make eBay Bidding and Searching easier and better :^O
sof** 18-02-07 14:19 GMT 528 of 780 No it was from PauL1234racing - Should have realised his ID and the name he put in the email where far to unlike to be real
Heres the message.
Question from paul1234racing paul1234racing( 27) Positive feedback: 90.9% Member since: 03-May-03 Location: Gloucestershire, United Kingdom Registered on: www.ebay.co.uk
Item: 1998 FORD MONDEO VERONA BLUE With Tax and MOT (250084259576) This message was sent while the listing was active. paul1234racing is a potential buyer.
Hello, My name is Ace Schmidt.
I just saw this item of yours and I remember seeing the same item two days ago, take a look:
sof** 18-02-07 14:50 GMT 559 of 780 Well Live chat just ended the auction, not much help at all really. Then tried to explain phishing to me.
sca** 18-02-07 15:24 GMT 602 of 785 canis*latrans you can say twaddle as much as you like, the screenshots are out there on the web and the links to them have already been given in this thread.
Vladuz was interested in selling his hacking into eBay programme and, for all we know, maybe he has already had a number of takers for it, causing a spate of hacks.
I repeat, it is not necessary to have signed in through a spoof email or any other such spoof in order to be deprived of the control of your account.
Perhaps if you can't wrap your head around that you would be able to explain quite how so suddenly there is a massive spate of these particular types of hack/hijack all looking the same.
I'd really like to hear your sensible explanation, not just the general (and eBay) line that the account holders must be responsible for the compromise of their accounts. EBay would love everyone to believe this as then it isn't their responsibility and they can't be held liable for the holes in their systems.
Sorry but it's true, eBay is hackable and has been hacked.
sca** 18-02-07 15:33 GMT 610 of 785 I'm pretty sure I remember seeing that .co.uk doesn't have much of a T&S staff at the weekends, possibly you'd be better reporting the lot to T&S at the .com site.
And why has there not been a pink presence on this thread :|
nar** 18-02-07 15:40 GMT 617 of 785 Yes, it's quite a big problem, but it peaked at around 500 listings, if I've read right.
If somebody has worked out a way of generally accessing any listing they want, though, this is microscopic as a proportion of all the available high value listings, particularly in the US, so why would they be so cautious? I still think using stored phished data is the most likely method.
Good work by everybody who worked on getting listings pulled :)
lil** 18-02-07 15:56 GMT 633 of 785 #627
If it was due to phishing you wouldnt have the takeover off accounts that have been dormant for many months or years , although in this case it isnt hijacked accounts . And thats a loophole that ebay could easily close but wont
Do you honestly think an operation on this scale has been organised overnight ?:|
These accounts have been harvested over months, the fact that they have all gone live over this weekend, only indicates, that whoever is behind this, decided the time was right.
If they had dribbled the listings as and when they ' hijacked' the account, it would not have impacted on Ebay's security, the way it has . Thereby increasing their chances of getting caught.
It's fairly clear, they were banking on a small % getting through, but we are still talking millions f pounds/dollars
hav** (30 ) View Listings | Report 18-02-07 16:06 GMT 653 of 790 There's something that's not adding up to me, whether you subscibe to the "eBay security hacked" or "many eBay accounts phished" theory -
- Most of the altered listings are for cars (I know, nt all, but I'm looking for a majority pattern here)
- Most car buyers would not pay in advance for a car until they had seen it (at least I'd hope that was true).
- How can the hacker(/s) hope to benefit from this mass-hack?
- If it was to scam bidders out of cash, surely they would use high-value electrical items that could be sent by post / courier?
- So, ifit wasn't to net cash, is it:
1) A demonstration that they can mess up a significant number of eBay auctions in a short time-scale?
2) A blackmain threat to eBay?
3) A simple equivalent to a Denial of Service Attack - to get eBay rushing around?
4) A diversionary tactic to get eBay in one place while they did something else?
5) A "first-flush" designed to net many more eBay accounts by getting e-mail addresses to send phishing e-mails to? If this is true, what might be the scale of the next attack?
6) A Dress-Rehearsal for a big push later on a category where they could net much cash?
7) Or something else .................
All of this is conjecture, but what else can an uninformed Community do?
sca** 18-02-07 16:37 GMT 683 of 791 Never before have I seen a scammer simply take over a couple of listings on each of so many accounts. I just did a search for one of the email addresses being used and it still returns about 8 items (all categories) for that email addy all motor vehicles of one kind or another, one of the accounts is actually -1 feedback and two items showing that email address.
I have the distinct impression this is merely a demonstration of what is possible.
sca** 18-02-07 16:43 GMT 687 of 791 From what was said about the 'accidentally' published lists, the first was old info from before 2000 but the second was more recent info. Where that is/was I don't really know as I understand it was taken down when drawn to the company's attention by a journalist.
Of course, it could be cached in a search engine somewhere.
ringo_f25 18-02-07 16:57 GMT 706 of 791 Well there are still 75 listings up and running - and TnS seemed to have fallen asleep!
jin** (11 ) View Listings | Report 18-02-07 17:13 GMT 728 of 798 For goodness sake, Looks like hysteria is developing here. Change your password regularly, keep your computer clean with regular housekeeping and you should be fine.
cit** 18-02-07 17:17 GMT 734 of 798 Here's what's happening at ebay:-
"What are we gonna do about this?" "How're we gonna play it you mean?" "We can't DO anything." "How's the market gonna react to this?" "Depends how we play it?" "Right, I've made a decision, here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna say it was done as a result of a phishing excercise done over a long period and in spite of ALL out warnings, people responded. Then, in spite of ALL out warnings people STILL went ahead with off-ebay deals and that everyone knows that ebay is a safe place to trade particularly as we've introduced the new system which safeguards Member IDs. Yes, that will go down well."
Yes, that line WILL go down really well, just like the Titanic....... and that was unsinkable too.
rin** 18-02-07 17:20 GMT 737 of 798 T&S have obviously given up on this lot. There has been no movement for nearly an hour.
Okay let's try 1st past the posts idea - report for fee evasion this time (off eBay sale)
There are 74 MINUS THE NEWLY LISTED ITEM THIS AFTERNOON TOWARDS THE BOTTOM.
http://tinyurl.com/2nm9pn
Anyone ready to have a go and report again?
cit** 18-02-07 17:31 GMT 756 of 798 As an addition to #747, a friend has said that I should have likened ebay to the Belgrano sinking.
My reply was:- "No, because the Belgrano was sunk accurately and deliberately.
The Titanic was sunk by bad material, over-confidence, ineptitude and lack of safety measures. Heck, I just described ebay."
mig** 18-02-07 17:45 GMT 778 of 806 #771 - jj - I have to have a wry smile at up the line - surely the top of the line should have been out of bed at 4am this morning dealing with this?
In any decent company they would have been - I find it totally unbelievable - nothing - not even a pink post - no message nowt nowt nowt.
Just unbelievable.
sca** 18-02-07 18:00 GMT 807 of 808 B-) I did say the same earlier in the thread but it's been moving along here at such a pace that it will be buried back there somewhere B-)
Remember it for the future though, they seem to have more T&S staff in the US and they work longer hours too by the looks of it. You seem to be able to reach them at any time.
This is all alarming and I have been contemplating for some time to remove myself from Ebay and take my dollars that I so spend willingly with me.I have an average of $1000.00 monthly on buying from various sellers but I am experiencing agreater amounto of bad faith transactions.I have lost money which I shoul never have to experience.What is the solution?Reporting to Ebay provides no satisfaction.I don't received personal responses and they are mostly canned responses generated by a computer.It's getting almost to that time when I say enough is enought.Great information for those who will take the time and effort.
For new newsgroup readers, these are not our forum posts. Any comments to the posters below should be made on the applicable thread, marked in bold below.
Embedded in the posts below is a conversation reported to be from eBay Premium PowerSeller Live Support regarding eBay's new shipping routines.
Thought eBay said this was fixed. You may want to double check the shipping section in your recent listings.
Sellers names have been edited out.
From eBay Technical Issues Forum I am so unhappy with ebay now.I was disconnected in chat with a supervisor. http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=1000492800&tstart=0&mod=1178925614205
While waiting for your chat to begin, you can start typing in your question. To help us address your questions as quickly as possible, please include your email address, eBay User ID and any other pertinent information such as item numbers, error messages, etc. (if available). We may also require your name, address and phone number for verification purposes. Your entries will become visible to the agent once they have joined the chat. Thank you for your patience. joh**: When is the search postage calculations going to be corrected? Are you going to refund listing fees if not corrected soon, or extend the length of auctions to make up for time that the shipping calculation was broken? joh**: item # 330118696188, 330118697055, 330118703319, 330118710327, 330118710913 are all showing wrong shipping price. Several others were wrong also, I had to revise item from calculated to fixed shipping prices. Your chat session has started.. Britany N.: Welcome to eBay Live Help! My name is Britany. One moment while I review what you've written. joh**: hello Britany N.: Hmm, I'm receiving the correct shipping information when I visit these listings. Can you give me some more information about what is occurring or when you get this error? joh**: click on view sellers other items and look at the last 5 all $6.05 then click on one and you get the right price. Problem is when buyers see the wrong $6.05 price in search they will never click on and get the right price. joh**: I reported this a day ago. Britany N.: Okay. One moment. Britany N.: Our technicians are currently working to correct this. I don't have an estimated time of fix on this, but I have assured that your report was received. joh**: I have lost over 1 days selling time on several items, some were so close to the end that I changed from calculated to fixed, just to try to get some bids in the short remaining time. joh**: Well you have not answered my origional question. joh**: When is the search postage calculations going to be corrected? Are you going to refund listing fees if not corrected soon, or extend the length of auctions to make up for time that the shipping calculation was broken?
Britany N.: We do not have an estimated time of fix. As the calculator is working within the listing, we will most likely not refund the listing fees for the items, nor extend durations for the items. joh**: Can I speak wit a SUPERVISOR Please! Britany N.: I currently do not have a supervisor available, but I can forward your concerns and have them email you regarding this situation. joh**: Can I report eBay to PayPal and describe the service SNAD and get a paypal refund on my ebay fees. joh**: You do know what SNAD stands for? Britany N.: I'm not certain if they would be able to create a refund request, but I'm sure you could create a request to PayPal. Britany N.: I do not, no. joh**: SNAD satnds for signifacantly Not as Described. Britany N.: Good to know. Britany N.: Was there anything else I could help you with today? joh**: When the service is showing the wrong postage, and no one bids on your items because of it. That is bad service and the seller should be compensated for it. joh**: When will a supervisor be available. I will wait. Britany N.: I don't have an estimated time, actually. They are currently in a meeting. joh**: I am very upset with the quality of service from ebay on my calculated shipping items, and the fixed price items I had to change from calculated. joh**: I will wait. Britany N.: Okay. joh**: I am very Upset and disapointed with eBay right now and want to make sure that it is expressed to a supervisor. Britany N.: I will definitely be able to forward your concerns to my supervisor, but you are welcome to wait as well. joh**: If I advertized the items in a newspaper and they made a mistake on the shipping the newspaper would give an instant relist of the item or a refund no questions asked. I wish ebay understood customer service, and that the customer (the sellers and buyers) but mostly the sellers pay ebays fees, should not suffer for ebay's mistakes. Britany N.: I understand your frustration. joh**: Do you understand that the party that makes the mistake (in this case ebay) should be the party that pays for the mistake not the customer. joh**: Why should sellers pay for ebays mistakes. Britany N.: Please understand that eBay can't guarantee the amounts given by the shipping calculator. We provide this information only as a free service to our members. joh**: If I made a mistake on my listings, I would have to pay for it not the buyer. Britany N.: We do understand that there is currently an issue with shipping prices in search and are working to correct this. joh**: It is a free service included with the purchase price of a listing. joh**: If that free service causes the listing service to become worthless, then why should I pay for the listing. joh**: If listed something with a free service "free shipping" and the item was broke during shipping, both ebay and paypal would not allow the excuse " the shipping was free? what do you expect? sorry you item is broken too bat. joh**: too bad joh**: thst is what you are telling me. I just does not make sence.. Britany N.: Again, I do understand your concerns. I can forward these to my supervisor for you, but they are not currently available at the moment. If you would like to continue waiting in chat for my supervisor, you are welcome to do so. However, I do need to concentrate on other members at this time. joh**: I told you that I will wait. joh**: As long as you keep telling me too bad the item was broken in shipping, what do you expect the shipping was free. I will keep responding to your too bad. Britany N.: One moment while I transfer you to my Supervisor. joh**: ok Please wait while you are transferred to another agent. Brigham: Hello, thank you for using eBay's Live Help! My name is Brigham. I am a Supervisor with eBay PowerSeller/Stores support. One moment please as I review your question. joh**: ok Your chat has ended. Please click the Quit button
oh no............i'm so sorry. that could have been a saturday night live skit! with barbie, i mean, britanny, played by some teen singer wannabe................... ouch. i hope you can call paypal and talk to someone there! ~^..^~ piney
If eBay and PayPal Fees were not so high, it is a discussion that would have never happened. But they Are very high, and on some items I can not sell on ebay any more because of the High Fees, so I wish the fees were low enough that it did not matter, and I could make more on the lower priced items than eBay and PayPal do.
Though I am still (yes it is May 11) using the old sell form, it is my understanding that a listing will not post with the new one unless either fixed or calculated shipping is selected (i.e. one cannot just leave it out).
Since I do not have a handling charge, I always just invoiced for the exact amount after the auction ended. Never had a problem..(still don't until they take the page down).
I used the shipping calculator once. It was a glitchy day and everything was posted as $1.00. If you sell an item via eBay express...the "calculator" used there is charging ZERO for all those 'immediate payment required listings'. What's up with this?
Chances are your 'supervisor' was not actually a supervisor.
When I worked for a major phone company (411 - don't laugh, someone had to do it!) request were made to speak with supervisors. The standard reply was that they were in a meeting. There was no actual supervisor for our office, only an office manager and she worked our office and one other. Mostly the other.
At any rate, we would just have regular operators that would rotate on a weekly basis and 'play supervisor' if it was really needed. It saved the company tons of money by not having to hire real supervisors to work shifts 24/7.
So, your supervisor just could have been a nobody also.
For new newsgroup readers, these are not our forum posts. Any comments to the posters below should be made on the applicable thread, marked in bold below.
The following is an official eBay position presented by eBay Finding Team member Jeff King ( [email protected] ).
http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200705.shtml#2007-05-03151101 ***A Message from Jeff King: Improving the Finding Experience***
May 03, 2007 | 03:20PM PST/PT
Jeff King
Hi...I'm Jeff King, and I lead the Finding team here at eBay. As part of eBay's strategy, the folks on my team have been working on improving how people find things on eBay. After all, you can't win that item if you can't find it. Redesigning something so crucial to eBay is a huge undertaking, but, fortunately, we’re coming from a strong base of knowledge in this area.
For years, eBay's proprietary search technology has supported a marketplace that gets hundreds of millions of searches a day. In addition, my team has gained valuable insight from other new finding experiences that we've introduced on eBay – like eBay Express, our redesigned search results test (which we ran last winter), Best Match, and Motors 2.0. Your input and feedback on these projects has been invaluable, helping us figure out what works well and what does not.
The development cycle for projects like this requires lots of research, good design and development and, most importantly, ample testing in real market conditions. In the next few weeks, we'll be running a test of our latest Finding technology. For about six weeks, a small percentage of buyers (around 1%) will see a different search experience than what is currently available on eBay. This is project is similar to the "New Way to Shop" which we first tested back in 2005, although it has evolved significantly since then.
We think that this new technology will make eBay's search one of the most intelligent on the web, putting the right items in front of the right buyers more than ever before. In this new Finding experience, we'll still return listings where the item titles and descriptions match your search terms. And now we'll also use other elements of a listing as well (such as item specifics and category). This gives buyers the best chance of finding what they want without having to "guess at" all the terms the seller could've used in their item title.
As a simple example, if a buyer in the test searches for "red size 12 shoes," instead of looking just for listings with the words "red," "size," "12," and "shoes," the search engine will find all of the items in the shoe category that are size 12 in the color red. In the end, the buyer should see more relevant items. Plus they'll see a new way to narrow their listings results according to important details such as size, color, type, etc.
Because Finding is so important, you can continue to expect extensive testing like this as we work to ensure our designs and technology work for the marketplace. We expect this particular test to run about six weeks to allow us time to collect data and member input.
On behalf of my entire team, we appreciate your feedback and support.
For new newsgroup readers, these are not our forum posts. Any comments to the posters below should be made on the applicable thread, marked in bold below.
FYI apologist itspostingtime posts spin and damage control for eBay ...
//
From eBay Stores Forum Cobb's BIG Townhall Lie http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000378586&tstart=0&mod=1180718088730
gone2deriver (0 ) May-31-07 22:21 PDT Bill Cobb during tonight's Townhall again stated that Yahoo Ads would only appear as complimentary results and not as competing results. This is a Big Lie! It took me only one search "Apple Mighty Mouse" to find no store results coming up, only ebay express listings and Yahoo Ads For "Apple Mighty Mouse" Here is the search:
And here is what it looks like: (in case they fix it to hide the evidence!)
Directly competing Yahoo Ads linking to competing products offsite are all over the ebay. It would not be so bad if we could link to our own off ebay stores.....
Previously Cobb stated that ads would only appear on "Null Result Pages". Another Bigger Lie!
If you search for announcements where Cobb states that the ads will not compete with ebay listings, it is funny but those announcements have disappeared.
In May, eBay North America President Bill Cobb had stated that the Yahoo ads would be for complementary products and services. "For example, a buyer searching for a hair dryer might be presented with sponsored search ads for related items like shampoo or hair brushes" (http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200605250457542.html).
Further more Catherine England stated that:
eBay spokesperson Catherine England explained , "Bill Cobb spoke about the possibility of presenting "complementary" ads on eBay searches that yielded results - where the ads would feature items related or complementary to the term searched. That may be something we test in the future; what we are currently testing is the display of Yahoo text ads on eBay searches that yield no results. As the test continues, we will continue to refine what gets displayed and when."
This proves beyond any doubt Bill Cobb constantly LIES to sellers!
I remeber last year when this first came up.... Well welcome to the end of that slippery slope folks!
We are now paying to list content and in some cases we are producing content (blogs wikis etc) so Ebay can sell ads driving users away from our listings and content onto competing sites with only ebay gaining from that revenue! What a rip-off!
If you go to ebay Live make sure you hammer him on this!
roc** May-31-07 23:07 PDT 1 of I've been seeing those sponsored ads in some searches I've done. They DON'T just come up when no auctions are found. I've seen them in searches where about 30 auctions are found. And some store items.
And I've had quite a few NULL results & when I can go to the category I see all kinds of listings that never came up in the search. The items are there but Ebay's crummy search engine is not showing them. Or maybe Ebay plans it that way.
huc** May-31-07 23:19 PDT 2 of hey if there was only one lie in today's town hall, then that is a HUGE improvement. maybe the glass is half full after all.
huckster3000
DEAD END DRIVE-IN DVD
.
itspostingtime (2 ) May-31-07 23:36 PDT 3 of 31
gone,
I just finished listening to the Town hall and it seemed to me what Cobb said is that the text ads are currently being TESTED and that the INTENT is for them to be complimentary, NOT competitive. MY sense was that Cobb was basically saying ebay does NOT want competitive ads.
I may be mistaken, but I think the ads themselves are generated by Yahoo, and my impression is that , while Cobb isn't going to openly criticize Yahoo , he recognizes that some of the ads are a problem.
Also, I don't think Cobb ever said the only ads would be for null results. I think what he said in the past is that they would start testing with null result ads, and go from there. Well, obviously, they've gone from there.
In fact, here's this from the July 2006 auctionbytes article you cite:
eBay spokesperson Catherine England explained , "Bill Cobb spoke about the possibility of presenting "complementary" ads on eBay searches that yielded results - where the ads would feature items related or complementary to the term searched. That may be something we test in the future; what we are currently testing is the display of Yahoo text ads on eBay searches that yield no results. As the test continues, we will continue to refine what gets displayed and when."
This is from Cobb's May statement you also cite:
Over the summer, eBay and Yahoo! will also be testing new text ad placements on some eBay pages. For instance, we’ll be looking at placements at the bottom of search results pages if there are no matching items found. We’ll be testing other placements on a limited number of search results pages, too, as a way to learn what works well for eBay buyers and sellers. This will include testing some sponsored search ads for complementary products and services – for example, a buyer searching for a hair dryer might be presented with sponsored search ads for related items like shampoo or hair brushes. To be clear, we will not place ads on view item pages.
Note that he mentions placements where no search results are found (null results) BUT ALSO says "testing some sponsored search ads for complementary products and services..."
The fact that he's talking about complementary implies that he's talking about in a non-null situation...in a null situation, the ads could be for the actual product being searched.....what he's saying is, that in non-mull situations, the ads should be for complementary items (rather than items that actually match up with the search term and thus compete with the ebay items)
I think it's obvious to everyone that in some cases, ads are showing up for competitive products. If you read the auctionbytes article and England's statements there it looks to me like ebay is trying to figure out how best to prevent that from happening....obviously, Yahoo is not always displaying what should be displayed, and I think ebay will be working on trying to ensure complimentary ads will show.
My impression is that text ads are here to stay, but that steps will likely be taken to try to rein in ads that directly compete with ebay sellers.
.
huc** Jun-01-07 00:05 PDT 4 of IPT, i have to hand it to you. if (as you have repeatedly claimed) you are indeed not a paid company shill, then you are without a single doubt ebay incorporated's greatest unsung trench soldier.
march on drummer boy, as long as it turns your crank.
huckster3000
DEAD END DRIVE-IN DVD
gone2deriver (0 ) Jun-01-07 00:17 PDT 5 of The Big Sell Out is ON
Actually all search results are showing competing ads now. I don't think there is any effort to show complimentary items at all. We have been sold out!
Furthermore, now we know why ebay changed the user agreement to take possession of everyones content posted to listings, wikis and blogs on the site. About a week ago if you did not cancel your account you gave ebay exclusive right to your content posted on ebay. Now ebay is free to monetize on your content without sharing the revenue with you! What a deal for ebay! Ebay grabs a million blog and wiki posts and sticks yahoo ads all over them. Then uses Stumbleupon to drive force traffic to that content.
The Stumbleupon purchase now makes since if a stumbler is forced when stumbling to visit the "relevant" ebay wikis and blogs that ebay now owns every tenth stumble, and occasionally showing a relevant merchandise search page once in a while. All the while the little guys writing the content and trying to make some money here get royally screwed.
daz** Jun-01-07 00:20 PDT 6 of hey all you night stalkers - relax - it's all just a big joke - a joke on you and me - soooo glad I was already leary of ebay before the wiki and blog carp - never did by into those
pos** Jun-01-07 00:22 PDT 7 of Ebay grabs a million blog and wiki posts and sticks yahoo ads all over them
I saw through that one day one.
I never even filled in my My World page...and would never ever right a blog, wiki or review on an Ebay page.
All that content stuff is what made me realize I needed my own website so I could use those type things to drive traffic elsewhere.
I paid Ebay to drive traffic to me...not to pay them and drive traffic to them so they could divert it away from me.
That just never made much sense from my viewpoint.
neg** Jun-01-07 00:33 PDT 8 of gone2 - I don't see the competing ads on any of the links you posted. Has Firefox blocked them or is seeing them part of a test?
I remember when Vendio tried the Yahoo ads - at first all of them were about p*nil* implants and Viagara etc....users had to really make a big fuss to get them to stop those kinds of ads. At the time Vendio said that Yahoo was supposed to filter the types of ads displayed - I just noticed that the ads aren't on the site anymore.
gone2deriver (0 ) Jun-01-07 00:46 PDT 9 of I noticed it looks like ebay knows they were caught. The dial soap and X2 Sponsored Ads are gone now. Like last year as soon as they are posted to the forums ebay will pull them down I caught a screenie of the trek ads at the bottom of the search results for trek bikes:
gone2deriver (0 ) Jun-01-07 00:47 PDT 10 of Whoops here it is inline:
gone2deriver (0 ) Jun-01-07 00:59 PDT 11 of Here is another screenie I did 10 independent searches and all show the competing ads, here is a sceenie from one such search. I invite others to post screenshots documenting this as well as it is too easy for ebay to pull down the offending links in an effort to discredit the posts. Here is a certain search for ipods:
As I said seller's remeber this issue in Boston! Let Cobb have it!
gone2deriver (0 ) Jun-01-07 01:00 PDT 12 of I can't remember how to type remember tonight : )
gone2deriver (0 ) Jun-01-07 01:09 PDT 13 of Here is a screenie of the X2 search above note that every single ad is for a competing offsite merchant nothing "complimentary about it":
I think we should demand either a share of the revenue or an immediate fee cut!
gone2deriver (0 ) Jun-01-07 01:14 PDT 14 of Some of the offsite merchants in the ads picture above:
MSN Shopping (can you believe it!) Tiger Direct Become.com (comparison search engine) Best Buy (not competitve at all!!!) Shop.com Yahoo Shopping (no surprise) Apple Store JR Music Smarter.com (comparison search engine)
What is ebay thinking!!!
oce** Jun-01-07 03:48 PDT 15 of in some of my china (dinnerware) searches, I've seen competing ads for:
Macys.com
fir** Jun-01-07 04:11 PDT 16 of This isn't the first time this has happened. Probably won't be the last either. There is a solution to this, you know? Pay for Yahoo! ads for your own webstore. Much cheaper than eBay fees. I personally don't, but I do regularly get clicks into my stores through these same type of ads from international eBay sites - which rely on Google's Adsense. In fact, i get far more clicks from those ads that I EVER got from having a link on my ME page, even when I would run 200+ simultaneous auctions with big old links to my ME page in the description and my email address spelled out in large fonts (me @ mydomain dot com).
eBay will probably keep doing this until the uproar from sellers gets too loud. Why wouldn't they? After all this is free revenue for them. eBay has proven repeatedly that management doesn't care where the revenue comes from, insertion & FVF's, Paypal fees, ad revenue, hijacked accounts, global terrorists, drug cartels, e-fencers, etc. And now with the expansion of eBay Inc. away from an online auction house, they care even less about the sellers.
itsposting - I still don't believe that you aren't on the eBay payroll.
jac** Jun-01-07 04:39 PDT 17 of they care even less about the sellers
I agree and ebay has a proven track record.
myg** Jun-01-07 04:39 PDT 18 of I wouldn't even mind the off-ebay ads showing up in the searches IF eBay would put the Store back in searches where they belong.
UNBELIEVABLE that they won't show their own products in search but will show ads to drive people off eBay.
What kind of people are running eBay????????
FRUITY KITTY and DARTH VADER KITTY (Founding Felines)
tat** Jun-01-07 04:41 PDT 19 of What kind of people are running eBay????????
Do we really want to know the answer to that question????
coc** Jun-01-07 04:45 PDT 20 of I clicked on the link in the opening post. This is what I see:
coc** Jun-01-07 04:58 PDT 21 of And here is the dial soap:
firemeg (12 ) Jun-01-07 05:05 PDT 22 of Wow, I haven't seen that one yet.
That's more than a slap in the face to sellers. That a ____ in the _____.
coc** Jun-01-07 05:10 PDT 23 of I don't know why I am presented with this type of view. Been trying to figure it out for over a week. First time I saw it I could not even begin to believe it was true. T & S board suggested I had a computer virus????
They are pretty consistent though, but with IE it typically only shows the list of sponsored links, not these thumbnails that take one directly down the river. Too wierd.
coc** Jun-01-07 05:16 PDT 24 of Here is the trek:
tur** Jun-01-07 05:46 PDT 25 of This is absolutely ridicoulus. The own stores as a link so small that you need a magnifying glass to see it, but gallery picture listings from competitor sites.
roc** Jun-01-07 06:23 PDT 26 of Yeah, stores barely get a blip on the map. I guess Ebay considers our money too insignificant---not the direction Ebay wants to go.
coc** Jun-01-07 06:26 PDT 27 of Perhaps they should include this at the bottom of their sponsored links:
Participants in these 'outside-of-eBay' transactions lose their ability to use eBay purchase protection programs and feedback.
Found that on another page, but they ought to use it.
sli** Jun-01-07 08:49 PDT 28 of You'se keep alluding to itsposting....
Hear Ye, hear ye: That ain't no other than the inimitable Brain Chemicals, reincarnated.
bla** Jun-01-07 09:14 PDT 29 of Wondered what happened to BC, but how can you be sure about that?
blo** Jun-01-07 09:46 PDT 30 of Yeah I've noticed all the ads..load of carp!
Why does store fees keep going up but we get no exposure!
~
myg** Jun-01-07 10:14 PDT 31 of What we need is an eBay NEW HIRE - one who doesn't know about Stores. One who thinks "Ebay Stores would be a great idea... One who say "I am so glad I thought of it" .... let me mention it to the new eBay management ...Management says GREAT Idea that you StumbledUpon... Management decides to make an Offer to Buy EBAY STORES! ... not realizing they already owned them ... they just couldn't see them.
End of Story
FRUITY KITTY and DARTH VADER KITTY (Founding Felines)
cho** Jun-01-07 11:52 PDT 32 of What you need to do is say you will boycott every major advertiser that shows up there
We're potty trained, but we don't have to be
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cho** Jun-01-07 11:54 PDT 33 of Start talking smack about dat lending tree. ebay might not care about what we think, but those advertisers are hoping all us millions of buyers AND sellers are gonna want to click them. We are lead generation for them. It's like having a stripper pole next to your church! They are dirtying up my park!
We're potty trained, but we don't have to be
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gon** Jun-01-07 11:58 PDT 34 of Firemeg has picked this up on his/her blog:
pos** Jun-01-07 12:02 PDT 35 of With Firefox you can not only get an addon that enables gallery pix on ALLLLLL listings (even the store ones at the bottom and those where seller didn't pay Ebay the blackmail fees to show up), but you can also get the adblock addon.
One right click on any of those banner ads and they are gone forever.
i wonder if it will work on the smaller ones? I'm not in the test group and haven't seen them on my searches so I can't test it.
aga** Jun-01-07 13:05 PDT 36 of I paid Ebay to drive traffic to me...not to pay them and drive traffic to them so they could divert it away from me.
That just never made much sense from my viewpoint.
Very well said!!! I think I am going to be sick. How utterly callous of upper management. I hope they all rot in he!!. They are the scumbags of the earth. I am so angry!! If I could afford to go to eBay live, I would take those morons by the throat and snap their necks off. What a-holes.
san** Jun-01-07 14:09 PDT 37 of I was looking for a wholesale lot of something recently when the banner ads popped up for what I needed from my search. DIRECT competition for an Ebay item and sadly I have to say I purchased (BOO! HISS!) from the banner ad company because I could get a better price than from the Ebay seller. Never would have known they existed without the banner ads trumpeting the companies. SO Bill Cobb you speak with "forked tongue". There were probably 6 Ebay sellers on that search but the two banner ads that came up were both better deals. Maybe I should go back and email the sellers involved to tell them to personally thank Bill Cobb for costing them the sales.
gone2deriver (0 ) Jun-01-07 14:40 PDT 38 of bump
pos** Jun-01-07 14:47 PDT 39 of sandrarn, if the banner ads don't get your attention then the little light bulb telling you not to waste your time on the silly auctions but to go straight to express where you can get it new (BIG LIE) and get it now will.
Between banners and EE ads its no wonder things are so bad in the stores and core right now.
san** Jun-01-07 15:04 PDT 40 of You are correct postcardsandmore. That's why after a year of proclaiming I would never go into Express I did so. I had to play Ebay's game to neutralize the advantages they are giving Express sellers/items. It of course didn't hurt that I was also specifically eyeballing those customers as lucrative new buyers for my website. They fit the demographics and target buyers perfectly. I absolutely hate Express. I hate every part about it but decided I was going to do it the Ebay way. I am going to use Ebay to make my business bigger and better and not allow Ebay to be the only parasite in this relationship.
The really sad part is my Express sales are skyrocketing as part of my overall sales figures.
pos** Jun-01-07 15:38 PDT 41 of That's not sad...lol. That's great (until ebay starts charging for the privilege of being included).
I tried opting into EE as well before closing up shop but it didn't help. I have yet to have one single EE sale and I was opted in for several months including May 1 to May 17th when I gave up.
coc** Jun-01-07 15:50 PDT 42 of Clicking on the fourth search string in post #5 (nicad batteries) I see this:
Looks like they got confused and are using a best match smart search or something with the sponsored links section .....LOL! Those things likely use Nicads...but.....we can shop directly someplace else...Isn't that nice of eBay to offer that to us? (not)
coc** Jun-01-07 16:00 PDT 43 of And clicking on the last search link....eBay will let you know some great place to get your pez dispensers:
Thanks, Bill...from all your sellers!!!!
coc** Jun-01-07 16:08 PDT 44 of If you will notice, the "pez" screen shot shows that I was on page one of 49........
I do not have a store anymore. I am, and have been a seller since 1998. This is insulting at the very least.
gone2deriver (0 ) Jun-01-07 16:23 PDT 45 of Digg your disgust with this:
consider it dugg. although i think the average digger would fall pretty squarely in the "ebay is past passe" camp. but, you know, whatever. never hurts to try.
i have to say that this has been one heck of page-turner of a thread so far. i can't begin to imagine what e-inc is even thinking at this point. it's a real mind scramble. but nice work, gone2 et. al.
huckster3000
DEAD END DRIVE-IN DVD
designasquare (0 ) Jun-01-07 20:59 PDT 49 of The time has officially come when ebay became a ho. Oh well, see how fast this ship is sinking? Lower and faster than ever.
bhe** Jun-01-07 22:48 PDT 50 of I saved this eBay announcement which was posted on June 3, 2000. I think it's still relevant.
Over the last several months we have gradually increased the frequency and placement of various advertisements on eBay. You may have wondered why we are doing this.
Last year, we recognized that we had to vastly increase investment in our technology and our customer support infrastructure to support the needs of our growing community. We also recognized that we had to bring more people to the eBay marketplace and we continue to do so through strategic partnerships and marketing initiatives such as AOL and Disney/Go.com. These investments have been substantial, expensive and necessary.
As you may also know, eBay is one of the few online businesses that has consistently believed that a profitable business model is important for any company that wishes to remain a viable company for the long-term. We also believe this philosophy makes sense to our community so that you know we will be around for you and that we will always provide you with a fair and consistent level of service.
We need to support the additional costs of the continuous and substantial investments in our technology, customer support and in our marketing initiatives. We only have a few ways to generate revenue, including increasing fees, developing strategic relationships and by selling advertisements. We believe that additional advertisement sales are the best way to raise revenue at this time.
You may have noticed the placement of ads on eBay in Listings, Search and other areas of the site. Many of you have expressed concern about the placement of ads on individual Item pages. We would like to reiterate that although we may place links to our co-brand partners on the Item pages of co-branded sites, such as eBay Motors, we will not place ads on active Item pages of eBay.com.
We are also concerned about the types of advertisements on eBay and we look for companies that provide services and products that do not directly compete with products sold by eBay sellers. However, as the breadth of products and services offered by our seller's increases, some advertisers' products will naturally overlap with those of our sellers. We are conscious of this and we will continue to attempt to minimize this overlap.
We have also been trying to ensure that the content of the ads is appropriate for both eBay and our users. Recently, we heard from some of you that the recent ads were "product ads" that directly competed with products that you were selling. After hearing your feedback on these ads, we have made a few changes and want to inform you of them.
First, we have made the ads less specific when tied to Search. For example, if a user searched using the word "toaster", an ad including the word toaster would have appeared. This, we agree, does not benefit you, and we have discontinued that practice. However, if you search using the word "toaster", an ad for an appliance or home product may appear, but not a specific competing product ad.
Second, a number of you expressed concerns that Double-Click was using cookies to serve ads that determined the type of ad you would view. Double-Click provided us the option to include a cookie, but we chose to NOT include the cookie.
We at eBay have always strived to do things hand in hand with you, our users. In the coming months, we plan to try other advertisements to generate the revenue needed to support the infrastructure for eBay's growing community. As always, we encourage you to share your thoughts with us on what eBay can do to make advertising work on the site. Please feel free to email your suggestions to [email protected] and to include "Quality Support" in the subject line.
We understand that we have a long way to go. But we believe that these first steps will help us achieve our goals as a sound business while providing you with the quality service that our community deserves.
Regards, eBay
cho** Jun-01-07 23:12 PDT 51 of Quality and support. All the money in the world can't buy that! LOL
buz** Jun-01-07 23:51 PDT 52 of This may be an over simplification but I don't see a lot of difference between the new sponsor ads and featured auctions.
In both cases the seller is paying for premium exposure at a premium price.
I had to turn my ad filter off to even see them.
And from a buyers perspective...I didn't see any sponsor ads which looked more promising than the liquidation prices on eBay.
firemeg (12 ) Jun-02-07 01:47 PDT 53 of We only have a few ways to generate revenue, including increasing fees, developing strategic relationships and by selling advertisements.
The geniuses forgot about: 1. Increasing listing volume. 2. Increasing average selling price. 3. Increasing sell-through rates. 4. Charging for every service under the sun.
This may be an over simplification but I don't see a lot of difference between the new sponsor ads and featured auctions. In both cases the seller is paying for premium exposure at a premium price.
Over-simplification, no. Just sort of wrong. A featured listing costs $15+ per 1,3,5,7 or 10 days. Premium price, not so premium exposure (ever shrinking homepage ads box for featured listings for one). While Yahoo! ads can be purchased starting at a few cents per click or per 1000 impressions. With any type of ad service like Yahoo! or Google, your ad shows up all over the web, whereas w/ featured eBay listings, your items show up only on eBay.com.
If this ad program flies, look for eBay to show another quarter full of profit and revenue growth. When this happens, it doesn't matter what state the site is in, wall street will smile, even if it means increased fraud, lower traffic, lower listing volume and seller attrition.
coc** Jun-02-07 04:57 PDT 54 of Thank you bhearch for that 'announcement'. As for toasters however, apparently eBay has decided that a direct approach is best now in 2007 with regards to "Westinghouse toasters":
Surprisingly enough a TITLE search for "antique toaster" yeilded 49 results, 17 did not have 'antique' in the title at all. I was shown what eBay thought I wanted to see I suppose. The sponsored links in that search were for "toaster knobs" from various websites other than eBay.
spo** Jun-02-07 05:24 PDT 55 of I find it unbelievable what I have read here and have seen on the screen shots. All of us know how hard it is getting traffic. Most of the time when I search my items on ebay, they are no long found unless I type EXACTLY what the title is.
IE: the word autograph or auto or signed.
If only one of those words are combined with the players name, only one will show up if at all.
Seems to me if the players name has ANY of those 3 words, the listing would show up.
Is this new advertising you show here, is that catagory specific? I don't see any ads like that under the sports catagory.
As far as EE, I have been off and on since it started. I have been more on than off of EE but have NOT had one sale....I can find most of my listings there either, unless I search by my ebay ID.
Keep working to get out of ebay but I am still making a profit. Even though we complain, ebay still gets more hits than any other auction site.
The few other auction sites I have tried have proved very little traffic if any at all.
tat** Jun-02-07 06:06 PDT 56 of Bill didn't LIE...I believe the term on eBay is called "mis-spoke" now.
Can I buy the eBay thesaurus anywhere on ebay? Or is it called the double-speak translation guide?
I just want to make sure I know what they mean by what they say.
aga** Jun-02-07 06:42 PDT 57 of I find it unbelievable what I have read here and have seen on the screen shots. All of us know how hard it is getting traffic. Most of the time when I search my items on ebay, they are no long found unless I type EXACTLY what the title is.
It kind of struck me that maybe eBay wants people to search each individual category, and not search by title. If that is the case, it might force people to list in more than one category. That gives eBay an additional listing fee. I always try to look for the most sinister reasons for why eBay does what it does. additional listing fee. I always try to look for the most sinister reasons for why eBay does what it does.
coc** Jun-02-07 06:50 PDT 58 of "it might force people to list in more than one category."
You could list your Pez dispenser or toaster in as many categories as you choose. The fact remains that your customers are provided the links to shop on the competitive sites.
aga** Jun-02-07 07:09 PDT 59 of You could list your Pez dispenser or toaster in as many categories as you choose. The fact remains that your customers are provided the links to shop on the competitive sites.
That is correct. eBay will make money on your double listing fees (which gives you a better chance to be found), as well as money from the ads that take you off the eBay site. If we do not find what we want with keyword searches, and instead must search by categories, eBay has a much better chance to make money on the ads they are putting in your listings. More items looked at by the buyer, and the more they click on the ads, the better it is for eBay.
Of course, I am assuming eBay makes something on the prospective buyers actually clicking on the ads. I could be wrong about that.
zek**Jun-02-07 11:37 PDT 60 of Look to the Right Side...
this pic is from a Search in September 2006:
oldklutz (2663 ) Jun-02-07 12:25 PDT 61 of Isn't a comparison supposed to show it is less expensive here? IF it is doing that then it won't drive anyone anywhere else to get it. Most of the sites people already know about anyway.
Some people are like Slinkies. They're really good for nothing, but they still bring a smile
) 
it is sitemeter. 
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Download link?
Also: is it intentionally named after the waterslide/bedroom community where Bill and Ted are from or was that just a coincidence?