EventHorizon1984 Log

A Tale of Four eBay Sellers

A Tale of Four eBay Sellers
14 February 2011 
Valentine's Day Edition
EventHorizon1984

While scanning the various blog sites, one of us came across this interesting note.

Where CohibaStore.com, a PowerSellersUnite regular member, states:

• "Due to some moron at PayPal, or better, the morons at PayPal, I am unable to withdraw funds or use the PP debit card for a few weeks."
• "I hung up the phone and promptly shut down my ebay stores, closed all the listings and took the rest of the day off."

A week later one of his eBay Stores remains empty.

You might be asking, "why the interest in this seller?".  He happens to be one of the sellers in our eNA (eBay Noise Aggregate) study.  Where we quantified the eBay 'store to core' impact on sellers.

Since we mentioned "Four eBay Sellers", "submitted for your approval" are four sellers of the hundred and nineteen sellers studied.

1. clact (5209), member since Feb-25-02
2. cleggandco (24352), member since Aug-20-02
3. oldspartantrader (7696), member since Feb-28-05
4. z50com (10482), member since Jun-25-00

These sellers are well known successful eBay PowerSellers with hundreds of listings.  And with hundreds/thousands of posts on various venues. 

Or at least that's the way it was in 2008/2009.

1.  "Are you trying to cheer me up?" 
Captain John Sheridan, Babylon 5

Clact, better known as Marty on the eBay Stores Discussion Board, and eBay Voices participant, currently has these two listings on eBay.

A set of two listings that has been essentially unchanged since 2010.  Although it's been presumed that he is off doing other eBay related things.

2.  "I'll be back." 
Terminator, The Terminator (1968)

Cleggandco, also known at CohibaStore on the PowerSellersUnite forums, had this to say in 2007.

• "My sales are currently 90% ebay, 5% my web store and 5% blujay."
• "Most importantly you need to build a reputation. You cannot do this overnight. You need that reputation to help spread your reputation via word of mouth. It's still the best form of advertising."

Today he has an Amazon outlet, higher total sales compared to 2010, and for the moment no products on eBay.  BUT that's temporary.  

• "Of the 300+ ebay listings we used to run, we have perhaps 50 that will get re-listed when they fix it. I will continue to suck money out of their system and ride out the decline until it's completely unproductive - as everyone should be doing."
• "Customer service continues to be dreadful. Even as Gold Top Rated Power seller, getting an answer, or even making contact requires herculean effort. I'll bet cash money it will be this continued failing that finally drives me off from selling on ebay, rather than fees, idiot buyers or moronic rules."

Will this $10K a month (on eBay) seller remain on eBay?  Shrug.

3. "That wizard is just a crazy old man." 
Uncle Owen, Star Wars (1977)

Oldspartantrader or Carl, has been a fixture on the eBay Stores Discussion Board for years.  

Currently he is NARU, having left eBay on his terms in 2010, opting for retirement.

4.  "You can count on my steel." 
Unknown warrior, Army of Darkness (1992).

z50com also known as John, is a noted aerospace tool seller.  He's a regular poster on the Yahoo! EBAY Message Board and AuctionBytes.  In 2007 he had this to say:

• "Ebay works great for me. Most weeks I sell 90-100% of my listings. Prices for my products have never been higher."
• "I hate hearing all the whining from unsuccessful sellers, adapt or go out of business. The strongest will survive, I have."

Depending on the source, his "90-100%" sell through was coupled with anywhere from $2K to $10K a week in gross sales.  Making him at the time the largest, or one of the largest, in this small group of four sellers.

His current selling status has changed dramatically from those prior years.

z50com still sells on eBay in a smaller capacity, but appears to supplement his income through a part or full time job.

"What is the moral?  Must be a moral." 
Comedy Tonight, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (1966)

If there is any moral to this "Tale of Four eBay Sellers," it might be the comment about eBay's treatment of Calvin Klein, where we rhetorically asked:

• "if eBay is willing to show such tepid support for a $6 billion dollars in sales a year corporation, how do you think eBay treats the much smaller sellers?"

Now we know.

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"He's dead. I'm crippled. You're lost."
Flight Officer David Campbell, The Longest Day (1962)

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eBay Noise Aggregate (eNA)

• The eBay Noise Aggregate (eNA) - Measuring The Impact Of Store To Core
• The eBay Noise Aggregate (eNA) Redux

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Calvin Klein Slow Death on eBay or Best Match?

Calvin Klein Slow Death on eBay or Best Match?
10 August 2010
EventHorizon1984

With minor fanfare Calvin Klein opened an eBay store last week.  It's incredible that eBay (EBAY, share price $21.91) kept this news low key given the Calvin Klein brand.  Then again given the pedigree of the Calvin Klein (1978) brand versus eBay's (1995), it might not have been eBay's decision to make.

Calvin Klein is owned by the Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation (PVH, share price $53.27). 

As noted by the multi-brand Phillips-Van Heusen, "We closed 2009 approaching $6 billion in global retail sales under the Calvin Klein brands."  Compared to the eBay 'oranges' of $4.46 billion in Marketplaces Net Transaction Revenue; i.e. fees not sales.

And of course Calvin Klein has it's own web store.

One might expect a well known global brand, to do well almost anywhere.

Well...

Calvin Klein may have opened an eBay Store last week, but their eBay selling ID was created on 30 September 2009.

Seller ID calvinklein has a positive feedback rating of 15.  With DSR (Detailed Seller Rating) of 5.0 Item as described, 5.0 Communication, 4.9 Shipping Time, and a sub-par 4.7 Shipping and handling charges.

There are 10,207 listings for calvinklein.

And 26,826 closed listings.

According to figures from eBay supported TeraPeak, from July 9 to August 7, calvinklein had 47 successful listings for total sales of $1,614.  And a sell through rate of 0.8%.

Given the lack of exposure on eBay's Fashion Vault page that Calvin Klein gets,

and the lack of press hype, perhaps the lack of sales should be expected.

Which leads to the question, if eBay is willing to show such tepid support for a $6 billion dollars in sales a year corporation, how do you think eBay treats the much smaller sellers?

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"Well, that is your name, isn't it? Calvin Klein? It's written all over your underwear."
Lorraine Baines, Back to the Future, 3 July 1985

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The eBay Noise Aggregate (eNA) Redux

The eBay Noise Aggregate (eNA) Redux
6 June 2010
EventHorizon1984

For those who were part of the thousand or so hits on our previous eNA (eBay Noise Aggregate) article, on May 29th the 30 day eBay Noise Aggregate (eNA) was 157712.  Down 9.2% from the prior eNA of 173608.

Or in sales terms:

• $157,712 - Total 30 day sales ending on or around 29 May 2010
• $173,608 - April 2010

eNA consists of one hundred nineteen (119) eBay "noise sellers" with an aggregate positive feedback of over one-half million (500,000).  "Noise" as coined by eBay CEO John "has a long moustache" Donahoe and eBay ex-CEO Meg Whitman. 

You can glean the short methodology from our previous "The eBay Noise Aggregate (eNA) - Measuring The Impact Of Store To Core" article.

"Ultimately the value eNA is measured in it's predictive ability. Or lack there of."

Let's compare the eNA downward trend to eBay's most protected Diamond seller bought by Rakuten INC Buy (Buy.com).  With Buy's huge variety of products (7,183,772 items offered over 30 days) it should be a good sample of eBay as a whole.

Buy

• $2,213,637 - Total 30 day sales ending on or around 29 May 2010
• $2,478,285 - April 2010

Down 10.7%.

Well eBay is having a rash of listing specials this month.

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Why Are eBay Sellers Finding 100 Million Listings Amazing?

Why Are eBay Sellers Finding 100 Million Listings Amazing?
31 March 2010
EventHorizon1984

On March 30th eBay converted many product listings residing in seller stores to what are known as "Fixed Price listings."  Which garnered a few statistical observations.

An eBay Stores Discussion Board thread "March 30th is here, and now we know...." had itspostingtime start off with:

itspostingtime (Private)   View Listings  

Posts: 4,106

March 30th is here, and now we know....
Mar 30, 2010 8:12 AM

I obviously can't vouch for the accuracy of the count, but....

I just looked at the PSU chart. It indicates an increase between yesterday at this time and today of about 55%....a net gain between now and then of something like 55 million listings....for a total of about 101 million.

While on Power Sellers Unite, sammicat lead the thread "auction count off" with:

sammicat Red Star Total posts: 53

Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2010 8:02 pm Post subject:  auction count off? are the auction counts a little wonky? Does Ebay really have 101 million items listed now?

They are referring to eBay's "101 million" auction listing count on the PowerSellersUnite.com Auction site count chart.  That chart shows the number of eBay auctions at a specific point in time.  The posters are rightfully puzzled because auction listings are not "Fixed Price listings", i.e. the auction count should essentially be the same.

Well we won't talk about 'what's up?' with the statistics, but we will peer into how many listings can be found on eBay "on any given day"? 

In eBay CEO John Donahoe's first solo United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) 10-K filing for "the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009", there is no mention of the number of listings on eBay.  As we tend to say, it's up the reader to figure out where this metric went.

Under the reign of eBay CEO Margaret Whitman, things were different in the SEC filings.  You will find in eBay's United States Securities and Exchange Commission 10-K filing for "the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006" the following statement:

"On any given day, there are more than a hundred million items available through auction-style and fixed-price trading."

Which essentially matches the "101 million" count.

Here's the thing.  What to know what's in the 10-K filing for "the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008"?  The year Margaret Whitman stepped down and John Donahoe took over.

"Our Marketplaces platforms include more than 140.0 million listings on any given day and make available to our users a wide variety and selection of goods"

Either 40 million listings vanished, presuming the unlikely event that there was no increase in the number of listings during 2009, or eBay hasn't finished converting store products to fixed price listings.

eBay's listing count should be interesting to watch during April.

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Is eBay Search Burning?

Is eBay Search Burning?
21 November 2009
EventHorizon1984

By now you're probably seen, or perhaps we should say you haven't seen, eBay's search in action.  Perhaps not coincidentally this comes on the heels of a 11/19-11/20 "Scheduled Maintenance."

Readers can find the various takes on this incident at Google News.

According to an eBay System Announcement made at 02:59 PM PST, this is a minor problem.

"Due to errors in some of our backend systems, members may be seeing different errors in Search.  This could be that "We were unable to run the search results you entered.  Please try again in a few minutes", or simply the browser being unable to display the page."

And, "This is also affecting the ability to access eBay Stores through search directly, and sometimes from the store URL."

Unfortunately this highlights the historical response time of eBay's technical departments.

As you can see a warning went out at 05:02 AM PST, almost 10 hours before eBay decided to notify it's users.

Looking at the technical side you might ask, what gives?  eBay does say what is wrong, abet in an innocuous manner.  They mention errors in the "backend systems".

Picking a random easy to understand explanation at random, this is what Linktionary has to say.

Users interact with applications in front-end systems to make requests on back-end systems. The back-end systems then process the requests, searching and sorting data, serving up files, and providing other services. 

"Back-end systems" loosely refers to servers, superservers, clustered systems, midrange systems, and mainframes that provide data services to users. The location of these services is often called the server farm or data center.

In less complex lingo, i.e. normal human terms, eBay said there is a problem with the Search software and/or hardware.

Most of the bets from the professionals here cover eBay doing a barely tested software update snafu. eBay does has a history of implementing major changes over the weekend, with spectacular results.

The fix options here are patch buggy software or back out the changes.

The hardware aspect is best put by Pete Cashmore of Mashable:

If you’ve been on the web long enough, you’ll know that Twitter isn’t the first startup to have suffered scaling issues: the auction site had significant problems keeping the servers humming in its early days

Basically if you view eBay Search (software, hardware) as a car, Search redlined.  eBay managed to exceed the limits of the software and/or hardware.  For example, more items loaded into the database, than the system can handle.

The fix here is removal of items from the database and/or get more robust software and hardware.

eBay's last system announcement of 03:28 PM PST is almost four hours old, and the problem is coming up on lasting fifteen hours.  So we wonder if this is something as minor as eBay portrays, or something more worrisome?

.

"When will you make an end?!"
Pope Julius II
"When I am finished."
Michelangelo, The Agony and the Ecstacy (1965)

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eBay "Promises, Promises"

eBay "Promises, Promises"
17 November 2009
EventHorizon1984

It was 1968 and the broadway show Promises, Promises opened.  The feature song, a composition by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, was a piece that was initially considered unsingable by the cast.  Enter Dionne Warwick.

You may wonder, why bring this up?  Sometimes 'the play's the thing'.  Or the music.

"Promises, promises"

Fast forward to 14 April 2009 and read the words of Stephanie Tilenius.

"On behalf of eBay, let me open with two words: Thank you. We appreciate your business and the opportunity to strengthen our partnership with you. Together we can do what’s necessary to bring buyers to eBay and keep them coming back.

We also recognize the impact that major changes to eBay can have on your business. For that reason, we are grouping those changes into two or three major releases per year, with at least 60 days advance notice.

In 2009, there will be 2 significant releases. This post announces the first release, coming the week of June 15.  The second release will be announced this summer and will go live in the early fall.

Here’s an overview of the changes launching the week of June 15. This release focuses on driving more sales and improving seller efficiency. Note there are no fee changes in this release."

Stephanie Tilenius

Spring forward to 27 July 2009 and read more from Stephanie Tilenius.

"As announced in April, in the spirit of partnership, eBay is now consolidating changes that impact your business into two or three major releases a year, with two months advance notice. This post introduces the second and final major release of 2009. Most of these updates will launch between September 22 and October 1, 2009."

On 21 September 2009 Stephanie Tilenius was essentially fired.

"Stephanie Tilenius, head of global product and North America for eBay, has decided to transition out of her current role. She’ll become an advisor to John for the next few months and plans to leave the company in early 2010"

In real life the promises of a person are only good as the person, and last as long as they do.

However Stephanie Tilenius was speaking for eBay INC.  Wasn't she?

"I'm all through with promises, promises now"

Being a bit lazy, we'll skip forward to November 2009.

3 November 2009, 4:58 PM PST

"In late September, as part of the Fall Seller Update, we launched a number of changes to email communications between buyers and sellers on eBay."

"Oh promises, promises
This is where those promises, promises end"

5 November 2009, 4:50 PM PST

"starting November 9 we’re removing two graphic elements from the search results page"

Gene Cook

"I don't pretend that what was wrong can be right"

6-9 November 2009

eBay Discussion Boards - eBay Stores - See Today's Announcement

AuctionBytes.com - eBay News for Sellers - Removing Graphics for Faster Search

TameBay.com - eBay.com remove shop modules from search results

"Every night I sleep now, no more lies
Things that I promised myself fell apart"

16 November 2009, 1:28 PM PST

"Starting tomorrow, November 17, you may begin to see merchandise on the bottom of item pages for active listings as well. While we usually refrain from making changes close to the holiday season, the test results showed a considerable increase in sold items, and  we wanted to offer this functionality to our selling community ASAP."

16-17 November

AuctionBytes.com - eBay Displays Competitor's Ads on Live Listings

TheBrewsNews.com - EBay's New Approach To Marketing: Throw The Kitchen Sink At the Buyers

According to Merriam-Webster the word "promise" means, "a declaration that one will do or refrain doing something specified".

There appears to be on the part of eBay a lack of refraining from doing what they declared.

eBay's pubic relations folks are bandying about the weasel terms "minor changes" and "major changes."  That these are "minor changes" not "major changes."   That's PR feldercarb you're slinging.  Playing this type of word game destroys trust.

Which brings us to the word, "trust."  According to Merriam-Webster the word "trust" means "assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone of something." 

If there can be no reliance on what eBay promises, why should any eBay customer believe what eBay says.

"Oh, promises, their kind of promises can just destroy a life
Oh, promises, those kind of promises take all the joy from life"

Incidentally should eBay stay at this pace of "minor changes", the next eBay defined "minor change" that would have a major effect on sellers would be announced the afternoon of November 25th or 26th.  The 26th is Thanksgiving. 

The day before Black Friday.

.

"Trust me.  I know what I'm doing."
Sledge Hammer, Sledge Hammer! (1986-1988)

"Trust me."
Apple Ad, Broken Promises

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From eBay Stores Forum - Ebay punished me because my buyer didn't read the description.

For our new readers, these are not our forum posts. This thread comes from one of eBay's many PUBLIC forums. eBay as a matter of policy, makes these posts public by feeding them to Google. Google in turn creates permanent archives of these 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 ...

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From eBay Stores Forum
Ebay punished me because my buyer didn't read the description.
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=1000682027&tstart=0&mod=1208123708286

millcovetreasures  (193 )        Apr-12-08 18:43 PDT
I have 100% positive feedback. DSR's are 4.9, 4.9, 4.9 and 4.7. A buyer left me a neutral because "item was smaller than expected". My description said "Mini Perfume Bottle" and in the body it said "This tiny bottle measures 1 inch by 1 1/2 by 1/2"". If the buyer had bothered to READ the description, she would have known it was small! How is it my fault that the buyer chose not to read the description and was disappointed. To top it off, she received a note inside her purchase that stated if there were any problems contact me. She never contacted me and never gave me the opportunity to offer a full refund.

Now ebay has sent me 2 emails and called by phone to tell me that my customer satisfaction rating is below standards and my listings have been dropped in Best Match Search. I received an alert that my power seller status is jeopardy because of the sub standard rating.

They did lower my listings. I'm listing several items in a board TAGSALE. If you search TAGSALE and stay in the default Best Match, all of my items are on the last page.

Of course I can't get anyone at ebay to talk to me. So I contacted live help. They gave me a page telling me how to be a good seller and improve my DSR's. I kept asking "How am I responsible for the buyer not reading the description"? How is this my fault? How do I jam a buyers head into the monitor and say READ? How is it my responsibility for her failure to read? I am a good seller, READ my feedback. It seems ebay has the same problem as my buyer, they won't read. I ship fast, I describe my items well, I take a lot of photos, I communicate, I pack great, I'm honest, I'm patient. These are all the things my buyers have said in my feedback.

I'm sorry, a policy that is this black and white over the color of a dot with no room for exceptions is insane. How on earth do I deserve to be punished and be listed in the bottom pages because the buyer CHOSE not to read the description? I'm being lumped with all the bad sellers on ebay for the actions of my buyer which are totally out of my control.

I've already canceled about 10 listings and I've opened a shop on Ruby Lane. I hope to have under 100 listings by the middle of next week and less than 30 within two. I am not going to pay listing fees and store fees to be at the bottom of the pile because I had the rotten luck of getting a dim wit for a buyer who chose not to read a description.

j...t  (Private )      Apr-12-08 19:05 PDT     1
How on earth do I deserve to be punished and be listed in the bottom pages because the buyer CHOSE not to read the description?

You do not deserve that at all. This company has not yet gotten it that the sellers are their customers and the buyers are the seller's customers. Yet they insist on allowing the ability for bad buyers or bad competitors etc. to do bad things to good sellers.
- JT

656georgep  (1276 )         Apr-12-08 19:13 PDT     2
Ebay just showing they can push the sellers around. One of these days they will push just too much and they will not have any sellers.

alt5603  (282 )         Apr-12-08 20:42 PDT     3
Your best bet right now is to leave the buyer a neg and then suggest a mutual feedback removal. Do this while you still can.
http://stores.ebay.com/Extreme-Sports-Collectibles

http://www.squidoo.com/extremesportscollectibles

designforyou  (998 )       Apr-12-08 21:17 PDT     4
Are you sure someone wasn't spamming you. Your overall ratings do not warrant an email or a call. This sounds just way too suspicious to me to be from E-Bay. Unless of course your 30 day DSRSs are saying something way different, then the 12 month rolling DSR's.

If ebay is doing this, well what can I say? Sellers gotta do what a sellers gotta do.

Good Luck to you!

thewoodlandgirl  (Private )      Apr-12-08 21:18 PDT     5
What? There must be a mistake you only have one neutral. That cant possibly put you below standard?

Makes no sense at all.

Well I agree, leave a neg. Wait about 3 days and then do a mutual withdrawl.

This is the new ebay. Best get used to it. I have had more bad feedack this year than all my 8 years total.

I believe its cuz ebay pushes the concept of disputes and paypal claims to its buyers now. Makes them more pissy.

I never got an eamil from ebay or a call, however I have fallen off the face of the earth in sales this past couple weeks anyway.

So you know, with BM you just cant win.

haldagobay  (188 )         Apr-12-08 21:18 PDT     6
So sorry you had that experience. I am working on my st elsewhere as we speak.

Cathie



millcovetreasures  (193 )       Apr-12-08 21:41 PDT     7
I have already given her a negative and when I emailed her she told me never to contact her again.

The ebay emails are in my ebay email box and yes, it was ebay that called. It is crazy that this happened. But the search results prove it. Ebay has put me in the same position as all the lousy sellers and I did absolutely nothing to deserve it.

Designforyou, my 20 day DSR's are still the same. It's insane.


Cathie, I'm working on my new Ruby Lane Shop right now. I just took a break. I'm using the same name as here.

thewoodlandgirl  (Private )      Apr-12-08 21:58 PDT     8
Typically you should not contact them. You just wait a few days after they are sick of looking at their neg and then try to get them to remove it.

Another tactic is dont contact them at , then send a mutual withdrawl and offer to refund half their money, that usually works too.

I am really sorry this happend to you.

It has happend to me as well, I am not doing well in best match at all. Mainly Im sure to the cost of my items and my ship star. I live way out in the country and cant improve my shipping times much cuz mail her is pitiful slow.

designforyou  (998 )       Apr-12-08 22:00 PDT     9
Wow, ebay doing this to you is just plain wrong. So sorry that happened.

Be careful about mentioning competitors. Your post may get pulled!

thewoodlandgirl  (Private )      Apr-12-08 22:00 PDT     10
I was just looking at your feedback, that is baffling you have 100%, Im sorry ebay must be insane.

sweetsweetsadie  (359 )       Apr-12-08 22:28 PDT     11
This is not your fault-- there is nothing fair or logical about it. ebay is killing people's dreams-- it's sadistic.

In my last batch of FB one buyer left me FOUR neutrals! Four items, four neutrals. I also offered full refunds for any reason-- never heard a word from her. She was either not happy or just didn't want to play the FB game so left neutrals-- some buyers think that a neutral doesn't count one way or the other.

Well, I tried to leave a neg and couldn't. Than tried to leave a neutral and couldn't-- no way to do a mutual (I don't know if it were a glitch or not-- I tried several times to leave FB just to see!)

Tonight I'm working on my new x-cart site-- hard work for me! But, I will get it done!

Sorry that you were injured by this new reality-- it's beyond your control and is like walking through an endless minefield.

bonniesplants  (5564 )         Apr-12-08 22:37 PDT     12
Don't bother emailing Trust and Safety. See my thread. I got a canned response back and when I replied to it, I got a 2nd canned response back

I seriously think they do not even read the emails or they would have seen where the buyer scammed 2 other sellers in my first email. All the details, listing numbers, seller's ID and their negative feedback message.

The buyer learned from the experience that you can scam sellers and get away with it

And even if the DSR's are put removed power seller support told me the DSR's stay

Power seller support is the one who told me to plead my case with Trust and Safety.

Can anyone say "Pass the buck"

What is cool, I emailed Pay Pal's competitor and I received a personalized, friendly email back. Nice friendly email stating my problem as they interrupted in MY email to them.

And an offer of a couple of solutions.

I suspected the buyer to be a fraud using a stolen credit card.

Bonnie



eclectic_salvage  (3729 )         Apr-13-08 06:27 PDT     13
From Ebay's pages:

What factors will be used to determine a seller's percentage of dissatisfied buyers?
When stricter enforcement of Seller Non-Performance (SNP) rolled out in 2007, seller performance was determined by using negative and neutral Feedback, overall Feedback and Item Not Received (INR) complaints over a 90-day period. Sellers with greater than 5% of transactions resulting in negatives, neutrals, or INR complaints were restricted according to that SNP Policy.

Beginning in March 2008, performance evaluation will be based on a 30-day period. It will also include Item Significantly Not As Described (SNAD), and Detailed Seller Ratings (DSRs) of 1 or 2. eBay added these factors because buyers leave 1 or 2 DSR ratings nine times more often than negative Feedback, which suggests Feedback and INRs alone did not reflect customer dissatisfaction.

So your buyer left a 1 or a 2 rating and that set off the calls etc even though total score is not bad?  Pretty nutso!

 

good is better than evil because it's nicer - Mammy Yokum

itspostingtime  (2) View Listings | Report                           Apr-13-08 06:40 PDT     14
At what point did eBay advise you of this? Before you left the buyer a retaliatory neg, or after?

Your feedback number was not harmed by the neutral, and it appears your DSRs remain fine.

So I wonder if the buyer complained to eBay after receiving the retaliatory neg (which, of course, is in itself a rule violation).

So perhaps your lowered search results rank is not a result of the buyer giving you a neutral, but a result of you retaliating with a neg?

I'm really not sure why else eBay would lower your search position, since your DSRs and regular feedback remain good.

designforyou  (998 )       Apr-13-08 06:51 PDT     15
Sellers can still leave feedback. In May is when sellers will no longer be able to leave neg feedback for buyers.

I doubt if EBAY would repond to a complaint from a buyer in this fashion. But then again who knows? Ebay can be so clandestine lately about sharing any information with sellers!

Ebay is being ridiculous in the OP's case.

itspostingtime  (2) View Listings | Report                           Apr-13-08 07:05 PDT     16
design,

eBay is taking away the ability to leave ANY negative feedback for buyers in May.

Until then. Sellers can still leave negative feedback, but it is a VIOLATION to leave RETALIATORY feedback. Has been for a long time. Not all negative feedback is retaliatory feedback.

It appears the seller gave the buyer a neg in retaliation for the neutral.

If the seller had simply posted a response to the neutral the buyer gave her (which, of course, is permitted by the rules, and which the seller did), maybe the seller would not be in this position now?

I don't know, nor does anyone but eBay. But it wouldn't surprise me too much to find that eBay is penalizing sellers for leaving retaliatory feedback.

In other words, if the seller had just left the response...the neutral really didn't harm her rating...., and then , say, left no feedback for the buyer....maybe this situation would have been avoided?

mrcrabz  (44 )      Apr-13-08 07:49 PDT     17
For those who don't understand why this seller was flagged...

That neutral put this low volume seller into the 5% dissatisfaction rating. Neutrals carry negative weight now.

If you're getting 20 or so feedback per month, one bad transaction can affect your status. It doesn't have to be negative feedback either, low dsrs, neutral, reports, or a combination of these things.

Clearly, a seller doesn't have to actually do anything wrong to be negatively impacted by these new policies.

Before a seller could just rub some dirt in it, let it roll off the first page and move on. Now there are real negative consequences for running into a numpty, or even well intentioned ignorant customer, let alone a malicious one.

itspostingtime  (2) View Listings | Report                           Apr-13-08 07:55 PDT     18
mrcrabz,

Neutrals are NOT treated the same as negatives. eBay has stated that seller non-performance is NOT triggered by neutrals alone....there would have to be at least one or two negs as well....I forget the details, but eBay looks at the neutrals only if there are negs, too.

One neutral should NOT trigger seller-non-performance.

That is why I suspect either something is simply in error here, or this might be tied to a complaint from the buyer about the retaliatory neg.

sandrarn83  (2921 )       Apr-13-08 08:15 PDT     19
IPT if you go back and reread that post by Ebay it says that DSRS of 1 and 2 will also trigger the same thing. So a buyer who leaves a neg and also leaves 1's for DSR can trigger the same thing as the OP is reporting.


sandrarn83  (2921 )       Apr-13-08 08:16 PDT     20
Sorry a buyer who leaves a neutral and also leaves 1's for DSRs can trigger the same thing.


spotted-lab  (29 )      Apr-13-08 08:17 PDT     21
so essentially after May 1st buyers are no longer required to read anything.

itspostingtime  (2) View Listings | Report                           Apr-13-08 08:25 PDT     22
OK, I stand corrected. Here's some info from the FAQ:

19.  How are dissatisfied buyers measured?
At eBay we consider a buyer dissatisfied if any of these occurs:

    * The buyer leaves a seller a Detailed Seller Rating (DSR) of 1 or 2 on any of the attributes
* The buyer files a dispute, claim, or chargeback related to "Item Not Received" (INR) or "Significantly Not as Described" (SNAD)
    * Buyer leaves negative or neutral feedback

20. How will I know if my percentage of dissatisfied buyers is greater than 5%?
Sellers restricted based on their percentage of dissatisfied buyers will be notified. Also, a Seller Dashboard will be launched in May to provide all sellers with detailed information about their performance.

It would seem that the seller could maybe resolve her standing by increasing her total sales, so that one buyer in a one month period would no longer constitute more than five per cent of her buyers?

millcovetreasures  (193 )       Apr-13-08 08:38 PDT     23
DSR's are counted as 2/3 of a negative according to the new rules.

I don't consider my feedback retaliation. This buyer had two opportunities to not be "disappointed". First, she could have read my well written and, researched description. Second, she ignored the note that I include with all of my items that clearly asks them to "contact me if they are unhappy for any reason. If we communicate, we can solve anything." Even ebay states in it's policies that buyers should contact sellers to see if any problems could be resolved before leaving feedback. This woman never gave me the opportunity. So she failed in her responsibilities in this process, not once, but twice and then turned around and punished me for her own failures. Somewhere along the line, a buyer has to accept a certain amount of responsibility in the process. She was totally unfair to me and, in my opinion, other sellers needed to know that she could be unfair. I have positive feedback from three buyers who never even completed the transaction. I'm not quick to leave a negative for anyone, especially those that take the time to communicate and explain.

itspostingtime  (2) View Listings | Report                           Apr-13-08 08:42 PDT     24
I think the source of my confusion is this article in the chatter Blog, which explains how Seller Non-Performance was being determined in 2007:

http://www.ebaychatter.com/the_chatter/2007/08/lynda-talgo-of-.html#more

Note that before SNP is triggered, there have to be some negs, not just neutrals.

So, either that has changed, or we aren't actually talking a SNP warning here, but rather a warning that the seller's search placement will drop, based on criteria used in the Best Match algorithm.....criteria which do not seem to be the same as SNP criteria.

So, presumably one neutral , standing alone, could effect search placement if it represents more than five percent of buyers within the time period.

But this could be rectified by an increase in sales and positive feedback.

So, mrcrabz, I apologize. I think I was confusing SNP with Best Match criteria.

And I'll just add that, since it is a common complaint on this Board that "buyers don't read", it might be a good practice for sellers to use rulers, or a dime or something, in at least one photo to SHOW size for items such as the one the seller sold here.

itspostingtime  (2) View Listings | Report                           Apr-13-08 08:55 PDT     25
millcove,

I think this is one reason ebay has decided to eliminate neg feedback completely...because too many sellers don't understand the definition of retaliatory feedback.

What you left was retaliatory feedback.

Should the buyer have read the size information you provided? Sure. And you pointed that out in your response to the buyer's feedback. So that issue was taken care of with the response.

That's why ebay provides the ability to respond. The "response" is how one responds to feedback. But you didn't stop there. You ALSO responded by leaving a neg. Feedback is NOT supposed to be used as a response to feedback, but that's exactly what you used it for.

The buyer is not under any obligation to contact you before leaving feedback, even if you do invite such communication.

So that failure to contact you first is NOT a valid reason to leave a neg.

The bottom line is , you left the neg because the buyer left you what you consider an unfair neutral , and did so without contacting you first, and you punished her for it.

If a seller leaves a buyer a neutral, let's say, because the buyer was slow in paying, and the buyer...although perfectly happy with the item and the transaction, left the seller a neg in response, I'll bet you'd have no trouble seeing that for what it is: retaliatory feedback.

Well, that's what you did here.

classy_crafter  (395 )       Apr-13-08 09:56 PDT     26
I received an alert that my power seller status is jeopardy because of the sub standard rating.


Its funny you should be in any kind of jeopardy of losing your PS status considering some of the PSers I see with HORRIBLE feedback and DSRs. One particular PS that sells organza "favor" bags has such horrible feedback and DSRs, its a wonder they havent lost their PS status with eBays new rules.

eBay to their customers: "let them eat cake!"

classy_crafter  (395 )       Apr-13-08 10:05 PDT     27
What you left was retaliatory feedback.

I disagree.

Did the OP have a positive transaction with this customer? No.

Did OP do what she could to satisfy this customer? Yes

Did this customer communicate any problems to the seller? No

Did customer actually read the description? No

Does customer know how to use a ruler? Obviously not.


So, why should the OP be punished for the customers numptiness and why should the seller leave anything but neg feedback since the transaction as a whole was negative?

 

eBay to their customers: "let them eat cake!"

millcovetreasures  (193 )       Apr-13-08 13:42 PDT     28
Thank you Class_crafter, that is exactly as I see it. The buyer paid at 9 p.m. her package was shipped at 8 a.m. It was beautifully wrapped and she received a free velvet pouch that was not even mentioned in the ad. So if it was not a good experience for her, it's because she failed to read. I don't assume any responsibility for her disappointment in anyway shape or form. For her to turn around and give me less than a positive because she failed to read, not one but twice and, failed to ask for a refund made this a negative experience for me.

I also disagree that the buyer isn't required to contact the seller. Ebay's policy states, contact the seller and try to resolve any problems before leaving feedback.

jake-deals-4u  (709 )     Apr-13-08 14:08 PDT     29
Op..Congrats on your great FB & DSR, however in the case you are referring to i agree that most likely the real problem is the retaliation neg you gave.

Ide say, your customer found a sympathetic ear at Ebay--The words been out for awhile now that eBay really REALLY doesnt like sellers giving out retalitory negs
--IMO this is very understandable, as if a massive portion of buyers leave the site because of them being retaliated against, eventually it will have a snow-ball effect on sellers who dont retailiate.

Consider that leaving a retalitory neg serves no real practical purpose--sure its an emotional release for those that need to leave one, but just one buyer that has a bad exp. with one seller, doesnt automatically equate to that buyer having a problem with every seller down the line.

However im sure eBay research shows that many many a buyer has never purchased again from ANY eBayer ever, after only one retailtory neg from only one seller, so hence the No retalitory neg policy & eBay taking action to prevent this, as they should

homedecorstudios  (20 )      Apr-13-08 14:22 PDT     30
Ide say, your customer found a sympathetic ear at Ebay-

Doubtful. Ebay doesn't respond or read emails from buyers & sellers equally. More than likely no human ever read any email from either party.
_____________________________________

In a democracy it's your vote that counts; in feudalism, it's your Count that votes.

oldspartantrader  (4045 )         Apr-13-08 14:24 PDT     31
It would seem that the seller could maybe resolve her standing by increasing her total sales, so that one buyer in a one month period would no longer constitute more than five per cent of her buyers?

Of course that is a solution --

It however presupposes that

1 -- The seller wishes to increase the work load and not be a part time for fun seller --

2 -- That eBAY will then give the seller a reasonable opportunity to make a sale by not burying product at the back end of search as punishment for one or two misques that could easily be buyer sources

At least 75% of the eBAY sellers I come into direct contact with list under 20 items a week -- eBAY selling is a hobby that brings pin money -- They will soon say goodbye in droves -- Yepper as individuals they are a miniscule percentage of listings -- as a whole ??? -- I believe they are a huge mass of what made the traditional eBAY successful.

I do not interpret the seller left FB in question as retaliatory -- The buyer failed to read -- The buyer failed to communicate -- The buyer in this case was a lunkhead who apparently single handedly cost the seller in question a goodly portion of their selling opportunity by causing search burial

The bottom line is that the buyer deserved the neg.

Our nearly 6000 item store was shuttered today --- Eighteen months ago the total items listed across our multiple ID's was nearly 12000 in store and between 900 and 1000 in auction at any given time

eBAY is a hostile selling enviroment -- PERIOD -- It can be prettied up with talk of scams -- talk of injustice -- talk of changing underfooting -- All of that is legitamate reason for change -- All of that is deeply rooted within the eBAY CORPORATE CULTURE far more than the vast majority of the seller culture -- eBAY by its very design and laise faire attitude has made their own bed -- they now throw the baby out with the bath water.

Add to that competing ads from companies that pay pennies on a dollar compared to the customer base -- A failure to understand the difference between brokerage and agency in the three way relationship -- and buyer dissatisfaction that runs so much deeper than than eBAY's seller whipping gals and guys -- and you have

A company flailing at its market in an effort to understand the deeply rooted issues it faces -- Looking to new markets to ensure its cash flow rather than stemming the holes in its base markets --

Add PAYPAL with its total lack of basic financial protections for any customer account whether it be seller or buyer -- Its new mandate to withold funds without genuine recourse -- and its growing mandate to be the only payment avenue acceptable in an eBAY transactio --

Sprinkle in the total lack of meaningful communication -- A parcity of trained customer service response people --

Stir well with a search engine that is purposely designed not to "find" the non traditional eBAY widget -- and to minimize the best part of the FUN BUYERS shopping experiance (browsing the goodies) -- While at the same time bringing the run of the mill average high volume mass merchandised product to the fore --

AND YOU HAVE

A company without meaningful identity experiancing the early symptoms of meltdown.

Pretty it up -- but a great face on it -- BUT -- If it walks like a duck -- squawks like a duck -- swims like a duck -- In this case it is because it is becoming a turkey.

Carl

jake-deals-4u  (709 )     Apr-13-08 14:30 PDT     32
Ebay doesn't respond or read emails from buyers & sellers equally. More than likely no human ever read any email from either party.

...???

So where did eBay get the No retalitory policy from? Out of thin air?

From a dartboard?

Not likely...

Keep in mind if 1000 sellers leave eBay because they are upset they cant neg a buyer anymore---is that a NET loss, when surely eBay research shows that leaving retalitory negs is one of the very worst things a seller can do, because many buyers will never buy again ever, after getting a retalitory neg?

sandrarn83  (2921 )       Apr-13-08 14:35 PDT     33
Carl you did a very nice job. Pretty much sums up my opinion of Ebay today. Jake both Ebay and you forget that sellers are also buyers. When those 1000 sellers leave they also take 1000 buyers with them. This site is in desperate need of buyers and Ebay needs to be looking for ways to make both sides happy. I am with Carl and I would have neged that buyer as well. My response to the feedback profile would have been "NEG Failed to communicate w/seller. Full refund available."


jake-deals-4u  (709 )     Apr-13-08 14:45 PDT     34
both Ebay and you forget that sellers are also buyers

Sandra, im curious if you ever got a retalitory neg from a seller?

If you havent, ide bet my last dollar that many good buyers have & it really really pisses them off.

If 1000 sellers leave because they are upset they lose an option that im sure research shows is extremely detrimental to overall site & other subsequent in-involved seller sucess, then obviously eBay doesnt see those 1000 sellers leaving as any great loss.

OTOH maybe you could enlightem me as to ( other than an emotional release ) what purpose does leaving a neg for a buyer do?

On your WWW, ide guess its impossible for you to check every customer & see if they ever got a neg as a buyer on eBay, but even if you could & found they had a couple negs as an eBay buyer, would you refuse service to them?

Would you refuse service to any buyer just because they got a neg on eBay maybe 1x or 2x??

j...t  (Private )      Apr-13-08 14:47 PDT     35
Carl, great job putting into words how many sellers feel.

If it walks like a duck -- squawks like a duck -- swims like a duck -- In this case it is because it is becoming a turkey.

Course in this case, more and more sellers can become the turkey as well during hunting.

Another seller who had a similar experience where the buyer accuses the seller, did not like the reply, gives a neg and all 1's for stars.

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000549603&tstart=40&mod=1208075170226
- JT

oldspartantrader  (4045 )         Apr-13-08 14:55 PDT     36
The one very important -- and actually very crucial input -- that I have learned about eBAY these past couple years is that

A very large part of eBAY is actually a closed economy --

I am relatively old compared many --- I remember the beginnings of the building of the interstate system -- NOT the very beginnings mind ya -- BUT -- The beginning of it really taking root and fracturing many small communities --

Prior to the maturing of the interstate system small communities were relatively closed economies -- Of course they "imported" many things -- but the job base -- business base -- and money base was largely in or very near the town center -- or commercial district --

Interstaes basically detoured all but the most central areas -- Money flowed out -- workers and buyers flowed out -- In my area there are entire areas that thrived as few as 30 years ago that are now economic wastelands ---

The same situation is evolving here -- As sellers leave they contact -- smooze -- and entice an already dissatisfied buyer group to follow -- As buyers leave to other parts of the net they entice the commercial base to follow to those sometimes greener pastures --

eBAY thinks buyers are unhappy with sellers --- I think we are pretty typical -- 25% of our off shore purchases are made by buyers who first purchased from us on eBAY -- (that is a 1st quarter 08 tally) -- We fully expect to double that by 3d quarter end as we place a greater emphasis on moving these people to our hub --

IF these are typical buyers -- and I believe them to be -- It shows --

That the root of disatisfaction is not primarily directed at sellers -- and that eBAY is making a grave error in not recognizing that their greatest strength is the very person who they choose to use as the whipping whelp.

The tipping point is very close -- possibly already past -- BUT --

The disease I call Ivorytowerblindentitus will most likely cause a failure to recognize the cause and only see the symptoms of a growing malaise.

eBAY will likely survive the coming crunch -- BUT -- Not in its present form --

Carl

sandrarn83  (2921 )       Apr-13-08 15:00 PDT     37
Carl that's okay because I continue to blindside Ebay and take their buyers. It works for me.
Jake half of my negs on this ID were retaliatory from sellers. It's something you hitch up your panties and move on. It's not like a seller is going to refuse to sell to you based on your feedback numbers. Buyers don't even need feedback. So there is little reason for Ebay to remove the ability of sellers to leave it. As a seller I will work with any buyer to make sure they are satisfied with their purchase. The day I find a neg in my feedback without a communication attempt from the buyer first I consider that transaction closed. I never worked with any buyer who pulled that stunt. I had no incentive to do so as a seller. As I stated I would have neged the buyer for failure to communicate with me. As a seller I can't fix a problem if I don't know it exists until after the transaction has been completed.

jake-deals-4u  (709 )     Apr-13-08 15:11 PDT       38
Buyers don't even need feedback....Ide say getting +FB from a seller, builds their self-asteem & encoureges them to purchase again



So there is little reason for Ebay to remove the ability of sellers to leave it..

Ide agree that removing the ability to leave a buyer a neg is obvious--hence why eBay is taking that action, combined with more attention to complaints by sellers about problem buyers into the ebay message system.

Sandra, have you ever gotten a retalitory neg as a Buyer?

apache*belle  (1117 )      Apr-13-08 15:12 PDT     39 that is why some sellers are going to AUDIO descriptions........

/*

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From eBay Stores Forum - A simple vote - Yes or No to the FAUCET THEORY

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
A simple vote - Yes or No to the FAUCET THEORY
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000480173&tstart=0&mod=1197298243108

.

kustomkartoons  (1192 )        Dec-08-07 19:10 PST
I'm neither a pessimist or a dreamer. I'm not trying to stir up trouble with anyone.

I just cannot believe the odd patterns developing with my sales and the sales of others that I've read on this board.

So my question is simple. If you honestly believe your items are readily available via search - 24 hours a day and in every area you've designated that you sell....your vote is a NO to the faucet theory.

If you believe (as I do) that something is amiss and your visibility is geographically spotty and downright invisible at times.... your vote is YES to the faucet theory!

I would encourage everyone to vote. I'm curious how some of the staples of this board feel.

Thanks in advance - Rob


Kustom Kartoons - The Perfect Personalized Gift!

Turn the faucet back on Meg

108 replies     Date posted     Reply #

dorothysew  (911 )      Dec-08-07 19:18 PST     1 of 108
No, because I can't see a corresponding variation in traffic reports-and I cross check the ebay ones with Andale.

D

disneygurll  (1795 )      Dec-08-07 19:21 PST     2 of 108
Yes! Traffic here is very different from my sales elsewhere.

 

rustyfarmall  (315 )      Dec-08-07 19:25 PST     3 of 108
Yes. I will get one group of sales that all go to the Northeast, the next group might all go to the Northwest, and yet another group might all stay right here in the midwest, and then the cycle repeats itself.
 


etexbill  (1479 )      Dec-08-07 19:29 PST     4 of 108
YES, one day over 100+ lookers, 2 days later 0, then the same again time after time after time.

lindaspostcardsandmore  (4553 )      Dec-08-07 19:30 PST     5 of 108
Yes, even in core.

I will get 5 or 6 bids within 30 minutes of each other and then no more for days. Then, 5 or 6 more.

It takes all the motivation out of continuing listing because at times it looks like nothing will sell.

appliancecoverqueen  (209 )      Dec-08-07 19:35 PST     6 of 108
Yes






franksfinefurniture  (62 )      Dec-08-07 19:38 PST     7 of 108
Yes.
I just posted another thread about this. Faucet on last week, amazing sales, faucet off this week, nuthin'.

pattia3  (605 )      Dec-08-07 19:50 PST     8 of 108
Seems to be "All or Nuthin'" around here too.


fleur.de.lis.rising  (583 )      Dec-08-07 19:52 PST     9 of 108
YES. When I have sales, they come in clusters (New York, California, Australia). When I have traffic, my stats show many searches from eBay Australia. Since September I've had VERY LITTLE TRAFFIC, with hits from eBay.uk, .ca, .de, .be, and very few sales (which came from the North Central U.S., and 2 back-to-back from South Carolina).

My recent *first* website sale was from New York.  (Haven't checked traffic stats on my site yet.)


Sigmund F. Spot, FHC

"If I clear my cache anymore, my computer's gonna disappear!"

ranamountain  (980 )      Dec-08-07 20:09 PST     10 of 108
Nope, don't believe it

omostudios  (854 )      Dec-08-07 20:10 PST     11 of 108
Definitely YES! I've experienced much of the same patterns as mentioned by previous posters.

Full-Color Acrylic Animal and Breed Specific Pet Jewelry
Earrings - Key Rings - Necklaces - Tack Pins

trainnut20021  (6023 )      Dec-08-07 20:41 PST     12 of 108
Yes, 4 days ago I got a new bid on a collar....it dissapeared from my ebay. It reappeared in my ebay this morning.

I'd lay money on it that items are not visible for days at a time. Seven day auction may only be visible for three days.


Lee

 

dacholiday  (1080 )      Dec-08-07 20:47 PST     13 of 108
Yep I believe it.

 

best-brandname-deals  (701 )      Dec-08-07 20:51 PST     14 of 108
Yes I believe in the faucet theory.

wheeledtoys  (2445 )      Dec-08-07 21:15 PST     15 of 108
Definitely yes!

puddnp  (2054 )      Dec-08-07 21:25 PST     16 of 108
Yes, I also believe it!For over 7 years most of items went to Ca, or the Nor-eastern states, I am an old prep and sell classically prep clothing for the most part! Now selling to midwest and mid-south?....in days gone by, had avg 30-50 core, no store and sold 70% 1st listing,with another 15% on relist. Have over 200 items listed and selling 5%, with giveaway pricing.Do not charge excessive handling, ship the way I always did, have some gorgeous items.??? Carol

how_unique  (1693 )      Dec-08-07 22:04 PST     17 of 108
Yep, can't deny it.

I didn't buy into 'faucet theory' for a long time, but it's become very obvious.

z*nns_vintage  (2381 )      Dec-08-07 22:20 PST     18 of 108
Yes, for lack of any credible alternative explanation.

elsaivymom  (1170 )      Dec-08-07 22:42 PST     19 of 108
Yes. In both time periods of visibility and regional visibility. Sometimes I have a clump of sales to one state or region of the USA in a very short time frame, then nothing for awhile until another geographic area can see my stuff and I have another cluster. Sometimes I sell all west coast, sometimes my sales are all to TX or Minnesota, or NYC. Florida comes in clumps too.

Why did I have 4 sales in two hours today, two sales in an hour the other day and many days with no sales at all?

It just doesn't appear to me to be random.

Fruit Helmutt ducking for cover!

sweetsweetsadie  (288 )      Dec-08-07 23:28 PST     20 of 108 

Definitely YES! I've experienced much of the same patterns as mentioned by previous posters.




almostantiquepaper  (1629 )      Dec-09-07 00:17 PST     21 of 108
Put me down for a definite yes. AAP

psychocat1959  (288 )      Dec-09-07 00:23 PST     22 of 108
Yes.
Several times in the last year eBay has come right out and said that they control what the buyers and who the buyers see through the various search options. It may not exactly be a faucet turning on and off, but they are controling who sees your store, how many see it, and how often they see it.

ne1huskers  (11 )      Dec-09-07 01:20 PST     23 of 108
Yes.

Especially when the clusters are international sales. I had a week where 80% of my sales were international, and they were new customers.

I sell used paperback books, so I don't do much international sales because of the high cost of shipping, most are from my repeat buyers, so this was really odd.

paladingamesnhobbies  (2155 )      Dec-09-07 01:49 PST     24 of 108
It's funny that you use the term "faucet theory" as I have often used the word faucet to describe my sales for the past 3 months.
"Someone turned on the customer faucet today!" or "The faucet has been turned off."

The only thing is... my B&M sales are down too. I'm kinda lead to believe that people are a) not really shopping for my items as gifts, and b) expendable income is down for my customers this time of year.
My traffic is slightly above where it was a month ago, and at least double what it was a year ago. Confusing, eh?
-Raine 

 




sportscollectible  (601 )      Dec-09-07 02:51 PST     25 of 108
YES....I believe the stats I see in my sales and traffic....there is NO other explanation. Those stats are too consistent to be ignored.

 

gardenpartytea  (1802 )      Dec-09-07 03:13 PST     26 of 108
Yes

 

honiesresale  (3138 )      Dec-09-07 03:22 PST     27 of 108
No, don't believe it. If you run B&M business there are times you'd swear people all gathered at a meeting place and all ganged up at you at the same time. I ran a grocery store and the patterns were all over the place. Days you thought would be busy wouldn't, hours that normally are busy sometimes aren't. You wake up every day and think you can predict the days events and all of a sudden 100 customers come thru the doors when normally less than 10 did.

My day job (the one that pays the bills) is selling cookies to grocery stores in 2 states and about 12 counties. Pretty wide spread area. Sometimes it's a good week up north, but extremely bad down south. Sometimes it's bad everywhere, or good everytwhere... I've done this for 10 years...still can't figure out customers. There are rules... but then there are exceptions to those rules. Like right now, I could always count on the 1st 2 weeks of december to be the slowest 2 weeks of the holiday cookie sales. Yet I saw good movement on most of my displays last week... This is exact opposite of last year. Last year I took that week off and nobody even noticed, if I'd done that this year i'd gotten in a whole heap of trouble.,, So is there a "faucet" where individual stores suddenly "turned me on"? Nope, that's just business.

Speaking of that... In the grocery business there are some certains... for instance if the NWS predicts a winter storm it's certain your going to have a rush on bread and milk. I remember one strange storm rush in about 1994 that for what ever reason suprassed all the other rushes I'd ever seen. I was dairy manager of a fairly large IGA store and by the time the storm hit I didn't have $200 worth of product in my entire dairy department. It was as if we ran a 99% off sale. Not only was the milk gone, so was all the cheese, all the butter, even all the yogurt...the whole store was that way and it took several semi loads of product to get us back in business. Then we didn't sell much for a few weeks. For a while after that we got jittery when the NWS predicted storms but we never did see another rush like that. Why was that one so drastic? Who knows! For whatever reason the "faucet" was turned on.

I know we all love a good conspiracy theory but sometimes things are as things are and little green men aren't always behind it.

However, that being said, with all the poor decisions that ebay has made and the aggresive links to off ebay retailers any more I'm not amazed by slow sales, I'm amazed by any sales at all....especially from my store.




ocean2tides  (965 )      Dec-09-07 03:57 PST     28 of 108
Absolutely YES.

DH and I each have stores. His is very small, with few sales.

But when he does sell, it's nearly always to the same state that I sold things to that same day. And nearly always at the same time or within the same hour.

Just too coincidental.

minnymalse  (880 )      Dec-09-07 04:00 PST     29 of 108
I think there is more than one faucet.

.

 

clact  (3980 )      Dec-09-07 04:07 PST     30 of 108
NO

Its not the items being hidden or shown but rotational promotion of the items on the site that leads people to think they are hidden/seen.

Items enter a loop of promotion. Promotion means the hundreds of millions of dollars ebay spends on adwords. rotational home page placements etc. Also in terms of Best Match placements.

You can roughly confirm some of this using the category by category stats on Medved. There are wild swings there even though site-wide sell-through is almost always 40% dead on, there are categories with 25-70% sell through swings.

Regarding the home page promotions, there are times when some type of item/items are on the home page and people come out of nowhere for those type items. I mentioned this a long time ago.

In other words my theory is just like stores have items in circular flyers you get in the newspaper and people go to the stores for those items, the same things is happening on Ebay.

Its become more pronounced as the inventory on the site grew.

As someone that sells across many categories I can tell you that there are times when some items are dead, other times are hot.

I also feel that this is why we see things like Store Vacation settings and Ebay Express settings affecting things. It might push our items back near the top of the promotion loop.

I also feel the more things sell and the more traffic they get the more they will sell and more traffic they will get (and promotion they get).

I was able to get my Yoyos to the 1,2 place on Express just by having everyone here search for them (they dont sell from Express of course but they showed up in Best Match page 1 top slots)

I also feel that item numbers have something to do with the promotional loop of fast selling/slower selling/seller ratings . A while back I posted those stats from that top 500 eBay seller report.

You have Jake telling you he has the 1100 series numbers etc etc.

At one time Bill Cobb slipped up during a town hall and that gave a hint that somehow sellers/sellers items are getting some kind of ranking/rating (not sure if anyone remembers that)

The bottom line is that you can still sell and sell well no matter what numbers you have or no matter how your items show or dont show in promotions. By doing your own content and other things you can balance things out.

An interesting question I always have is what are the ethics of how promotional dollars are spent.

Say for example in 2006 - You own an eBay store. The year is strong and Ebay spends 100 million on marketing items.
Your sales are strong.

In 2007 you spend the same on your store, yet other factors lead ebay to cut spending on marketing your items by 50% to 50 million

Same store, same items , same chance of selling items given the same promotional levels etc.

I mean its really hard to judge "worthy items" if the level of promotion is changing.

Its like buying a car based on gas mileage but one month it gets 30 mpg then next 20 mpg but you cannot control it. What if dead period are periods when Ebay cuts marketing costs (as we saw when it pulled google ads) to make earnings. Is that ethical? From a business point of view isnt that part of the picture you would need to know?

I feel showing people things almost anything can sell.

Another issue is before Stores in Core BIN sell through was pegged 10% higher than post SIC. I wonder if that was reset when SIC dropped Ebays unsold auction revenue and the resulting loss of items wasnt as great as expected and that new level was kept (again you can see this on Medved very clearly).

In any case there is one exception to the NO answer.

That is the default settings on how we are seen on foreign sites. Whether US items are showing on the UK site or not, or some are some not, those types of things do affect visibility

Just my thoughts.

Marty

minibeesknees  (645 )      Dec-09-07 05:25 PST     31 of 108
Yes, I've long thought that there could be no other explanation other than some sort of rolling blackout. Although Marty has some good rationale it is less valid if you sell one product to one target market which you sell in only one sub-category and depend very little on ebay's 'traffic' for sales. And you are very familiar with your market not to mention you've been selling on ebay almost ten years.

It isn't so much the slumps in sales that I can't explain, it is the sudden huge spurt of buyers, and sales that double or triple my target in one month that I can't especially if I do absolutely nothing different. I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I did to double predicted sales in some months so that I can do it again. Should be simple to do with a basic store, one product line and a very specific hobby target market. Couldn't do it...just like a tap being turned on and offf, those sales will just come to a complete halt.

tanjastore  (Private )      Dec-09-07 05:33 PST     32 of 108
No

oldspartantrader  (3426 )      Dec-09-07 05:42 PST     33 of 108
No -- Because a faucet is controlled -- Although I do believe there is some cycling I do not believe it to be purposefully controlled

Marty's promo theory is likely partly true -- It does not however explain geographic distribution that is a statistical anomoly

Carl

turtlegaby  (5415 )      Dec-09-07 05:48 PST     34 of 108
Absolutley yes. If somebody tells me how to get a screenshot here on the board, I will proof it.


Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, come visit our store
shop and fill your Christmas stockings, find tropical seeds and more...

kustomkartoons  (1192 )      Dec-09-07 06:06 PST     35 of 108
turtle,

One of your keys should say prt sc on it. You may have to press a "function key" (perhaps the same color as the prt sc key) at the same time.

That function copies the contents of your screen image to the clipboard. The open a software editing tool (I use irfanview) and paste (ctrl V) it. The image should then be available for cropping and saving. I then upload the image to my web site for hosting and use the normal img src html command to post it here on the boards.

See how simple that is? 


Kustom Kartoons - The Perfect Personalized Gift!

Turn the faucet back on Meg

turtlegaby  (5415 )      Dec-09-07 06:07 PST     36 of 108
Ok I figured it



Look at last year december 6, 7, 8 and 9.

0 Traffic with an average of 600 items listed in core and store.

While december is always my slowest month, it cannot be that you get no hits for 4 days. The entire december last year was ridiculous anyway. It dropped from usually $2000 sales a month to $120 sales.

This is only one example, I could show more from different months with no or almost no trafffic, while my average in normal months is 400 hits a day.


Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, come visit our store
shop and fill your Christmas stockings, find tropical seeds and more...

kustomkartoons  (1192 )      Dec-09-07 06:10 PST     37 of 108
BTW,

The tally is 28 YES votes to 5 NO votes.  I have thrown out one NO vote based on the posting patterns of said poster


Kustom Kartoons - The Perfect Personalized Gift!

Turn the faucet back on Meg

severelashing  (0 )      Dec-09-07 06:12 PST     38 of 108
It's a definite fact that search is not returning consistent results.

The simplest explanation for this is Whitman's failure to invest in infrastructure, qualified technicians, and real programmers.

I do agree about the country promo rotations, and the retail "Banana theory" (people come in bunches) having an effect on our experiences.

turtlegaby  (5415 )      Dec-09-07 06:15 PST     39 of 108
This phenomen of non visibility patterns is going on already since several years, like my traffic records clearly show. I do have fluctuations in my webstores too, but not to that extreme.


Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, come visit our store
shop and fill your Christmas stockings, find tropical seeds and more...

kathieskorner  (3486 )         Dec-09-07 06:15 PST       40 of 108
Not sure I would term it a faucet, but yes something strange has been taking place for the past 18 months.

I still believe it can all be traced back to when the numbering system for listings was changed so that all items in a seller's store started with the same two digits regardless of category. It seems logical that with the expansion of the numbering system also came an increase in the number of servers used. The servers seem to be rotated on a regional basis possibly through a promotional cycling as Marty explained.

My store is too small and the items too diverse to be able to determine a pattern, but I believe there is one.

tresrhnter  (2186 )      Dec-09-07 06:16 PST     41 of 108
No.

I don't believe ebay is deliberately turning a faucet on and off. I think marty has it right and/or ebay has so very much messed up their software that they just can't find their way back. and if others are right that ebay wants to become something other than it is now, a portal, then maybe they don't care. maybe they feel they have to give that up to get their site to where they want to be down the road. search results may be the baby thrown out with the bath water.

sandrarn83  (2888 )      Dec-09-07 06:16 PST     42 of 108
Yes but it's related to Ebay's ability to manipulate servers. Based on what criteria besides geographical and the soon to be DSR's who knows. You can watch the traffic manipulation in action via your Omniture account. As it was pointed out to me once by a very wise person- natural traffic doesn't have stair steps. Natural traffic creates a random pattern. Omniture and Ebay's traffic flow to my store does not. You could climb the stair steps in my Omniture graph. It's directly proportional to the amount of server manipulation that Ebay now does. Hopefully some very sharp legal team will see it the same way in the future.

normh915  (3882 )      Dec-09-07 06:16 PST     43 of 108
Yes, when we had a store. Based on our traffic reports during this time, we thought that eBay programming rotated through the stores. Not only based on location, but the product category we sold in. Hence the theory we called the ‘Roller Coaster Theory’.

Norm





kustomkartoons  (1192 )      Dec-09-07 06:22 PST     44 of 108
here is my omniture page views for December.... what a drastic difference from last year..... I'm doing nothing different.... running about the same amount of core auctions..... bla bla bla




Kustom Kartoons - The Perfect Personalized Gift!

Turn the faucet back on Meg

mljcarman  (2852 )      Dec-09-07 06:34 PST     45 of 108
Yes, I agree. I get a whole bunch of sales from a state that I rarely sell to all at once and then nothing from that state again for months. And I will have a whole bunch of sales one day in one category and nothing else and then the next day a whole bunch of sales in a totally different category and no others. It seems really wierd.

I also work grocery retail and we pull our hair out trying to figure out how to order and what kind of sales we will have. But it is predictable that a snow storm will bring them in and after a major storm every time they say snow you can expect a panic buying attack.

But otherwise it is hard to know how many people will buy a certain item. Some of it depends on competition who may have an item at a lower price than we do.

Ebay is somewhat similar in that a lot of sales depend on how many competitors you have for the same items.



turtlegaby  (5415 )      Dec-09-07 06:38 PST     46 of 108
I have similar traffic results druing the last year. some days 600-700 hits, the next day 10 hits (store) and so on.

I always compare with my website, where I do not have equal sales every day, but I do have equal hits every day.


Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, come visit our store
shop and fill your Christmas stockings, find tropical seeds and more...

golfingaddict  (12042 )      Dec-09-07 06:59 PST     47 of 108
ebay (UK) is going to disadvantage sellers in search if they have poor shipping rating feedback.

So you might ask, what does this have too do with this thread?

I think that they have proven that they can manipulate at whim who is seen and where they are seen and I have no doubt that they have been testing these manipulations. One thing that is for sure, ebay always tests things.

If they have the capability to disadvantage sellers because of feedback star, don't you think that they have also built in other ways to advantage and disadvantage stores, sellers and listings?

turtlegaby  (5415 )      Dec-09-07 07:06 PST     48 of 108
Good point golfing!
And I need to say, I have noticed a pattern directly resulting to my posts here on the board.
During my move, when I couldn't post on the board for over 3 weeks, I had the best sales ever. As soon as I started posting and blaming ebay of things, my sales dropped into the basement.

Maybe we should stay away from here all together and find an other froum where we can chat.


Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, come visit our store
shop and fill your Christmas stockings, find tropical seeds and more...

normh915  (3882 )      Dec-09-07 07:15 PST     49 of 108
LOL Turtle! We call this the ‘Pimping Technique’ in the Information Systems arena. Basically, don’t tick the people in IS off. We can control everything.

Norm





turtlegaby  (5415 )      Dec-09-07 07:31 PST     50 of 108
I guess I am outta here. I'll still read the board, but I won't post any more. Only if I have something positive to say about ebay.

May not be too often.


Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, come visit our store
shop and fill your Christmas stockings, find tropical seeds and more...

sandrarn83  (2888 )      Dec-09-07 07:51 PST     51 of 108
I guess I am outta here. I'll still read the board, but I won't post any more. Only if I have something positive to say about ebay. May not be too often.

Turtle ROFLMAO Sorry but I have thought the same thing many a time. There is one catch though. Ebay does NOT make money when they limit a seller's visibility. In my case I reduce purchases as well so it's a double whammy for Ebay's revenue. I pay cash from my Paypal account for anything my business buys on Ebay. No money in Paypal means no Ebay purchases. They can't have it both ways. It's up to Ebay whether or not they want their pockets lined with money.

bribaiki  (1275 )      Dec-09-07 07:55 PST     52 of 108
Yes.
I too have seen the same things as many other posters mentioned. For quite a while now.
Strange...yes...coincidental...I don't think so.

DH ran into a similar problem 2 nights ago. He had been looking at a particular item for his truck. There was only a few of these items...similar but not the same and all from different locations and all different prices. Now my DH (bless him) searches the same way all the time as he doesn't quite get doing it any other way...I've given up... LOL...needless to say he couldn't find the item he was looking at 2 days prior and it still had a over couple days left and no buy it now. He had written down the name of the seller and the item the night he first looked at it (yes, he writes this stuff down...don't ask...I did...no point), and contacted him. The seller was confused to say the least as the item was still available. I helped DH do a different search and still nothing. Well last evening he went looking again and there it was...less than a day left on it...had bids...so where was it? Don't know...but it was getting bids all along (we checked the bidding history).




Madame Kazoo Kitty says...
" Have no fear...the Fruity's are here ! "

normh915  (3882 )      Dec-09-07 07:56 PST     53 of 108
Turtle,

Don't be too quick to blame your posts on poor traffic. The likelihood of eBay board watchers forwarding your user id to IS, and them turning your store traffic off is extremely remote, it not totally unlikely. Regardless of the entire bonehead testing or lack of thorough testing that the IS people do, there are still policies and procedures that IS must go through. There are government policies that would control any monkey business on the IS side.

Norm





turtlegaby  (5415 )      Dec-09-07 07:58 PST     54 of 108
Ebay owns so many companies, they don't need the auction income to get rich, they are already. This site is only advertising for their other business, hence they don't mind losing a few $$ here. It is not their main income anyway.





Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, come visit our store
shop and fill your Christmas stockings, find tropical seeds and more...

normh915  (3882 )      Dec-09-07 08:03 PST     55 of 108
Now, having a program manipulate traffic based on certain criteria’s is highly probable. Anything can be programmed. Programming it correctly is the key. One line of code or one inadvertent perform statement can cause the whole program to malfunction.

Norm



turtlegaby  (5415 )      Dec-09-07 08:04 PST     56 of 108
Ebay owns so many companies, they don't need the auction income to get rich, they are already. This site is only advertising for their other business, hence they don't mind losing a few $$ here. It is not their main income anyway.


Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, come visit our store
shop and fill your Christmas stockings, find tropical seeds and more...

golfingaddict  (12042 )      Dec-09-07 08:04 PST     57 of 108
The listing fees are very important to eBay.

doesn't eBay frequently talk about number listings on the site when talking about their quarterly earnings? They certainly do not pride themselves on sell through rate in those discussions.

turtlegaby  (5415 )      Dec-09-07 08:16 PST     58 of 108
Fact is fishy things are going on here and we only can speculate. I just know that I do not get the full 30 day exposure which I am paying for, neither in core nor in store.




Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, come visit our store
shop and fill your Christmas stockings, find tropical seeds and more...

sandrarn83  (2888 )      Dec-09-07 08:24 PST     59 of 108
turtle again you are correct. None of us are getting full exposure for 30 days. We haven't for a very long time. Ebay is Elvis on this site and they make the rules. You are completely at Ebay's mercy as long as you sell here and there is no discussion or recourse about any of the decisions. That's why sellers have grown disgusted enough to sell from their own websites. Yes I know you have a website. I control the selling environment on my website and I know I receive full visibility. I don't want to play games as like you it's my revenue not a hobby. That's why I only provide Ebay with a limited capability to mess with my revenue. I count on ZERO sales from Ebay every month. If I sell something then I am ahead of the game. Ebay has proven to be such a poor partner that I don't provide them with the chance to mess with my revenue anymore.

bribaiki  (1275 )      Dec-09-07 08:28 PST     60 of 108
Yes Turtle,this isn't the first instance we've had either,also with items on the Watch list, and then later close to the item ending I would get an email as well. I think that is why DH writes the stuff down now. Because he does know how to put stuff in the watch area...lol...he's getting better...lol...but when he couldn't "retrieve" his items he was watching...he started writing them down I guess. He gets so frustrated now here...it's kind of amusing at times...LOL...but it is ridiculous not being able to find anything...especially when you have it on your Watch list.





Madame Kazoo Kitty says...
" Have no fear...the Fruity's are here ! "

seoulsoulsofun  (780 )      Dec-09-07 08:31 PST     61 of 108
Yes, now I schedule my work around the faucet system. Like the last 2 weeks were full on, I would put everything else on hold till the faucet is off. Now it is closing slowly, I then take this time to stock up, tweak listings. I don't know about the rest of you but I am a No.1 believer. And I don't ask why anymore... exactly.. kinda make sense cos I cannot imagine eBay servers all turn on, I think the whole system would collapse. I use it to my advantage and it is working well for me and my sanity!
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

"They tried to make me go for rehab and I said "No No No".

normh915  (3882 )      Dec-09-07 08:33 PST     62 of 108
Sandra - exactly one of the reasons we closed our store and are now looking forward to our future going in a new direction. One thing we learned, use the Website first, then utilize the occational eBay auction/bin for added traffic. We'll be spending our advertising dollars on the Website, not eBay.

Norm




kustomkartoons  (1192 )      Dec-09-07 08:36 PST     63 of 108
I'd love to see a pink come in here and make a comment... I really would


Kustom Kartoons - The Perfect Personalized Gift!

Turn the faucet back on Meg

normh915  (3882 )      Dec-09-07 08:36 PST     64 of 108
We decided that we wanted to control the faucet.

 



normh915  (3882 )      Dec-09-07 08:39 PST     65 of 108
eBay could tell us whatever they want. Let them prove us wrong. Send me the program code. Then we could all back off the Faucet Theory.

Of course we all know that would never happen.

Norm





accessoriesandgifts  (796 )      Dec-09-07 08:45 PST     66 of 108
No is my vote.
Elaine
http://www.stores.ebay.com/Accessories-Bags-Gifts
Free Shipping within USA on all items

kiwisoutbackk  (1804 )      Dec-09-07 09:02 PST     67 of 108
Based on things we've seen, we'd have to give that a "yes." The huge spike in international sales, the clusters of store items sales followed by no store sales for weeks, the drop in traffic overall to store items, and searching for our own items (and not seeing our items even in the store searches) will make us vote "yes."

Kiwi's Outback: Authentic Designer Handbags

pennantpalooza  (16753 )      Dec-09-07 10:06 PST     68 of 108
Yes, without a doubt.

I often checked to see what my competitors have bought. I like to know what they are will to pay for curtain items and what there make us is.
I will find where they have bought some great deals on items that I look for. The items where in the categories I shop in. Keywords are the ones I search for but the listings we never shown to me. During the 7 days the auctions ran, I never came across the listing. It is no wonder my competitor got a good deal on the item(s).

Mark

oas3  (14980 )      Dec-09-07 10:27 PST     69 of 108
I vote yes. Alot of folks won't see it running 300 or 400 items,but come on up into the 5000 level and above and the pattern is as plain as the nose on your face and gets real crazy at the 15000 item level...

bribaiki  (1275 )      Dec-09-07 10:31 PST     70 of 108
well oas3...I'll have to take your word on that...LOL

Since I will never be listing that much...LOL

I do fall in the 400-500 range, and it is pretty clear in my eyes...I couldn't even imagine what it would be like if I had that many items...

 

Madame Kazoo Kitty says...
" Have no fear...the Fruity's are here ! "

southcarolinajane  (2682 )      Dec-09-07 10:40 PST     71 of 108
Yes---seems Dorothy is only one who votes NO-----

very obvious in traffic, reports, and cash flow!

http://www.squidoo.com/ebaybigshoes/
http://www.southcarolinajane.com
http://www.janemart.com
http://www.kaboodle.com/southcarolinajane

oas3  (14980 )      Dec-09-07 10:44 PST     72 of 108
bribaiki once you cross over the 10,000 item limit ebay can't even keep track of how many items you have for sale it's scary,but pre ebay billy math days money was really flowing at the 15000 item plateau..

southcarolinajane  (2682 )      Dec-09-07 10:49 PST     73 of 108
oops---there are more NO's --missed those---still in minority----and it looks like analysis of the word faucet is vital---

just get the marketing, programming, search corrected, ads removed -- and all would be wonderful! Not in best corporate interest and if all goes as noted---my sales will decline for posting---oh well--Merry Christmas anyway--

http://www.squidoo.com/ebaybigshoes/
http://www.southcarolinajane.com
http://www.janemart.com
http://www.kaboodle.com/southcarolinajane

bribaiki  (1275 )      Dec-09-07 10:53 PST     74 of 108
Wow! Not that I would expect any differently these days, but cripe, with all those items, I agree a seller should be doing quite the profit...not the opposite. But that's using basic logic here... which doesn't apply

I'll never know...LOL

... gosh I couldn't fathom listing that much...and the fees would certainly give me coronary

 

 

Madame Kazoo Kitty says...
" Have no fear...the Fruity's are here ! "

oas3  (14980 )      Dec-09-07 11:01 PST     75 of 108
bribaiki fees are just a part of life if you're in the business of selling there is always someone wanting a slice of your pie. I don't mind paying fees when I'm selling 7 to 12 grand a month but as I watch sales tumble and pay fees to sit and watch paint dry I get a little goofy...

bribaiki  (1275 )      Dec-09-07 11:14 PST     76 of 108
I couldn't agree more Oas3. I guess that is what I was getting at. Yes, you have to pay not matter what...not a problem...IF your are being exposed and you are getting sales because of exposure. I wouldn't mind paying the lease on a B&M as long as the window wasn't covered by my landlord...

 

 

Madame Kazoo Kitty says...
" Have no fear...the Fruity's are here ! "

thecountryhorse  (7481 )      Dec-09-07 11:22 PST     77 of 108
YES Indeedy....

 

wheeledtoys  (2445 )      Dec-09-07 11:40 PST     78 of 108
How else can it be explained that I will sell 2 or 3 items in my own area, then 2 or 3 in the Southeast, then a couple of international, then some in New England, than a whole bunch in the West Coast area?

The majority of my sales are grouped like that.

Can anyone give an alternative explanation for that?

wheeledtoys  (2445 )      Dec-09-07 11:40 PST     79 of 108
I'm not saying it's intentional, but it certainly does happen.

bribaiki  (1275 )        Dec-09-07 11:46 PST       80 of 108
That's exactly what I and many others have experienced as well...for quite a while...so I don't believe it to be just a figment of people's imagination. As to intent...another burning question...which I suppose starts to lead people into further believing that what is happening is intentional...because none of the powers that be cares to comment on the subject.

 

 

Madame Kazoo Kitty says...
" Have no fear...the Fruity's are here ! "

folsomhouse  (1358 )      Dec-09-07 12:36 PST     81 of 108
YES

But I believe it's category related, perhaps due certain categories somehow getting extra exposure at certain times (per Marty's earlier post).

Proof: I'm a small seller selling random collectibles, usually listing a lot of similar items at a time, then letting those that don't sell hang in my store until they do. I had listed a lot of Advertising Tins a year or so ago, and haven't sold one in MONTHS. All of sudden four in the last week.

Even weirder, same thing with Salt and Pepper Shakers, after initial listings and sales, no sales in months... only had a few left that had a US State theme, then all of a sudden all my state themed S&P shakers sold within three days, some within minutes of each other, to different buyers all over the country.

I could go on but things like that happen that make me wonder... something is definitely going on, wouldn't surprise me if even eBay couldn't figure it out.

Jeff

 

blue*skies*ahead*  (1152 )      Dec-09-07 12:52 PST     82 of 108
Absolutely Yes!

primsaw  (427 )      Dec-09-07 13:00 PST     83 of 108
That would be a big YESSIRREE! eBay has admitted it can manipulate search and plans to manipulate it more in 2008 via the DSR system. If their infrastructure is still suffering, then it could be necessary to rotate our visibility to keep the whole thing from crashing. I can't think of any other reason for rotating visibility geographically except to lighten the load on their system. I too have experienced these patterns of selling only to the west coast one week and then east coast another, and then NOWHERE the following week. I think the zero weeks were supposed to be my international sales weeks. I don't ship internationally hence I get zero those weeks. Hey eBay! Program your visibility rotation thingybob to consider where sellers ship why doncha! I need an extra week of visibility to some USA zones since I don't ship internationally. LOL.

What amazes me is the difference in search results between eBay's regular search and a getitnext search for the same thing. I've been using that search a lot lately.

Kat (primsaw)

etexbill  (1479 )      Dec-09-07 13:00 PST     84 of 108
Quote: "I also feel the more things sell and the more traffic they get the more they will sell and more traffic they will get (and promotion they get)."

I am experiencing the opposite personally. I am letting my store items expire prior to closing my store. A couple of weeks ago, I had over 250 items in my store with no sales. Now, I have 70 items in my store (the same kind of items) and the same amount in core, and I am finally getting sales almost every day. Go figure. The less I have in my store the more sales I am getting. It's like buyers are saying "Hey, let's buy it before it's gone??"

cumos55  (1699 )      Dec-09-07 13:03 PST     85 of 108
The vote appears to be ... YES

But how does eBay do it?

Everyone says it happens to them.. BUT

Is it the same for everyone?

There are so many variables that can affect sales....

So what other variables can affect sales?

Buyer components....Population densities.. income of buyers... Is the need broad-based or narrow?

Seller... type of inventory... uniqueness of inventory... sell US only... or worldwide?... plus ....

Are you a one category seller... or multicategory seller

I suspect that traffic is category based... There is a finite number of people searching each category ... Is each category unique...

From personal experience I believe that traffic begets sales... Traffic is very much in relation to the 30 day cycle ..... while there is no relation between sales and the 30 day cycle..

Buyers are tuned into ending soonest and newly listed. from auctions... and that has carried over into stores.

Trends are more easily observed for stores with large number of listings.... how big should it be...

There are perhaps 50 million listings in stores... How many listings, how many per category, would you have to look at, selected on a random basis, in order to identify if there indeed is a faucet effect.

Which month should you look at? ... or should it be month-by-month for a 12 month period?

Potential buyers may visit, find something and then buy after a specific internal of time......

If there is a regional bias how is it done?

International sales.... How does your inventory fit into the international environment

What is the effect of exchange rates in relation to USPS airmail only... versus what else for international sales...

There are more questions than answers... and there is more than just saying Yes or No to the faucet theory....

The faucet theory is too narrow a focus... Too many other variables...

oas3  (14980 )      Dec-09-07 13:12 PST     86 of 108
cumos55 just find a seller with the same 4 digit beginning item number and compare notes as to location of the daily sales. My five sales today so far are all on the east coast nothing central or west coast..

bribaiki  (1275 )      Dec-09-07 13:26 PST     87 of 108
Same here...East coast only...past couple of days...mainly Upstate New York

 

 

Madame Kazoo Kitty says...
" Have no fear...the Fruity's are here ! "

genv  (4215 )      Dec-09-07 13:30 PST     88 of 108
SEARCH availability is DELAYED... up to 12 hours, I've read... The faucet ain't ON cause it wasn't TURNED on.

upndan23  (1170 )      Dec-09-07 13:31 PST     89 of 108
We vote Yes, No question about it. Its a neverending game on this site.

kathieskorner  (3486 )      Dec-09-07 14:43 PST     90 of 108
Three sales in the past 24 hours - all east coast (MD VA and SC).

kustomkartoons  (1192 )      Dec-09-07 15:49 PST     91 of 108
Well....

I'm a total believer in the fact that something, somewhere, somehow is being massaged. Here it is a great day to shop... just a few weeks before Christmas, and I've not had one sale today!

That is very unusual this time of year. My store stats back this up with the fact that there is almost no traffic to my store today.

I sure wish I was much more smarterer...... I'd love to figure out what is going on and how I can adapt.

(ps ... I'm not watching the Steeler game in the hopes that they upset the Pats.... I believe it helps the Steelers when I don't watch them... what a curse )

Kustom Kartoons - The Perfect Personalized Gift!

Turn the faucet back on Meg

oas3  (14980 )      Dec-09-07 15:54 PST     92 of 108
I know on the 1500 series server bank I go into the ebay blackhole around 10 pm CST almost every night and comeback into the light around 6 am CST. I'm sure there is nothing to it afterall like my store rep. said most folks are asleep during those hours and thats the reason for slow or no sales..

thisdoor65  (0 )      Dec-09-07 18:05 PST     93 of 108
Absolutely "YES"!

rbiondi  (3500 )      Dec-09-07 18:14 PST     94 of 108
YES

mygift2u  (7087 )      Dec-09-07 18:14 PST     95 of 108
YES. It all has to do with eBay indexing. They do it when they want and not often enough.

My sales come mostly at night.  Lots of night own shoppers for my items.  Always nice to wake up to sales.

PETITION to REMOVE the Star Rating System

pets1213  (152 )      Dec-09-07 18:39 PST     96 of 108
I say YES, but I don't think they are doing it on purpose. I think that whatever server you get shuffled onto depends on many things but mostly space availability. Some days we are on European servers, some days California, some days east coast. Some days on the Antarctica servers. Hardly any hits there.

vetromile  (4401 )      Dec-09-07 19:08 PST     97 of 108
Yes.....

fleur.de.lis.rising  (583 )      Dec-09-07 19:36 PST     98 of 108
most folks are asleep during those hours and thats the reason for slow or no sales..

oas3, I guess eBay has decided that the entire world should have the same bedtime...LOL!

Sigmund F. Spot, FHC

"If I clear my cache anymore, my computer's gonna disappear!"

kustomkartoons  (1192 )      Dec-09-07 19:41 PST     99 of 108
Very disappointing "faucet off" day!!

Thank goodness for the web site

Kustom Kartoons - The Perfect Personalized Gift!

Turn the faucet back on Meg

psychocat1959  (288 )      Dec-09-07 20:00 PST     100 of 108
Interesting to see others snapshots of their Omniture pages mirror my own very closely. Last year at this time was low, but this year is 2/3rds below that! Granted, November and December are always low months for me, but this year has been the worst. I also think the "on - off faucet" syndrome is indicative of deeper problems at eBay having to do with not up-grading and adding to their technology the way they should. SO much feels patched together, not planned.

Add to that manipulating search and it explains a lot of what sellers here are dealing with.

ccmjem  (2715 )      Dec-09-07 20:27 PST     101 of 108
Add me to the Yes group. Either that or only people in TX, IL and TN are buying books!

mymimi43  (1104 )      Dec-09-07 20:27 PST     102 of 108
I believe in the faucet theory. My sales are almost all in clusters. They always come within a couple of hours and the usually are from the same geographic area. They usually come from either cali or extreme east like the carolinas. Right now its unusual, I have sales from ind, ill, ky. My omniture pages mirror the ones shown by others. My server? number is 1701. Sure wish it was on every day of the week instead of just 3 days a week.

SheRa  Sept 16, 1995 - Nov 17, 2006
Thor Nov 17, 2006 – Nov 26, 2007

I have exactly what you want..........if I can just find it! 

catscole  (1116 )      Dec-09-07 21:24 PST     103 of 108
100% YES Spurts of sales within a few minutes. I'm talking 5 minutes then lights out.

oas3  (14980 )      Dec-09-07 21:37 PST     104 of 108
I got blackholed early this evening 9 sales today all east coast and last one was at 6 pm CST. Folks must have headed to bed early tonight..

consignment_alaska  (7855 )      Dec-10-07 00:41 PST     105 of 108
I have been keeping track of the location of my sales with Google Earth. Here is a screen shot of my 2007 sales. (crossing my fingers this works...)

[img]http://www.flickr.com/photos/10948349@N06/2100493036/[/img]

oldspartantrader  (3426 )      Dec-10-07 03:39 PST     106 of 108
Here is a screen shot of my 2007 sales

COOL MAP --

It does however appear that your ship to destinations pretty closely mirror population densities --

Carl

tribblekitty  (1775 )      Dec-10-07 05:15 PST     107 of 108
I am definitely a believer in the store "faucet theory". 

My sales are almost all in clusters. They always come within a couple of hours and the usually are from the same geographic area.

Exactly the same phenomenon here.

Has anyone figured out a way I can pay my store & selling fees bases on actual exposure?

lovapet  (3735 )      Dec-10-07 06:50 PST     108 of 108

Yes!!

trainnut20021  (6036 )         Dec-11-07 10:04 PST       109 of 153
Ok I'm getting 7 day core auction items with 1-2 hits in 7 days. Now what's wrong with that picture?

How many people get 1 hit on a core listing in 7 days?

Lee

 

kustomkartoons  (1198 )      Dec-11-07 10:59 PST     110 of 153
Man....

Almost three days since a sale in my store..... perhaps this is my reward for starting this thread


Kustom Kartoons - The Perfect Personalized Gift!
Turn the faucet back on Meg... Pretty Please

postavent  (0 )      Dec-11-07 11:18 PST     111 of 153
For the first time ever (I've had a store since almost the beginning of stores) I went 30 days with NO eBay store sales. I put my store on vacation yesterday as advised on this board. Today I sold $446. Hmmmmmmmmmm

My website was selling steady during the same period.

etexbill  (1479 )      Dec-11-07 11:28 PST     112 of 153
Quote: "How many people get 1 hit on a core listing in 7 days?"

That's par for the course for me on most items, lately.

20th_century_art  (441 )      Dec-11-07 11:48 PST     113 of 153
Lee writes:  Ok I'm getting 7 day core auction items with 1-2 hits in 7 days. Now what's wrong with that picture?

Just a thought... all your item titles start with pretty much the same few words... 'dog supplies' or 'pet supplies.' For instance:


Dog Supplies 3' Nylon Slip Leads Show Loop Lead Red

If I'm a buyer looking for a nice dog leash or lead, I might miss your listing because the word lead (even though you've used it twice) is lost somewhere in the middle and end of the listing. Also, I might not even know the difference between a lead and a leash (according to the dictionary, a lead can be described as a leash), so why not use both words to make sure to hit all the keywords? Also, have you tried moving the keywords to the front and captalizing? Like this...


DOG LEASH Show Lead Fancy Red Nylon Slip Loop 3'

Note I also added the word 'fancy.' I don't know whether you think these are fancy leads or not... but a word like 'fancy' might attract attention. Or 'special.' Or 'durable.' Anything to make YOUR leads, collars or pet supplies seem different from all the others!


Mark

halspaperfair  (9228 )      Dec-11-07 14:49 PST     114 of 153
yes, my sales were so bad about a month ago, i was about a day or 2 from closing the store when all of a sudden sales exploded. they're ok now and not as dead as before. obviously, there'll be ups & downs and you won't have the same sales every day but i felt like i dropped out of sight.

trainnut20021  (6036 )      Dec-11-07 15:07 PST     115 of 153
My store hits on omniture look like a roller coaster. Massive hits one day nothing the next. UP/down...I mean drastic numbers like 186 one day 23 the next. Crazy!


Lee




themagicmountain  (368 )      Dec-11-07 15:19 PST     116 of 153
I thought it was me.

I'll have a day or two of great sales, then nothing

mljcarman  (2865 )      Dec-11-07 19:21 PST     117 of 153
(ps ... I'm not watching the Steeler game in the hopes that they upset the Pats.... I believe it helps the Steelers when I don't watch them... what a curse ) 

I'm glad I'm not the only one that does this but with the Bears for us. They seem to play better if I don't watch them--though it hasn't helped much this year
something strange is going on. I also tried to find one of my items in search to see how many people had the same item and it didn't even come up in the search with the exact title but there were a lot of the same item from competitors listed. How can we sell anything that way. Fortunately I have several buyers that keep my on their favorites to see what I have and buy regularly but don't know if my items even show up unless it is my time to be "on".



stuff-4-me  (29 )      Dec-11-07 22:13 PST     118 of 153
YES. But I don't think eBay can control the faucet. I think between glitches, promotions, international changes, whims of programmers, technology up and down and the "wonderful" serach experience the faucet changes from day to day to day... and even eBay can't figure it out.

But, I do beleive in the faucet theory. That is the only thing that can explain some of the oddities. Some of my product lines sell like gangbusters for a week... then, something changes and the faucet is turned off... and nothing in that line sells for months... then something changes and the faucet is on and I will see that product like crazy for a week.... and so it goes...

quality_consignments  (15 )      Dec-11-07 23:12 PST     119 of 153
lee i see your postings here after divorce and mutlible heart attacks im setting up shops and teaching ebay to people on a part time basis and consult with a few store owners no more powerselling even though i dig the powerseller chicks lol

mrbubbe2  (837 )      Dec-12-07 08:07 PST     120 of 153
yes to the faucet


joe

toontowntreasures  (2872 )      Dec-12-07 08:17 PST     121 of 153
            A very emphatic yes to the faucet theory ,sales of late seem to appear in groups by country , my sales book shows a definite pattern.
Not exactly what we store owners  are paying for , who would open a store if they told you it would appear in random searches??

just-thinking  (11 )      Dec-12-07 11:47 PST     122 of 153
Yes, but I believe it is a wide variety of factors affecting how this "faucet" gets turned on and off.

20th_century_art  (441 )      Dec-12-07 12:18 PST     123 of 153
I've yet to see any convincing evidence of the 'faucet.' The Omniture charts I've seen posted are not at all convincing. First of all, PAGE VIEW charts are worthless, since they are not an indicator of how many unique people find your store in search each day, and they include your own views while working on your store. So for heavy listing days, my page views rise dramatically. Or you may have one very curious visitor who spends hours browsing your store... bumping your page views way up.

The best indicator of traffic levels is UNIQUE DAILY VISITORS. This report counts each unique IP only once each day. So it provides a great snapshot of how well your store is being 'found.' And when I look at my UDV stats, I never see any unexplained peaks and valleys. The visitors may increase 25% on days when I list heavily, or they may decrease 25% if I take a break from listing. Thus the variation from peak to valley might look dramatic, but there's not much deviation from the norm. And the deviations there are are entirely explainable.

Someone who has evidence of the 'faucet' in their Omniture Unique Daily Visitors report please post it...

If your store has suddenly been made 'invisible' in searches, then we might expect to see 200 visitors one day and next to none the next day, while you're 'invisible.' Then 200 visitors the following day when the 'faucet' has been turned back on...

Let's see it!



just-thinking  (11 )      Dec-12-07 12:28 PST     124 of 153
I've yet to see any convincing evidence of the 'faucet.'

PAN, how many sellers do you need to hear the same scenerio of a number of items sold in a certain geographical area or international? Or batches of sales and then nothing?

20th_century_art  (441 )      Dec-12-07 12:40 PST     125 of 153
J-T,

The problem is people can make up all kinds of theories to explain odd patterns in buying... if you have three sales from the UK in one day you may believe you've suddenly been placed on a UK server. That's a fallacy.

Here's a test... we can all look at our 'Referring Domain' reports in Omniture. We can look at where our traffic comes from by day, by week, by month. As shown here:



Notice that my traffic sources for yesterday compare very well with my overall traffic sources for the month as a whole. I'm getting about 75% of my traffic from ebay.com, and the rest of the sources tend to line up pretty well.

Now, if the faucet theory is correct, if it's true that there are days when our stores are 'invisibible' on eBay, then someone should be able to produce a similar chart showing a day when ebay.com has next to no hits, and is overwhelmed by some other sites. If a 'faucet' proponent can produce such a table... then I'll reconsider the argument.

Make sense?



jake-deals-4u  (673 )      Dec-12-07 12:48 PST     126 of 153
Actually JT you make a good point. More people believe they have seen a UFO than approve of Congress!

Oh & im on the #1200 server & a vast majority of my stuff ships to the areas that marty says people are going broke in record numbers.

So im with you, i believe in UFO & servers that have a little green man inside that turns on & off listings while they spin & rotate

20th_century_art  (441 )      Dec-12-07 12:52 PST     127 of 153

More people believe they have seen a UFO than approve of Congress!

But little green men are much more fun than Omniture data!



just-thinking  (11 )      Dec-12-07 12:58 PST     128 of 153
20th_century_art

It does not need to be anything like being placed on a different server but I would surely not rule anything out. What I have suspected for at least a year is that it has more to do with how eBay does targeted keywords for the paid contextual ads. But also believe there are other things going on like ensuring most sellers get enough sales to cover the store costs etc. But that could also be accomplished though contextual advertising. The international spurts could also be due to that. I know programming so know what is possible for them to do and it would be easy to manipulate who and when sales are made on this site and they can tweak it automatically based on certain criteria.

just-thinking  (11 )      Dec-12-07 13:00 PST     129 of 153
Btw 20th_century_art, the new troll jake believes he was given very special item start numbers.

20th_century_art  (441 )      Dec-12-07 13:22 PST     130 of 153
J-T,

I presented data... instead of presenting any data of your own, you dismiss my data as possibly 'falsified' by eBay.

So there is simply no arguing the point.

When an argument rest on tin-foil conspiracy theories... well...

So much for the 'faucet.'



20th_century_art  (441 )      Dec-12-07 13:24 PST     131 of 153
Btw 20th_century_art, the new troll jake believes he was given very special item start numbers.

If eBay would falsify Omniture reports to hide their manipulation of our store search... certainly they'd have no qualms about giving Jake a special server number! No?



just-thinking  (11 )      Dec-12-07 13:29 PST     132 of 153
20th,

If people could prove it, lawsuits could incur. It really is that simple.

jake-deals-4u  (673 )      Dec-12-07 14:03 PST     133 of 153
Ahhh i see JT, So like if someone stubs their toe @ home, they could blame eBay, sue & make Millions.

WOW im gonna call my lawyer friend rite away. He works for that famous law firm' Dewey-Cheatem-& Howe!

Whish me luck!!!

tilliesteaparty  (638 )      Dec-12-07 14:33 PST     134 of 153
            My vot is YES!


Hip, Chic and Unique Decor & Gifts

20th_century_art  (441 )      Dec-13-07 10:13 PST     135 of 153
I posted some Omniture charts above showing that the faucet theory is bunk... at least for my store. I'm curious if any of the faucet supporters have been able to produce the charts for their stores proving their claims?

Still waiting...



jake-deals-4u  (673 )      Dec-13-07 13:53 PST     136 of 153
I cant answer that on the basis of' eBaycentricism.

trainnut20021  (6036 )      Dec-13-07 13:59 PST     137 of 153
We have nothing to prove nor do we need to. I know what my report says and frankly it's not of your business.

You said it best......"at least for my store". This does not mean your numbers represent anyone else but yourself.

Sorry nothing personal.......

Lee

 

trainnut20021  (6036 )      Dec-13-07 14:00 PST     138 of 153
            not=non

Lee




trainnut20021  (6036 )      Dec-13-07 14:09 PST     139 of 153
Besides you posted the wrong chart anyway. How bout the stores view chart? Not the reffering domain chart.

Lee






katiyana  (4119 )      Dec-13-07 15:01 PST     140 of 153
My vote has to be: I don't know.

My traffic reports don't show days with absolutely 0 traffic - if I understand the faucet theory, there should be no traffic to my items because no one is finding them. I'm not seeing that on my traffic reports.

However, I have found that some days I get more sales than others - I haven't tracked sales by buyer location or time zones or anything like that.

Obviously many people do believe in it.

lehman-parker  (538 )      Dec-13-07 20:52 PST     141 of 153
No.

Like Marty, I think the cycles have a lot to do with eBay's promotions. Also, with what I have in core, how much I've listed lately, whether I've refreshed my google store connector listings, etc.

Pat


kswallace2  (8328 )      Dec-13-07 21:19 PST     142 of 153
Yes, no other explaination.

jeanibe  (2668 )      Dec-13-07 21:30 PST     143 of 153
Yes, first it flows, then it goes.

quality_consignments  (15 )      Dec-13-07 21:51 PST     144 of 153
whats up robert aka jake lol hey hows the ps chicks doin?

pure.plug  (Private )      Dec-13-07 22:03 PST     145 of 153
minnymalse (882 )  Dec-09-07 04:00 PST 29 of 143
I think there is more than one faucet.

ITA- I think there are more than two faucets, in fact, I think there are as many faucets as there are letters in the alphabet. Which means that whenever A-D logged in customers search, all they get are sellers starting their names with E-H, etc. The pattern has been tested, and it looks like everything's based on the alphabet corelated with the names of customers and sellers.
Because my name starts with T (seller account), all I get are customers starting with U-Z.
You should look at your customers first name letters (id names that is, although sometimes another algorithm replaces this one and switches to coordinate last buyer's and seller's real names.
Mystery solved.





meecabay  (1228 )      Dec-13-07 22:13 PST     146 of 153
.......

Yes!

why and/or how ?



.......................

Bye

pure.plug  (Private )      Dec-13-07 22:33 PST     147 of 153
I guess the best way to work the system is to change your name every so often to get a whole range of new customers.
If you Meecabay change your name to lets say Peekabay, you'll start getting Qs, Rs, Ss names.

 
meecabay  (1228 )        Dec-13-07 22:42 PST       148 of 153
........

excuse me 'pure'.... but I must correct your typo......

It is meekababy!

or maybe you think and will vote for:

meekababe!




........
Bye


meecabay  (1228 )      Dec-13-07 22:44 PST     149 of 153
........

just never call me

geekabe


........
Bye


20th_century_art  (441 )      Dec-13-07 22:46 PST     150 of 153
Lee writes:  Besides you posted the wrong chart anyway. How bout the stores view chart? Not the referring domain chart.

I've posted all kinds of charts in the past. I'll be glad to post any chart you'd like to see. But remember, when looking at a chart, it helps to understand what the numbers mean. And most everyone who looks at their Omniture reports on a regular basis understands that Page Views and Storefront Page Views can vary wildly, don't represent the actual number of visitors to your store, and even include your own multiple daily visits, while editing, updating, or re-listing your own items. Which means those charts aren't very good for much of anything. And that's why I stated earlier that the best chart to look at is Unique Visitors... because it counts each IP address only once, including your own. So if you look at 100 of your listings during a day, it doesn't get scewed wildly. Or if a single visitor looks at 50 items in your store, that doesn't impact the chart either... take a look:



You can see the page views and store views show a huge spike yesterday. But my sales yesterday were quite average. And when you look at the Unique Visitors Report at the bottom, you see that my visitors yesterday averaged pretty much right on target with every other day, give or take a few. About the same number of people 'found' my store yesterday as every other day this month. And I'm pretty sure the little peaks and valleys in that chart correlate pretty well with days I did more listing.

If my 'faucet' had truly been turned on yesterday, I should have seen lots of sales... at least double my average. But my sales were quite normal, as would be expected with my normal traffic.

So, we get back to the question of why the page view and storefront view charts are so unreliable... well, I can only speculate. But as I mentioned earlier, the page views count YOUR OWN VISITS to your store. And I know while I'm listing or re-listing I might look at my storefront dozens of times during a given day, if not more. Plus, I know that hot listings with multiple bids often get lots of viewers, or gawkers. I had one listing end yesterday that got almost 30 views in the last hour. No doubt most of those were just curious browsers. The same people coming back multiple times to watch how much the item got bid up.

Bottom line: Page View charts are close to worthless for measuring store traffic. They are entirely worthless as evidence for a 'faucet.'

If you've got some charts to prove the 'faucet' theory... feel free to show them!



pure.plug  (Private )      Dec-13-07 22:50 PST     151 of 153
Peekabay, I'll email you tomorrow after I get some sleep kay? Hope everything's ok with you.
Hugs, plug




20th_century_art  (441 )      Dec-13-07 22:59 PST     152 of 153
By the way...

Did you know that when someone looks at one of your auction listings with multiple bids that counts as one page view, then if they click on the 'bid' list to see the bidders that counts as another page view?

So as I said, if you've got one interesting listing with five bidders, for instance, and each one comes back several times during the course of the last hour or minutes... then each time they click on the listing and each time they click on the bidder list they are generating more page view counts.

Here's an example from one of my listings that ended yesterday. Note this is not a listing that's being viewed, it's the bidder status...

But all those clicks generated 'page views' for the page view report.  Meaningless.



meecabay  (1228 )      Dec-14-07 00:14 PST     153 of 153
........

Hello 'pure'....

It is tomorrow!


............

Bye

// 
//
//

How the vote tallied.

List below has the Item Number Prefix (first four digits of a sellers eBay item number), the vote, the seller and their feedback.

A "9999" means no items for sale. A "n/a" means no vote was given.

The number of votes is small. However the total number of aggregate transactions the sellers represent, is not small.

1101 no jake-deals-4u (673)
1200 no honiesresale (3138)
1401 no accessoriesandgifts (796)
1600 no ranamountain (980)
1601 no dorothysew (911)
2601 no 20th_century_art (411), post_a_note (0)
2601 no lehman-parker (538)
2801 no tresrhnter (2186)
3201 no clact (3980)
3201 no oldspartantrader (3426)
3201 no tanjastore (47)


1201 n/a golfingaddict (12042)
1401 n/a consignment_alaska (7855)
1401 n/a paladingamesnhobbies (2155)
2001 n/a cumos55 (1699)
2001 n/a genv (4215)
2301 n/a katiyana (4119)
2901 n/a kathieskorner (3486)
3201 n/a quality_consignments (15)
9999 n/a severelashing (0)


1100 yes pennantpalooza (16743)
1101 yes gardenpartytea (1802)
1102 yes tribblekitty (1775)
1200 yes folsomhouse (1358)
1200 yes z*nns_vintage (2381)
1201 yes disneygurll (1795)
1201 yes mljcarman (2852)
1201 yes pattia3 (605)
1201 yes sandrarn83 (2888)
1201 yes southcarlinajane (2682)
1301 yes kustomkartoons (1192)
1301 yes omostudios (854)
1301 yes vetromile (4401)
1401 yes appliancecoverqueen (209)
1401 yes halspaperfair (9228)
1401 yes mrbubbe (837)
1401 yes normh915 (3882)
1500 yes oas3 (14980)
1500 yes rbiondi (3500)
1501 yes lindaspostcardsandmore (4553)
1501 yes meecabay (1228)
1701 yes mymimi43 (1104)
1701 yes seoulsoulsofun (780)
1800 yes lovapet (3735)
1801 yes kiwisoutbackk (1804)
1801 yes jeanibe (2668)
1801 yes mygift2u (7088)
1801 yes upndan23
2001 yes pets1213 (152)
2001 yes psychocat1959 (288)
2001 yes rustyfarmall (315)
2001 yes toontowntreasures (2872)
2201 yes ccmjem (2715)
2201 yes ocean2tides (965)
2201 yes turtlegaby (5415)
2301 yes almostantiquepaper (1629)
2301 yes tilliesteaparty  (638)
2501 yes bribaiki (1275)
2501 yes minibeesknees (645)
2501 yes minnymales (880)
2501 yes sweetsweetsadie (288)
2601 yes elsaivymom (1170)
2601 yes extexbill (1479)
2601 yes pddnp (2054)
2601 yes wheeledtoys (2445)
2801 yes catscole (1116)
3001 yes franksfinefurniture (62)
3201 yes best-brandname-deals (701)
3201 yes primsaw (427)
3201 yes sportscollectible (601)
3201 yes thecountryhorse (7481)
3301 yes how_unique (1693)
3500 yes blue*skies*ahead (1152)
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From eBay Stores Forum - I am going to eat my words........I take back my previous posts...

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From eBay Stores Forum
I am going to eat my words........I take back my previous posts...
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000436800&start=0
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:T-xgOBBXeTwJ:forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa%3FthreadID%3D2000436800%26tstart%3D0%26mod%3D1190430047719+%22i+am+going+to+eat+my+words

.

irishcelticdesigns  (25 )      Sep-20-07 03:09 PDT
Just for the craic I decided to see what the story was with all this search lark on Ebay.

I searched for a "silver claddagh ring" listed on Ebay.ie only. Search returned many items, a couple of them on Ebay.ie, most listed on ebay.com but all fo them in Ireland. now I hadnt asked for items to be in Ireland. I asked for the results to be listed on ebay.ie, so there is one error in the search function.

Then I did a search for the same again "silver claddagh ring" this time on ebay.ie with no advanced options. Low and behold the place was flooded with results from ebay.com and some on ebay.ie which was fine as I didnt want to filter out the results.

I found an item listed on ebay.ie 120160949146 so I did a search on this item with the first four keywords on the title "sterling silver irish celtic" and loads of results came up. I looked for that specific item by looking at the end times and low and behold it wasnt there, but you bet your prize pony that the .com listings were on the .ie search results!

I have just found out what Ebay is at. Its manipulating the searches to bits and not giving a true picture. Surely if I search on Ebay.ie then the Ebay.ie or .co.k listing will come up first? Asked in "live help" and I was told, "thats weird". Damn straight its weird, its downright unjust and unfair to the people that list on Ebay.ie

I whole heartedly apologise for being so harsh in my other posts about the negativity, altho I would still like to remain positive about this but Ebay has just shown me what truly lies beneath!!!

27 replies     Date posted     Reply #

irishcelticdesigns  (25 )      Sep-20-07 03:11 PDT     1 of 27
second paragraph correction - I searched on ebay.com for the ebay.ie listing but no joy.

irishcelticdesigns  (25 )      Sep-20-07 03:13 PDT     2 of 27
actually the fourth paragraph it wa,s - really fkd up this thread lol

just-thinking  (11 )      Sep-20-07 03:33 PDT     3 of 27
-

And you found just one of the problems with search.

Another major one if one has a store it is very hard
for buyers to every find those items. So a question
is what are the listing fees for store items for?

And if you go to the Technical Issues board it has
been full of glitches for years now.

All the manipulations and glitches limit the
amount of sales sellers can make here.

And then there was them pulling out of Goog Ads
and when they started up again and I think based
on what they said it would be cut down. Sellers
pay a lot in stores and core/auctions and to not
have proper advertising cuts down on the amount
of sales.

The sales before SIS (stores in search) was ok,
the sales during SIS were pretty darn good, the
sales after SIS nearly stopped for many.

just-thinking  (11 )      Sep-20-07 03:41 PDT     4 of 27
And check out this thread. There was also
another one about this earlier but the problem
was still not fixed. This is just yet another
problem and there are so many problems would
be hard to count just how many. All these
problems day after day month after month year
after year results in lost sales for many sellers.
And all the hiding they did after SIS to make sure
store items would not sell like they did before SIS
is one of the very worst manipulations this company
did to sellers so again what are those store listing
fees for?

Completed Search Again, Still??

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000434458&tstart=0&mod=1190270352076

chopsueysisters  (2192 )      Sep-20-07 03:43 PDT     5 of 27
Irish, between the various sites there is inconsistency on how search is displayed. Certain sites default to local country listings with an option to expand. For the US site, Ebay doesn't allow us that. It seems a bit backwards to me because the US has the largest volume of us listings already, you'd think it would improve the user experience. But ummm I think ebay wants to show us everything and maybe get us to buy from other countries more (because they get more money via paypal)

I dont know, I just dont know anymore..

Der-der der-der-der DER-DER
Green acres is the place to be!

 

 

.

huckster3000  (292 )      Sep-20-07 06:26 PDT     6 of 27
a few weeks back i received a "favorite seller" email from one of my favorited ebay store sellers (a media dealer). there was a dvd in the email that i was interested in, so i clicked the link to check it out and was taken to the seller's store listing. so far so good.

then i decided to do a title search to see if i could find this particular dvd a little cheaper. search returned nothing. nada. zip. zero results. even though i had just been looking at a listing for this dvd title in an ebay seller's store! (and yes, the "add store listings" option box was selected.) i spent the next 5 - 10 minutes trying various searches with various options settings to find this dvd and all come up zero. and none of the searches ever returned this store seller's listing that i knew was there - which i verified again by going directly to his store on my own, where surprise surprise i found the listing that search couldn't. finally i just gave up in frustration.

suffice to say it's ridiculous.



huckster3000

DEAD END DRIVE-IN DVD

and if i weren't a civil servant / i'd have a place in the colonies / we'd play croquet behind white-washed walls and drink our tea at four / within intervention's distance of the embassy

just-thinking  (11 )      Sep-20-07 15:13 PDT     7 of 27
-

This thread is a good summary explaining how more
and more sellers are catching on to what has been
going on after SIS

Slow store sales? Here's why!

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?messageID=2007735847&#2007735847

savoir-faire08  (92 )      Sep-20-07 15:21 PDT     8 of 27
irishcelticdesigners

You are a nice person to exercise insight and actually acknowledge your erroneous judgment from before. Congrats

Most of the people who post about glitches and the stupid star system do not hate eBay. There is a small minority of posters who, for one reason or the other, attempt to stifle these truth seeking or solution seeking voices and call them Negative Nancy-s or whatnots.

If eBay has a clever leadership, they better read about the problems and do something, before they alienate even their most dedicated fans and / or some other company that listens to its customers better will force them out of business. Posting the problems here is for the most part the only way to get something done, because e-mails may get canned responses, and if you write them back, yet another canned response will be sent with apologies, of course, btu not addressing the issue at hand.

savoir-faire08  (92 )      Sep-20-07 15:51 PDT     9 of 27
btu = but

savoir-faire08  (92 )      Sep-20-07 15:56 PDT     10 of 27
finally i just gave up in frustration.

suffice to say it's ridiculous.(huckster]

Huckster, it IS ridiculous! Plus, it is self-defeating for eBay! ebay only makes money if its sellers make. Hiding our store items or making it difficult for potential buyers to find them = monetary loss for seller = monetary loss for eBay

One does not need a Harvard degree to understand this simple mathematical calculation.

just-thinking  (11 )      Sep-20-07 16:06 PDT     11 of 27
Hiding our store items or making it difficult for potential buyers to find them = monetary loss for seller = monetary loss for eBay

I have thought that a long time but reading these
threads for a number of years I came to the conclusion
that the more they hide items or prevent sales the
more re-listing fees eBay makes.  And eventually,
the item will sell so they get that as well.  So
I believe eBay has fine-tuned/tweaked the "smart"
search to do just that.

just-thinking  (11 )      Sep-20-07 17:49 PDT     12 of 27
irishcelticdesigns

On your site don't your boards raise many of this
issues? Or maybe because it is smaller not as many
posters to really dig out all the truth as to what
has been going on for a long time. Or maybe your
eBay.ie site is less prone to the massive amount
of problems on the USA site?

just-thinking  (11 )      Sep-20-07 17:53 PDT     13 of 27
-

I just went to the ebay.ie site and to the board
that looks to be equivalent to this one but takes
one to the UK boards.

And because of what chopsueysisters said in this
thread now makes me wonder if eBay is much kinder
to other international sites and USE sellers on
this site much more and make much larger messes.

http://forums.ebay.co.uk/forum.jspa?forumID=1100000000

irishcelticdesigns  (25 )      Sep-21-07 01:29 PDT     14 of 27
Well Ebay's EU headquarters is in Dublin so they might have servers over in Europe for the EU, not sure but the boards over there dont seem to have as many problems. Although they just might not be aware of the many problems you guys are finding.

irishcelticdesigns  (25 )      Sep-21-07 01:31 PDT     15 of 27
savoir-faire08 Its nice to be able to admit defeat or that you are wrong about things.  Altho who likes defeat eh? lol

just-thinking  (11 )      Sep-21-07 01:45 PDT     16 of 27
the boards over there dont seem to have as many problems. Although they just might not be aware of the many problems you guys are finding

It could be two things.  Maybe things work for some
reason better internationally than here in the USA
or what you just said.

I have said that before too that I think it is a
matter of how much one sees.  And that takes quite
a bit of being attentive and observing what goes on.
I also think some posters have not read as many
threads as others so less informed.  When I first
really seeing questionable things going on a few
years ago and had my speculations, I would check the
boards and sure enough others were as well.  And many
times I could go verify what they said and there it
was for all to see, for those who did check.

And if some posters who really are good at getting
facts and even good speculations out there on the
boards left for green pastures then that also could
explain some of it.  Another thought is maybe those
boards are more strickly moderated?

I think too what some posters are missing is that if
they already had a number of repeat customers they
did not feel the pain as many sellers here did.  And
that they might be selling products that were more
immune to the changes.  Also those who do not have
stores or are fairly new to stores and were not here
before SIS I do not believe they understand just how
bad it was after SIS.  So it is a matter of knowledge
for a good part of it.

Its nice to be able to admit defeat or that you are wrong about things. Altho who likes defeat eh?

It is never defeat to admit one might not have seen
a larger picture of something.  I really like how
you approached this.

If you haven't had an opportunity to read this post,
you might consider that as it brings out quite a bit.

Slow store sales? Here's why!

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000436892&tstart=0&mod=1190354118649

irishcelticdesigns  (25 )      Sep-21-07 02:07 PDT     17 of 27
Yeah I had a quick skim over it. Am in work so cant read all of it or I'll be here for ages. I am seeing some fo the bigger picture alright. Have to say I am getting cold feet a bit as I hoped to open a store in four week but I really dont know now.

just-thinking  (11 )      Sep-21-07 02:44 PDT     18 of 27
If you have done auctions for quite awhile and are
successful at it, you can get visitors into a store
that way. Just make sure you have a very visible
link to that store in all your auction listings.

And if you have the kind of products that are in
a good or high demand and even better yet unique
one has a good chance of being seen more in the
stores. If a lot of people sell the same type of
product as yours it will be more difficult unless
you have lower prices and even with that if those
others have repeat customers not as easy.

But think the route to go since this company has
pretty much made the store listings invisible is
to go the auction route and make that successful
and if so then open a store.

If you already have success with auctions that is
a good sign that you might do ok with a store.

And if your store is located on the ebay.ie or uk
and if the international sites do not have the
many types of problems like here in the USA you
might be ok to proceed with a store any way. You
might consider asking around on the boards over
there to find out more how others truly are doing.

just-thinking  (11 )      Sep-21-07 03:12 PDT     19 of 27
Another thing I would strongly recommend is to
diversify by at least having your own website
in addition to what you do on on eBay.

irishcelticdesigns  (25 )      Sep-21-07 05:59 PDT     20 of 27
Yeah I figured that from just reading here. Actually first few posts I read on here months ago I figured that as I kept putting St elsewhere into google thinking it was an auction type site lol every day is a school day

just-thinking  (11 )      Sep-21-07 13:57 PDT     21 of 27
-

There are also some good alternative sites like the
moon and the bird and not sure if you can sell on
the Zon but if so might check that out. But having
one's own website to me is a must and should be the
main business where here and the other alternative
sites are secondary and if they work more important.

meecabay  (1225 )      Sep-21-07 16:05 PDT     22 of 27
            ........

Wow 'just':  Your comment above:


"I have thought that a long time but reading these
threads for a number of years I came to the conclusion
that the more they hide items or prevent sales the
more re-listing fees eBay makes. And eventually,
the item will sell so they get that as well. So
I believe eBay has fine-tuned/tweaked the "smart"
search to do just that." by 'just.thinking'


....IS SO INCREDIBLE TO THINK THIS COULD BE HAPPENING!!!.

Even if this is happening by ACCIDENT-result of search manipulation.....

IT would be so very very very WRONG!!!

And, of course, if done PURPOSELY for reason you stated as one way to generate more revenue for the site...

IT would even be OUTRAGEOUS!!!

===================================================

kimonomomo  (264 )      Sep-21-07 16:10 PDT     23 of 27
Having once worked for a jeweler or two, I'd suggest anyone doing a search for "claddagh" try some alternative spellings (and that goes for jewelry and jewellry, too). Most people in the US have no idea how to spell claddagh correctly, pronounce it, or even what it is. Sad, but true.

just-thinking  (11 )      Sep-21-07 16:28 PDT     24 of 27
Even if this is happening by ACCIDENT-result of search manipulation

Yes, even by accident and not fixing all the many
many many many problems on this site due to neglect
or incompetence for this company to allow them to
go on is unacceptable. So a question is if they
allow them to go on and on and on how is that different
doing it on purpose? I believe it is a combination
of both, purposefully manipulating and allow glitches
to continue for all those dollars they pack into
their pockets.

just-thinking  (11 )      Sep-21-07 16:33 PDT     25 of 27
Imagine if one was a small business and their software
allowed that company to increase their profits due to
glitches. The members of that company would tell them
all about the glitches for years and not much changes.
They take them to court. Do you think that small
company would get away saying they did not know or
they have other priorities? Judge Judy would have a
hay day with that small business owner. How would
Judge Judy feel about a small company manipulating
whose items are seen and when when all member pay the
same?

meecabay  (1225 )      Sep-21-07 16:53 PDT     26 of 27
.........

ya know 'just'and anyone reading:

The more I read.... the more I am convinced 'we' are in a very complex maze and so complex that:

...even eBay itself may also be 'stuck' IN this complex maze, so to speak!

....Well, all I continue to know for sure is: I am still here and still here with an open mind!

But, I am beginning to be at a loss-for-words regarding this eBay complex maze as my mind is beginning to see an even bigger view of IT!

And, without knowing all the facts.... all I can do personally is to just post when 'inspired' all that I feel or think or believe and hope that it will also help contribute in some way so that the eBay-WAY will NOT become just a distant memory.

oy vey!
====================================================

kimonomomo  (264 )      Sep-21-07 20:00 PDT     27 of 27
Imagine if one was a small business and their software
allowed that company to increase their profits due to
glitches.

Microsoft?

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From eBay Stores Forum - Marty, What does this mean...do you know?

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From eBay Stores Forum
Marty, What does this mean...do you know? http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000427444&start=0

.

postcardsandmore  (4446 )      Aug-31-07 17:57 PDT
The auction business needs a boost, but it might get one from a planned redesign of the site later this year. New features will allow other sites to host listings, letting eBay use the popularity of social networking sites in the same way that video site YouTube does. EBay is also making its auction site more profitable by placing an increasing number of small, targeted ads from outside companies.

Are they talking about something that is already in place like the ebay to go thingy or something new?

postcardsandmore  (4446 )      Aug-31-07 17:59 PDT     1
The above quote is from this article:

http://www.smartmoney.com/stockscreen/index.cfm?story=20070821intro&afl=yahoo

And, it hints that Meg might step down in March when she reaches her 10 year anniversary.

savoir-faire08  (80 )      Aug-31-07 17:59 PDT     2
I am not Marty, Linda, but I think what this passage refers to is the planned listings on MySpace and the likes. I heard some rumors.

postcardsandmore  (4446 )      Aug-31-07 18:02 PDT     3
Thanks. So, Myspace is going to break down and let us put our listings on there?

Then, why not just put what we have available on there and cut out ebay? Or is it going to be tied to ebay only? Any ideas?

postcardsandmore  (4446 )      Aug-31-07 18:02 PDT     4
Of course, I don't really think 99.9% of my customers hang out on myspace...lol

Guess it's back to the drawing board for other ideas.

savoir-faire08  (80 )      Aug-31-07 18:05 PDT     5
I wish I'd remember more of that stuff. And here si another one

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/58719.html

clact  (3703 )      Aug-31-07 18:59 PDT     6
Hi there!

I think everyone got it right. They are referring to the various deals in the works with Myspace and I think even Facebook . Its all part of a plan I presume to be everywhere.

Personally I am more excited about the possibility they expanded their credit line not for dividend but to buy Mercado Libre the Latin American auction company growing like crazy which Ebay already owns. You know how wonderful our Canadian customers are, there is a whole world to the south of us here that is only now starting to hit the internet craze.

In any case I think these projects will start slow but there have been recent article stating that the next generation will make the "search engine" one of many options for finding and buying things in the many circles people are in.

For example One girl we sells 70k in T-shirts from myspace. Has nothing to do with Google. She had a lot of friends, started early, shirts had borderline nasty sayings on them and the kids bought them because they were there on that site seeing people like her. Nothing to do with Ebay, Google or adwords.

Similarly as a member of one other site, I am involved in discussions with CEOs on brainstorming ideas. If someone that click with me suggested something, Id probably buy it just as a friend might recommend a movie to you.

As I say all the time only a percentage of items in the world are bought when someone searches for them. People like to be shown what to buy. Almost every successful product out there was SHOWN to you by the TV , a friend or an AD.

Ive found Stumbleupon fascinating. By what I like and what others like me like I get taken all kinds of places. Any of you that have used it know what I mean. After a dozen or so uses it knows you LOL

This is just speculation on my part but just as Amazon uses "people that bought this also bought this other item" I think eBay will gain knowledge of this and sometimes I find a weird dead on result listed first and I think its a test for me LOL

In any case I hope Meg stays on. I really like Meg, and there is no reason for her to retire. She is well liked, has a good vision (even if the outward expression of that here is often not too good).

I am sure many of you heard the story in Forbes but Ill post it here for you anyway...

From Forbes Magazine...

Ebay's Meg Whitman built a retail leviathan without sacrificing her customers, shareholders or ethics. She still has more to prove.
People at Ebay love to tell this story about Margaret (Meg) Whitman, the chief executive. She was on a flight to India with three other Ebay employees when one of them developed a dangerous gastrointestinal problem somewhere over Tehran. Whitman pulled out an atlas and decided Istanbul was the nearest, safest city in which they could land. She called an air emergency service and arranged for an ambulance to be waiting on the tarmac when the plane landed. Whitman rode in the ambulance with the ill executive and stayed with him for hours in the hospital, talking to his wife on the phone.

Once the executive was stabilized, Whitman took him to a hospital in London in the corporate jet. She and the other Ebay employees flew commercial to India, leaving the jet for the patient to fly home to California. "She will exert herself personally, far and above the call of duty," says Rajiv Dutta, head of Ebay's PayPal business. "She makes you want to do the right thing."

Whitman is indeed a welcome respite in an age littered with corporate shenanigans. "Nice" is the word usually applied to Whitman personally, and nice she has been to shareholders. She became chief executive of the online auctioneer in March 1998. Six months later she took the company public at an initial market value of $700 million. Now Ebay is worth $46 billion, and shareholders have enjoyed a compound annual return of 40%. Yet Whitman has taken home a quite reasonable paycheck--averaging $1.7 million a year in the last six years. Of course she is sitting on a nice pot of Ebay stock, most of which she was granted upon her hire--her 1.9% stake is worth some $885 million. That, plus cash and other holdings, makes her one of only ten self-made female billionaires on the planet.

And she did it without indulging in accounting tricks or backdated options, as have so many Silicon Valley executives. "I love who we are as a company and what we stand for," says Whitman. "It's fun to have built such a successful company and done it with a nice character, in a way most people would be proud of."

I agree, and I think Rajiv Dutta will probably be her successor. I have not met him yet, just saw him speak at LIVE, something great about that guy as well and how people feel about him.

People love to hate Meg, that is why in this upside down world it makes sense that she is really a good person.

Marty

oas3  (14573 )      Aug-31-07 19:08 PDT     7
I think it would be just as easy to fix the search and probably alot simplier..

postcardsandmore  (4446 )      Aug-31-07 20:33 PDT     8
"Fix the search" by ebay standards (playground)lol

Or "Fix the search" like we all need where a simple key word search brings up everything on THIS site with those keywords and only those keywords in it?

Some of us still deal in things that don't belong on myspace or any of the other "social" networks. And, we are fading fast.

Our buyers are giving up and leaving and that is leaving the impression no one wants our stuff anymore. In reality, they just don't find it fun to buy here anymore and there is no where else to go so they are going back to their TVs, hobbies, etc and ebay is just a fading memory for them (buyers...not sellers).

I'm talking about all the buyers who loved to sit down and see what items from their past they could find today. Now, the answer is all to often....NONE.

postcardsandmore  (4446 )      Aug-31-07 20:35 PDT     9
Thanks for sharing that Marty. Too bad I just don't share your enthusiasm over all the "new" things. I don't even like the new movies, tv shows or much else. I'm just sitting back in my little corner of the world with my records and old movies and old tv series where I'm comfortable and feel at home. *sigh*

joint_runner  (Private )      Aug-31-07 20:41 PDT     10
I don't even like the new movies, tv shows or much else. I'm just sitting back in my little corner of the world with my records and old movies and old tv series where I'm comfortable and feel at home. *sigh*

Rest assured you're not alone! There are a lot of us that are stepping off the treadmill. Enough is enough.

---

As transparent as eBay itself.

raremoderncards  (15 )      Aug-31-07 20:55 PDT     11
Postcards, i am sorry you feel left behind, but the majority of sellers and buyers and internet users in general are moving towards other ways of buying, selling and interacting, and that is where ebay should be moving.There is no way ebay can please everyone, but they should be lookingto please the majority.

huckster3000  (292 )      Aug-31-07 21:03 PDT     12
marty, i do think that you are one of the good guys and mean well. but whenever you are not talking about financial phenomenon like the country's economy - and ESPECIALLY when you are talking about anything related to ebay - i have to say that you almost always totally lose me. and i am someone who is pretty much totally tuned in to the whole web 2.0 digg itunes youtube myspace indy blogger content delivery revolution. when it comes to ebay matters i don't think you are wearing rose colored glasses so much as i fear that maybe you are the unfortunate victim of an electronic rose colored cerebral implant resulting from one of your many ebay live close encounters of the hypno kind.

just trying to keep it real here...

 

huckster3000

DEAD END DRIVE-IN DVD

and if i weren't a civil servant / i'd have a place in the colonies / we'd play croquet behind white-washed walls and drink our tea at four / within intervention's distance of the embassy

postcardsandmore  (4446 )      Aug-31-07 21:50 PDT     13
raremodern...no need to feel sorry for me. lol

But, when it comes to ebay they should remember that a lot of us old-timers are the ones who buy as well. We are the ones that are left out.

All I'm saying is they should make a place for us to. Those of you into the new things may be surprised someday when you actually discover just how much competition there is out there for your new items.

The people I'm talking about don't buy new on line very often unless it is from a reputable store. And, they loved ebay for the same reasons I did. I have thousands of emails from customers who tell me what the items I sold them meant to them. And, how happy they are to have it.

Those people are losing out on what ebay once offered. I'm just as sad to see it dieing for us as a buyer as I am as a seller.

clact  (3703 )      Aug-31-07 21:51 PDT     14
Huckster, I am not sure what is so difficult to understand.

I read a real lot. Often I read til 2am . There are articles all over the web about what is going on with ways to market items that might make search engines obsolete over time. Everything changes, Ebay has a lot going on now, and I think many of these things are exciting. You will see soon enough Im sure. This playground search thing is pretty much liked by most people now, even people here on the board LOL

For postcards it is amazing. Linda, go to playground.ebay.com and look up postcards click on snapshot view, then view listings of any postcard seller you find. AMAZING! Way better way to find what is needed.

I realize some of you think Im out there in la la land.

But I have to tell you I am no web guru, nor do I have a real lot of time to commit to this stuff yet everywhere I look there are ways to make money.

We get checks to train people, we manage accounts, we sell our own items, items for others ,get money from Squidoo, sell books at classes, sell our own guide at classes, occasionally get an affiliate check , are looking into Skype Prime (look it up) , and cant wait for Ebay local in order to trade more items locally.

This is a great company where people ask for your ideas, where employees meet with you and your ideas sometimes come to the site. A company that has made good numbers without chopping people like onions on a butcher block and which has grown internationally and has its foot in almost every major communication and trading technology going. One could do worse that to be involved here.

As to why people will buy from people they know or socialize with, it happens all the time. Its just like going out to golf and making a contact that is a friend and wants to do business with you. A friend recommends a video or movie and you check it out. All your friends love Subarua outbacks (like me) and you look into getting one. I have seen new music lists on some sites where people compare what they are listening to and there are links to buy the music.

I dont think its rocket science.

In the earlist days of AOL , there were chat room (still are). PEople were so amazed at talking to other people on the computer they lived with AOL bills in the hundreds and arranged meetings at places which got a lot of business from these get togethers. These people are first bought on AOL marketplace, then Ebay and Amazon.

Huckster, if you think I am out there, rent the movie

The Fountain

I think you will enjoy it! Its really good!

I think you will enjoy it! Its really good!

Marty

postcardsandmore  (4446 )      Aug-31-07 21:52 PDT     15
Marty, I still like to see the price and the information about it. A photo just doesn't tell me where it is from.

I would never shop postcards in that view. I still click on the list view in every store I enter who has theirs in the double column gallery view. lol

postcardsandmore  (4446 )      Aug-31-07 21:53 PDT     16
A company that has made good numbers without chopping people like onions on a butcher block

Bet there are a couple of hundred thousand sellers who would disagree with that one. lol

postcardsandmore  (4446 )      Aug-31-07 21:57 PDT     17
In the earlist days of AOL , there were chat room (still are). PEople were so amazed at talking to other people on the computer they lived with AOL bills in the hundreds and arranged meetings at places which got a lot of business from these get togethers

I remember those too. Then, a few years later someone would keep popping in to ask your age and sex and if you wanted to...well you know the rest. And, they got pretty graphic and I left those for good.

Myspace is the gutter of the internet if you ask me. Of course, you didn't, but I went there once to see my sisters pictures from Iraq. I couldn't believe the sleeze. I know you and lots of others here have neat sites there but it is a total turnoff to millions of us. I am not alone!

Asking a friend what they like and asking a stranger is two different things. The world seems to think everyone they chat with is a "friend". Does anyone make "real" friends anymore?

I understand all of this stuff. I just don't like it.

postcardsandmore  (4446 )      Aug-31-07 22:00 PDT     18
Ok, I'm talking to myself. lol

But, I did want to add that I also understand how you can be so excited about all this. You love selling. You love the adventure.

Many of us who stumbled on ebay in the good old days just like passing on our treasures to others and buying new ones. That is what we have lost.

thepinkelephants  (39 )      Aug-31-07 22:10 PDT     19
Huckster, if you think I am out there, rent the movie The Fountain

I think you will enjoy it! Its really good!

Clact, if you think we're out there, rent Orwell's movie 1984

I think you will enjoy it! Its really good.

clact  (3703 )      Aug-31-07 22:27 PDT     20

Postcards, I was at one of the first internet conferences in the early 90s when there were only 300 websites and mosaic was the browser. I came back telling everyone THEN how this was going to change the world and everyone talked to me exactly like you are now! LOL

I even tried to start Ebay before Ebay was made. Well my version of it 2-3 year before was a victorian in where you can click on anything in the photos and call up antiques. The problem? People though antiques would never sell on the internet LOL

I kept on being the boring CPA guy. Ive actually been on ebay for longer than this ID shows . We picked the one with the most feedback when we started our store I have another at least a few years back further than this one and I need to check but I think I was here even earlier.

I use to come to buy stock certificates (as I collected them here).

Things change, but that doesnt mean people get left behind. One thing you need to keep in mind though is that as generations age they collect their own "collectibles".

This is why in our store we stay flexible. We made a lot selling vintage cabbage patch kids then Walmart reissued them. We did great with books, then they slowed down, recently picked up some. We have 5 major categories showing on our sm pro page and almost all of them are equal in sales.

As to the crap on the internet, I have to say I agree to an extent, but every generation has its things. Years ago there were playboy and penthouse magazines, strip clubs, playboy clubs and you name it. There was the free wheeling drug dealing free sex 60s etc.

To a certain extent the internet has opened up a world of communication for some that were boxed in an opportunities to those with different abilities.

I do agree there needs to be a balance. A great book about getting back to real life is "Silicon Snake Oil" I highly recommend it , there are usually copies on ebay for a buck or two. Its a really great book.

I stress over the economy but see my dad for lunch every week, see my friend Dave most weeks, talk to my other friends , go fishing once in a while, hang out at the flea market and take the kids for breakfast every Saturday. I do think balance is hard.

It would be easier if the economy were better, and work in general producted more money LOL

Can I get you to go to one of those live implant rose colored glasses things in Chicago? LOL

Marty

sportscollectible  (508 )      Aug-31-07 22:37 PDT     21
clact....well that is interesting. I went to the playground like you suggested and typed in word for word a title of 6 core auction items I have and not ONE of them showed up in the search!!!!

So whats up with that??

diesel_parts  (1431 )      Aug-31-07 22:56 PDT     22
I don't know where ebay is going but I know where I am going. My store is profitable. I make more than I need from it and that part of ebay I like but the ever changing policies, rules and off the wall happenings make me reluctant to expand on ebay. I have decided for my own good to shrink on ebay.

I think the future on the internet for the little guy is a website that you own and control. Thee are still rules but with your own website you are less apt to become a victim of circumstance. Like 2 npb negs and you get a vacation, not.

Ebay is trying all this off the wall stuff but they are ignoring sellers who run into a problem. We have to guess what they are thinking.

I ran a small welding and machine shop for several years. I developed a policy of not doing business with large corporations. They want work done but after the job is done you have a real hard time getting your money. 60 to 120 days. I went to the small to medium corporations and had no serious problems after that. I am going contrary to that policy now and am uncomfortable with it.

When people without a good understanding of how business works get at the helm well anything can happen. Many good sellers have seen that and went other more secure ways. It took me a long time to build my store and I have all the components to move it now. I will feel more secure when I finish moving.

Bill

sportscollectible  (508 )      Aug-31-07 22:58 PDT     23
Bill I have a website with over 500 items, over 7,000 page views since May and NO sales...Im not sure what to do.

/*

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EventHorizon1984 Log

//

From eBay Stores Forum - August Brown Bag Lunch on 8/28 @12noon PT

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
August Brown Bag Lunch on 8/28 @12noon PT
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=1000548908&tstart=0&mod=1188333154912

http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:N70feneyf60J:forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa%3FthreadID%3D1000548908%26tstart%3D0%26mod%3D1189126540450+August+Brown+Bag+Lunch+on+8/28+%4012noon+PT

.

[email protected]         Aug-24-07 18:17 PDT
Hello,

Please join us for our monthly discussion on the eBay Stores board.

We look forward to your participation and will attempt to answer all of your eBay Stores questions as quickly as possible. Based on your questions, we'll also offer tips to ensure that you're using Stores to maximize your business.

In addition, we'll have a special guest from the Finding team to answer questions about eBay's new search experience.

We are committed to answering your questions as quickly as possible. In order to accomplish this equitably, we ask for your cooperation -- please limit your questions to two (2) per user.

We look forward to seeing you here at 12 noon PT on Tuesday, 8/28.

Sincerely,
eBay Stores Team

87 replies     Date posted     Reply #

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 11:46 PDT     1 of 87
Hello,

Thank you for joining our August Brown Bag Lunch discussion. This is your opportunity to ask questions, and post your comments about Stores.

We're committed to answering all of your questions as quickly as possible. In order to accomplish this equitably, we ask for your cooperation -- please limit your questions to 2 per user.

All questions posted prior to 1:00 PDT will be addressed by one of the staff. Our responses to questions near the 1:30 mark will appear after the thread has been locked.

If this is your first time using the discussion boards, please see the following tutorial on how to post messages and view updates. http://forums.ebay.com/thread.jspa?threadID=200066500&tstart=0

We will be joined today by the regular members from the eBay Stores Product and Marketing Teams, as well a special guest from Finding.

We will be unlocking the thread shortly; we look forward to speaking with you!

Regards,
eBay Stores Team

dorothysew  (841 )      Aug-28-07 12:01 PDT     2 of 87
Hi:

Just wondering if you could give us any info on crosspromotional problems?

Dorothysew

accessoriesandgifts  (744 )      Aug-28-07 12:06 PDT     3 of 87
Hi. Traffic has been just dead lately. With the emphasis being on trying to ignite auctions, what is ebay doing to try to attract buyers to stores? I find that auctions are dead in the water. Almost all of my buyers purchase from my ebay store, even if the same exact item is also in core at a low starting price.
Elaine
Accessories,Bags,Gifts

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 12:06 PDT     4 of 87
Dorothysew,

Hi. Yes, we're frustrated w/the cross promo issue, too. Sorry about that. It's basically a technology problem that the team is working to diagnose and fix. They hope to have that back up just as soon as they can.

Sorry not to be able to be more specific. They're definitely focusing on it.

Thanks.

Gene

onepreciousplace  (1805 )      Aug-28-07 12:09 PDT     5 of 87
What are the chances that you are going to do a free month if you sign up for a store again? I haven't had my store for over a year, but am thinking about reopening if the price is right.

~ Sheryl ~



itspostingtime  (2 )      Aug-28-07 12:12 PDT     6 of 87
Well, Dorothy beat me to the punch on that obvious question, but I'll ask the obvious follow-up:

When, if ever, is ebay going to take seller communication seriously?

Why was it necessary for sellers to tie up their time and Live Help's time with the cross promotion question? The cross promotion issue is not an ephemeral glitch, it's been ongoing for some time now. It is also not restricted to a few people. Live Help told me it is store wide.

Seller Communication. It really, really would be nice.
I find more products than glitches



itspostingtime  (2 )      Aug-28-07 12:15 PDT     7 of 87
Oops. I lost part of that post. Why isn't this store wide glitch on the Systems Announcement Board? Why didn't someone from the stores team come here and post a short post at the top---before the Brown Bag----, something like what you just said. We shouldn't have to ask about these things on live Help or here. Why is it so hard for ebay to be pro-active on issues that directly effect us all?
I find more products than glitches



[email protected]      Aug-28-07 12:17 PDT     8 of 87
(Re: #5)

Hi Sheryl (onepreciousplace),

We don't have plans to have a free trial, but we feel our price for a Basic Store is extremely competitive at $15.95/month.

I hope this answers your question.

Thanks,
Rich

dorothysew  (841 )      Aug-28-07 12:19 PDT     9 of 87
Since you have someone from "finding" here-I assume that is search (sorry not up on new terms)- has general search been changed in the last several wks-I mean outside of whatever tests are going on. And what % of buyers are being subjected (not perjoritive) to new search?

Relative to Carl's post. I have to agree, I wrote 2 emails Fri and Mon, hoping to spur a response either to the board or to me. Nothing. I presume you do not want our buyers treated in the same manner?

D

onepreciousplace  (1805 )      Aug-28-07 12:20 PDT     10 of 87
Well, Rich, if the search was working right, which I read the stores board all the time and there is a huge problem with it, you might just be correct in that. However, it is a waste of $15.95 a month when nobody ever finds the store. And now I'm reading here that when people put links to their stores in their eBay auctions, the auctions are terminated because it's illegal to do that. I guess we are then to assume that all buyers will recognize that silly little red door as something to be checked into and come in to shop? Highly doubtful, as I think these people on this board could verify.

~ Sheryl ~



[email protected]      Aug-28-07 12:21 PDT     11 of 87
Dear itspostingtime,

Hi. The short answer is that you're right. We're going to focus on more proactive enagement w/the board going forward, and part of that includes reaching out to you when there are issues and giving you more visibility.

Sometimes, other teams at eBay "own" different features that affect Store sellers. But we're going to try to help facilitate that communication.

Thanks for the feedback.

Gene

itspostingtime  (2 )      Aug-28-07 12:22 PDT     12 of 87
Well, while I'm waiting for an answer to that question, I'll go ahead and ask the next obvious question. Since you have someone from the findings team here, can that someone give us some insight into how stores are going to be incorporated into the new findings? And what's the timetable for us the playground to incorporate those changes?
I find more products than glitches



accessoriesandgifts  (744 )      Aug-28-07 12:22 PDT     13 of 87
There has to be more focus on getting buyers to come to the stores. What is happening with that?
Elaine
Accessories,Bags,Gifts

honiesresale  (2999 )      Aug-28-07 12:23 PDT     14 of 87
I thought I heard about changes coming to the powerseller eligibility program. Something about low volume sellers who reach a sales quoto of units sold may be eligible. Is that still coming and if so when?

...................................................

Also, on numerous occasions since last years store fee hike I have tried to purchase books I was in the market for here on ebay only to discover that none were available. I went to Amazon.com and each time found over 50 of the books I was looking for. Is ebay considering lowering the store insertion fee on fixed price items $5.00 and under back to pre "rebalancing the marketplace" levels in order to lure those items back in stores. Clearly if Ebay is unwilling to lower insertion fees for all items then at least add a third tier and have .02 cents for up to $5.00, .05 for up to $24.99 and .10 thereafter. Thanks.



handmadebymartha  (1110 )      Aug-28-07 12:23 PDT     15 of 87
i have been reporting a problem with the shipping calculator to live chat and ebay store phone support ... no fix yet ... and i hope that you can help:)

here is the problem: i have my cards set to ship for 5 oz a package. i offer first class and priority shipping. shipping calculator is now displaying first class when over the weight limit for first class.

buyers are picking the first class amount because it is cheaper, and i am loosing out on shipping fees.

this used to be correct in auctions and wrong on invoices and now it is wrong in both places :(

itspostingtime  (2 )      Aug-28-07 12:23 PDT     16 of 87
Gene, Thanks for the reply. I hope "going forward" means "as of today", but I'm patient. Tomorrow will be OK. LOL
I find more products than glitches



oakrc  (4 )      Aug-28-07 12:24 PDT     17 of 87
-

Any news on the Stores' hub page?

handmadebymartha  (1110 )      Aug-28-07 12:25 PDT     18 of 87
a fellow store owner has reported this problem several times with no help ....

seems like the location based bidder blocks are not working. causing sellers to loose money in insertion fees.

please let me know when this will be fixed.

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 12:25 PDT     19 of 87
Hello accessoriesandgifts (re: #3),

There are several initiatives that are in the works to promote Stores to buyers.

The inclusion of Stores in the global header has increased traffic to the redesigned the Stores Hub. The new hub has great merchandising opportunities that we will be taking advantage during the holiday season. We have also seen the request on the boards to broaden the inventory that we promote on this page and we will do this for our holiday campaign.

In addition to our holiday campaign, we will be launching a post holiday buyer program to inspire shopping in Stores.

We are also hosting a holiday workshop to help Store subscribers prepare for the holidays. The focus of this workshop will be promoting your Store.

Stinson

accessoriesandgifts  (744 )      Aug-28-07 12:28 PDT     20 of 87
thank you Stinson. I would like to suggest also that changes be made so that when you go to the home page and click the stores tab, instead of seeing all that stuff about why open a store, sellers checklist etc - it would be nice to shift the focus to "great reasons to shop in stores" or something along those lines. Really promote those stores and all the great reasons to shop them. We need buyers.
Elaine
Accessories,Bags,Gifts

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 12:30 PDT     21 of 87
Dear handmadebymartha –

I am going to take your issue directly to our Shipping team and will respond back to you with what I learn. I appreciate you raising this concern as I am sure it has affected other sellers.

Thanks for the feedback.

Andy

handmadebymartha  (1110 )      Aug-28-07 12:31 PDT     22 of 87
thank you andy ~ this has been going on for months :(

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 12:31 PDT     23 of 87
itspostingtime,

We have a few stores related updates to the new search experience already in the pipeline (Should be available soon). This includes Cross-stores search and the results module for stores that will appear below the regular search results. Was there a particular feature you were looking for?

John

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 12:31 PDT     24 of 87
Dear honiesresale (re: 14),

Hi. Yep, we're making changes to the PowerSeller program that we think folks will be excited about, as it will help to recognize the hard work of other groups. You can find details here:

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200706151512052.html

Thanks very much for your feedback and suggestions on media. We're always looking at things we can do to make sure buyers can find exactly what they want on eBay, and I'll take your specific suggestions back to that team.

Take care.

Gene

itspostingtime  (2 )      Aug-28-07 12:32 PDT     25 of 87
Sheryl,

Just an FYI about this:

And now I'm reading here that when people put links to their stores in their eBay auctions, the auctions are terminated because it's illegal to do that

I know the thread you are referring to, and I suggest you read the EnTIRE thread. There is no prohibition against linking to your store from your listing. The OP of that thread was , let's just say, being less than candid about the real reason his listings were removed.
I find more products than glitches



[email protected]      Aug-28-07 12:33 PDT     26 of 87
oakrc:

In response to your post #19. I am not quite sure if you are asking about the current Stores Home Page that we have just launched or what our plans are for the future of this page. So I'll try and address both. The Current Stores Home Page is a fresh redesign of our old page and offers a more consistent look and feel with our newly launched eBay.com homepage. We are now driving much more traffic to the Stores Home Page, primarily from our inclusion in the Global eBay Header. We are seeing increased click thru on this page and have received very positive feedback on this first phase redesign.

I am actually leading an investigation on what the next version of the eBay Stores Homepage should evolve into, so I'd love to hear your ideas. We are considering some exciting new modules to help merchandize Stores and their items. We are still in an 'ideation' phase so I cannot commit to any launch plans, timing, etc. Please do feel free to share your thoughts and ideas of what you would like to see.

Thanks,

Raj

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 12:33 PDT     27 of 87
itspostingtime,

I should also mention we have the promotional stores "widget" that appears in the left hand navigation bar, too.

John

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 12:33 PDT     28 of 87
Hello accessoriesandgifts (re:20),

There are several versions of the Stores hub – 2 buyer versions (male, female), 2 seller versions (existing, potential Store owner) and a generic version. The buyer versions include a promotion about why to shop eBay Stores -- that landing page (http://pages.ebay.com/storefronts/shop.html) then outlines how to shop with Stores, but I like your suggestion of making info on how to Shop more prominent."

Thanks,
Stinson

itspostingtime  (2 )      Aug-28-07 12:34 PDT     29 of 87
John,
I'm not sure I know what "cross-stores" search is. Could you explain?
I find more products than glitches



handmadebymartha  (1110 )      Aug-28-07 12:36 PDT     30 of 87
any reply to #18?

accessoriesandgifts  (744 )      Aug-28-07 12:39 PDT     31 of 87
Stinson - I guess I'm not getting it (need another Starbucks :) When I click on the stores tab, I get just the sellers checklist, how to open store etc etc. You're saying there are those various versions of the landing page - how does one know which one they're going to be in when they click? sorry if this sounds confusing.
Elaine
Accessories,Bags,Gifts

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 12:39 PDT     32 of 87
Sorry itspostingtime, I try to remove some of our internal eBay speak, but it sometimes slips through. Cross-stores search is when you search the inventory across all the shops within stores. For example, from the Stores hub if you enter your search term in the text box labeled "I want to buy...". Your results will show the inventory that matches your search term from all eBay stores.

John

itspostingtime  (2 )      Aug-28-07 12:40 PDT     33 of 87
John,
Questions I know are on people's minds:

Will the new findings alter the Rule of 30?

And, will there still be a separate BIN results that includes store items as at present? Or will this be modified in some way?

Will the stores tab remain in the header?

And, this is a Big One: will the new findings be implemented (ie, go live)BEFORE the holiday season? During? Or after?
I find more products than glitches



[email protected]      Aug-28-07 12:43 PDT     34 of 87
Hi again handmadebymartha –

Regrettably, there are not any issues currently filed in regards to the 'Block buyers I do not ship to' feature. This feature is designed to block buyers based on their registration address. However, this is not necessarily their "Ship To" address. This is why some buyers are able to purchase items even though they live outside of the Ship To area.

We understand that situations may arise with the different features on the site, and we would be happy to address any situations that may arise via the Live Help feature and/or Phone support for our Store sellers and PowerSellers.

Thanks.

Andy

golfingaddict  (11593 )      Aug-28-07 12:44 PDT     35 of 87
I have trouble with search dropping a word from my search and then the results are messed up. Is this by design? How will buyers find my items if they search and they get the wrong things? Is that what smart search is?

handmadebymartha  (1110 )      Aug-28-07 12:45 PDT     36 of 87
thank you andy, i will pass this reply along. my fellow store owner has contacted store phone support and ebay live chat numerous times with this new issue ..... not a happy thing at all :(

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 12:45 PDT     37 of 87
Hi Dororthysew, (RE: #9)

We have made changes to the finding pages last week, outside of tests that are in progress.

I apologize that the communication around these changes was confusing. It hasn't been clear to members what is a test and what is not a test, and we regret the confusion.

The visual updates we made were rolled out to 100% of buyers. These changes were not launched as a test and it is not possible to opt out of these changes.

These cosmetic changes did not impact the way the site works, they only changed the look and feel, including:
- Slightly wider left column that contains navigation and refinement options
- Updates to the item list, including removing the alternating gray and white stripes
- Changes to font size and font family
- Removing link underlines
- Etc.

These changes are part of a gradual update to eBay's visual appearance across all areas of the site. This change will happen over time, but you should already see a more consistent look and feel between the Home Page and finding pages for example.

We understand that changes like this can be disruptive, and the teams driving the site-wide look and feel update are listening to all the feedback being sent in about the changes. The finding team is working closely with them on next steps.

Changes have also been made to the new Finding experiences you can see at playground.ebay.com. These changes include visual updates consistent with the changes made to finding pages on ebay.com, but also include adding missing features like advanced search, the ability to filter by search options before selecting a category, etc.

We hope these changes address a lot of the comments and concerns voiced about the new Finding experience.

A small percentage of members continue to be opted into the new Finding experience. We did not change the percentage of members in this test, and members can opt out of this test if the new experience is not meeting their needs.

Thanks,

Josh

a.k.a Jacque
eBay Product Management

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 12:46 PDT     38 of 87
Hello accessoriesandgifts (re:13),

Yes, one of the areas of focus for the team is getting buyers to Stores, especially increasing repeat purchases and buyer retention. Based on our data, Store owners have a higher incidence of repeat purchases. The Stores product and marketing teams are working on several exciting projects over the next couple of months to help advance our leadership in repeat buying and customer retention.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions.

Stinson

honiesresale  (2999 )      Aug-28-07 12:47 PDT     39 of 87
regarding trust and safety:

While I commend your attempts to clean up this site and yank up the welcome mat for sellers who consistently under-perform there is great concern over using neutrals against sellers in determining performance. I myself have had several positive neutrals, Neutrals with positive comments Like: "Neutral: very fast shipping" Why should a comment like that be held against a seller because a buyer, for reasons unknown, chose neutral instead of positive. Since Ebay is bent on using neutrals against us are there plans to just delete that option and give buyers only the chose of positive or negative?


accessoriesandgifts  (744 )        Aug-28-07 12:48 PDT       40 of 87
Thank you Stinson - we appreciate it, and do hope those changes and projects take effect in time for the holiday shopping season.
Elaine
Accessories,Bags,Gifts

golfingaddict  (11593 )      Aug-28-07 12:48 PDT     41 of 87
I am also very curious about how shopping.com will be intergrated on eBay express. Will stores items be pushed down because of this? Shouldn't store sellers be promoted before shopping.com?

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 12:48 PDT     42 of 87
(Re: #10)

Hi Sheryl,

We understand driving buyers to a Store is a primary concern for Store owners. Listing in Auction-style and Fixed Price formats is one strategy to bring buyers into your Store, as well as cross-promoting your items. Also, the Store Listing Frame (header and/or left navigation bar) will link buyers directly from your listings into your Store.

We think $15.95 fee is a great value for a Basic Store, since it includes multiple selling and marketing tools, as well as access to Store Inventory Format and repeat buyers. The product and marketing teams are continually looking to enhance the value of each Store level.

Thanks,
Rich

accessoriesandgifts  (744 )      Aug-28-07 12:51 PDT     43 of 87
If auction fees weren't so high, and if they truly brought buyers (as opposed to just watchers which by the way there are too many of) then I think we'd do some more auctions. But right now every auction I put up just goes unsold, with watchers, and so that is money lost and it does add up, as you know. I used to get excited about watchers, as it usually meant bids but now, I really don't think much of it.
Elaine
Accessories,Bags,Gifts

itspostingtime  (2 )      Aug-28-07 12:52 PDT     44 of 87
John,
This includes Cross-stores search and the results module for stores that will appear below the regular search results
OK, thanks for defining cross stores search, but I'm still trying to picture this. Are you saying there will be a cross stores search box more or less in line with core search boxes? Or are you saying that a stores search box will appear down the search results page, between the core results and store results module"?

And when will the store module appear after core listings? Always? or only when the Rule of 30 is used?
I find more products than glitches



dorothysew  (841 )      Aug-28-07 12:53 PDT     45 of 87
Josh, aka Jacque, thanks for the answer. I'm sure you understand seller's apprehensions concerning the holiday season. Every year we've been promised no disruptive changes and every year something huge goes wrong. (I've been on 3 Xmas I think-maybe 4-my memory....).

I know each of you has the best of intentions, but can we count on some real info about things during at least these 4 upcoming months-to prevent the hysteria, that spreads with no info-during our stressful time? We want to deliver our best to our buyers, but we also need Ebay to deliver their best to us.

D

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 12:53 PDT     46 of 87
Hi handmadebymartha –

This is in response to your post #15. Ask and you shall receive a quick answer. :)

After reviewing this situation, we have found that this is not an issue with the site. Once the weight of the items exceeds the shipping service, the system will calculate the shipping based on multiple packages. However, there is a new version of the checkout process coming to the site in the near future that should resolve this situation and ensure that buyers are being billed correctly for their shipping.

Thanks.

Andy

accessoriesandgifts  (744 )      Aug-28-07 12:54 PDT     47 of 87
On the subject of star ratings - I think it is crucial that buyers be educated about how to properly use the stars. I ship lightening fast (i.e. same day as paypal comes in for most items, once in a while the very next day). I get so many comments, like 99.9% on my lightening fast shipping yet my star on shipping time is only 4.8. Once the item leaves our hands, we have no control as to how long the post office will take to get it there, even if it went priority and right away. Someone needs to educate the buyers better about the stars and how to use them properly. Better yet,remove the stars!
Elaine
Accessories,Bags,Gifts

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 12:58 PDT     48 of 87
itspostingtime,

If I am understanding you correctly, you can already see the separate BIN results on the new search experience. I believe they are still optimizing when and how it appears. I brought it up by searching in playground for Nirvana LP cd/b>.

Our team is not responsible for the header, but it is my understanding that there are no plans to remove Stores from the header.

We do not have a date for if/when the new search experience might go 100% live (I'm assuming you mean replace the current search). I would not expect that to happen during or before the holiday season.

John

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 13:02 PDT     49 of 87
Hi itsposting time, (RE: #33)

Good questions, I’ll address each of them.

> Will the new findings alter the Rule of 30?

The Finding team is working closely with the Stores team to study the Rule of 30 and other ways we provide exposure to Store Inventory in eBay.com search results. We don’t have any definite plans yet to change the Rule of 30, but if we find a solution that works even better for buyers and sellers, we’d certainly consider it.

> And, will there still be a separate BIN results that includes store items as at present? Or will this be modified in some way?

The new experience doesn’t have a BIN tab, but our intention is to have the same behavior as eBay.com today for searches that filter on BIN. It’s not currently working this way, but this is only because we’re gradually adding features to the new experience, not because we have made a decision to change the way this feature works.

> Will the stores tab remain in the header?

As far as I know, yes. I’m glad we were able to add this link to the header.

> And, this is a Big One: will the new findings be implemented (ie, go live)BEFORE the holiday season? During? Or after?

The new finding experience is still being tested. Based on the data we’ve collected so far, we’re seeing that in some categories on eBay.com, it’s driving more sales than the old search. We’re planning to ramp up traffic to a few of those categories before the holiday season to confirm that, outside a test scenario, we are actually helping buyers and sellers with the new experience. During this category-specific test, buyers will still be able to opt out if the new experience isn’t working for them, as we want to take care not to force this change. We’ll be posting more information about this category-specific ramp up soon, including information about the categories involved.

Thanks,

Josh

a.k.a Jacque
eBay Product Management

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 13:03 PDT     50 of 87
Dear honiesresale (re: 39),

Hi. I think that's a fair question. We're obviously concerned that feedback skews so strongly "positive" that we're trying to find ways to introduce more differentiation.

I hear your concern about neutrals, and we'll pass that feedback back to the Trust and Safety team. They're obviously taking a hard look at this now.

Thanks.

Gene

chopsueysisters  (2164 )      Aug-28-07 13:04 PDT     51 of 87
Hi, I didn't know this was going on I haven't been around but I wanted to tell JakeJake that my issues from last month, Raj is helping me on one of them, but have not heard from JakeJake on the other.

Raj, that customer service person still has not followed up re your last email from the other week.

It is now both issues opened for 1 month for 1 issue and almost a month and a half for the other

All aboard the crazy train!
This one time... at band camp....



[email protected]      Aug-28-07 13:05 PDT     52 of 87
Hi dorothysew, (RE #45)

I understand your need for better communication from us at eBay about changes to the site leading up to the holiday season, and my team is spending more and more time on the boards. We always strive to provide as much accurate information as we can.

Thanks,

Josh

a.k.a Jacque
eBay Product Management

itspostingtime  (2 )      Aug-28-07 13:05 PDT     53 of 87
John, Sorry, I hadn't been to the playground in a while. my bad. It looks like search store inventory only is now a very clear option on the left. Since that is already there, I assume that "Cross store" is distinct from that, in that "cross store" results include ALL store merchandise, whether store listing format or core listing format? And that will be on the left as well?

As to the time frame, you are saying that we should assume that the new findings will NOT go live before next year?
I find more products than glitches



chopsueysisters  (2164 )      Aug-28-07 13:06 PDT     54 of 87
how much more time is this BBL open?

All aboard the crazy train!
This one time... at band camp....



[email protected]      Aug-28-07 13:06 PDT     55 of 87
Chop,

Hi. What issues are you referring to?

Gene

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 13:07 PDT     56 of 87
Itspostingtime,

There will not be an additional search box. I meant to indicate that when someone does a cross-stores search either through the hub, or by applying a store inventory filter, that they will stay in the new search experience (if that is where the user is searching from). Previously the user was sent out of playground for these results.

The appearance of the store module (i.e., Rule of 30) is still being optimized for the new search experience. I don't know what rules will be applied to it at this time. I don't expect it to change much from the experience on the regular search, but I cannot say for sure.

John

chopsueysisters  (2164 )      Aug-28-07 13:08 PDT     57 of 87
It was from last months BBL so #1) was about the gallery banner image compression size that we can use on our ebay stores. The other was an #2) issue I had sent about the custom pages. You were gone at the time so Raj is helping me on #2

All aboard the crazy train!
This one time... at band camp....



[email protected]      Aug-28-07 13:09 PDT     58 of 87
(Re: #54)

Hi CSS,

This session will end at 1:30PT. I'll post another message on this in about five minutes.

Thanks.

chopsueysisters  (2164 )      Aug-28-07 13:10 PDT     59 of 87
I don't really have any new questions this month only that I am looking forward to Darlenes commitment of making advance communications & brainstorming ideas for holiday season. I want Christmas to be a kickin' season this time around!

All aboard the crazy train!
This one time... at band camp....



chopsueysisters  (2164 )      Aug-28-07 13:11 PDT     60 of 87
okie dokie!

All aboard the crazy train!
This one time... at band camp....



golfingaddict  (11593 )      Aug-28-07 13:11 PDT     61 of 87
I just want my stuff to show up in eBay express and in searches. My store sales have been good but I don't want them to slump because buyers get strange search results.

Can anyone address how store items will be displayed on eBay express now that shopping.com items will show up?

And can the finding team tell me why when I search for Robert Held the word "Held" gets dropped and the search returns are showing only Robert? (that is not a good finding experience)

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 13:12 PDT     62 of 87
Chop,

Hi. Was the gallery compression issue that you think the slideshow promotion box loads too slowly for some b/c we're not compressing those images as much as we could/should? I've asked our engineering team to take a look at that.

Gene

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 13:12 PDT     63 of 87
itspostingtime,

Yes, with respect to your question on timign of going live. Do look at Jacque's post in this thread on the testing that will be going on, however.

John

kingst  (2651 )      Aug-28-07 13:13 PDT     64 of 87
first when are they going to fix the bulk editor? it is a store question plain and simple and second,
Experian owes me money, or Ebay does,since there is now a spam link on my auctions that reads,
Free Credit Report & Score From Experian. Learn more.
since i pay ebay for my listing, i think that i should be getting a cut from the spam link! i cant add a spam link in my listings although i pay to list and have a store!

chopsueysisters  (2164 )      Aug-28-07 13:15 PDT     65 of 87
JakeJake, yes that was it. I was just wanted them to check to see if they were doing compressions to help with load time. Because I run them on all my stores pages and people had told me they can't stand them because it croaks!

All aboard the crazy train!
This one time... at band camp....



[email protected]      Aug-28-07 13:17 PDT     66 of 87
Thanks, Chop. I'll ping them again.

Gene

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 13:17 PDT     67 of 87
golfingaddict,

We are trying to get someone to address your question regarding express/shopping.com.

with respect to your search for Robert Held. have you done the search recently? It seems to work okay now (assuming Robert Held is supposed to bring up art glass).

John

chopsueysisters  (2164 )      Aug-28-07 13:17 PDT     68 of 87
ok, ping them hard. like a grapefruit

All aboard the crazy train!
This one time... at band camp....



[email protected]      Aug-28-07 13:18 PDT     69 of 87
(Re: #64)

Dear kingst,
Would you mind being more specific on the Bulk Editor issue?

Thanks,
Rich

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 13:19 PDT     70 of 87
Hi folks,

Please submit your questions and comments as soon as possible. We'll be locking this thread promptly at 1:30 PM PDT. Any questions that are posted close to the end of the session will responded to after the thread has been locked.

Thank you for joining,
eBay Stores Team

kingst  (2651 )      Aug-28-07 13:19 PDT     71 of 87
it dont work! the page you need to make the changes is skipped going right to the confirmation page. it has for weeks.

kingst  (2651 )      Aug-28-07 13:20 PDT     72 of 87
i would also like to know why the spam link is allowed in my store? yet i cant list one! thanks

accessoriesandgifts  (744 )      Aug-28-07 13:21 PDT     73 of 87
How about plans to educate buyers about leaving stars (from my prior post #47)
Elaine
Accessories,Bags,Gifts

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 13:22 PDT     74 of 87
I have just added "ping them like a grapefruit" to my collection of sayings. Thanks. :)

Gene

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 13:24 PDT     75 of 87
Everyone,

Please feel free to suggest future "special guests" for the BBL. Sounds like Trust and Safety may be one candidate.

Gene

kingst  (2651 )      Aug-28-07 13:25 PDT     76 of 87
the secrets of search one topic
how to rate the buyer topic two

itspostingtime  (2 )      Aug-28-07 13:26 PDT     77 of 87
Well, OK, I'm down to my tenth and last post for the day. First: CHOP!!!!! Where've you been?

Second: To the finding team: I just looked at the Robert Held search and the results came up in "snapshot" view. Which I like a lot: kudos to the team.

But this really demonstrates that, with the new findings, it will be more important than ever to use gallery. I know that ebay france recently required Gallery (not sure how they addressed the fees on that)

Given this new emphasis on the visual, are there any plans to require gallery here? Or to lower the fee for core gallery in some way?

I know that's not strictly speaking a store issue, but if anyone can address it, please do....

And, since this is my last post and I can't add more, thanks to all involved in today's BBL.
I find more products than glitches



[email protected]      Aug-28-07 13:26 PDT     78 of 87
Hi golfingaddict - (re post #41)

Yes, the Express team will start to phase in adding listing from Shopping.com. There won’t be anything done to disadvantage Store listings. They remain committed to ensuring relevancy of items remains top priority both from a price and inventory quality standpoint.

Thanks.

Andy

accessoriesandgifts  (744 )      Aug-28-07 13:27 PDT     79 of 87
Yes and thank you to Gene, Stinson and anyone else who answered my questions - I appreciate it!
Elaine
Accessories,Bags,Gifts

[email protected]        Aug-28-07 13:27 PDT       80 of 87
(Re: #71)

Kingst, can you write in the exact steps you took when you received the Bulk Editor error to [email protected]? We can't seem to duplicate it.

Thanks,
Rich

chopsueysisters  (2164 )      Aug-28-07 13:27 PDT     81 of 87
I hve doc appts all this week IPT!! I am OK, just very tired. I will email you!

All aboard the crazy train!
This one time... at band camp....



kingst  (2651 )      Aug-28-07 13:28 PDT     82 of 87
you simply click on the buttons, also stated in the tech board by others

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 13:30 PDT     83 of 87
itspostingtime,

Glad you like the snapshot view. Default presentation of Galley view is one of the things we've been testing, so it is definitely somethign we would consider. If the data and customer feedback support it, we could see it happen. We'll also be looking at snapshot view, which may be even more beneficial to sellers (and more compelling for buyers)

John

golfingaddict  (11593 )      Aug-28-07 13:30 PDT     84 of 87
Andy, I pay for a store and to list my items. I still cannot get all of my store items on eBay express because it does not include all categories. I'd say that my store items are disadvantaged on eBay Express if they bring on shopping.com

Are you aware that Amazon advertises on shopping.com

So my aroew items will be next to Amazon.com items? Weird...

kingst  (2651 )      Aug-28-07 13:31 PDT     85 of 87
what about the spam issue from experian?

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 13:32 PDT     86 of 87
Kingst,

Hi. Sounds like we should also add the Advertising team to the list of guests, so they can explain their testing.

Gene

[email protected]      Aug-28-07 13:32 PDT     87 of 87
Stores Community,

Thank you for participating in this Month’s discussion. The thread is now locked to new posts.

We will be going through the entire thread to make sure all questions are answered. Please check back for the completed thread.

Thank you again for joining us today. Stay tuned for details about the September Stores Brown Bag Lunch event.

Regards,
eBay Stores Team

/*

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//

From eBay Stores Forum - eBAY .... I Thought You Were Fighting Scams

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
eBAY .... I Thought You Were Fighting Scams
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000424988&start=0

oldspartantrader  (2944 )      Aug-27-07 09:12 PDT
Just got around to reading the latest eBAY advertisement that came last week ----

I CAN NOT BELIEVE ---

That this mega corporation is encouraging its sellers to buy inventory for the holidays on the street and then use return policies to dump unused inventory back to the original store.

There is no defence for this total lack of ethics --- NONE

eBAY --

You are encouraging sellers to CHEAT -- BE DISHONEST -- and and to abuse the marketplace

I AM DISGUSTED

WANNA FIGHT FRAUD ?????

FIRE THE GENIUS WHO DEVISED THIS APALLING SCHEME !!!!!

Carl

.

dorothysew  (834 )      Aug-27-07 09:14 PDT     1
Carl, could you explain abit? I didn't get the advertisement you are talking about.

Thanks

D

secondchancebuys  (Private )      Aug-27-07 09:19 PDT     2
yes please explain.

career.curves  (132 )      Aug-27-07 09:24 PDT     3
I would be very interested in reading this as well.

 

-Tammy

pins-n-needles  (3237 )      Aug-27-07 09:25 PDT     4
Crumb. I just deleted my email - I think that one was in it. Was it the last 'seller central' email?

I think I deleted it without opening it as usually there's nary a thing that has any pertinance to me or what I sell.

babybcp  (918 )      Aug-27-07 09:25 PDT     5
It was in the PowerSellers Newsletter I think...

Jennifer

 

oas3  (14536 )      Aug-27-07 09:26 PDT     6
            eBay's Newsletter Advice Ticks off Sellers:::
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y07/m08/i27/s01

oldspartantrader  (2944 )      Aug-27-07 09:28 PDT     7
Fall 2007 --- PowerUP Quarterly

REV UP Plans for a PROFITABLE Holiday

SOURCE RETAIL FOR BIG PROFITES

"Returns mean low risk --- When sourcing at retail check the return policy ..... You can always return the inventory if you find it does not sell ....."

Maybe we should all flock to the eBAY Store --

Carl

just-thinking  (0 )      Aug-27-07 09:29 PDT     8
"I'm not sure just why eBay would give this advice in the current climate of retailers scrutinising eBay."

"Ebay Tells Sellers To Cheat Stores To Sell Merchandise On eBay!"

From that article

secondchancebuys  (Private )      Aug-27-07 09:35 PDT     9
I am speechless.

oldspartantrader  (2944 )      Aug-27-07 09:37 PDT     10
We have B&M ----

If I caught on to a person using me as a consignment shop without proper agreements I would without any doubt bring a civil law suit ---

Would I win ??? DO NOT KNOW AND DO NOT CARE ---

I would pay the dollars to cause extreme public embarrasment to both the offender and the source of the idea ---

I have seen some outlandish schemes ---- This one ---

BY A HUGE INTERNET JUST A VENUE TURNED MARKETING COUNSELER absolutely takes the BLACK RIBBON of shame

I repeat --- The person who devised this grand idea ..

NEEDS TO BE PLACED IN A POSITION WHERE THEIR NOSE IS PRESSED AGAINST THE WINDOW LOOKING IN ....

AND YES I AM SCREAMING ----- eBAY has exceeded the basic boundaries of common decency ---

Carl

oldspartantrader  (2944 )      Aug-27-07 09:40 PDT     11
eBAY is requesting sellers to commit fraud ---

There is no way to sugar coat this ---

NOR SHOULD THEY TRY ---

eBAY should make a very public apology for when this gets widely decimated by the media -- AND IT WILL without any doubt -- Ina already has it ---- It will make there outcry ovewr scams to be a paper thin veneer and expose them as shameless - unethical - and extremely irresponsible

Carl

sewm4  (2 )      Aug-27-07 09:44 PDT     12
"Ebay Tells Sellers To Cheat Stores To Sell Merchandise On eBay!"

That is NOTa ebay quote it is a PARDOY

tiny-townersredux  (0 )      Aug-27-07 09:48 PDT     13
            It gets more and more bewildering. I just pulled the only good item I had listed on my main ID.

This site is only good for selling:

• Selling Rare and Scarce Items,


• Selling junk,



I'm getting really neurotic about selling anything!

 

oldspartantrader  (2944 )      Aug-27-07 09:50 PDT     14
            "Ebay Tells Sellers To Cheat Stores To Sell Merchandise On eBay!"

That is NOTa ebay quote it is a PARDOY

It is indeed a parody --- However that is exactly what the suggestion is encouraging sellers to do ---

There is no way to sugar coat or spin this outragous marketing scheme ----

WHATS NEXT ---

As a way to boost sell through will eBAY encorage buyers to buy fromn sellers on trial basis --- BUY IT YOU WILL LIKE IT -- IF NOT JUST RETURN IT AS NOT AS DESCRIBED --

This is effectively the same thing --- What the hey it will only cost the sellers a few bucks

Carl

oldspartantrader  (2944 )      Aug-27-07 09:52 PDT     15
Can someone give me the email addresses to Bill & Meg -- I will give them the benefit of doubt that they are so far removed from daily eBAY reality that they are unaware of what their market gurus have devised and its implications --

Carl

just-thinking  (0 )      Aug-27-07 09:53 PDT     16
WHATS NEXT ---

As a way to boost sell through will eBAY encorage buyers to buy fromn sellers on trial basis --- BUY IT YOU WILL LIKE IT -- IF NOT JUST RETURN IT AS NOT AS DESCRIBED --

This is effectively the same thing --- What the hey it will only cost the sellers a few bucks

Don't give them any ideas Carl LOL

The buck stops at the top, sure fire whoever did
this but the CEO is ultimately responsible for this.

oas3  (14536 )      Aug-27-07 09:56 PDT     17
Carl whoever wrote that article as well as those above that approved it should be shown the door..

tiny-townersredux  (0 )      Aug-27-07 09:56 PDT     18
Will they pay for the item, will it get any bids, will I get a chargeback, will I get a bogus feedback, will I get suspended, will I take it in the shorts if I start it too cheap, will the unsold fees eat up the sold profits, will I get my ad pulled, will my shipping get questioned??????

Et cetera.

Why is the River so simple and this place so complicated?

sandrarn83  (2769 )      Aug-27-07 09:56 PDT     19
Carl Ebay is offering a suggestion that many Ebayers already do. I am a shopaholic both for myself and my business. I know most of the store managers in every store I shop personally. Reason? When you spend a couple of thousand dollars somewhere in a hour or two they tend to remember you. I have heard this same complaint on a number of occasions by almost every store manager or owner. Usually in the context of "I don't mind selling to you because you don't bring it back". Seems this is a common tactic unfortunately. The large famous New York Avenue dept store people even have a sign in their outlet stores about resellers aren't provided the same return policy as the general public. They reserve the right to refuse to refund. Someone like myself stands out quite prominently when you buy 50-100 of something identical at one time.

Of course I agree with you. Unfortunately this is quite common a practice and yes I agree it's still wrong. Ebay is just trying to hook the newbies into selling on the site. Someone has to take the place of all the sellers who have left.

just-thinking  (0 )      Aug-27-07 09:59 PDT     20
Imagine when all the stock analyst places find out
about this.

itspostingtime  (2 )      Aug-27-07 10:01 PDT     21
Carl,

I've never done it. Wouldn't do it. But it's certainly not a new idea.

That's why I'm not shocked by this. Over the years, I've seen this SAME advice given by SELLERS on the Boards. As I recall, there's usually been a mixed response: some people view it as unethical, some people agreed with it and some acknowledged that they did it.

I can tell you, aside from ebay, this sort of thing is prevalent in, say, clothing stores, where buyers buy "special occassion clothes" (something to wear to a wedding, for example) and then return it after the affair is over.

I know of people who do this at their local GoodWill...they'll buy something, take it home, research closed auctions, and bring it back if they don't think they can sell it. And I know it happens in antique malls as well.
I find more products than glitches

 

neglus  (16640 )      Aug-27-07 10:03 PDT     22
This is very unsettling. Can hardly wait to hear Hani Durzy's response to that one - hopefully there will be one along with an apology to all in the Community who are disgusted with this "tip". I suppose the tip that suggested shoplifting inventory (though this is really the same thing) got cut.

 

just-thinking  (0 )      Aug-27-07 10:03 PDT     23
I think it is one thing to know others do it but
another thing to encourage others to do it.

oldspartantrader  (2944 )      Aug-27-07 10:06 PDT     24
Sandram83

I am sorry -- your tone is much to concilliatory ---

It was thing when an individual engages in these shenanigans -- NO LESS APPALLING -- NO LESS UNETHICAL ---

It is totally another when a VENUE recommends to its selling group that this is an acceptable business practice -- IF

This is acceptable -- WHY NOT the whole spectrum of dishonest practices --

Forgereries -- Stolen Goods -- Fakes --

It is now established that eBAY is willing to encourage unethical and fraudulant practices -- So where is the line -- or

Does this venue get to redifine decent business practice

Believe me the media will have this and by weeks end this will become a major black eye and butt of Letterman and Leno Jokes.

Not only that I am certain that some large compant retailing CEO's are discussing methods of combatting this -- and -0- just possibly they may involve manufactureres --

The potential; for harm is great -- and rightfully so

carl

oldspartantrader  (2944 )      Aug-27-07 10:12 PDT     25
Its posting time --

I do not care about any of that --

PLEASE -- You can not really believe that what others do is an excuse for wrong doing --

eBAY is trying to set itself as the white knight in cleaning this place up -- This suggestion does not set a very good example --

THERE IS NO WAY TO DEFEND THIS -- NONE

It exposes a very seamy ethical leadership that calls into question any effort eBAY makes to fix other unethical practices by its sellers --- IT REMOVES ALL CREDABILITY about eBAYS efforts to clean this sight up.

It is a call to commit fraud --- and there is really no other way to describe it --- NONE -- It may well border on an illegal act called scheme to defraud which in NY is a class D Felony I believe ---

It is NO LESS THAN STEALING -- and I do not care if it is in practice now -- THOSE WHO DO IT WITHOUT THE STORES KNOWLEDGE ARE STEALING --

carl

classy_crafter  (358 )      Aug-27-07 10:20 PDT     26
Ive bought retail and resold it for a profit. But never ever would I return it. Its just wrong and unethical.

I cant believe eBay would actually encourage such unethical and fraudulent behavior.

"I don't believe in a government that protects us from ourselves." - Ronald Reagan

classy_crafter  (358 )      Aug-27-07 10:21 PDT     27
Carl,

You are right. I bet you the CEOs of all the major retailers are brainstorming about how to combat this situation and how to distinguish someone buying for themselves vs an eBay seller. Who to refund and who to refuse to refund.

Things will end up changing, and not for the greater good I am afraid.

"I don't believe in a government that protects us from ourselves." - Ronald Reagan

ocean2tides  (801 )      Aug-27-07 10:22 PDT     28
yes, this is done by some sellers.

But the idea that EBAY itself would RECOMMMEND and ENCOURAGE sellers do it is unconscionable.

Are they going to recommend and encourage the buyers of my ebay products to do that, too? 

They want to get major advertisers to their site (macy's, target, etc.). Wonder how they will view this?

WHAT is WRONG with these people at ebay? Where do they find these employees? A company shows it's true side by the employees they hire. This speaks volumes about, not only the employees, but the leadership at ebay.

SHAME on ebay!

oldspartantrader  (2944 )      Aug-27-07 10:26 PDT     29
I am attending a meeting of local business people Wednesday evening -- In this group are several store managers from local stores including several that might be subjected to this scheme --

I will poll them to see how they feel about this particular method of aquiring inventory -- their reeaction should they catch someone ewngaging in the activity -- and will also try to get some general comments.

I DOUBT THEY ARE in favor of purchasing inventory -- then consigning it to an eBAY seller with an if it does not sell you do not have to pay for it guarentee -- I think they will be very distressed at the thought of a large scale competitor encouraging its "associates" to engage in such a practice --- and --

I will be very surprised if they will publicly or privately condone it -- or -- name it anything other than outright deceptive or worse.

I will report back the reactions on Thursday or Friday --

carl

sandrarn83  (2769 )      Aug-27-07 10:29 PDT     30
Go for it Carl. By the way that store manager for the New York Ave dept store people hates me. He reported me to headquarters for purchasing in "his store" for resale. Headquarters in turn started INCREASING the lingerie supplied to that local store. He still hates me he just has to grit his teeth and tolerate me now because NY loves me. Some companies obviously like resellers others do not. I think you will find the small B&M store owners are the ones worst affected by this tacky idea.

oldspartantrader  (2944 )      Aug-27-07 10:33 PDT     31
Sandram83

I see absolutely nothing wrong with purchsing locally or wherever for resale

THAT is not the same thing at all -- People who purchase for resale and return are abusing the retailer --- It is no less unethical than stealing -- after all when this methodology is used --

The retailer has had any opportunity to sell the item stolen from them --- There is no defense -- It is what it is.

carl

oakstrom  (3567 )      Aug-27-07 10:39 PDT     32
Funny thing is i do believe the major retailers are in the process of changing there return policies to one much more conditional and restrictive, as the number of returns is really biting into the margins.

It would be too funny if those people that follow ebay's underhand advice, find the stores are not going to refund carte blanche this selling season.

Really would be nice to see Ebay roasted for this "glitch"

Oakstrom

 

mygift2u  (6701 )      Aug-27-07 10:44 PDT     33
That letter to toally unethical. Someone needs to fire the person that dreamed that one up!

Unbelieveable!

mygift2u  (6701 )      Aug-27-07 10:44 PDT     34
            Sorry, should have read - That letter IS totally unethical

ocean2tides  (801 )      Aug-27-07 10:46 PDT     35
Sandra,

You buy at the stores, but don't return the merchandise.

That is the difference.

EBAY has recommended that it's sellers buy and RETURN if it doesn't sell for a profit.

Can you imagine if ebay recommended your ebay customers do the same? They buy from you (or other ebay sellers), if it doesn't sell for enough when they list it, they should return it to you, the ebay seller.

IT'S THE EXACT SAME THING.

SHAME on ebay.

mygift2u  (6701 )      Aug-27-07 10:48 PDT     36
To clarify -

What a seller does is the sellers business BUT encouraging buying with the sole intention of returning an item to a retail store if it does not sell on eBay is totally unconscionable. Ebay should NEVER have put this in print.

HEY eBay - If I list an item in CORE and it does not sell can I "put it back in MY eBay STORE for FREE???????

What is the difference??

lucysfabrics  (2332 )      Aug-27-07 11:05 PDT     37
Nice work, eBay! That's why a lot of major retailers are tightening up return policies and charging restocking fees. Pretty soon regular people won't be able to return for legitimate reasons.

Stuff like that is why I don't tell people I sell on eBay.

 

faeries_finest  (870 )      Aug-27-07 11:20 PDT     38
It's a common trap that Ebay fell into - mistaking what you can do for what you should do.

Yes, people can return items they buy at retail stores but it isn't an automatic pass. There are circumstances where you shouldn't return and buying to resell is definitely one of them.

It's also perpetuating the myth that you can engage in business risk free. No, you can't. You take chances. You make your best decision as to which direction to take your business and what to sell but there aren't guarantees.

So - what are the odds that Ebay will admit it was poor advice???

Faerie
faerie's finest - enchanting your life with flavor

oldspartantrader  (2944 )      Aug-27-07 11:29 PDT     39
So - what are the odds that Ebay will admit it was poor advice

When they are forced to do so by the fall out that I am certain is coming they will do so -- It will beblamed on some low level employer and couched in terms such as --

We have taken measure to ensure -- This was a glaring error by our editorial people and should have been caught -- We in know way condone such a practice as company policy --- BUT

That is all defensive and the damage will be done --- AND

If consumers are informed by media about the implications to them and their normal use of the return mechanisms -- there may well be additional backlash --

The proper thing at this point is contact recipients of the article and apologize and admit error -- To contact some key media people and cut the publicity off at the pass -- This might even allow eBAY to be seen as humble and caring LOL --

It will also be a premtive strike that will make any bouhaha just old news and give them the ability to point to how proactive they are in cleaning upo issues wiuth the sight ---

If I was a media person I would be having an absolute field day with this --- If I had an axe to gring I would be honing it -- AND YOU CAN BET many out there do and are.

Carl

appliancecoverqueen  (178 )         Aug-27-07 11:33 PDT       40 of 47
"When sourcing at retail, check the return policy before you buy. If items are returnable, you can always return the inventory if you find it doesn't sell at a good profit."

HOLY CARP? What the heck is wrong with this company. They encourage sellers to be unethical and then install a ridiculous star system rating that unethical people can hide behind. Can they do anything more to destroy their reputation with sellers?
Judy




just-thinking-2  (0 )      Aug-27-07 11:37 PDT     41 of 47
If I was a media person I would be having an absolute field day with this --- If I had an axe to gring I would be honing it -- AND YOU CAN BET many out there do and are.

Bet you are right. I bet there are many people out
there writing the news, blogs, stock analysts, etc.
etc. etc. And if not yet, I bet it will be very
soon.

batches2007  (704 )      Aug-27-07 11:38 PDT     42 of 47
            I feel like a deck hand on the Titanic with no room in the lifeboats...

swimwear-maternity-more  (467 ) View Listings | Report     Aug-27-07 11:44 PDT     43 of 47
Here us an article that Auction Bytes wrote about these very issues. There is an on-going article regarding the issues of eBay sellers buying merchandise from certain retail stores and outlets and are being banned from buying from them or have limits on how many items they can purchase.

Here is the article on Auction Bytes:
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y07/m08/i27/s01

This is a very interesting topic.

Erna

swimwear-maternity-more  (467 )      Aug-27-07 11:49 PDT     44 of 47
I meant: Here is an article

spelling errors

career.curves  (132 )      Aug-27-07 11:49 PDT     45 of 47
In all seriousness, I'm off to change my return policy and I'm removing my 100% satisfaction guarantee.



-Tammy

big_sapper  (140 ) View Listings | Report     Aug-27-07 11:53 PDT     46 of 47
Anyone rememebr the Seinfeld episode where Jerry returns the jacket to the clothing store?

...

JERRY: Excuse me I'd like to return this jacket.

TELLER: Certainly. May I ask why?

JERRY: ........For spite...

TELLER: Spite?

JERRY: That's right. I don't care for the salesman that sold it to me.

TELLER: I don't think you can return an item for spite.

JERRY: What do you mean?

TELLER: Well if there was some problem with the garment. If it were unsatisfactory in some way, then we could do it for you, but I'm afraid spite doesn't fit into any of our conditions for a refund

JERRY: That's ridiculous, I want to return it. What's the difference what the reason is.

TELLER: Let me speak with the manager...excuse me .............Bob!

(walks over to the manager and whispers)

TELLER: ........spite.....(Manager walks over)

BOB: What seems to be the problem?

JERRY: Well I want to return this jacket and she asked me why and I said for spite and now she won't take it back.

BOB: That's true. You can't return an item based purely on spite.

JERRY:. Well So fine then ..then I don't want it and then that's why I'm returning it

BOB: Well you already said spite so......

JERRY: But I changed my mind..

BOB: No...you said spite...Too late.




world_securities  (4952 )      Aug-27-07 11:58 PDT     47 of 47
Carl, now that you've seen eBay's other side, would you care to revise your earlier post?

eBay PR displays posts like this, as an example of how 'they can do no wrong'. So to speak.

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?messageID=2007444775&forumID=21&x#2007444775
I feel that I am paying my fees for an opportunity at the BAZARRE'S traffic --- No More -- No Less -- and

there is tons of that traffic for me to tap into at this time -- I do not care if it is declining -- I do not care if it ceases totally at some point -- I will make the necessary adjustments at that time.

In essence too many people are still expecting eBAY to do more than eBAY is willing to --- MAYBE they used to --- PROBABLY the site was better --- It is waht IT is -- and the smart thing to do is to accept the is and make it -- If unable to make the present situation work it is important to recognize that unless you just want to spend money ---

For many that tipping point arrived --- YET rather than changing there model -- or moving on they seem to believe it will go back if enough old sellers scream ---

The only thing eBAY listens to is the KACHING --- As long as it rings loudly they are pleased --- I would be too


You take a very pragmatic attitude toward business. And people listen to you for that reason.

You should consider Everything you write in that vein.


"There actions hurt sellers --- BUT -- have not hurt the Corporation ---" oldspartantrader

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From eBay Stores Forum - July Brown Bag Lunch on 7/31 @12noon PT

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 ...

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From eBay Stores Forum
July Brown Bag Lunch on 7/31 @12noon PT
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000406402&tstart=0&mod=1185914136596

[email protected]        Jul-24-07 10:23 PDT
Host: eBay Stores Staff

Date: Tuesday, July 31st, 2007

Time: 12-1:30PM PT

Location: Stores Discussion Board

Hello,

Please join us for our monthly discussion on the eBay Stores board.

We look forward to your participation and will attempt to answer all of your eBay Stores questions as quickly as possible. Based on your questions, we'll also offer tips to ensure that you're using Stores to maximize your business.

We are committed to answering your questions as quickly as possible. In order to accomplish this equitably, we ask for your cooperation -- please limit your questions to two (2) per user.

We look forward to seeing you here at 12 noon PT on Tuesday, 7/31.

Sincerely, eBay Stores Team

Previous   1 | 2   Next See last post
45 replies     Date posted     Reply #

[email protected]     Jul-31-07 12:00 PDT     1 of 45
Hello,

Thank you for joining our July Brown Bag Lunch discussion. This is your opportunity to ask questions, and post your comments about Stores.

We're committed to answering all of your questions as quickly as possible. In order to accomplish this equitably, we ask for your cooperation -- please limit your questions to 2 per user.

All questions posted prior to 1:00 PDT will be addressed by one of the staff. Our responses to questions near the 1:30 mark will appear after the thread has been locked.

If this is your first time using the discussion boards, please see the following tutorial on how to post messages and view updates. http://forums.ebay.com/thread.jspa?threadID=200066500&tstart=0

We will be joined today by the regular members from the eBay Stores Product and Marketing Teams.

We will be unlocking the thread shortly; we look forward to speaking with you!

Regards, eBay Stores Team

golfingaddict  (11495 )     Jul-31-07 12:02 PDT     2 of 45
Thank you for adding a stores link at the header (BRAVO)

However, I feel that the search at that page is not always intuitive. The search on the left hand side defaults to "search by store name" which really doesn't give the potential buyer much information. I don't think buyers think to search by store name.

Would it be possible to change that default to Search by Item?
Thank you.

golfingaddict  (11495 )     Jul-31-07 12:04 PDT     3 of 45
To go along with that question, I like the new store hub, but I also would like to see more emphasis on BUYERS to that page, rather than sellers.

The large picture of the Woman that shows now includes links on how to sell in stores. I would really like to see that changed to how to BUY in stores, particularly now that the link is in the header.

A link to selling on stores and marketing and branding is important, I just don't think it should be front and center.

Thank you.

itspostingtime  (2 )      Jul-31-07 12:05 PDT     4 of 45

ebay is making many changes. Are any of those changes designed to SPECIFICALLY benefit store owners who want to list exclusively in store format and who do not want to list anything in core?

To be clear: I realize that store owners CAN list that way now,but my question is: do any of the changes take into account the different needs of a store/core listing model and a store only listing model?
I find more products than glitches

 

golfingaddict  (11495 )     Jul-31-07 12:06 PDT     5 of 45
I'm not sure those two counted as "questions" but I have one more comment.

I'd like to be able to advertise my store on that page. I understand that you have some formula as to when a store would show up there, but I would like to see you feature stores that are doing well, or that would like to advertise there. Please consider doing some contests to have your store featured there or perhaps some sort of advertising (By level) so that we can get our store listed there.

Thank you.

[email protected]     Jul-31-07 12:06 PDT     6 of 45
Dear golfingaddict (re: 2),

Hi. We like that idea, too, and are looking into possible timing for making that happen. We'll let you know.

Thanks.

Gene

[email protected]     Jul-31-07 12:11 PDT     7 of 45
golfingaddict (re: #3),

Thanks for joining us today and for providing your feedback.

There are several versions of the Stores hub – 2 buyer versions (male, female), 2 seller versions (existing, potential Store owner) and a generic version. The buyer versions include a promotion about why to shop eBay Stores -- that landing page (http://pages.ebay.com/storefronts/shop.html) then outlines how to shop with Stores, but I like your suggestion of making info on how to Shop more prominent.

Thanks,
Darlene

itspostingtime  (2 )      Jul-31-07 12:14 PDT     8 of 45
perhaps I should be even more clear. I believe that the MAXIMUM value for a store owner is confined to certain types of products, what I call an "ipod store" (since Meg usually uses ipod sellers as her example of an ebay store.

That is: a store that sells fast turnover core items (like ipods) with store inventory consisting of items with such a very close relationship to the core item (ipod accessories)that a buyer is likely to buy a core item and store items at the same time, thus ensuring fast turnover even of the store items. In addition, such a seller gains the enormous benefit of eBay's listing policy which allows store sellers to list multiple identical items in one listing at one price.

To me, that's the "ideal" type of store.

But many of us do not sell that type of merchandise. Now, I'm not saying there are no other benefits to having a store: the ability to brand, custom pages, newsletters....there are many good things about stores.

But it does not seem to me that ebay has really distinguished very much between the "ipod" type store and the other type of store.

Many sellers want to use their stores to sell admittedly slower turnover items, and they don't even want to use core. Is ebay planning anything to SPECIFICALLY benefit such stores, which obviously have somewhat different needs?
I find more products than glitches

 

gluegal1  (66 )     Jul-31-07 12:14 PDT     9 of 45
I know this isn't a Stores question, but am hoping that you'll pass along to whatever department is responsible for this -

the change that has taken place on the counters within our listings is very disturbing. eBay pages are "junked up" enough - if I WANTED Experian advertising within my listing, I'd put it there myself!

Secondly - again, I know this isn't under Stores jurisdiction, but....

The recent problems with the SYI form were incredibly frustrating. Whenever I had to edit an item, the form lost my combined shipping information. Fortunately, someone on a discussion in a private group posted how to work around this, else I'd have torn my hair out. As it was, it took twice as long to relist or edit any listing because of the glitch. It took over 2 weeks to get this problem fixed, and I noticed yesterday it is still happening intermittently.

And yes, I spoke to Live Help numerous times about the SYI problem; half the time the person wasn't aware of it, the other times I got the "we're working on it" response. If eBay wants people to list more, they have to make sure their tools work correctly!

Sue

gluegal1  (66 )     Jul-31-07 12:18 PDT     10 of 45
P.S. - I do find it fascinating that Paypal partners with Equifax, but eBay has Experian advertising in its counters. Kind-of funny!

chopsueysisters  (2117 )     Jul-31-07 12:18 PDT     11 of 45
I'm only here for a few minutes but here is my questions I wrote out the other day. Will come back this afternoon and read up. Also stores team I wrote to you about the custom pages, no one replied back to me. I'm not getting support from customer service so can u please let me know can u help me troubleshoot it?

I would like to know if the scrolling image banner we can use in our stores can be looked at as far as compression so it loads fast. I heard from some other people that they back out of it because it takes too long to load. Would like to know if its something that can be done to the code because I thought once ebay pulled it in they compressed the images.

I would like to know if the scrolling image banner we can use in our stores can be looked at as far as compression so it loads fast. I heard from some other people that they back out of it because it takes too long to load. Would like to know if its something that can be done to the code because I thought once ebay pulled it in they compressed the images.

It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood
I have superpowers!

 

.

chopsueysisters  (2117 )     Jul-31-07 12:19 PDT     12 of 45
2nd question!

I'd like to know if we can have more presence with the stores marketing team. Fall and even Christmas will hit us very fast and some of us plan to get much more products than before. I asked many months ago about having a stores marketing person help advise & brainstorm with us on ways to help tap into stores exposure during those peak points. Y'all didn't listen to me so I want you to listen this time because last year for back to school you guys were marketing victoria's secret undies. What kind of kid needs a thong? I think it would be a win-win if we give some promos regarding back to school savings on used clothing or other items. People will be hunting for bargains. Maybe even a promo that lets power buyers for school go through the "best offer" features in stores?

Funny huh? But true! No thongs!

Bye Boardies!!

It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood
I have superpowers!




.

[email protected]     Jul-31-07 12:22 PDT     13 of 45
golfingaddict:

In response to your post #5. We think your ideas about different means of advertising on the Stores Hub are very interesting to us. We are currently evaluating how we can make the Stores Hub better and this feedback is very valuable. Please feel free to post more of your ideas of how we can make the Stores Hub work for you and create greater buyer engagement. Thanks for your ideas.

Thanks,

Raj

[email protected]     Jul-31-07 12:24 PDT     14 of 45
itspostingtime (re: #4 and #8),

As you note, a lot of the changes on the site are meant to drive buyer excitement across Auction-style listings (e.g. Bid Assistant http://pages.ebay.com/bidassistant/) but we are also working on improvements for fixed price as well. For example, we are looking at providing more tools to help you promote your Fixed Price and Store Inventory listings and storefronts (e.g. more functionality for Markdown Manager, Stores To Go http://pages.ebay.com/storestogo/, etc.) and working with the Finding team to improve the way buyers search for items across all formats. I don’t have anything to announce today, but we are working on this area.

Regarding your question in post #8 about doing anything to specifically benefit sellers want to use their stores to sell slower turnover items, I want to point out that the pricing structure for Store Inventory is set up for this exact need (e.g. low insertion fees which make it more of a pay-for-performance model). Other than altering the fee structure even more, I would like to better understand from you what could help you be more effective at selling slower moving inventory. Please post any thoughts.

Regards,
Darlene

[email protected]     Jul-31-07 12:29 PDT     15 of 45
Dear chopsueysisters (re: 11),

Hi there.

1) I had forwarded your question and will ask someone to follow up with you directly on the custom page issue.

2) Just to confirm, are you referring to the slideshow-style promotion box? If so, we can definitely ask our engineering team to take a look at it.

Thanks. Mew.

Gene

golfingaddict  (11495 )     Jul-31-07 12:34 PDT     16 of 45
I've been asking for this for years, but I thought I would throw it out here again today.

I'd really like to offer buyer/seller specific coupons to reward frequent buyers. (my buyers) While I like Markdown Manager, that is a generic sale that is offered to everyone.

I'd like to be able to offer coupons that could be used for things like Free shipping or a 10% discount to specific buyers and they could use it on store listings.

Is this something that the stores team could work on please?

And/or could the stores team think of a way for us to offer markdown manager functions that would work only for repeat buyers. For example, I could set up a sale for "former customers" and that sale would only show if you have purchased from me in the past.

(fantasy maybe, but I have faith that the wiz kids could figure out a way to write a program that would work this way)

Thank you.

[email protected]     Jul-31-07 12:34 PDT     17 of 45
chopsueysisters (re: 12),

Glad you could make it today. I love your suggestion and will commit to you right now that the Stores marketing team will host a workshop to discuss tips for effective marketing during the holidays. We’ll post more information to the boards as we get closer to the date.

Regards,
Darlene

golfingaddict  (11495 )     Jul-31-07 12:34 PDT     18 of 45
And now I am sure I used up my two posts ;)

chopsueysisters  (2117 )     Jul-31-07 12:34 PDT     19 of 45
Gene, yes, #2 is that slideshow box, its on my store homepage and i use it ALOT, a whole lot and I LOVE IT. And other people do too! But load time & compression that is super important too, more important than having the slideshow if it causes buyers with older machines to go away


OK, now I'm going, I won't be late as long as I don't use my brakes!

It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood
I have superpowers!

.

.

.

[email protected]     Jul-31-07 12:35 PDT     20 of 45
gluegal1 (re #9),

Thank you for your comments regarding the Experian advertising on your listing. I know that the team responsible for this promotion is monitoring the boards and has heard the community’s reaction to this placement. I will also send the team a note reiterating your concerns with the program.

Secondly, I am sorry to hear about the trouble you are having with SYI, I will let the SYI team know about your issue with the product as well as with Live Help.

Regards,
Brian

grandmabenny  (17 )     Jul-31-07 12:37 PDT     21 of 45
Where do most of the successful store owners get their inventory?
grandmabenny

[email protected]     Jul-31-07 12:39 PDT     22 of 45
Dear golfingaddict, (re: 16)

Hi. We are very interested in finding ways to help Store sellers drive more frequent purchases from their buyers.

Those are both good ideas. We've spent more time looking at the couponing issue, and I'm hopeful we're going to find a way to get that done. I like the Markdown Manager suggestion, and I'll forward that to the person thinking about updates to that feature.

Thanks. Keep 'em coming.

Gene

[email protected]     Jul-31-07 12:41 PDT     23 of 45
Dear chopsueysisters, (re: 19)

Thanks for verifying. Glad you like it; we definitely want it to work broadly for buyers. I'll ask our engineering team to take a look at the issue.

Be safe.  Wear a helmet. 

Gene

itspostingtime  (2 )      Jul-31-07 12:45 PDT     24 of 45
Thanks for the response Darlene. You say:

Regarding your question in post #8 about doing anything to specifically benefit sellers want to use their stores to sell slower turnover items, I want to point out that the pricing structure for Store Inventory is set up for this exact need (e.g. low insertion fees which make it more of a pay-for-performance model). Other than altering the fee structure even more, I would like to better understand from you what could help you be more effective at selling slower moving inventory. Please post any thoughts.

I will probably be flamed for this, but I'm not sure I'd be in favor of a substantial insertion fee reduction for stores, as I think that there must be some sort of bar, otherwise I fear the stores will be awash in items that have virtually no chance of ever selling. Perhaps free gallery for store format listings instead? That would not do much to increase the no-turnover items, but would reduce the number of store listings with the little camera logo where the gallery pic really should be....I suspect store sales would improve if ALL store sellers used gallery ALL the time.

The thing is, I think insertion fees effect listing numbers more than they do sell through...low insertion fees increase listings, but buyers don't care about low insertion fees, so I don't think sell-through is much effected.

I only asked the question because I was curious as to whether you guys had anything specific in mind. Sad to say, I don't have any specific ideas. Maybe a workshop to help sellers understand the challenges they face if they sell primarily slow turnover items rather than , say, a mix of slow and fast?
I find more products than glitches

 

owen*and*emma  (3901 )     Jul-31-07 12:47 PDT     25 of 45
eBay stores are a bit behind the times with their inability to offer the customer the ability to choose color, size, (and perhaps personalization) when they checkout.

Every other mainstream website on the planet allows their buyers this easy shopping experience, yet eBay seems to make buyers jump through hoops to find the correct size, color.

Any chance of you hooking up with the Policy team to re-work this archaic policy?

~Ann~

itspostingtime  (2 )      Jul-31-07 12:48 PDT     26 of 45
BTW, I do want to lend my support to the coupon idea and the markdown for selected customers idea. And, while it isn't exclusively a stores idea, I'd also like to see something in MyeBay that flags repeat customers, so that I know they've bought from me before. perhaps you could pass that on to the appropriate team?
I find more products than glitches

 

[email protected]     Jul-31-07 12:48 PDT     27 of 45
Hi grandmabenny (re #21),

Successful Store sellers have multiple inventory sourcing strategies. Here's a workshop from June that highlights seven essential elements of successful sourcing: http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=1000503163&ov=002NY.

Seller Central also has additional recommendations for sourcing here: http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral/techniques.html#invsou

Thanks and here's to your future success!

Brian

[email protected]     Jul-31-07 12:51 PDT     28 of 45
Dear owen*and*emma (re: 25),

Hi. The short answer is yes; we're exploring a number of different solutions to that issue. But we get that we need to make it easier for folks to sell those sorts of items on the site.

Thanks.

Gene

itspostingtime  (2 )      Jul-31-07 12:55 PDT     29 of 45
Do you know how store merchandise will be effected by the new finding system? Will the Rule of 30 be retained, along with the Stores in BIN Rule?

And, speaking of search, the Hub default item search brings up ALL store merchandise, both core and store format listings. Some on the Stores Board have suggested that this should be changed to ONLY store format. I just want to say I would oppose that change. I list items in core in part to draw people to my store, and I believe that strategy is effective whether as part of a core search or a store search from the Hub. I don't want to have to have two strategies for the two different searches.
I find more products than glitches

 

[email protected]     Jul-31-07 12:55 PDT     30 of 45
itspostingtime (re: #26),

We share your interest in providing you with more insight into your repeat buyers and have been talking to the other selling teams about making progress here. Thanks for bringing this up!

Regards,
Darlene

golfingaddict  (11495 )     Jul-31-07 12:59 PDT     31 of 45
Thanks to the stores team for holding this Brown Bag lunch and listening to our suggestions.

katiyana  (3952 )     Jul-31-07 13:00 PDT     32 of 45
Ditto Ann's comments in #25

The technology is available in Paypal shopping carts as well as Prostores (both of which eBay conveniently owns). Give store owners who sell customized items, or stock items with options, tools to allow us to sell more effectively.

Yeah, I know you guys like that we have to do 100 listings instead of 10 because its extra $ for you - but some of us can't afford to keep doing that for you.

***********

Question #1: When are the text-version of Email newsletters going to be fixed so they look halfway decent, and aren't tossed away immediately. Item showcases and item listings don't show up. I've had lots of problems and little success with the Newsletter package, so I think work needs to be done on that.

Question #2: When can we do coupon codes for our repeat buyers? These would be GREAT repeat buyer driving items - we need tools like this!

Personally, sales here are WAY DOWN compared to last year - the fee increase almost did me in last year, and now the poor sales are trying to finish the job this year. Again - the inability to have a fully stocked store (due to higher fees) limits our ability to draw in off-eBay traffic, which then restricts sales, which further limits our listing capabilities. Its a darn vicious circle, and one its hard to get out of once you're in it!

Katiyana's Collectibles

itspostingtime  (2 )      Jul-31-07 13:01 PDT     33 of 45
Seems pretty quiet here, so I'll go ahead and ask a bit more. I know it's very early, but do your metrics indicate that the new stores tab is getting much use? And the Hub?

I think store sellers like to understand their own traffic flow, and so can you tell us if there's any way to determine whether any of our traffic is coming from the Hub when we look at our Omniture reports?
I find more products than glitches

 

[email protected]     Jul-31-07 13:04 PDT     34 of 45
golfingaddict (re: #31,

Thank you for the message. We really enjoy spending this time each month with the Stores community; answering your questions and listening to your suggestions.

Best regards,
Brian

[email protected]     Jul-31-07 13:11 PDT     35 of 45
Dear itspostingtime:

In response to Post #29. Store Inventory Format merchandizing in the updated core finding system is planned to retain the 30/30 rule.

In regards to defaulting all store merchandise within the Stores hub. We agree that giving potential buyers the ability to search from a selection of all listings by Store sellers is more effective than relegating results just to Store Inventory Format. We plan on continuing to be consistent with this approach as statistics demonstrate that buyer's find and convert better with all listings by Stores sellers being returned vs. just returning SIF listings. This helps return abundance and drive incremental traffic back to your storefront.

I hope that is a clear answer to your questions.

Thanks,

Raj

[email protected]     Jul-31-07 13:11 PDT     36 of 45
Dear katiyana (re: 32),

Hi.

1) The newsletter feature is one that we think is very valuable to Store sellers, so we want to do everything we can to help this be effective. I'll ask the team to take a look at updates to the text version of the emails.

2) We want to deepen our focus on repeat buying going forward, so we're very interested in this and other tools to help make that happen. I honestly can't give you a specific timeframe yet, but we know it's important and we're working to find the best path to getting this done. It's a more challenging feature behind the scenes than it may seem. But we're very interested in this and other ways to help drive repeat buying for our Store sellers.

Thanks!

Gene

[email protected]     Jul-31-07 13:16 PDT     37 of 45
Hello there,

Please submit your questions and comments as soon as possible. We'll be locking this thread promptly at 1:30 PM PDT. Any questions that are posted close to the end of the session will responded to after the thread has been locked.

Thank you for joining,
eBay Stores Team

itspostingtime  (2 )      Jul-31-07 13:19 PDT     38 of 45
Raj, yes, thanks!
I find more products than glitches

 

owen*and*emma  (3901 )     Jul-31-07 13:21 PDT     39 of 45
Repeat buying is an interesting topic. What incentive does a seller have to bring customers back to eBay versus sending the customer other place for future purchases?

I've said on more than one occasion that the SRC is useless as built. Perhaps that can be revised to work like this:

1. ALL repeat customers whether from a year ago or a day ago result in automatic SRC issued to the seller. No jumping through hoops with silly "&refid" stuff.

2. If a buyer purchases more than one item in a sitting the seller pays full FVF on the first one and the SRC automatically kicks in on all additional items.

3. Monetary rewards for the dollar amount of items sold to repeat buyers.

Just some thoughts.

~Ann~

[email protected]       Jul-31-07 13:24 PDT       40 of 45
itspostingtime:

In response to your question about traffic from the Stores Hub: Post #33:

We are definitely beginning to see uptick in traffic being driven to the Stores Hub from the Global Header. We are just starting to lay the tracking infrastructure to help us analyze and quantify the traffic to this page and user interactions, so we do not have any precise data to share.

Unfortunately, Omniture is not currently tagging the Stores Hub page so it does not appear as a referring page in your page view reports. This is definitely a good idea, and we'll investigate specifically tagging this page so it appears explicitly in your path reports as a referring page.

Thanks,

Raj

owen*and*emma  (3901 )     Jul-31-07 13:26 PDT     41 of 45
Speaking of Omniture. Why doesn't eBay dump them for the Store Reporting tool and go with Google Analytics a much more comprehensive program?

Or at least allow stores owners the ability to install Google Analytics?

~Ann~

[email protected]     Jul-31-07 13:29 PDT     42 of 45
owen*and*emma (re: #39),

You’ve touched on a topic that the Stores team is particularly passionate about – repeat buying. Over the years we’ve built tools and programs to help and reward sellers’ repeat buying efforts (e.g. Email Marketing, Store Referral Credit, etc.) but we want to do more. Thanks for your suggestions – we’ll take these into account as we work to do more here.

Regards,
Darlene

grandmabenny  (17 )     Jul-31-07 13:32 PDT     43 of 45
Thank you for the referral. I hope some day to understand all this and become an intelligent contributor to the forum.
Thanks again.
grandmabenny

[email protected]     Jul-31-07 13:33 PDT     44 of 45
Stores Community,

Thank you for participating in this month’s discussion. The thread is now locked to new posts.

We will be going through the entire thread to make sure all questions are answered. Please check back for the completed thread.

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Thank you again for joining us today. Stay tuned for details about the September Stores Brown Bag Lunch event.

Regards, eBay Stores Team

[email protected]     Jul-31-07 13:35 PDT     45 of 45
owen*and*emma:

In response to your post #41 regarding Omniture vs. Google Analytics:

I think this is a very good question. Omniture's Sitecatalyst tool is very robust application and is one of the industry's leading traffic reporting tools. When we decided to bring this product to market, Omniture was the market leader in this space, and we still believe they are. We also leveraged alot of infrastructure used for Site reporting to bring a wealth of data to you, our end users. There is alot of back-end tracking and technology built into these tracked pages. Also, in order to log into the tool we have built out a 3rd party authentication mechanism, which we would need to build for other reporting tools.

We definitely look into other product offerings such as Google Analytics which was bought from Urchin, as they emerge. We still believe Omniture has the more robust reporting tool and tracking infrastructure.

Thanks,

Raj

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From eBay Stores Forum - Basic TWO word search not working - Why is "+" added in space?

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From eBay Stores Forum
Basic TWO word search not working - Why is "+" added in space?
http://forums.ebay.com/db1/thread.jspa?threadID=2000388427&start=0

.

randomgoods  (1449 )       Jun-19-07 15:14 PDT
I type in a two word search and cannot find any items listed (or very limited).

Example:

I type: Baseball Cards (3900+ auctions listed

It spits out: Baseball+Cards (3900+ auctions listed)

I have manually remove the "+" to get: Baseball Cards (171,000+ auctions).

This is only an example, not the item I was searching for. Why does it add the "+" sign where a space should be? This seems to be happening irregularly when I performed searches today. Sometimes the + shows up, other times it doesn't.

Can someone from Ebay explain if this is a system problem and when it will be fixed? This was not an issue when I performed searches yesterday. This is affecting peoples' ability to find my auctions... even I couldn't find my own auction by doing a basic word search because of this problem. I tried this in both IE and Firefox browsers.

Who else is having this problem also?

.

Previous   1 | 2   Next See last post
74 replies     Date posted     Reply #

.

cydonian  (2214 )     Jun-20-07 09:51 PDT     1
I am having the same problem here. The added "+" symbol is throwing off the search results and actually returning NO results...Have to remove the + and search again to get results. This only just started happening today.

schatzfarms  (2949 )     Jun-21-07 15:40 PDT     2
This is happening to me also. My ebay keeps changing my setting to advanced search on all words and is adding the plus symbol.
I change it and it changes back. I am getting so p.o.!
I can't even search on completed listings.
Stacy

cydonian  (2214 )     Jun-21-07 18:50 PDT     3
This is still happening here today. I want to list auctions but there's no sense listing if no one will find them. I don't think people will know right away to remove the + symbol to get all the results they're supposed to. I sent eBay a message about it, but you know how that goes...just waiting for them to send me a canned response saying its my fault or my computer's fault.

randomgoods  (1449 )     Jun-21-07 19:17 PDT     4
This only a guess, I'm not a tech guy, but it might be because it's not recognizing an older version of MS Windows correctly. I have Windows XP at home and it works fine. But when I'm at work (where this "+" problem shows up), I think it's Windows 2000. As I said before, it showed up on Firefox and IE on my Windows 2000.

If you manually delete the plus marks, then it will search normally. I know, pain in the you know what. EBay must've upgraded/updated something in the system this week to cause this to happen. What Windows are you guys running, could that be the problem?

schatzfarms  (2949 )     Jun-21-07 19:31 PDT     5
I have windows xp media and just started seeing this problem today. Live help was no help. I too found that just deleting the + symbols works. What a pain!
Stacy

touch*my*toes  (12 )     Jun-22-07 13:34 PDT     6
Wonderful. This just started happening to me today as well. Christmas barbie brings up only "Christmas Barbie". Barbie Christmas brings up only "Barbie Christmas". Words must be next to each other.

When I remove the +, I get more results....but most of them do not have both of my search words in the title.

touch*my*toes  (12 )     Jun-22-07 18:31 PDT     7
At home now and the problem I had with EXACT search at work is gone. I use I.E. at work and Firefox at home. Going to try I.E. here and see if it still happens.

touch*my*toes  (12 )     Jun-22-07 18:35 PDT     8
Ok, so....I.E. at home....no problems with the + added to the search. Both computers are Windows XP. What gives?

cydonian  (2214 )     Jun-23-07 04:52 PDT     9
Day 4, still happening. I did get a reply from them and they acknowledged a problem:

Thank you for writing eBay in regard to being unable to search an item.

We are aware that some members were facing this difficulty. Occasionally
these unfortunate situations do arise and we work our hardest to reduce
the frequency of these events.

Please note taht when our system experiences problems such as these, it
is of great concern not only to our community, but also to the entire
eBay Corporation.

The information you've provided has been sent to our engineers for
further investigation. I am sorry for any additional delay in getting
this resolved for you.

Our engineers are on the site 24 hours a day troubleshooting and fixing
things as needed. They are working diligently to diagnose and repair the
problems, but sometimes it takes time and they are not able to predict
what the next problem will be.

However, I can assure you that when these situations do arise we always
work as quickly as possible to solve the problems.

It is my pleasure to assist you. Thank you for choosing eBay.

Sincerely,
Issac A.

ninkasi  (3515 )     Jun-23-07 17:19 PDT     10
I have the same problem: I type in 2 words and I get word+word = 0 or few results (for an item with lots of results if I take the + out. Which I know lots of people won't know to do) I'm not listing until they fix it. It's hard enough to sell but if someone gets 0 results for an item I do have listed - forget about it.

adorable*and*affordable  (1559 )     Jun-24-07 14:38 PDT     11
I've been having the same problem for at least a few days. MAJOR frustration both as a seller and a buyer!!! Pinks, can we get an update??

frantichippie  (15 )     Jun-25-07 04:41 PDT     12
I came here looking for answers to this same problem. Someone needs to explain to us what is going on here. Is it a glitch? Is it part of one of the search tests? Is it just the way things are now? If there is an issue, is it being addressed?

A couple of days ago, when I first noticed this issue, it only added the +'s when I searched from the search box at the top in the header. Now today it seems to be adding them no matter how I initiate my search.

This has nothing to do with our computers, which operating system or browser we're using or anything else. This is an issue on eBay's end, their system is adding the +'s.

Susie

 

postcardsandmore  (4341 )     Jun-25-07 09:54 PDT     13
Susie,

Silence speaks volumes. It's the wonderful new improved search we will all be seeing in the not so distant future.

We are as helpless to stop it as we were to stop the SYI form change. Remember Ebay says the sellers LOVE all the changes.

.

[email protected]     Jun-25-07 12:46 PDT     14
Hi All,

We have a team investigating this, but arent' able to reproduce it yet.
If you're still experiencing this, please provide the query, OS and browser information.

Thanks!

jeff

.

webpaper  (1553 )     Jun-25-07 14:24 PDT     15
"can't reproduce it" Gee, I bet if you sent out an email to all of your customers you could get thousands and thousands of screen shots.
Ignore the masses, they will go away. And they are going away much faster than you anticipate........
Perhaps you could hire "a few good programmers"??

adorable*and*affordable  (1559 )     Jun-25-07 16:18 PDT     16
This is happening to me on every search, not just 2 word searches. A "+" is added between all words.

I am using IE. OS is Windows XP.

This has been happening for several days on all of my searches.

mygift2u  (6558 )     Jun-25-07 16:37 PDT     17
Sorry - if eBay can't reproduce it -- it doesn't exist.

I might remove my helmet when we get the Stores Tab!

 

glenda  (1343 )     Jun-25-07 16:43 PDT     18
To be fair: eBay did not say that the problem doesn't exist, just that they can't reproduce it.

I haven't been able to reproduce it, either.

As I've said before, they have to replicate a problem before they can backtrack and find what caused the problem and fix it.

 

Glenda

--
V3 You can write to eBay support by clicking on Help then Contact Us.
It's hard to tell where the road will lead, just looking at it from the one end.

ninkasi  (3515 )     Jun-25-07 18:33 PDT     19
IE - Windows XP for me and it's still going on. I search for Escondido Postcard and I get back Escondido+Postcard with 0 auciton results and 1 Store hit. I take out the "+" (which I didn't add in the first place) and I get 3 aution hits and 14 store results. Scary - no way am I listing until this is fixed.

cydonian  (2214 )     Jun-25-07 19:17 PDT     20
I'm using IE and Windows XP Home.

This has been happening for about a week now. I believe I first noticed it on June 18.

schatzfarms  (2949 )     Jun-25-07 20:48 PDT     21
I have windows xp media. This problem started immediately after opening some sort of upgrade in TL2. Now I can not search and I can not upload any listing from TL2. My laptop searches just fine. I have also been hit with a trojan and 2 other viruses in the last two days while doing nothing but listing and searching completed listings. I only use this computer for ebay.
I tried searching off of my work computer and no problems.
Is there some Ebay virus out there?
Stacy

adorable*and*affordable  (1559 )     Jun-25-07 20:55 PDT     22
Stacy, Your situation sounds similar to mine. I noticed the problem at about the same time as doing a TL2 upgrade. I haven't been able to launch any auctions from TL2 since the upgrade. It says it can't retrieve my pictures or something like that.

schatzfarms  (2949 )     Jun-25-07 21:07 PDT     23
I tried live help and the rep did not know anything about this problem. I will not use TL2 anymore. A complete waste of time. I get nothing but errors.
I research completed listings on most of the stuff I list and can not do that effiently now becuase of this search glitch.
I truly believe I downloaded something and it has screwed with my pc. I luckily have antivirus that has caught several viruses over the last two days and also removed 33 malicious files.
I have heard of ebay listings containing viruses but I immediately had the problem once I did that Tl2 upgrade.
Stacy

glenda  (1343 )     Jun-25-07 21:44 PDT     24
Hi schatzfarms and adorable*and*affordable

Are you two experiencing the + sign being added to your search results?

 

Glenda

--
V3 You can write to eBay support by clicking on Help then Contact Us.
It's hard to tell where the road will lead, just looking at it from the one end.

schatzfarms  (2949 )     Jun-25-07 22:10 PDT     25
Yes but just on my main computer. All 3 are windows xp.
Stacy

adorable*and*affordable  (1559 )     Jun-26-07 06:01 PDT     26
Yes, I'm still experiencing it. It's driving me crazy when shopping and doing research.

jje9  (344 )     Jun-26-07 06:45 PDT     27
Everyone ~ You're not alone! I also have been experiencing this problem with the "+" symbol inserting itself in every search for the past week, and it is very frustrating. It happens with each and every search I attempt ~ no matter how many words I enter into my search string. I submitted my concern to eBay yesterday (6/25), per Glenda's request, and received the following response (I appreciate the fast response, but it appeared that this customer service rep thought this issue was only related to the one search string I submitted as an example, and actually suggested that I try it once again ~ wow, not quite the response/suggestion I was hoping for)...

eBay's response:
Thank you for writing eBay in regard to the search that you are unable to make.

I understand your concern and would like to tell you that I tried to search for the item that you have stated and I was able to search succesfully. I suggest you to try it once again.

However, the information you've provided has been sent to our engineers for further investigation. I am sorry for any additional delay in getting this resolved for you.

Our engineers are on the site 24 hours a day troubleshooting and fixing things as needed. They are working diligently to diagnose and repair the problems, but sometimes it takes time and they are not able to predict what the next problem will be.

I can assure you that when these situations do arise we always work as quickly as possible to solve the problems.

Okay, now, back to my comments ~

I am hopeful that eBay realizes that this is a troublesome and frustrating issue affecting numerous users, and is not limited to just one specific search. It is happening on each and every search. I am running IE on Windows XP Pro Version 2002.

I'm sorry that we're all having to deal with this, but I am grateful for this discussion board because I know I'm not the only one with this problem, and I know that the problem is not "user-created". Let's all keep our fingers crossed for a quick resolution from eBay engineers!

cydonian  (2214 )     Jun-26-07 08:44 PDT     28
After you guys suggested a possible virus and/or a Turbolister issue, I ran a virus scan but came up clean. Then I uninstalled Turbolister and the problem is NOT happening anymore! No more + symbol.

Seems like it's definately a problem with Turbolister.

ninkasi  (3515 )     Jun-26-07 09:01 PDT     29
I don't have Turbolister and it's been happening to me

baseg35  (11835 )     Jun-26-07 09:10 PDT     30
Ok it is worse now, I type in baseball cards and I get 7 items, it is removing the space between baseball and cards and running it together baseballcards, but I'm positive the space is there, this is scary, no wonder I have hardly any bid/sales in the past 4-5 days.
Firefox on Vista

jje9  (344 )     Jun-26-07 09:13 PDT     31
I do not have Turbolister installed, and I run clean virus scans daily, and I am still experiencing this problem with every search I attempt.

baseg35  (11835 )     Jun-26-07 09:24 PDT     32
try babe ruth, adds them together baberuth and gives you one result

schatzfarms  (2949 )     Jun-26-07 09:24 PDT     33
I just remember getting some pop up from ebay while using turbo lister and it required me to allow active x. I don't know very much about computers but anyways I allowed it and that is when it started for me. A norton window popped up and said a trojan was detected.
Stacy

randomgoods  (1449 )     Jun-26-07 09:25 PDT     34
When I click on from an outside link (like from an email from ebay) to this discussion and do a search the problem comes up with the +'s. If on that second page (the one with the +'s) I retype the same search in the box with the + words in it, then the search comes out normal.

On front page of Ebay, when I type in search words the + appears. Now on the 2nd page (1st results of my search) two search boxes appear... the one with the + words, and then there's the small advanced search box at the top. If I retype the same search in the box with the existing + words, then search turns out regular. If I retype the same search in the top "advanced search" box, then the search comes out flawed again.

I do not run Turbolister on my work computer so that is not an issue with me. My home computer is fine (once again, no Turbolister either). This was not a problem on 6/19, but began appearing the morning of 6/20. Whatever programming or system changes were made during that period, I think that's where the bug lies.

Everyone on this forum looks like an experienced Ebayer. If it's happening to us, then think of all the first time or casual users that are coming to the site looking for something and can't anything because the search comes out wrong. That's where the concern is.

fields011  (320 )     Jun-26-07 09:32 PDT     35
I'm very frustrated as a seller and a buyer. How many people aren't going to see my listing because of this glitch? I noticed that to pull up my listing, I have to search with the same word sequence as my title. For instance, search for Stephen king and get 2890 return listings. Search for King Stephen and get 12 return listings. Its far worse on other things I've searched for.

baseg35  (11835 )     Jun-26-07 09:34 PDT     36
6/20 is exactly when sales and bids took a nose dive, might be a good time for an experience buyer to get some deals out there

cydonian  (2214 )     Jun-26-07 09:35 PDT     37
baseg35, I am getting the same thing here. It is combining two words into one, but only on a few select phrases. It combined 2 words into one for these searches: Babe Ruth, Baseball Cards, Barbie Dolls, Comic Books

Other searches came out ok though.

But the + symbol definately disappeared for me immediately after the TL uninstall.

glenda  (1343 )     Jun-26-07 09:37 PDT     38
Hi fields011

If I might make a suggestion for your listings, unrelated to the + issue you are experiencing: leave out the ~ and just use normal spaces in your titles.

eBay is currently ignoring special characters such as that in search results, but in the past, it would have affected how your listings came up. The engine have treated FLATBUSH~DVD~STALLONE~WINKLER~ as one word, and would not have brought it up if someone had searched on Flatbush or Stallone or Winkler.

 

Glenda

--
V3 You can write to eBay support by clicking on Help then Contact Us.
It's hard to tell where the road will lead, just looking at it from the one end.

schatzfarms  (2949 )     Jun-26-07 09:41 PDT     39
I just read this:
In some cases, eBay will automatically expand your search to include items based on the intent of your search rather than matching the exact keywords. This is why for certain searches, when you enter keywords, additional items appear in the search results, even though all the key words you entered are not in the title. For example, when you type in the key words audiobook, eBay automatically includes the items from the audio books category even those items without the keyword audiobook in the title. The following tables list the key words and their corresponding category expansion.

Go to Keyword Category Expansion List for eBay.com
Go to Keyword Category Expansion List for eBay Motors

so, it appears Ebay is limiting the normal search to only certain catagories. If this is true, why does it only happen on certain computers and to only certain users?
Stacy

glenda  (1343 )       Jun-26-07 10:53 PDT       40
            Hi schatzfarms

I believe you've misinterpreted what it says. Normal search is available in every category. But for some categories/searches, eBay will ALSO search the category name as though that name was in the title of the listing.

If, for example, I search on 56 department, department 56, 56 dept or dept 56, eBay's search engine will bring back listings that have those two words in the title, but it will ALSO bring back listings that are in the Dept 56 subcategory under Collectibles, even if they don't have either of those words in the title.

(This generally works quite well, unless a seller lists a few hundred Dreamsicles items in the Dept 56 subcategory. Then a search for dept 56 would get those Dreamsicles listings as well.)

In addition, by the way, those four particular sets of words have been specified internally as meaning the same thing. Therefore, if I do a search for department 56 I will also get listings with the word dept but not department.

This is unrelated to the + issue being discussed, of course.

 

Glenda

--
V3 You can write to eBay support by clicking on Help then Contact Us.
It's hard to tell where the road will lead, just looking at it from the one end.

schatzfarms  (2949 )     Jun-26-07 11:00 PDT     41
Thank you. I understand what you are saying. I do hope it gets fixed soon. If anyone else comes up with any info plz post.
Stacy

fishingdecoy  (182 )     Jun-26-07 12:36 PDT     42
This is happening to me too...and it's driving me crazy. I tried 'live help' and it was a complete waste of my time. I'm using Safari OS 10.4.9...I've been using this computer/software for about 2 years and never had a problem until a week or so ago. Everytime I do a keyword search with more than one word, a '+' sign is added in between the words. If I search 'fishing decoy', the search returns 'fishing+decoy" and has about 10 items. I than have to go in and manually remove the '+' and search again, roughly 200 items will come up. Believe it or not, it's a drag to have to manually remove the '+" and re-search. I'm not going to list any new items for sale until this is fixed. Bizarre. :(
If anyone's interested, I can post Jpegs of the screens -

adorable*and*affordable  (1559 )     Jun-26-07 12:57 PDT     43
I uninstalled TL2 but it didn't help my search problem as it did for a previous poster.

fields011  (320 )     Jun-26-07 13:59 PDT     44
Glenda,
Thanks for the tip!

atbat  (1402 )     Jun-26-07 14:15 PDT     45
I've been having the same problem and it's started to really tick me off so I decided I'd give E-Bay a try and see what kind of response I would get. And I actually got a response, that addresses the issue. Apparently we are part of "A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE" that's being tested in a new site called PLAYGROUND. I think their experiment stinks and I'm going to let them know what at least one person thinks about it. I don't understand how they think this is a better way to search for an item. Just go to the General Announcements area under the News section of Community and click on the message from Jeff King. Or you can go to the link below:

"Thank you for writing eBay in regard to the new Search or Find.

It will probably be very advantageous for you to visit the
Announcement Board posting at:
http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200706251438452.html

That explains a lot about the new Find.

If you need further assistance, please don't hesitate to reply to this
email and let us know."

stoneware3  (2451 )     Jun-26-07 15:14 PDT     46
If this was a result of the "playground," wouldn't Mr. Jeff King have known about it?

He posted earlier in this thread, and said that he wasn't able to reproduce the issue.

Someone doesn't know what they are talking about. Live Help, or Mr. Jeff King?

schatzfarms  (2949 )     Jun-26-07 15:28 PDT     47
This problem at least for me is not the playground thing. I entered the playground and had no problems searching there. WHen I left and came back to normal Ebay search the darn plus signs were back.
Stacy

schatzfarms  (2949 )     Jun-26-07 15:38 PDT     48
Now my search is messed up in SMP. When I search my active listings for "fig" as there are 3 listings it says there are 514 listings found with fig in the item title so basically it doesn't bring up squat.
Active Listings (1-200 of 514 listings)
Once a listing ends, it will move into Sold or Unsold listings depending on whether you have a buyer. Print Customize Display

Item title Item number Product name Custom Label | Show Search Options | Clear Search
Store Category
All - AVON - BARBIE STUFF & DOLLS - BATH & BODY WORKS - BOOKS - bracelets - clip earrings - COLOGNES & PERFUMES - dog toys - gift baskets - GLASS/CERAMIC COLLECTIBLES - HALLMARK ORNAMENTS - HERBEGER'S ORNAMENTS - JEWELRY - MAKEUP, HAIR & NAILS - necklaces - pierced earrings - pins & brooches - rings - VHS VIDEOS & DVD'S - vintage - VINTAGE AVON - Other
Status
All (514) With Bids/Reserve Met (4) With Offers Without Bids/Reserve Not Met (510) With Leads Without Leads Format
All (514) Auctions (26) Fixed Price (14) Store Inventory (474) | Hide Search Options | Clear Search

514 listings found for fig in Item title

How do I do a screen shot copy?
Stacy

ninkasi  (3515 )     Jun-26-07 15:56 PDT     49
why are they screwing around with the Search function anyway? If I type in Giant Robot in Search I want to see every single auction and store listing with Giant Robot in the seller's title. SIMPLE.

atbat  (1402 )     Jun-26-07 16:51 PDT     50
I went back & checked and it looks like Jeff King posted his announcement about 2 hours after he was in this Discussion Board. It would have been nice if he would have gotten back to this discussion and provided that information.

atbat  (1402 )     Jun-26-07 17:01 PDT     51
Schatzfarms

You're right. It only shows up on the regular search because the regular search page is part of the test. When you go into the Playground it's showing how the system will work if they decide to implement this stupid idea.

frantichippie  (15 )     Jun-26-07 18:14 PDT     52
Doesn't matter what search query I use or how many words it has, all the spaces are replaced with +'s.

Searching from the header and the main search gives me this result, however if I go into Advanced Search and type in keywords there, it doesn't add the +'s.

I've been to the playground, but clicked out of it. I've also been to shop.ebay.com which seemed to put me into some search test at one point maybe? Not sure either of those are related, but can't think of anything else I might have done.

I'm using Firefox 2.0.0.4 on WinXP Pro SP2.

Susie

 

postcardsandmore  (4341 )     Jun-26-07 19:08 PDT     53
why are they screwing around with the Search function anyway? If I type in Giant Robot in Search I want to see every single auction and store listing with Giant Robot in the seller's title. SIMPLE.

If only the search team would realize that! And, stop messing with search.

Unfortunately, we are on a runaway train. The more they mess with search, the less items sell...the less items sell, the more concerned Ebay becomes, so the more they mess with search...which mean even LESS items sell and then they.(get the picture)??

They have this site so messed up there is very little chance it will ever recover.

I quit shopping with one major online office supply company for nearly 2 years because I couldn't find anything I was looking for. The search led me to a drop down list which led me to another search and then items that didn't match what I wanted in the first place.

I went back last week to see if they still had some of the huge size rubber bands I bought from them years ago and low and behold...the site worked perfectly.

There was a search box and when you enter your key word you get EXACTLY what you asked for. No drop down with mfgr, no "other sections to check" JUST the item you were asking for!

So, I spent over $300 on office supplies and enjoyed doing it! For the last two years I had been just going to Office Depot locally. With free shipping I hated to give up the online shopping but the search was too big a mess to bother with.

Trust me, lot's of buyers here are feeling the same way and lots more will feel that way when this monstrosity rolls out for everyone!

mygift2u  (6558 )     Jun-26-07 19:46 PDT     54
postcards - I think we are going to have to get used to things if we stay here. We are not in Kansas any more.
I just wish we could get BACK to Kansas. Things were so nice there.

 

mygift2u  (6558 )     Jun-26-07 19:46 PDT     55
Postcards -

Please do send me a pretty Post Card if you ever get back to Kansas! LOL

regards,

.

[email protected]     Jun-26-07 20:01 PDT     56
Hi All,

The problem with the + in searches has been discovered and a fix will be released tonight.

Thanks for your patience,

Jeff

.

mygift2u  (6558 )     Jun-26-07 20:05 PDT     57
Hi Jeff and THANK YOU for droppin in! :-D

.

[email protected]     Jun-26-07 20:05 PDT     58
Oh and by the way, the problem turned out to have nothing to do with Turbo Lister 2. It was related to a problem with a cookie setting for customized search options.

Jeff

.

adorable*and*affordable  (1559 )     Jun-26-07 20:08 PDT     59
Thank you!

schatzfarms  (2949 )     Jun-26-07 20:17 PDT     60
Yeah! Thank you.
And can you also fix SMP search? Please, please, please??????
Stacy

fields011  (320 )     Jun-27-07 02:08 PDT     61
Thank you! Life can now return to normal.
(I wonder why more people weren't up in arms about all of this?)

jje9  (344 )     Jun-27-07 07:04 PDT     62
Jeff King ~ Thank you so much for resolving this matter quickly! My searches run perfectly now, and I am thrilled! I'm very appreciative of the efforts, communication and fast resolution from you and your team! Wonderful customer service! Jodi

ninkasi  (3515 )     Jun-27-07 07:07 PDT     63
thanks - fixed for me too

schatzfarms  (2949 )     Jun-27-07 07:07 PDT     64
I am amazed! Search is working correctly this morning! Thank you Ebay for fixing this promptly.
Stacy

fishingdecoy  (182 )     Jun-27-07 09:33 PDT     65
My searches are back to working again!!! Thanks Jeff.

randomgoods  (1449 )     Jun-27-07 09:52 PDT     66
To Jeff King & the Programming Team,

Thanks for your attention to this and finding and fixing the bug!

Howie

frantichippie  (15 )     Jun-27-07 16:08 PDT     67
Thank you Jeff :)

Susie

 

ninkasi  (3515 )     Jun-28-07 22:16 PDT     68
Problem is resolved but I only just now received a reply to my e-mail to support about the problem that I sent a few days ago. They told me to clear my cache and cookies. Isn't that the standard answer to anything when they have no idea what to do? They really are out of the loop...

touch*my*toes  (12 )     Jul-06-07 18:07 PDT     69
This problem returned for me today.

glenda  (1343 )     Jul-06-07 18:40 PDT     70
Hi touch*my*toes

They did scheduled maintenance last night - maybe they undid something. Click on Help then Contact Us and follow the menu through the site issues path to report it.

 

Glenda

--
V3 You can write to eBay support by clicking on Help then Contact Us.
It's hard to tell where the road will lead, just looking at it from the one end.

adorable*and*affordable  (1559 )     Jul-06-07 18:48 PDT     71
It is doing it again!! Ebay is going to drive me insane!!

atbat  (1402 )     Jul-06-07 22:25 PDT     72
My search is working again. Let's hope it stays that way!

world_securities  (4925 )     Jul-07-07 08:05 PDT     73
The "+" is being auto inserted again; Finding 2.0 remains broken.

1) Type "tachikoma organic".
Finding 2.0 changes this to "tachikoma+organic"
and returns
"0 items found for tachikoma+organic"

Replace the "+" with a space " ".
Finding 2.0 returns
"0 items found for tachikoma organic" and
"3 items found for tachikoma organic in eBay Stores"

2) Type "tachikoma 8".
Finding 2.0 changes this to "tachikoma+8" and returns
"0 items found for tachikoma+8" and
"1 items found for tachikoma+8 in eBay Stores"

Replace the "+" with a space " ".
Finding 2.0 returns
"0 items found for tachikoma 8" and
"11 items found for tachikoma 8 in eBay Stores"

Another excellent way to kill off eBay Stores?

ninkasi  (3515 )     Jul-07-07 08:10 PDT     74
what the he**?! - Doing it again! Hope they take less time to acknowledge / fix than they did last time - I wante to list more stuff (but, I prefer it when people can find it)

/*

Technorati Profile

EventHorizon1984 Log

//

From eBay Stores Forum - Project San Dimas - eBay Coming to Your Desktop ...

http://www.projectsandimas.com/

 

   

       

       

         

Project San Dimas

         

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

//

http://blogs.ebay.com/projectsandimas/entry/The-Mystery-Behind-the-Name-San-Dimas/_W0QQcommentsyncidZ0QQidZ219800010

The Mystery Behind the Name "San Dimas"

Posted May-22-07 08:57:24 PDT

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

//
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http://www.projectsandimas.com/faq.html

   

 

   

 

   

 Home

   

                         

	San Dimas FAQ   Basics   What is Project San Dimas?   Project "San Dimas" is the code name for a new eBay desktop application.   "Desktop application," what exactly do you mean by that?   That means an application doesn't run in a web browser. Other examples of desktop applications include Word, iTunes, and Skype.   When will San Dimas be released?   We are working hard on it, and it will be sent out to the first set of beta users as soon as it is ready.   You didn't answer the question.   Sorry, that's all I can say right now.   How do I get it?   Sign up for the beta at www.projectsandimas.com. The sooner you sign up, the sooner you will get into the beta. So sign up. Right now. Do it.   How do I keep up-to-date on the project?   Read the weblog.   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.

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http://blogs.ebay.com/projectsandimas/entry/Feature-Highlight-Popular-Searches-In-Search-Box/_W0QQidZ215751010

Feature Highlight: Popular Searches In Search Box

Posted May-17-07 11:16:35 PDT

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

.

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.


http://www.projectsandimas.com/

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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...

.

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.

.

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.

.

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.

.

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).

.

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!

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elonica  (0 )      Jun-21-07 10:24 PDT     10 of
Check this other thread about Trojan/virus alerts with the new store templates:
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000389221&tstart=0&mod=1182444171157

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.

eBayNet

Distributed computing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributed_computing

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.

And they already do. It's called a link.
http://stores.ebay.com/STORENAMEHERE

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.

Stanford students beat eBay on Firefox toolbar
http://www.grooveking.com/blog/2007/05/stanford-students-beat-ebay-on-firefox.html

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




.

elonica  (0 )     Jun-21-07 20:48 PDT     21 of
Yeah, "state of the art" glitches, no one can beat this, LOL 

.

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.

JMPO.

---

As transparent as eBay itself.

.

bhearsch  (302 )     Jun-21-07 21:42 PDT     24 of
Popular searches in Search Box?
http://blogs.ebay.com/projectsandimas/entry/Feature-Highlight-Popular-Searches-In-Search-Box/_W0QQidZ215751010

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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
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo

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.

Apollo Program
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_program

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

Project Constellation

Orion (mythology)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_%28mythology%29

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.

Ares
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ares

The Romans identified him as Mars, the Roman god of war

Orion (spacecraft)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_(spacecraft)

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



Project San Dimas
Beta release 20 June 2007

Project San Dimas Beta: Cleaning Up eBay’s UI
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/04/16/projectsandimas-public-beta-cleaning-up-ebays-ui/
April 16 2007

Saint Dismas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dismas

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.


The Mystery Behind the Name "San Dimas"
http://blogs.ebay.com/projectsandimas/entry/The-Mystery-Behind-the-Name-San-Dimas/_W0QQcommentsyncidZ0QQidZ219800010
Posted May-22-07 08:57:24 PDT

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.

Fallacies of Distributed Computing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallacies_of_Distributed_Computing

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

 

.

.

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."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus:_The_Forbin_Project
"built a gigantic and fantastically advanced supercomputer, called "Colossus", to control all of the United States and Allied nuclear weapons systems"

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.

Some excerpts direct from the San Dimas people.

http://www.projectsandimas.com/faq.html
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.

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.



Leaving eBay and San Dimas to Join Ribbit - Rob Abbot
http://robabbott.com/2007/04/16/leaving-ebay-and-san-dimas-to-join-ribbit/

Going, Going…Everywhere
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_25/b4039072.htm?campaign_id=rss_tech

eBay’s Chief Disruption Officer: UI to eBay’s “commerce operating system” could be left to others
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Berlind/?p=367

eBay San Dimas and Adobe Apollo
http://robabbott.com/2007/03/19/ebay-san-dimas-and-adobe-apollo/

eBay developer conference: San Dimas desktop and APIs
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9727966-7.html

San Dimas Project Beta Overview
http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/06/19/san-dimas-project-beta-overview/

How eBay is developing with Adobe’s Apollo project
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Stewart/?p=197

Microsoft, Adobe Set A Collision Course on Web
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB117668634225970835-FVRZcPo5bJpxrx7Rw6KfN6j_UFY_2007

Project San Dimas Beta: Cleaning Up eBay’s UI
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/04/16/projectsandimas-public-beta-cleaning-up-ebays-ui/

EBay plans Web site overhaul
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2007/06/20/2003366096

eBay San Dimas Blog
http://blogs.ebay.com/projectsandimas/

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/

30 Minutes with Adam Trachtenberg
http://devzone.zend.com/node/view/id/781


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

.

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

.

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. 

http://www.projectsandimas.com/faq.html
What are the minimum system requirements to run San Dimas?
We don't know for sure yet

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

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From eBay Stores Forum - Phisher Indicted - check out this article

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 -
• http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:owUsj5HqnqUJ:forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa%3FthreadID%3D2000388887%26tstart%3D0%26mod%3D1182890093453+spopa2006&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=us
• 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 -
• http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:FVIQ6CbP4-0J:forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa%3FthreadID%3D2000388887%26tstart%3D0%26mod%3D1182907929201+spopa2006&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=6&gl=us
     

//

From eBay Stores Forum
Phisher Indicted - check out this article
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000388887&start=0

.

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?

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spopa2006  (2 ) View Listings | Report                        Jun-26-07 13:34 PDT     3 of 5

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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spopa2006 (2 ) View Listings | Report                    Jun-26-07 23:56 PDT        5 of 5

Why would you think it is a joke? Better yet, what are the reasons for which you think this is a joke?

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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

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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.
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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.
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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.

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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.
 
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chopsueysisters  (2068 ) Jun-20-07 17:37 PDT     33 of
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?messageID=2003823101

Go to post 280, note the link. Exterminated.

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000222963


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

.

 

world_securities  (4916 ) Jun-20-07 18:50 PDT     35 of
DEAD LINK (Zelda: Nooooo!):
http://forums.ebay.com/db1/thread.jspa?threadID=1000376564

QUOTE

"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

.

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.

Does that help make sense out of it for you?


.

 

catbooks1940s  (1169 )      Jun-20-07 21:20 PDT     38 of
ah, thank you, psychocat

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

 

 

/*

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From eBay Stores Forum - ebay's Paranoia over Google Checkout gets Physical

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:

http://mystorespace.blogspot.com/2007/06/mystorespace-launches-at-ebay-live-but.html

And Ina's story:

http://blog.auctionbytes.com/cgi-bin/blog/blog.pl.

gone2deriver  (0 ) Jun-20-07 01:28 PDT     1 of
            The Blogger's have the story.... You think a Chief Marketing Officer would know better:

http://500hats.typepad.com/500blogs/2007/06/attention_mr_br.html

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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.
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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:


http://vps298.leeware.com/bugsy.html

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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:

http://www.firemeg.com/blog.html

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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.

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catbooks1940s  (1169 )     Jun-20-07 23:45 PDT     41 of

            hijack

hey gamer, nice to see you here again!

/hijack
joan

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From eBay Stores Forum - Raj & The Store Team [email protected] - Ready, Set, Go!!! eBay Stores To Go is Live!

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

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[email protected] View Listings |     Jun-19-07 09:52 PDT

Dear Stores Sellers:

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

.

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!

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[email protected]     Jun-19-07 10:29 PDT     6 of

All:

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...

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[email protected]      Jun-19-07 11:17 PDT     16 of

Hi MyGift2U:

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.

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[email protected]      Jun-19-07 12:53 PDT     27 of
Team:

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

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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:

http://victoriascurio.blogspot.com/2007/03/how-to-start-collecting.html

Vicki

 

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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/
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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.

But Only One More Shot.

eBay store owners voice concerns
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/06/14/eBay-store-owners-voice-concerns_2.html

Professional eBay Sellers Alliance
Unhealthy Marketplace Dynamics - Seller Perspective
http://www.gopesa.org/news/index.cfm?page=ebayunheatlhymarketplace2007

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?

"Promises, promises
I'm all through with promises, promises now"
Burt Bacharach
Event Horizon 1984 Blog Log





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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.
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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
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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
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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 !

Oops the page is http://myspace.com/Onceuponabid

Marty

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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.

http://stores.ebay.com/Katiyanas-Collectibles/Holiday-Themed-Doll-Bear-Sweaters.html

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:

http://bangkokbint.blogspot.com/

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
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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

Marty

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From eBay Stores Forum - $0 earning for the past 3 days....what is happening eBay?!?!

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
$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
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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.


~funkoma in Tacoma! style recycle~
~tressie~

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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.

.

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.

.

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.

.

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.

.

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.

.

andyg7373  (85 )      Jun-18-07 20:31 PDT     31 of
what is considered a core item?

.

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.

.

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.

.

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.

.

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.

.

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.

.

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

.

elquattrocacti  (0 )     Jun-20-07 15:14 PDT     42 of
How do you know what server your ID is on?

---

 

.

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!

.

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.

.

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.




.

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.


.

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.



.

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..




.

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

.

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.

.

mon**  (Private )     Jun-20-07 16:10 PDT     51 of
LOL - nearly peed my pants the first time.


.

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.

.

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.

.

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




.

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.

.

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

.

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


.

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


.

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.

.

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.

.

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.

.

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.

.

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%.

.

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From eBay - Darlene Clementz - ***eBay Stores News From eBay Live! 2007***

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200706151437112.html

***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%!

For more details, visit www.ebay.com/comingtostores.

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.

Our eBay Stores Design Center has just launched, so check it out at www.ebay.com/designcenter.

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.

Sincerely,

Darlene Clementz
eBay Stores

 

Link to this announcement |

 

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From eBay Stores Forum - Ebay Store Sales Off 75% - Anyone Else ?????

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!

Cathie
Ceramic Emporium

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From eBay Stores Forum - No Traffic?? eBay commits Suicide. ebay Pulls All Google Advertising.

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.

link:

http://blog.auctionbytes.com/cgi-bin/blog/blog.pl

Yes we can now confirm the theory. Idiots are running ebay!

gone2deriver  (0 )      Jun-13-07 13:22 PDT     1 of
Scott Wingo's take ebay is stupid:

http://ebaystrategies.blogs.com/

gone2deriver  (0 )      Jun-13-07 13:39 PDT     2 of
From Firemeg:

http://www.firemeg.com/2007/06/official-google-checkout-blog-let.html

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

rockinghorsegirl4now (2310 ) View Listings |     Jun-13-07 20:57 PDT     9 of

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.

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From eBay Employee Lara Housser - ***Updates on eBay Express***

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200706.shtml#2007-06-08100657

		***Updates on eBay Express***
		June 08, 2007 | 10:16AM PST/PT     Lara Housser 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. Sincerely, Lara Housser Director, eBay Express   Link to this announcement

 

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From eBay Stores Forum - Cobb's BIG Townhall Lie

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:

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=apple+mighty+mouse&category0=

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.

September 05, 2006
Yahoo Graphical Advertising Changes

May 25, 2006
A message from Bill Cobb – eBay Agreement with Yahoo!

Auctionbytes still has his quote:

Yahoo Ads Appear in eBay Search Results

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!

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&catref=C6&from=R10&_trksid=m37&satitle=amd+x2&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=89510&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&sass=&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&coaction=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=dial+soap&category0=

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&from=R10&_trksid=m37&satitle=trek+bike&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=89510&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&sass=&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&coaction=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&catref=C6&from=R10&_trksid=m37&satitle=nicad+battery&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=89510&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&sass=&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&coaction=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search&fgtp=

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&catref=C6&from=R10&_trksid=m37&satitle=pez&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=89510&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&sass=&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&coaction=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search&fgtp=

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:

http://vps298.leeware.com/images/trk.jpg

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.

I feel insulted and used.


Soldier Turtle Georgy, proud member of the fruit helmet club

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

.

.

.

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

.

.

.

gon**     Jun-01-07 11:58 PDT     34 of
Firemeg has picked this up on his/her blog:

http://www.firemeg.com/blog.html

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:

http://digg.com/tech_news/Want_to_Buy_a_Pez_Dispenser_Ebay_Says_Go_Buy_it_on_Amazon

coc** Jun-01-07 16:27 PDT     46 of
Feel free to snag my picture.

coc** Jun-01-07 19:19 PDT     47 of
Bill didn't LIE...I believe the term on eBay is called "mis-spoke" now.

huc** Jun-01-07 19:52 PDT     48 of
Digg your disgust with this:

http://digg.com/tech_news/Want_to_Buy_a_Pez_Dispenser_Ebay_Says_Go_Buy_it_on_Amazon

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.

User: [email protected]
Date: 06/03/00
Time: 08:56:48 PDT
***ADS ON EBAY***

eBay Community,

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

// 
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Technorati Profile

EventHorizon1984 Log

//

 

From eBay Stores Forum - Join us: May Brown Bag Lunch on 5/30 @12noon PT

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.

Be aware that in an unusual move, eBay removed some posts while Brown Bag was in progress.

//

From eBay Stores Forum
Join us: May Brown Bag Lunch on 5/30 @12noon PT
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/forum.jspa?forumID=21

[email protected]        May-22-07 09:58 PDT
Host: eBay Stores Staff

Date: Wednesday, May 30th

Time: 12-1:30PM PT

Location: Stores Discussion Board

Hello,

Please join us for our monthly discussion on the eBay Stores board.
We look forward to your participation and will attempt to answer all of your eBay Stores questions as quickly as possible. Based on your questions, we'll also offer tips to ensure that you're using Stores to maximize your business. We are committed to answering your questions as quickly as possible. In order to accomplish this equitably, we ask for your cooperation -- please limit your questions to two (2) per user.

We look forward to seeing you here at 12 noon PT on Wednesday, 5/30.

Sincerely, eBay Stores Team

91 replies     Date posted     Reply #

[email protected]     May-30-07 11:58 PDT     1 of 91
Hello,

Thank you for joining us for the May Brown Bag Lunch discussion. This is your opportunity to ask questions, and post your comments about Stores.

We're committed to answering all of your questions as quickly as possible. In order to accomplish this equitably, we ask for your cooperation -- please limit your questions to 2 per user.

All questions posted prior to 1:00 PDT will be addressed by one of the staff. Our responses to questions near the 1:30 mark will appear after the thread has been locked.

If this is your first time using the discussion boards, please see the following tutorial on how to post messages and view updates. http://forums.ebay.com/thread.jspa?threadID=200066500&tstart=0

We will be joined today by the regular members from the eBay Stores Product and Marketing Teams.

We will be unlocking the thread shortly; we look forward to speaking with you!

Regards, eBay Stores Team.

postcardsandmore  (4260 )     May-30-07 12:05 PDT     2 of 91
Hi,

I closed my store earlier this month due to sales just stopping on May 3rd and nothing through May 17th.

But, I still lurk and have hopes of things improving at some point.

Can you please explain the cryptic message about changes in the search that was posted yesterday? The changes regarding the stores search and auction being mixed in or what?

wjkski  (133 )     May-30-07 12:06 PDT     3 of 91
My question is regarding the increase of the minimum header size. Why?

onepreciousplace  (1766 )     May-30-07 12:06 PDT     4 of 91
Stores team - I used to have, and still consider reopening - a store on eBay. However, I do have a huge question which may have been addressed before, but since I haven't been to this discussion in a long time, I am unaware if it's been asked or not, and what the answer was.

My question is this: eBay frequently now runs a 20 cent auction day - there was just one a week ago. As a former eBay seller, I NEVER receive notices of this at all - I find out about it from the stores board. Even with a bit of advanced notice, I don't take advantage of it, because of the huge amount of additional inventory loaded into the system. My question is two-fold - one, why are all people who sell on ebay not notified of this, and two - why on EARTH does eBay not notify the entire database of the "sale" going on during that week? It's fine to let people know that they can list for a cheaper price, but along with it, it would make sense if eBay got their act together and notified every living person on the site that there was additional inventory during this time to woo people in to purchase items. It would be a big win not only for the sellers, who would actually see some traffic, but for eBay as well, because they would reap much more in profits if there were customers here actually buying all this "stuff-junk" we are being enticed to list.

How about it - notify ALL selling accounts, and then notify every eBay user of any kind that there is more merchandise to be purchased!

~ Sheryl ~

 

kingst  (2560 )     May-30-07 12:07 PDT     5 of 91
Please Remove other seller listings from my store!
Why do i have "other items" from other sellers in my store!!!! i have 1200 items listed in my store. do not redirect the buyer from my store to someone elses! i am paying for the space! if i was lucky enuff for a buyer to find me then why send them somewhere else? now if i had only 2 other items fine throw in one more. then the items that are related are not even close to what the buyer is searching. this is coming thru when i search on ebay express. Much like a Walmart cashier telling me to go to K-mart to buy the same thing! ohhh the humanity!
Oh and guess what, all the items from other sellers are below my listing price! All 1200 items i have qualify for express. I dont care how Ebay relates items, just do it with items in my store! This simply is not right! The search engine for my store is to erratic that when a buyer finally finds it, they are told to go somewhere else!

stuff-4-me  (29 )     May-30-07 12:09 PDT     6 of 91
OK... I have no idea why my post suddenly attached itself to another post... here it is again:
------------
StoresTeam posted an announcement late last night about some finding changes. I found the announcement to be quite unclear… and certainly not clear about what this means for Store sellers.

Can you:
1) Be more clear about the changes (in basic english... what do you hope to accomplish and what will this mean for the average search by an average buyer)
and
2) How do you see this affecting a stores search or Store sellers? What does it mean Stores specific?

postcardsandmore  (4260 )     May-30-07 12:09 PDT     7 of 91
My second question of the day pertains to the eBay Stores Product and Marketing Teams.

I didn't know there was one...and how many people comprise these teams?

Maybe they can share some ideas on what they are working on that might convince me and others that stores are still a viable venue for us here on Ebay?

At this point, stores marketing seems to be working on marketing stores to everyone and anyone who cares to open rather than marketing the stores that exist to the buying public. (and that may be the case...so I thought I would check to see).

chopsueysisters  (2046 )     May-30-07 12:10 PDT     8 of 91
Where is the majority of our traffic coming from if it's not coming from core search.

CSS
Glitch, Glitch!!
It's a wonderful day in the neighbor'hood

wjkski  (133 )     May-30-07 12:11 PDT     9 of 91
Can you imagine. Three of the first five posts are concerned with the lack of communication. This is really the problem. No one at the stores board or ebay truly communicates with us. Oh, we can go to ebay live and hear how important we are, then sit the rest of the year ignored by staff, while changes are introduced without communicating them to us.

[email protected]     May-30-07 12:12 PDT     10 of 91
Thank you for your patience as we work to answer your questions.

postcardsandmore  (4260 )     May-30-07 12:13 PDT     11 of 91
The post by stuff-4-me is asking the question I was trying to ask in my first post.

i found that whole post by the pink to be extremely confusing.

Is it a store positive or negative?

What exactly is being done and how will it impact store items?

[email protected]     May-30-07 12:15 PDT     12 of 91
Dear wjkski (re: 3),

Hi. The header redesign was an eBay-wide project. There are several different versions of the header on the site. The overall goals for the header redesign project were to update it visually (it looked very dated)and to make it more effective for buyers.

The smaller version of the eBay header now used for Featured and Anchor store sellers is larger than it is before, although that wasn't a goal. It's still significanly smaller than the standard eBay header, and it's a good way for sellers to highlight their brand. The new minimized design was just a smaller version of the standard header that was being used in a few other places on the site; we wanted to reduce the number of different designs, so the site would be cleaner for buyers.

Thanks.

Gene
(aka Jake Jake)

stuff-4-me  (29 )     May-30-07 12:15 PDT     13 of 91
StoresTeam: Can you address, since the last Pink on the board totally ignored my multiple requests for information, the fact that eE items are appearing above core in searches - and with a clickable link directly to eE and that list of items on eE. I am sure you know what is going on... but for others, Do a search for Glass Ball and look for the yellow highlighted box, light bulb icon and the clickable link directly to eE for that product.

How does that NOT take traffic away from my core and/or BIN listings?

Why is it acceptable to ignore disuccsions/concerns/questions from users about this?

(My two questions for the day are out there... I will await my replies.)

postcardsandmore  (4260 )     May-30-07 12:16 PDT     14 of 91
One more question...please. And, I promise I won't ask anymore today.

If the "new search test" becomes the way it is what will happen to stores?

I see two things that impact store listings with the new search.

1. Store links are just gone! There is no way to get to stores other than through the under 30 rule.

2. The under 30 rule will be seen much less than normal (maybe even rarely) due to search returning items Ebay thinks the buyer is searching for outside the key words the buyer has entered. This will result in many many more items returned for every single search.

So, items won't show in the under 30 rule because there won't be any under 30 returns, and they won't show elsewhere because all the search links are gone.

Help!

[email protected]     May-30-07 12:18 PDT     15 of 91
Postcardsandmore (re: #3) and kingst (re: #5),

Thanks for joining us today.  So others know what we’re talking about, please see the post here: http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000377216&tstart=0&mod=1180490539525

The main change has to do with the way buyers select the listing format in the Search Options area. We wanted to make the controls more intuitive so that buyers can more easily select a blend of Auction-style and Buy It Now formats, either including or excluding Store Inventory items. The net result should be fewer cases that result in zero returned results, so this should only have a positive impact overall. We posted the message to give you advance notice of this change and to be transparent about the before and after views of the user interface. Again, users should only see a positive impact from this change.

Regards,
Darlene

postcardsandmore  (4260 )     May-30-07 12:20 PDT     16 of 91
Darlene, I'm still confused.

If the purpose was to return less null results wouldn't including stores automatically do that instead?

And, replacing the word search with buy seems rather odd to me.

replacementsltd  (48120 )     May-30-07 12:21 PDT     17 of 91
Darlene,

Do those changes mean if a buyer chooses to see both auction-style and BIN formats there is no longer a less than 30 auction limit before store items are shown? IE does this change bring store listings back to the core search?

Chuck

chopsueysisters  (2046 )     May-30-07 12:22 PDT     18 of 91
Why are megatores and high volume sellers getting special accommodation and exemption from policies which small sellers are noosed for?

Like putting their website name on their gallery pictures
Or having links to joining their external mailing lists
Or having headers with the websites

Do you think this is acceptable to do nothing about? If they are allowed to use the marketplace to generate leads to their external websites to sell elsewhere...where is the balance. How much of that behavior is flooding this marketplace and when are you going to do something about this. you are sending a strong message to sellers. That the rules are NOT for everyone. If you pay up the wazoo you get a get-out-of-jail card.

CSS
Glitch, Glitch!!
It's a wonderful day in the neighbor'hood

postcardsandmore  (4260 )     May-30-07 12:22 PDT     19 of 91
Maybe what the purpose is is actually a way for buyers to select buy-it-now without store items?

Since Ebay wouldn't give stores a tab and the current BIN includes store items you are wanting a way for buyers to EXCLUDE them from the BIN results?

Or am I still confused? I don't think that will decrease the null results that are coming up so I must be confused.

[email protected]     May-30-07 12:23 PDT     20 of 91
Dear kingst (re: 6),

Hi. Other sellers items should definitely not be appearing in your Store. If they are, then this is a bug that we need to fix quickly.

Could you please send the URL (address) to a page in your Store that includes other sellers items and a couple URLs of those items to [email protected]? We'll ask customer support to work with you to make sure this is corrected.

Thanks.

Gene

postcardsandmore  (4260 )     May-30-07 12:24 PDT     21 of 91
And, I really do want to understand. I would love to reopen my store.

[email protected]     May-30-07 12:24 PDT     22 of 91
onepreciousplaceonepreciousplace (re: #4),

Thanks for joining today and for providing feedback on how we communicate listings promotions. I will send your comments to the team that manages these promotions – in the past, I have received emails that pre-announce some promotions (e.g. discounted Bold), but you are correct, that I we haven’t sent this type of communication out for all promotions.

My recommendation is to bookmark the General Announcements page (see http://www2.ebay.com/aw/marketing.shtml) and/or subscribe to the RSS feed that’s highlighted in the left nav of the page – this feed will provide you with automatic updates once an announcement has been posted.

Regards,
Darlene

[email protected]     May-30-07 12:30 PDT     23 of 91
Dear chopsueysisters (re: 9),

Hi. There are a number of key places that drive traffic to your Stores. I'll focus on ones that drive traffic to your Store Inventory items, as obviously Store sellers' Auction and regular Fixed Price items regularly show up in core search.

- Item pages for Auction and regular Fixed Price items--one of the most powerful ways for sellers to market their Stores and Store Inventory items is through the Listing Frame feature on View item. The standard Stores placements at the top of the page and in the merchandising at the bottom of the page are also very powerful.
- A number of buyers come to the page where you can search for listings across all Store sellers.
- Store Inventory in core search--even though exposure is limited--is powerful.
- Outside search engines. eBay does a lot to improve the surfacing of listings automatically in popular search engines, and eBay also spends significant money on advertising in these engines.
- There are other placements on the site into which Stores are integrated, but these are some of the key sources of traffic.

Thanks. Take care.

Gene

golfingaddict  (11313 )     May-30-07 12:33 PDT     24 of 91
Are any of the best match searches going to return store items? I don't exactly understand how the new search checkmarks are going to affect store listings? First there were too many listings being returned, now are you saying that buyers can't find what they are looking for and you need to help them expand their searches if they are looking in the stores?

What exactly is going on with the new searches?

[email protected]     May-30-07 12:34 PDT     25 of 91
postcardsandmore (re: #8),

Below is some information on the eBay Stores team that I posted to the boards last week:

===============
Lori Goler, the Sr. Director of eBay Stores, who took over Chris T’s role is currently on maternity leave for a few months. In the interim, Jake Jake (a.k.a. Gene) and I are leading the team. I continue to manage Stores Marketing and Planning along with my team which consists of Artemisa, Rilla and Stinson, while Jake Jake continues to manage Product Management with his team member, Andy, who just officially joined the team last week (welcome Andy!).
===============

We’ve actually considered posting a photo of the team on the board – just let us know if you think that would be a good idea :)

Regarding your question about what we’re working on right now…just about everything we do falls into two areas: 1) delivering increased product value to both the Stores subscription product and the Store Inventory listing format and 2) driving buyer activity, which means working to drive increased bids and purchases to our eBay Stores sellers across all listing formats, including Auction-style, Fixed Price and Store Inventory formats. While I don’t have anything specific to announce to you today, we are working on some new things that we hope to communicate in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

Regards,
Darlene

postcardsandmore  (4260 )     May-30-07 12:36 PDT     26 of 91
Thank you Darlene. I was sincerely afraid the marketing team was just dedicated to marketing a new store to unsuspecting new ebay sellers. There seems to be a whole crop of them who seem to think they can just list 12 items in a store and do nothing more and they will get rich.

I would love to see a photo of the stores team. I think that would be a nice personal touch:)

I will stay tuned. I Miss my store.

jtrothaars  (680 )     May-30-07 12:38 PDT     27 of 91
You really, REALLY need to clear up the confusion and dispel the myriad of rumors regarding FB 2.0.

There are sellers who believe that if buyers do not leave star ratings, or if they do not leave them for a particular category, it is the equivalent of leaving the seller a zero.

There are sellers who believe that any score less than a five is equivalent to a negative feedback, and that all sellers with less than five stars will have their listings hidden.

There are sellers who spend their entire days watching their star ratings so they can figure out which buyers left them "bad" ratings, or did not leave any.

There are sellers who are attacking buyers via email, and leaving negative feedback for them, because of these kinds of rumors.

I cannot stress how out of control this situation really is. You need to do something about this, because Ebay is becoming not only a bad place to sell, but a bad place to buy as well. Why would anyone want to buy here if they feared retaliation from sellers who don't understand how FB 2.0 works?

jtrothaars  (680 )     May-30-07 12:39 PDT     28 of 91
You want honesty? I don't like photos. I think they're cheesy and cheap. They smack of used-car salesmen and "Have you been injured in an accident?" shyster attorneys.

I want good service, not photographs.

[email protected]     May-30-07 12:39 PDT     29 of 91
Postcardsandmore (re: #15),

I am not sure I understand your question. There are numerous finding test environments live right now – which one in particular or what specific elements are you referencing?

Thanks,
Darlene

postcardsandmore  (4260 )     May-30-07 12:41 PDT     30 of 91
Sorry Darlene, maybe you can just email me one. I would still like to see it. It helps me to better know the person I am communicating with and the people who hold my future earnings potential in their hands.

I can't imagine a business meeting where we all hid behind cubicles.

I think the photo is a great idea!

neglus  (16005 )     May-30-07 12:42 PDT     31 of 91
Darlene - Why is the "description" box unchecked in the store search box? We used to be able to elect to have this box checked when we set up store display - now there seems to be no way to check it?

 

jtrothaars  (680 )     May-30-07 12:42 PDT     32 of 91
BTW, if you don't believe me regarding the FB 2.0 rumors, just do a search on FB 2.0, star ratings, etc., and you will see the dozens, if not HUNDREDS of posts regarding FB 2.0 and the hurricane of rumors swirling around it.

I must add, not only do sellers have no idea how it works, but buyers don't, either. Most of the problems appear to be related to misunderstandings that could be cleared up, IF there were Ebay employees here doing that.

You really REALLY need to have Pinks on these boards, dispelling these rumors and explaining how this system works...BEFORE it drives every buyer off this site.

neglus  (16005 )     May-30-07 12:43 PDT     33 of 91
Many of us depended on that check being there when we set up our stores and chose our item titles....now it isn't there. I think it adversely effects buyer experience AND our sales!!

 

[email protected]     May-30-07 12:44 PDT     34 of 91
Dear stuff-4-me (re: 14),

Hi. In some cases (in some categories and for some types of items), we're finding that buyers are more likely to buy something on eBay Express. So that team is experimenting with the placement you're mentioning. Most buyers still just stay on the same page, especially if they're not familiar with eBay Express. The good news for Store sellers is that the VAST majority of items on eBay Express are Store Inventory items. So, in this way, this is additional exposure at the top of search, even if it would lead buyers to a different way of shopping.

That's what's going on a high level across all sellers. It will impact different indiviual sellers differently, depending on whether they appear in Express. In general, I don't believe that we're seeing that this is a significant driver of traffic; we're trying to get smarter about only displaying it in cases that would be beneficial overall.

Thanks.

Gene

[email protected]     May-30-07 12:44 PDT     35 of 91
Dear jtrothaars (post #27)

I will have Brian from the Trust and Safety team pop into the Stores board (after the BBL) to post a response to your FB 2.0 question.

Regards, eBay Stores Team

postcardsandmore  (4260 )     May-30-07 12:45 PDT     36 of 91
Darlene, I am referring to the test that is going on where items outside the key word are included.

It goes through June and started early May. It definitely had an impact on my sales as they died when it started and so have several other sellers.

The example given by the findings team had to do with a search for a size 12 red shoe of some brand and the explanation was that all red shoes and all of that brand would be returned in the sample search. Or something like that. The gist of it is a way to expand search results to offer MORE items on every search.

I thought they had already determined that MORE was confusing for the buyers but apparently now they are deciding LESS makes for unhappy buyers.

AT any rate, more search results means less stores showing due to less under 30 results.

And, the side links and other links have been removed. There is no way to enter stores for the new search test subjects. (other than the few times under 30 results are displayed).

It's the one that is discussed on the search board with several additional threads about the lack of stores visibility through it.

chopsueysisters  (2046 )     May-30-07 12:45 PDT     37 of 91
I'm still waiting for a response to Question 18. website addresses being inserted into gallery images, headers & listings and why they are getting away with it

CSS
Glitch, Glitch!!
It's a wonderful day in the neighbor'hood

kingst  (2560 )     May-30-07 12:45 PDT     38 of 91
why is there not the slightest due process for the seller?
Ebay removes items "poof" and they disappear for ever. when asked Ebay, responds that due to "security" concerns they can not tell the sellers why. does this seem right? would you expect this for your child at school if he/she received an F, and then when you asked the teacher she simply said " i cant tell you!"

chopsueysisters  (2046 )     May-30-07 12:47 PDT     39 of 91
Postcards, any test is ongoing. As soon as that test ends in June, on June 19th there is another search "test" that will bring in UK listings

CSS
Glitch, Glitch!!
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Page 1 of 3
91 replies      Date posted      Reply #

jtrothaars  (680 )     May-30-07 12:47 PDT     40 of 91
You don't need to post one reply to ME. You need Pinks to go into all those individual threads where these rumors are being traded, and put out this fire while you still can.

If there were Pinks manning these boards, helping dispel the rumors, and answering the many questions both buyers and sellers have, A LOT of grief on all sides could be prevented.

replacementsltd  (48120 )     May-30-07 12:48 PDT     41 of 91
I would like an answer to # 17 as well.

I don't agree that eBay is a "level playing field" when ALL categories are not supported in EE. If that were the case I would have no problem with EE items being shown ahead of Store items in core search.

Chuck

golfingaddict  (11313 )     May-30-07 12:48 PDT     42 of 91
I'm not sure that you will answer this but I want to know how the new punitive fee increase is working for you? (stores team/eBay)

Since you gave us some "story" that buyers were overwhelmed with too many results and we were "stashing" high priced junk in our stores, we had to endure a punitive fee increase and you reduced store listings exposure.

So how is that working for you? Are you satisfied that you did the right thing? Are you seeing success? Are you happy with what you have done to store listings and exposure? Are we listing enough in core to satisfy the accountants?

And why the heck are there so many auction listing sales? During the week of listing sales, I see a massive decrease in sales and hits.. what I think is that the site is overwhelmed with listings.. sort of like STORES IN CORE? Why is it ok to have numerous listing sales that flood the site, but store items are evil? Can you admit that you just want us to pay more fees? Do FVF mean less than listing fees (and relisting fees?)

Are the accountants happy yet or are we getting set up for another massive and punitive increase?

[email protected]     May-30-07 12:48 PDT     43 of 91
postcardsandmore (re: 16), replacementsltd (re: 17) and postcardsandmore (re: 19),

Thanks for the additional questions on the changes to the Search Options selection box. We were hoping to have someone from the Finding team here as our special guest, but we weren’t able to confirm that in time. What I’d like to do is ask a representative from that team to come back and answer your specific questions on the Search Box functionality. I want to make sure you get all of the correct information you are looking for.

Regards,
Darlene

postcardsandmore  (4260 )     May-30-07 12:49 PDT     44 of 91
I also agree with Neglus.

I feel taking the check mark off of title and desciption in the stores search box added to my lack of sales this month.

We should be able to leave it checked and it does help sales.

55 charecters is just not enough space to properly describe an item. I am moving store items elsewhere and am amazed at the ease of making a description when I have a whole 88 character title limit.

If we had 88 characters we might not need the description checked.

jtrothaars  (680 )     May-30-07 12:49 PDT     45 of 91
Three of the first five posts are concerned with the lack of communication. This is really the problem. No one at the stores board or ebay truly communicates with us. Oh, we can go to ebay live and hear how important we are, then sit the rest of the year ignored by staff, while changes are introduced without communicating them to us.

That's exactly the problem with FB 2.0. If Ebay employees monitored these boards, responded to all the posts about it, answered the questions and addressed the concerns of both buyers and sellers, then this thing wouldn't have gotten as out of control as it is.

You put out a fire when it's still small. You don't wait until it's covered thousands of acres.

stuff-4-me  (29 )     May-30-07 12:50 PDT     46 of 91
Gene,

Re: your #34. I appreciate the answer. For the record, I think it stinks that we pay top dollar for Core exposure and buyers - at the top of that search - see eE listings advertised. I have opted out of eE - the search there would not pick up my items and I was told by a pink that the 'secret' search method used by eE would not display my items to buyers because my items were not popular enough. I opted out.

And... how about an answer, in detail, to my #7. I do not feel this finding change has been explained - and I am sure it has not been explained by you folks on how it will affect STORE owners.

All I can see is that searches for store items will now have the otpion of also including auctions. Does that further dilute the ability for buyers to find store items? What DOES it do for Store owners?

postcardsandmore  (4260 )     May-30-07 12:50 PDT     47 of 91
Thank you Darlene.

I really appreciate that as I am totally confused by what I am seeing and not sure what impact it will have on sales.

I'm also considering adding some Fixed price listings to my core listings and how that will work will affect my choices there as well.

[email protected]     May-30-07 12:51 PDT     48 of 91
Stores Sellers,

There are a lot of great questions here about Finding, Feedback and Trust and Safety.
Lets try to keep the question specific to the eBay Stores product which is our area of expertise.
We will do our best to have someone from those respective teams come in to clarify your questions.

Regards, eBay Stores

neglus  (16005 )     May-30-07 12:51 PDT     49 of 91
Another comment about EE (since they never have BBL and are apparently without a leader) - every effort is made to strip to seller identity - there is no way for buyers to combine shipping from individual sellers. While buyers can see "my other items", there is no way to search them and there is no way ANYONE would want to browse through 8000 listings to find ones that would interest them.

 

[email protected]     May-30-07 12:52 PDT     50 of 91
Dear neglus (re: 31),

Hi. You asked for Darlene, but you get me, instead. Sorry. :)

As you mention, the "title and description" box used to always be checked automatically within Storefronts, which is different than in main eBay search. One of the downsides of this was that it often brought back listings that didn't match what the buyer was looking for, plus it was somewhat confusing, since it was a different experience. So we made the change to be more consistent with what buyers are experiencing in main eBay search. Buyers can still easily check the box to expand their search if they wish, just like on main eBay search.

In the coming weeks, we'll be announcing some improvements that we think are going to make it even more likely than ever before that a buyer is going to be able to find things they are looking for within a seller's store--helping them see matching items in other categories, for example. Stay tuned for more details.

Thanks.

Gene

kingst  (2560 )     May-30-07 12:54 PDT     51 of 91
#38
the due process is about store product. thank you

neglus  (16005 )     May-30-07 12:54 PDT     52 of 91
My question #32, while it had the word "search" in it referenced the STORE search (not site wide search) and the unchecked "description" box. For example, when I use the store header and frame in my listings, a buyer could type the word "Florida" in the search box and would ONLY see the listings that had this spelled out. MOst sellers use postal abbreviations but that doesn't mean BUYERS use them!

 

chopsueysisters  (2046 )     May-30-07 12:54 PDT     53 of 91
OK, I want to know why 150 + searches of Hawaii hair clip did not show up on the 'shop ebay stores' link at all when I was a basic store seller. Despite the fact that I had more in core that matched, double & triple the amount. You guys are saying nothing has changed but there is something wrong when you have a search result of 29 and you have half of them and you show up no where on that shop ebay stores box at the general search point

CSS
Glitch, Glitch!!
It's a wonderful day in the neighbor'hood

stuff-4-me  (29 )     May-30-07 12:55 PDT     54 of 91
Re: 48

The 'finding' announcement was posted by STORESTEAM on the STORES BOARD... and the question is HOW DOES IT AFFECT STORE INVENTORY.

I think it is, therefore, a valid stores question.

chopsueysisters  (2046 )     May-30-07 12:55 PDT     55 of 91
It didn't kick in until I paid the $50 bucks and upgraded to featured. THEN it showed up

CSS
Glitch, Glitch!!
It's a wonderful day in the neighbor'hood

postcardsandmore  (4260 )     May-30-07 12:56 PDT     56 of 91
I agree with stuff on the light bulb above core listings as well.

I closed my store due to lack of sales.

I don't appreciate Ebay trying to whisk my potential buyers away to EE where I now have no option to appear.

That little light bulb and the ads at the bottom of the listing pages that take people off ebay to Amazon and other sites is the reason behind my opening an elsewhere site.

And, it was 100% of the reason why I decided NOT to go with Pro-stores. My trust of Ebay and anything tied to them is fading fast. That is a fact but one that continues to make me very sad as I once loved Ebay and thought it was the best solution for all.

[email protected]     May-30-07 12:58 PDT     57 of 91
Dear jtrothaarsjtrothaars (post 45)

I apologize for the frustration you appear to be having with FB 2.0. As I mentioned before, I will have the Trust and Safety team review all the comments made today and provide more clarity.

I also wanted to address your comment about “This is really the problem. No one at the stores board or ebay truly communicates with us. Oh, we can go to ebay live and hear how important we are, then sit the rest of the year ignored by staff, while changes are introduced without communicating them to us.“ Communication with you is a big part of our the Stores Team’s job, and we acknowledge that it is an essential ingredient to any successful business. While we spend a good part of our week on communication, this is admittedly a smaller part of our job than say members of eBay’s Community team or the Stores Customer Support team. We try to contribute as much as we can to board discussions and emails sent directly to us daily. We do read the threads on the boards each day, but don’t always have the time to respond to the threads because we are working on activities such as improving the product, developing educational resources, fixing bugs, conducting research with users, etc.

A key purpose of the discussion boards is to provide users with a vehicle to network and socialize with other eBay users, in this case, eBay Stores sellers. If there is a particular comment or question that needs to be addressed by the Stores team, please send an email to [email protected] and a team member will respond in a timely manner.

Regards, eBay Stores Team

onepreciousplace  (1766 )     May-30-07 12:58 PDT     58 of 91
Regarding the new feedback, as a buyer, I give everyone all stars because I don't have time to keep track of how long it took to get my stuff, and because as I know as a seller I'd like to get four stars. The whole thing is really worthless. I will say, however, that in considering going back to selling again, this new feedback option has really put me off of even trying it. I live out in the sticks, and am now dealing with a handicap to boot, so as much as I try, sometimes it would be tough for me to meet the customer's demands on an item. I also absolutely HATE the fact that anyone without making an effort at all, where they used to at least have to click on the auction number, can now see what I buy under my buying ID, and already it is giving me a hassle, because people are e-mailing thru ebay if they have things in the category I buy a lot in, trying to get me to buy both on and off-auction from them - and that also really stinks! I get enough e-mail as it is without eBay making it easier for sellers to find my niche and get to me quickly - at least before, if they wanted me, they had to open the auction to see what I bought. Someone didn't have their head screwed on straight when they came up with that idea - UGH!!!

~ Sheryl ~

 

neglus  (16005 )     May-30-07 13:00 PDT     59 of 91
Gene - and the Stores Team - Maybe you should ask US if these gadgets you are developing are indeed USEFUL and not just bells and whistles? I want to be able to have the t&D box checked.

 

wjkski  (133 )     May-30-07 13:00 PDT     60 of 91
Gene - re:your post #50

Your post caught my attention in that I would like to be able to link category items. For example, when I list an envelope with a specific postmark, I would also like to link the stamp, and a sheet of that stamp, and similar items to the postmark. Is that what you are considering?

golfingaddict  (11313 )     May-30-07 13:04 PDT     61 of 91
Well I am a store seller and I want buyers to be able to find my items. The way search works really can help or hurt sales.. I don't understand how the best match or new checkboxes affect store listings. I'm sorry I asked such a hard question or a question that doesn't pertain to stores.

And to add to the problems, eBay express was pretty highly advertised and announced as a big deal last year. But the problem is, not ALL categories are eligible for express.. Since express rolled, they got a tab on the header and stores got the shaft. The store items are suppose to show up in express, but if our category is not supported, we don't get exposure there either.

postcardsandmore  (4260 )     May-30-07 13:07 PDT     62 of 91
Postings are disappearing.

What's going on?

kingst  (2560 )     May-30-07 13:08 PDT     63 of 91
they are removing what they dont like

[email protected]     May-30-07 13:08 PDT     64 of 91
golfingaddict (re: 42),

Looking back at our decision to remove Store Inventory from the main search results in April 2006, we do believe it was the right move; however, we do regret that it created churn for our sellers – and Bill Cobb acknowledged this several times at eBay Live and other forums.

It’s important to understand that the number of incremental auction listings that result from a promotion pales in comparison to the number of Store Inventory items that became discoverable in search in early 2006, by a magnitude of about 20x.

Our goal at eBay is to enable our sellers to achieve as much success as possible. This is why you see us focus so much on the buyer experience because that’s what drives buyer discovery, purchases, and ultimately sales to our sellers. We are not motivated to punish any subset of users, so you shouldn’t expect any punitive fee increase targeted at Store Inventory users. Any decision we make is for the overall health of the marketplace.

Regards,
Darlene

postcardsandmore  (4260 )     May-30-07 13:08 PDT     65 of 91
I wanted to thank the Stores team and look forward to the answers we will be seeing from other areas.

I'll be watching for them.

[email protected]     May-30-07 13:08 PDT     66 of 91
Dear neglus (re: 59),

Hi. The improvments we'll be making to the finding features within Stores are in direct response to feedback we've consistently getting from Store sellers over the past couple of years. They're pretty straightforward but powerful ways to make sure that buyers see everything within your Stores that match what they're looking for. We hope everyone will be very pleased and will see changes they've requested.

And I take your point on preferring to have that Description box checked by default. We definitely want you to be selling as much as you can, so we'll be looking at the impact this has on buyers' behavior overall.

Thanks. Take care.

Gene

kingst  (2560 )     May-30-07 13:09 PDT     67 of 91
since we have time # 38 has not been addressed

postcardsandmore  (4260 )     May-30-07 13:10 PDT     68 of 91
Darlene, then please pass on to whoever is doing everything here that the buyer experience is suffering due to:

1. Loss of lower priced items due to high Ebay fees.

2. Search becoming so complicated you can no longer find what you want (and only what you want).

[email protected]     May-30-07 13:13 PDT     69 of 91
Dear wjkski (re: 60),

Hi. In post 50, I was talking about ways for buyers to find what they were originally looking for within a Store. It sounds like you're talking about merchandidising within a Store (helping them find things that they weren't necessarily looking for). The best way to do that within a Store is through Promotion Boxes, through which you can choose either specific items or items within a specific category to merchandise when a buyer is looking within a certain category within your store. Please let me know if you have suggestions of ways we can make that more useful for you.

Thanks. Take care.

Gene

postcardsandmore  (4260 )     May-30-07 13:14 PDT     70 of 91
And, where are you getting the input from store sellers that are impacting the changes?

I need to know a better way to get my ideas across to Ebay and if you are listening to some sellers requests maybe we could all chime in and be heard.

[email protected]     May-30-07 13:15 PDT     71 of 91
golfingaddict (re: #61),

I know the eBay Express team is always looking at what categories are included, so there may be some additions in the future.

There have been many questions about the new header, so I also want to address that. A decision was made to include eBay Express and eBay Motors because they represent standalone marketplaces that both have a distinct buyer experience (e.g. different search engine, site layout, etc.).

Regards,
Darlene

neglus  (16005 )     May-30-07 13:16 PDT     72 of 91
What about the "Seller other items" at the bottom of each listing page (the one that features 4-12 items?) The items often have no relevance. At one time we could just say that we wanted to use ebay categories to promote but that seems to be gone now and items are going to top level of our categories only. There is a limit to the number of categories we can set up to select cross promotions - any thought to expanding that function?

 

postcardsandmore  (4260 )     May-30-07 13:16 PDT     73 of 91
Gene, call me simple minded but wouldn't a check mark in title and description at the top of the page allow people to actually search the entire store and see what they are searching for (if it exists).

I don't see anything that could work better than a plain jane search box that actually worked (meaning all items returned and not some missing here and there the way they continually turn up MIA).

golfingaddict  (11313 )     May-30-07 13:16 PDT     74 of 91
so you shouldn’t expect any punitive fee increase targeted at Store Inventory users. Any decision we make is for the overall health of the marketplace.

Oh I see, a punitive fee increase that will help the health of the marketplace.. Not aimed at us, but to help everyone. Thanks

chopsueysisters  (2046 )     May-30-07 13:18 PDT     75 of 91
Is there a reason why you wont respond to the Shop Ebay Stores box question or are you trying to figure out how to tell me nothing has changed. I've upgraded off and on 3x in a year. I know a bit about how things impact my ability to sell

CSS
Glitch, Glitch!!
It's a wonderful day in the neighbor'hood

neglus  (16005 )     May-30-07 13:18 PDT     76 of 91
Ebay Express is NOT a stand alone marketplace - without STORES there would only be very limited number of listings in EE - mostly media from Half.com

 

kingst  (2560 )     May-30-07 13:20 PDT     77 of 91
really, lets get back to #38 or WHY THE SELLER IS ALWAYS WRONG
we sellers are your customers plain and simple....not the buyers

[email protected]     May-30-07 13:21 PDT     78 of 91
Dear postcardsandmore (post 70)

eBay does extensive outreach to the Community with programs such as: Home Visits, Focus Groups, Usability Testing, The Voices Program and much much more. If you have any specific suggestions/comments regarding the eBay Stores product, please feel free to send us an email directly at [email protected].

eBay Stores Team

 

[email protected]     May-30-07 13:21 PDT     79 of 91
postcardsandmore (re: 62) and kingstkingst (re: 63),

Just to confirm, we haven’t removed any posts. Some of us are seeing issues with our margins and we are working with Liveworld to correct that – this could be the problem you are noticing.

Darlene

 

Page 2 of 3
91 replies      Date posted      Reply #

 

stuff-4-me  (29 )     May-30-07 13:22 PDT     80 of 91
How about an answer to #7... or do you maintain that an announcement posted by StoresTeam, on the Stores board about finding Store inventory is NOT a Store issue?

My particular question is: How will this new finding change affect the finding of store inventory?

Are you indded, as it seems to me, opening up the stores inventory search to auctions and Core BIN? Does this dilute or take away a store inventory only search?

How will this affect the finding of STORE inventory?

kingst  (2560 )     May-30-07 13:25 PDT     81 of 91
on feedback they said it was tested in europe, how can this be? when we search any bidders in europe we are told that due to laws of their country we cant see what the bought or bid on! yet under my seller feedback plain and simple it is listed on the front page what i sold and how much. granted it was there before but one had to do a little digging!

katiyana  (3869 )     May-30-07 13:25 PDT     82 of 91
Greetings to the eBay Stores Team!

Sorry I got in too late to participate in the BBL this month - I just wanted to say that traffic is WAY down in MY store compared to last year, and the combination of higher fees & less traffic is having a major negative impact on the eBay segment of my business.

I'm doing all the right things to draw traffic into my store and it's not working any more... give us some new ideas, could you please???

Katiyana's Collectibles

stuff-4-me  (29 )     May-30-07 13:25 PDT     83 of 91
Uh... POSTS ARE BEING PULLED. My post #7 has been pulled! Could it be that you do not want to answer it as you have ignored that question and my subsequent questions relating to it?

POST HAVE INDEED BEEN PULLED.

[email protected]     May-30-07 13:26 PDT     84 of 91
Dear chopsueysisters,

Hi. There are three main factors that go into determining which Stores show up in the Shop eBay Stores box to the left of search results:

1) Number of items in the matching search results from a particular Store (Store inventory is only counted in this total if the original search included them--this is a technical limitation, not our preference)
2) The subscription tier of the seller (higher tier sellers get higher placement as a part of their subscription fees)
3) A preference for domestic over international items

So subscription is definitely a consideration, but number of items is most important. Could you please send the URL of a page that seems to be performing strangely to you to [email protected], and we'll ask our engineering team to make sure there's not a problem?

Thanks. Take care.

Gene

stuff-4-me  (29 )     May-30-07 13:27 PDT     85 of 91
StoresTeam - you had 90 minutes to answer the question abotu YOUR OWN announcement... and not only failed to answer the question - BUT YOU PULLED THE QUESTION FROM THE THREAD!

This is the typical, shameful, way Store sellers are treated regaridng any kind of communication on issues.

[email protected]     May-30-07 13:28 PDT     86 of 91
kingst (re: 38 and 77),

I apologize that your experience has shown that there is no due process for sellers. Our Trust and Safety team works to evaluate each violation and take the appropriate course of action based on the situation. More broadly, eBay is a marketplace comprised of buyers AND sellers – if it were “just about the buyers” or “just about the sellers” then we’d have a severe imbalance and would’ve limited the marketplace’s success long ago.

Regards,
Darlene

neglus  (16005 )     May-30-07 13:29 PDT     87 of 91
I would like to know how the "Change to Search Options Selection Criteria" announcement will affect our businesses too!

 

[email protected]     May-30-07 13:30 PDT     88 of 91
Stores Community,

Thank you for participating in this Month’s discussion. The thread is now locked to new posts.

We will be going through the entire thread to make sure all questions are answered. Please check back for the completed thread.

Thank you again for joining us today. Stay tuned for details about the June Stores Brown Bag Lunch event.

We look forward to seeing many of you at eBay Live! in Boston. You still have time to register. For details go to: www.ebay.com/ebaylive.

Regards, eBay Stores Team

wjkski  (133 )     May-30-07 13:31 PDT     89 of 91
Thanks for an informative BBL. I did learn something today. Just try a bit more communication with us in the future.

[email protected]     May-30-07 13:31 PDT     90 of 91
Dear CSS:

In response to your post #53. I cannot give you a detailed explanation in regards to your actual numbers of listings available vs. total number of listings based on the search criteria you have provided, but I can explain at a high level how exposure in the Shop eBay Stores Search Box operates. The Shop eBay Stores Search Box has a ranking algorithm that takes into account relevancy, subscriber Store tier and number of listings in determining what results to display. In your particular scenario, it could very well be possible that your Store was not returned because the results that did surface were more relevant and came from subscribers of higher Store tiers. I hope that helps explain the behavior. We appreciate your questions.

Thanks,

Raj

 

[email protected]      May-30-07 13:34 PDT     91 of 91
Dear katiyana (post 82)

To maximize the success of your Store, take advantage of all the powerful tools and features offered with your eBay Stores subscription and by eBay. We encourage you to print off the Checklist For Success and cross off each step as you progress.

Go to: http://pages.ebay.com/storefronts/checklist.html to download.

Regards, eBay Stores

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From eBay Stores Forum - Why Meg & Other eBay Employees Think This Place Is So Great!

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
Why Meg & Other eBay Employees Think This Place Is So Great!
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000375857

nig**       May-27-07 06:25 PDT
            Wouldn't you think so if every item you list would get bids. 

Megs Listed Items

I know she didn't write the entire descriptions,
unless she refers to herself by name when she writes.
I also wonder how much she is going to spend on packing
material, and if she is going to pack everything
and take it all to the Post Office.
Of course, she won't have any non-paying bidders,
or any hassles with items not recieved, etc.

This is great publicity for the uneducated.
Reporters, Stockholders, etc.

If she were doing this full time, without the "name" attached,
then she could see a more realistic picture of what happens here all of the time.

Here is the chatter link

Chatter

You will need to click on "Meg teams with Shrek..".

She should let everyone know how much time it took
to list all of the items, then time with E-Mails,
packing, and shipping everything.

Of course, her sell through rate being 100%,
and getting extra bids because of her name,
and not the usual items found on here,
(the items most sellers have available to sell)
will still make her think that everything is running great.

If we could have the per item success that she is having,
with multiple bids per item,
we would keep items listed here all of the time too.

Mike.        

               

7 replies     Date posted     Reply #

esm**    May-27-07 06:43 PDT     1 of 7
I wanna see her open a store. Heh

sav**     May-27-07 06:48 PDT     2 of 7
I wanna see her open a store. esmith
Hahaha! That should be name the suggestion of the week. Or, the year?

seo**     May-27-07 06:56 PDT     3 of 7
Oh Gross!How can people pay $450.00 for some dolls????Does she have to pay the listing fee, FVF, PP fees out of her out pocket????

Hmm.. maybe I should bid on one of the tee shirts and then use it to send a spy in to eBay Inc and see what the heck is going on there and how much is the coffee and what brand they use. I judge a company by the coffee they drink. Too expensive and I know it is a money eating one!

seo**     May-27-07 06:57 PDT     4 of 7
Oh if she open store, we should all flood in and buy buy buy then don't pay and see how she feels about NPBs.

oce**     May-27-07 07:03 PDT     5 of 7
Wish she could list them without her name showing. Wonder how the bids would go then? And it's all going to charity....for me, charity starts at home. DH gives (for both of us) at the office.

vic**     May-27-07 10:58 PDT     6 of 7
            Here is another reason Meg loves eBay:
http://www.executiveinvestigator.com/2007/05/01/eBays+Meg+Whitman+Discloses+Pay.aspx

bke**     May-27-07 10:58 PDT     7 of 7
Did you notice there is no feedback spot, not even the usual 0 for new users. Bet you wont get to leave feedback on that transaction.

paulalovesjohn  (0 )        May-27-07 12:07 PDT       8 of 8
These items are being sold for charity. These items listed by her staff. This is not her personal ebay selling ID.


If you read her me page, she explains that.

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From eBay Stores Forum - [email protected] 2005 - Hi from Bill Cobb -- 17,000 Emails Later...

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.

Bill Cobb's eBay My World site is http://myworld.ebay.com/[email protected]


From eBay Stores Forum
Hi from Bill Cobb -- 17,000 Emails Later...
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?messageID=1005971751&forumID=21&x#1005971751


[email protected]        Feb-08-05 17:42 PST
Hi, it's me, Bill. I wanted to stop by to say hello. I've learned a lot about myself in the last few days: 1.) I look like Dick Van Patten. 2.) I have lots of new nicknames, e.g. Mr. Bill. 3.) I've learned more about what's on your mind. We're working hard to address your general comments as well as some of your specific requests.

For those who are wondering -- I've gotten more than 17,000 emails. I want to thank you for your interest and your passion about eBay. While I can't respond personally to 17,000 emails, many of you will be getting a response from a member of my team, with direction from me. And as I promised, I'm seeing them all.

[email protected] View Listings | Report       Feb-08-05 17:51 PST       6 of 405
Well said, Gatorpack. I apologize if anyone used the term "slight" to describe the fee increases or if anyone comes off as adversarial. As I repeatedly say in my all-hands meetings, eBay exists -- and can only continue to exist -- if we enable our Community to be successful.

[email protected] View Listings | Report       Feb-08-05 18:03 PST       16 of 405
North -- thank you for your heartfelt words. I've received a few other emails like yours. While I probably can't satisfy your request here, I want you to know that I value your trust, and despite what you may think, we're working hard to keep it.

I am reviewing what eBay gives its sellers for their money -- Stores and non-Stores sellers alike. While I don't have anything to announce tonight, stay tuned.

[email protected] View Listings | Report       Feb-08-05 18:06 PST       21 of 405
Beavinsons -- my leg does have a few scars on it ... but I felt the fee decrease for the lowest tranche was important because this is the tranche that drives the highest bidding per listing and has the highest conversion rate of any tranche. I also saw how effective this was in Germany for the sellers there, and I really wanted to bring this to the U.S.

[email protected] View Listings | Report       Feb-08-05 18:12 PST       32 of 405
Katiyana -- thank you for recognizing the dedication of our Stores team. As you might imagine, they've been getting an earful lately and have remained committed to helping our sellers.

[email protected] View Listings | Report       Feb-08-05 18:17 PST       38 of 405
All -- thanks for sharing your thoughts with me and giving me the opportunity to spend some time with you. Unfortunately I'm out of time, but I'll try to do this periodically. The fact that you're here really shows that you care, and I want you to know that I recognize and respect that. I'm just getting started in my new role, and I look forward to spending more time with all of you.


itspostingtime  (2 )      Feb-08-05 19:48 PST     70 of 405
chunky:
I agree with your interpretation, and I thank you for trying to make it clear because I think many here don't realize that the reduction for the under 99 cent market wasn't aimed at people selling inexpensive goods for 99 cents. It's aimed at people selling more expensive goods that they start at 99 cents because they are confident the price will rise considerably.

That's long been a favorite tactic of some ebay sellers, because starting a really good item at a low price generates a lot of interest from buyers.

Of course, it doesn't work for every higher priced item. Sellers have to know their market to know whether the tactic will be effective with their merchandise.

I think what eBay is hoping is that more sellers will experiment with it to see if it will or will not increase their sell through rate and ending prices. I suspect
there are indeed quite a few sellers who would benefit from it who do not currently use it.

sim**       Feb-11-05 20:17 PST       128 of 405
Finally got my response:

Thank you for your email to Bill Cobb. He has requested that I respond
on his behalf.

I can definitely understand your frustration over the new fee increase and the other issues that you have experienced. Be assured that the new upcoming changes will allow us to provide our members with an even more
valuable marketplace and help them become more successful in the future.


At this time, I have also passed this information you brought up concerning fees and listing issues.

Thank you for being a valuable member of the eBay community.

Sincerely,

Crystal G. K.
On Behalf of Bill Cobb,
President of eBay North America

lav**       Feb-12-05 03:31 PST       131 of 405
Here's my response receive on 2/08....

Thank you for writing in Lavila. Due to the overwhelming response regarding Bill's announcement, he has requested that I respond on his behalf.

Lavila thank you for your feedback. At the moment the gallery picture fee is 25 cents. We have discussed this with many sellers such as yourself and they would rather pay this amount so we can afford to provide them with the best service possible. Due to the large volume of
pictures and auctions that go up on our site each day, it does require a lot of maintenance and storage. The gallery fee is currently at this amount because we believe that enables us to provide you with better
services and features on our site. I have taken your suggestion with the sincerest passion and it is something that we will definitely consider in the future.

I would also like to take this time to congratulate you on your excellent feedback score. It is sellers such as yourself that represent what eBay is all about.

With warmest regards,

Jayson B.
eBay Customer Support

mgc**       Feb-12-05 14:19 PST       136 of 405

I wanted to follow-up on my post ( Feb-08-05 18:20 PST 41 of 135) to Mr. Cobb earlier this week.

I had emailed Mr. Cobb on Feb. 7th -- basically the same thing I posted here.

This is the email I received from a member of his team today. And, IMO, an insult to not only me, but to all sellers. Just another "form" email that probably went out to all 17000 of those concerned sellers that emailed him.

Hello Jan,

Thank you for your e-mail to Bill Cobb. Bill has requested that I respond on his behalf and I'm happy to do so.

I can certainly understand your concern regarding fee increases on the site. I would like to assure you that we do take the needs of our community into consideration prior to making any change to our site or increasing fees.

Again, thank you for your e-mail, concerns and suggestions. We take all input from our members seriously. I can assure you that your concerns
and suggestions will be reviewed and taken into consideration. Your involvement and participation are invaluable to to our eBay community.

Regards,

Emily Wh.

eBay Customer Support Representative

on Behalf of Bill Cobb

President

eBay North America

 

a.cut.above  (0 )        Mar-07-05 17:46 PST       192 of 405
HEY BILLY BOY !!!!

They are saying that you just figger' ya'll ignore our discontent....

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/06/business/yourmoney/06ebay.html

"William C. Cobb, who oversees the company's North American operations, called the "constant drone" of complaints on the company's message boards"

Yeah, I would not care if I had already cashed out $16,000,000.00+ of stock. If you and Meg believe in the company, why don't you hold on to the shares?

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Adam Nash of eBay Express Leaves eBay - The Time Has Come…

Adam Nash announced in his blog, below, that he has left eBay.

eBay appears on the self-destructive path of dumbing-down. They are going from this level of expertise,

http://forum.stanford.edu/events/calendar/abstract.php?eventId=1504
Adam Nash holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School. He also holds both Bachelors and Masters degrees in Computer Science from Stanford University, where he also taught Computer Science in the undergraduate teaching program.

to middle managers with NO computer expertise. And programming departments run by the programmers with little management.

The Time Has Come…
http://psychohistory.wordpress.com/2007/05/12/the-time-has-come/

The Time Has Come…

May 12th, 2007 — Adam Nash

Friday, May 11th was my last day at eBay. I’ll be posting a bit more about my new role soon, but for now, I thought I’d just share the email that I sent out late Friday afternoon.

E veryone,
B efore I get into
A ll of the nitty-gritty details on how
Y ou can reach me, I just wanted to say a couple of things.

E bay has always been about people, and I feel
X tremely fortunate to have had four years here to learn and work with some of the best
P eople in the world.  When I think back on everything I’ve done here, I
R ealize just how lucky I was to land that first product role on
E bay Verticals.  Since then, I’ve had the chance to work with hundreds of passionate and
S mart people across dozens of teams and projects, and I’ve learned
S o much from every one of you.  All I can say is thank you.

The time has come for me to take on a new role and a new adventure, but I have every confidence that you’re going to take eBay & eBay Express to incredible new levels in the coming months and years. You’ll find me actively cheering you on, as a shareholder and as an active community member, selling my way to that red star.

Please feel free to reach out to me and keep in touch. I truly believe that the most valuable things we create through our careers are relationships with people we respect & trust. In fact, that’s pretty much what I’m going to be focusing on.  I will always have guilt-free M&Ms waiting.

My personal contact information:
Email:               <…>
Skype:              <…>
Cell:                 <…>
Web:                http://www.adamnash.com
eBay:               http://myworld.ebay.com/adamnash

And of course, if we haven’t already, please set up a profile and connect with me on LinkedIn.

Take care.
Adam

eBay is a wonderful company, filled with wonderful people, working to make life better for millions of people. I started selling on eBay in 1998, and joined the company in early 2003. I will truly miss it. However, I am also extremely excited about my new company, and the opportunity that lies ahead.

However, for the next two weeks, I am unemployed. A good time to reflect and enjoy time with family & friends before digging in on a new adventure.

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eBay - Life, The Universe, and Indexing According To Bill Cobb

Life, The Universe, and Indexing According To Bill Cobb
Originally Posted Apr-13-07 13:21:01 PDT

 


One seller, below, managed to elicit a response from Bill Cobb, through Mel.

Another method to extract seller fees; Schedule.


http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=1000469785&tstart=0&mod=1176392565362
Yes, the search/indexing problem is connected to NEW SYI form!


ar* Apr-12-07 06:48 PDT                 19 of 21

OK.
I'm stopping pursuing this here re delays in your listings showing up on 'newly listed' for hours or days.
This is my 3rd letter from Bill Cobb's office.
The short story is ... they ain't going to change their policy on listings not showing up for hours/days as they are searching for frauds and run 'indexing'.
If you don't mind the 10 cent fee, then scheduling at least 24 hours in advance MIGHT help - still no guarantees. I personally had success doing this (I only did it one time, but it worked).
DO NOT REVISE YOUR ITEMS - this puts you into the 'indexing phase' and you probably will have to wait 6 hours before your item is visible to buyers again.

Hope this helps.
~Jillian

Dear Jillian,

Thanks for writing back to Bill today.  My name is Mel, and Bill has
asked me to respond to you personally on his behalf about indexing
delays on the site.

Jillian, as a seller myself, I can certainly understand your concern
over this issue.  At eBay, we do realize the importance of fast and
effective indexing of items to search.  However, as the internet evolves
and the methods of fraud evolve on the site, we too must change in order
to protect not only our buyers, but our sellers as well.  Please be
assured that every decision made by eBay is for the success and
stability of the eBay marketplace and benefit of its members in the
short and long term.

One of the workarounds that we have found to this issue is to have your
item scheduled well in advance of the anticipated time that you wish
your items to go live to the site.  While your items are waiting to go
live, the indexing and review process will go through the item you have
scheduled causing a shorter indexing time when your item does post to
the site.

We wish we could make search indexing any faster, but let me assure you
that if there was any technology out there to make this happen, we would
use our resources to acquire it and provide you with that service.  We
are also constantly reviewing these processes as well as the technology,
in order to improve service to the site at a constant rate.  We do
encourage you to continue to send in your suggestions and thoughts on
these processes, and working together we are very positive that our
community will only be stronger in the future.

Although we do feel that the delay in indexing is a necessity, we do
understand your frustration in this matter and would like to express our
appreciation in your cooperation in making the site and our community a
safer place to trade. 

Regards,

Mel L. L. on behalf of Bill Cobb
President
eBay North America

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From eBay Forums - Smart Search Jeff King [email protected] "search architecture change on the back end we completed recently"

Smart Search is Here on eBay.com?? - "search architecture change on the back end we completed recently"
Originally Posted Mar-05-07 02:06:45 PST

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

http://forums.ebay.com/db1/thread.jspa?threadID=2000327652
ATTENTION ALL SELLERS: SEARCH GLITCH IN "LOWEST PRICE" CATEGORY!!!!!!!!!!!!

[email protected] Mar-03-07 13:40 PST     10 of 15
Hi All,

This is a side-effect of a search architecture change on the back end we completed recently for capacity reasons. We’re planning to change this logic soon which will redistribute the items more evenly.

Thanks all,

Jeff

ka** Mar-03-07 15:06 PST     11 of 15
We’re planning to change this logic soon which will redistribute the items more evenly.

Best news I've heard in a long time Jeff. Thanks for the update!

Just a question though - how soon is "soon" to you? That "recent" architectureal change actually took place in June - and that was over 9 months ago.

How soon can we expect eBay to correct this (il)logic?

Thanks!

gr** Mar-04-07 16:16 PST     15 of 15
So either livehelp was uninformed or lying when asked about the item numbers?

They did the same thing with the backbutton.

They did the same with Store BINs not being shown in the tab.

And Ebay wonders why seller's balk at new "improvements" to the site. They always seem to have unintended consquences. They are quick to introduce these unwanted enhancements, yet extremely slow to fix the problems they introduce.

SYI, TL 2, Item placement, slow indexing, items disappearing, etc ad naseum.

But hey, the new smart search will come across glitch-free, and we all should be looking forward to it?!?!?!

Puhlease...

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From ebay Forums - [email protected] Nino's definition of "quickly as possible" - Issues with Using Back Button on Some eBay Pages

Nino's definition of "quickly as possible" - Issues with Using Back Button on Some eBay Pages
Originally Posted Mar-05-07 01:48:10 PST

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

[email protected] Feb-06-07 10:02 PST
Hi Folks,

Just to let you know we're aware that members aren't able to navigate to some eBay pages using the Back button on their Web browsers.

We're working to fix this as quickly as possible.

Please check this Site Issue Message and also this thread for updates.

Thanks for your patience!

nino
Community Development

[email protected] Feb-23-07 18:28 PST     1 of 1
Hi folks,

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.

Sorry for this trouble.

Regards, Rich R

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From eBay Forums - Suspicious that Stores are being CYCLED on different servers ?

Originally Posted Feb-22-07 23:36:14 PST

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.

I'd comment on this, but eBay would shut me down.

Well, maybe one comment. On hot topics eBay always has someone to basically say 'it ain't so.'  Interestingly the official eBay response, is spoken almost word for word by '"independent"' voices. And oddly enough the same people.  Now that's entering the realm of mythic.

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http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=1000443923
Suspicious that Stores are being CYCLED on different servers ?

u*****  (Private ) Feb-22-07 11:26 PST 1 of 31

I have argued that there has been something going on since eBay rolled new item numbers early last spring. My store sales always come in spurts, but not only the sales, but store views as well. I've found patterns to my views and I've eliminated everything EXCEPT manipulation on eBay's part.

Last fall I tested out selling on another ID to see if I could see a pattern and that is when I really noticed some serious discrepancies in search and item numbers. My items would randomly and mysteriously disappear from the site altogether. No matter how I searched for them, they simply would not appear. I was selling in a specialized category/name brand and I watched that "smallish" category for 6 weeks and noted that certain seller's items would disappear and reappear for no apparent reason. The only factor in common would be item numbers. Those items starting with 2500 would disappear at the same time and when they appeared, sellers with item numbers starting with 3200 would disappear.

A lot of this was talked about on the search discussion board but when I brought my facts to eBay and showed them what I was seeing, I got shut up so fast it made my head spin. Nobody would acknowledge that it was happening, but they also didn't deny it. I think it is still happening and is the only way to explain my strange sales patterns.

p***************  (4151 ) Feb-22-07 11:36 PST 3 of 31

This started happening to me last year when they took the stores out of the regular search.

I'm not sure what they did (other than removing them) but they definitely did something.

Sales died (and I mean 1/2 or less of what they were before SIS.....I'm not talking about SIS), and they began to all take place 2 or 3 days a week and all within an hour of others. Then, days would go by without a single sale.

I started manipulating the indexing by opting in and out of EE, putting store on vacation etc and that would turn up the volume for a day. My biggest increase took place when I raised all items by $1 and then the next day reduced them back to what they originally were.

Everytime I do something that forces a re-indexing I get sales. I have found limited success (2 or 3 sales a day within 30 minutes of ending times) if I have some items starting and ending every day.

My next experiment is going to be to have some items starting and ending every few hours during every day.

All this proves to me, beyond a doubt, that something strange is going on in Ebayland.

I have left things alone for a week and one time 10 days....guess what? NO SALES...I mean NONE.

Then, as soon as I force the re-indexing I would get 5 to 8 sales within an hour of each other.

Now, no one will ever convince me that out of all the potential buyers on Ebay, no one found anything I had for sale that they wanted for 10 days, and then....magically, 8 people all signed on and found my items at the same time and made a purchase.

Something is wrong.

Bad servers? Intentional exclusions? Intentional search manipulations?

Your guess is as good as mine. But, i will never believe it is just a coincidence. It happened to me for months on end.

I've not listed anything this month. I'm combining some items, building lots for others, and took some time off for the new grandbaby. I'm going to be listing a large volume in March but, like I said, I will have some ending and some starting every couple of hours every single day.

I'll see if that works better.

softersilk  (1968 ) Feb-22-07 18:25 PST 26 of 31

It's a myth. All these conspiracy theories abound about slow/fast servers and indexing. Bottom line though - the search function is the same no matter what.

d***********  (516 ) Feb-22-07 18:38 PST 27 of 31

Unless you are intimately aware of the intricacies of EBAY technology, software and programming, and are on the technology team responsible for servers, programming and software...you simply cannot definately say search ALWAYS work the same way. There are those of us who already know without a doubt that it sometimes doesn't work the way that EBAT tells us it should.



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Comments

mario6758 ( 18)

View items for sale

sysco systems has been having certain issues lately so that may be the cause

Feb-22-07 23:38:38 PST  

cjc_alaska ( 169)

View items for sale

They also manually decide how long of a delay it is before an item shows up Indexed and in Searches.. if your item title has No name brands in it, it shows Immediately.. If your item has a name brand then they say it can take up to 6 hours for the item to magically show in searches.. they dont tell You thats the WHY, they say they just cant make the computers work any faster... Gimme a Break.. I was told that by a Live Chat person..Once I get that email, saying my item is Listed for Sale on eBay, it can show in Searches.. but eBay flags some items so they can Manually review them for things like Counterfeits or whatever.. so, dont let them make you think its some Magic, unpredictible system.. as big as eBay is, you're gonna tell me to believe they are running vacuum tubes, tin cans and an old 486??

Feb-22-07 23:43:47 PST  

redcowspots ( 339)

View items for sale

Its the ghosts I tell ya!!

Feb-23-07 00:05:49 PST  

stylesbyshilo ( 90)

View items for sale

Good point cjc!

Feb-23-07 00:08:08 PST  

stylesbyshilo ( 90)

View items for sale

lol redcowspots

Feb-23-07 00:10:39 PST  

Back to top

helpfulhannahscloset ( 448)

View items for sale

re indexing may help, it has for me on occasion, it also is helpful to run store connector to google. I get two to three sales within hours every time I use that too and they are ebay searches. go figure

Feb-23-07 00:16:59 PST  

mary45a ( 381)

View items for sale

I've noticed it myself. For a couple of months I sell hundreds of dollars, week after week, it kills me trying to keep up with the shipping all on my own...then I sell nada for days, weeks even, no matter what I do or how I set my sales or when/if I set an item to run with all the bells and whistles for a million bucks an hour.
Believe me, I've moved them around, from store to auction and back again, from sale to expensive, back to sale, back to cheap, to clearance, to 99 cents...from bold to featured to buy one get one free...I've had to put almost everything in my store now, I just can't afford to keep auctioning at the prices I was paying. I was spending twice what I was making in sales...which means my profit was negative 2k!!
I started on google base. I change it and re-do the listings about every six days. I look at my hits vs. times my item actually showed up in their searches. Compared with my other research, theirs is the most impressive...but that's not saying alot, just MORE.
I didn't know that my items would NOT show up in listings until I'd had a store for awhile and couldn't figure out why my auction items weren't in search when I put them up for a penny and searched for the lowest. One of the eBay people emailed me and told me that it was because I had commas in my descriptions.
Also, I WILL tell you that, even with ALL the bells and whistles, the featured item, everything? I was searching for my "special item" and...I found out that I could NOT find it as a featured item unless my search was almost EXACTLY in the same wording as my title.
My title is something like "gorgeous new burled walnut wooden jewelry box" or some such. (Because one of my studies said that two of the most searched for words on eBay are gorgeous and new so, YIKES, I have those in almost all my titles!!)
Couldn't find it in gorgeous, new, wooden, burled, walnut or wooden...had to have the burled,walnut,wooden & jewel altogether.
Moral of the story is probably...ma

Feb-23-07 01:24:49 PST  

sweet_jalapena ( 57)

View items for sale

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Feb-23-07 02:11:53 PST  

sweet_jalapena ( 57)

View items for sale

may I see the rest of your interesting paragraph, MARY45?... thanks...

Feb-23-07 02:15:43 PST

 

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eBay - Search Engine Comments by eBay Express Employees

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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Search Engine Comments by eBay Express Employees
Posted Jan-21-07 19:09:24 PST Updated Jan-21-07 19:25:29 PST

eBay Express Brown Bag Lunch (May 5th, 12-1pm)

[email protected] May-05-06 12:22 PDT 33 of 125

Re: post #8

Hi biddy-biddy,

The eBay Express search engine looks at listings from eBay.com and puts them into eBay Express categories. Sometimes it puts a listing in multiple categories and sometimes it cannot find a suitable category. In the later case, the listing will show up in the Seller's Other Items but not in the general search.

We are working to make sure that eBay Express brings back the most relevant items to the buyer. The team is constantly reviewing cases where items are not being matched to a category and expanding the coverage of search results.

thanks,
Chung

 

[email protected] May-05-06 12:45 PDT 81 of 125

Re: post # 67 --

Hi woadieland,

All listings on Express are eBay.com listings. So, those listings will appear in searches on both Express and eBay.com.

Of course, where and how often a particular listing appears in search may differ between the two sites -- since the two search engines are different.

Hope that helps,
Elliot.

 

[email protected]  May-05-06 12:47 PDT 88 of 125

Re: post #52

Hi biddy-biddy,

I can understand why it seems broken not to locate all listings from a category. As you pointed out, browsing eBay.com's brings back all items in an eBay.com category.

On eBay Express, we are trying to present the "best matching" items to buyers. A wide variety of factors from the listing, sellers and buyer are taken into account, including the category the item was listed. Sometimes an item does not meet those criteria, and as such, we have elected not to show those items in either search or browse.

thanks,
Chung

 

How are express items displayed in a random search?

[email protected] May-23-06 10:52 PDT 8 of 20

Hi blazebird,

Good question. As you infer correctly, there are a couple of big steps in figuring out how items are shown:
- figuring out what items to show
- figuring out what order to show those items:

(1) Figuring out what items to show

At a high level, here’s how we go about that:

• Match the buyer’s search to the most likely eBay Express results: if I do a search for “Apple 30GB video ipod”, the search engine assumes that I’m looking for a video iPod player (as opposed to iPod accessories) and automatically takes me to “Apple iPods & MP3 Players.”

• Interpret what the buyer is “really saying”: In the case of this search, the search engine interprets that what I want is an MP3 Player where the Brand = “Apple iPod”, Features = “Video Enabled”, Capacity = “30GB” and it displays ALL the relevant listings that match what I’m looking for, even if they don’t match the title exactly. The seller may have conveyed some of the key information (such as capacity) through item specifics or category structure, but the search engine indexes all that information, in addition to the title.

• Keep the category “clean”: The search engine excludes all items from the Apple iPod & MP3 Player category on eBay Express that don’t belong; i.e., arm bands, skins, etc. So a listing for “20GB iPod Video Case” selling for $4 won’t show up in my search results even though it would match a strict title search (and it may have been listed in the iPod category on eBay.com).

(2) Figuring what order to show those items

We then sort these items by "best matches" (default) or by "total cost".

The best match sort pulls in information from many areas to present shoppers with the most relevant results possible. Things we may look at include listing category, item title, item specifics, catalog information, search behavior by previous shoppers on the site, and the current shoppers search terms.

The total cost sort is based on the item price and the cost of the first shipping service that the seller provided.

eBay Express uses a different search technology from that on eBay.com. The reason for this is that we wanted to make it easier to find items on eBay Express for people who are not regular eBay buyers. We’ve heard lots of feedback for a long time about how it’s often difficult to find exactly what you’re looking for quickly on eBay.com.

There are pros and cons to that: some eBay buyers & sellers would say that the “thrill of the hunt” and the joy of discovery is part of the magic of eBay.com. And many of our passionate users have mastered complex search strings and Saved Searches that allow them to pinpoint exactly what they’re looking for in no time at all.

But eBay Express was designed to also attract people who are too overwhelmed or intimidated (or just plain busy) to sort through what they may see as irrelevant listings on eBay.com. So with this search engine, we want to
1) quickly get buyers to exactly what they’re looking for,
2) show them all the relevant items on the site, without having to know any fancy search strings, and
3) filter out listings that are not relevant.

We will continue to test and refine how search works on eBay Express throughout our preview period to ensure the best possible experience for our shoppers.

thanks,
Chung

 

[email protected] May-23-06 11:23 PDT 11 of 20

Re: post 9

Hi blazebird,

That's fair feedback. Right now, the search engine thinks that the "Carter Brown" books are the most relevant listings.

This would change over time, as the algorithm learns from buyer behavior and eBay continues to tweak the algorithm on how to sort items. An example of the former is when buyers who searches in Antiquarian & Collectibles Books ends buying other listings.

We haven't really marketed eBay Express to the buyers during the Preview period, and as such, you are not seeing great shifts in how items are sorted due to buyer feedback.

I'll also take this back to the team to see if we can moderate the skew in search results before eBay steps up marketing to the buyers.

thanks,
Chung

 

[email protected] May-23-06 11:31 PDT 12 of 20

Re: post 10

Hi chain_man,

When I search on "Apple 30GB video ipod" from the homepage, I'm taken to the "Apple iPod & MP3 Player Accessories" category. I'm also asked if that's not the right category with a short cut to "Apple iPods & MP3 Players".
http://search.express.ebay.com/__Apple-iPod-MP3-Player-Accessories_Apple-30GB-video-ipod_W0QQ_nkwZAppleQ2030GBQ20videoQ20ipodQQ_fxdZ1QQ_ptasZ1Q2cOtherQ5fMP3Q5fPlayersQ5e3

If I click through on that link, I'm taken to the MP3 category with the eBay Express intrepretation of the search (Brand = “Apple iPod”, Features = “Video Enabled”, Capacity = “30GB”).
http://search.express.ebay.com/__Apple-iPods-MP3-Players_Apple-30GB-video-ipod_W0QQ_nkwZAppleQ2030GBQ20videoQ20ipodQQ_fxdZ1QQ_stsZ1

BTW, the Express search engine recognizes that click as me saying that I wanted MP3 players instead of the MP3 accessories. It will use that as feedback in the future on what to show for similar searches.

thanks,
Chung

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eBay - Adam Nash on eBay Stores

Adam Nash on eBay Stores
Posted Jan-21-07 19:06:19 PST Updated Jan-21-07 19:10:21 PST

eBay Express Brown Bag Lunch (May 5th, 12-1pm)

[email protected] May-05-06 12:18 PDT 26 of 125
Re: Post #12

Hi milodelaware,

We believe that eBay Stores continue to be the absolute best way for merchants to leverage the strength of the eBay marketplace to improve their online sales.

We see eBay Express as an excellent complement to eBay Stores - as you know, eBay Express includes Store Inventory format listings by default. eBay Express is an excellent opportunity for many eBay Store owners to see increased buyer demand for their items.

ProStores websites are truly independent sites, and thus eBay Express does not pick up their inventory automatically. However, ProStores users have the ability to push listings to their eBay Store, which will be picked up automatically by eBay Express.

Hope this helps.
Adam

Adam Nash
Group Product Manager, eBay Express
[email protected]

 

[email protected] May-05-06 12:32 PDT 55 of 125

Re: Post #35

Hi woadieland,

The timing certainly was not planned. Before eBay Express, I was on the eBay Stores team, so I understand your concerns here. As I posted before, we believe eBay Express is a fantastic new opportunity for many eBay Stores sellers, as it provides an excellent venue for buyers to purchase the great fixed price inventory that eBay Store sellers provide.

Thanks for coming to the brown bag!
Adam

Adam Nash
Group Product Manager, eBay Express
[email protected]

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eBay - Rotating Servers, Smart Manipulated Search by Odie

Rotating Servers, Smart Manipulated Search by Odie

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Copy of original post by "Odie".

Rotating Servers, Smart Manipulated Search by Odie
Posted Dec-12-06 18:32:05 PST

Hello all,

Here are some of my opinions based on over thirty years of implementing and managing system development projects, including a client with higher daily transaction volumes than eBay.

What we are seeing is not erratic and is not a glitch.

It is part of a well-orchestrated resource management program.
Companies with high transaction volumes do this to avoid adding additional servers and bandwidth to accommodate growth.

The basis of the program is a rationing search algorithm that decides how many listings the system will show for any search based on some pre-determined level of "cost" to provide the response.

It started with the so-called "smart search" on Express and is gradually being adapted to the .com site. eBay's rationale is that it gives the buyer a "best match" and improves the "buying experience".

I agree with those who think the item numbering system somehow controls the rotation and priority.

Part of the reason why it appears different for different sellers could be category volume.
The more competition you have, the less likely your item will appear in the search.

Another criteria appears to be how much your business is worth to eBay in listing and services fees.

This appears to be the first step to a "tiered service" approach where a seller's exposure will directly depend on how much they are willing to pay.

This basically means that the "little sellers", regardless of the quality of what they sell,
are history on eBay unless they are willing to pay big bucks to compete with the mega-sellers.

IMO, whether your item is seen or not is a "craps shoot". Buyers cannot buy what they don't see!

If I want to gamble, I'll go to a casino.

For what it's worth,

Odie

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