posted on December 29, 2000 06:17:29 PM
If ebay is a venue provider, why must they concern themselves with customer relationships?
If ebay is a relationship provider, why do they insist the transaction is between buyer and seller only?
I pay an annual fee to have my sign on the shopping center marquis. Some customers see the sign and decide to deal with me. Other customers deal with me because they saw my Yellow Pages ad, or know my uncle's cousin's barber's next-door-neighbor's babysitter. When these people come to deal with me and see the sign, am I indebted to the sign providers? No. I paid them for their service, and they've provided it. They do not own me. They do not own my customer relationships. If ebay wants to inject itself into my business at that level, maybe they can start helping me with some of the bills as well... and they can start by emptying the trash.
posted on December 29, 2000 06:30:27 PM
Okay, changing this around a bit....
First, I think the posts here are marvelous. I commend everyone, I mean, everyone, for their well thought out comments. They all make the utmost of sense and the "majority" mirror how I feel as well. I don't want to single out any one person's remarks as the one I like best but there is one (maybe 2) who I just agree with to a T.
Next, I mostly read and don't post much because it seems that's all I'd have time to do so you don't usually see me but I'm here and feel like I know so many of you. I understand though that you don't know me.
Now, take a look at this scenario: An eBay rep is instructed to camp out on the boards to find out what the people are saying about the new Spam/fee avoidance dictate and then is to take it back to eBay. What would he/she say? Boy you really got 'em rockin' this time...... So what's new, eh? (Boy, you got 'em wrapped around your little finger....)
I keep looking at the "big brother" syndrome and wondering why, if it's so bad, don't sellers and bidders, alike, unite somehow and choose another venue (that is a venue!) to set up business?
I, personally, am feeling like I am being strangled. I hear people talking about how it can get worse and worse, just wait. What I don't understand, though, is why are we waiting? We all have a choice to stay or leave so why am I ready to go because I don't plan on selling behind the red curtain? But, I don't feel like I see anybody else really weighing this an an option - to leave, that is? I have been looking at other sites to go to but one person at a time won't have much of an impact on destroying an existent community or building a new one. It takes numbers to make an impact. Besides, I wouldn't know where to go to start over but I'll bet a million someone else reading this would.
While it's been stated that eBay will pay for this in the end when they have no community left to speak of, I don't see anyone mentioning how this is really going to come about. I only see posts about how this is just one more straw to - to what?
This community started once. What's to say a new community can't begin in much the same way? eBay is not the only game in town. Just one where we've established endless friendships and business relationships. It doesn't have to end by eBay.
posted on December 29, 2000 06:36:26 PM
Molly001...
My impression of the problems to what you suggest are--
1) We all talk big but few of us will act.
2) We are extremely disourganized as a group.
3) The moment we DO leave, there are "vultures" who will sweep down and take up where we left off... with the customers that we helped build the community with, negating the value of a mass exodous AND putting customer money in somebody else's pocket.
posted on December 29, 2000 06:42:19 PM
Molly: EXCELLENT POST!!!
- And I agree with you 100% - ALSO, I'll bet eBay DEPENDS on what you've said... that folks TALK about going elsewhere.... and that there will "one day" be another site to rival the Giants current reign... but aside from the Million Auction March (which encourages folks to try out a variety of sites) there is not an ORGANIZED plan or ONE AGREED UPON site for the angry masses to retreat to...
