posted on January 24, 2001 10:02:18 AM
All right, maybe I've just gotten too cynical, but....
Do you REALLY think eBay's new e-mail and fee avoidance policies were instituted to "protect" their customers from SPAM and fraud?
For that matter, do you really think that ANY policy and/or fee that eBay has instituted in the last couple of years has been to protect their customers, or to respond customer complaints, or to make life easier for bidders or sellers?
Wellll.... I suppose it's POSSIBLE that eBay only has our welfare and continued success at heart, but I tend to doubt it. In fact, I tend to doubt that eBay even CARES what makes us happy at this point, regardless of what type of spin they put on each new policy or fee change.
It's pretty simple, really. A little over two years ago, eBay went public. From that point on, eBay was no longer answerable to its members. Instead, the ONLY people they had to keep happy were their stockholders, and the more money eBay made, the happier those stockholders became. When eBay's stock soared to unbelievable heights, a lot of people got very, very rich, and the OWNERS of eBay became very, very happy.
The stock has since dropped dramatically, though. I won't try to guess why -- there are probably multiple reasons, including the market as a whole, competition from other sites, a general distrust of "dot com" stocks in general, whatever. But the point is that the stockholders are no longer happy, and eBay now must do anything they can to increase revenues and make the stockholders happy again.
What this means is that eBay is trying to wring every last penny out of their users. If they can slip in an extra fee, they will, especially since they know they are still the "only game in town". If they can figure out a way to get a "cut" of every transaction that even tangentally relates to their services, they will. If they can think of a new service they can charge for, and then ram it down everybody's throat, they will. And then they will raise their fees again. And again. And again. And all the while they will keep saying that they are doing this for OUR benefit, to make eBay a safer place, to make trading easier, to make everything more fun.
Well, I'm sick and tired of it, and I say FEH!
The people I feel most sorry for are the ones who bought into the eBay dream early on and decided to make their living on eBay. Even if they are still able to make a living now, just wait until the next round of fee increases. Or the round after that. I am, and have always been, strictly a casual seller on eBay, and my livelihood doesn't depend on it. But I have just about given up entirely selling there, and I do miss the fun, excitement and profitiblity of the "good old days" before eBay went public.
We can't turn back the clock, and I fear that nothing will stop this downward spiral. eBay will continue to try to get more and more money out of their users in an effort to keep their owners happy, until the whole thing eventually collapses under its own weight.
Going public made millionaires out of eBay's original owners. For everybody else, however, it just may have spelled the beginning of the end.
Oh -- and have a happy day!
Barry
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The opinions expressed above are for comparison purposes only. Your mileage may vary....
posted on January 24, 2001 10:57:23 AM
You mean you just figured all that out?
"For that matter, do you really think that ANY policy and/or fee that eBay has instituted in the last couple of years has been to protect their customers, or to
respond customer complaints, or to make life
easier for bidders or sellers?"
Transactional feedback comes to mind.
Yes, eBay's fees have gone up, but try & sell antiques & collectibles from your own shop, or a booth in a mall, then come back & tell us how expensive selling on eBay's Global Market site is.
I doubt that a hobby seller would understand?
For many of us, the cost of selling on eBay is chump change, compared to selling out of our own storefront.
posted on January 24, 2001 11:04:30 AM
Hi there, Barry. LTNS!
Let me assure you, that NO, you have not become cynical, not in the least.
What you have expressed are FACTS.
However, I interpret the scenario a tad differently.
I believe that MUCH of the blame cast upon eBay is not the fault of eBay, but rather represents the normal evolution of technology.
The normal evolution of technology includes such liddle widdle factors as the eBay userbase mushrooming for 700,000 users in 1998 with less than a million total auctions, to this virtual Webolith in 2001 having 20+ million registered userids and over five million listings.
Weboliths will be the ONLY survivors, along with infintesimal itsy-bitsy sites.
Frankly, although you didn't ask, I must say that I find the gargantuan nature of everything in cyberspace, particularly Usenet -- to be, in a word: repugnant.
Absolutely repugnant.
I, too, feel absolutely existentially MOROSE about people who actually invested time, money, love & energy into what looks like a losing proposition for individual entrepeneurs.
Individuals do NOT matter!!
And eBay is UNSTOPPABLE.
Many people make tens of thousands of dollars on eBay and will continue to.
But it will be YEARS (and years) before the Internet returns to its original purpose, to wit:
The Empowerment of the Individual
The FUTURE of the Internet lies with I-N-D-I-V-I-D-U-A-L-S
I sincerely believe that Meg Whitman is FULLY aware of same, and she could put into words the concepts I unfortunately cannot.
Meg and Jeff and Pierre and Pam did NOT put their hearts & souls into eBay for the mass distribution of massmarket Disney merchandise.
NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
However, when every vulture capitalist in America funded dot.coms to STEAL our bidders, by giving each of them 100s of dollars of FREE-GiveAway merchandise and called it "branding" before becoming dot.BOMBS.... when Mr. Bezos himself declared he would crush eBay -- well, all of those A-B-H-O-R-A-N-T greedy big fat capitalist businessmen RUINED the lovely conditions that Pierre and Jeff so lovingly initially created.
The C=O=M=P=E=T=I=T=O=R=S of eBay are responsible for the absolutely r-e-p-u-g-n-a-n-t conditions in ecommerce, today.
posted on January 25, 2001 10:56:47 AM
Now, don't get me wrong -- I'm not saying that eBay is WRONG to do everything they can to become more profitable and please their shareholders. At this point, it's not a matter of right or wrong; they are doing what they HAVE to do to stay alive.
My point was two-fold: First, we all need to take everything eBay says with a large grain of salt and realize that the REAL reason for just about EVERYTHING it does since going public is to make more money. If eBay can make more money AND keep the users happy at the same time, terrific. But keeping the users happy is no longer a priority. This is not a complaint, just a statement of a sad and unfortunate fact.
Second, I just can't see eBay surviving much longer, at least not in anything resembling its current form. Either it will die out completely as it run out of ways to suck even more money from its users, or else it will evolve into something completely different [a totally B-2-C or B-2-B site, perhaps?] But either way, it will no longer be a place where individuals can buy, sell and trade with other individuals. Maybe established businesses that can absorb the new fees and deal with lost income from poor sales and competition from eBay's new "partners" will be able to survive, at least for awhile. But the original concept of C-2-C trading on eBay is very quickly becoming a thing of the past.
Barry
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The opinions expressed above are for comparison purposes only. Your mileage may vary....
posted on January 25, 2001 11:07:57 AM
Barry: I completely Agree with you.
What gets me are the folks that say things like "we need to get organized and do something NOW"....
No, No, No... that was LAST YEAR. The folks that didn't want to recognize this trend a YEAR AGO and begin doing something about it THEN, will have precious few options NOW.
I'm not complaining either. Just agreein' with the facts. *sigh*
I am very werrie embarressed about something, so I'd never ever admit it publically, but I will tell YOU, who I've known so long.
Ya know the DISNEY radio ads??
I've heard one ONCE, and I was so ashamed of m-y-s-e-l-f, soooooooo humiliated.
I mean, I do know that I am stupid. I have NO education, and a mediocre mind.
However, to have rubbed in my stupid dumb blonde face just HOW IMBECILIC I actually am, is h-u-m-i-l-i-a-t-i-n-g.
So I will privately tell you that that MISERABLE DisneyAuctions on eBay transported me back in time to the months following the IPO, ====>>>> ah, the months following the closure of the LIVE SUPPORT BOARD, specifically, and how I spent so many hours at the User Q&A answering questions of newbies, cuz eBay Support staff were swamped.
Barry, I am such a *chump*!
Such a stooooooopiD idiot!
WHAT a WASTE of my precious time and health --- to help eBay survive until the BIG FAT CORPORATIONS OF AMERIKA CAN STEALOUR BIDDERS TO PUSH THEIR OWN MDSE
YOU do NOT have any similar situations erupT in your life, where you must, red-faced come FACE 2 FACE with your own IGNORANT STOOOOPIDITY, because, in fact, Barry, you are highly intelligent.
But I will explain, that such occasions are M-O-R-T-F-Y-I-N-G, and feel lucky you are not similarly encumbered.
posted on January 25, 2001 11:10:25 AM
"It's All About the Money!"
- absolutely.
The recent modest fee increases reflect not increased costs but that as a de facto monopoly they can.
For that matter do you really believe that holding a 10 day auction really costs them a penny more. Especially considering the rate at which the costs of data storage and bandwidth continues to decline.
I believe that they will survive and prosper, but their projections are overly ambitious.
posted on January 25, 2001 11:14:15 AM
Radh: I ALSO agree with you 100% and share your "secret embarrassment".
AND... I still go to the User to User Q&A to help folks out... mainly because I feel sorry for them, since eBay allows folks to register on the site and then sets them loose to run around without the tools they DO NEED in order to survive... whether that is as a Buyer or a Seller.
As long as eBay's makin' money and has the ability to USE the Community for drawing in more profitable partnering... that's exactly what they'll do.
posted on January 25, 2001 11:33:02 AM"Barry, IMO, eBay already is a B2C website"
Not quite yet, it isn't. Maybe after I sell my last pocket watch there it will be, though. For all I know, I'm the last "hobby" seller left alive, and when I'm gone all that will be left are the businesses....
When I came to eBay, it wasn't because I wanted an easier/cheaper/better way to run an existing business. It wasn't because I wanted some way to make extra money. In fact, I first came to eBay solely as a bidder, looking to buy some new watches for my collection. And boy, did I buy watches!!! And, in the process, I met a lot of other collectors and made a lot of friends, many of whom I am proud to say I still keep in contact with.
After a few months, when I had spent waaaay too much money on watches, I decided to try selling some of them back on eBay. Not only was I able to sell them to other collectors, I was often able to make a slight profit in the process. WOW! This was FUN!!! This is what eBay was all about -- individuals getting together with other individuals and buying and selling collectibles back and forth.
Now, however, if I buy a watch on eBay, more often than not it is from some "estate liquidation" company that charges higher prices to begin with, adds a handling charge, and neither knows nor cares to know anything about what they sell. And when I try to sell a watch I am in competition with sellers who are able to flood the categories with hundreds and THOUSANDS of items at once. Sure, my watch may be different than what they have for sale, my description may be better, my pictures may be better, etc., but nobody can FIND my watch unless I want to pay even MORE fees to have it featured [and did I mention that Featured Category auction fees have gone from $9.99 to $14.99 to $19.99?]
eBay has changed. Whether for better or worse depends on your point of view, I suppose. But those who say "adapt or die" miss the point that many of us came to eBay in the first place specifically because it was perfectly suited to who we were and what we wanted. Sure, if my goal were to make money running a business on eBay, I'm sure I could find ways to do that. But all I really want is a place where I can trade interesting collectibles with oodles and oodles of other like-minded individuals, without losing my shirt in the process.
Ah well....
---
The opinions expressed above are for comparison purposes only. Your mileage may vary....
Dottie: your post has brought tears to my eyes, and NOT the "virtual" variety, but the r-e-a-l thing. thank you for your kindness and sharing that you privately harbor some similar feelings.
Late last year, after being an avid radio listener my entire life, I unplugged my set --- simply becuz I do not have a remote to turn off all the ADs.
You see, the marketing in cyberspace has made ALL advertizing absolutely antithetical to me. I'm not exaggerating. Before I had the capability to just zone out commercials, but my time online took away that capability.
My dh had the radio on, and it was toooooooo embarressing to tell him, "Omigawd! Turn that OFF!!!!!!!"
The Disney Radio commercial about their eBay auctions l-i-t-e-r-a-l-l-y had me RED-faced and I shiver in humiliation and excrutiating embarressment whenever same ever comes to mind.
eBay is a BigB2C $ucce$$, AND, you see, I've considered eBay to be exclusively B2C for a LONG time - any "c2c" is a mere deceptive charade, IMO.
eBay will survive.
However, you see, the Internet empowers I-N-D-I-V-I-D-U-A-L-S, and the Future of the Internet lies squarely with I-N-D-I-V-I-D-U-A-L-S.....
UNTIL then, however, I do *not* intend to permit the MagicKingdom to transport me, to allow me to time travel back to THE STUPIDEST WASTE OF TIME &AND ENERGY AND TRUE-CONCERN (LOL)IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.
posted on January 25, 2001 11:45:37 AM
Barry: what you describe in your last post is precisely what was so appealing and FUN about eBay.
Even Pierre is congnizant of same; he was quoted in Time as saying something like, "Having a bunch of corporations pushing merchandise down your throat is b-o-r-i-n-g."
BARRY: Good Morning. I have given your initial post to this thread some great long thought in the wee early hours of the morning.
BarrY, would you ever at all be interested in the formation of a Co-operative Online Marketplace which is solely SELLER-owned, SELLER-run, AND that the cooperative members were formed of SMALL sellers, HOBBY sellers, and INDIVIDUAL microbusinesses.
I am NOT at all interested in any site which is open to the listings of major businesses and megacorporations.
I do not believe that big biz and multinational corporations belong at such a proposed site.
What would you think about the formation of a seller-owned, seller-run cooperative online marketplace which was SOLEY for the re-empowerment of the INDIVIDUAL human beings comprising said site?
posted on January 29, 2001 09:14:38 AM
Hullo all... I'm going to post here what I posted in response to one of the MANY in the cadre of people on the eBay Board who seem to think that eBay is this upright, moral citizen, and does everything corporately possible (if humanly is a word, I guess corporately can be one too) to protect its users, and to do the morally right thing at all times possible, and when they don't, it's just a mistake, or they were too busy, or etc., etc., ad nauseum. Not that anyone asked, but it says it all about what I think of large Corporations for the most part
<<<Ok, Bud, then I'll make it short and simple for you. To turn the breaking of any eBay rule into an issue of right and wrong, as if Meg wrote the 10 Commandments, as if Corporate rules are NOT subject to LAWS, which totally supercede those rules if they're in contradiction, and as if Corporations make rules NOT ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY to pad their own bottom line, but at all times they do so just to do the right and moral thing for everyone, can only elicit one response-
posted on January 29, 2001 09:43:52 AM
The only reason ebaY exists is too make money and it will do whatever it can to maintain that.
They are no different than Chrysler cutting 26,000 jobs over the next 3 years.There only concern is too the stockholder and they can care little about the people they lay off.
If we owned that business would we be any different I really doubt it,those that think they would not have run it like that would have been run over by the competition and other sites.
I do not like the fee increases ether but its a fact of life that things up,they never stay the same.I consider the USPS to be one of the worst company's in the US for doing just that.
The recent rate increases are way above the standard rate of inflation.
Question is how far can ebaY push those fee's before it reaches the top of its curve and heads back downwards.
Anybody that looks too ebaY for a full time income needs to look at the system more closely and watch as I have.
I decided to cut it as the one source of income as I did not want to find myself all of a sudden up a creek without a paddle which I see could easily happen.
I agree its not what it was,the bids are lower,the people are crankier,its more of a flea market,garage sale mentality.
Ebay's advertising is over a year too late and I think it has made no difference to the bids or bidders at all.
I think ebaY sees this too so they are going into international markets,where this is a new venture and has the same feel too it there to bidders as it did here.
posted on January 29, 2001 10:07:07 AM
I have an idea.....since AW won't start their own auction, why don't we do it for them and start our own auctions by posting pictures as a topic?
The USPS is one of the most profitable parts of the government in existence.I think it clears billions of dollars a year.
Has email hurt it I think not most of the email I send and receive would not be sent via regular mail anyway.
In fact I think it has helped more than hurt it with ebaY around and others more items I think go via mail than before and its not the first class mail its priority.
Next time you go to the USPS look how many of those folks send items priority and notice too that if you send it another way there is often only avout 30c different between priority and other forms of mailing items and most of those folks will pat the extra 30c.
I see them do this all the time.
Ebay's bottom line is to make a profit and the bigger the better.
If you follow stocks as I do though I have none if a company just makes the estimate or just beats it by 1c it will often get hammered.
People holding these stocks are not content with just doing that they want you to beat by a clear margin.
posted on January 29, 2001 10:43:52 AM
Barry, I agree with you, and I also very much liked your other posted analogy of the artisans "community."
During its first several years, eBay tooted its horn about the unique "community" that had emerged, but now that eBay is morphing into something else, that is just so much lip service.
For example, I sell vintage jewelry. Naturally my items tend to be fairly unique, so to market them on eBay can become a costly and time-consuming proposition. Getting some decent category changes was a nightmarish exercise in itself, but one thing that our focus group emphasized was the need to have Vintage and Costume Jewelry divided into CONTEMPORARY vs. VINTAGE, because that is often how collectors shop. So now that we have that, what happens?
Some of these mass marketeers with dozens of newly minted jewelry items are bulk uploading them into the VINTAGE jewelry categories! Those of us who sell unique items now must compete with this BRAND NEW schlock, our items vying for attention among pages of boring and repetitive titles. When we complain to eBay about the inappropriate categorization, we are told that te seller, as an "entrepreneur," can list wherever he pleased. Well why the #@!#$ did we bother to try to come up with categories that would best assist sellers and buyers find what they were looking for, if eBay is not going to insist that items be properly categorized.
Well, sorry -- I'm an "entrepeneur" too -- but I guess as long as this other seller is willing and able to spend all these listing fees listing and RE-LISTING his items, eBay is happy.
I understand where you're coming from, and it's a very legitimate concern. I too am faced with this in one of the categories I list in. It cleary reads: Pre 1940, yet some shmucks will bulkload 100's of items a week that wouldn't be considered Pre 1980, let alone 1940.
I was speaking to the manager that oversees the Collectibles categories a couple of weeks back when this subject came up. It's a very tough situation to control.
There's only one real solution to the problem, and I doubt most sellers would be too happy to see it implemented.
eBay would have to hire a small army to handle the complaints, or to randomly monitor the categories, make a judgement call, and then NUKE the auction if the seller listed it in an inappropriate category.
As much as I hate bulk listers who use this tactic to hit as many categories as remotely connected as possible, the other side of the coin might even be scarier? I'd hate to see newbie eBay employees hired to play God.
And just in case anyone suggests that "splitting" the antiques & collectibles categories off into their own little world might be a solution, think again.
posted on January 29, 2001 01:09:10 PM
Hi Reddeer,
Certainly eBay needs to avoid the "Police State' mentality, the shoot-first-ask-questions later, and when it comes to enforcement, I opt for the "When in Doubt Leave it Up" approach.
There are though, some mass marketeers where the impropriety is QUITE OBVIOUS. For example, one jewelry seller's auctions quite clearly state (in the text) that the items are brand new. (One has to click through to find out though.) To me, this is a no-brainer, a few auctions nuked would quickly cure this person of improper listings, but eBay doesn't have the starch in its spine to follow through. Trying to be too many things to too many people I guess.
Yes, I agree that some auctions are VERY obvious. I think that what you might not realize, is this takes place in every antique & collectible category on eBay.
eBay has to either be passive with all, or go after all of them when another user complains.
Here's a good example. I recently listed a piece of pottery that is NOT what the Pottery category is listed as. The reason I did so was because I knew that some of the collectors of that particular pottery would also be interested in this piece. It's a good go with, that some of these collectors also bid on. And they have on this piece.
I did make sure to mention this was NOT made by the company that the category was listed as, and also showed a large pic of the markings so no one could say they didn't know.
eBay currently has no rules in affect with regards to where one can list their items, [except adult items] and if they did, it would mean that they would pretty much have to have thousands of "experts" to call on for each complaint that came in.
So, even though you & I might feel these are "improper listings", they really aren't.
They're just as legal as any other item placed for sale on their site.
Personally as much as I hate these bulk loading "improper category" listing buzzards, I have no idea what a workable solution would be?
Even if they split the "Antiques & Collectible" categories off of the main site, there would still be thousands of sellers that would continue to list items in "improper categories", and once again we would have to rely on eBay as a vetting committee of sorts.
posted on January 29, 2001 02:57:19 PM
Just another thought ........
From what I've seen of the recent category changes, I'm left with the feeling that in many cases, eBay doesn't have a clue what they're doing. Waaaaaay too many chiefs, and not enough indians. [no offense to the Native American readers]
This also holds true with many of the recent policy changes. I "used" to think eBay had thought most of what they were doing, or about to do, through. After the last few months, I honestly doubt that very much.
Many of the current people in charge of the various categories [as well as other areas] are fresh off the turnip truck & have been with eBay for less than 1 year.
The person who is currently in charge of the Collectibles categories is working on some new changes, and my advice to her was get the mess that's already in place tweaked before she moves forward with any "new" changes.
I pointed out a number of redundant categories to her & asked why eBay felt the need to have the same item listed in three seperate locations?
Here's a few of the things that I had pointed out to her & her co worker, that they had never spotted.
Wade
Listed under:
Porcelain:Wade
Pottery:Wade
Decorative:Wade
Oh ya, like that's making it easier for the shoppers????
Here's another example.
Porcelain:Carlton Ware
Pottery:Carlton
Again, totally clue less. These are the SAME items that due to someone's brain fart at eBay are now split up into 2 seperate categories? Dumb-dumb-dumb.
And a vintage pottery company like Beswick, has no category at all? I also pointed out that there was over twice as many Beswick items listed [title search] as there were both Carlton categories combined. Duh.
Sounds like they'll be creating a Beswick category in the very near future. Let's hope.
How about .....
Porcelain:Made In Japan
Pottery:Made In Japan
Super, why not a Ceramic:Made In Japan category while they're at it.
I also pointed out that there were approx 250 Holt Howard items listed on any given week, yet there was no category? Some of these HH items sell for hundreds of $$$.
And yet some "never heard of before" item with less than 10 items listed will have it's very own little spot on the category pages.
Unreal.
I seriously hope that eBay was listening to what I had to say, and that they clean up some of the current mess before they start screwing with anything else, but I won't be holding my breath.
Jewelry ........ I won't even touch that one. What a major mess.
Again, these micro categories are being created & tweaked by NEWBIES. Obviously some of these peole have no concept what it's like to shop OR sell on eBay.
Sure they've bought & sold a few items, BIG deal, try listing a few HUNDRED items, then we'll talk.
I've read in the past about all the great & wunnerful things that the Voices meetings have accomplished, and I'm not trying to pick on the people that have volunteered countless hours "attempting" to talk some sense into eBay, but I get the feeling the worker bees at eBay either do what they're told, or they they do whatever sounds or looks good to them personally.
If they listened to even half of the suggestions given to them by experienced users of this site, they wouldn't be in such a mess today.
If in fact some of the things I've suggested over the past few weeks actually get tweaked or added, I might be singing a different tune?
posted on January 29, 2001 03:58:05 PM
Perhaps the double categories for the same type of items is an intentional thing that ebay is doing.
This way the sellers are tempted to list in two categories so they are more certain that their item stands a chance of being seen. And ebay makes more money.
Next we may have the offering from them to list in three categories. This would work for the Wade items.
posted on January 29, 2001 04:02:18 PM
I am aware that the problems exist across categories, but Jewelry is where I sell so that was the example I used. I do not buy the helpless or passive rhetoric that I hear from eBay. There is no reason they cannot implement some basic and reasonable criteria for what constitutes misuse of categories. I don't give a rip if they have to get their corporate hands a bit messy for better enforcement in this area -- after all, they certainly embrace a Scorched Earth enforcement policy in OTHER areas -- and I certainly would EXPECT that complaints be fielded -- good grief, that is SafeHarbor's JOB! At some point eBay is going to have to do a better job of balancing the needs of the mega-mart sellers with the individuals (or i-n-d-i-v-d-u-a-l-s, as Radh calls us) or risk alienating many of us. I'm not holding my breath, obviously, I am sadly agreeing with Barry that $$/bottom line is really all that eBay Corporate cares about anymore.
I do agree with you, Reddeer, that eBay managers are terribly naive in many areas. I feel sorry for the poor category managers. eBay is big enough that they could/should be using experts in these fields. Then they wouldn't have to come, hat in hand, to an outraged but much-better-educated user base to try to clean up their messes. And no, eBay managers have no idea what life is like for those of us "in the trenches." One of the reasons I stay with Voices is that occasionally the messages do get across, though it is a very different experience than our first conference in 1999. Now I feel as though we are trying to push back against a runaway train.
posted on January 29, 2001 08:40:42 PMNext we may have the offering from them to list in three categories
Shaani ...... It might be best to keep those bright ideas to yourself.
I happen to like the "double category" listing feature, and know that many users did in fact ask for it, I just don't think they were expecting to have to pay for it. Guess they were fooled eh?
eBay has told me that 65% of the buyers on eBay use Search, so that still leaves 35% that must strictly browse. Considering that many users simply browse the GGG listings in their favourite categories, I think that for "some" items, listing them in 2 categories can be well worth the extra fees.
Lisa ......... I know I've made some disparaging remarks in the past about the Voices program, but they were never directed at the "volunteers" of the program, simply the program itself.
I find it rather interesting that since I declined the Collectibles category manager's request to go to San Jose next month, I haven't heard another word from her.
We had been emailing back & forth & she also called me a few times to discuss the Collectibles Categories & wanted more of my input. I turn down the Voices offer, and poof, I no longer exist. Ha!
I told her I could offer the same input via email & the phone as I could if I flew there & had a face to face. 3 hrs of winter driving doesn't strike me as very inviting.
Not only that, but my wife can't get to sleep unless I tuck her in at night.
If this some how plays out differently than what I'm expecting, and I see some positive changes, I'll make sure to give credit where credit's due.
As far as the bottom line being all that eBay Corporate cares about, yup, and it's been that way for quite some time. I never did buy into the *community* crapola that eBay was constantly pushing, and I feel sorry for those that did.
