posted on January 25, 2001 04:10:20 PM
Hello, first let me say, I have never received anything like this before from ebay and I have listed around 2000. I honestly didn't realize I did something wrong. Can someone maybe explain it to me, maybe I am just having brain freeze, and am just not picking up on what exactly it is I did, but I want to make sure I don't do whatever it is again.
Dear auntjemima1
>
> We appreciate the fact that you chose to list the following item with
eBay:
>
> #xxxxxxxx - Tammy Doll or Look a Like Doll!
>
> Unfortunately, your listing contains the following information, "Tammy
Doll or Look a Like". Listing your items in this way is considered
"Keyword Spamming", which is not allowed on eBay. We realize that you may
not be aware of this policy, therefore, we are taking this opportunity to
inform you of it and warn you against further violations.
>
> Keyword spamming is the practice of adding words, including brand names,
which do not directly describe the item you are selling. Keyword spamming
is also unfair to members who may be searching for a specific item and
receive search results of listings which are not selling these items. In
addition, certain uses of brand names may also constitute trademark
infringement and could expose members to legal liability. (end of message)
I x'd out the item number because I am not sure if I am allowed to post that on this message board (and I guess now I am alittle paranoid).
First I did not mean to mislead anyone, the doll looks exactly like the Tammy Doll but she has no markings. I thought by saying Tammy Doll, because thats who I think it is, but also including that it may not be, was alerting any potential buyers that 1) I think that is who she is but 2) I am not saying with certainty because there are no markings. Second, I will assume that someone safeharbored that auction to ebay for them to have notified me about it.
Thanx for any info from all you ebayers out there. I am not saying I disagree with any of the email that I received from ebay, just that I need to understand it alittle better so I do not make the same mistake again.
posted on January 25, 2001 04:51:18 PM
Gee, if that's true, hoards of people are "breaking" the rules. Barbie-"type", Steiff- "like", Toni- "type".....the list goes on.
How else are people supposed to describe something that's similar to something else?
Lately, it seems like eBay has some sort of vandetta against Sellers.....what a joke anymore!!!
posted on January 25, 2001 04:56:22 PM
Some of us who list in the vintage jewelry category went rounds with SafeHarbor over this very issue, because much of our goods are unsigned designer pieces. We wanted a way to attempt attribution, in good faith.
The solution is this:
Tammy Doll ?
or
Possible Tammy Doll
with an explanation in your listing why you believe this to be an unmarked Tammy Doll. If you can provide specific details that lead you to believe this is that kind of doll, include them.
Unfortunately the rules and enforcement at SafeHarbor is quite inconsistent.
posted on January 25, 2001 05:16:06 PM
Thanx everyone for your replies! Lisa B. -One of my next questions was going to be typing something like Tammy Doll ?, because I do that ALOT!!! I sell many dolls, and unfortunately alot of the older ones did not have markings. So I spend hours researching and trying to find these dolls, if I find a doll that doesn't have any markings but looks like the doll I have, I put in who the doll looks like in the main heading and then a ?. You would be surprised how many ebayers will email me and say this doll is so and so or she might be so and so. I thought putting look a like in would have people look at the doll and if it wasn't usually I get an email saying that too. But wouldn't putting in Possible Tammy Doll be the same thing, when people search for Tammy Doll, that would read the same, Possible Tammy or Tammy or Look a like, I am still a little confused!
Mr. Jim, I can understand that, but what if it was a "rare" or great find for someone and I didn't put in the heading who I thought it was, because of fear that it might not be, I miss a great sale, and someone misses a doll they may have wanted. I speak for myself as a buyer also, I buy dawn dolls and I would hate for a nice Maureen doll to be listed as 6 inch doll, long hair. Also I still do not know that she isn't a Tammy Doll.
Joice, thank you for letting me know it was ok to put the item number in, in those circumstances.
posted on January 25, 2001 06:22:31 PM
It is going to be difficult for me to reply calmly to this post, so please be patient.
In a recent post I mentioned the many reasons I left ebay as a seller. One was the increasing "Big Stick" mentality of the ebay powers that be.
I had a similar listing in which I used in the title: Strawberry Head Jam Jar, Lefton Like.
I was promptly and mercilessly bashed on the old beano by the eBad Wonderkids.
I was not trying to mislead anyone. The piece was exactly like a Lefton piece, and may well have been one, but it was not marked as such. (Probably due to the fact that Lefton marked many of their pieces with a red and silver sticker, which usually came off in the forth wash.) (They used good glue!) With a limited number of title spaces in which to post your listing, there is only so much one can say.
The moral of the story is: Never say like!
It is quite okay to say in your description that this piece is "very similar to the Lefton Strawberry Head Jam Jar" but you cannot say "Lefton Like" for abbreviation purposes.
Alas, evil sinner that I am, in the shadow of the big stick I was made to see the error of my ways. I humbly repented, begged forgiveness and crawled to Mecca on my knees to make atonement for my sin of wantonly misleading innocent customers with such blatant keyword spamming.
eBay got my attention, for sure. But what eBay is NOT getting is one more cent of my money. There are times when you just have to say "enough already." I appreciate that there has to be some control of keyword misuse, but where eBay is concerned, intelligent discretion seems to play no part in the matter.
On the lighter side, I think the only staff at ebay who earn their pay are the ones who spend their days doing title searches for the word "like." Rumour has it that they actually go into an ecstatic trance when find some luckless, wanton seller like you, auntjemima1 (and me) to bash
Go Eboys! You're doon good! Y'all got another evil keyword spammer today. Keep up the good work and your quota will soon be met for yet another week!
And shame, shame, shame on you auntjemima1 - you are a very, very bad person for committing such a heinous crime! You will do this again. You will be smacked again. And you will do it again. And you will be smacked again. And one day you will wake up and smell the roses.
posted on January 25, 2001 11:01:27 PM
Safeharbor reps are not investigators, they are basic customer service reps. Some are more astute than others. Needless to say, there are discrepancies among the interpretations and comprehension of policies, and uneven enforcement.
In the vintage jewelry category, several of us contacted the SafeHarbor team and expressed our concerns that led to a clearer understanding of the need for a less punitive policy that would sift out true "keyword spamming" from a seller's good-faith attempt at attribution. We were able to get a policy that works well in our category -- but I have no idea whether it is uniformly applied to all collectible categories. May I suggest you get some other Doll Sellers (maybe contact your colleagues on the Doll Chat Board) and approach eBay with this and see what you can work out. Try [email protected] or [email protected] and ask for a supervisor to get back in touch with you.
posted on January 25, 2001 11:21:44 PM
Don't use the trademarked name in your item title, even with a question mark (especially since you've received a warning already about naming the doll in the title).
But you can give the name for comparison purposes (as in, "this doll looks like a Tammy Doll, but it has no markings" in your auction description.
posted on January 25, 2001 11:44:22 PM
Just say "Tammy Doll" in the title and explain in the ad itself...something along the lines of "it appears to be a Tammy Doll but is unmarked so I can't be positive"
And I agree...what is the difference between Tammy..Tammy like and Tammy?...all are going to come up on a search for Tammy.
in your auction description.