posted on August 2, 2001 06:04:12 AM
I am curious to see if anyone thinks this is ok by E-bay rules?
When I ship an Item I put the following in the note.
Most buyers respond and ask me to give them a heads up and from that I create a list and when I list an
item I send them all a "spam" letter.
This has improved my repeat business.
Thank you again for your business!
Your item , %%AuctionId%%, %%Title%%, was shipped today and should arrive in the next several
days.
I will continue to give you a "Heads Up" when I list similar items. Please let
me know if that is ok with you. If you would prefer that I don't do this please let me know and I will honor
your request.
When your item arrives, assuming you are satisfied, can I please ask
you to give me a positive feedback? I have already done yours.
posted on August 2, 2001 06:40:58 AM
Your apporach is indeed spamming, albeit a slightly less evil sort. The recipient has taken no action at this point that could be considered consent for receiving your later emails.
Commercial email is not spam if the recipient has taken some action stating that he wants to receive future mailings.
That said, there are still two ways to get the message across... one friendlier than the other.
The first would be to take your exact verbiage and place it in the initial notification letter. The recipient needs to read that message in order to fulfil the auction, so you are justified in stating he has seen your terms and agreed to them.
This is called an "opt-out" methods, because the recipient must take a conscious action in order to prevent you from sending more material.
It's also annoying, and you don't want that. Annoying tends to be bad.
Instead, go for an "opt-in" approach. In each message you send, include something like...
"I frequently list items similar to this one. If you would like to be notified when I place new items up for auction, please contact me."
This way, you can be certain that the emails you send are going to genuinely interested buyers. It positions you as a doubly conscientous seller -- once for allowing them the heads-up, and once for respecting their privacy.
I'll be employing this method myself with my next volleys of email. I'm eager to see what kind of results it provides!
posted on August 2, 2001 06:53:21 AM
I didn't make myself clear.
I ONLY add names to my various lists when the buyer e-mails me back and gives to ok to notify them.
I save those reponses in a folder in case E-bay needs proof.
Do you still think that is spamming?
I will continue to give you a "Heads Up" when I list similar items. Please let me know if that is ok with you. If you would prefer that I don't do this please let me know and I will honor your request.
It sounds to me like you are asking your buyers to "opt out", not "opt in"?
Perhaps it would be better if you worded it this way.
If you would prefer that I give you a "Heads Up" when I list similar items, please let me know via email.
That way you aren't "forcing" them to email you if they prefer NOT to receive an email from you, AND you have a record of that email just in case someone decides to forward your "heads up" email to safe harbor.
posted on August 2, 2001 01:05:56 PM
Here's the official answer to your question, direct from SafeHarbor itself (in response to my email to them asking for more details as to how I was violating their rules and I've only included the relevant parts for the question you asked):
Spam is considered as any email of a commercial nature sent to email
accounts from which specific permission has not been given to send such
information.
This includes those who are not members of eBay, eBay users who may have
bid on your past auctions or on others' auction items similar to yours.
This also includes using the "Send this auction to a friend" option to
send advertisements of auctions to users you do not know. Though some
users do not mind receiving such email, others send reports of this type
of "spam" every day. Once we receive these reports, we send out notices
explaining this policy to the seller to avoid confusion in the future.
Please allow me to go into detail of the alert, and offer some possible
solutions to avoid this violation in the future.
If you want to send emails to notify members about your auctions,
sending email to others, one at a time, asking their permission to put
them on your mailing list, is acceptable as long as each email is:
1. Free of any links - This includes links to eBay or to your personal
website.
2. Free of pricing specifics or generalizations - this includes
comparisons or "less than" quotes.
3. Free of item listings - this includes your giving your user ID, your
auction number and particularly any clickable link to your eBay auction
page.
4. Sent one at a time, with the option to be added to your list (and not
with the option to be removed).
You could word an email request like this:
"Hello! We are putting together a mailing list of people who have shown
an interest in [your typical type of item(s), i.e., beanie babies, rare
books, vintage clothing, etc. - must be very general], as we often have
this type of item up for auction. If you would like to be on our mailing
list to receive notices of the great items we have put up for auction on
eBay, please let us know by replying to this email."
Remember to eliminate any mention of item numbers or prices. Also, it is
best to make sure you include the words "mailing list" in this email, so
the intent of your email is clear to the recipient. If a user does NOT
reply to your message, you must assume they are not interested in
receiving your commercial email.
Another option you may want to consider is to advertise your auctions
and relevant information on your "About Me" page. You can do this by
putting something in your future auction listings to direct bidders to
your page such as, "Check out our About Me page for more information on
future auctions." This will advertise to bidders who are interested in
the type of items you offer what other items you have available.
I hope this addresses your concerns, and that you enjoy your use of
eBay.
Regards,
XXX
eBay SafeHarbor
Investigations Team
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eBay
Your Personal Trading Community (tm)
