eBay

gifts_of_elegance · ‎05-17-2008

I hate it! I noticed my listing that ends in 4 hours is shown AFTER listing that ends in 18 hours!! I sell authentic Swarovski items, made by Swarovski and bearing the swan logo yet fake items that are posted as "Swarovski" (only resemblance is it sparkles too) take precedent as "Best Match" over my authentic items. I also noticed that many auctions that end within a minute are down at the bottom of the list, preceded by listings that have hours to go.
I can understand eBay feeling the need to "reward" their best customers and I have no problem with them showering them with gifts or other perks, but not at the expense of other sellers. We all pay the same for a listing and it makes no difference if we sell one 99 cent widget a month or a dozen million dollar items, we all deserve to have our products marketed equally. History has shown that such practices of favoritism is an invitation for corruption (kick backs, protection money, extortion) and limits freedom of expression from the little guy trying to make a living.

lina-mallows · ‎06-01-2008

gifts_of_elegance- What if we to add an 'educational'- "DID YOU KNOW- type of bulletin to all our auctions?

Something like-
"Are you aware that eBay is not always providing you the BEST information on the items you may wish to purchase. Please CHANGE your default settings to ITEMS ENDING FIRST- OR RECENTLY LISTED. (left side bar- personal preferences) to change your searching preferences) "

I am considering adding something like these instructions to ALL our auctions.
Who knows the outcome of hundreds of people viewings realizing that they may not be receiving the BEST information possible.

dipmicro · ‎06-01-2008

Whatever. Dear eBay, we will survive. Will you?

lina-mallows · ‎06-01-2008

How about this INFO note-

IS BEST MATCH- your BEST MATCH ???
Did you know that eBay recently began manipulating your searches in a manner that benefits them- and not you?
Did you notice that your search results don't quite appear as they used to?

IF YOU BELIEVE IN AN UNBIASED SEARCH- THAT LET'S YOU DECIDE WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU-

PLEASE- change your default search setting to RECENTLY LISTED- or ITEMS ENDING SOONEST- for YOUR BEST results. This is the way it used to be. Until eBay thought they knew better than you how to search for an item! Don't be fooled.

lina-mallows · ‎06-01-2008

dipmicro- eBay for what it's worth, is precariously close to becoming like STARBUCKS. Too BIG, too arrogant, and too much hung up in their mistaken belief that they are 'the only ball game in town".

Sadly- the tipping point may have recently occurred, and eBay has QUOTE JUMPED THE SHARK END QUOTE !!!

I am optimistic. VERY optimistic. Optimistic that another company will soon emerge, and oh how the once mighty will crumble.
Anyone remember EATONS? WOOLWORTH'S/WOOLCO?
SIMPSONS? STEINBERG?
These were once the Titans of Canadian retailing. And where are they now?

So what makes eBay believe that they are immune to the vagaries of the REAL world?

lina-mallows · ‎06-01-2008

An aside- if anyone is a betting type of individual- SHORT eBay.
It's going to be ONE BIG SECOND/THIRD LOUSY QUARTER coming!

And the US slide into a recession isn't going to be helping eBay anytime soon. Just because people are staying home more often because of HIGH gasoline prices, doesn't translate into bigger profits for eBay. Financial insecurity does not lead to increased eBay sales.

dipmicro · ‎06-02-2008

A Chinese seller with 200 FB and item ending in few hrs ranks #1 before my item ending in 11min on eBay.ca. Interesting.

Well, as long as they continue bringing buyers, they can keep changing their little rules and policies.

g-manthebossman · ‎06-02-2008

has anyone given any though to the fact that the majority of buyers are auction snipers who bid at the last moment, now and since I started buying on ebay i always use the ending soonest search option and i think that the majority of users still will do that, sales have been and always will be based on "how soon can i get it" and "how cheap can i get it"

personally i find the best match search annoying because the auctions are so jumbled up now, i like shopping in chronilogical order. this may have an effect on new ebayers but i belive this will affect very little.

gifts_of_elegance · ‎06-02-2008

lol....Good point! I bet eBay has never thought of that. IN their attempt to "reward their best", they are confusing the buyer to the point of no sale!

lina-mallows · ‎08-13-2008

PLEASE SEE 64/67 posted 01-06-08 23:10 EDT

For those that didn't notice my posting, here's what happened.
While past performance is not an indication of future performance (or lack thereof), I am always amused when a company's profit rises 22%, and the stock immediately drops 6.6%. Gotta love those shorting options!

"Associated Press
EBay 2Q profit rises 22 percent but outlook soft
By RACHEL METZ 07.16.08, 8:10 PM ET
NEW YORK -
EBay Inc. said Wednesday that its second-quarter profit jumped 22 percent, as the online auction company enjoyed strong growth in its e-commerce sites and its PayPal payments service.

But eBay's outlook for the current quarter was softer than analysts had been forecasting, and the auction company's shares fell 6.6 percent in after-hours trading. The stock had gained 4.5 percent in regular trading to close at $28.10."

NOW- today eBay's stock price is less than US$26.00!
US$25 here we come!!!!