'Confessions of an eBay Scammer?' Uh.... I'm not sure what to think about this industry blog post

[momcqueen]

Did you guys see this today? http://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/blog/blog.pl?/pl/2015/12/1450839298.html

I'll get you started:

Tue Dec 22 2015 21:54:58

What Are Your eBay Confessions?By: Ina Steiner

"My name is Joey and I'm a recovering eBay scammer." While that is not a direct quote from the author of this article in The Atlantic, those words sum up the premise of his piece. Joey, a young man now teaching English in China, describes how he began selling love spells, tarot card readings, and other spells on eBay in its metaphysical category. Not believing himself to be a fortune teller, he was a college student "just looking for a little bit of beer money," he says. "Breaking into the business wasn't difficult," he writes. "The formula for selling was easily deconstructed, and subtlety was unnecessary and rarely practiced.....

The Comments section at the bottom are, uh, interesting. 

Personally, I can't imagine 'scamming' anyone, nor having a good enough reason to even concoct a plot to do so.

I saw the Disney film Pinocchio at an impressionable age. 'Let your conscience be your guide.' My Jiminy Cricket is the size of a Labrador moose. 

[momcqueen]

The source material in The Atlantic is well worth a read.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/12/ebay-fortuneteller/421542/

$12 Love Spells and 99-Cent Tarot Readings: My Stint as an eBay Fortuneteller

Among the auction site’s once-prolific mystical vendors—who together sold thousands of supernatural “products”—was a college student just looking for a little bit of beer money.

Kara Gordon / The Atlantic\

• JOEY FENING
 
•  DEC 22, 2015

[momcqueen]

I'll offer just one final thought before I move on to things other than having this conversation with myself. 

Having been completely and utterly, blissfully unaware of this category on ebay until now, notwithstanding the fact it no longer exists, I'm not certain selling tarot card readings for 99 cents is a total 'scam'. I'm not into this and it is neither my gig nor bag, but science has long proved the value in the placebo effect. If people feel well, they will be well.

The source story in The Atlantic is a good one. 

The comments at the bottom of the eCommercebytes bit are interesting.

Have a read when you have time. 

[ricarmic]

Hi Mjw! When I read this to myself, I found myself thinking that it would be difficult to separate "valid" providers vs "scammers" in this category anyway.... and I agree with you that hearing something good for 99c and feeling good afterward is cheaper than a cup of coffee....

I also think that "marketing" material to try to get attention for an item could also be misinterpreted as scamming by some buyers too.... especially if the marketing is a bit too zealous...

As opposed to the 317th phone call I got today from very helpful support people calling to tell me they are seeing problems with my Bell internet account that they need to help me fix. At least they've changed the generic "windows" errors they used to call about... I didn't have time to play along to keep them on the phone and away from trying to scam others for a while so I just hung up on them....

[rose-dee]

I have to wonder why this is the only subject that Ina Steiner has at the moment to address.  Is there nothing more important or relevant to talk about? 

I also have to ask whether this subject -- and the "confessional" -- is appropriate to be airing so publicly on an industry blog, not to mention that the transgressions in question in this piece appear to have occurred quite some time ago.  Where the heck did she dig this up, and more importantly, why?

As mildly amusing and entertaining as it may be, this is the kind of bad editorial judgment that makes me doubtful about the competence and integrity of the rest of Ina Steiner's news reporting.  This piece is kinda cringe-worthy, don't you think?

[momcqueen]

Well..... 

Having once been in the news-generating business, not every piece is going to be a peach. I might have written ten thousand articles in my brief career but not all were gems. Some are page-fillers, some are attention-seekers, some are comment-generaters.... Not everything is Pulitzer-prize worthy. 

This one was interesting. 

It was sort-of timely having been recently published in The Atlantic despite being a few years past due. 

As to its handling on her blog, well. It got MY attention, that's for sure. And that of a few other people.

[rose-dee]

---

@mjwl2006 wrote:

Having once been in the news-generating business, not every piece is going to be a peach. 

---

Oh, yes, I know.  I spent several years in public relations and media liaison, and everyone is capable of a stinker now and then.  However, over the years Ina Steiner's chops as a reporter and self-styled investigative media blogger have been questioned by many in the industry.  

I don't want to belabour the point, and I have a lot of respect for the Atlantic, but I simply think that Ms. Steiner's piece was a matter of poor reportage and even worse editorial judgment.  It's one thing for a journal like the Atlantic that is not directly involved with an industry to have fun with a titillating piece of self-confession by an apparently only partly repentant wrongdoer, but quite another for Ms. Steiner, as a sort of industry insider, to pick it up and parrot it, then invite further "confessions" from sellers.  The rotten egg filter must not have been working that day.  Thankfully the comments below the article balance the overall effect somewhat.  

To me this article -- if you can call it that -- is working directly contrary to the industry (and especially its sellers) that Ms. Steiner often ostensibly tries to assist.  I couldn't help but consider what buyers who read that piece would be thinking.  Ha-ha, it's very funny to have ripped off buyers, but hey, it's OK as long as it was in the past and we confess?  Wow, thanks Ina.  Nice Christmas present to sellers. 

[dmil8030]

<<'Confessions of an eBay Scammer?' . . .  The source material in The Atlantic.>>

The most jaw-dropping scam story I read was the book "Fake: Forgery, Lies and eBay" which is along the lines of

this article here but in "Fake" the scammer tells his story of getting caught and ending up in jail for his efforts.

There are quite a few copies of this book available here on ebay if anyone wants to nab one. 

I liked Walton's story because it is well-written, and he documents his tale chronologically, culminating in how he finally

ended up facing imprisonment.  Whereas there is something about Joey Fening's "confession" that retains a smugness 

to it, or he seems to be making an effort to excuse his behaviour by way of his being a college kid.  Maybe I am just 

feeling a bit cynical today.  

Where Walton describes a shame that will infuse the rest of his life, Fening actually seems disappointed that the 

'hocus pocus' category was finally axed.  He exhibits no real contrition for his crimes, and when he says 

"Being pushed out of the business rather than excusing myself, though, was no vindication. When The Wall Street Journal

called a couple weeks later, I decided that a public confession would offer a satisfactory substitute", he almost 

appears to be proud of the opportunity.  

And of course, having read the earlier book and seeing just how much this present 'confession' reads like a précis 

of that work, I can't help but wonder if Fening, too, has not read Walton's book.  

As for Steiner's "What Are Your eBay Confessions?", well, I suppose everything these days has to have an 

attachment for every readers's opinion.  We see it everywhere, - it is as if no article, review or commentary can stand

alone any more.  Every piece of writing has to have a 'What do you think' section.  

I would agree that if people want to buy a bit of 'feel good' for a couple bucks that's their business and they should 

be able to spend their money on nonsense if they want.  I suppose ebay cut that category because there really are 

too many people who genuinely believe anything (such as the examples provided in the article, - potions to win the 

lottery and so on) and if ebay permits this, ebay is seen as the enabler for those who prey on the susceptible.  

It's like those 'random junk drawer item' listings, - "send me a buck and I'll send you a surprise".  Ebay apparently 

does not allow them either yet it seems to me if people want to play along and spend their money on that, 

it should be up to them if they want to throw their cash away.  When they end up infinitely disappointed they will have

learned a valuable life lesson for a comparatively low cost. 

Well, that's how I see it anyway.