Sometimes it seems Skip McGrath can read my mind because he writes about what I've been thinking. A recent piece in his June newsletter (at http://skipmcgrath.com/newsletters/current.shtml#five) hits the nail on the head about how eBay just isn't as fun as it used to be.
Probably the tipping point came when they made the change that sellers could no longer leave feedback for buyers the same way buyers could for sellers. And yet I know they were trying to address the "tit for tat" reciprocal bad feedback problem they had on their hands with some transactions. But still.
Then the big eBay Live conferences, which used to be such a fun annual gathering, each time in a different city and part of the country, went bye-bye in favor of smaller, local klatsches.
Meantime, selling rules multiplied and selling just seems a lot harder and more complicated than it used to be. Is this absolutely necessary to keep the platform alive, or just making things too difficult for the average Joe to attempt? Or is eBay trying to get rid of the average Joes in favor of professional sellers, be they small or large businesses?
So what suggestions do I have? I don't know, but I do plan to think about it. They say you should not make a criticism unless you have a plan of your own. I think one start would be to bring back the eBay Live conferences, but that may be just me. Is there something else they can do to bring back a sense of fun? Maybe highlighting one seller a day on the main page? Or what about a random prize for any buyer or seller on a given day? And what happened to that feature where we were going to be able to create avatars for ourselves, kind of like Wii "Mii" characters?
I don't know. I'll think about it. Meantime, take a look at Skip's piece; it makes a lot of good points.
http://skipmcgrath.com/newsletters/current.shtml#five
Probably the tipping point came when they made the change that sellers could no longer leave feedback for buyers the same way buyers could for sellers. And yet I know they were trying to address the "tit for tat" reciprocal bad feedback problem they had on their hands with some transactions. But still.
Then the big eBay Live conferences, which used to be such a fun annual gathering, each time in a different city and part of the country, went bye-bye in favor of smaller, local klatsches.
Meantime, selling rules multiplied and selling just seems a lot harder and more complicated than it used to be. Is this absolutely necessary to keep the platform alive, or just making things too difficult for the average Joe to attempt? Or is eBay trying to get rid of the average Joes in favor of professional sellers, be they small or large businesses?
So what suggestions do I have? I don't know, but I do plan to think about it. They say you should not make a criticism unless you have a plan of your own. I think one start would be to bring back the eBay Live conferences, but that may be just me. Is there something else they can do to bring back a sense of fun? Maybe highlighting one seller a day on the main page? Or what about a random prize for any buyer or seller on a given day? And what happened to that feature where we were going to be able to create avatars for ourselves, kind of like Wii "Mii" characters?
I don't know. I'll think about it. Meantime, take a look at Skip's piece; it makes a lot of good points.
http://skipmcgrath.com/newsletters/current.shtml#five
Julia, I subscribe to, and enjoy your e-newsletter. I read that you are doing an Amazon "blog" through their website, and attempted following your instructions and am not finding it. I am an ebay AND an Amazon seller, and as much as I enjoy selling on Amazon, and as many fewer hassles as I find on Amazon, I must say that we feel they make it VERY difficult to learn about their selling programs and policies / procedures. I KNOW they have the ability to do a better job ! it is quite frustrating, as I think the potential there is HUGE ! Please give more detailed info on how to access your Amazon blog. Thanks !
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