Wednesday, May 7th, 2008
The Buck Starts Here
I saw posts from Scot Wingo and Ina Steiner earlier today regarding a new shopper rewards program eBay is currently testing. The test is invite only (with participants randomly selected) but because I was transcribing my interview with Brian Burke well into last night, I didn’t check my personal email until this morning, and therefore was unaware that I had been invited to participate in the 3-month promotion.
Here is the body of the email I received…
You’re one of a select few invited to try out a new program we’re testing to reward loyal eBay shoppers.
What do you have to do? Just sign up. It’s fast, easy and we’ll even give you a $5 balance to get you started. We’ll track your qualifying purchases* from May 15 to August 14 and rack up your eBay Bucks. Then you get 30 days to spend* them on eBay on something you love.
Hurry, participation in this test program is limited so sign up soon!
A few things I’ve dug up regarding the eBay Bucks promotion:
1. During a 3-month “Earn Period” (5/15 - 8/14/08) invited participants will earn rewards for their qualifying purchases.
2. This is a test - not only of the promotion itself (hence the invite only) but also of the percentages given back to users. Therefore there are different levels of percentage kickbacks (ranging from 2% to 5%). Scot states that he was offered 4% as a participant. I was offered 3%.
3. If a user has not been invited but is interested in participating, they can sign up for potential future tests after logging into http://rewards.ebay.com. I would recommend heading over there to see if you are a part of the program; as Scot pointed out in his post, he didn’t receive an email invite but was able to sign up for the program nonetheless. The reason for this, I was told, is because the emails are still being sent out but if someone goes to the link before receiving their email, they will still be able to access if they were part of the random group of users.
4. At the end of the 3 month promotion, I have 30 days to redeem my eBay Bucks Voucher - that will be paid out via PayPal coupon.
In order for a purchase to qualify:
1. The purchase must be made after I enrolled in the program and between May 15 and August 14.
2. The purchase must be paid for using PayPal.
Purchases in the following categories do not qualify:
1. All categories in Motors (although Parts & Accessories purchases DO qualify)
2. Classifieds
3. Giving Works
4. Real Estate
5. Business & Industrial Capital Equipment
This is a test for a potential long-term loyalty program so I’ll report back on how this goes over the next three months.
Cheers,
RBH
Tagged: buyers, ebay, ebay+bucks, ecommerce, online+promotion, Promotion, rewards+program, sellers
MCOn 05.08.2008 at 5:19 am Said:
Richard:
I received an invitation in my email, but not my eBay Messages. (RED FLAG?)
I took a chance it wasn’t a spoof (out of ALL websites eBay and PayPal are the ones you have to worry about the most) and logged in. The page goes blank and nothing shows up.
Silly me - using Mozilla Firefox. I went to Microsoft Internet Explorer (favorite of hackers) and did get through. I changed my password and now I pray I’m not a victim of scammers.
Then I clicked on the Terms and Conditions, just for grins.
Who signs your paycheck Richard? Are you an employee of eBay?
“1.7 Employees of eBay Inc. (”eBay”), PayPal, Inc. (”PayPal”), and Kondra Systems, Inc. and all their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, and their immediate families (spouse, parents, children, siblings and their respective spouses) and individuals living in the same household as such employees are ineligible.”
Looks like you can’t join.
A little farther down you read:
“eBay and PayPal are not responsible for printing or typographical errors in any Program related materials; for stolen, lost, late, misdirected items; or for transactions and/or emails that are lost, misdirected, fail to enter into the processing system, or are processed, reported, or transmitted late or incorrectly or are lost for any reason including computer, telephone, paper transfer, human or other error; or for electronic, computer, or telephonic malfunction or error, including inability to access any web site associated with the Program, or process any transaction thereon.”
Hmmmm… So the same company, eBay that makes a Shipping Calculator that continuously malfunctions, is famous for being a victim of “spoof emails” and has countless “computer glitches” (usually in the favor of eBay) has NO RESPONSIBILITY. Remember, moments ago I couldn’t even log into the site.
“stolen, lost, late, misdirected items”… Hmmm, we have to use PayPal and eBay/PayPal REFUSES to provide protection.
No thank you - that’s too much risk for me to assume.
Richard - I commend you for your presentation of our questions to the eBay brass, as asked. I’ve been BS’ed twice by Griff after I mistakenly trusted him. You’re almost trustworthy, but my better judgment tells me NOT to trust ANYONE from eBay/PayPal AT ALL.
I tell my friends to stay away from eBay. I encourage my enemies to become Power Sellers and open a ProStore.
MC
eBay member since 1998
HenriettaOn 05.08.2008 at 10:59 am Said:
Loyalty Program? I was so gobsmacked I had to look it up.
Loyalty, noun
1. the state or quality of being loyal; faithfulness to commitments or obligations.
—Synonyms 2. fealty, devotion, constancy. Loyalty, allegiance, fidelity all imply a sense of duty or of devoted attachment to something or someone.
Three comments:
Loyalty is earned, eBay today has zero loyalty towards customers and has done nothing to earn my loyalty or that of any other seller I have communicated with in months. My product is now listed on my own website, eCrater and Loudfrog. I search for my buying wants on Google and use Google Checkout to pay. I have gone from substantial balance in my Paypal Money Market Account to zero balance with the new TOS, Vanguard is safer. If eBay wants my loyalty back it is going to take a bit more than 2% - 5%
I give bigger loyalty discounts to my customers! A returning customer gets an automatic 10% on that order.
I can’t be eligible, I am not a PS
AmberOn 05.08.2008 at 1:22 pm Said:
My invite was for my selling id *snort*
It was found lurking in my spam folder where it belongs.
And no My Message for me either. Even worse, buyers are being expected to follow links in the email that direct them to a sign in page.
With all of ebay and paypal’s phishing problems, these kinds of notices NEED to be in My Messages.
Patricia1On 05.08.2008 at 5:00 pm Said:
@ Henrietta - could it be that ebay has a different interpretation of loyalty? What is going on since January sure doesn’t fit the definition of loyalty and if ebay is expecting any from its sellers, they’re in for a shock! Loyalty still has to be earned no matter how big and rich you are! 
Patricia1On 05.08.2008 at 5:01 pm Said:
I didn’t get an invite but I did get an update on the Seller’s assistant program on an OLD ID that was merged into my present one years ago! …I read it and said, huh???
Mike RalphOn 05.09.2008 at 10:08 am Said:
I got one on my buying account and am looking forward to racking up the points while I “ebay arbitrage” to provide my income 
Extra earning are always welcome..thanks Ebay
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