We have the technology… Better, Stronger, Faster

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FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Tuesday, May 27th, 2008

We have the technology… Better, Stronger, Faster

Tomorrow will mark 8 weeks since we turned the blog on. In that time I’ve heard great feedback on what is working, great feedback on what could be improved (and also some feedback questioning whether my parents were married when I was born). All in all, a lively two months.

I wanted to alert you to some enhancements coming to Ink over the next few days…

Today we’re launching the new Video Feed module (on the right side of the homepage). The response to the behind-the-scenes video interviews between Pierre and John was great so I thought we’d make video a regular feature of Ink. I’m launching it with footage from the opening of eBay’s “green” building, appropriately titled: “Mint”. I managed to obtain the video from eBay’s Internal Communications team that has been kind enough to share with me a number of videos previously only intended for employee viewing. Look for more video footage over the coming weeks and months.

Secondly, I had received a number of requests indicating that people would like to subscribe to the blog comments (in addition to the blog posts themselves). Feeling more than happy to share the ability to receive the 100+ comments a day, I have obliged. We’re in the final stages of bug-testing that feature, so look for that later this week.

I’ve been receiving questions and topics via email that I’ve been rolling out here on Ink – both about eBay and the blog itself. If you have topics regarding the company, and any of its business units, please feel free to email ebayink@ebay.com.

Cheers,
RBH
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Sandi / May 27th, 2008 at 2:18 pm

I’ve been receiving questions and topics via email that I’ve been rolling out here on Ink – both about eBay and the blog itself. If you have topics regarding the company, and any of its business units, please feel free to email ebayink@ebay.com.

Does sending them direct via email increase the odds of getting response, or equal to posting on blog?

implog / May 27th, 2008 at 4:35 pm

Looking forward to the upgrades.

Has eBay President Lorrie Norrington answered the question I posted on the first day of the blog concerning her confusing “non-paying bidder can leave a negative” post on the eBay Announcement board?

I saw that you asked the question to Brian Burke but it was Norrington’s Announcemnt post and I would appreciate her clarification.

After Burke’s explanation of his retaliatory feedback “research methodology”, his “neutrals are negs” equivocation and the “A buyer who is referencing product condition, not receiving the product, etc. is a very good indicator that the buyer sent money” statement I’m not so sure that he is the best source of the “transparency” we seek.

Rebecca Funk / May 27th, 2008 at 10:45 pm

Hi, i see that as usual the “power sellers” are getting a pretty good deal and are being protected quite well on the feedback change policy. However, as a little guy just trying to make a few bucks but trying very hard to give the buyer what he needs , I don’t really see any benifits for me! Is it because we are small and just don’t matter or what?

Mechelle / May 28th, 2008 at 12:01 am

Hey Richard

Can you find out the details of the (EMR) Enhanced Member Reporting tool? I only know that it is an honor for positive membership that some sellers have been rewarded with. Also, that it is to quickly report other sellers for violations.

So, can you get the scoop on what employee benefits these special members will receive for using the (EMR) tool to help eBay clean up the crappy sellers? It would be great if it came with both medical and dental- oh and maybe 2 weeks paid vacation. Oh crap- I almost forgot I would definitely need mental health coverage

Ok please hurry and get the details I am very excited

Formerly Known As MarikaBooks / May 28th, 2008 at 5:18 am

I saw the title, “We have the technology… Better, Stronger, Faster” and I thought you were talking about Ebay. I almost fell off the chair laughing.

Mechelle / May 28th, 2008 at 9:00 am

@Formally Marikabooks

I had the same thought initially LOL

Henrietta / May 28th, 2008 at 9:42 am

I don’t think I could bear the recent volume of frootloop comments being sent by email, hopefully the comment :: posts subscription is editable?

If not I would appreciate instructions on opting out of the subscription altogether. I can always come here to read and scroll, baby scroll.

TW / May 28th, 2008 at 10:59 am

Personally Richard I am utterly disappointed in this blog though I probably shouldn’t be surprised. It is what so many have said it would be from the start. No discussion, no give and take, no real substance, a self serving (for eBay) blog that skirts all he real issues. Just letting a few posters talk about how disgusted they are is not special in the least. We have that in the boards already.

And certainly I doubt it is a conduit into the policy makers at eBay because they just keep shoveling out one anti seller policy after another like a machine. I mean a listing special for free shipping? Give me a break!

But I want to know where all the buyers went? If my items were bringing even what they used to before all the policy changes I would not feel this way. But that is far from the case. My sales, as well as many others I have talked to in the same categories, are significantly down. eBay has grossly misinterpreted data gathered at such expense.

It’s a sad time for many of us who have worked so hard to help make eBay what it is or more to the point was.

Patricia1 / May 28th, 2008 at 11:27 am

TW – I certainly agree with that. After 10 years, I’m letting my last three listings finish and will place no more. I have 100 percent feedback, 5.0 across the board right now and I can’t get views on my listings. Charts are showing just a bit more then 10 percent sell thru rate in arts. To me that means I’m simply paying ebay for nothing! In the past month I’ve had only 11 sales – this after selling 30 to 60 pieces a month – is very very dismal. Everyone on the arts board is complaining and its all falling on deaf ears. An email sent to one of the managers came back with glowing words about how good things are going to be…well, they just aren’t! Ebay needs to address the PRESENT problems of lack of traffic and seller disgust with the new policies and they need to do it honestly or all is lost.

Henrietta / May 28th, 2008 at 11:41 am

Thanks for the reassurance Richard and also congratulations on surviving your first two months in style. YOU are one of the few good things to come out of eBay this year. Some amazing insights into Corporate processes, for which I thank you.

Henrietta / May 28th, 2008 at 12:17 pm

@ TW “But I want to know where all the buyers went?”

An awful lot of small sellers were addicted buyers too, we were part of the vocal minority Usher Lieberman spoke about in his classic quote; “the ‘vocal minority’ who are unhappy ‘will be routed off’ the site.”

Probably I am wrong, after all, appscount e-zine reported in an article March 4th “We finally received a note from an eBay representative almost a week after the scheduled end of the boycott. He apologized for the delay–chalking it up to being a busy time of year. Fair enough–I imagine that the months following the holiday seasons are fairly traffic-heavy times for the auction site. Plus the switchover of power and resulting policy shifts couldn’t have made things any easier. In response to our initial question, the representative responded, simply, “There was no impact of the so called boycott. And no one showed up to protest either. A lot to do about nothing.”

implog / May 28th, 2008 at 12:20 pm

The capacity increase in the Blocked Bidder List is another good thing to come out of eBay this year.

HMNNNNNNNNNNNNNN / May 28th, 2008 at 6:15 pm

Implog, that is so true!

HMNNNNNNNNNNNNNN / May 28th, 2008 at 6:19 pm

Richard,

Speaking of the BBL, may I ask why (about 3 weeks ago, right before the FEEDBACK change took place) all of our BBL’s no longer were alphabetized?

It’s very hard to see if the latest BB added “took”, as well as doing a quick search when you recognize a bidder that is not welcome and you want to make sure that they are on your BBL.

Thanks in advance!

Cheers!

TW / May 29th, 2008 at 9:00 am

I’m sorry but increasing the capacity of the BBL is going to be pretty useless when all buyers can have is positive feedback.

And some say check feedback left for others. New ID’s and “private” feedback will defeat that.

Patricia1 / May 29th, 2008 at 9:18 am

It will be interesting to see whether or not this site will “disruptive innovate” itself into non-existence LOL Sellers are their MAIN buyers – that’s why traffic is so low on the site now…and only getting lower. Me thinks they bit off a lot more than they can chew!

HMNNNNNNNNNNNNNN / May 29th, 2008 at 2:47 pm

Yes, Richard.

All of my accounts are no longer alphabetized.

Cheers!

Dakota / May 30th, 2008 at 1:43 am

If the technology eBay has is so wonderful, why does it keep making me log in over and over without a reason?

I can go from page to page and all seems fine and all of the sudden comes the the log in page. At one point, I logged in 6 times in just under an hour.

So much for you great technology!

Mechelle / May 30th, 2008 at 2:40 am

@Dakota

how would you rate item as described- in regards to the product you buy from eBay- I personally give it a merciful 2.

I’ve done the nonstop sign in game multiple times- it is insanely frustrating.

You know I filed an unauthorized transaction against eBay through paypal, but they didn’t agree it was unauthorized. To me when I make a payment to pay my eBay fees and paypal puts a hold on it then lets ebay rip money out of my account sucking money out of my personal bank account causing me to accrue over draft fees – that is an unauthorized payment.

This is the best – when questioned on why the hell they were holding the payment they responded with – no joke- we placed on hold on the payment to verify that it was an authorized transaction. So I guess it must be a issue for people to hijack paypal accounts to pay eBay seller fees. Not my choice of activity if I were to break the law, but we all have our own preferences.

So what was my point??

Oh- I wonder if we use PayPal to pay our fees if we can file an item significantly not as described against eBay with PayPal buyer protection?

Dakota / May 30th, 2008 at 4:30 am

Mechelle

A 2 would be merciful.

I thought I was being nice with a 1 or 1.5. haha

I can’t believe that they have all those techies and what not and can not even get some of the basic funtions of the site to work properly.

The log in thing is still an issue this morning. I have had it do it in the past a few times but not for hours on end like this. It is really annoying!

The deal with your money – that would really burn me. What in the world?

As I knock on wood, I haven’t issues like that. I feel so bad for you. I suppose it is the old, 21 day hold thing. I hope they are paying you interest on that money instead of pocketing it for themselves!

Since payment is going through PayPal, I would think that all of the same rules should apply but you can bet that they would not agree.

What’s going on with your money is a crock, to put it nicely!

Sandi / May 30th, 2008 at 6:20 am

Oh- I wonder if we use PayPal to pay our fees if we can file an item significantly not as described against eBay with PayPal buyer protection?

No, Paypal will refer you to ebay. Never pay ebay fees with paypal in you want overcharge protection – use your credit card company. At best ebay will give you a credit, forcing you to list in order to get your money back.

Mechelle / May 30th, 2008 at 8:05 am

@Dakota

Oh sorry this was in December so no not the 21 day hold. Really I made the payment for my eBay fees and PayPal put it on hold out of concern that I didn’t authorize the transaction. While on hold eBay sucked the money out for payment

@Sandi

yes that is exactly what happened eBay wouldn’t give my money back I had to use is to pay my fees as I went. Yeah, needless to say PayPal is not longer the auto payment option, but my paypal debit card is, but it is not backed up by my bank. If PayPal dipped in my bank to pay that now they would be in some hot water.

Actually, I was referring to item not as described being the system/service we receive

Henrietta / May 31st, 2008 at 3:11 pm

Once upon a time I had a considerable proportion of my funds in a Paypal Money market Account. It was a good thing, I was making 1/2% over my mutual fund account.

Then the User Agreement was changed. With the new user agreement if PayPal thought (no proof required just an opinion or random thought) I was in violation of TOS they could hold my funds and the interest for 180 days. In reality they could hold it for ever because a new 180 days could start every time they had another thought. Additionally PayPal could help themselves to my funds in $2500 chunks at a time anytime they had a ‘thought’.

If you or I did that we would be looking thorough bars! “Well my income is a bit low this month and I think you might have been up to no good, guilty, case closed $2500 fine. Next!”

I removed my funds, every penny, and put them in a nice safe mutual fund account where the fund administrators have no urge to be prosecution, judge, jury and executioner all in one. Moreover, they abide by the constitution which says I have a right to trial, and to defend myself.

This whole eBay as the ‘Supreme Being who knows all’ is so outrageous that it is insane. I decline to participate. I participate here because Richard has done a good job showing what goes on behind the curtain, but it is nothing more than morbid curiosity on my part.

What does technology have to do with this? My personal opinion is that eBay/PayPal are putting entirely too much faith in technology when plain ordinary common sense would tell you that GIGO is still the rule. There are severe flaws in input.

Mechelle / May 31st, 2008 at 3:59 pm

I am astonished that anyone would trust a non FDIC insured account with their money and even more so when it is PayPal.

What I find interesting concerning PayPal as a user initiated service how do they justify holding the user who initiated payment to a seller just because they feel like it. As a seller I in no way initiate PayPal to hold money I receive or send.

Also, when I receive payment through Google Checkout it goes into my bank account not in an account Google will earn interest from, that Google will force me to use when I make a purchase, or that Google will hold and earn interest from if and whenever they feel like it.