We met new friends on the boards. We learned new skills--how to upload pictures and told about our lives to the entire world on the “Me Page”. Enter the era of the digital camera and now---we actually got to see what we were buying!
Some changes took place and we persevered. Then more changes were introduced. We sighed, took the hit in the pocketbook and continued our pursuits.
Then we were SLAPPED---we were knocked down. Many livelihoods were virtually destroyed with the first wave of major changes. Now, buyers are the boom and sellers are doomed. Sellers have no recourse for bad buyers and that just isn’t fair! We are taking it in the backend on sellers’ fees to the tune of a 66% increase.
Many stay-at-home moms are suffering. Many senior citizens spent many hours learning to sell in order to supplement their monthly income. I even chatted with some sellers who were able to manage their prescription care based on eBay sales and when it took a nosedive, they were seriously jeopardized.
Okay, I’m usually one who sees the glass half empty. But, we have to move on and begin to fill the glass again! Many sellers and buyers have transitioned to other sites. During the first boycott, I literally kept refreshing my browser and watched one powerseller with over 10,000 feedback take down his store and delete his inventory. Each time I would refresh, his inventory went from over 5,000 items---then 4,700 items---and on and on until he had totally deleted each and every item in his store. I don’t know the gentleman, I don’t know what his financial situation was and I don’t know where he moved his inventory. I do know it was sad.
I continued to read news articles and online news stories about how eBay didn’t want small-time sellers. I read that they didn’t want us “flea-marketers”. I read that there was more protection for the buyers and sellers were totally vunerable.
Yes, I believed the stories, I believed the online news postings. But it was hard to fathom that eBay, as we have known it for years, was totally changing their format and wasn’t even taking a moment to listen to those who helped build the site many years ago. Most definitely, my bank account believed it
eBay spokespersons actually made it very clear in several quoted interviews and press releases. And, as recently as May 26, 2008, those eBay representatives continue to say--they really don’t want us...anywhere in the world!
My first international sale was to a buyer in Australia. As we know, this is a large island far away from the US mainland. The lady I sold the dolls to was absolutely thrilled to win my auction and have 3 porcelain and bisque dolls, actually in deplorable condition, to learn to restore them and make them new again. She fired off pictures of her exciting win to her friends and wanted to know if I had more dolls to restore. This ecstatic buyer helped me learn the international shipping procedures and was as helpful as she could be. Now, our Aussie friends are being hit and hit very hard. The rest of us will follow in the months to come.
What has eBay done? I will let you read the article yourself. It is sad, to say the least. I don’t know why I was shocked, I already knew the facts. I had already moved on to onlineauction.com.
But dang--eBay truly doesn’t want us unless we play totally by their millions of rules and regulations and give them what we have worked hard to earn. And they don’t want to help us, the sellers, when unwarranted negs are given.
Join with me and thousands of others who have found a new home. Instead of Paypal, I encourage buyers and sellers to look into alternatives, such as www.googlecheckout.com, www.revolutionmoneyexchange.com, and www.xcoin.com.
Will ola.com. completely destroy eBay? No---probably won’t ever happen. I truly believe that only a very, very small percentage of the millions of eBay buyers and sellers actually know what has been going on since the first of the year. They probably haven’t ‘done the math’ to realize the significant bottom-line loss.
But I can assure you that onlineauction.com. will be THE PLACE to sell and buy, to make new friends, to carry on chats and learn about our friends from around the world. There are no listing fees, no final value fees. You simply pay your $8.00 per month and presto---start listing as many items as you want!
I ask that you read this article from AuctionBytes.com. eBay made it perfectly clear that if we don’t like their rules, we are more than welcome to move on to other internet venues.
Then, I ask you to listen to Chris Fain from onlineauction.com.
Judge for yourself.
Thank you for 'listening' to my rant today!! Make it a great day in your life, whereever you are!
