Ebay recently announced upcoming changes to their ongoing seller-extermination pogrom. Chief Executive Cocksucker Donahoe comments on the matter were secretly recorded by one of his rogue staff members. Donahoe simply said, "Fuck the goddamn sellers!"
A lot of water under the bridge already of course, since Donahoe has singlehandedly killed off hundreds of thousands of small and medium sellers over the past few years, while his diabolical seller inquisition mercilessly rolls forward. Naturally, sellers loathe the piece-of-shit, and aren't as shy as they used to be when denouncing his utterly retarded and insane innovations. As a result, the son-of-a-bitch has taken a bit of flak here and there from stock analysts, who are starting to figure out "who" the problem is over at eBay. This has angered Dickahoe, and he has charged his staff to "get tough", and "take out as many sellers as possible, as soon as possible!"
Immediately, dozens of ass-kissing subservients went into high gear, and their latest pogrom means only the real big sellers can remain. Why is this? Because the real big sellers have special "contracts" with eBay, which is another way to say the "rules" don't apply to them. Ever wonder how the biggest sellers, racking up a hundred negative feedbacks PER DAY are considered "Top Rated"? No, it's not just that they beat the statistics, it's that their contracts literally say they don't have to worry about the idiotic eBay rules. And this makes sense, because big sellers would never sign up for a "coin-toss" business, allocating a sizable investment, only to have silly eBay rules stop them dead in the water. That would never fly, and besides, if you're big enough, you could even sue the eBeast.
And so the small and "medium" sellers are done for. By the way, before you decide none of this applies to you, you are a "good" seller, or maybe you are a "big" seller, you had better really read about the upcoming changes. Remember, all this is already on top of the infamous "no negative" policy, and the ludicrous "DSR's", and the recent massive fee increases (eBay cast this biggest fee increase EVER as the lowest fees ever!). Now, you are going to have to hope that the Post Office, or UPS, or whoever you use, does their job, EVERY TIME. If they drop the ball even once, you're screwed!
Here's how it works. If one of your beloved buyers should open a "Dispute", because they didn't get their item, it will now count against you. Wait a minute! That sounds fair. "Why don't you crafty sellers just give us our stuff?!" Look closely. The buyer merely has to open the dispute, and it counts. Do you ship out "same day"? It doesn't matter! Do you always use tracking numbers? It doesn't matter! Again, read it and weep. If the buyer merely opens a dispute, you've got a problem. You may show a tracking number, that you shipped immediately, and you might even protest that it's only been two fucking days since they made the purchase! You argue that it's utterly impossible for the item to arrive 3,000 miles away so fast! Too bad. Now get this, you "good" seller, the buyer just hosed you...FOR LIFE.
Yes, for most small and medium sellers, the mere opening of a dispute, regardless of circumstances, ends your eBay "career". Because in order to get the visibility you need on eBay, you MUST be a "Top Rated" seller. And to be Top Rated, you are only allowed one-quarter-of-one-percent (0.25%) of opened disputes. To put this into perspective, lets say you sell 400 items. If even ONE of the 400 experiences a delay that displeases the buyer, you're OUT!! Oh, you're a "big" seller, who sells thousands of items? Really? Do you sell thousands PER DAY? In fact, the big "contract" sellers DO sell thousands per day in many cases. Again, some perspective. What if you sell 1,000 items per month? That's already put you in the top rung, by far, compared to most sellers. BUT, the same quarter-percent still applies! You get TWO (and a half) nutty and/or impatient buyers, and that's IT. Oh, so you sell $100,000 per month? Tough shit. Out you go! It's actually worse than this. You could sell three items to ONE buyer, and combine his shipping, and off it goes in one package. But you're not "lucky" that month, what a shame, that one buyer just opened up a dispute, uh no, make that THREE disputes! No worries! Ebay has the solution for you! You can globally set your preferences so that a buyer can only buy one of your items at a time! Yes! That's it! When you have a buyer, maybe a repeat buyer, and he wants to honestly buy multiple items from you, tell him to take a hike! After all, it's the only way you can insulate yourself from having one "unlucky" incident turn into many! Dumbahoe, you can't be serious...
Donahoe needs to be stopped. The sociopath has proved he won't, and it may in fact be "personal" at this point. He knows the sellers hate him. He knows they are right, and now the only thing the worthless cocksucker can do is retaliate. He is literally in the process of burning the house down before he bails out! Stop him you negligent Board of Directors! Punish the asshole! You can SUE him! All you have to do is just document a tiny bit of his insanity, and you can fire him without even having to pay him off! Sue him! If he's smart, he'll know that the truth about his ineptness can't get out, or he will never earn that kind of undeserved money again. He'll be good, you'll see! FIRE him. And even if you do just pay him off, it will be far cheaper than letting him continue. Do it now, before eBay is history...
Showing posts with label ebay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ebay. Show all posts
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Ebay "Community Values"...
Have you ever wandered around the eBay site, and stumbled upon their five Community Values? Here they are...
1. We believe people are basically good.
2. We believe everyone has something to contribute.
3. We believe that an honest, open environment can bring out the best in people.
4. We recognize and respect everyone as a unique individual.
5. We encourage you to treat others the way you want to be treated.
Golly, sure sounds nice! Obviously, some idealism here, which has it's place, but the eBay of today really sings a different tune. In fact, their tune today might have been used as continuous background noise for the sci-fi movie "1984", about that dystopian world of the future, where everything seems to be the opposite of the way it's supposed to be. The famous line from the book that was made into a movie was, "Freedom is Slavery". There is also a "Ministry of Truth", that pumps out the propaganda instead, etc.
So why another dark comparison when looking at eBay's oh-so-special, and super-nice-sounding Community Values? Well, because it's all pure, unadulterated horse-shit, that's why! Sure, it may serve in some way as propaganda, even fooling some of the more naive among us, but their "Values" so-called stand in such sharp contrast to the reality, they only serve to nauseate the thinking person. How so? Let's take a look in more detail, in case you haven't thought about these "Values" much before.
First one says people are basically good. OK, I realize this is a popular notion today, especially among the more candy-ass and privileged within this matrix, but for those of you who feel that people are basically good, consider stepping outside of your box (or your pod) for a moment. Where would we have come to believe such a wild notion? As we look back into history, a long list of evils, almost exclusively done by people, to other people, confront us. Ugly names like Stalin, Hitler and Mao stare us in the face. Tales of millions perishing at the hands of dictators, or because of war, or greed, etc. No doubt if we wait long enough, our history books will be rewritten, but for today, perhaps we should consider the very real possibility that people are NOT basically good. Seems like a no-brainer really.
But are we saying that people are basically evil instead? Well, this would be a predictable conclusion, since we started off with the notion of "goodness" after all. But we need to take a step back before trying to simplistically label people one way or the other. Let's see what we can agree upon. People most often appear to act in their best interests, at least short-term. Yes, it's true there are smokers, and drinkers, etc., and they seem to take regular actions that could eventually cut their lives short, but that's another matter. Most people would probably agree that people tend to act according to what they believe is in their interests. Anything inherently "evil" about that? Maybe, maybe not. Looking back again at history, we do find a traditional explanation for the darker side of human nature known as The Fall. Religionists will be quick to recognize the term, but for the rest, there is a very old idea, passed down through the generations of humankind, that Man was originally created "good", but soon went wrong by making a bad choice, and now is not as he was. Tradition tells us about a Garden, the original pair (Adam and Eve), and a snake or serpent as well. That's the Fall, with the result being that people "should be" better, but today are not, and may actually have a "tendency" to do "bad" things, or at least selfish things. There's more to it, but that's the gist, and does appeal to an intuition that we may have as we evaluate our own behaviors. No, people are NOT "good", and while not automatically "evil", we would be fools to ignore the fact that people do bad things, sometimes very bad things!
And so, Community Value number one, put it in the toilet where it belongs. Let's replace it with something more real, and more useful. People are, what they have ever been. Not necessarily good, nor bad, but given the right circumstances, things can go wrong in a hurry. In applying this to the marketplace, let us recall the ancient Roman dictum, "caveat emptor", let the buyer beware. Yes, that's the way it was, is, and will be, no matter how big a company, or a government gets, that's supposed to "protect" you, and no matter how many centuries go by. Same goes with other situations. Ladies and gentlemen, wake up, when you need that cop, he will not be there. You're going to either be prepared to defend yourself, as best you can, or you will suffer the consequences. And later, don't expect to feel so great when some moron recites some silly shit about "good" people, along with a sorry-ass little smile to go with it. Yeah, tell that to the girl who got raped. Good? Give me a break.
Back to the marketplace. When you buy that medicine for your child, have you done your homework first? Did you merely trust your doctor? Shame on you! You get to join the ranks of the thousands of people who did the same, who felt they had little or no responsibility. And even if your child escaped this time, what about the next? Same goes with anything you buy. Take responsibility! And when you think about what actually goes on in every normal business transaction, you will know that you can't just relax, and hope Big Brother will take care of you. Because your job as the buyer is to get what you want for as little as you can get away with. And the guy you're buying from has the opposite job, he wants to get the absolute most money out of you, and give you the least he can get away with. In between these poles, a deal can be struck. But as in the days of old, when no one was yet so foolish as they are today, you do not let your guard down! And shame on eBay for pandering to the stupid idea of "good" people, which can only set sellers up for more insanity, with unrealistic buyer expectations, based on propaganda.
On to number two. Everyone has something to contribute. So? So fucking what! The better thing to ask here of eBay: Are you letting people make their contributions? Or are you meddling to the point where many just turn away in disgust? Yes, many people have lots to contribute, and I personally don't care about "everyone" (?), that's irrelevant. But the issue here is to go beyond mere recognition that people have something to contribute. Let them DO it too, for crying out loud! The eBay of today isn't letting that happen, but more on that below.
Number three. How about the idea that an honest and open environment can bring out the best in people? Sounds rather nice (again). Sheesh, wake up dummies! This kind of statement smacks of propaganda on it's face! First of all, anyone who actually deals with eBay knows that they are far, far from promoting an honest and open environment. Instead, they willingly promote fraud on their site, through the use of "hidden" identities, facilitating shill-bidding, etc. It takes considerable chutzpah for such a criminal outfit to try and wrap themselves in this moral flag. Second, how is an "honest and open" environment even conceivable? Yes, there is a legitimate notion of "transparency" out there, (look it up eBay!), but the minute we appeal to moralistic terms, such as "honest", we step into the propaganda game. Fuck that. Third, assuming we could have such a wondrous environment, would it really bring out the "best" in people? Exactly how would that work?
You want to know what brings out the "best" in everyone? CONSEQUENCES. This is literally a foreign word over at eBay, but admit it, there is nothing else quite like good, old-fashioned consequences to truly "bring out the best" in people. You don't want your employee to steal from you? Set up a camera! You'd like to make sure you don't get raped up the ass? DO NOT drop the fucking soap to begin with! It's common sense really.
But eBay doesn't do "consequences" anymore, at least not for one HALF of the transaction, since the buyers have been given carte blanche, and sellers must just "hope" they're "good" people! Hopeless more like. Get real eBay! You stupid asshole John Donahoe, you are a criminal, and are building up a shitload of bad karma. One day (soon I hope), I would love to read some news about how some (basically) "good" person car-jacked the fuck out of you, and left your sorry worthless ass for dead. Wake up you mega-prick!
Number four. This one is sweet, which almost rhymes with "unique". But the unique part is only dumb because is so obvious. Yes, we're all fucking unique! Who cares?! The problem is that they say they "respect" everyone. No, that is a lie. They have seriously disrespected their sellers, most especially their small and medium sized, shall we say even, the most unique of their sellers? You want to know what real disrespect is my friends? No, it's not just sneaking off in the morning. How about this one? How about you have your fun with the little lady, and then you KILL her? My, my, now THAT is some serious disrespect! But that is exactly what eBay is doing to their sellers! Slowly killing them off, after having taken their time, their money, in some cases, maybe even their lives, as discouragement leads to despair. Yes, real, unique lives are being broken. Through the callousness of the greedy-fuck Dickahoe and company. The true collective uniqueness is being killed off, so that one day, in the words of that Stallone movie, as enunciated by Sandra Bullock, "All restaurants are Taco Bell!" Thanks Dickahoe!
Number five. Oh how we could all wish Dumb Ass Donahoe really believed such a thing! To treat others, as we would like to be treated? What a concept. But we would be beating a now, very-dead horse to go on too much.
When we all get to Heaven, or Nirvana, or WhereEver, we shall oh-so gladly treat each other as we want to be treated! We might even treat one another with kindness, and respect! Joy would be EveryWhere, and we would finally be Happy! And then we woke up. Sorry folks, this silly utopianism isn't reality. As individuals, we can each make a personal choice to perhaps follow such a noble dictum as the Golden Rule. But as a group, or a "community" (sounds so nice!), it ain't gonna happen.
Let's get real, and replace number five with: "We believe both buyer, and seller were created Equal..." You can make up the rest, but until this basic notion is restored, forget these stupid "community values", and don't expect eBay to be a healthy marketplace.
Comments?
1. We believe people are basically good.
2. We believe everyone has something to contribute.
3. We believe that an honest, open environment can bring out the best in people.
4. We recognize and respect everyone as a unique individual.
5. We encourage you to treat others the way you want to be treated.
Golly, sure sounds nice! Obviously, some idealism here, which has it's place, but the eBay of today really sings a different tune. In fact, their tune today might have been used as continuous background noise for the sci-fi movie "1984", about that dystopian world of the future, where everything seems to be the opposite of the way it's supposed to be. The famous line from the book that was made into a movie was, "Freedom is Slavery". There is also a "Ministry of Truth", that pumps out the propaganda instead, etc.
So why another dark comparison when looking at eBay's oh-so-special, and super-nice-sounding Community Values? Well, because it's all pure, unadulterated horse-shit, that's why! Sure, it may serve in some way as propaganda, even fooling some of the more naive among us, but their "Values" so-called stand in such sharp contrast to the reality, they only serve to nauseate the thinking person. How so? Let's take a look in more detail, in case you haven't thought about these "Values" much before.
First one says people are basically good. OK, I realize this is a popular notion today, especially among the more candy-ass and privileged within this matrix, but for those of you who feel that people are basically good, consider stepping outside of your box (or your pod) for a moment. Where would we have come to believe such a wild notion? As we look back into history, a long list of evils, almost exclusively done by people, to other people, confront us. Ugly names like Stalin, Hitler and Mao stare us in the face. Tales of millions perishing at the hands of dictators, or because of war, or greed, etc. No doubt if we wait long enough, our history books will be rewritten, but for today, perhaps we should consider the very real possibility that people are NOT basically good. Seems like a no-brainer really.
But are we saying that people are basically evil instead? Well, this would be a predictable conclusion, since we started off with the notion of "goodness" after all. But we need to take a step back before trying to simplistically label people one way or the other. Let's see what we can agree upon. People most often appear to act in their best interests, at least short-term. Yes, it's true there are smokers, and drinkers, etc., and they seem to take regular actions that could eventually cut their lives short, but that's another matter. Most people would probably agree that people tend to act according to what they believe is in their interests. Anything inherently "evil" about that? Maybe, maybe not. Looking back again at history, we do find a traditional explanation for the darker side of human nature known as The Fall. Religionists will be quick to recognize the term, but for the rest, there is a very old idea, passed down through the generations of humankind, that Man was originally created "good", but soon went wrong by making a bad choice, and now is not as he was. Tradition tells us about a Garden, the original pair (Adam and Eve), and a snake or serpent as well. That's the Fall, with the result being that people "should be" better, but today are not, and may actually have a "tendency" to do "bad" things, or at least selfish things. There's more to it, but that's the gist, and does appeal to an intuition that we may have as we evaluate our own behaviors. No, people are NOT "good", and while not automatically "evil", we would be fools to ignore the fact that people do bad things, sometimes very bad things!
And so, Community Value number one, put it in the toilet where it belongs. Let's replace it with something more real, and more useful. People are, what they have ever been. Not necessarily good, nor bad, but given the right circumstances, things can go wrong in a hurry. In applying this to the marketplace, let us recall the ancient Roman dictum, "caveat emptor", let the buyer beware. Yes, that's the way it was, is, and will be, no matter how big a company, or a government gets, that's supposed to "protect" you, and no matter how many centuries go by. Same goes with other situations. Ladies and gentlemen, wake up, when you need that cop, he will not be there. You're going to either be prepared to defend yourself, as best you can, or you will suffer the consequences. And later, don't expect to feel so great when some moron recites some silly shit about "good" people, along with a sorry-ass little smile to go with it. Yeah, tell that to the girl who got raped. Good? Give me a break.
Back to the marketplace. When you buy that medicine for your child, have you done your homework first? Did you merely trust your doctor? Shame on you! You get to join the ranks of the thousands of people who did the same, who felt they had little or no responsibility. And even if your child escaped this time, what about the next? Same goes with anything you buy. Take responsibility! And when you think about what actually goes on in every normal business transaction, you will know that you can't just relax, and hope Big Brother will take care of you. Because your job as the buyer is to get what you want for as little as you can get away with. And the guy you're buying from has the opposite job, he wants to get the absolute most money out of you, and give you the least he can get away with. In between these poles, a deal can be struck. But as in the days of old, when no one was yet so foolish as they are today, you do not let your guard down! And shame on eBay for pandering to the stupid idea of "good" people, which can only set sellers up for more insanity, with unrealistic buyer expectations, based on propaganda.
On to number two. Everyone has something to contribute. So? So fucking what! The better thing to ask here of eBay: Are you letting people make their contributions? Or are you meddling to the point where many just turn away in disgust? Yes, many people have lots to contribute, and I personally don't care about "everyone" (?), that's irrelevant. But the issue here is to go beyond mere recognition that people have something to contribute. Let them DO it too, for crying out loud! The eBay of today isn't letting that happen, but more on that below.
Number three. How about the idea that an honest and open environment can bring out the best in people? Sounds rather nice (again). Sheesh, wake up dummies! This kind of statement smacks of propaganda on it's face! First of all, anyone who actually deals with eBay knows that they are far, far from promoting an honest and open environment. Instead, they willingly promote fraud on their site, through the use of "hidden" identities, facilitating shill-bidding, etc. It takes considerable chutzpah for such a criminal outfit to try and wrap themselves in this moral flag. Second, how is an "honest and open" environment even conceivable? Yes, there is a legitimate notion of "transparency" out there, (look it up eBay!), but the minute we appeal to moralistic terms, such as "honest", we step into the propaganda game. Fuck that. Third, assuming we could have such a wondrous environment, would it really bring out the "best" in people? Exactly how would that work?
You want to know what brings out the "best" in everyone? CONSEQUENCES. This is literally a foreign word over at eBay, but admit it, there is nothing else quite like good, old-fashioned consequences to truly "bring out the best" in people. You don't want your employee to steal from you? Set up a camera! You'd like to make sure you don't get raped up the ass? DO NOT drop the fucking soap to begin with! It's common sense really.
But eBay doesn't do "consequences" anymore, at least not for one HALF of the transaction, since the buyers have been given carte blanche, and sellers must just "hope" they're "good" people! Hopeless more like. Get real eBay! You stupid asshole John Donahoe, you are a criminal, and are building up a shitload of bad karma. One day (soon I hope), I would love to read some news about how some (basically) "good" person car-jacked the fuck out of you, and left your sorry worthless ass for dead. Wake up you mega-prick!
Number four. This one is sweet, which almost rhymes with "unique". But the unique part is only dumb because is so obvious. Yes, we're all fucking unique! Who cares?! The problem is that they say they "respect" everyone. No, that is a lie. They have seriously disrespected their sellers, most especially their small and medium sized, shall we say even, the most unique of their sellers? You want to know what real disrespect is my friends? No, it's not just sneaking off in the morning. How about this one? How about you have your fun with the little lady, and then you KILL her? My, my, now THAT is some serious disrespect! But that is exactly what eBay is doing to their sellers! Slowly killing them off, after having taken their time, their money, in some cases, maybe even their lives, as discouragement leads to despair. Yes, real, unique lives are being broken. Through the callousness of the greedy-fuck Dickahoe and company. The true collective uniqueness is being killed off, so that one day, in the words of that Stallone movie, as enunciated by Sandra Bullock, "All restaurants are Taco Bell!" Thanks Dickahoe!
Number five. Oh how we could all wish Dumb Ass Donahoe really believed such a thing! To treat others, as we would like to be treated? What a concept. But we would be beating a now, very-dead horse to go on too much.
When we all get to Heaven, or Nirvana, or WhereEver, we shall oh-so gladly treat each other as we want to be treated! We might even treat one another with kindness, and respect! Joy would be EveryWhere, and we would finally be Happy! And then we woke up. Sorry folks, this silly utopianism isn't reality. As individuals, we can each make a personal choice to perhaps follow such a noble dictum as the Golden Rule. But as a group, or a "community" (sounds so nice!), it ain't gonna happen.
Let's get real, and replace number five with: "We believe both buyer, and seller were created Equal..." You can make up the rest, but until this basic notion is restored, forget these stupid "community values", and don't expect eBay to be a healthy marketplace.
Comments?
Friday, April 9, 2010
eBay DSR's: Dumb, Stupid and Ridiculous!!
For those who sell on eBay, a sequel to the unfolding feedback nightmare was served up in 2009 that was supposed to enhance the feedback system. Detailed Seller Ratings ("DSR's") were introduced on the heels of the hugely idiotic change in feedback policy that prohibited sellers from leaving meaningful feedback for buyers. While on it's face, it couldn't be seen as anything but a titanically unwise move, some excuses were provided, and sellers continued on. But after something so utterly ridiculous, how could anyone imagine anything worse?
Apparently, eBay's feedback guru, Brian Burke, was already busy, not just (mis)using his imagination, but engineering the silly DSR's for his boss. But while Burke is mostly blamed for this nonsense, let's face it, he is NOT one of the Big Four (who fancy themselves the "Fantastic Four"!), but is further down the ladder. Obviously, he is far enough down to be a major ass-kisser, so when CEO Donahoe gave the order to come up with something to make eBay more like Amazon, such as a "Five Star" ratings system, Burke got to work, and handed his boss what he wanted. Sure, Donahoe is completely insane, and everyone knows it, but did that stop all his sniveling underlings from licking his boots? No doubt, Burke had to have suspected that things couldn't possibly be screwed with, so massively, without literally risking eBay's future. But, when he thought about his raises, and bonuses, all long-term considerations obviously went out the window. And besides, what if the new changes really did work? Wouldn't he get big credit, and maybe one day be seen for the (evil) genius that he really wanted to be?
Well, Burke may have been between a rock and a hard place, and maybe we would have done the very same thing after all. He had to give his boss what he wanted. But there's always risk in following lunatics. Dickahoe is famous for taking all credit for all that goes well, while at the same time casually sacrificing some poor schmuck who gets selected for blame when things go wrong. And besides being such a total dick, the bastard has such incredible chutzpah, that his track record even includes blaming old Meg Whitman, who gave him his big chance to fuck the universe in the first place. Yes, he does bite the foolish hands that feed him. Listen up Board of Directors: Stop feeding the maniac! Duh!
So, back to the DSR's. How Dumb and Stupid are they? On the surface, they sort of seem rather tame. The buyer gets to "rate" the seller on some important transaction issues (such as communication, shipping charges, etc.), basically taking his purchasing experience, and putting it into "numbers" for all to see. Further, the buyer gets to do this "anonymously" (sort of), which is theoretically supposed to ensure that an "honest" set of detailed ratings will be left. In addition, maybe it's nice that if something "small" goes wrong, the buyer has the chance to mention it, without feeling the need to leave a negative feedback. And it all happens with a simple to use, visual "Five Star" system, that any second-grader can figure out. It's all good, right?
Well, before answering, let us see how eBay actually uses this system. Since the DSR's come down to a number ultimately, composed of the buyer's ratings, this number can theoretically be used to help determine who the "bad" sellers are, at least based upon the buyer's opinions (which should be the only thing that matter, right?). Ebay actually takes this info and uses it to severely penalize the sellers that fall beneath some average, which is in fact a "moving average", based on comparisons to all sellers, somewhat like grading on the curve. It almost seems "fair", doesn't it? And if you read what some of the business school academics are saying, it seems as if they are mostly convinced too, how wonderful this ingenious system is. Even it's obvious Achilles Heel (purely subjective opinions drive it) doesn't matter as much, because the system is virtually self-adjusting, as it compares all the sellers, making for a "standard of seller excellence" (if you will), that can theoretically never be too far off. My goodness, Burke has done it! He has managed to put together the ideal system! Or has he?
So why do so many sellers hate DSR's? It must just be the "bad sellers", whining out of all proportion, as you would expect them to do, right? And you can also read about many happy "eBay cheerleaders", who constantly post their bull-shit on the eBay Discussion Boards, with their nauseating mantra, "Adapt!" Hopefully, no one is so gullible that they actually believe such idiocy. And no, you can't really get a feel for true seller dissatisfaction by reading the dumb-ass discussion boards. Sellers are very cautious these days, knowing that the eBay "thought police" are out there, and can arbitrarily shut them down, if they appear to be causing too much trouble. Some may recall that not too long ago, eBay actually had blogs, but they were outlawed, because too many rebels seemed to be congregating there, and that just won't do! If you are a naive seller, be careful, don't get too crazy, stay as PC as you can, and maybe The Man (affectionately known as "Massa" by sellers) will let you sell another day!
OK then, so what is the deal with DSR's? How bad can they be? First, let's not forget what started the whole thing off (besides the chief-maniac that is). Ebay thought it might be nice to destroy the existing feedback system by making sure only "positive" feedback could be left for buyers. Stop and really think about the implications of that, other than nullifying the entire system. A buyer now has no responsibility? Seriously? The buyer pays, and in the official words of eBay, they have therefore "fulfilled their obligation to the eBay community, and can deserve only positive feedback". Really? By simply making a payment, that's it? Surely, no one can be so foolish as to imagine it can be so simple?
In fact, in all our business dealings with people, we presuppose some level of trust, or basic goodwill at least, or else we wouldn't want to deal with the person. This is basic, and it's what the original online reputation system addressed quite nicely, for years. Ebay's feedback system was in fact the world's most studied online reputation system, ever. So, another way to put it, eBay effectively destroyed this ESSENTIAL two-way trust, when they abandoned buyer responsibility. Sure, the "system", such as it is, hobbles along nonetheless, but it does so in spite of the changes, and has been dealt a powerful blow. As it stands now, the seller has been left utterly defenseless against buyers who can masquerade as literally "perfect" (remember, since no negative feedback is allowed, everyone "looks" great!), when in fact they are liars and extortionists, who have incidentally also been given the enormous power to shut down any (small/medium) seller that does not want to cooperate with their schemes.
Before writing this off as some too-tiny percentage of buyers, realize that the size of the fraudulent buyer population is not the biggest issue at all. The mere fact that such a tiny minority was handed such enormous power, THAT is the issue, and eBay committed this inexcusable crime! Now, the unscrupulous few, literally have the power to wreck MANY sellers, with the vast majority of those who are wrecked being small to medium size sellers. Why is this? Because the whole game automatically must revert to statistics. That's right. The severity of this issue is actually something that can be properly apprehended using (not misusing!) the discipline of statistics. More on this below, but if this is the case, then we must ask why eBay perpetrated such a terrible thing, since they must KNOW what the consequences are, and by now, they have solid data that indicates the future all too well.
The answer is simple. What is happening, is exactly what was intended. Enough of the "unintended consequences", folks, they fully intended to do what they have done, but continue to lie about it. Everyone agrees that they want to change the "image" eBay has. No longer will it be the online "flea market". It will be a "mall". New items, up-scale items, BIG sellers only, who eBay doesn't have to worry about. Doesn't that sound wonderful? Well, so does Gorbachev's vision of an Earth with only a billion people, who can all live large, and enjoy the limited planetary resources, with a quality of life fit for kings! Except for the part about how 6 billion people have to die, to realize their Utopian dream. And so it is with eBay. Yes, they can become whatever they want! But most of their small and medium size sellers will have to go!
Back to statistics. For a smaller seller, even a "medium" seller, the number of transactions that you need to do becomes quite large, in order to effectively cancel out the magnified power given to the tiny few unethical buyers. But it's worse than that. That "population" of bad buyers actually is UNDERSTATED, because you need to add the LEGION of utterly STUPID buyers to the few bad ones. You know, the buyers that don't feel they need to read the listing. The ones who looked at the picture only, and thought they were getting something else. The ones who went looking for an apple, but found your orange, and got very pissed when the orange showed up. They also went ballistic when they discovered you actually charged for shipping! No, this is hardly an exaggeration! Real sellers, in the trenches, deal with this nonsense day in, and day out. But they won't for long. Because eBay is using the STATISTICAL CERTAINTY of condemning smaller and medium sellers, as the reason to drum them right out the door. Which, if you recall the above, is what they wanted all along.
You see, Wal-Mart, and Costco, and Sears, etc., they have been dealing with "bad buyers", dumb buyers, buyer's remorse, fraudsters, thieves, etc., for decades or more! But they are big, and they can simply "factor it in", and charge you more. And for those who are now thinking, "Well then, factor this into your business model! Adapt!" First of all, SHUT UP, dumb-ass! Second, tell this crap to the mom-and-pop outfit who used to make a decent living, providing excellent service, honest value, etc., who was unfortunate enough to have a Wal-Mart move in across the street. Sure, just "adapt"! Sure, just raise your prices! And when no one buys your stuff, then what? Shut your doors, you're done. And your customers? Send them to fucking Wal-Mart, where else can they go?!
And that IS a problem. Not just for the mom-and-pop, but for everyone. The issue is huge, too big for this piece here, but look into it. The Wal-Martization of America is one of the reasons we have lost our way. We can complain, but if we buy at Wal-Mart, then it's our fault too. If we buy cheap Chinese goods, it's our fault too. What's our fault? Jobs lost. A declining standard of living. An increasingly dim future for our children, etc. No, this is not easy to sort out, but don't push it aside as irrelevant, it is very important, and may end up being a life and death matter, before it's done playing out.
Back to feedback, and DSR's. The feedback system was disabled by the criminal "no neg" policy. This stupidity would already place sellers at considerable risk that was not present in the system before the change. Added risk means an automatic reappraisal of business strategy. Certainly, some sellers would not survive such a change. And then, the DSR's. Final nails in the coffin of the loathsome small/medium seller. Because when you relegate the survival of your business to mere chance, it isn't prudent to continue on anymore, even "if" you happen to be lucky for a while. It's not just a sea-change in the risk level, it's a completely unreasonable burden to place upon the seller who is not friggin' Wal-Mart! It's hugely significant, and catastrophic for everything that made eBay great. The writing is on the wall, you negligent Board of Directors. You should all be sued by the shareholders who are getting hosed so badly. No need to worry about the little sellers though. They are surely your victims, but alas, they are too poor these days to pay any legal bills!
No, we haven't even talked about how eBay really misuses the DSR's yet. And since they can be used to put sellers out of business, we best look at them very carefully, especially with eBay's not-quite-stated goal of eradicating all but the biggest sellers. Here's the way it works. A very minuscule number of 1 or 2 stars left for a seller, kicks them out of the "Top Rated Seller" program, and worse, if they can't muster enough "5's", they're in trouble too. It does no good to argue that the difference between a 4 (satisfied) and a 5 (very satisfied) is moronic. When I eat a good meal, I'm satisfied. Maybe I'm given to hyperbole, so I tell my wife I'm "very" satisfied? Fine, but this is eBay we're talking about! They just can't be serious, but they are, because your average rating must exceed "4", or else! Failure to achieve this ridiculously subjective level of "very satisfaction" results in "hiding" that seller's items for sale, since eBay will promote the other sellers above them. Since they aren't seen, they don't sell. Since they don't sell, they're out of business! Of course, none of this affects larger sellers, because their stats are big enough to absorb erroneous, rogue and bogus ratings. And no, the seller pushed aside doesn't even have to be a "bad seller" at all! In fact, a buyer can inadvertently leave a "one" or "two", and the severe consequences to the poor (smaller) seller are still the same! Worse, this empowers the "competition" to intentionally torpedo the small seller, who consistently offered product at better prices, since the smaller seller is now a very, very "easy target". It gets worse! Unless the targeted formerly "good" seller begins selling a LOT of items, the chances of getting past the unintended and fully intended DSR "ones" (easily from the competition), makes it harder and harder to achieve the status necessary to receive search visibility. And yes, it gets worse! The victimized seller, now facing a bleak future, may feel the need to "fight back", trying to damage his competition as well. Worse. Now, when a fraudulent buyer demands to be payed off, the poor seller has an incentive to just do it. They hate the whole game, but what can they do? And it gets worse. The good buyers now have fewer options, and must pay higher prices. They have no idea that eBay has created such an unhealthy business environment to begin with, but they lament the loss of some favorite seller or two, wonder why prices have gone up so much, and are now afraid to leave "honest" feedback, because sellers will block them from ever bidding again on their items if they dare say what went wrong You see, this is the only power left for the emasculated seller, so they do it more than ever before, and the buyer is left bewildered. How has this happened? And worse. The entire unnatural atmosphere begins to breed previously unanticipated temptations. Sellers who used to makes thousands each month on a few dozen sales, must now make hundreds of sales, not just to fight the statistical battle, but because eBay has mandated such a requirement, in order for them to have a small chance at qualifying for the coveted Top Seller status. They begin selling small-dollar, silly items, just to get their number of transactions up. They begin thinking up other "busy-work" schemes, that aren't merely unproductive, perhaps they really do encourage fraud? Now, in desperation, formerly sterling sellers resort to shill bidding, when necessary. Their desperation has caused them to say just about anything to get a sale! They no longer can focus on bringing a great experience to their customers, because eBay has literally placed them on a treadmill! And on and on it goes.
This is what happens when human nature is regarded so little by those in charge. People are what they have ever been. People are rarely noble creatures, and under the right (wrong) circumstances, can descend even lower than animals in their moral depravity. It is essential that rulers, leaders, have a wise understanding of what people are, and what they are not. Otherwise, unintended consequences will surely follow.
Now, worst of all. Please remember, all this mayhem and horror on eBay is quite likely NOT unintended at all! It sounds almost too preposterous, but no, they have their "dark purposes". And I would further submit, that even the idea that Dumbahoe and company are just trying to remodel the company into a better Amazon, that they are just naive, unwise, stupid, etc. No, that is too simplistic of an explanation, and it falls way short. Could be there is a bigger picture here. Remember, for years eBay served as a place the entrepreneur could go to bootstrap to a better life. It was the place the abandoned single mother could go, and still make good for her children. The provider who was suddenly "downsized" out of a job, they could still make ends meet while looking for the next job. And now, in the middle of the worst economy EVER, this last bastion of hope for survival is conveniently GONE?? Just an interesting coincidence?
I would enjoy your comments...
Apparently, eBay's feedback guru, Brian Burke, was already busy, not just (mis)using his imagination, but engineering the silly DSR's for his boss. But while Burke is mostly blamed for this nonsense, let's face it, he is NOT one of the Big Four (who fancy themselves the "Fantastic Four"!), but is further down the ladder. Obviously, he is far enough down to be a major ass-kisser, so when CEO Donahoe gave the order to come up with something to make eBay more like Amazon, such as a "Five Star" ratings system, Burke got to work, and handed his boss what he wanted. Sure, Donahoe is completely insane, and everyone knows it, but did that stop all his sniveling underlings from licking his boots? No doubt, Burke had to have suspected that things couldn't possibly be screwed with, so massively, without literally risking eBay's future. But, when he thought about his raises, and bonuses, all long-term considerations obviously went out the window. And besides, what if the new changes really did work? Wouldn't he get big credit, and maybe one day be seen for the (evil) genius that he really wanted to be?
Well, Burke may have been between a rock and a hard place, and maybe we would have done the very same thing after all. He had to give his boss what he wanted. But there's always risk in following lunatics. Dickahoe is famous for taking all credit for all that goes well, while at the same time casually sacrificing some poor schmuck who gets selected for blame when things go wrong. And besides being such a total dick, the bastard has such incredible chutzpah, that his track record even includes blaming old Meg Whitman, who gave him his big chance to fuck the universe in the first place. Yes, he does bite the foolish hands that feed him. Listen up Board of Directors: Stop feeding the maniac! Duh!
So, back to the DSR's. How Dumb and Stupid are they? On the surface, they sort of seem rather tame. The buyer gets to "rate" the seller on some important transaction issues (such as communication, shipping charges, etc.), basically taking his purchasing experience, and putting it into "numbers" for all to see. Further, the buyer gets to do this "anonymously" (sort of), which is theoretically supposed to ensure that an "honest" set of detailed ratings will be left. In addition, maybe it's nice that if something "small" goes wrong, the buyer has the chance to mention it, without feeling the need to leave a negative feedback. And it all happens with a simple to use, visual "Five Star" system, that any second-grader can figure out. It's all good, right?
Well, before answering, let us see how eBay actually uses this system. Since the DSR's come down to a number ultimately, composed of the buyer's ratings, this number can theoretically be used to help determine who the "bad" sellers are, at least based upon the buyer's opinions (which should be the only thing that matter, right?). Ebay actually takes this info and uses it to severely penalize the sellers that fall beneath some average, which is in fact a "moving average", based on comparisons to all sellers, somewhat like grading on the curve. It almost seems "fair", doesn't it? And if you read what some of the business school academics are saying, it seems as if they are mostly convinced too, how wonderful this ingenious system is. Even it's obvious Achilles Heel (purely subjective opinions drive it) doesn't matter as much, because the system is virtually self-adjusting, as it compares all the sellers, making for a "standard of seller excellence" (if you will), that can theoretically never be too far off. My goodness, Burke has done it! He has managed to put together the ideal system! Or has he?
So why do so many sellers hate DSR's? It must just be the "bad sellers", whining out of all proportion, as you would expect them to do, right? And you can also read about many happy "eBay cheerleaders", who constantly post their bull-shit on the eBay Discussion Boards, with their nauseating mantra, "Adapt!" Hopefully, no one is so gullible that they actually believe such idiocy. And no, you can't really get a feel for true seller dissatisfaction by reading the dumb-ass discussion boards. Sellers are very cautious these days, knowing that the eBay "thought police" are out there, and can arbitrarily shut them down, if they appear to be causing too much trouble. Some may recall that not too long ago, eBay actually had blogs, but they were outlawed, because too many rebels seemed to be congregating there, and that just won't do! If you are a naive seller, be careful, don't get too crazy, stay as PC as you can, and maybe The Man (affectionately known as "Massa" by sellers) will let you sell another day!
OK then, so what is the deal with DSR's? How bad can they be? First, let's not forget what started the whole thing off (besides the chief-maniac that is). Ebay thought it might be nice to destroy the existing feedback system by making sure only "positive" feedback could be left for buyers. Stop and really think about the implications of that, other than nullifying the entire system. A buyer now has no responsibility? Seriously? The buyer pays, and in the official words of eBay, they have therefore "fulfilled their obligation to the eBay community, and can deserve only positive feedback". Really? By simply making a payment, that's it? Surely, no one can be so foolish as to imagine it can be so simple?
In fact, in all our business dealings with people, we presuppose some level of trust, or basic goodwill at least, or else we wouldn't want to deal with the person. This is basic, and it's what the original online reputation system addressed quite nicely, for years. Ebay's feedback system was in fact the world's most studied online reputation system, ever. So, another way to put it, eBay effectively destroyed this ESSENTIAL two-way trust, when they abandoned buyer responsibility. Sure, the "system", such as it is, hobbles along nonetheless, but it does so in spite of the changes, and has been dealt a powerful blow. As it stands now, the seller has been left utterly defenseless against buyers who can masquerade as literally "perfect" (remember, since no negative feedback is allowed, everyone "looks" great!), when in fact they are liars and extortionists, who have incidentally also been given the enormous power to shut down any (small/medium) seller that does not want to cooperate with their schemes.
Before writing this off as some too-tiny percentage of buyers, realize that the size of the fraudulent buyer population is not the biggest issue at all. The mere fact that such a tiny minority was handed such enormous power, THAT is the issue, and eBay committed this inexcusable crime! Now, the unscrupulous few, literally have the power to wreck MANY sellers, with the vast majority of those who are wrecked being small to medium size sellers. Why is this? Because the whole game automatically must revert to statistics. That's right. The severity of this issue is actually something that can be properly apprehended using (not misusing!) the discipline of statistics. More on this below, but if this is the case, then we must ask why eBay perpetrated such a terrible thing, since they must KNOW what the consequences are, and by now, they have solid data that indicates the future all too well.
The answer is simple. What is happening, is exactly what was intended. Enough of the "unintended consequences", folks, they fully intended to do what they have done, but continue to lie about it. Everyone agrees that they want to change the "image" eBay has. No longer will it be the online "flea market". It will be a "mall". New items, up-scale items, BIG sellers only, who eBay doesn't have to worry about. Doesn't that sound wonderful? Well, so does Gorbachev's vision of an Earth with only a billion people, who can all live large, and enjoy the limited planetary resources, with a quality of life fit for kings! Except for the part about how 6 billion people have to die, to realize their Utopian dream. And so it is with eBay. Yes, they can become whatever they want! But most of their small and medium size sellers will have to go!
Back to statistics. For a smaller seller, even a "medium" seller, the number of transactions that you need to do becomes quite large, in order to effectively cancel out the magnified power given to the tiny few unethical buyers. But it's worse than that. That "population" of bad buyers actually is UNDERSTATED, because you need to add the LEGION of utterly STUPID buyers to the few bad ones. You know, the buyers that don't feel they need to read the listing. The ones who looked at the picture only, and thought they were getting something else. The ones who went looking for an apple, but found your orange, and got very pissed when the orange showed up. They also went ballistic when they discovered you actually charged for shipping! No, this is hardly an exaggeration! Real sellers, in the trenches, deal with this nonsense day in, and day out. But they won't for long. Because eBay is using the STATISTICAL CERTAINTY of condemning smaller and medium sellers, as the reason to drum them right out the door. Which, if you recall the above, is what they wanted all along.
You see, Wal-Mart, and Costco, and Sears, etc., they have been dealing with "bad buyers", dumb buyers, buyer's remorse, fraudsters, thieves, etc., for decades or more! But they are big, and they can simply "factor it in", and charge you more. And for those who are now thinking, "Well then, factor this into your business model! Adapt!" First of all, SHUT UP, dumb-ass! Second, tell this crap to the mom-and-pop outfit who used to make a decent living, providing excellent service, honest value, etc., who was unfortunate enough to have a Wal-Mart move in across the street. Sure, just "adapt"! Sure, just raise your prices! And when no one buys your stuff, then what? Shut your doors, you're done. And your customers? Send them to fucking Wal-Mart, where else can they go?!
And that IS a problem. Not just for the mom-and-pop, but for everyone. The issue is huge, too big for this piece here, but look into it. The Wal-Martization of America is one of the reasons we have lost our way. We can complain, but if we buy at Wal-Mart, then it's our fault too. If we buy cheap Chinese goods, it's our fault too. What's our fault? Jobs lost. A declining standard of living. An increasingly dim future for our children, etc. No, this is not easy to sort out, but don't push it aside as irrelevant, it is very important, and may end up being a life and death matter, before it's done playing out.
Back to feedback, and DSR's. The feedback system was disabled by the criminal "no neg" policy. This stupidity would already place sellers at considerable risk that was not present in the system before the change. Added risk means an automatic reappraisal of business strategy. Certainly, some sellers would not survive such a change. And then, the DSR's. Final nails in the coffin of the loathsome small/medium seller. Because when you relegate the survival of your business to mere chance, it isn't prudent to continue on anymore, even "if" you happen to be lucky for a while. It's not just a sea-change in the risk level, it's a completely unreasonable burden to place upon the seller who is not friggin' Wal-Mart! It's hugely significant, and catastrophic for everything that made eBay great. The writing is on the wall, you negligent Board of Directors. You should all be sued by the shareholders who are getting hosed so badly. No need to worry about the little sellers though. They are surely your victims, but alas, they are too poor these days to pay any legal bills!
No, we haven't even talked about how eBay really misuses the DSR's yet. And since they can be used to put sellers out of business, we best look at them very carefully, especially with eBay's not-quite-stated goal of eradicating all but the biggest sellers. Here's the way it works. A very minuscule number of 1 or 2 stars left for a seller, kicks them out of the "Top Rated Seller" program, and worse, if they can't muster enough "5's", they're in trouble too. It does no good to argue that the difference between a 4 (satisfied) and a 5 (very satisfied) is moronic. When I eat a good meal, I'm satisfied. Maybe I'm given to hyperbole, so I tell my wife I'm "very" satisfied? Fine, but this is eBay we're talking about! They just can't be serious, but they are, because your average rating must exceed "4", or else! Failure to achieve this ridiculously subjective level of "very satisfaction" results in "hiding" that seller's items for sale, since eBay will promote the other sellers above them. Since they aren't seen, they don't sell. Since they don't sell, they're out of business! Of course, none of this affects larger sellers, because their stats are big enough to absorb erroneous, rogue and bogus ratings. And no, the seller pushed aside doesn't even have to be a "bad seller" at all! In fact, a buyer can inadvertently leave a "one" or "two", and the severe consequences to the poor (smaller) seller are still the same! Worse, this empowers the "competition" to intentionally torpedo the small seller, who consistently offered product at better prices, since the smaller seller is now a very, very "easy target". It gets worse! Unless the targeted formerly "good" seller begins selling a LOT of items, the chances of getting past the unintended and fully intended DSR "ones" (easily from the competition), makes it harder and harder to achieve the status necessary to receive search visibility. And yes, it gets worse! The victimized seller, now facing a bleak future, may feel the need to "fight back", trying to damage his competition as well. Worse. Now, when a fraudulent buyer demands to be payed off, the poor seller has an incentive to just do it. They hate the whole game, but what can they do? And it gets worse. The good buyers now have fewer options, and must pay higher prices. They have no idea that eBay has created such an unhealthy business environment to begin with, but they lament the loss of some favorite seller or two, wonder why prices have gone up so much, and are now afraid to leave "honest" feedback, because sellers will block them from ever bidding again on their items if they dare say what went wrong You see, this is the only power left for the emasculated seller, so they do it more than ever before, and the buyer is left bewildered. How has this happened? And worse. The entire unnatural atmosphere begins to breed previously unanticipated temptations. Sellers who used to makes thousands each month on a few dozen sales, must now make hundreds of sales, not just to fight the statistical battle, but because eBay has mandated such a requirement, in order for them to have a small chance at qualifying for the coveted Top Seller status. They begin selling small-dollar, silly items, just to get their number of transactions up. They begin thinking up other "busy-work" schemes, that aren't merely unproductive, perhaps they really do encourage fraud? Now, in desperation, formerly sterling sellers resort to shill bidding, when necessary. Their desperation has caused them to say just about anything to get a sale! They no longer can focus on bringing a great experience to their customers, because eBay has literally placed them on a treadmill! And on and on it goes.
This is what happens when human nature is regarded so little by those in charge. People are what they have ever been. People are rarely noble creatures, and under the right (wrong) circumstances, can descend even lower than animals in their moral depravity. It is essential that rulers, leaders, have a wise understanding of what people are, and what they are not. Otherwise, unintended consequences will surely follow.
Now, worst of all. Please remember, all this mayhem and horror on eBay is quite likely NOT unintended at all! It sounds almost too preposterous, but no, they have their "dark purposes". And I would further submit, that even the idea that Dumbahoe and company are just trying to remodel the company into a better Amazon, that they are just naive, unwise, stupid, etc. No, that is too simplistic of an explanation, and it falls way short. Could be there is a bigger picture here. Remember, for years eBay served as a place the entrepreneur could go to bootstrap to a better life. It was the place the abandoned single mother could go, and still make good for her children. The provider who was suddenly "downsized" out of a job, they could still make ends meet while looking for the next job. And now, in the middle of the worst economy EVER, this last bastion of hope for survival is conveniently GONE?? Just an interesting coincidence?
I would enjoy your comments...
Saturday, April 3, 2010
The Rape of the eBay Seller: Human Nature Violated
Once upon a time, the Land of eBay was a great nation, a free country, whose citizens enjoyed the benefits of very little government (the best kind). But things changed. Greedy corporate wolves, ever anxious to devour what ever they can, eventually found themselves in charge. They began to gorge on their nation, handing themselves fat salaries, monstrous bonuses, and rollicking in power far beyond their wildest dreams. Certainly, these greedy beasts were ill-equipped to to manage a great nation, let alone guide it into the future. As a result, the once great eBay, was reduced to a very sad state of affairs.
Today, the Beast at the Top (aka John Donahoe), continues to feast upon the soon-to-be carcass. Ebay languishes, alive, but just barely, by any noble standards. It is said that Donahoe's inhuman and brutal treatment of his customers (the Sellers) is only a dim foreshadowing of what the Beast plans for the Simpleton Stockholder. Certainly, his belly may be full, but other ignoble ideas begin to cross his twisted and depraved mind as he observes his Simpleton Shareholders bending over to pick up the proverbial soap.
At this juncture, there's no use asking "if" he's about to screw the Shareholder, historically, he's been doing it right along! But we can still ask "when". When will the Beast ram it all the way Home? Or perhaps more poignantly, will the bastard at least use some Vaseline as he tears them a new one?
SOME GOOD NEWS. A consensus seems to be developing that Dumbahoe has indeed been identified as the (obvious) problem (finally!). Of course, top-level corporate retention plans, and the high cost of paying these sociopaths off, does tend to slow down the process. His days are likely numbered, and a new CEO may be around the corner. Maybe Meg Whitman has told the son-0f-a-bitch that he can be Mr#2 if she's becomes the latest governator of the Socialist Republic of California. "John, you can do SO much more damage as my lap-dog! And it is SO You, too! Plus, since I'm camera-shy, maybe you can do most of the media stuff for me!" Well, in spite of the fact that John Dumbahoe was hand-picked by Meg to run eBay when she left, the piece-of-shit has spared no opportunity to blame any and all problems on HER. Yes, she was no saint, but compared to him, well, there is no comparison, except maybe to Bush Jr., who has earned his place in history as the worst president of the USSA, ever! So no, it may not be realistic to think he will migrate from the corrupt corporate world, into the even more corrupt political one. What may be more likely, he will worm his way over into PayPal, since shareholders there are over-due for a good horse-fucking. And what better guy to do the deed, than the sick poster-child for bestiality and beastliness, John Fucking Donawhore.
Apologies to the gentle reader for the remarks above, and no worries, no more of that will follow. Back to the title. Human Nature. This is the crux of many issues plaguing our society today. From the fascist Right, we have the never-ending appeals to Patriotism (so-called), the appeals to "decency" (what would they know about that?), and the call to the (ig)noble sacrifice of our sons and daughters, in whatever the latest war-for-profit scheme has been sold to the sheeple. From the Left, the never-ending PC drivel, the insulting labeling of everything that fails to conform (Racist! You didn't vote for Obama because...), the stupid calls to their oh-so-noble Global causes (Global Warning anyone? It's an inconvenient TRUTH, whether you like it or not!).
But the Right and the Left have a lot in common. Both enjoy taking advantage of the lower parts of human nature, and have little trouble exploiting the hapless sheeple, who crave mainly bread, and circuses after all. And certainly, neither of them care for the use of reason anymore, both being far too cynical for anything so out-dated anyway. Together, both the Left hand and the Right, are doing their best to herd the Sheeple along, apparently following what might be seen as a coordinated agenda. But where are the Sheeple being herded off to, or in to? What is at the end of the damnable rainbow?
George Orwell's 1984 continues to shed light on the subject. In the book, a nightmarishly distopian world of the future made life utterly miserable. While the people had food to eat, and roofs over their heads, the fact was that the food was hardly eatable, and life was largely unbearable, most especially for those who realized that their world was not how it was "supposed" to be. Perhaps they had even been born into that ugly world, and shouldn't have known anything different, but because human nature does not change, all efforts to exterminate any essential part of it will ultimately fail. And since freedom is so central to healthy human nature, no government, no matter how "all-powerful" it may become, can completely eradicate it. But, all this being said, this fact will not stop the Right and Left from pushing all into some future "utopia", and the reason for this insanity is, again, that same human nature.
Because those who acquire wealth, and power usually are never satisfied, a perpetual dynamic is set in motion that must eventually result in a kind of Law of the Jungle, that continually tends toward the preservation (at a minimum), and expansion of the wealth and power of the most ruthless. Their goal is actually quite simple: To control EVERYTHING.
Today, a small handful of families, with massive multi-generational wealth at their disposal, carry out continuous warfare, primarily against each other, with their ultimate goal of absolute control of all, serving as the impetus. But along the way, many alliances are made, and broken, as they each vie for eventual supremacy. And above and beyond this more or less naturalistic expose, of the forces shaping all our lives, are other explanations that look to a supernatural level, and might even assert there is literally a Devil at the very top, with his own evil agenda, as he manipulates his mostly oblivious minions.
So, that my friends may be cast as something of a Big Picture, with room still left for those given to supernatural scapegoats. As we examine the various things in our own lives, it seems that this should be left in the background, and not forgotten, since it may be exactly what helps us to better understand the many seemingly enigmatic experiences that batter our lives.
And for those of you still waiting for the eBay connection, well here it is finally. Ebay, like many large innovative enterprises that have in recent times emerged, occupies not just an interesting place in today's world, but it is also pregnant with it's own unique power. As such, the predatory forces-that-be, must not only recognize it, but they must also seek to harness it for their own purposes. Far fetched? eBay somehow on the radar of the richest and most powerful? Well, the first step is to realize that such a thing is not just possible, but at this stage, quite likely.
Why is this? Because eBay directly tapped into one of the greatest powers for good (and evil) that the world has ever known. And that power is that of, the entrepreneur. Such power, previously much more diffuse amongst the masses, now had a central place where the many small, even tiny seeds, could begin to grow. Some of these seeds might indeed become mighty oaks! But surely, even such "oaks" could pose no serious threat to the powerful elite, could they? Well, fear may play some part, but that may not be the main reason the elite took an interest in eBay. Perhaps it is something like this: Here was a place that they could gather information on real-world behavior, of people essentially like THEM! Yes, because another way to look at the wealthy and powerful, is to recognize them (or at least their progenitors), as highly successful "entrepreneurs." Sure, their ancestors probably didn't fool around trying to sell widgets to the masses, most of their august families probably had great-grand-fathers who were simply ruthless thugs, or drug pushing royals, or a bit further back, maybe crafty regicides, who only looked like bootlickers, but all along were excellent at misusing any trust foolishly placed in them. Ah yes, these are their forefathers! But now, to have a ready-made "laboratory" that they could play with, while at the same time suppressing a potentially troublesome group (all empowered peoples are troublesome!)? Certainly, this was something they must get their filthy hands into!
And so today, we have a New EBay, a New Amerika, even a whole New World Order! ALL of it is unfolding the way it is, because it makes the most sense for THEIR agenda. But more on that next time!
Comments anyone?
Today, the Beast at the Top (aka John Donahoe), continues to feast upon the soon-to-be carcass. Ebay languishes, alive, but just barely, by any noble standards. It is said that Donahoe's inhuman and brutal treatment of his customers (the Sellers) is only a dim foreshadowing of what the Beast plans for the Simpleton Stockholder. Certainly, his belly may be full, but other ignoble ideas begin to cross his twisted and depraved mind as he observes his Simpleton Shareholders bending over to pick up the proverbial soap.
At this juncture, there's no use asking "if" he's about to screw the Shareholder, historically, he's been doing it right along! But we can still ask "when". When will the Beast ram it all the way Home? Or perhaps more poignantly, will the bastard at least use some Vaseline as he tears them a new one?
SOME GOOD NEWS. A consensus seems to be developing that Dumbahoe has indeed been identified as the (obvious) problem (finally!). Of course, top-level corporate retention plans, and the high cost of paying these sociopaths off, does tend to slow down the process. His days are likely numbered, and a new CEO may be around the corner. Maybe Meg Whitman has told the son-0f-a-bitch that he can be Mr#2 if she's becomes the latest governator of the Socialist Republic of California. "John, you can do SO much more damage as my lap-dog! And it is SO You, too! Plus, since I'm camera-shy, maybe you can do most of the media stuff for me!" Well, in spite of the fact that John Dumbahoe was hand-picked by Meg to run eBay when she left, the piece-of-shit has spared no opportunity to blame any and all problems on HER. Yes, she was no saint, but compared to him, well, there is no comparison, except maybe to Bush Jr., who has earned his place in history as the worst president of the USSA, ever! So no, it may not be realistic to think he will migrate from the corrupt corporate world, into the even more corrupt political one. What may be more likely, he will worm his way over into PayPal, since shareholders there are over-due for a good horse-fucking. And what better guy to do the deed, than the sick poster-child for bestiality and beastliness, John Fucking Donawhore.
Apologies to the gentle reader for the remarks above, and no worries, no more of that will follow. Back to the title. Human Nature. This is the crux of many issues plaguing our society today. From the fascist Right, we have the never-ending appeals to Patriotism (so-called), the appeals to "decency" (what would they know about that?), and the call to the (ig)noble sacrifice of our sons and daughters, in whatever the latest war-for-profit scheme has been sold to the sheeple. From the Left, the never-ending PC drivel, the insulting labeling of everything that fails to conform (Racist! You didn't vote for Obama because...), the stupid calls to their oh-so-noble Global causes (Global Warning anyone? It's an inconvenient TRUTH, whether you like it or not!).
But the Right and the Left have a lot in common. Both enjoy taking advantage of the lower parts of human nature, and have little trouble exploiting the hapless sheeple, who crave mainly bread, and circuses after all. And certainly, neither of them care for the use of reason anymore, both being far too cynical for anything so out-dated anyway. Together, both the Left hand and the Right, are doing their best to herd the Sheeple along, apparently following what might be seen as a coordinated agenda. But where are the Sheeple being herded off to, or in to? What is at the end of the damnable rainbow?
George Orwell's 1984 continues to shed light on the subject. In the book, a nightmarishly distopian world of the future made life utterly miserable. While the people had food to eat, and roofs over their heads, the fact was that the food was hardly eatable, and life was largely unbearable, most especially for those who realized that their world was not how it was "supposed" to be. Perhaps they had even been born into that ugly world, and shouldn't have known anything different, but because human nature does not change, all efforts to exterminate any essential part of it will ultimately fail. And since freedom is so central to healthy human nature, no government, no matter how "all-powerful" it may become, can completely eradicate it. But, all this being said, this fact will not stop the Right and Left from pushing all into some future "utopia", and the reason for this insanity is, again, that same human nature.
Because those who acquire wealth, and power usually are never satisfied, a perpetual dynamic is set in motion that must eventually result in a kind of Law of the Jungle, that continually tends toward the preservation (at a minimum), and expansion of the wealth and power of the most ruthless. Their goal is actually quite simple: To control EVERYTHING.
Today, a small handful of families, with massive multi-generational wealth at their disposal, carry out continuous warfare, primarily against each other, with their ultimate goal of absolute control of all, serving as the impetus. But along the way, many alliances are made, and broken, as they each vie for eventual supremacy. And above and beyond this more or less naturalistic expose, of the forces shaping all our lives, are other explanations that look to a supernatural level, and might even assert there is literally a Devil at the very top, with his own evil agenda, as he manipulates his mostly oblivious minions.
So, that my friends may be cast as something of a Big Picture, with room still left for those given to supernatural scapegoats. As we examine the various things in our own lives, it seems that this should be left in the background, and not forgotten, since it may be exactly what helps us to better understand the many seemingly enigmatic experiences that batter our lives.
And for those of you still waiting for the eBay connection, well here it is finally. Ebay, like many large innovative enterprises that have in recent times emerged, occupies not just an interesting place in today's world, but it is also pregnant with it's own unique power. As such, the predatory forces-that-be, must not only recognize it, but they must also seek to harness it for their own purposes. Far fetched? eBay somehow on the radar of the richest and most powerful? Well, the first step is to realize that such a thing is not just possible, but at this stage, quite likely.
Why is this? Because eBay directly tapped into one of the greatest powers for good (and evil) that the world has ever known. And that power is that of, the entrepreneur. Such power, previously much more diffuse amongst the masses, now had a central place where the many small, even tiny seeds, could begin to grow. Some of these seeds might indeed become mighty oaks! But surely, even such "oaks" could pose no serious threat to the powerful elite, could they? Well, fear may play some part, but that may not be the main reason the elite took an interest in eBay. Perhaps it is something like this: Here was a place that they could gather information on real-world behavior, of people essentially like THEM! Yes, because another way to look at the wealthy and powerful, is to recognize them (or at least their progenitors), as highly successful "entrepreneurs." Sure, their ancestors probably didn't fool around trying to sell widgets to the masses, most of their august families probably had great-grand-fathers who were simply ruthless thugs, or drug pushing royals, or a bit further back, maybe crafty regicides, who only looked like bootlickers, but all along were excellent at misusing any trust foolishly placed in them. Ah yes, these are their forefathers! But now, to have a ready-made "laboratory" that they could play with, while at the same time suppressing a potentially troublesome group (all empowered peoples are troublesome!)? Certainly, this was something they must get their filthy hands into!
And so today, we have a New EBay, a New Amerika, even a whole New World Order! ALL of it is unfolding the way it is, because it makes the most sense for THEIR agenda. But more on that next time!
Comments anyone?
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Ebay, World's Biggest Promoter of Fraud Continues to Do Nothing Real to Stop It
EBay, the world's number one online auction venue, has also been called other things. At one point in their colorful history, some said that they were also the world's leader in trafficking non-electronic "physical" pornography, including child porn, snuff films and the like, third-world versions beyond description, and they even got credit at one time for helping many gay men meet other like-minded persons through their oh-so-gay-friendly site. Well, they may also be the all-time biggest promoter of fraud as well, but with a resume like theirs, what's the big deal?
BUT WAIT! Let's be fair to eBay, they are now (finally) trying to stamp out fraud, under the visionary leadership of CEO John Donahoe, so they appropriately have a new policy. No, you won't find mention of it on their site because it's one of a legion of "secret" policies that now go far beyond merely governing eBay. Due mainly to their CEO's legendary lack of wisdom, as well as his knack for over-micro-managing EVERYTHING, each long day in the eBay Empire brings a host of new and (naturally) unanticipated problems. As they attempt to violate every last vestige of common sense and human nature even, the frustration only increases on all fronts. Myriad details beyond anyone's comprehension now befuddle their mostly inept reps, as they atempt each day to navigate through a mine-field of insanity. This insanity comes right from the top, and manages to twist-up everyone all the way down.
In fact, all the way down to their SELLERS. No, this is not a joke, in fact, one couldn't make this up if they tried (Donahoe doesn't have to try, delusional thinking is completely natural to him). You see, the cumulative weight of what is now several years of continuous disregard for human nature, coupled with what seems to be an Ivory Tower, Utopian (Socialist) agenda, has created a Monster that constantly demands more attention. No longer a largely self-regulating "community", eBay has become a "State", and the state of affairs is truly appalling. Each day, the pathetic eBay employee drags him/herself to work to face yet more insanity. Micro-managed to the point where all that is left is something like a hostile robot. As for the demoralized employees whose job it is to interact with the loathsome Seller, their job is the hardest of all. They sit in between two diametrically opposed worlds. On one side is the famously entrepreneurial and fiercely independent full-time eBay Seller, and on the other, Satan himself! Of course, the poor robot obediently repeats his master's mantra, "Freedom is Slavery!" But somehow, the job must get done.
If you're still with me, here's Satan's (aka John Donahoe) latest marching orders. "Thou shalt saddle the loathsome Seller with yet another heavy fetter..." "But Master, these sellers already have such a heavy burden from all the other horrible stuff you've thrown at them!" "Silence, DOG! My agenda is far beyond your feeble ability to comprehend. The miserable Seller must now help shoulder the incredible burden of controlling fraud in our corrupt company!" "But Master, how can THEY do anything, since compared to us, they are mere ants, who deserve to be crushed?" "Apparently you haven't been paying attention! The media is on to us, they know we promote porno, prostitution, deviance, hatred AND fraud! We've blamed perverts, pushed aside the silly Nazi's, but ALWAYS we get mileage out of everyone! This time, it's fraud. The miserable Seller will step up to the plate, and soon, you will see, eBay shall have no liability! We will even begin to accumulate data on these worthless beasts! Before you know it, we will be completely prepared for the next scandal. The authorities will come to us, and we will hand them their Victim! The miserable Seller will not last long. Soon, they will all finally get the Message." "Ah Master, you are SO wise! But if I may be so bold...what will happen to eBay when we finally kill off all the Seller-Vermin?" "Good question, but I don't plan on being around when that happens. Perhaps you are ambitious, perhaps you would like a promotion? Just keep the faith my little fool, all will go as planned...So Mote It Be!"
Can this nightmare be true? Back to reality. In fact, Ebay really is asking a lot of the Seller. Here's what they're demanding of late, or else, face suspension. Sellers (unless they hail from China) will not list items that are too "cheap". Without getting into how ridiculous the notion of "cheap" is, let's look at eBay's rationale. They say (for example) that if a person sells an item for under a dollar, that Seller is PROMOTING fraud, because fraudsters always build feedback using "cheap" purchases, before launching as a seller, who will then promptly defraud the public. Imagine being a part of that! And that strong language might come back to get the poor seller who doesn't quite see what may be really going on, as insane as it is. eBay further classifies this monstrous crime as "feedback manipulation/abuse" (since even a legit seller's own feedback can become skewed with "non-representative" transactions), and on and on it goes.
So, you could theoretically sell an item for 99 cents, and immediately be guilty of two crimes. Of course, they threaten suspension, and they might well love to have good records of the many poor sellers they shut down, in case anything happens. And it may not be that a seller would be turned in as a "suspect" of some kind, that might be a stretch, but rather, eBay would like to point to "something" (anything!) that they're doing that supposedly combats the rampant fraud on their site. There is the motive.
But can any rational person accept eBay's stated reasoning for their actions, especially in consideration of the alternatives?
Alternatives? Yes. But more on that below. To begin with, is it even "wise" to have the Seller worrying about selling an item too "cheap"? This leads to another problem (on eBay, every problem they create leads to more problems): Is the "true auction" now history? It can be argued that the Seller who dares to start his auction at a penny, and is OK with whatever the final outcome is, would now risk SUSPENSION due to his inability to predict the final outcome of the auction! Another dimension to this hasn't been mentioned yet, but eBay actually refuses to state an official dollar "threshold" for what might be allowable, or can we say, "not too cheap". This goes along perfectly with the fact that this diabolical policy is secret, and selectively applied to begin with! How can they tell you what "too cheap" is, when the whole purpose is to arbitrarily control Sellers who don't fit into their future vision, of the New and Better Amazon, that eBay has been desperate to become?
At a minimum, from the standpoint of simple justice, this is an unfair burden to place upon the seller.
Objection! "Why can't you just tow the line? Do you have to sell something for a buck? Can't you see, you're promoting fraud!" Well, let's just say for the sake of argument that "cheap" items do help promote fraud, since the potential fraudster intentionally goes looking for "cheap" items to build feedback on, which will be abused shortly, as they begin to sell items with no intent to deliver. This is where the "alternative" comes in. Rather than asking sellers to turn their worlds up-side-down, shouldn't eBay actually DO something that really makes sense instead?
Ebay enjoys a tremendous amount of data, at their finger-tips, about most of what goes on in the world of eBay. They already have solid "profile" info on real-world fraudsters that they have accumulated, and likely defines 99% of the problem. One of their programmers can easily put together a "net" that identifies potential fraudsters before they can act. Further, other behaviors of potentially fraudulent sellers that have been identified can be used to continually monitor any changes in the behavior of those on te suspect list, as generated by the "net" mentioned above. Too "theoretical"? No, it's common sense, which is probably why it isn't done over at the Evil Empire of Ebay. They would rather screw over honest long-time sellers, while allowing overseas sellers carte blanc.
Real examples. If for example, eBay already knows that potential fraudsters utilize "cheap" feedback, then "cheap" item buyers are automatically on a suspect list. If for example, eBay has data suggesting that the fraudster generally wants "x" number of feedbacks in order to appear legit, then the cheap item buyer list from above is used to "watch" the suspects as they approach the known feedback target. If then the identified suspects begin to list items, as sellers, then you would think they would be well on their way to being stopped dead in their tracks. An obvious example here: The suspect who just turned seller suddenly begins selling higher-dollar items. Clearly, a risk. Or, is the seller operating from a known fraud haven? Add that to the risk level, etc.
In short, it is not only eBay's JOB to do "real" fraud deterrence, but they are also wonderfully equipped to do just that. Certainly, they can do a better job of it than their poor sellers! And that's so obvious, it begs the question, "What is REALLY going on with these corrupt eBay corporate criminals?"
Ah, let us keep thinking about that, because if we can crack that code, we might even be able to see what else is coming.
I'd enjoy your comments!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Ebay and the New Economy: Closing Off the Exits
It's 2010, and there's a New World Order breaking out, and it's being ushered in at break-neck speed by the New Economy, or in other words, the Greatest Depression ever. Amidst the turmoil, the jobless, the increasingly hopeless, the broken lives of regular folks, who used to count themselves as "normal" middle-class...is there not still "opportunity" in this great nation of the United States of America?
Ten years ago, the answer would have been a very confident YES! But today, few people feel this way. For the jobless, they can never recall a time when so much rejection has come their way. Perhaps they have experienced unemployment in the past, but for those going on two or more years of a serious job quest, there can be no doubt things have drastically changed. Hope is fading fast, especially for those over the age of 40, or worse, for those who might still hope for half their former salary. And even the humble those who have resigned themselves to minimal wages, they too are still met with utter disappointment.
For those of us who are self-employed, we have had a rough road as well, but many of us can relate to having friends and acquaintances who knew of our previous success, and now wonder if they can get on that same bandwagon. "Hey, you do eBay, right? I've been thinking of doing something like that!" Of course, the only reason they're thinking about it is because of this damn economy, but we must answer something. "Well, things are not the way they used to be!"
Ebay has changed drastically, and mostly for the worse. What made it great has been abandoned, thanks mostly to the tragic blunder of putting a sociopath like John Donahoe in charge of a company that can only really prosper respecting it's entrepreneurial roots. But it's short-sightedness, and self-destructive mania, which will eventually result in company failure, could not have been timed any worse. Because the incredible power of what ebay "was", is desperately needed TODAY.
This Greatest Depression, which has prematurely put out to pasture millions, has destroyed the hopes of the young, ended marriages, and made decent families destitute, would have far less power if there was today a way to "escape", as in days gone by. But things have changed. No, it's not the Old West, it's not the Reagan Era...and it's not that special time only a decade ago where ANY decent entrepreneur could get on to eBay, and write their own ticket. Today, that route of escape has been sealed off, since eBay has become a place for only the very large corporatist sellers (with some casual sellers and former hangers-on for transitional window dressing). No, the recently unemployed single mother today can't really go to eBay and expect much at all. This exit has been sealed off, and just when we needed it most!
Perhaps it is merely a coincidence of timing, but there are those who might wonder if there's more to the story. Surely it's not a "conspiracy"...Pahleese do NOT mention that damnable New World Order! You conspiracy nuts never stop!" Fine. We will believe what we will, as it ever has been. But for those of us who remember what eBay was, what it represented, what it did for the true entrepreneur, it's huge power...we dare not dismiss the possibility that others noticed this too. If eBay continued to be an empowering force for the masses, if it retained the potential to help virtually anyone who had minimal motivation and resources, then this situation might have ot change, if there was a "higher agenda" if you will, by those who had the power to foment exactly what we are experiencing now, the Greatest Depression.
WHY would anyone do anything like this on purpose? Pay attention: Because they can, and because they must break down the entire world, in order to rebuild it again, to their own liking. Fabian Socialism. It's come to eBay. It's alive and well in the USS frigin' A. It's here to stay...or is it? What shall WE do?
I'd enjoy your comments!
Ten years ago, the answer would have been a very confident YES! But today, few people feel this way. For the jobless, they can never recall a time when so much rejection has come their way. Perhaps they have experienced unemployment in the past, but for those going on two or more years of a serious job quest, there can be no doubt things have drastically changed. Hope is fading fast, especially for those over the age of 40, or worse, for those who might still hope for half their former salary. And even the humble those who have resigned themselves to minimal wages, they too are still met with utter disappointment.
For those of us who are self-employed, we have had a rough road as well, but many of us can relate to having friends and acquaintances who knew of our previous success, and now wonder if they can get on that same bandwagon. "Hey, you do eBay, right? I've been thinking of doing something like that!" Of course, the only reason they're thinking about it is because of this damn economy, but we must answer something. "Well, things are not the way they used to be!"
Ebay has changed drastically, and mostly for the worse. What made it great has been abandoned, thanks mostly to the tragic blunder of putting a sociopath like John Donahoe in charge of a company that can only really prosper respecting it's entrepreneurial roots. But it's short-sightedness, and self-destructive mania, which will eventually result in company failure, could not have been timed any worse. Because the incredible power of what ebay "was", is desperately needed TODAY.
This Greatest Depression, which has prematurely put out to pasture millions, has destroyed the hopes of the young, ended marriages, and made decent families destitute, would have far less power if there was today a way to "escape", as in days gone by. But things have changed. No, it's not the Old West, it's not the Reagan Era...and it's not that special time only a decade ago where ANY decent entrepreneur could get on to eBay, and write their own ticket. Today, that route of escape has been sealed off, since eBay has become a place for only the very large corporatist sellers (with some casual sellers and former hangers-on for transitional window dressing). No, the recently unemployed single mother today can't really go to eBay and expect much at all. This exit has been sealed off, and just when we needed it most!
Perhaps it is merely a coincidence of timing, but there are those who might wonder if there's more to the story. Surely it's not a "conspiracy"...Pahleese do NOT mention that damnable New World Order! You conspiracy nuts never stop!" Fine. We will believe what we will, as it ever has been. But for those of us who remember what eBay was, what it represented, what it did for the true entrepreneur, it's huge power...we dare not dismiss the possibility that others noticed this too. If eBay continued to be an empowering force for the masses, if it retained the potential to help virtually anyone who had minimal motivation and resources, then this situation might have ot change, if there was a "higher agenda" if you will, by those who had the power to foment exactly what we are experiencing now, the Greatest Depression.
WHY would anyone do anything like this on purpose? Pay attention: Because they can, and because they must break down the entire world, in order to rebuild it again, to their own liking. Fabian Socialism. It's come to eBay. It's alive and well in the USS frigin' A. It's here to stay...or is it? What shall WE do?
I'd enjoy your comments!
eBay's Suicide Assisted by Infamous Dr. Donahoe
John Donahoe, CEO of eBay is the biggest reason for seller frustration, although many do not yet realize this. Going right to the top has always been a good way to discover why things are the way they are. And so it is with eBay, and with all the Orwellian changes now confronting sellers. Of course, most sellers reeling from the constant barrage of changes hardly have time to think about how or why things have gotten so bad. But when they get a moment, they will realize that the biggest changes have come down under Donahoe.
Changes such as the infamous "No Negative" policy, now almost legendary in it's obvious stupidity. Or the "Five Star" DSR system largely developed by eBay's Brian Burke, a titanic blunder that is still unfolding into what may signal the not-so-far-off death of eBay. And still more nefarious changes that few become aware of, until it's too late. Changes to policies that are now literally SECRET, often blatantly subjective, and even defy any means to quantify. If you think this is mere hyperbole, or exaggeration, all you need to do is speak to one of the many eBay reps, "Account Managers", whose job description has now become to micro-manage sellers out the exits, who don't meet the super-secret Orwellian eBay vision of the future.
Are you a serious seller, perhaps with impecable feedback, even higher dollar volume? Chances are that the more "successful" you are, the more eBay will subject you to their microscope, demanding things that are beyond anyone's imagination, even a year ago. This can not end well! eBay is in the process of committing suicide, and few seem to realize how dire the situation is.
Back to Donahoe. He is the reason for what sellers are experiencing, and this is why. He has been contractually promised immense bonuses that he can only claim by trashing the future of eBay, and in the process, the lowly seller who might stand in his way. It is not unlike a politician who gains office with all manner of lies, but once he is in, predictably begins to line his pockets, at the expense of his constituents. And if the matter of re-election should come up, a small period of bribing and lying to the electorate is granted briefly to achieve the short-term goal. And the process repeats, ad infinitum. But as we look around today, after decades of greedy politicians on the take, what's left of the country? What's left for our children? This is exactly what is taking place now under the mad sociopath Donahoe.
If you own eBay stock, look out, you're going to get raped. When the infamous "Doctor" sails into the sunset (on his mega-yacht!), the patient will be left for dead, and the once great eBay will be no more.
Are you a seller? I would welcome your comments!
Changes such as the infamous "No Negative" policy, now almost legendary in it's obvious stupidity. Or the "Five Star" DSR system largely developed by eBay's Brian Burke, a titanic blunder that is still unfolding into what may signal the not-so-far-off death of eBay. And still more nefarious changes that few become aware of, until it's too late. Changes to policies that are now literally SECRET, often blatantly subjective, and even defy any means to quantify. If you think this is mere hyperbole, or exaggeration, all you need to do is speak to one of the many eBay reps, "Account Managers", whose job description has now become to micro-manage sellers out the exits, who don't meet the super-secret Orwellian eBay vision of the future.
Are you a serious seller, perhaps with impecable feedback, even higher dollar volume? Chances are that the more "successful" you are, the more eBay will subject you to their microscope, demanding things that are beyond anyone's imagination, even a year ago. This can not end well! eBay is in the process of committing suicide, and few seem to realize how dire the situation is.
Back to Donahoe. He is the reason for what sellers are experiencing, and this is why. He has been contractually promised immense bonuses that he can only claim by trashing the future of eBay, and in the process, the lowly seller who might stand in his way. It is not unlike a politician who gains office with all manner of lies, but once he is in, predictably begins to line his pockets, at the expense of his constituents. And if the matter of re-election should come up, a small period of bribing and lying to the electorate is granted briefly to achieve the short-term goal. And the process repeats, ad infinitum. But as we look around today, after decades of greedy politicians on the take, what's left of the country? What's left for our children? This is exactly what is taking place now under the mad sociopath Donahoe.
If you own eBay stock, look out, you're going to get raped. When the infamous "Doctor" sails into the sunset (on his mega-yacht!), the patient will be left for dead, and the once great eBay will be no more.
Are you a seller? I would welcome your comments!
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