TulipTools Internet Business Owners and Online Sellers Community

It's time I properly introduced myself now that I've burnt my bridges. This is my testemonial. I hope you have all accepted that I came with genuine intent.


Life took a downward spiral for us in the year 2000. In a nutshell my back gave out resulting in two surgeries and being sidelined for four years from my regular employment. During that time my DH suggested I start selling on eBay to preserve my sanity (and his). I did and was fairly successful. I sold under the same name, sherrand. This past summer I bailed for the reasons common to many, leaving behind PS status and 2105 pos. feedback. There was a huge lump in my throat the day I finally hit that close store button. Shell-shocked like many were, I started looking for alternatives. For the first time ever I visited the eBay forums looking for suggestions. I found and settled in on the Raising Fees???? thread and Wagglepoop was tooted as the best game in town. Here's some trivia. Gary Sattler, who nows writes editorials for Blogging Stocks and Sam S., who founded the WP Circles of Stores were both regular contributors to this thread. Many of the other posters now have stores at WP.

Initially I opened up on eBid and now have that store to fall back on. But I followed the crowd to WP and concentrated most of my efforts on it. At this point I had learned of WP1 and it's failure but had no knowledge of the how or why nor bothered to educate myself with the answers. In hindsight a major error. 

Having learned the value of taking a climate reading from what is posted I jumped right in on the WP boards. I found a core group of dedicated sellers; friendly, helpful, honest and hard-working. Compared to the dog-eat-dog, cavalier atmosphere on eBay the WP boards were utopia. I jumped right in with both feet and became a part of the Collective.  But I never partook of the virtual breakfast - honest!! Even back then I considered this a bit over the top. I am however embarrassed to admit that I was the author of a number of posts that were copied here and lampooned by the crowd. ORUS, would you consider retiring my name from your punching bag?  :-[ :oops:  Would it help if I said pretty please??

The initial suspicion that sent me down the road to discovery was that WP had to be inadvertently responsible for the sudden influx of spam email I was receiving on two addresses. One of them was strictly used for a Paypal account, was never in the public domain, and had never been a spamming target in my eBay years. But for the last four months the daily count was rising. So I hit Google and found this:

http://www.dnsreport.com/tools/dnsreport...glepop.com

Through the same search I checked out other disquieting threads then re-defined my search to Wagglepop protest. I found this thread, RossShow, OTWA and here I am.  I feel the need to clarify that my pom-pom support was aimed at the sellers but it wasn't until I read this thread and the others that I realized who was the real beneficiary of my cheering.  I was feeding the Borg embryo and taking on the role of mid-wife, assisting in the birth of Ray's demon child. When I realized this, I kind of felt like a sick dupe contributing to a holocaust.    I vowed that was the last laugh the Borg Queen was going to have at my expense. I had to get out of there. The tone of my posts on WP changed however most of them went poof. Curiously, I never received the stock reprimand email warning me to cease and desist.

To the people I have contacted so far I have closed with this:

Quote:You and the other sellers on WP deserve more honesty from an owner who hides and censors indiscriminantly.  There is no doubt in my mind that Karen is Ray. No employee would be available 24/7 as Karen is. I find this deception presented to so many dedicated, hard working and talented sellers disgusting. I truly believe Ray will self-destruct some day. He will ruin Wagglepop - the sellers won't through any lack of effort on their part - but they will be the victims.

Sorry to be so long-winded but this has been therapeudic for me and I hope enlightening for others.

Welcome truth 

overhead, I totally understand.  Anyone who was (or is) a part of WP2 jumped in out of anger, disgust or pure ignorance.  The boards over thEre were full of WP.  We all swam in the kool aid.

A point that is really grating on my nerves these days is the fact that most of the sellers AND Karen seem to assume that everyone who visits the boards must be a Christian.  I think it is very unprofessional to beg in an open forum for prayers and Karen and her holiday talk may drive away buyers who are not Christians.  I know there is a shop with Wiccan goods at WP2 and that store owner has only appeared on the boards once or twice.  Where is the respect for buyers who may not share the same beliefs?  I know that it is a store owner's right to promote in any way that they can, but if I were a non-Christian searching for clothing, etc. at this time of the year and not Christmas shopping, I would stay away - very far away.

youroverheadbin

Thankyou!!!!

If it was not for you I would not be here. That is 100% the truth if I didn't find here store header which briefly said the store was closing I would not have found this thread so easily. What you posted as your final goodbye in your store header was great and I witnessed them yank the store off within 3 minutes of me contacting you.

The truth shall set you free from feeglepop aka raygopop aka waggleflop aka we can pop ray's flop!! I hold no grudges against any seller over there just a grudge against the venue itself!!

I for one don't think anyone should hold any grudge against you but welcome you with open arms as the truth has set you free.

We know what ka/ray is doing and there are many people that are blinded by his promise and I have seen nothing as of yet in this forum that isn't factual about wagglepop. I don't think ka/ray can handle the truth in anyway so the more it is spoken the more will be freed.

let the truth be told
u1it4less - "it's all in the name..."

Overhead... it's cool... don't sweat it!

(Almost) everyone that is posting here fell for the BS but finally came to their senses.  You're right, it's therapeutic to post here about our frustrations.  So far, I haven't seen anyone put down, or chastised for falling for the WP hype.  What's important is that you're here now and you can move on in your business and go somewhere that you can actually make some money!

No matter where you sell, what you sell or how successful you are... you can come here and post and feel welcomed... at least that's been MY experience so far. 

Hey everyone, great posts!!

Not crying anymore,    Just put up my Christmas tree, yes that is right and while I was trying to figure out the branch order on my fake tree I was chanting "Save the cheerleader, Save the world"    I am a big Heroes fan and that line just seems to fit what we are talking about.

I too received spam, lots of spam when I joined WP.  Think I might have mentioned that somewhere.  Great information, some I have never seen before.

Well my family wants boogerking so I am off and running 

youroverhead, sometimes just telling your story is the first step to healing, and moving forward. It is also comforting to be among others who can relate to your experience, and to know that you are not alone.

I was thinking about the fact that the majority of sellers on wp don't post on the boards. it is hard to tell how many may read them, and are still influenced by the cheering even at a distance. If a seller never read or visited those boards I believe that these will be the first to leave and will do so due to lack of sales, and the site itself, which leaves alot to be desired.

That said Ray's only influence is limited strictly to the boards, that is where all the collective thinking begins, and is maintained. That is where he announces his sales reports, mystery features to look forward to, and his daily sermon. The planning and plotting for spamming, advertising, and the recruitment of seller to seller sales happens on the boards as well.

Unlike cults, the poppers don't share physical space. Unless ray suddenly decides to build a wagglepop compound in upstate New York, and have everyone sign over all their worldly goods, his control is limited. He is attempting now to completely isolate his board by using censorship to both control the members, but to also eliminate outside information from being shared because he knows this will wake up the other poppers from the koolaid coma state.

He uses smoke and mirrors, and razzle dazzle to keep people paying the fees. He is good at the con. He knows what to say for maximum effect be it positive or negative. 

YOB said:

Quote:The initial suspicion that sent me down the road to discovery was that WP had to be inadvertently responsible for the sudden influx of spam email I was receiving on two addresses.

Same thing happened with WP1. We still aren't sure what he does to cause this--maybe sells the email list or something.

Don't worry. You are lucky to have gotten out before you spent more and more money. I don't hold anything against you at all. I am glad you made an educated decision.

FT4Y said:

Quote:A point that is really grating on my nerves these days is the fact that most of the sellers AND Karen seem to assume that everyone who visits the boards must be a Christian.  I think it is very unprofessional to beg in an open forum for prayers and Karen and her holiday talk may drive away buyers who are not Christians.  I know there is a shop with Wiccan goods at WP2 and that store owner has only appeared on the boards once or twice.  Where is the respect for buyers who may not share the same beliefs?  I know that it is a store owner's right to promote in any way that they can, but if I were a non-Christian searching for clothing, etc. at this time of the year and not Christmas shopping, I would stay away - very far away.

At the risk of insulting someone (which is not my intention)--this kind of thinking makes me sick. It's one of the biggest problems with the entire country--and also, microcosmically, with Wagglepop. A lot of people assume other people are Christian. The "outsiders" always adapt. We get asked what we're doing for Christmas--and if we say something revolutionary like, "oh--we don't celebrate Christmas" you get a horrified gasp and shunned forevermore--so after a while, we just say "oh, the usual" and blend with the crowd. We adapt when we have to beg for "our" days off and beg to work Christian holidays--all the while the manager, without respect for your beliefs, stares at you disbelievingly.

Ray revealed himself to be of the 12-step AA type of borg-like Christian back during WP1. If Karen joins in prayer threads (very unprofessional, unbecoming, and alienating to non-Christians)--she's Ray for sure (or someone very close to him).

I have a serious problem with religious persecution. It would make me equally upset if it were a group of Wiccans aleinating Christians on an auction site board (although the likliehood of this is slim; Wiccans are always adapting for the good of others).

I have a serious problem--maybe even a high-fallutin' problem with COMPANIES that display an overtly religious nature. I expect religious overtones from a Christian Bookstore, a Wiccan Herb Shop, or a Catholic Supply House. That context doesn't bother me at all. If I go into a Christian book store and someone says "god bless" or I hear Christian hymns playing, I'm perfectly OK with that. It's in line with their industry and their purpose.

What I DO Have a problem with are things like Wagglepop, which appear to be an equal-opportunity, regular generic business--but which have this "majority" undertone that silenty squashes the other stuff. Blehh.

I'm the type of person that won't shop at a place ever again if I see an overt display of Christianity. I respect Christians. They have every right to believe what they believe. I just don't like getting it shoved in my face when I go grocery shopping, etc. I won't shop at Hobby Lobby for that reason. If I see a Jesus fish in a yellow pages ad for brake repair, I'll choose the next guy on purpose. I'm sure I'm not the only one who does this.

My philosophy is: if you're good at brake repair, why do you need to share your religion with me? If you're the best brake mechanic in the country and you're a Christian--great! But why be so self-righteous as to stamp your ad? Your store? Your credentials?

By assuming everyone is Christian, and by participating in prayer threads, WP has proven to be below the below. What about all of the serious, hard-working "others" out there--who might be devoting time and money to WP?

A little earlier I was about to post a note about how I feel sorry for Ray. Even for all the evil he's done, I wish he had his head and heart in the right place--and that he actually wanted to make a good auction site without censoring people, or abusing their good will. I wish he would straighten up and work hard and present a fair, unbiased venue. I felt sorry that he seems so bent on appearing "smart" and "skilled" and that he has this need to misrepresent himself and his so-called accomplishments. How insecure he must be. I felt bad for a bit that he's invited all of this anger--and that he doesn't know how to stop the anger he's getting from others.

Now--I don't feel bad at all. Allowing his staff to participate in prayer threads (or, if he IS Karen, participating HIMSELF???).

This makes me sick. The compassion I had for him is leaving quickly.

I'm sorry for all of the type-os above. I'd go in and fix them, but there are too many.

Hey Cash,
Really, nobody mentioned good sales or being able to live on the income they receive from raybil-poop?  Interesting, I would think that if you are going to give the good points that one of them would have to be SALES in order to truly promote an ecommerce site.  But I think different then most! 

I have a question for all of you.  How did you do on Black Friday?  I don't have any auctions or listings right now so I have no idea how sales went online.  I do know that the retail stores around here were packed (I saw it on the news, I refuse to go stand in line at 4 am, I like to sleep!  )

As one of the first to defect from WP2, after being battered, ridiculed, bruised, beaten and otherwise demeened (I was Designers Bargains, and still am on eBay) for asking BUSINESS questions and trying to make sense out of something that made NO sense, I can appreciate the sense of relief both Overhead and Truth are now feeling by being cut loose from the WP chokehold.  Back when I made my escape (or rather was kicked off), no one came to my defense, although I do think there may have been a couple sympathizers in the wings who were too afraid to come forward, for fear of getting the same bashing -- not that I blame them -- it was brutal. I was never duped by a dream or dilluded by a vision. I simply wanted to make a living, silly me, and the more I asked about how that could possibly become a reality on WP, and receiving only dopey, pie-eyed, nonsensical, circular responses, the more it became apparent that business was the last thing WP was about. This made me angry, because the spammers were claiming WP was something it was not, is not and never will be. They were spreading lies -- period, and the hypocricy of it all made me want to puke. Despite K/R's efforts to silence me, I refused to be gagged, either on the boards there or on other boards after I was excommunicated and my ISP blocked. It was a total shock when it was brought to my attention how far my sphere of influence extended, and it was so gratifying when I would receive emails from others thanking me for taking a stand and calling it like it is -- for all to see.

Like you, every listing I had on WP was unique, and it took me weeks to recreate each one elsewhere and end each on WP. Every time I hit that "end my listing" button, I kicked myself for the time, energy and money wasted, both on the WP store fees and loss of income potential had I used that time productively elsewhere. The sense of relief when I ended my last listing was beyond description.

I know there are other Poppers whose reality cages are shaking. Sometimes it's very hard to accept that which is most obvious. It's like when a wife is presented with irrefutable evidence that her husband is cheating, but still cannot believe it and looks for ways to discredit the messenger.

MANY of us have now disserted Popland, and for the same reasons. They can no longer simply dismiss my rants as psychotic, paranoid dillusions of an old woman. We're not ALL crazy. That fact alone would give any serious seller pause.

FineThings: I AGREE 100% ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN SERMONIZING, and I too think it very unprofessional. Some months ago I made a statement about how I thought the whole structure and premise seemed reminiscent of the "born-again" philosophy -- that anybody can be forgiven and redeemed from past sins. If anybody has past sins, it certainly is Ray, and all the little adages spread across the WP site about the future more important than the past, learning from mistakes, and all that, just makes the whole Christian religious cult thing even more suspect in my mind. Even though there is a "religious items" category there, there is very little respresented from other religions except Christianity. And the fact the Mr. Civility ALLOWED a listing for toilet paper entitled "Wipe Your Ass with Sadam", complete with plops, toilet flush sounds, flag-waving, etc., yet banned the sale of a cookbook because it contained a recipe for beef jerky says something about what he considers is or is not respectful, constructive and polite.

to all ex-Poppers -- posting here is better than a dose of librium. We all hear ya.