TulipTools Internet Business Owners and Online Sellers Community

PeSA member with FB of 74,000+ booted from eBay's Voices of the Community program for running a fee protest auction.

Quote:This is Tim also known as eBay Beavis. I am a powerseller and have been selling on eBay since 1998. I felt your pain during the FEE HIKE. I too was misguided for a long time as to opening a store and converting more time and energy to it so eBay could pull it away at the last minute.

After seeing your frustration and dealing with mine as well I ran the auction to advertise on me when I went to the press to talk about my future of online selling. I talk to the media a lot, I have had a lot of write-ups over the years and plan on having many more in the future. I thought I would run that auction now because as a seller like yourselves I am going to expand my eBay business into an on-line business. eBay forced me to do that.

My auction ran its course and the high bid of $1325.00 (1/2 to eBay charity) did not pan through. I held off on going to the press because of the high bid aspect but also I was nominated for small business of the year award in my state (reflecting eBay). None the less eBay took me out hard.

I was a member of a group on eBay called voices. A small cross section of the community that reports to eBay Managers, CEO's, etc and gives them feedback so they can feel the pulse of the community. They decided over 1 1/2 weeks I was to negative for the program and because of this auction I was not worthy of being a voice.

I swallowed my pride and quitely moved on. I have gotten many emails from you asking what am I doing, where have I been. That prompted me to give you an update. I don't want to seem like I let you down. But in the cross section of eBay sellers I get the opinion they don't feel negitivy exists.

I have alot of critics out there that say this was just a way for me to be selfish and sell more items through eBay. To tell you the truth I have been working on cutting my eBay fees down from $5,000 a month to $1,000 per month ($48,000 a year loss to eBay). If I was selfish I would have played it safe, stayed in the prgrom and learned of every new widget eBay was creating to make my business better and adapted to make more money.

Strong people stand up for themselves, stronger ones stand up for others. This board might be the hottest, most upset board in the community but it needs to be listened to for eBays future. I made eBay hear our voices but I just don't think they listened.

Quote:Sorry eBay, you sold me on the magic... where is it now?

Quote:Whoops I made a typo... I was in voices for almost 2 years. They booted me after 1 1/2 weeks after that auction closed.

Quote:Good Post! eBay reminds me of the small Vermont Company Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream. The farmers from Vermont were the backbone. When they got to big they ended up selling out to Unilever from the Netherlands. It is ironic at the last eBay Live Jerry from Ben and Jerry's was the guest speaker.... laughing

Now picture this. eBay was made from small USA sellers. We now flip the bill for their China Free Posting website. What happens when the country that has taken most of our manufacturing jobs now has the tools to sell back to us through the internet? We will probably be all out of jobs competing against people who can sell from there.

Go to Walmart and find out what China can do.... corporate America is raw and exposed.

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?t...2000202653&tstart=0

Quote:Your being kicked out of Voices just discredits that group and eBay...if they only want to hear positive supportive Voices why have the program? It's called "The illusion of inclusion". They pretend to involve the common folk, but ignore them and do whatever they want, then saying..."But We included you."

Quote: As a business owner, I CRAVE discussions with customers that used to be big customers of mine, but who no longer shop at my store. I want to know why, I want to know what I can do better to keep people like them in the future, I want to know how I can get them back, and I want to understand how I can lose someone who at one time was so devoted.

absolutely, as any smart business owner would. you can't improve your business unless you know what's wrong. can't do that unless people are honest with you, AND you're interested in making your business better. i don't have compelling reason to believe ebay is interested in that. not any more.

Just as I knew all along.

A voices member is mealy window dressing.

If you don't toe the "party line" your taken out back and shot.

Any of them can come here, or there, and say:
"oh we are important and a part of the big community, Meg and Bill listen to us"..

You Voices people are living in a bubble and guess what?
Say or do anything against Meg's little regime and seal you fate.

I always knew it was all BS from the first time I discovered they had this little "puppet" program.

Sheep be they all...  baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 

I wish he would explain why he didn't go with a Second Chance Offer.

edited to add:  Any eBay sponsored group or "gathering" requires a person to give their opinion ONLY if it is the same as eBay.  Once I mentioned that, I was never invited back to one of their little pow wows.  I imagine Tim (not our Tim, but the OP) has been kicked out of better places! 

Last edit:  "We value your opinion, as long as it is the same as ours."  eBay

Quote:I wish he would explain why he didn't go with a Second Chance Offer.

I was the second high-bidder. The auction was still active when I was suspended and closed my store. I was not interested in subsidizing ebay to any extent at that point---includingeBay's foundation, which would receive 50% of the proceeds.

Good luck, Tim!

The Voices are simply puppets---ya don't wanna be in that group anyway. 

Okay then, a second chance offer to the THIRD highest bidder.