eBay Management and Sellers Need Relationship Advice

I'm a divorced dad, so I have some personal experience with what happens to a marriage that is failing. In my case, I tried to make the marriage work until we had a “Come to Jesus” moment when she said she didn't want to. I wasn't going to stay in a marriage that didn't work. Many of my friends, going through the same thing, have not left for various reasons (kids, financial, fear, etc.)

Why do I bring up divorce in a financial blog? Because, marital problems are exactly like what is happening between eBay (EBAY) management and eBay's sellers. They are in the middle of a bad marriage and looking at their options.

I'll try not to take the analogy too far, but somebody in the field of Psychology should do an in-depth research piece on this situation; the relationship between eBay and its seller community. The parallels to a bad marriage are as clear as a bell.

For many sellers, eBay was their first love, but they have taken so much crap, for so long they've lost any hope that the relationship can be saved.

• eBay brings in a counselor (Corporate Blogger) to improve communication and sellers just scoff at the idea.
• A great many eBay sellers stay on eBay because they have no other option, much like staying in a bad marriage because the fear of the unknown is greater than the pain of the marriage.
• A great number of sellers have families that depend on their eBay income, so they can't just walk away.
• Many eBay sellers have had affairs with other marketplaces (sorry I couldn't resist)
• The communication between sellers in non-existent and eBay management is oblivious to the pain sellers are feeling.

So what is the result? Sellers basically have heard "eBay Speak" for so long that they no longer believe anything that eBay says and are not likely to ever again.

In my marriage, when the problems started to become evident, my wife and I would have these deep discussions about every 3 months. I would say, "I'll change" (because of course it was all my fault) we would get through the pain of the moment and then three months later it would happen again. Soon I was calling these little get togethers "The Quarterlies". By the way, not a very good idea if you want to have peace in the household. I got tired of the complaints; she got tired of the lack of progress. We separated, got back together and then decided this wasn't going to work.

The relationship between eBay sellers and eBay management is very similar. When things were going great back in "the day", everyone was happy, but soon sellers began feeling neglected or talked down to. eBay management publicly state that sellers are important and they care about their businesses, yet their actions say something completely different and behind the scenes (around the water cooler) they say "all they ever do is complain, nothing I/we do is ever good enough for them."

Sellers on the other hand, look for fulfillment elsewhere, trying different marketplaces in the hopes that they can make one work, so they can leave eBay all together. They go on the discussion boards and bitch with their friends. They get advice from friends, who say, "why don't you just leave". They hold out hope that they can still save the relationship, yet they won't believe anything that eBay says.

So, eBay hires a "Corporate Blogger" (No Dr. Phil) who says all the right things:

RBH: My words go straight up onto the blog, unedited. It's got to be transparent.

There's got to be an authenticity to it, an honesty to it, otherwise there's no point in doing it in the first place. I'm going to open up my e-mail to questions from folks. People can comment, too, and comments are going to be open. You're going to get the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Yet he has no experience selling on eBay, so immediately his views mean nothing. eBay needs a marriage counselor that both sides can agree on. Someone who can tell sellers when they are out of line and someone who can hold management accountable, but you know that will never happen because this is business not a marriage.

eBay management would do themselves a big favor, if they looked in the mirror and said "this is much more than a business". They have to understand that eBay is everything to many of its sellers. Unfortunately, I fear that the damage has been done and nothing that eBay management can say will improve the situation.

You may think this analogy is a stretch, but if you look at the situation honestly you can see there is a lot of truth to what I'm saying.

eBay is much more than a business!

Just my 12%.

Comments

[User 162008]

Very good analogy , but like your marriage , anything that ebay come's up with , will be to little ,to late !!
The newest insult to the buyers will tip the scale even more , the only reason I , along with a large amount of other buyers and sellers are still there , Is to help those refugees who come to the boards and blogs seeking help and answers , and like any who have been stabbed in the back , lied to and insulted , we have earned a right to bitch as you put it , as you should well know , when the trust is gone , then It's over !
There are other sites out there with arm's wide open , we built ebay and we will build again , but this time , we will not put all of our eggs in one basket !!!

[User 162070]

Fixing feedback is simple:

Let the buyer leave star ratings and/or old style feedback, but only once, then leave the rest of the feedback system alone EXCEPT:

Stick to the plan of removing neg/neutral when users are no longer registered, but make this retroactive and purge a ton of bad history.

The choice of buyer stars and/or old style feedback can let buyers feel more secure in voicing an effective opinion without fear of retaliation and the purging of non-registered's nasties lets buyers AND sellers rejoice when the truly bad apples are weeded out.

1 out of 5 buyers leaves feedback when a sellers leaves feedback 1st. 1 out of 2 leaves feedback when the seller waits. A seller should NEVER leave 1st feedback, for this and bigger reasons. My feedback will be back at 100% once the May rules kick in, and I will be making my feedback private to counter eBays buyer abuse invitation.

...and that's just my 12% :-)

Gary

[truth betold]

Thanks Randy-for saying what had to be said-and portraying it as delicately as possible.
Everything you have said is absolutely true-unfortunatley it falls upon deaf ears at Ebay headquarters.
Unfortunately all the threats of boycotting are starting to appear useless. I have not yet heard a single individual or group volunteer/offer to step forward and resolve this matter on behalf OF ALL THE SELLERS ON EBAY-by sitting down with the corporate heads or those so appointed.
Instead of The "blogger" Ebay plans to hire -why not get an arbitrator or mediator -unbiased for both Ebay sellers (ALL) and Ebay Inc. There has to be a meeting of the minds.
I have searched for other venues to sell my little trinkets and such-and find myself in such unfamiliar territory-that i lose alittle more hope each day. It's extremely depressing-and i know i speak on behalf of many ebay sellers. We are intimidated to sell for fear of retailiation by boycotters-and Ebay has 'rasied the bar' so high- it's unreachable and unrealistic.
There must be a compromise that works for all.

[User 162102]

Randy,

Very good article. Normally I would give it 4 of 5 stars. Most people would assume that it's a good rating. But if you're an eBay seller, 4 out of 5 is BAD, gets you kicked off of Power Seller status, you don't get 15% rebate, you don't even get 5% rebate. You are considered a BAD seller.

So, since I liked your article 4 out of 5, I will still give you a 5 Star rating because I think that you seem to get what's going on. Thanks for being one of the few media type that understand what eBay is and means to those who put so much into it.

Ken
eBay Power Seller / 2 Years (24/7/365)

[skydragon]

It's funny because I have thought of that same analogy. It is more of an emotional attachment that many sellers have with greedbay. If it was logical, we really would have left long ago.
I am tired of the constant fight. The one-sidedness of this relationship. Concerns falling on deaf ears.
So in keeping with the marriage analogy, it really is time to just shut-up, realize it's over, and file for divorce.

[lorimckay]

I agree sky! Besides if we are going down the dead marriage trail... You know when spouses fool around and go for the gold and grab that shiney new toy.... Shortly after the toy tarnishes...

Ex-spouse is usually doing pretty well when the other spouse suddenly finds out that shiney new toy was not all it was cracked up to be.

[Lyn]

Excellent analogy. I'll add this: Ebay is like an abusive husband. Can't live with him, but you're trapped in the relationship, so you take the abuse until you can't take it any more.

I'll add this divorce analogy, relative to sellers who are either willingly or unwillingly getting a divorce from eBay:

For a typical post-divorce American middle class woman with several children, it is a hard statistical fact that the financial and social scene is usually very grim for a real long time for them. On the other hand, Dad goes out right away and gets an apartment, a new girlfriend, and is able to pay his bills on time and even take in dinner and movie now and then instead of a bucket of chicken (not possible without a coupon) and what's on the Disney Channel (cable, what's cable??).

So there's Mom now, carrying two jobs, unable to pay the bills, kids threatening to go live with Dad...he lets them text their friends all they want and doesn't care how many tattoos and piercings their friends have.

Meanwhile, Dad is saying nasty things about how horrible his former sweetheart was to him (you know, the one who gave up her career to work two jobs and put him through college). Let's just call that the unilaterally negative feedback that the kids are lapping up and using against Mom at every opportunity in order to get their way at home against their siblings and to squeeze more loot out of her at WalMart.

Dad doesn't want to pay child support, either, lest Mom is able to afford a new $2 tube of lipstick now and then as a result of getting a big 10% of his salary every month to help feed and clothe and pay for shelter and health and dental care and transportation and phones and computers for the kids. So Mom will have to take him to court a couple of times a year. He'll lie about his income and expenses, but we all know whom the judge will believe, so Mom will end up paying the legal fees again to get bupkiss.

Ebay has lied and cheated and stolen from Mom's pocketbook one too many times, so now Mom is leaving, taking the kids with her. But that's OK, Dad is in better shape than he was before and he the judge granted him joint custody of the kids. So what's all the shouting about, anyway? That's the way it goes in America.

[Farris]

Posted on ebay' feedback forum "Ebay changes feedback policy"
gouchersway (3 ) View Listings | Report Feb-29-08 06:41 PST 9038 of 10217
niceguy
The problem is ebay does not want a small seller like you. Your items, and mine, would fall in the "flea market" category, which ebay has publicly denounced selling those items.

"Flea market" items are responsible for making ebay successful, however they have forgotten that fact.

Just consider ebay as your lover who has found an asian girlfriend (a real sleazy one). Are you go to take it or live in denial?!

Well I guess if you are a guy, you'll have to look at it the other way around. Ebay has found an italian stud for a lover...yeah ooooh yeah!.............Oh! sorry I got a little lost there. Any way you get the point.

(An asian stud may have been more appropriate, but asian and stud just somehow do not go together, to me anyway.)



Looks as though I knew there was trouble in the marriage quite some time ago.
Thanks,
Farris

[Shelly]

I love that last analogy- yes this isn't your typical marital spat that you have had one to many of. This is a down and dirty all American brawl leading and continuing on through the final moment of utter dissolution when the two party's walk away in opposite directions and the kids are left crying on the side- with no where to spend their money.

Sure dad will do fine for a while - living the high life briefly- then one day he'll wake up realizing that he has lost all that made him good. This will lead him to begin boozing it up making a spectacle of himself- until after a few month maybe a year he dies of cirrhosis

By the time the last breath was drawn mom had been promoted was making an even higher income because dad wasn't around stealing out of her wallet, and the kids had all turned on him disgusted with themselves for ever have trusted him over mom. That disgusting pig!


Of course the mom could use another popular method - staying on in the marriage with an oh so satisfied look on her face while she quietly yet aggressively sets up house else where. Also, to avoid tension with the kids over their feeling she betrayed them by hiding it until suddenly it was packing time, she slowly brought them into the new house with her and they've told friends about the new house and their friends have started visiting all the time. Then when the time was just right she tells her wife beating husband to go to hell.

Due to his no longer having a beating post he starts binge drinking and unexpectedly dies of alcohol poisoning.

[AussieBattler]

Good posting Randy , and some witty , relevant replies.
I won't vent the anger and frustration here against the 800 Pound gorilla as folks are now well aware how feral the bully has become in the great cash grab from anyone left standing.
I have heard of group weddings before however this may be the world's first mass/group divorce following MAYDAY , the snowballing up and coming May 1st BOYCOTT.

[bgnagn]

I can so relate to all of the men/divorce comments, been there done that. After ten years I finally did get a divorce (only took me five years to decide) and it took another five years but then I was in way better shape in every way.

It only took me one year to leave the "B" and find a better, nicer, and much more fulfilling venue... All the stuff I'm readiing now is something I went through in Aug of 2006. I had a store and when stores were in search I became a power seller in three months but lost it just as quick when they didn't like stores being in search because it hurt their "core" listings.

Yes, it is hard to leave!
Yes, it is scary starting over!
No, it doesn't happen overnight!

But, once you get through the stages of divorce (all 7 of them) it does get easier and you will be happier. My husband now is fantastic and even though it took me 8 years to find him it was worth the wait. So, get out there and look, test out the waters and then make the decision.

My favorite is 1finetreasure.ecrater.... but there are several other sites that are good, too, I'm just predisposed to my own store!! LOL But "that is just my opinion I could be wrong" in the words of Dennis Miller.

[User 162376]

I'm a "flea market" seller! (Hi Lori!!) I'm booted because my items aren't over a dollar. Heck I have some punchies listed for a penny. Not Ebay's cup of tea. Ebay wants fake travel agents and other scammers. I totally agree with the marriage anology but as I'm writing this I'm also seeing Ebay as a (money) drug addict who is just sinking farther and farther into the bowls of shady sellers. It totally eludes me as to why they would want to get out of their own vast market and go into a market where they are competing with like businesses. But I gues that's the money drugs killing their brain cells....

[CalifGirl]

Spot on!
Excellent analogy!

The final dissolution of this marriage is inevitable unless eBay makes some serious changes, and can make us trust them again. Just as in a failing marriage, trust, once gone, takes a lot of time and consistent work to get back.

eBay sellers are deciding to leave, even though it means a loss of income and lifestyle, because it's just too painful to stay. Just as in a marriage, there is a tipping point where the pain of leaving is less than the pain of staying. This is IT for some of us. TIP -- Elizabeth

[Alterego71]

You are on the money Randy!

Although the article puts a realistic perspective on the situation, I get the feeling from the stereotypical "Jerk Hubby/Saint Wife" replies that there is a lot more going on here than a rant about eBay...lol.

Regardless of the analogies in these replies, we all have the same pain. My wife began selling on eBay, feeBay, greedBay, or whatever other name makes us feel better a little over 4 1/2 years ago. Through the years, I have been there with her day in and day out trying to become one of those select few who manages to earn a living doing something they want to rather than something that provides a "paycheck". We have tried to roll with the punches through the years and make attempts to counteract all the tweaks and twists that eBay throws at its sellers. From the delight of our first dollar item sold, to Power Seller status and back, to barely making enough to cover overhead, we have stuck with it (sort of) simply because we haven't found an alternative yet that has the traffic flow of eBay.

Currently, we have a base store on eBay (dropped featured store to save overhead costs), a store on Vendio, and our newest creation is on eCrater. Although we have made sales on both Vendio and eCrater, the amount of people searching these sites is nowhere near the volume of eBay. Without the funds available to promote our other locations and having to rely on free services that might get our name out to a few people, referring eBay customers to visit our other stores, and getting Google to list us high enough in searches for someone to take the time to look through our store, it is nearly impossible to completely detach ourselves from the grip of eBay.

Long gone are the days of Power Seller status and being up to our ears in orders on a daily basis. Relatively speaking, the potential for eBay sellers is like buying gasoline. Although it will never again be like it once was, you try to capitalize on those days when the price drops 3 cents a gallon/gallery fee because you know if you wait you are going to get burned later.

Meanwhile, you keep plugging away, trying to reach that elusive summit that you have been trying to look out at the world from for years and keep a keen eye on the bottom line. My wife and I have discussed what to do with our eBay business almost daily for the last year it seems. When it doesn't cover expenses any longer, it's done. Unfortunately, eBay will go on. Either they will make the necessary changes to get back to the dream builder that "Mighty Meg" created or they too will fall. However, their fall will be a lot softer since there will be billions of dollars from the pockets of loyal sellers lying around to cushion the impact.

Until next time, keep your head up, fingers on the keyboard, and your eye on the prize! Someday, it will happen . . .and when it does, I will smile all the way to the bank.

[Spud]

This idea may sound crazy but why not have all of us sellers and buyers take them to court or better yet some kind of mediation. Heck even a class action suite would sure as heck make them have to pay way more attention. I for one sure would be willing to kick in a fast hundred buck. I am willing to bet others would also if it would help them to save the business they spent years building there reputation on.

[April]

The worst change is the "Best Match". People with horrible feedback, awful DSR, and high shipping are appearing before me while I don't appear until page 22. My sales have dropped off like its Dec 26th. Everyone, do a search for your items. See for yourself. We all pay the same fees but we all don't get what we paid for. Bye Bye Ebay.

[COMMON CENTS]

Randy- great analogy- But- I'm also going to agree with 'Spud'. Ebay doesn't even appear to have the decency to come to the table and talk-from what i've read on several boards on ebay-and other multiple forms of media.
-Also several articles i've read -portray the "boycott" to have ended yesterday Mar 9,2008.MAKE IT KNOWN TO ALL .. that THE BOYCOTT AGAINST EBAY CONTINUES!
Let's not walk away from this "marriage" empty handed. I know i signed or checked the box to agreement of terms when i first signed up with ebay as a buyer and as a seller.- as did all you ebayers.. Time to go over our contracts with a fine tooth comb. In addition to bringing any matters that may seem shady to the attention of the necessary authorities... Ebay has not kept their word. They've even been boldly hypocritic enough to do things there in front of all ebay sellers-of which are considered "violations" and in most cases call for suspension should an ebay buyer or seller do the same thing.
Here are ideas -concepts-actions - waiting to be engaged
-class action lawsuit (they're used it by now)but all must sing -scream loud. All must write to every newpaper they can think of-especially and include college newspapers.
-Pay attention to this one: Just so happens- Ms.Whitman will be officially retiring at the end of the 1st quarter (to all -please watch the stock market)
-As Spud and another suggested- an artbitrator or mediatior should be brought in.... but usually if both parties agree- unless of course one party is up to no good....
Let's Go For it! And Randy- Keep up the great work.!

[iWonder]

Randy,

Nice analogy, been in your shoes, now going through it again with ebay...

You would think I would have learned by now... lol

Bill...

[insane_equine]

Well said, thank you for describing this complex situation in terms so easy to understand.
When my wife & I split I was amazed at the sudden sense of relief from constant tension.
These recent eBay-free weeks during the boycott have felt much the same!
I don't hate my ex, and don't hate eBay either, but I can sure live happily ever after without 'em!

[whattheheck]

Ok, so, correct me if I'm wrong, your all making money on eBay, enough so that you don't have to work for a "PayCheck" job...and your looking for a cheaper version of eBay that can provide the same security & income. I have to ask, What percentage of your business is lost to fraud? If it's less than 5% your in great shape. Most brick and mortar stores lose a majority of their money. As far as an analogy that makes no sense.....because it's not a marriage at all. It's a business partnership, and in business, would you expect your business partner to wipe your arse for you, as much as like the way eBay does for their Power Sellers?

Your all forgetting that eBay owns Skype, they own PayPal, they own many other companies and websites internationally because they are looking at fusing them all together into one mega business. If everyone in the US leaves, they still have Europe/Asia etc., eBay is everywhere. Some of these other companies just sticking their hat in the arena because they have heard people complain about the eBay fees, and think they can woo away all the sellers with grand promises (are more like Trojan Horses). They have no clue how to control fraud, and fraud on the internet is sooo much worse than a brick and mortar store, because you can't see your seller or buyer physically, unless your selling vehicles or items for pick-up only.

I agree that it's a pain to have to continually fax in documentation, because they want to make sure that their "fraudulent" sellers/buyers don't come back, and/or they saw something "suspicious with my account activity" and to make sure that their PowerSellers don't go bad. (And trust me it's happened, I've been burned by a few Power Sellers, i.e. bought a PS3 video game brand new fairly cheap from a Power Seller lvl 66, they sent me a game for the Xbox360 platform, which I don't own, and their response after making me pay for shipping was that I had to pay for shipping the game back as well and would not get refunded the shipping costs. That chaps my hide, because they forget they were once just another person, not some rich spoiled eBay brat, looking to abandon the company that made them who they are. UGGGH!)

So, I ask this final question......once you leave eBay, where is there a comparable market with that kind of security for much cheaper? If you know the answer, I for one would appreciate to hear it. So that's my 12% and if the economy in the US gets worse probably more close to 20%.

[Randy Smythe]

whattheheck, with eBay there is a unique emotional attachment that make the analogy fair. Sellers don't have the same relationship with Amazon becasue its always been just business there. For so many years eBay was about family and business.

For those outside of eBay this is difficult to fathom, but very real none-the-less.

[Bernadette]

Ebay was only able to purchase /own "Paypal",&qu... as well as have their fingers in many other goodies - thanks to all of the sellers on ebay. It was the fees that the Ebay sellers paid -that empowered Ebay-and made them the ugly Giant that they have come to be.

Whattheheck-as for your unfortunate dealings with a scrupulous Ebay Power Seller- I'm sorry for that. I , myself am a smaller seller -selling knick nacks and other things you can no longer buy in the mega mall stores. I have had 1 or 2 bad experiences buying from Power Sellers when i first signed up on Ebay. I thought that because the seller had such a large feedback number-this was a good sign-but at the time-i was new and did not understand the whole feedback system -to check for negative feedbacks. Also- in my 1 or 2 bad experiences- the one thing that both shared- was that i felt like i was not dealing with a human being. The 2 sellers had enough experience to stall me long enough(seeing that i was new from my feedback)-years back,-trying to contact them numerous times with no luck- that my time had run out for any kind of recourse.
But i learned-and do not judge all sellers by past experiences- but i certainly learned. I ask questions first.
When i started selling- and there are alot more like me than bad ones- i treated my perspective customers & customers the way i wanted to be treated as a customer.

There has been an active boycott against Ebay by a majority of sellers - and many buyers- but in the meantime- new sellers are being recruited - and the door for fly by nite sellers, fraud and other forms of illegal fuctions are running rampant at Ebay right now.

Ebay and Paypal have made an incredible fortune off the backs of many hard working honest sellers. Ebay and Paypal are supposed to be there for the customers that buy on ebay. They would-or should have been the "customer service" you needed when your purchase was what sounds more like a conartist seller getting away with shenanigans.

Ebay and Paypal customer service have gone to alot of trouble the past year to hide from the buyers that have grievences- and yet they are bold when it comes to unfairly grabbing money from sellers who have followed the rules -but have to pay for the misdoings of dishonest sellers.
Again- I am sorry that your purchase was a horrid experience. I would go back to Paypal and Ebay- AND DEMAND THAT SOMETHING BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THE MATTER TO YOUR SATISFACTION. Let Ebay and Paypal earn the money they underservingly get.
Best of luck . I do hope Ebay will get their act together.

[debipier]

Ebay has taken a down turn in their cycle of fair trade on e-commerce... Setting the average seller up for failure, even their powersellers, is not my idea of creating growth for any company facing recession...

Calling your sellers "other than honest", is not, in my opinion, the way to build a strong platform for sellers to want to participate in, especially since there are so many more outlets that can be utilized on the net...

Ebay has sabatoged their own market place by setting unrealistic goals for their sellers to possibly see a decrease in their ending fees...

They have used terminology that isn't compatable with the dictionary and which is deceiving to say the least...

They are using a scoring system which is an out and out lie and completely contradictory depending on whom the person is that is using it...

If a buyer is using the star system, which goes from 1 star to 5 stars, he is told that a 1 is low and a 5 is the highest... So a 4 is above average... So in rating a seller at a 4, the buyer is saying that he had a great experience with the seller...

When it comes to the seller, and the discount at the end of the sale, he is rated according to the star system... The only way to get the discount is to have an overall rating of 4.5 or higher... When your shipment score goes below 4.5, then the buyer is warned in RED LETTERS that the seller has a slower than average shipping record... Ebay then suggests that you look at other sellers items before making this purchase with the seller...

Now, we've already learned when scoring a seller that a 4 is above average and then later learn that they lied to the buyer??!!

They have taken the word "neutral" and changed the meaning to mean "negative" because it's not "positive"..... What's with that??? How can this be legal???

Personally, I have been lied to enough by ebay to look at other sites and to pull all of my merchandise from their site... I have paid them plenty through the years and leave them with my 100% positive feedback rating and will not allow them to damage my reputation as a seller just so that they can gouge me in the end with their deceptive practises...

This marriage is over and at this point can not be reconciled... The trust is gone...

LISTEN UP EBAY!!
WE WILL BOYCOTT FOREVER AND EXPOSE YOUR DISHONEST PRACTISES UNTIL YOU CHANGE OR ARE PUSHED OUT OF THE MARKET!!

BOYCOTT VICTORIOUSLY!!

[Barbara]

You're exactly right when you say it's like a first love. Here is a letter I wrote to Pierre Omidyar after being suspended.


Hello Pierre
I was one of the people who shouted EBAY from the top of the roof. I said eBay is one of those companies that allows Ms. X from Oshkosh, WI or Anytown, USA to stay at home with her children and make enough money to supplement her income. I promoted it, believed in it. I told people to buy shares and encouraged many people to buy and sell there and my saying was "God Bless eBay."
Unfortunately I was suspended from eBay for using a 1/2" picture from Zumba.com as I didn't have a camera at the time for an exercise tape I had bought from that website and was selling on eBay.
Ebay doled out a LIFE SENTENCE to me. Not a fine, no specific jail time for my crime, no community service. Worse than a Murderer who is let back into the community after he's paid his dues to society, I am banned from eBay for LIFE for a MISTAKE. Is that a fair way to run a company? I think not. Only a way to run a Dictatorship.
When I read what you wrote on your blog about the way Obama made you feel I thought to myself; I felt that way about eBay. My heart swelled when I thought of how it empowered the little person. It was the closest thing to the feeling of patriotism and oneness I had felt in a long time. Belonging to a community of people who trusted one another.
Please help me get that feeling back. I want to be an eBay member again.
Sincerely, antiquesrme1