Black Is White

Skype's Hold Up Problem

You wrote

"it is in neither party’s interest to destroy a valuable asset."

Interests seem unimportant to the clowns running eBay and their ring master, Meg Whitman. Well, maybe their own interests do.

As ebay CEO, Whitman screwed up the SKYPE deal. Ebay's current CEO Donahoe didn't fix it. And now Whitman wants to govern California (shudder) and Donahoe wants ebay obliterated.

Funny if it weren't so pathetic.

Sentiment Positive Ahead of eBay Earnings

Talk to ebay sellers of high dollar items who have been ripped off by dishonest buyers with the help of ebay and paypal's "buyer is always right" policies. See if they have "positive sentiments".

There is an explosion of theft and fraud on ebay by buyers who have learned that they can buy a laptop, a WII, nice watch, a little bling and get it all for free. They simply file a claim with PayPal that the item is Significantly Not As Described. PayPal tells the buyer to send the item back to the seller with Postal Service Delivery Confirmation. The buyer sends an empty envelope, an empty box, maybe a brick to the seller using Delivery Confirmation. The buyer then gets a refund from PayPal and gets to keep the seller's item. When PayPal is informed by the seller of the arrival of an empty box, they tell the seller to get a "police report". Problem is, police departments will not take police reports for online theft.

The buyer who now has the seller's item and money must have "positive sentiments" about ebay.

I suggest that you spend 6 months or so selling high dollar items on ebay. Let's see if you have "positive sentiments" for ebay after losing a few expensive items to the new pack of thieves roving ebay, supported by ebay and paypal's policies and procedures.

Sell 100 or so expensive items a month in ebay's jewelry and electronics categories for 6 months. I dare you. I'd love to read about your sentiments when you're done selling on ebay, as are so many honest former ebay sellers.

EBay Appears to Be Refocusing on Core Businesses

Whom do ebay investors and ebay members thank for this orgy of mismanagement and incompetence?

Meg Whitman? Shall we reward her with the governorship of California?

John "Strip Mall Johnny" Donahoe - CEO and king of the current steaming heap known as ebay 2009? Shall we allow him to continue wrecking what was once thought unwreckable.

Investors - Whitman and Donahoe owe you big time. Is a malfeasance suit in the future?

eBay: Out with the New, In with the Old

Out with CEO John Donahoe and President Lorrie Norrinton too. They are responsible for this disaster and should be held accountable..

What Are Analysts Saying About eBay's Analyst Day?

Yeah, more advertising. Great!

Jeetil Patel has been spot on about ebay for years.

A discouraging bit of news from the "Analyst Day" appeared in an AP news release yesterday. It read;

"Derek Brown, an analyst with Cantor Fitzgerald, said he got the sense from the presentations that the changes ebay implemented last year didn't quite yield the results it had hoped, and that eBay is now speeding things up in an effort to bring the market back to them."

Hopefully, Mr. Brown and others are making their analysis based on more than ebay's "upbeat" presentations.

A much clearer picture of the state of ebay's marketplace might be had if the analysts talked with some of eBay's customers, the sellers.

Ten Stocks to Hold Long-Term - Barron's

Proximo wrote - "Sounds like their marketing strategy is "How to piss off and alienate long time customers".

Pretty much says it all.

Those who post the current state of affairs at ebay are not bashing, just being truthful.

This article seems to have been written without a critical look at ebay's CURRENT counterfeit problems after they opened the site to Asian sellers and without a critical ear to what is CURRENTLY being said about the ebay brand around the world.

Barron's can do better

Ebay's "strong competitive advantage" is faltering.

Follow ebay's Investor/Analyst day this Wed. March 11th to see if they have a clue as to what to do about it.

Ten Stocks to Hold Long-Term - Barron's

Thanks for your list.

Your article might have been more beneficial to readers if contained current thoughts on ebay and the ebay "brand".

Go to your Post Office on a Saturday or any day there is a long line. Say the word "Ebay". See what happens.

Go to a crowded swap meet. Say the word "Ebay". See what happens.

Go to an antiques mall. Say the word "Ebay" to any dealers you meet. See what happens.

Go to a local auction house. Mix with the crowd. Say the word "Ebay". See what happens.

Go to a local auction house. Mix with the crowd. Say the word "Ebay". See what happens.

Go to a local unemployment line. Mix with the crowd. Say the word "Ebay". See what happens.

Go to a local social services office. Mix with the crowd. Say the word "Ebay". See what happens.

Go to the Motley Fool site. Put up a post asking for thoughts on the ebay "brand".. See what happens.

Go to the Jim Cramer's Mad Money site at CNBC. Put up a post asking for thoughts on the ebay "brand".. See what happens.

eBay to Hold Analyst/Investor Day: Ten Questions to Ask Them

The recent Ebay “Town Hall” around the time of the Goldman Sachs talk was shocking.

Ebay’s massive detachment from reality and disconnect from the disaster that is ebay 2009 is inexplicable.

The “Town Hall” could have been from May of 2008 when the ebay execs told everyone how great the new changes were even though they punished honest sellers, driving them away from the site).

The “Town Hall” ebay execs were clueless. No, they were somewhere way beyond clueless.

By the time of the February 2009 “Town Hall”, ebay has had months to see all the many ways the May 2008 changes are failing; they’ve had many chances to hear the anger of sellers expressed in every way possible, they have had many chances to witness the flight of sellers to other sites and many chances to read the many online critiques of ebay’s current “management”.

Their response - “La, la la, la, everything is beautiful at the circus.”

Of particular note were the “Town Hall” words of the architect of ebay’s severely flawed feedback changes, Brian “A neutral rating is a negative rating because it isn’t a positive rating” Burke.

Black is white because it isn’t red.

He still maintains that there is something ethical about telling buyers that a “4″ Detailed Seller rating for a seller while punishing/suspending any ebay seller with a “4″ average Detailed Seller Rating.

Black is white because it isn’t red.

Burke also believes that an ebay buyer who does not pay for an ebay item should be able to leave an ebay seller negative feedback for an auction never completed. That’s like saying a consumer can sue a retailer for a slip and fall accident when the consumer never entered the retailer’s store.

Black is white because it isn’t red.

As has happened in past “Town Halls” a seller phoned in with his own statistics showing how the May 2008 changes have damaged his ebay business. And as in similar past calls, Burke quickly hauled out the data, saying ebay’s “research” showed that the seller’s real world experience hadn’t happened or was an anomaly.

Black is white because it isn’t red.

Well you know ebay, you could roll around in facts all day long…

Amazing that none of the ebay execs behind this train wreck have been removed from the site for poor performance.

Sad that some wise long time ebay execs who understood the site have fled. Even the creator of ebay’s disastrous new “Search”, Raghav Gupta, left. He maintains that ebay is misusing his creation. His parting shot to his former colleagues at ebay was a poem titled “Ode to Ebay” in which he wrote.

As with all blinding power
The custodians went slowly sour
Took the community for granted
Seeds of dissent met with dour
The ecosystem was finally salted.

Black is white because it isn’t red.

Ebay is bad because ebay isn’t good.

Shares of eBay Hit Seven Year Low

Around the time of the Goldman Sachs appearance, ebay held an online "Town Hall". It was shocking in ebay's massive detachment from reality and the disaster that is ebay 2009.

The "Town Hall" could have been from May of 2008 when the ebay execs told everyone how great the new changes were (even though they were punishing and onerous to sellers, driving them away from the site).

The ebay execs were clueless.

Jump to the February 2009 "Town Hall" - they have had months to see in how many ways the May 2008 changes are failing; to hear the anger of sellers, to witness the flight of large sellers to other sites, to read the many online critiques of ebay's current management.

Their response - "La, la la, la". Everything is beautiful at the circus.

Of particular note were the words of the architect of ebay's severely flawed feedback changes, Brian "A neutral rating is a negative rating because it isn't a positive rating" Burke. Black is white because it isn't red.

He still maintains that there is something ethical about telling buyers that a "4" Detailed Seller rating is good yet punishing/suspending any ebay seller with a "4" average Detailed Seller Rating. Black is white because it isn't red.

Burke also believes that an ebay buyer who does not pay for an ebay item should be able to leave an ebay seller negative feedback for an auction never completed. Black is white because it isn't red.

As has happened in past "Town Halls" a caller phoned in with his own statistics showing how the May 2008 changes have damaged his ebay business. And as in similar past calls, Burke quickly hauled out the data, saying ebay's "research" showed that the seller's real world experience hadn't happened or was an anomaly. Black is white because it isn't red.

Well you know ebay, you could roll around in facts all day long...

Amazing that none of the ebay execs have yet to be removed from the site for poor performance.

Ebay is bad because ebay isn't good.