"Hurricane Buddies" - How a Community Looks Out For Each Other

If you ever need a reminder of the inherent goodness of people on eBay, look no further than the Hurricane Buddies on the Clothing, Shoes & Accessories board. With this year's hurricane season being among the most intense in recent years, they've taken it upon themselves to take care of each other.

Essentially, sellers living in hurricane zones "buddy up" with another seller. In the event that a hurricane (or really any disaster) strikes the first seller, the second has a pre-set email ready to go that they send to their buddy's buyers, informing them of the situation and a possible delay in shipment. They even offer to answer any questions that they can. For example, here's an example letter one buddy posted for others to use if they wished:

Hello!

I am contacting you on behalf of the seller of the (enter item title here) you purchased last night, (enter seller User ID here).

She lives in the Gulf Coast region of Texas and was required to evacuate due to Hurricane Ike.

Emergency officials will allow her to return home tomorrow. She will be shipping your item within the next few days.

Thank you for your patience.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask me.

You can read more about it on this thread on the Clothing, Shoes and Accessories board (just set aside a few minutes - there are a ton of posts). It really shows what makes eBay a truly great community.