Last week, eBay seller and Education Specialist Joyce Banbury (danse on eBay) hosted a special event in Hays, Kansas titled, "Kansas Jubilee eBayer Convention for eBay/eCommerce Sellers and Buyers." The two-day convention was held at the Memorial Union hall of the Fort Hays State University campus and was sponsored by the Fort Hays State University College of Business and Leadership.
How did eBay become involved in a member-sponsored event? Joyce approached us several months ago with news of the upcoming Jubilee and asked if we in Community Development might send a few employees to instruct or speak at the event. We were happy to oblige. (I never miss a chance to visit our members in the great Midwest, especially a town or city which I have never visited. Big cities are OK but they are no match for small town hospitality.)
Five employees from eBay and one from PayPal attended as part of a larger staff of 14 guest speaker/instructors:
Nearly 50 eBay seller's from as far away as Nebraska and Texas attended the Jubilee to learn about a varied roster of topics including Catalog Photography, Marketing on eBay, Creating a Brand with eBay Stores, Packing and Shipping, Using PayPal, etc. Other workshops included an Extreme Listing Makeover session, a workshop on boosting DSRs and feedback, and a session on improving visibility in Search.
Although the two day event concluded on Saturday, Oct 4th, the spirit of the event will continue with a 10 day Charity Auction of two, extensively autographed and bejeweled (with eBay Live! pins) eBay Live! white lab coats.
100% of the auction proceeds will benefit the High School Rebuilding funds of Chapman and Greensburg, Kansas school districts. Chapman High School was extensively damaged in a tornado this year and the town could really use a helping hand in recovery. The auctions will go live on Oct, 15th so if you want to do your part and own a rare piece of eBayana, bookmark the seller ID yabiecentral and get your bids in starting October 15, 2008.
Our thanks go to Joyce Banbury for inviting us to her event and to all of our hosts and fellow speakers and attendees for your enthusiasm and kindness during our all-too-short stay in Hays, Kansas.
While preparing for this week's eBay Radio show, I went through my inbox to see what's been on listeners' minds lately. Here are a few emails, and my responses:
From: Brian Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2008 5:16 PM To: Griffith, Griff Subject: eBay auction/Buy It Now moral dilemma Griff!
I love the show! I listen every week through the podcasts while I work my non-eBay job. I thought I'd ask for your take on a situation that has come up several times for me.
I have had auctions up (for CDs mostly) where the auction has been going for 5-6 days. I'll get an email from a potential buyer asking if they can buy the item 'now'. They are not asking to complete the transaction outside of eBay, but rather for me to add a Buy It Now price to the auction.
Sometimes these items have bids, and I will not (and probably cannot) change those, of course. Sometimes they don't, but they might have several watchers on them. I always respond to the potential buyer with something like “Sorry, I've had the auction up for a few days and don't feel right adding a Buy It Now to the listing. Feel free to put a bid up and see what happens. You may win the item for less than I'd have charged through Buy It Now.”
Now, I know that I can add a Buy It Now to a listing if there aren't any bids on it, but is this really fair? I know that if I can immediately get a profit on it by adding a Buy It Now it would be nice, but on the other hand it takes away from the bidder's fun and hope of getting a good deal and feeling good about it. Not to mention if they've been watching the item for several days at an opening bid of 99 cents with no action, and then the next time they check it's been sold (maybe for $4.99 or whatever). For some reason that just doesn't sit right with me.
It's a moral dilemma. Maybe a good discussion for the show. Would you let me know your thoughts if you get a chance?
Thanks! Brian
Hello Brian,
We discussed your email on a recent Ask Griff show. My recommendation (and the consensus among sellers) is that you should never agree to sell an item to a bidder before the listing closes. In nearly every case I have monitored, the item has ended up bringing more than the bidder's offer. It only makes sense that if they are interested enough (and concerned enough about other bidders raising the price), that it is worth the chance of letting it go till the end when ALL bidders will have had a chance to post a bid.
In my experience, bidders on a listing which is subsequently ended to sell the item to one of the bidders or another party altogether, are invariably unhappy and will usually hesitate to bid on that seller's items in the future.
From: Gary Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 3:42 PM To: Griffith, Griff Subject: Re: Return Policy Revisions
Really appreciate you getting back to me on this. On all of my new listings I am putting "All Returns are Considered on an Individual Basis" in the Return Policy Details box. Is this OK? You can see what I mean buy going to one of my listings item # XYZ. Since I sell low-cost items it is usually not cost productive for a buyer to return the item so I usually offer them a credit if they are willing to keep it. Since I do this I have only had 1 shirt returned in the last 3 years. I hesitate to put this in the details box because I am afraid some buyers make take advantage of it
Again, thanks for getting back to me on this. It really helps explain something I have been very confused about.
Gary
Hi Gary,
As a statement, it's OK (i.e., it is in compliance with return policy) but, as a marketing strategy, it's not ideal. It sends a message to potential buyers that a return might not be forthcoming should the buyer not be happy.
I recommend to all sellers that want to compete and succeed in this marketplace, that they adopt a flat out "100% satisfaction guaranteed or your money back or item replacement - buyer choice)” return policy.
Yes, it’s always possible that a buyer might take advantage of the offer. In the end, what matters is your gross sales for a period. If a generous, unambiguous return policy generates more business for you, the risk of a one-off sale where a buyer “takes advantage” of the policy (how does a seller ever know if this is the case?) is well worth absorbing.
This is the reason that every single major retail business has a reasonable –- and in some cases like Nordstroms, outrageously reasonable -– return policy. A good customer-focused business strategy works for any business, big retailer or small eBay seller. Even the person who only sells once or twice a year on eBay will benefit from employing the same business practices a big retailer uses.
From: Alex Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2008 3:42 PM To: Griffith, Griff Subject: Unfair negatives
I recently received 2 negatives from overseas customers. The first was for an ivory chess set. It clearly stated in my listing that ivory cannot be exported. This buyer purchased anyway and calculated his own shipping and paid by PayPal. As soon as I saw the address I contacted the buyer and refunded the entire amount thru PayPal. I still got a negative.
The second negative was from a buyer of 2 vacuum tubes. They were shipped to France and were at his Post Office and he was notified that they were there. He refused to go to the Post Office and pay the duty and wanted them delivered to his home. They were never picked up and they are supposed to be on their way back to me. This was in June. He decided to leave me a negative as well.
All my explanations to eBay have done no good. I seem to be talking to the wall that can only give "canned" answers that are in the book. As you can see by my other Feedback I try to run my eBay business as any good business should be run and bend over backwards to satisfy my customers. I hope that you can help.
Thank you in advance Alex
Hello Alex,
For the first listing, did you use Buyer Requirements to block bidders or buyers registered in countries to which you will not ship and along with that, did you provide ONLY domestic shipping options? If not, you should do so for future listings of items that you cannot ship overseas.
For more on Buyer Requirements, click the Help link on the top of any eBay page, enter the words, “Buyer Requirements” in the Search help box and click the Search Help button.
When you list an item, indicate there are only options for Domestic shipping by unchecking any options for International Shipping.
Since you stated in your listing that the item cannot be exported, you may have a case for Feedback removal based on the current policy. Go to the Report a Problem page and select the option for Feedback Abuse.
As for the second transaction, this is less likely for removal since the buyer paid and didn't receive the item (even for the reason that they didn't pick it up at their local post office). I suspect the buyer doesn't understand English. If you are emailing the person in France using English, they may not be able to understand your emails! If you are not doing so already, try using an online translating service like Babelfish.
Finally, I checked your entire Feedback history and it is excellent. So good in fact, that even these two unfortunate negatives won't affect your online reputation on eBay.
Every week I get tons of email from listeners to my eBay Radio show. I've decided to share some of them, along with my responses, on the Chatter blog -- hopefully each week.
Here's a recent sampling:
On 8/30/08 9:32 AM, Chris wrote:
Hey Griff,
I've been listening to your show via podcast and I really enjoy it. I'm emailing to ask your advice with a situation I have.
I sold some Packer football tickets [Chris mentioned the item number here - Griff]. The high bidder almost immediately backed out claiming an error on their part. I did the 2nd chance offer but that wasn't accepted. I then had to relist the tickets and pay the listing fee again $5. They didnt sell at all so I had to relist again this time at $600 starting price and for some reason pay another $5 listing fee. This time they sold and I have shipped them.
I have now filed an unpaid item dispute. The buyer who cost me between $200 and $400 wants me to just say mutual agreement so I can get me fees back right away he says. To me this doesnt seem right. I am fearful though of some negative feedback and then trying to go through eBay to get it removed. It's been 10 years and almost 1500 feedback for me with zero negatives so I really dont want to start one now. I am also worried about my DSRs because I am at 4.9 4.9 4.9 4.8 lifetime and 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.9 for 30 days which is going to get me a nice discount.
What do I do? Do I agree or just press on. Another thing is I don't have those tickets any more even if they were to say offer to pay for them. Unlike other items they are very time and date sensitive.
Thanks Chris
Chris,
This buyer "sniped" the listing at the last minute. They knew full well what they were doing. I would not let them get away with it (if it were me in your position). Since this was an auction format and not a fixed price listing, I would file the UPI and state the reason as "buyer backed out." I would not agree to the mutual option.
Yes, the buyer could leave you a negative. However, under the circumstances, you could expect the feedback to be removed (along with any DSRs they might leave as well).
Here's the reason: We need seller reports in order to remove from the site those buyers who continually back out of their purchase obligations. The only way to do so is to file UPIs and to state reasons honestly. The risk of course, is a negative but, if the buyer doesn't respond to the UPI dispute (or responds with something insufficient to explain a good, legit reason for not paying), any negative feedback the buyer leaves you will be removed.
The very nature of the items would make any attempt on the buyer's part to reply, "I am willing to pay for them now" an invalid excuse since the tickets were time-sensitive and you have, rightfully so, resold them.
Just a quick question, you had stated on the show about multi print labels with PayPal and that it would let you print a scan form at the end. I have read and tried to get that dang scan form but there is nowhere to print it with PayPal. Please let me know I am confused on how to get this form. I have read all the help files and still nothing.
In order to actually do this, you have to go through the PayPal Multi Item Shipping tool. Click the link Start Shipping button on the MultiOrder Shipping on PayPal page and follow the steps from there.
You won't like this, but I'm telling a lot of sellers to email you. That's because they're getting emails from buyers to whom they have made 100% refunds saying, "I'm going to give you all 1s on your DSRs just to teach you a lesson."
Sorry. But you're the only email address I have on eBay so I'm just going to keep herding them all in your direction.
Jade
Jade,
Although this activity is always a possibility, our overall data shows it is extremely unlikely (and in the rare case it does happen, it will have a negligible effect on a seller's ratings, especially if the seller is a full time seller).
If there is evidence that the buyer has attempted to extort the seller, then the reports must be made by the actual seller through the Report a problem page.
Unfortunately, sending these to me will not result in any action on the part of eBay. I am always willing to assist any seller with a specific issue or case regarding Feedback abuse on the part of a buyer but in cases where a buyer has left a rating for which the seller does not agree and that does not violate policy or was not the result of an attempt to extort the seller, I cannot provide any redress.
I've spent lot of time on eBay, and have bought thousands of items throughout the years. Recently I revisited some tips for buying that I'd put together a while ago. I thought our Chatter Blog readers might be interested in them:
First-Time Buyers
Research! You can find virtually any information you need online. Start by researching product information, reading reviews and checking the value of what you're buying. The more you know, the more successful you'll be.
Never assume. Missing information in the item description? Don't fill in the blanks yourself; directly contact the seller before you commit to buying anything. Click on the "Ask seller a question" link from any listing to email questions and get more detailed information.
Follow through. When you buy it, pay for it quickly to complete the transaction.
Use PayPal.PayPal is the safer, easier way to pay online. Beginning this holiday season, PayPal will provide you with unlimited coverage on your purchases.
Are you smiling? If you're happy with the transaction – it was timely, a good deal, reasonable shipping costs, etc. – leave positive Feedback for the seller. And if the transaction was flawless – the seller communicated in a timely manner, the item was as described, the seller shipped the item quickly and for actual shipping costs or for free - give them "high 5's" on all their Detailed Seller Ratings and make that seller's day.
Frequent Buyers
Hidden Gems. Find a great deal by using search terms with spelling mistakes (sometimes sellers forget to spell check their listings) or search for an item with the terms "outlet," "liquidation" or "refurbished" to find a bargain.
Communicate. If something needs to be addressed during the transaction, contact the seller directly. The best way is to reach the seller is via email or, if a number is available, give them a call.
Analyze Feedback. After you've narrowed down your search, check seller feedback and ratings for each item. Remember, give preference to the seller with the highest feedback score – it means they have the best reputation as a seller.
Don't be afraid. eBay is set up to hold people accountable. If a problem cannot be resolved by contacting the seller directly, rely on eBay. To get more information, click on the Security and Resolution Center link located at the top of any eBay.com page and report your problem.
eBay Addicts
Be adventurous. If you're comfortable and frequently use eBay to buy from one or two categories, consider exploring other categories to find new, unearthed items. For example, an antiques dealer can find great vintage items in the Clothing, Shoes and Accessories category beyond just shopping in Collectibles.
Consider pre-owned. To save some cash, consider searching and purchasing used items. Review your search results to select the item that best suits your needs – chances are you'll come across the perfect find at a great price.
Trade up. If you’re looking for a little extra cash to purchase the next must-have item on your list, all you have to do is sell an item on eBay. Voila! You've now recycled, cleaned house and earned money to purchase another great product.
Luxuriate! On eBay, you can find a range of high-end items, from consumer electronics to clothing and accessories. Be as specific as possible when searching for an item – include both the brand name and model number. You can also add in helpful search terms like "authentic," "collectors," "rare" or an era to help narrow your search.
The Dallas eBaybes & eMales eBay Group, founded by well-known eBay Super Seller and Education Specialist, Stephanie Inge (stephintexas), invited a few eBay staff members to their regular in-person get-together in Richmond, TX on Thursday night, May 29th. Over 100 members of the eBaybes & eMales came to the get-together. In attendance from eBay were Brian Burke, Directory of Global Feedback Policy, Rishikesh Tembe from Trust and Safety and myself, Stacy Stella and Garnor Morantes from Community Development.
Even the hospitality is bigger in Texas! The event started at 6:30 pm at the bucolic Canyon Creek Country Club. From the moment we walked into the lobby, Stephanie & company greeted us with heaping helpings of Texas hospitality. As I do every time I travel to Texas, I immediately felt welcomed and at home. From introductions and greetings we moved into the dining area of the club and its 100 foot stretch of enormous picture window that provided the event with a eye-watering backdrop of verdant rolling hills in the late afternoon sun.Our hosts provided us mounds of great barbecued chicken, corn on the cob and apple pie, and lots of libations (I lost count of the G&T's set before me courtesy of Melinda (texasdiner2004). Thank you Melinda!).
What's eBay's long-term strategy for "super sellers"? After dinner it was time for Q&A. A range of questions and comments came our way -- about the recent launch of Feedback 2.0, Finding 2.0, and eBay's long term strategy for "super sellers" (the impromptu but apt term that the Group members came up with to describe themselves). The group is made up of sellers, a majority of who are also buyers (the perfect demographic) so we had the privilege of hearing many diverse viewpoints and suggestions.
After the Q&A, Brian, Rishi and I helped as "runners" distributing the raffle door prizes, all of which were donated by Group members. There were some really great prizes and few (the rare, branded eBay Austria Thong - MWMT and definitely brand new - donated by eBetsy and John Monjott was the definite hit of the evening).
At 9:00pm, the official close of the event, we assembled for a group photo.
I say "official close" because Brian and I stayed on another two and a half hours talking with many eBaybes and eMales sharing stories, concerns and views for the future. I kept thinking it was only about 10:00 pm when I realized that my watch was still set to Pacific time. It was nearly midnight! And all of us had early flights to catch back to San Jose the next morning.
Ask Stephanie about how to form a local Group in your area
If you live in the Dallas, Fort Worth area, you should definitely consider joining Stephanie's eBay Group. The heady mix of entrepreneurial spirit, bonhomie, and hospitality of their in-person events made for one of the most memorable and exciting evenings I can remember. It reminded all of us who participated exactly what sets eBay apart from any other marketplace -- you, our Community.
If you live in another state and are interested in forming a local eBay group that meets up on a regular basis, I strongly encourage you to seek out Stephanie. She is definitely eager to provide advice and tips to anyone interested in creating a similar group.
Thanks again to Stephanie, Malinda, Theresa, Susan and everyone in the eBaybes & eMales eBay Group for your extraordinary generosity, good humor and good will. It was an honor and a delight to meet and talk with you, share stories and most importantly, to listen to your concerns and questions.
Since I put myself out there last February with my take on the changes to our Feedback system I feel I owe it to you to check in and report on what I am hearing from sellers, now that the changes are in place. Over the coming months, I hope to provide regular updates regarding the changes (aka, Feedback 2.0) based on the emails I am receiving and any anecdotal indications of changes in seller or buyer behavior. So… our first update:
As you might imagine, May 19th was a momentous day for many sellers, especially as indicated by the volume of email I've received since then. So far, the emails, nearly all from sellers, divide up into two groups: one small but growing group of sellers who tell me that they adjusted their business practices well in advance of May 19th and are seeing a marked improvement in their ratings and in the sales. The other, admittedly larger group is still, to put it mildly, apprehensive of the changes and their consequences. One seller actually told me that they thought we would not actually go through with the announced implementation and was dismayed to see that we did.
The bulk of the emails in the second group was from sellers who wanted to express their shock and distress at seeing their Feedback percentage drop on the morning of May 19th –- sometimes by a few tenths of a point, sometimes by as much as a full point -– based on the new formula for calculating percentages (which now includes neutrals as well as positives). Brian Burke did an excellent job answering a lot of these questions his recent follow-up announcement so I will defer discussion here to his post.
Buyer who misused the policy suspended
Of all the emails I received, one was most interesting. Midday yesterday, I received the first of several reports of a single buyer who had waited until May 19th to leave negative feedback for eleven separate sellers! Our privacy policy prevents me from revealing User IDs or item numbers but I can tell you that all of the transactions took place in April and that all of the left negatives comments had the same text:
"BEWARE! Poor communication. Not even an email to thank me for my fast payment."
Upon reviewing the Feedback left by this buyer, it was immediately clear that this was exactly the type of "worst case" Feedback abuse scenario that some sellers had predicted. And it was exactly this type of abuse for which we have revamped our previous policy to allow for redress (permanent removal of all negatives left by a suspended member).
Make no mistake, we absolutely will not tolerate any clear abuse of the new Feedback rules and we will take immediate action against any member who, reported to us, is shown to have violated eBay policy regarding abuse of the feedback forum.
The buyer who left the series of negative comments has been suspended and the negative comments removed.
I want to follow up on my call for new seller stories by sharing a few of them with you over the next few weeks. I received nearly 200 (and they are still coming in!) and I hope to feature some of the best here starting with April Puchala, owner of The Toy Bakery.
We had the pleasure of meeting April and her husband Danny last week when they visited San Jose as part of the latest group of members in the Voices of the Community program. Despite some apprehension about air travel, April agreed to fly to California with Danny from their home base in Florida in order to participate in Voices. Here is her the gist of her story:
Hey Griff :)
My name is April. I'm a stay at home mom in my late 20's. I've known my husband since we were kids. When we got out of high school he joined the Marines. After serving and coming home, we got married. Since then he's served a tour in the Army and even the Coast Guard! After living in New Orleans during and after the infamous Hurricane Katrina, he decided after 12 years of service, it was time to move our 2 girls into a more structured environment.
However, it has been at a cost. Last Christmas, we purchased a new home in a small town north of where we grew up. No longer able to depend on the benefits of being military and now my husband starting all over at a new position in a civilian job, our finances started to feel a weight we've never known.
So what else could I do to assist my family as a stay at home mom?
During the Christmas season, I had purchased some lovely play foods on eBay for our daughters as presents. After seeing their love for the newfound toys, I decided to start selling them myself. I anticipated our tax return which came the 2nd week of February and carefully spent every penny on getting this idea in the works.
I decided on a very original idea that I had been thinking about since I was a child and enjoyed my own play foods. I named my store "The Toy Bakery." Our motto is "Get the Baker's Best without the Mess!" I package all of my play foods in real gourmet boxes and wrappings. It's a very cool idea that the kids and parents seem to really love. I get compliments in my feedback and in emails a lot from my new customers.
Marketing has also been quite easy even inside of eBay. From my monthly coloring contest, to my 100% to charity auctions, I am trying hard to utilize all eBay has to offer me AND my customers. I held my first coloring contest my first month in business and sent a coloring page to my customers with their orders. To my delight, I had several entries and I named 2 grand prize winners! I had to put off my contest for April to finish working on my store, but I am already getting submissions for my May contest!
It was scary at first. Families come to rely on tax returns quite heavily and ours was no different. I really put our money at risk trying this new endeavor. But honestly, It's been about 2 months since I've been listing on eBay and I'm actually making money... already! I even have my first import coming in from overseas for some great play foods. Not only that I have made countless sales internationally to places I had to look on a map to see where it was! It's amazing how this has changed me, educated me and given me a feeling of self-accomplishment beyond the joy of being a mother and wife. I feel so blessed to be able to express myself, make money AND still be able to take care of my children and husband without leaving my home!
What other job in the world can a mother fill her orders in her PJs and stop to change a diaper than to be an eBay-mom? I have high expectations for my business, I truly believe my brand name will be known and I can say it all started right here on eBay!
Thank you for taking the time to read my family’s story. I wish you all the best!
Baker April The Toy Bakery "Get the Baker's Best without the Mess!"
Big and small sellers; full and part time sellers; high and low volume sellers; commodity and unique item sellers; every single one is an integral part of eBay's extraordinary marketplace of sellers. April is a perfect representative of the single-owner, small businesses that bring an unequaled selection of unusual and rare merchandise to eBay. They play an integral role in the eBay marketplace. Without them, there would be no eBay.
In the weeks leading up to eBay Live!, I will be celebrating and championing small start-up sellers like April for the inspiration and delight they bring to everyone on eBay, buyers and fellow sellers alike.
Here's a short video interview I did with April during her visit to San Jose.
On Friday, April 25th, the Community Development team held a special event in the eBay Café to launch a very special new program. Normally, I don't blog about internal events since they would be of no real interest to anyone but employees. However, this is one that I think every buyer and seller will find of interest.
eBay employees say "Hello" to you!
I am a lucky guy. I have the honor and privilege of talking to thousands of eBay sellers and buyers in the course of a year, either in person or via email or through eBay Radio. Through our constant conversations, I learn volumes about you and your experiences with eBay and other eBay members. What I learn from you allows me to do my job well (as an instructor, guide, ombudsman and "ear.") I consider my connections with you to be priceless and the reason I get up in the morning. In fact, when anyone asks me what I love most about my job, I do not hesitate telling them that it's my daily interactions with you, our Community.
Many of my teammates in Community Development are equally as fortunate, as they, too, get to meet with so many of you throughout the year. But for many other eBay employees, the opportunities for direct interaction with you are limited. It's not that they are unwilling; the majority would love to learn more about you. For them, the obstacles are "how" and "when." Since we in Com Dev are experts at the "how" and "when," we created a special program to help every eBay employee who so desires or needs, to meet and talk with you. The program is called Customer Connect.
Customer Connect will facilitate a myriad of different connections between eBay customers -- that would be you -– and eBay employees using existing features like the Community forums, live events like eBay In Person, our Voices program as well as new features like home visits and customer support "listen ins." Our hope for the program is that it will bring more employees into direct contact with eBay buyers and sellers so that they, the employees, can attain a better understanding of your needs, your own challenges as either sellers or buyers, your suggestions for improvements and changes and in general, a better picture of your day to day experiences using eBay's marketplace.
The launch event was a resounding success. In two hours, our team members spoke individually to over 200 employees and signed up nearly that many as "early members" who expressed interest in connecting with you through one of four main channels: Voices, Visits, Forums or Community Communications. We gave away lots of specially branded tchotchkes like big glass mugs, t-shirts and tin flower pots with real grass seeds to water and grow (like a chia pet!).
Signing up employees for Customer Connect
In addition, we had four local eBay members come to the event to meet with and talk to employees (a special thanks to them!).
Employee Lisa Laursen (Lulu) speaks with eBay member Randy Hicks during the event.
We received quite a bit of interest from employees in all aspects of the program but especially in becoming "pinks" so that they could chat and converse with you on our forums (a definite need in the Community!) I feel confident in predicting that in the coming weeks and months, you will notice more employees actively engaging with you both on and off the site.
I need to take a break for a moment from answering the avalanche of email I have received from my call for stories on Friday to thank all those folks who have taken the time to write out their own personal tales of starting to sell on eBay. I was not prepared for the sheer number of stories or the array of hardships conquered they contained. So many of you have weathered such extreme difficulties and have overcome them, with help from a little opportunity provided by eBay and a whole lot of dedication and passion for believing in yourselves, in spite of the odds. I was, at times over the weekend, overcome myself reading them.
Rest assured, I will respond in the coming days, to each and every person who emailed in a story. It may take a few days so I thank you for your patience in advance.
Thank you again for taking the time to bring your testaments to life. You remind me over and over why working for you is such an honor and privilege.
Are you a new or even "new-ish" seller on the eBay?
Has recent news about the world economy motivated you, after maybe months or even years of putting it off, to start finally listing items on eBay, maybe to supplement your income or to convert your unwanted possessions into a nice little cash reserve (finally freeing up enough space in your garage to fit your car)?
Then we want to hear your story! Well, not just us, but the whole world. We're looking for a few good stories to share with with the media in the coming months. This is an excellent once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share your story and put your eBay listings in front of millions of potential buyer eyeballs!
So if you are relatively new to selling on eBay and your main reason for taking the plunge was concern about the current state of the economy, and you don't mind reaping the possible rewards a national news story could generate for your listings on eBay, then why not email your story to me at griff@ebay.com today!
Last week, eBay seller and Education Specialist Joyce Banbury (danse on eBay) hosted a special event in Hays, Kansas titled, "Kansas Jubilee eBayer Convention for eBay/eCommerce Sellers and Buyers." The two-day convention was held at the Memorial Union hall of the Fort Hays State University campus and was sponsored by the Fort Hays State University College of Business and Leadership.
100% of the auction proceeds will benefit the High School Rebuilding funds of Chapman and Greensburg, Kansas school districts. Chapman High School was extensively damaged in a tornado this year and the town could really use a helping hand in recovery. The auctions will go live on Oct, 15th so if you want to do your part and own a rare piece of eBayana, bookmark the seller ID yabiecentral and get your bids in starting October 15, 2008.
