VandTnut needs advice (and help)

[TiasTreasures]

I've spent the last week reading the forums here and how many complaints there are about the lack of buyers, the lack of proper categories for listing certain specific items, not knowing when new category listings will be added.
Well if you want the American trade there are going to be some changes. The categories THAT YOU LOT SHOULD HAVE BEEN INSISTING ON YEARS AGO have to be implemented NOW.
The management of eBid has one chance to capture the sellers leaving greedBay and the buyers they can bring with them.
ED

You are quite correct that there aren't enough categories for U.S. sellers. Many of us have asked for new categories because we can't find suitable ones. I also wish they would be added sooner. I do the best I can with what is available and don't waste my time policing other people's listings. That's eBid's job.

I think the only proper place to discuss items that you think are misplaced is in the forums, NOT IN THE LISTINGS. I also think you must tell them which category is suitable. A quote from a professor when I was getting my MBA: "Do not criticise someone else unless you have a viable solution to the problem". You are causing fellow members a lot of trouble, then getting angry when they take action to stop you.

For what it's worth, I am a buyer as well as a seller. I NEVER look for an item by category, I use the Search facility and check everything that comes up. I do that on ALL sites, not just here.

[bluebedouin]

I........don't waste my time policing other people's listings. That's eBid's job.

Please take a look at my post here.

[VandTnut]

I've been prowling antiques shops, bazzars, and auction houses since the 60s and online sites since eBloat was trying to hide the fact that over half of what they had listed were beannie babies. The sad fact is there are a lot of people out there who do not know what they have, aren't interested in doing the "legwork" necessary to find out, and will just throw it out there in hopes they can catch a sale for more than they paid for it. People of this inclination will not press for change but will put an item wherever they think is "close enough".
I appreciate your opinion that the proper place to discuss the problem IN GENERAL is the forums and I concur. Having spent a week and a half doing nothing but studdying how this site works (and doesn't) my choices were direct contact with the sellers or bother admin. If I bother admin there are going to be a number of people who are going to have their listings shut down completely and their accounts flagged. If I contact everybody directly I know there are going to be some ruffled feathers but it keeps admin out of the loop and nobody gets their account flagged before they have a chance to put things in order.
I already knew there was going to be a site maintenance shutdown on Sunday morning when I made contact with each of the sellers on Friday nite/Saturday morning. I was hoping that there would be category updates as part of the planned maintenance. I had no way of knowing if this would occur or not but it was logical.
I chose to make individual contact. My decision. My consequenses. I kept admin out of the loop.
Regards.
ED

[SalusLibrorum]

Well when people place inappropriate questions on my listings, one of two things happen:

1) I appreciate that they had nowhere else to ask it, answer it, give them enough time to read it and then delete it using the temporary blackball solution, or:

2) It gets removed by blackballing them forever. That has happened to one person so far who clearly forgot their manners, and was an eB*y member since they didn't know how the about me pages work over here. I won't have to worry about them again.

I am happy to blackball anyone who is or appears to be a threat to my listings, today an inappropriate question or rudeness, tomorrow auction or feedback wrecking? Not that it matters so much over here, it doesn't cost anything to list and admin seem to listen to sellers.

[VandTnut]

Well when people place inappropriate questions on my listings, one of two things happen:

1) I appreciate that they had nowhere else to ask it, answer it, give them enough time to read it and then delete it using the temporary blackball solution, or:

Thank you for summing up the situation so sucsinctly.
Asking the question in the forums would have gotten a response from one person for certain, two maybe, and any beyond that would have been a question mark. As it is I had less than a 50% response rate from
the 27 people queried.
ED

[bluebedouin]

....I chose to make individual contact......

I think it was the manner in which you contacted the other sellers that has caused the disharmony.As has been suggested on the KT thread,a pm would have been the polite way to go.

[VandTnut]

Given the response rate to a message system where they are supposed to reply within 24 hours how many responses do you think I would have received from pm attempts?
BTW I still haven't received replies from about 10 of the worst "offenders", all with automotive related listings.
Ed

[TiasTreasures]

Please take a look at my post here.

Point taken. The discussion is about categories. Of course I would report something if I thought it was illegal or if it broke any eBid rules that I am aware of.

About categories. Because we are listing such a wide variety of items in our stores, I am well aware of how much time it can take to agonizingly decide on the "best" category/subcategory for an item. One example: we have several vintage silver compotes and serving bowls. There is NO category for them. I asked support over two months ago, there's still nothing. They're currently in Kitchenalia, because I couldn't find anything better. Of course, they would never be used in the kitchen! Another item is a pinback button that we think is about 60 years old . . . highly collectible. There is no "Pinback" category in Collectibles or anywhere else. I finally put it in Collectibles/Badges & Patches/Character & Cartoon Badges. GreedBay has a large assortment of Pinback categories, eBid has none. Should my listings be reported and deleted?

There is another thread begging support to add "Unused", because "New" and "Used" just don't work for old items that are still in new condition. A couple of the posters said their listings had been deleted. This is especially painful for sellers of Uncirculated coins, Mint state postage stamps, and many collectibles. They're not Used, they're not New. What to do?

If someone were to report me because I guessed wrong as to the category, and eBid deleted them, I would be extremely upset. That's why I'm not eager to cast stones. Other people are having the same problem.

[MagnetsAndHangers]

I've had 30+ years business experience and one thing I've learned - its' the squeaky wheel that gets oiled first.

Whoopie dooooo

Ive been eating food for 53+ years, but that doesnt make me a chef.

[VandTnut]

Whoopie dooooo

Ive been eating food for 53+ years, but that doesnt make me a chef.

I could make a very pointed response to that remark but I won't cheapen the discussion by making it.
Ed