What is your priority for eBid improvements? POLL

[JerseyDevil]

I do agree, clockie, some civility in the form of an apology to Kimbo would be the proper thing to do.

[Aviation_Nostalgia]

Sorry Naturalist - can't let this one pass - no offence intended to you, but ...

I built my first ecommerce website on the "Internet" in 1994
I built my first ecommerce discussion board (pre-Internet) in 1990
I built my first online commerce system in the ArpaNet in 1984 using a Commodore CBM64 home computer.

Prior to that I was working with global wide area networks (build, maintain, and use) as early as 1979 deploying ICL4/72 mainframes and dumb terminals

The only eBid member I know that was programming earlier than me is Madelaine (mfkirke) who has occasionally confessed to having worked with punch card systems - those are before even my time.

(hides from Madelaine now - LOL)

I'm sure you said earlier that you had been selling online since 2003

[gazlannathai]

Salus - #112

Re: the bond - Please note that I said if I don't do the work permit thing here, the subsequent would happen. I have no intention of repatriating voluntarily or being forced into doing it involuntarily. As in all far flung developing countries, local interpretation of central-dictates is the norm. Local usage enforces that to obtain a spouse visa, the spouse first has to demonstrate they have visited the UK for holiday (or whatever), and returned to their home country on time. Because my wife has never been outside of Thailand, the bond applies to her first visit, which would be limited to a 60-day visa and she is not then permitted to return to the UK within 6 months (France is far more liberal on this saying within 60 days).
The best source of actual experiences regarding this is the expatriate forums at www.ThaiVisa.com - a site for expats of all nationalities living in Thailand, but it also deals with repatriating non-citizen wives to the expats home countries (and many other legal related topics).

"taking it out on someone ...." - everyone is ignoring my very first post (bottom of page 2) where I registered protest and explained I didn't have the energy to explode in my normal previous manner due to offline events. Bykimbo then dragged in the personal circumstances line of discussion, to which I responded. Originally I was happy to leave my circumstances out of it, even though they do have bearing on the opinion I formed of the poll's structure and content, as I think was adequately explained in my last post?

you have been complaining for years that you cannot sell from Thailand, it isn't and has never been on the list of countries eBid will deal with, nothing is different so why do you expect the whole site to be changed to accommodate you?

You joined in 2007? Over four years after I did. Trust me, or ask someone who was also here back then, back in early 2003 eBid was a single site venue and was open to worldwide - I'd already been permanently in Thailand for many years when I joined here and the dark side in that month. They had no such thing back then as eBid country-sites and non-site-countries. They were global and happy for anyone to join. I remember when the membership hit 50,000, and again when it hit 100,000.

I'm not asking for special treatment - I'm asking to be treated like a long-serving member, and an established and verified paying customer. The main point you missed is that I am not asking the site be changed to accomodate me, I am asking that the status quo be maintained - i.e. no change - in order to accomodate not just myself, but the many hundreds of sellers and many thousands of buyers already registered outside of the 18 countries on the home page. The site proactively locked us all out from late October to late December (as well as for most of April) and did so with no warning or explanation or apology whatsoever. In fact Customer Support emails treated us very badly in communications during the blackout.

<--- mega snip --->

I typed pages more but have cut it - it's 2:30am here and I have permanent masonry scars enough on my forehead already, from dealings with eBay.

Gaz

[gazlannathai]

I'm sure you said earlier that you had been selling online since 2003

Selling online on eBid and eBay since February 2003

Back then also used sites like FreeserveAuctions and MyBookLocker.com (both now defunct - eBay bought and closed Freeserve).

[gazlannathai]

Thanks I now have eye strain
And also noticed that you have, albeit in a extremely long winded post acknowledged the fact that you jumped in feet first with totally unwarranted assumptions.

No, I have stated why I posted what I posted - perception is reality - what I perceived was my reality at that moment. I still perceive exclusionary language in the poll question in question.

(that's a gift to the baffled club)

I also notice that despite writing what appears to be something akin to a novel, you have failed to apologise to bykimbo.

Sorry but I'm not impressed.

I did not post to impress people, I posted to defend and explain my position. ByKimbo's reputation or otherwise is not impuned by someone seeing something she did not.

As a long-term expatriate I am sensitive to different issues than those which are sensitive to people living in their home country, but I see no-one offering apologies for causing upset to me, just as the site did not apologise for stress and loss of income caused during the lockout.

Ask yourself who has been caused the greater harm, then consider in which direction the apologies should be flowing.

This thread is already under discussion on other sites, and on those I am supported for speaking out by those feeling equally alienated but without the "public speaking" experience that I possess, therefore they are unwilling to commit themselves to the fray - and yes, that does mean some of them are also eBid members.

Hmmm?

[hopeful2]

Wow..believe it or not..I have just read the whole thread....I am now going to vote. I too like to see everyone's signature...like to browse their stores..

[gazlannathai]

Lol. Kimbo being badgered because of her efforts! So absurd....
But I do like the suggestion of a U.S. blog and forum.
I wasn't here a year ago so you would have had 8 votes had I been.
I know the forum is theoretically generic but in reality it is home to a bunch of wonderful and interesting Brits and I enjoy going there still it may put off a lot of new U.S. visitors.
Not all Americans are as worldly or as handsome as I am!

LOL "Joisy"

What's the uniform you're wearing in your avatar - I don't recognise the cap badge.

The other forum I mentioned is not an eBid site, but strangely it is US-located, read overwhelmingly by Americans, but almost (not quite) exclusively posted in by Brits - it's very business focussed but does have some wild-card fun boards too. I enjoy it mainly because it's a "we're all in this together" kind of board that is totally independent of any selling venue, and both critical and supportive of all venues at the same time.

Gaz

[bykimbo]

I'm really reluctant to get dragged back into this, but I'm going to try, as politely as I can in the circumstances to address a few points in a factual manner.

I do not work for ebid and never have.

I have never tried to portray myself as working for ebid, and am careful to note that my FAQ and help pages, store directory etc, are unofficial.

I am not responsible for ebid's policies and never have been.

I have no influence over where ebid chooses to trade.

I produced this poll based entirely on suggestions made by other ebidders, and at their request.

I am in now way responsible for the fact that you were unable to contribute suggestions at that time, and could not possibly know that such a situation existed.

I am not in any way responsible for the content of the suggestions that were made, I merely reproduced them slightly tidied to allow them to work as poll options.

I stated that the poll could not be changed since this is a physical limitation of the forum software and I suspected that not all users would be aware of this - thus the advice.

You have stated that your reaction to this thread was based entirely on your own misconception of who I was and what I was doing, but have not found any fault in your own behaviour or seen anything wrong or worthy of apology in that action.

You said in your first post that you had "problems offline" or words to that effect that meant you weren't going to argue as much as you usually do. I responded that I too had "problems offline" (in direct response to your own claim) or words to that effect and was non more in the mood for arguing than you were, and you have now labelled this as me dragging in personal circumstances.

In criticising my post contents, my posting style, my person you have directly or indirectly accused me of being bigotted, arrogant, pompous, inflexible, and presumably a liar since I made it clear from the first step that I was not an ebid employee and you choose not to believe me.

If you can honestly not see anything in your actions or your approach that warrants a personal apology, I'm more than a little surprised.

I have made no personal comments about you. I have limited myself to expressing bewilderment at your attitude towards me. I will continue to act in that way. If would wish to apologise, I will be more than happy to accept that you have made an honest mistake. If you do not, I suggest that everybody drops the subject as nothing is to be gained by pursuing it any further.

[gramma1111]

Lol. Kimbo being badgered because of her efforts! So absurd....
But I do like the suggestion of a U.S. blog and forum.
I wasn't here a year ago so you would have had 8 votes had I been.
I know the forum is theoretically generic but in reality it is home to a bunch of wonderful and interesting Brits and I enjoy going there still it may put off a lot of new U.S. visitors.
Not all Americans are as worldly or as handsome as I am!

Oh Jersey You sound like my EX too, are you sure you're not him?

[JerseyDevil]

LOL "Joisy"

What's the uniform you're wearing in your avatar - I don't recognise the cap badge.

The other forum I mentioned is not an eBid site, but strangely it is US-located, read overwhelmingly by Americans, but almost (not quite) exclusively posted in by Brits - it's very business focussed but does have some wild-card fun boards too. I enjoy it mainly because it's a "we're all in this together" kind of board that is totally independent of any selling venue, and both critical and supportive of all venues at the same time.

Gaz

The cap badge is U.S. Army.
The 'other' forum you mention sounds a lot like eBid's where I find an 'we're all in this together' attitude.