Ebay irritations
Summary: gjalp expressed frustration with recent changes on eBay, highlighting issues like increased fees, promoted listings, and unprofessional communication styles such as the phrase 'Here we go' in emails. bojangled and theelench agreed, noting the trend of informal language. theelench also criticized excessive email notifications, and the_brick_lodge pointed out the psychological tactics behind them. Participants discussed the generational shift towards informal communication and shared preferences for professional interactions. The conversation also touched on personal preferences in communication and smartphone usage habits.
On top of everything else that seems to be going a bit Pete Tong on ebay of late, you know, lack of sales, more fees, the move to promoted listings and don't get me started on Ebay Live. For me, things worsened with this darned thing coming in. Hate it, won't ever use it both as a buyer or a seller. I haven't got time for that rubbish.
Anyway, the latest one that annoys the hell out of me is as a buyer. That little email from ebay starting with 'Here we go:' followed by 'the courier has your package'. The 'Here we go' thing annoys me to a level I can't even comprehend. Who came up with this idea? What is wrong with 'your item has been dispatched' or 'your item is on it's way' or whatever. Does the 'here we go' mean that ebay has relinquished it's involvement of the sale with the handing over of the package? Is ebay taking me somewhere? Is ebay annoyed that another sale has taken place and it's fed up of the repetition? Is ebay at a football match? Is ebay expecting trouble? This turn of phrase is informal and, in my opinion, not a pleasant way to conduct business. I resent that ebay is using such a phrase when I, as a seller, am adding tracking to an order. This is not the way I speak or conduct business and I wish ebay would be a little more professional at times instead of showing that it is obviously programmed by teenagers!
Anyway soap box rant over!
department28
·3 weeks ago@selective_distribution 'By using the expression 'Here we go', they are trying the over friendly......we're all in this together....and we are the best of pals approach......It does not work with me, I just find it irritating beyond words...'
Yes, same here, and I also really dislike the use of first names in emails, and on the eBay home page etc, ie 'Never miss a deal, Sharon!' (Not my real name, which I don't particularly like, but even if I did, I wouldn't want it used in this fake chummy, creepy way.) Even the banks are doing it... 🙄
Oh, and one more gripe... the incorrect use of the phrase 'Just for you'. eBay homepage today says 'Live now, just for you' next to a row of ads for the live auctions. 😬
fribblecollectables
·3 weeks agoIt probably took someone in the office all week to come up with that as well.
Got to justify a wage somehow.
selective_distribution
·3 weeks agoTotally agree with you, it is so annoying when companies feel like they have to lower themselves to a very unprofessional level just to appeal to the uneducated trend following public. By using the expression 'Here we go', they are trying the over friendly......we're all in this together....and we are the best of pals approach......It does not work with me, I just find it irritating beyond words (pun intended). When I am dealing with customers I am, like you, totally professional, in that I always address a customer with 'Good Morning / Afternoon'. .....'Thank you for your order / inquiry'. I hate the way that some people express themselves in messages by addressing me as 'Hey / Pal /Bro / Mate' and so on.....why would I deal with you, if you have so little respect? Standards in education have sadly declined, and it seems that this is carried on to the people at eBay who make the decisions.
gjalp
OP3 weeks agoI'm inclined to agree. I was brought up on respect, manners and politeness which I then in turned taught my children. As adults they are pretty much the same. Even they, in their 20s will turn round and say 'that kid needs pulling inline' or 'manners are free'.
Business phone rings and it's always 'Good morning/afternoon, name speaking, how may I help you??'. Emails are usually replied with Hello (informal), good morning/afternoon (formal). Exceptions are regular customers and I tend to be guided by their tone. You read your customer and adjust (not rudeness, never rudeness though)
jonatjonatjonat
·3 weeks agoI must be Charlie Brown because good grief.
department28
·3 weeks ago · EditedCan only assume eBay want to appeal exclusively to the new generation of eBayers, not us old timers... we're not where it's at these days... All rather depressing
I haven't had the 'Here we go' email yet... I did receive one saying, 'It's official: the courier now has your package!' and another one excitedly declaiming 'Let the tracking begin!' 🙄
I've had a sentence removed from this post, twice. Assumed it was my error the first time, & replaced it, but it's vanished again. No idea why, unless AI doesn't like the word 'gormless'?!
saj055
·3 weeks ago😂 I have to admit, the “Here we go” message made me laugh — but I can understand exactly what you mean!
There seem to be so many changes on eBay lately, and sometimes it feels like sellers and buyers are being given less control while more fees and features are being introduced.
Personally, I think simple and professional wording would be much better. Something like “Your order has been dispatched” or “Your package is on its way” is clear, professional, and tells the buyer exactly what they need to know.
“Here we go” definitely sounds more like someone starting a road trip than a company updating me about my order! 😄
Hopefully eBay will listen to seller and buyer feedback and keep the communication a little more professional and straightforward.
gjalp
OP3 weeks agoIt's funny the things that make you lose your wotsit really isn't it. It just feels change after change after change. I still remember the days when ebay's mantra was 'we are just a venue'. Not anymore. They are here to fleece as much money as possible from everyone. It used to be so easy to sell and now, you have to be so careful about policy violations, know your keywords, know how search works (ie it doesn't, not in any logical way anyway) and I feel so jaded these days. I'm basically tired of ebay. It's worn me out! Im too old to keep up and I don't like the language that is used. I'm just thankful we have our own website which is set up just how we like it. No hidden charges to the buyer, good discounts, free postage on many orders (not all, we do have order levels but those are not high). Customers get a thank you for the order and a dispatch notice with or without tracking depending on value and the tracking number. They can email us whenever they like, they can give use their email address, we can give them ours. There's no hiding of details. We can take orders over the phone/over email if there are any problems. We feel more in tune with our customers. On ebay, it's all faceless.
messier44000
·3 weeks agoOn my website the buyer gets an auto pending email. Then the processing and despatched are sent manually by me. But it allows me to enter how these are worded. Included is the tracking so the buyer can track themselves. Unsure if this would be possible here.
Not eBay , but often ordered stuff from a Yorkshire seller, and would get emails like "Aye up lad, Tha parcels on Thee way" and would get a Yorkshire tea bag with every order.
BTW logged into eBay the other week for the time in ages since going AWOL to test a couple of new listings to see if it still works. Website / face to face doing great. Nice to see a few of the regulars still here. Though it does still seem quiet.
gjalp
OP3 weeks agoIm still around but not here really. I bailed on the boards when it changed and I discovered I couldn't read anything other than part of the board on my old ipad (the thing I used when sat in bed unable to sleep just browsing the boards, havent really got time for them at other times) and Im not buying a new ipad just to frequent the boards.
We've had a website now for around a year that is picking up pace. There's also been a lot of research and development and an app is in creation too. Ebay sales have declined so much though Im mostly here because of nostalgia I think. Either that or still too chicken to fully ditch it 'just in case'!
messier44000
·3 weeks agoBack onto eBay`s communication.
Website order email - You have a new order
eBay order email. Yes one of the 2 items I listed sold - "Next pack it up and send it" . Never knew you had to pack and send orders. Thanks for the reminder eBay.
Then opens my eBay to see - "Paid - Post now" . Hang on there its 5.30 in the morning
gjalp
OP3 weeks agoIt's when ebay tells me HOW to pack the order that really really gets me. Whoever coded that probably wasn't born or still in nappies when I was already selling on ebay.
fribblecollectables
·3 weeks ago"It's when ebay tells me HOW to pack the order that really really gets me."
Yep, 40,000 parcels later, I do have a rough idea how to do it.
c_of_e84
·3 weeks agoGotta keep up with the hip buzzword phrases to stay relevant, I am sure for some sitting in a coffee shop on free wifi before getting on an ebike to take them to a storage unit to pack orders its great.
theelench
·3 weeks agoIt's the number and pointlessness of most emails that ebay apparently needs to send me that is the biggest irritant.
I've made several purchases in the last few weeks, a couple quite high value but most only low to average value and not too important.
Yes, I do appreciate an Order Confirmation and that payment has been received, plus another that Tracking Has Been Added giving me the Reference No. so I can (Try) to be in when ebay 'guestimates' it might arrive.
But regular updates when I can check for myself by clicking the Track Package button on the transaction ?
Quite un-necessary to clutter-up my in-box with them, especially the one telling me "Your Item Has Been Delivered". I know it has, I was there and smiled when the courier snapped me holding my parcel(s) by the door number. Even more irritating when I get an email minutes after delivery and then another one the next day (which is probably a glitch?).
There probably is a way to turn them all off but as things stand I would expect with ebay it a case of turn off All purchase emails or leave them turned on so ebay can sent as many as it wants.
the_brick_lodge
·3 weeks agoAll these companies want your attention, they know your phone gets notifications so they send you all this stuff so you keep checking your phone, the more you do that the more chance you'll end up back on eBay.
They also know these emails light up the reward sensors in your brain which make you shop more often.
They aren't being quirky, they are using deliberate phycological tactics. It's not just eBay, they are all doing it.
gjalp
OP3 weeks agoNot to me they aint! I use my phone as a phone. I have no apps, no notifications being pushed through with the exception of maybe a delivery window and a delivered thing but it doesnt light up my screen. I have to actively check for these things.
theelench
·3 weeks agoYes, sleepwalking towards slavery, I see them on the bus, at work, in the pub and even driving their cars. The most important thing in their lives is checking their phone every time it pings.
Perhaps I notice it because I still use my phone as a phone and only engage with ebay on my lap-top, shop when I want, for what I want and ignore the adverts.
That's why all the junk mail is irritating, because it interrupts and clutters up real life. I pity those for whom it has become a filter through which they see 'life', pretending to give them convenience and infinite 'choice'. The reality is it gives them tunnel vision and focusses that vision where their masters want them to look.
gjalp
OP3 weeks agoI have to confess, the biggest squabble my husband and I have is over mobile phone use. I refuse to use mine other than when I need to make a call mostly. I am very selective on who has my number and some of those that do have it, it is only out of necessity (banks for one time codes, dentist so I can fill out their darned forms pre-appointment etc). I certainly don't have apps or access my emails through it. I have a laptop or pc for that!
My husband, will be going round the supermarket attached to his phone looking at ebay/emails/website/random rubbish. And then, like yesterday, he forgot to pick up something (he eats it, I don't so never think to pick it up) and then when we got home, he asked where it was! I told him that if he got his head out of his phone, he might have remembered to get it. It's not down to me to remember to pick up food he eats, especially when we do the grocery shop together.
When the kids first got their phones I made a house rule of no phones at the dinner table (we all eat together every day - those that are still living at home that is) and it's one I have kept now they are adults. If we go out for a meal together, there are no phones at the table there either. It's a tech free zone and we have to talk to each other lol
bojangled
·3 weeks ago@gjalp I agree, like the ‘Hang tight’ and ‘side hustle’ (can’t blame eBay entirely for that one seeing as the UK government adopted it).
I don’t know maybe I’m just of an age now, but it’s not the way I would communicate in a business transaction.
Jo
theelench
·3 weeks agoI just sigh at all the unprofessional 'hip' familiarity. I suppose it's mostly composed by A.I as it learns, who it learns from and where.
Who is it that spends their lives glued to their phones and does use such slang ? Teenage Americans, probably in California who have yet to learn anything about writing a 'formal' message or even proper English. It'll probably only get worse.
Imagine in the not too distant future when the "Your item Has Been Delivered" email is replaced by:
"Yo bro. Hey. You got it."
gjalp
OP3 weeks agoOh absolutely. Im mid 50s now and I still think people should be professional when they are taking money from others. It feels all a bit 'snatch and run' sometimes.
I try to be polite at all times (even when I'm inwardly seething), I take great care over customer service, I am careful with wording particularly in the online world when social cues can be missed with interpretation being ambiguous. It is important that things are clear from end to end when it is transactional.
Maybe I just got out of bed on the sarcastic side this morning but when I saw 'Here we go', my immediate thought was erm 'hooray?', followed by 'just why?'. Just let me know the darned thing has been sent and if it has a tracking number.