Deader than dead?

[cee-dee]

Well now, no-one's posting and if they are, no-one can find the long running threads. Of all the things ebay have done, I think this just about takes the biscuit.

Thinking about things, I was thinking about some of the things that've happened over the years.

The very first time I "heard" about ebay was 1997 when I read about scams on the Web Police site where someone (in the USA)  had bought a video recorder and received a box of stones instead! I was thinking (at the tine) that I'd never use a site like ebay....... How things changed?

The very first thing I "sold" on ebay was to an American who never paid and I never heard from. A good start? I knew nothing at that time. I used the standard ebay method of listing back then but later I wrote my own HTML for a better layout. (not on this ID. I only sold a few things on the original version of this ID).

One time I'd just sold an item for £1200 and out of the Blue I got an email from another seller telling me to look at an item. Someone had copied all my pics and my layout and was "selling" the item for £600!!!!!!  My first brush with a scammer! I think that was either 2004 or 2005, can't remember.

After that, there were a few, similar scammers copying things I'd sold. They all seemed to use "short" auctions hoping that by being quick they'd not be seen and they'd get away with the money.

Buying things was pot luck as to how the item was packed. One time a large item with two large glass panels in the front arrived just wrapped in Brown Paper. No bubble-wrap, no packing, no box and some of the sticky tape stuck to the item which removed the surface finish when removed. The two Glass panels had no protection at all, one was clear glass and the other painted. The clear glass was broken but by some miracle the painted glass (which was the main feature of the item) was intact.

Lot's of experiences and my first post on the boards was the Q & A board, (Now gone!!) My first post was with a selling ID but I soon learned to switch to a posting ID after reading some of the antics. Some years later, ebay introduced a "rule" that to make more than ten posts a day, you had to have more that 10 F/B so I ditched my posting ID and used this one instead. Then.... ebay ditched the 10 F/B rule but I stuck with this ID for posting.  Changes have come and gone on the boards but this latest looks like it's seen them off?

Anyone else feel like posting reminicences from "the old days"?

[right-then-petal]

Just Found This Thread

Been Here For More Years Than Ebay Says, And It Was Fun In  Them Days To Sell

Came To Boards And That Was Very Nice,Even Meet Some Lovely People

Now It's Hard To Find Anything

[ruby*tuesday]

I opened an Account in 2003. No Pictures. No PayPal. Think everyone Paid by Sending a Cheque. I did receive an Envelope full of Change as Payment once. From memory Buyers and Sellers were all very friendly and honest. Never encountered any Problems what so ever. 

[cee-dee]

It depends what you sell. If you sell higher value items it's more likely scammers will have a go. There's little point in them going after low value things, they want a stack of money in a quick hit.

[rebel-sheep]

I used to use the forums 15 years or so back. The threads were fast moving, we could put photos on and signatures on the bottom of our posts.

Everyone was familiar. You could jump from thread to thread and it would automatically take you to the last post you read so you wouldnt miss anything.

There were fights, relationships, and even affairs. The mods had to intervene if things went off topic too much, but everyone would chat imbetween while waiting for people to pop in to ask qu's.

It was so much different then. I remember some of the names. I wonder what happened to everyone after ebay closed it down.

Those were the days 😃

[cee-dee]

Discounting the pinned thread, the seven threads at the top of the board have had lots of views but very few posts. The old saying is "Use it or lose it" and at a time like this ebay could easily say that as no-one's using the board much, they'll close it down (like they did with the Q & A even though that was lively)!

Come on, post, post, post.

[baybizz]

Unlike the early eBay forum days, I think these days most people post on sites (or sections of sites) dedicated to their personal interests, rather than general chat forums.

I have an interest in languages, so I spend most of my forum time now on this very busy site:

https://forum.wordreference.com

Note the superb professional layout and format compared with this current new eBay UK offering (and the one on the US boards)...

It's administered by one man, assisted by numerous (I think) voluntary very experienced members acting as moderators...

Interestingly, Spanish/English is the forum with the most queries and posts - ahead of the English Only queries forum...

[cee-dee]

I had a look there and the first thing I noted was that the thread last posted on was at the top of the board (after the pinned threads). I also noted that it was pretty clear and easy to read.

Why the heck has ebay done what they've done?

[rebel-sheep]

If any thread became a regular posting place (which is highly unlikely) can you imagine how stressful it would be having to scroll all the way down to find the last post each time. Its bad enough doing it with 7 replies.

Is there no-one to appeal to about changing it back?

Ive noticed theres barely anyone replying to the qu's on buying and selling boards. Half the people ask something, and youve no idea if theyve found their way back to read the answers if they dont reply. 

I expect if eBay staff were having to use this system to sort out everyone's issues themselves, they'd be demanding a payrise 😦

[bidicus*maximus]

Hi, Cee-Dee... Hi, Petal...

I've bought and sold on eBay for years... also used to use the (US) boards quite a bit more than a decade ago when they were lively and much as described by rebel-sheep (hello to you, as well).  Very fun back then... the mods were called, "pinks" because of the pink banner that showed on their posts... they were actual eBay employees, intersted in us folks in the community and would even chat with us right out on the threads or even in private messages... sure, there were fights amongst users, just as there are now... but I do look back on those days fondly.

I think that the worst experience I ever had with buying on eBay was when I bought a used computer that I was very excited to get.  Unfortunately, when it came I found that the seller had thrown it in a box with absolutely no packing materials, and it arrived all smashed up.  The seller had insured it with the Post Office, so I did get my money back after making a claim with them, but I always have wondered if the computer hadn't already been smashed before going in the box.  Who would ship a computer by placing it in a thin cardboard box with no padding?

The worst selling experience that I can remember is when I sold a pair of shirts that the buyer returned  for a refund AFTER he had sliced both shirts with a razor so that they couldn't be resold.

I do hope that eBay continues to adjust this new format so that it better meets the needs and wishes of the users.

Stay well, all...

😊

[cee-dee]

Hiya, I did pass on your regards to Petal (on the gif thread) but he didn't see it.

Interesting experiences on ebay eh? Around 2004 - 2005 I sold a pair of large Silver items and they went to Australia. Together, the combined size and weight took them in to a higher priced category so the buyer requested that they be packed separately. Also, he wouldn't pay the extra for insurance! So, I complied with my buyers instructions, packed them appropriately and sent them off by Airmail with Airmail stickers on them. I later got an email from the buyer saying one had arrived but not the other. I had my receipts from the Post Office and reminded the buyer that he'd not paid for insurance. Some weeks later, he emailed me to say the other item had turned up and it had gone by surface not Airmail!!! I've no idea what happened there as I'd paid for Airmail.

A few years earlier, I'd sold a large item to Mexico (!!!) and the buyer only paid for surface. After six weeks I got an email asking where the item was.... I explained about how slow surface could be with no reply until ten weeks after sending, they said it'd arrived.  Happy days....?

[right-then-petal]

Hello Bidicus And Cd Hope Your Both Keeping Well And Safe

Very Hard To Follow A Thread On Here Now

[vamo48]

I just remember that these boards were fun in the "old days", with conversations going on long into the night, new posts every evening.   I've just clicked on Community after a few months absence and found big changes I don't like, so I won't be staying.  Bye, and thanks for all the fun!

[cee-dee]

OK, none of us like it but if you just give up, you're helping to kill the boards off. Keep on posting. Post everywhere, encourage others.

[m25jet]

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@cee-dee wrote:

OK, none of us like it but if you just give up, you're helping to kill the boards off. Keep on posting. Post everywhere, encourage others.

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You can't force people into using something they don't like.  As I've made clear on previous posts, I absolutely despise this new layout of the eBay Community Forums and really feel that eBay ought to reinstate the old format, as has been requested by several people who actually use the forums.  However, given that eBay have made it absolutely clear that they won't be reinstating the old format, or even giving people the option to choose to revert back to the old format if they don't like the ruined version of the forums, I've already made my final decision regarding the matter.  As far as I'm concerned, given that eBay won't reinstate the old forums I'd rather see the ruined layout die a slow, dragged-out death rather than using it begrudgingly and misleading eBay into believing that people will grow to like and accept the ruined version of the eBay Community Forums if they stubbornly refuse to acknowledge that the vast majority of the site users absolutely eBay's so-called "improved" version on the eBay Community Forums.

[rebel-sheep]

I must admit if the majority dont stick around to struggle to give members help and advice and just a few stay. Then those few should be given some kind of bonus from ebay such as a discount on fees, as without them members will get so stressed using ebay that the numbers will drop and people will give up selling on here.

Why should anyone be expected to give up their time to struggle with this layout and get nothing back in return.

Ebay get millions in fees, they can afford to pay staff to help on here, and I bet theyd soon change it back so its easy to navigate then.

[cee-dee]

Past experience of "management decisions" has shown that when they dream up something new and reckon it's the bee-knees, they very, very rarely ever accept that they were wrong even though it's shown very clearly that the decision made was either detrimental or a retrograde step.

If you could imagine that if this layout had been the norm for years until now, then it got changed to the format we all knew, the cheers about the change would resonate from here to San Jose!