[first name], this is so you

[countessalmirena]

eBay have sent me a charming communication by email.

They inform me in the subject line that "this" (which presumably is all the stuff contained in the email), is "so me".

Well, it wasn't.

It started off with another pitch for eBay Plus. (They know by now - or should know - that eBay Plus is not "so me". I haven't joined eBay Plus even with all their blandishments and eBay marketing.)

      Score: -1

Then it said, "Popular In Your Interest". The items shown were items I'd checked in the process of getting information for the purpose of replying on these boards. None of the items shown were of any personal interest to me.

      Score: -2

Then it was "Washing Machine" followed by the smaller words "Because you searched: refrigerator". Hmm... I don't recall searching "refrigerator". The last time that I recall that particular search was no later than 4 September, 2017, when I bought (I admit it!) a gorgeous taller-than-the-usual red bar fridge gleaming with the redness that only a truly glossy red bar fridge could possess. Since then, I haven't needed any information on another refrigerator (to the best of my knowledge).

Have there been any refrigerator-based questions on the boards lately?

(And anyway, I never ever store milk in a washing machine. Never.)

If not...

      Score: -3

Then there's something about flybuys. I don't have flybuys.

      Score: -4

In short, that is a wasted marketing opportunity. If only eBay had said something about Georgian silver soup labels being "so me". (I have been searching!) If only they'd tempted me with some more Swiss Diamond frypans (because I don't have every size; go on, tempt me!). I'm in the market for a butcher's block/kitchen island unit in solid timber (with end blocks on the top), on wheels, with two heights for the top so that part of it will fit under the existing kitchen island/bar and the rest of it will give me more room to chop and mix and let the tagliatelle dry and debone fish - or rather, I was in the market for it. My father has said he wants to make it for me. (I'm going to have to make sure he does this very gradually so that he doesn't push himself too hard.)

I'm in the market for some out-of-print books... but I think I've now tracked most of them down.

I'm in the market for a Mauviel 20cm diameter straight-sided saucepan (or possibly stock pot) and steamer insert.

I'm thinking about Vicovation or Thinkware dashcam; the specifications look superb.

I am trying to resist Hakuhodo brushes with richly red wooden handles.

But washing machines, hidden spy camera, boxy-looking entertainment centres and Forza 7 Forza motorsport thingies - no.

Has anyone else had some wildly inappropriate "so you" suggestions from eBay?

[the4masters2013]

I don't get the emails (so far, so good!) but I get "items you may be interested in" on my first page.

Tools, tools and more tools.... I can tell a hammer from a scredriver and that's about it!!

Like you, they keep feeding me useless stuff... alcohol is another one.

If I wish to purchase a good bottle of wine (or whatever) I"ll go to the nearest bottle shop. At least it will get home in one piece!

I feel your pain/frustration.. more maketing nonsense I feel.

[shoppingbag*]

I'm just amazed at them keeping track of everything we look at going back for quite some time it would seem. I must really confuse them. I often search and buy things for family members. They probably would think I am quite strange with the various and totally unrelated items I buy.

[countessalmirena]

When I buy alcohol, like you it's not far to one of the nearby bottle shops and even vineyards. (Not that I drink fiendishly. I enjoy the occasional glass and I think occasional imbibing makes the heart merry. Who could say no to a nice bit of Romano Cardenal Cisneros PX, for instance?)

Tools - well, my father has lots of tools! But he did mention a ... table saw? Bench saw? He has one but it's far far too heavy and cumbersome for him now, so I'm on the hunt for a good but "dainty"-ish table saw.

[countessalmirena]

shoppingbag*, I used to do the same thing for all sorts of people... family, family friends, acquaintances of family friends...

Many of those people have now passed on to the great marketplace in the sky; it's years since I've been asked to source German vet romance magazines/booklets...

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

after reading your post I felt quite special.

The reason . . . . . you are very select in what you look for and buy . . . . . and you once bought from me (on another of my IDs)

[brerrabbit585]

I rarely read their emails now, thanks to their complete irrelevance!  In fact, probably the biggest reason I look forward to the pension is so I can stop selling on ebay and be able to turn off all their stupid emails - and close my account if that's what's necessary to stop them!!

Of course, a girl can never have too many fridges. The problem is where to put them all.

[davewil1964]

You can store a couple at my place

[digital*ghost]

eBay didn't send me a "this is so you" email, as far as I know, but they did send me the following:

"Your day is about to get better" Cue advertising for a valetines day discount, lingerie, chocolates etc, and then underneath a 6-panel image board advertising "events for you" that contained 6 near-identical sale events (they were all power tools - I do look at tool shops, though, better stuff than craft supply shops). The best bit though is this was the second time they sent me the exact same email. the first time it was under the subject "Because you're awesome, [my name] ... We thought of you when we discovered these items!"

I also recently got this:

email subject: [my name] You Missed out Last Year!

Banner heading: [my name], you could have made $708* on eBay

On average, this is how much everyday people made on eBay last year. 

*Based on 2017 eBay internal data. To be used as a reference only. Individual results may vary.
eBay does not guarantee that sellers will achieve this sales amount. 

Did ebay just try to FOMO me with less than what I've paid to them some months in fees? 

[springyzone]

Oh well,  at least I got a smile at what ebay think you should be salivating over, as opposed to what you would really like to buy.

It's a mystery why they would show you fridges, when I assume some of your other searches for kitchen equipment must be a lot more recent. Probably they don't have a lot of what you're looking for, but on the other hand, they have fridges. Lots & lots of fridges.

I wouldn't know what they send me in emails. They go to my springyzone webmail which I only visit once every blue moon to clear out. Sometimes I am  shocked by how much is in there, considering I'm not a huge buyer. I think it is probably a month or more since my last purchase. I don't read the emails, just delete in bulk. Doesn't sound like I am missing anything special.

If they want to communicate with me, they will need to send a message to my inbox here on ebay, otherwise I won't see it.

By coincidence, I did see (on ebay) an ad about ebay plus. Free month's trial I think it said. But then I checked my watch list and 90% was free post anyway & none of the stuff charging postage was actually covered by ebayplus as far as I could make out.

I know ebayplus also covers free returns for any reason, but the trouble is, I want to keep the things I buy. I suppose it could be useful for things like shoes but then again, probably most of the shoe ads aren't covered by ebay plus anyway.

I'd be surprised if ebayplus really takes off, with so many things listed as free post anyway.