Dear Pierre Omidyar. Original founder of ebay..

[lizzy6107]

Dear Mr Omidyar.

I see on wikipedia that you are a philanthropist..

I think you would be horrified to know what has happened and is happening to Ebay,  to what I would assume was a part of your vision for ebay.

As a philanthropist, you are obviously concerned about the less well off in society, those struggling, the poor and the disadvantaged in society.. and your ebay site is (was..could be...) an amazing opportunity for so many people.

What an amazing setup, helping people help themselves.

You have saved my life many times over the years when I was struggling to feed and clothe my family. You gave me hope. When I started on ebay I was a single mother of three small children, unable to work due to cost of childcare. You gave me a chance to get by, work my own hours and still be able to be there for my kids. You did this for me and many countless others, many of whom are still with ebay today. Most of all you gave us hope. For the first time ever was an opportunity for some of us to actually have some control over the financial situation in our lives, there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

The years go by, kids go to school. Mums go to work.. still never enough money for most families to ever buy any luxuries,. without selling something first, and you were still there for us. So we continued to sell on abay, and then buy, again on ebay, in good faith, supporting the site that was supporting us.

Unfortunately, speaking for myself, this has all changed drastically.

No longer is it a great platform for making some extra money, there is little profit to be made since the introduction of fees on postage, as the postage for most items is more than the value of the item, and going up all the time...

and what might be made is easily withdrawn by those holding the purse strings, when the buyer decides they want their money back!

We lose our merchandise, and are out of pocket all expenses, not to mention the damage that can be done to our reputation. There is no comeback for the seller, and we can be slandered and perjured and have no recourse.

For myself, I had to stop working in a paying job due to chronic pain and fatigue, and have been spending my time and savings building up my store and my hope for a future, foolishly assuming that if I put as much time and effort in as I could, I would be rewarded for my effort. ( again not to mention my savings ..building up my stock!) This was the ebay I started with and loved.

I am so horrified to know now that at any time, I may be erased by the staff at ebay due to an unfair defect system, a policy change, some unrealistic buyer expectations, or some serial negative feedbacker or scammer , with no recourse!

All the hours I have put in, all the dramas, all the costs, all the stress, what suprise have ebay got for us next??

to be continued.. any suggestions?

[egglesdtp]

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@robinsonmarineparts wrote:

I didn't bother reading past the first 2 sentences, he wouldn't give a **bleep**.

those who think he would, well your ........................................................................................................................

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I think you totally missed the point.

[digital*ghost]

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@lizzy6107 wrote:

 any suggestions?

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This may come across as an overly simplistic response, but put the faith, effort and investment where it belongs - into your business, not into eBay.

Don't believe you or your business are nothing without them, because eBay might provide a decent amount of traffic, but they didn't start or sustain your business, you did.

[nett_nanny]

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@lizzy6107 wrote:

I actually do an hour or so every few hours or so!  Thats all I can manage. It's hard work, but I have no choice, no other form of income or support. Some days I can't do a thing, other days I can manage a bit more. Thats why ebay is ideal for someone like me.

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lizzy, take no notice of bsal who is one nasty bit of gear who never has anything good or uplifting to say about any situation. 

Where is the ignore button these days?

[gettingout14]

Hi Lizzy,

Although he may not be around and may not care (according to some on here..not me),I think you put the value of ebay and what it has meant very succinctly . You are not the only one that found some hope for earning some extra cash and making ends meet through ebay..both through buying and selling...I too was like you with 3 children and bills to pay and ebay has provided that platform to set up a small store.

We have managed to get through a financial crisis working hard on ebay,over the past 4 years and feed and clothe my family too as you did. I also have met some very wonderful people..a few crazy ones...but they have really been in the minority luckily. I have even made some very dear friends through buying and selling on ebay.

Ebay is not what it was a few years back that is for sure..many sellers in my category have just dissappeared and packed up and although that has benefitted me as a seller yes...as a buyer it has made it harder to find what I need. We need great sellers with quality stock just as much as we need great buyers for ebay to survive!! Something that ebay seems to have forgotten in their quest to get rid of us smaller sellers in favour of the big guys.

I am lucky enough to have an exit strategy and am already in the swing of it...and have another job....but I will keep selling for as long as I can a little bit just to keep my hand in ....but I am smart enough to know that my days may be numbered. I always strive for 110% in customer service and in  everything I do here on ebay but I have a feeling that even 150% won't be enough with all the new policies they are bringing in and it will only take a few minor buyers to be able to wreck havoc with what I have built up as ebay gives them that power now...add in the rise in fees and it can be scary yes.

All the best to you and your family and let's not let ebay make us bitter and wary but still know there are great people on here..maybe less...but for now there are still fellow ebayers to support you! 🙂

[vivagifts]

i have tried another website it works the same as ebay but you would not believe how hard it is to get people to move on to it.  being the owner of the website, I was offering a $100 credit to all sellers and the fees are a miniscule fraction of ebay's.. yet people still sell here lol

[i-love-my-sheep]

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@vivagifts wrote:

i have tried another website it works the same as ebay but you would not believe how hard it is to get people to move on to it.  being the owner of the website, I was offering a $100 credit to all sellers and the fees are a miniscule fraction of ebay's.. yet people still sell here lol

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Bit like yourself then? Probably no-one has heard of your website.

[gec2002]

Unfortunately I don't think Mr Omidyar "would be horrified to know what has happened and is happening to Ebay"  as he is still one of the largest shareholders in eBay with approx 96,354,000 shares and is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of eBay, so knows exactly what is happening with the company.

[medalsbadgespatches]

Whats the site name?