Problems with EBay in General Discussion Boards in Community

The source of every single problem on Ebay is simple and has actually existed in various forms since the beginning of civilization. Those in charge are completely out of touch and have absolutely no idea or comprehension of the purpose of this website, or the actual needs and wants of its members. The executives who make the decisions have no clue as to what type of business they are running or the motivations of why people even join EBAY. Broken down here is what I see. 1) The executives have a completely different definition of a market place than members. These executives are wealthy people. They dont understand that many people join EBAY to find bargains or cheaper prices for desired items because that is the only way they can afford such items. They dont have a grasp that to some people $20 is a great deal of money and such a difference in price has an effect on the decision to purchase. The execs have instituted policies regarding shipping time and buyer satisfaction because to them that is what is important. If these policies drive away sellers so be it because according to what we believe is important they dont cut the mustard. They dont see that the buyers experience is not improved if they can no longer purchase items because the sellers who offerred these items within the price range which they could afford are gone. In short they have placed a definition of satisfaction that is not applicable to those they are dealing with. I offer this analogy ask these executives what they want in an automobile, they will likely say performance or horsepower, maybe even gas mileage. Ask them what they feel others view as being most important and they may say the same thing. They do not comprehend that a great many people only want a car that will start because they need to get to work. They will not step outside the box in which they live to see that everyone is not living in the same world as them. 2) These executives are using their business experience and applying the principles they are familiar with to situtions which such business practices are not applicable. Case in point buyer protection. These executives dont think that Ebay is free of frauds and cheats- they simply believe that sellers automatically take the Wal Mart-Target-Sears-Macy's approach of incorporating anticipated theft or loss into projections and budgets and view it as a cost of doing business. They dont understand that many can't and dont operate that way and cant afford to be swindled. This leads to the loss of sellers leading to a loss of buyers discussed in point one. 3) These executives forget and have no experience in dealing with people as they rely on customer service department models of other companies and industries. Insurance companies, cable companies, phone companies, utility companies all provide services that we have come to rely on and can't go without. There are other options and companies but they are all similar and operate the same way. The executives running Ebay dont understand that if fed up people will just stop using it. Ebay has a customer base that can simply walk away. They dont comprehend that a normal person, if made angry because they are mistreated will simply walk away. These executives are not used to and do not understand how to deal with normal regular people who are the majority of the members of EBAY, and who are not at the mercy of a company providing services that are essential to daily life. I dont think EBAY is just a greedy corporation. I think that member satisfaction both buyer and seller is very important to these executives and they want everyone to have the best experience possible. I dont think there is a plan to drive out the small seller because they think this will increase profits. Those in charge are just simply out of touch and have no clue how to manage the company in which they are in charge. They think increased listing fees that allow for what they see as "improvements" will lead to increased sales for sellers. They are not selling items so they dont see the negative ramifications first hand. They are trying to put in place business models that have worked in the past and have completely missed the point that Ebay's success came from the fact it was like nothing that had been seen before. They are breaking the most basic rule and that is they are trying to put the square peg in the round hole. I would like to challenge the EBay hierarchy to something. Pick a V.P. or two and send them home for two months. Give them a large lot of items and tell them for the next two months it is your job to sell these on EBay. That is it just sell these items, list them and sell them within a normal budget. Then have these VP's write a report as to their experiences and see if the policies in place make sense and achieve the designed outcome. For those who say that profits are up- you may be correct- the more people who use Ebay the more likely profits will rise. Rising profits does not mean these executives are doing a good or even adequate job because in order for a business to be truly successful those in charge must maximize profits. The point f any business is not to simply make money it is to make the most money you can.

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