eBay Ink Blogger Richard Brewer Hay: Challenging Himself and “The Powers that Be”?

Written by John Comments
Last Updated February 23, 2009

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Working for eBay as the voice to the public has got to be hard. The balance of work and personal gets VERY blurred when you are a blogger. Once you put something out in your blog, you set yourself up as a target. Good, bad or indifferent, the comments about what you do are a free-for-all.

Richard Brewer Hay came on the eBay train weeks and maybe days before the new regime changed. Nearly a year ago, Richard unknowing walked into a bees nest without even a clue. Before he typed his first story, there was ALREADY controversy brewing. And that was BEFORE any of the changes from 2008. Tasked to be the voice of eBay on the web, he really had a job ahead of him.

Listen as he talks about his challenges, battles and victories as an eBay writer. This interview is EXTREMELY open, honest and forthcoming. Richard addresses the questions directly and provides a NO SPIN ZONE atmosphere. Well, he had too or I would have puked, I hate spin, LMAO. What was to be a 15 minute conversation extend to nearly 1 hour and it is ALL GOOD.

I found newly formed respect and admiration after speaking to Richard, and I think you will too. What he does with the eBay Ink Blog going forward, I BELIEVE will be forever changed. I really think, Richard got a few monkey of his back and the weight of the world off his shoulders. Sometimes it just helps to talk, and that is what he did, and did it FABOULOUSLY!

We got a winner her folks, Richard Brewer Hay is NOT your average Joe. Richard is a man with a mission, who is determined, disciplined and dedicated. He is true to his principles and loves the challenges of the job and has a fair and balanced view of “the way it is and the way it should be.” That is just my 2 cents on it.

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jojokinkaid

There is a forum I found on the internet that is free, and helps with Ebay, PayPal, business and the law. Just post any question, the experts will answer it if it has not already been answered!

Feedback removal is a heavy topic there.

The forum has a lot of expert advice on it. http://www.modeeworld.com/forums I found advice there about how to avoid EBAY suspensions, get past PayPal limitations, also lots of detailed help on creating your own business, getting past trademark violations, VERO and lots more. Plus general advice on how best to sell on EBAY, what sells the best, how to get the best price for your product, really everything related to EBAY and internet business.

Also advice about how EBAY really works and how PayPal really works. The inside scoop.

Beautiful forum. I was made a moderator of the forum and I love it!

vikinaandnylons

What happened to it?

Lisa

Another great interview, John. Thank you!

Richard has an adorable accent and personality. I hear his frustration, but the truth it's a corporate blog, in which Ebay only whats to portray itself as wonderful and perfect. What a magnificent opportunity, though to work for a major phenomenon like Ebay. Sure, there is the current evil Ebay. They put themselves in that position by making horrendous mistakes and forgetting who pays the bills. But there are so many lessons to learn from Ebay's downfall. He does well at what he's expected of him to do. He's come aboard at a major milestone in Ebay's history. How enviable and awesome is that!

I'd keep my hears and eyes wide open and keep a secret diary :)

implog

John:

I love what you do and how you do it.

Below random comments on the interview from a less than excited and less than delighted seller.

"Eloquent in spin"

Hee hee hee....

Richard - Have you considered following around a seller for a day? Not a non-transparent Diamond seller with a staff, a contract and a plenary indulgence but just an ordinary good, honest. long time seller. Maybe one of the ones Ms. Whitman says is making their living on the site.

John - Wish you had asked Richard why posts that were once instantly visible after submission to INK now take DAYS to appear.

How many approvals and how much process are now needed before clearance for an INK posting?

John/Richard

Here's a thought related to eBay.

Did you know that an eBay seller will receive a "Firearms, Weapons and Knives" Policy Violation for listing a "Daisy Red Ryder" BB gun yet eBay serves up sponsored links to the same item deemed too dangerous to list?

Try it. Search eBay for "Daisy Red Ryder". Look at the sponsored links at the bottom.

Be warned though that you must never, never, never list one as a seller. That will get you a "Firearms, Weapons and Knives" policy violation and lots of red on your seller dashboard.

Seller Listing Daisy Red Ryder = Policy Violation

Sponsored Link of same = A-OK and All Systems Go

With reference to eBay's promotion of Richard's blog;

RBH - "It's (eBayINK) still not known across the company."

Colder Ice - "YOUR BLOG!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

Amazing.

Ebay so rocks!!!

Usher is on Auction Wally, Griff is on Seller Central and Richard is here. Could it be that things are falling apart and the PR machine has been activated?

Write that book, Richard, write that book. You are present at the destruction. The Harvard Case Study will gin up interest in this excited and delighted catastrophe and your book can only benefit.

Richard - You have to ask John why there are "pitchforks in their (good, honest, long time sellers') hands"?

Really?

Really!?!?!

FOR THE LOVE OF G-D READ YOUR BLOG COMMENTS!

WAKE UP! It's in front of your face.

It has been carefully excruciatingly explained to you in the eBayINK blog comments.

WAKE UP!

Go with "Fluff Friday" but PLEASE consider "Honest Other Days" or "Reality Rest of the Days".

Richard - Sellers don't want to social network. We just want to sell without fear.

John/Richard

Read then blog then pick up on this -

http://tinyurl.com/czj2bu

The INK blog post titled "Feedback on Feedback on Feedback" was a disappointment. Burke maintained that all this carp about retaliatory feedback, the punishment of ALL sellers had NOTHING to do with any measureable statistics. It was based on a hunch. There was no research done on why a negative feedback was left after receiving a negative feedback. Burke et al assumed that a negative feedback received after a negative feedback was left HAD TO BE, COULD BE NOTHING MORE than "retaliatory". Burke seemed oblivious to the fact that negs left after receiving negs skyrocketed after eBay introduced Mutual Feedback Removal.

Trash statistics used to punish ALL sellers for the sins of a few with eBay's approval.

colderice

Thank you ZuD, I try...you need to tell me more about Craigslist, sounds interesting

Glad u likey ~ Ennga and Cliff

Nadine ~ I guess we all got to take things we hear with a grain of salt huh?

Cliff Aliperti

Wow, guys, thanks for the fantastic interview, I really enjoyed that one.

Richard, thanks for being so open, it speaks well for the company (as well as yourself) that you can be. Basically, in my mind, you are the face of eBay, since, well, you actually show your face and have communicated with me directly :)

Really love the idea of this being a regular feature, would love to hear you guys chat again.

Thanks,Cliff

nadine

Oh, man, eBay wanted an untutored naif to be their blogger, and they got one in Richard Brewer Hay (and they advertised him as ineptly as they do everything else). He needs to find out why the former eBay evangelists are now carrying pitchforks? He doesn't get this yet? Man, he is two and three years behind the times, sitting isolated in the ivory tower. It's so touching the way he assures us that John Donahoe and Lorrie mean well for the company, and that six times in the last year he had a blog post ready at the same time as the press release went out. This is called being a PR flak, not a blogger. Real bloggers understand their subject well, and have some dish to give out.

enngga

Great Interview. Very Personable.
Agree with having other opinions from other workers or Sellers etc. Also having other people contribute to the Blog.

ZuDfunck

What a nicely laid out Blog

Audio links are sweet too

I hate ebay but I obviously am in the minority

When I need to sell I use craigslist

But who cares right?

Great site

ZuD