This is really a surprise, we don’t get too much mail from eBay so I was intrigued to see what was in the envelope(s). So I turned on the video camera to see what eBay had for me in the mail. This is a fun one and I had to share it with our blog readers. I bet you will be getting one too, let me know if you get one OK?
p.s. The audio is a little hot, that is not your PC, sorry guys…
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Step #1 — Bend Over
Step #2 — Repeat Step #1
Step #3 — See Steps #1 & #2
Ok, that is admittedly a RANT. Here is the communication I got from a buyer on eBay to my sweet, young, female assistant. Let me set up the scenario for you please. This customer ordered a single $8.00 hat on Saturday, October 24th.
This email came on the following day Sunday October 25th (note, the USPS does not pickup mail on Sunday’s). This order has not shipped yet and of course it is less than 23 hours old from the weekend.
I have removed SOME of the expletives…
Email #1: WHAT THE F**K HAVE YOU DONE????????????????????????????? YOU SHIP TO THE F**KING WRONG ADDRESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Email #2: I TOLD YOU NOT TO SHIP TO MY PAYPAL ADDRESS!!!!!! DONT YOU READ YOUR MESSGES???????????????
Email #3: IF YOU HAVE SHIP THIS ITEM?????????? WE ALL ARE MESSED UP HEREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Email #4: UPDATE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE WHEN YOU READ MY ALL THESE F**KING MESSAGES……
After this series of emails, my CSR agent escalate the emails to me. The item had the proper address on it, and emails were sent to the customer, but the customer admittedly did NOT read his emails! She (our CSR rep) was a little distraught cause she is a new rep and is not aware of some of bullish brutality that all of our eBay CSR’s have to endure weekly with the anonymous eBay email systems.
Editor NOTE: eBay has a system where buyers can anonymously send emails with no return email address included. Our research and pretty much all web based research data shows that people have a much different tonality when they can do things anonymously. So we believe the antiquated eBay email system from the 1900’s actually facilitates this poor uncivilized behavior.
eBay buyer emails are FULL of this, we get about 1000 eBay customer interfaces weekly versus the customer interfaces on other platforms (Amazon, Yahoo, Webstore etc.) and eBay emails are overwhelming different and often more "uncivilized".
I am personally lead to believe this is due to the anonymous nature of the "old school" eBay system that has NO ACCOUNTABILITY built in for the senders.
Email #5 (my response):
Here is your update:
Your order is CANCELLED. I do not know how they act in your home, but that language is NOT ACCEPTABLE in my business. Have a nice day.
Email #6: hy! i am really sorry for me language. i am really asshole. didn’t check my email. just saw your messages. thanks alot. and im very sorry once again. will buy another from you soon.
Now I want you guys to understand… eBay’s Top Rated Seller System would allow for ONLY 2 negative DSR (Detailed Seller Ratings) a MONTH out of the nearly 5000 we do monthly. So lets take a step back.
Pretend that this same guy came into your physical store, leaned over the counter and started to curse-out your young female counter help. What would you DO? … Yep, me too, I would tell them to GET OUT OF MY STORE.
Except in theses cases, my counter is the email box and that customer is IN MY store and I will NOT subject my employees to that type of behavior even though EBAY says they will give me a cute badge if I do.
I could be a Top Rated Seller if I was just willing to be a "Top BeRated Seller"…Unfortunately I was not built (by the Creator and the parents that raised me) to bend over for this type of abuse, I guess.
The integrity of my employees has to come into account and I simply am not going to allow anyone to speak to them in that manner. Its not civil and not acceptable under ANY circumstance. I simply can not "bend over" to satisfy a customer like this just to be included in that program. I do have some morals and they are NOT FOR SALE. I think I should have that RIGHT…Dammit eBay
This case is NOT UNIQUE, we get these types of hot head eBay communications all the time. Welcome to our world, I just needed to vent 
This all started from a couple of crazy late-night Tweets after being fed up with the "hype"
And it ended up a Social Marketing Video
Please Rate My Video with 5-Stars DSR’s
This was just too good to pass up the chance to post it here! This is why some of the "good sellers" can not compete on eBay…Why? Maybe its because you got thieves and criminals promoted as trusted sellers on eBay. Yah think?!?
Waterbury woman faces larceny charges in connection with thefts from CVS, sales on eBay. (COURTESY OF WEST HARTFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT / September 24, 2009)
By DAVID OWENS The Hartford Courant
WEST HARTFORD; – A Waterbury woman who police say made her living selling beauty and other products on the auction website eBay had very low overhead.
That’s because the items she sold were shoplifted from CVS stores throughout the state, police said. Dana Giacobini, 41, of 28 Wesley St., Waterbury, faced arrest by West Hartford police in shoplifting incidents in June and July, but had also drawn the attention of CVS loss prevention officials.
"It started off as a fairly routine shoplifting case," said West Hartford police Det. Sgt. Frank Fallon. Then West Hartford detectives began working with CVS security officials, who developed information that Giacobini was possibly selling items stolen from CVS on eBay.
"Based on the information gained through the eBay investigation we were able to get a search warrant for the suspect’s [apartment] in Waterbury," Fallon said. When they raided Giacobini’s home, they found boxes and boxes of merchandise — everything from home blood pressure and diabetic monitoring kits to Oil of Olay and Burt’s Bees products. There also were allergy medications, fertility monitor kits, perfumes, nail polish and a variety of skin lotions, Fallon said.
Police are still taking inventory of the van-load of merchandise recovered from Giacobini’s apartment, but estimate it is worth at least $25,000, he said.
Police said eBay records show that Giacobini has sold nearly $174,000 worth of merchandise since 2007.
"This was no small operation," Fallon said. Police also found a mailing operation in Giacobini’s apartment, including about 40 FedEx mailing boxes addressed to locations all over the country.
"She has no job," Fallon said of Giacobini. "Whatever else she could have been selling, no matter what it was, she had no ability to legally obtain it."
On several websites, Giacobini listed her business at the Wesley Street address. "I buy wholesale and resell online. I am a single owner/operator and have a small business," she wrote in several online sales forums.
Giacobini was arraigned Thursday on charges of fourth-degree larceny and third-degree larceny and her bail was set at $95,000. She is due back in court Nov. 2.
Copyright © 2009, The Hartford Courant
NOTE: This is a NEW segment for our blog, we are giving ecommerce sellers a change to showcase their businesses. If you would like to get your SPOTLIGHT on the blog, please contact me mailto:john@colderice.com or hit me up on Twitter
How did you get started with e-commerce?
It feels ridiculous to say this now when the internet is such a part of our daily lives but we only got the internet in my family around 1995 when I was still in high school and that was only because my dad was a computer teacher. I started on eBay in March of 1997 and it was really just a way for me to help my parents sell off some of our childhood toys before I left for college. By the time I left for school, we had sold off all the family stuff we wanted to get rid of and I had started searching around at flea markets and antique shops for things I knew I could clean up and sell for more. eBay was my fall back job every college break and over the summer and I realized I was rather good at it when I could take the same item and sell it for more than someone else.
After college, I was working in NYC at a variety of TV jobs (CBS News, 106 and Park, Sesame Street) but I kept working on the eBay on the side, leaving my packages outside for carrier pick-up before I left for work each morning. I started taking Trading Assistant clients then and, while I know some people have said the program isn’t for them, I have always found being a Trading Assistant and selling other people’s items for them on eBay to be both profitable and rewarding. Around this time, my little company started to grow into something larger than just me selling on eBay and I brought in some contract workers to help out. In addition to eBay, we started a publishing branch that does collectible guides and other books and we also did publishing services for small press authors (we have since discontinued the services element of our business but Priced Nostalgia Press is as strong as ever). At that point, I was selling on eBay, Amazon, Half.com, Lulu Marketplace and several other sites and all of this was still in addition to my “real” job.
A little over 4 years ago, having gotten fed up with the commute to New York, I was working at this tiny theatre in NJ. I hated what I was doing, I hated the commute just as much as I’d hated the commute to the city and I finally found the inspiration to try the e-commerce gig free time from an unlikely source. Lulu.com, a print-on-demand site that my company used as one of our printers/distributors where I also served as a community forum moderator, offered me a job. Their company is based out of North Carolina but they gave me the opportunity to work from home because they were eager for the e-commerce skills I brought to the table. At this point, I was well versed in the ins and out of most marketplaces out there and they wanted me around to pick my brain.
I feel stupid when I think about how long it took me to take this offer but I finally did, realizing it was the safety net I needed to be able to devote more time to my company. The rest, as they say, is history. I was able to devote near full time attention to my company for a little more than the last 3 years and it has been growing nicely. You can visit us online to see what we have going on today athttp://www.pricednostalgia.com.
What made you start The Whine Seller?
None of my friends or family knows anything about eBay. This may not seem like an important details but it meant that whenever something with eBay or Amazon or any of the sites I used for my business would happen, wrong or right, I had no one to talk to about it. Telling a simple anecdote took too much background explanation for the listener to even know what I was talking about. So I used to put all my e-commerce ranting into my personal blog until I realized it was annoying my usual readers there and, about a year ago, I decided to spin these e-commerce posts off to their own blog. I called it The Whine Seller because I felt that play on words referenced both my propensity to rant and rave on occasion and the fact that the focus of the blog was selling things. It’s focus is mostly on selling on sites like eBay and Amazon but also in blogging, using social networking (such as Twitter, Facebook and more), and publishing. When you boil it down, publishing is basically just like any other form of selling with the exception that you are selling a product you are more emotionally attached to.
I really didn’t expect anyone to actually read the site, I was just using it as a place to talk about my findings and frustrations about the marketplaces I worked with but I was pleasantly surprised at the readership and feedback it got pretty early on. As I realized people were actually reading, I started to focus the blog more, doing How-To’s and reviews when I found a cool service or tool that I wanted to share. The suddenly upswing in readership actually caught me a bit unaware and it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I had the chance to relaunch the site looking how I wanted it to look in the first place. I’m actually doing this blog tour to encourage people to check out the new site at http://www.thewhineseller.com so I hope anyone reading this will come over and visit.
A lot of sellers have turned against eBay due to recent changes. How have changes such as DSR feedback ratings and free shipping affected you?
Sometimes my knee-jerk reaction to the things eBay has done is annoyance or anger so I can understand why some people get frustration. But while I did whine along with the others at the start of some of these changes, I am starting to see them as a good thing.
While I will be really ticked if they force free shipping on everyone across the boards, I see the push for free shipping as an optional advantage. You get discounts and better placement for an item with free shipping but it costs you, the seller, more. So my answer to that is to only use free shipping on items where I need those advantages. If I am one of 3 people selling an item, there is no need for me to offer free shipping as my item will get great placement no matter what. But if I am selling something like a Wii game that 100s of other people are also selling, Free Shipping is a way for me to get an edge. Just like upgrades like Featured cost money, I see Free Shipping as an optional upgrade. If you want the advantages, pay the extra. If not, you don’t have to do it.
As for DSRs, I think the new changes (of only penalizing 1 and 2 star ratings) are an improvement over the old system. The fact that “reasonable” could get you in hot water and “very reasonable” was the only safe rating was always a little ridiculous so I am glad they are moving towards a more logical system. That said, as much as it makes me have to work harder, I think DSRs have been a good thing. It weeded out a lot of the sellers who weren’t offering the best service and that improves buyer confidence site wide. I also like getting those discounts when my DSR scores are high enough so it almost becomes something of a game.
In the end, the best way I can answer this is to say that we are in a horrible recession right now and eBay has made some huge changes but my business is still doing just fine so I cannot complain. If anyone wants to argue with me about these points, you know where to find me.
Besides eBay, what other marketplaces do you sell on?
eBay is really my preferred marketplace because they have so many great bulk tools that really streamline the process. I used to sell much more heavily on Amazon and Half.com than I do today but I find that items sell faster on eBay than anywhere else and, especially with Trading Assistant items where those people want the money ASAP, that speed is important. Every time one of the new marketplace sites come out, I always give it a try. Overstock, Bonanzle, iOffer, etc. I have tried them all at one point and probably have a few items listed on them to this day. In the end, it always comes down to a matter of time. When I could list 5 items on eBay in the time it took me to list 1 on your site, you have lost me right off the bat. Another big thing is that eBay is where the buyers are. I can take the time and list the same item on every site I’m registered with and I have done this with items I have several of and, always, it sells on eBay first. So if it is going to take me less time to list it on eBay and the item is going to sell faster on eBay, I consider the fact that eBay’s fees may be a little higher just the cost of being the best marketplace in that regard. I know some people would prefer to wait longer for the sale and pay lesser fees and that is fine. It’s just not how I run my business.
I also highly recommend print-on-demand sites like CreateSpace, Lulu and Cafepress. I have sold items through all of those sites at various times and they afford you the chance to sell your items without any overheard costs or having to house any inventory. There is something really neat about a customer ordering an item and that item only gets produced the second they order it so there is no wasted inventory. Of course, costs are going to be higher in these cases than doing a bulk order but it can make for some great opportunities and has worked well for us in the past, especially in conjunction with sites like eBay or Amazon.
How has Twitter changed the way you do business online?
When I first signed up for Twitter, I didn’t see the value of it but now it is an integral part of many facets of my business and my routine. Having a community of people in a similar field to mine was a huge change for me as I previously didn’t know anyone I could “talk shop” with so I love being able to see what other people thing about a giving change or news item. Twitter is also an endless font of blogging ideas so I highly recommend it if you are a blogger. A few hours on Twitter and I usually have enough blog ideas for a few weeks. As a tool for keeping in touch with the latest news and rumors in the e-commerce world, it is indispensible and as a networking tool, it is amazing how many great contacts I have found through that site alone.
I think, as a blogger or a business person, Twitter is essential. Not only does it give you ideas for future posts and keep you abreast of the latest news, but it helps you connect with readers and potential readers (or buyers and potential buyers) outside of your blog or store building more confidence and familiarity with your brand or blog. There are a million different ways to use the service and how you leverage it can make or break the flow of traffic to your website.
You can follow Hillary on Twitter @hillarydepiano
This week, two HUGH milestones were hit by my company 3rd Power Outlet. Sure I do this blog but the bread and butter comes from the company that I run. I don’t really talk about it that much but ALL of the topics and information I share come out of the knowledge I gain by being a CEO of a successful venture in online retail.
This week, we pop the Champaign because we hit 2 very big numbers. First the video that really got me interested in social media has just been certified viral on YouTube. The viral video has now received over 100,000 views! WOW that is killer and it cost me ZERO dollars and ZERO cents
Please Rate My Video with 5-Stars DSR’s
I have actually used this video in all my social marketing keynotes and sessions as a how-to do-it-yourself marketing example for small businesses to make an impact. I made this video in the most "low budget" way ever. It was the first video I ever did in my life and now it is a YouTube viral video, WOW! This single video has made me thousands of dollars and driven lot’s ‘o traffic!
Next up on this double hitter of milestones is my eBay feedback score for 3rd Power Outlet. We hit a MAJOR number of 70,000 feedbacks and a lifetime score of 93,994 as of this writing so I guess that will shortly be the equivalent of 100,000 served on eBay soon. This milestone was NOT free, but it was paid for in blood, sweat, tears and hard work….Oh yeah and eBay fees! LMAO
I am very proud of these 2 accomplishments and just had to put it out there. Cause if I did it, then you know you can do it too! That is what ColderICE.com is all about. This is the POWER of 1 multiplied baby!
You heard part 1 of the interview? Even after I warned you, you still listened, and you LOVED it! You want part 2, oh man this is rubber hits the road funk ya’ll.
Ron Saxton of Image Warehouse really breaks it down on this 2nd half. He brings no holds barred action, LMAO…You just wait……..
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Ecommerce edutainment on demandI am just a little bit astonished at where we are in such a small about of time in our business. We have just surpassed 60K in unique eBay feedback and I am just a little proud of this accomplishment.
What was started at my kitchen table as a way to AVOID bankruptcy has turned into something that has been able to ship items to every continent on the planet and yield a pleasant (NOT extravagant) lifestyle is AMAZING. I just have to reflect on how that feels and how it feels everyday to do what I am loving to do.
From counting how much a peanut butter and jelly sandwich would save me in lunch fees, to this is just freakin’ incredible! If I can do it, any “joe the plumber” can do it too. You can be who you want to be if you are determined. – me
Thank you to all customers, friends, family and supporters I LOVE THIS. Being able to make your own dreams come true is the true spirit of American, eBay and the web. But everything has its challenges and that makes me reflect on where we are in our own world of challenges.
We all know it is rather important to be aware of the detailed seller ratings (DSR’s) on eBay. Lately every thing from permission to sell on the site to discounts on fees is tie to the mysterious DSR.
So much has been riding on DSR’s that they are now the “boogie monster” because your carrier rises and falls at the behest of DSR’s. Well, here is a screen shot of my DSRs and Feedback, I am pretty proud of them I guess. Worked hard to keep em up. — John
Here are some of the tools I have used to make sure our DSR’s stay tight…
* The DSR Watch – www.dsrwatch.com
* DSR Calculator – auctiontrax.com/sellerratings/dsrcalc.html
* Feedback Calculators – home.alltel.net/micrep/feedback.html
When it came to getting this nice weblog together for me, I called on my home boy Jeff. Jeff is a Wordpress wiz but he is also the author of 2theNextLevel.com a business website for “soloprenuers”
I call him Jeff, but all his “friends call him JB” (he says that all the time) so I ain’t his friend I guess, LOL. I rib him about it, cause I have know him for years now and he is Jeff to me.
But anywho….Jeff and I have met years ago at a business conference and although you have my most recent recordings, Jeff and I have done dozens of recording that I have not released yet. The “ColderICE -JB Files” are really full of how 3rd Power (my business) was started.
Wow, I had actually forgot about some of those and I am going to have to look through them. We did those at the earlier part of this year. But just the other week, Jeff got me on a call and asked me for 5 Powerseller Secrets to share. I laughed at him and then pulled out a napkin and wrote down 5 things off the top of my head, LMAO.
I then told him to start the call and guess what? It came out pretty good, so he posted it on his site! Thanks ummm JB…yeah, thanks big time!
Click to go to the interview ->-> eBay Platinum PowerSeller Shares His Secrets With Solopreneurs
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