Exclusive group for private eBay sellers
Summary: The discussion revolves around an exclusive group for private eBay sellers. dmary56 speaks out against describing the group as "apparently private" and calls for transparency about how this assessment came about. goldeifel comments that everyone has small secrets and criticizes the fact that some discussions waste energy rather than being helpful. It is emphasized that forums are there to provide support, and that users in the group can write more freely without fear of criticism.
Hello,
it’s getting more and more absurd... now there’s even a closed forum just for the fake-private ones?
Is there something to hide? 😉🤣
14 comments
cosmoretroshop
·2 months agoAlso @dmary56 is completely right:
Ebay is full of pseudo-private sellers (private sellers who sell on a commercial scale and with the intent to make a profit) and fake private sellers (commercial sellers who pose as private sellers to "minimize risks and costs")
However, @goldeifel is also right. In the forum there are tons of Cassandras who are constantly on at us about how terrible the pseudo-private sellers and fake private sellers are, but otherwise also have no ideas about how they should take action against this here or how they should boost their business.
So the problem is definitely there, but it is being greatly exaggerated and is often used as an excuse for one's own shortcomings.
goldeifel
·2 months agoHem, cough,
Hello @ic-box24 ,
Counterquestion: which person doesn’t have their own personal, “small” secret?
My opinion: there are no fake privates
It’s just a synonym for scapegoat; someone has to be to blame for declining sales figures.
All the whining about it is just plain annoying and, in the big picture, changes nothing at all.
Often I think the time and energy spent on threads like these could be put by the respective OP into working on their own account instead.
If you put the number of Ebay.de users in relation to the forum users, it’s certainly a vanishingly small number of complainers (who, though, seem to make a lot of fuss over nothing)
If you look at the forums separately, then it’s surprising that there are still smooth and problem-free transactions at all and that users are exclusively frustrated, grumpy, and bad-tempered.
Sheesh, no ....
The forums are meant for help and support when the general rules don’t get you any further because a detail of a transaction doesn’t go as expected or intended.
Some responses, such as, for example, “you’ve been around for so long, you should actually know that”...,
come across as off-putting to me.
Been around a long time: yes, Knowing everything: way off the mark
Here in the PV among ourselves - group, you can write more freely; no one criticizes you if the technical term is missing, or if you can’t quite express yourself, or if you’re completely hopeless at linking, finding any “rules”, ...(I’m talking about myself right now 😫)
Funny side notes and little detours, as well as 😁😆, loosen the atmosphere up considerably.
If you really think that this “subforum” isn’t for you, no one is forced to take part here.
Everything else has been wonderfully explained / described by @dmary56 , @molfish , @bootyooty , @miriam@ebay DE
dmary56
·2 months ago@goldeifel
Well now I have to strongly disagree.
"There are no fake private sellers"
I run into loads of them here every day when I’m looking for something!
@ic-box24 is right that the number of "fake private sellers" or "private-business sellers" keeps increasing,
especially since free selling was introduced for private sellers.
Every day, sellers here complain that because of this they’re selling less and less in their segment.
And I’m completely on their side and can understand the frustration that’s built up.
Some are allowed to sell for free, while the properly registered sellers who stick to their legal requirements and obligations are being made to pay more and more. For any commercial seller, in the long run this threatens their very existence, especially if they haven’t secured multiple sources of income early on!
Unfortunately, TE overreacted in his anger and addressed the wrong group, that was unfair and doesn’t help at all. In my opinion, commercial sellers should make much more use of reporting outside of eBay or send cease-and-desist letters.
If eBay doesn’t react accordingly, then you just have to help yourself!
mrkuros
·2 months ago"Pseudo-private" 👋 here and also from the group. Look at how much wealth I’ve accumulated lately 💰 Everything else has been said, @ic-box24 😊
miriam@ebay
Hello @ic-box24! Setting up such closed community groups (which, by the way, also exist for experienced commercial sellers like you) has nothing to do with "hiding things," but is intended to discuss specific topics in a more focused way and make it easier to get started in the community world and take part.
The idea behind such groups is less about "seclusion" and more the opposite. For many eBay members, the barrier to speaking up in a smaller, topic-appropriate setting is much lower. In such a group, it is often easier to ask questions or share experiences than in a large, very mixed forum. A dedicated group can also make exchange among members easier.
In addition, eBay has processes and review mechanisms to identify apparent private activity and act accordingly. It is important to us to emphasize that the overwhelming majority of private sellers act in compliance with the rules. Apparent private activity can also have noticeable consequences outside of eBay.
Thank you very much for your contribution and for thinking about the community and fair conditions! 🙂
Thanks also to you, @dmary56 for the reply and for bringing this in.
Best regards
Miriam
molfish
·2 months agoGood day😊
It might also be worth mentioning that this group was initiated by ebay itself.
The members were invited by ebay and there were several posts in the public forums encouraging people to join. So it’s not some sneaky little idea from anyone.
BTW, I’m in the group too.
dmary56
·2 months ago@ic-box24
I am also in the group and I object to being portrayed by you as "apparently private."
Have you checked the members of the group, or are you just throwing out a guess?
Dear @miriam@ebay DE , if you have some time to spare, would you be so kind as to enlighten @ic-box24 .
ic-box24
OP2 months agodmary56, you have apparently wandered into "Commercial sellers".
dmary56
·2 months ago@ic-box24
no, I didn’t wander in. I can read and write in this community wherever I want, except in the MHM.
And this reply from you doesn’t change the fact that you apparently like to stir things up,
without knowing the background.
Besides, we truly private sellers also have the "pseudo-private" ones as a thorn in our side
Take care.
ic-box24
OP2 months ago" I can read and write in this community wherever I want"... no, not really.
I personally just think it’s unnecessary to retreat into closed groups. And "thematic boundaries" might be okay, but "private sellers" is a bit too broad a topic for me. Incidentally, I deliberately put a winking smiley after my question, so there’s no need to go off like that right away.
And the issue of fake private sellers shouldn’t be downplayed; it’s a relevant reason for many shop operators to leave this platform. And I think eBay isn’t responding appropriately to it.
bootyooty
·2 months agoYou’ve been here since 2012, I’ve been here since 2003 with another account that’s now logged out.
Since then there have been various forum operators and there have ALWAYS been clubs or groups, specific to eBay or just for chatting.
And YES, it’s nice when you can “withdraw” and don’t have to make everything public for all users to see; that’s pretty logical, isn’t it.
No one is downplaying anything here either, and anyone who wants to report “apparently private” sellers can do so at the relevant tax office, very openly or even anonymously.
By all means, you can question things here too, but you don’t have to immediately go off into conspiracy theories or even into accusations that are absurd and thrown out there without proof.
ic-box24
OP2 months agoWe’re not talking about “withdrawing” on a small scale here; after all, it’s a separate menu item under >Discussion>Selling on eBay>, so it should be relevant to the general public and not just to a handful of members.
“Anyone who wants to report ‘apparently private’ sellers can gladly do so at the respective tax office” is, of course, a completely absurd argument.
First, it’s not my job to ensure compliance with laws, and second, given the scope, I’d probably have to hire additional staff. eBay, as the operator or enabler, has a certain degree of co-responsibility in my opinion. Like the getaway driver in a bank robbery. But that is expressly only my very personal opinion !
bootyooty
·2 months agoLegislators and the judiciary are responsible for ensuring compliance with laws, and that includes the tax office as well, but since you know everything better and are just spoiling for a fight because there’s a group for private sellers, you’re also not interested in discussions or other opinions, as can be seen.
Unfortunately there’s no link to the Rechtgeb forum, otherwise I’d ask you to go there. 😎
See you around
dmary56
·2 months ago@ic-box24 wrote:
"And the issue of fake private sellers should not be downplayed; it's a relevant reason for many shop operators to leave this platform. And I think eBay isn't responding appropriately to it."
I completely agree with you, but you still shouldn't lump everyone together, even if your frustration is understandable.