Question
By Ina Steiner
AuctionBytes.com
October 10, 2004
eBay sellers have always turned to each other for advice and support. The ShabbyButChicPowersellers group and eBay Stores Sidewalk Sale coop are two examples of sellers that use their network to help each other and promote their businesses.
ShabbyButChicPowersellers (http://groups.ebay.com/forum.jspa?forumID=100002822) is a private eBay group started by "eclecticdealer-paula." On the Power Seller board there was discussion of other women's eBay support groups and how nice it would be to have a supportive place to work and have fun. Paula picked up the ball and started the group. Members come from all walks of life, from the single independent self-supporting woman, to stay-at-home mom, and everything in between. (One member graduated from Harvard in June with her medical degree)
The ShabbyButChic Powersellers share business tips and personal stories, troubleshoot problems, congratulate accomplishments and commiserate when things have taken a bad turn. Although private, they do accept new members by invitation. The members must be a PowerSeller and female. They say they want to stay small, but not exclusive. Members code their listing descriptions with "SBCP" so they can pull each other's auctions up on a search.
The eBay Stores Sidewalk Sale group (http://beadhappysfavorites.bravehost...sale.html#esss) was started by eBay Stores owners The_godmother, brasilglass, dolfynbead, dr.tevel, dfrazier18, bingoil2000, katiyana, scrappinstore, stardust.skies, www_frik-n-frak_com, anita5162sstuff, pirate.treasure.chest and some others. They were discussing how to increase awareness of eBay Stores on the eBay Stores Board last year in August and September, and came up with the idea of the Sidewalk Sale.
Brasilglass has been one of the driving forces, according to one member, and created the group's motto: "We are an eBay Stores cooperative dedicated to promoting the eBay community ethic by participating in a mutually beneficial Sidewalk Sale!" (http://beadhappysfavorites.bravehost...html#beginning). He ran the original concepts by Jerry, the eBay Stores Board "pink" (moderator), to make sure the group stayed within eBay's guidelines.
Any eBay Store owner is welcome to join by adding SSSE to some Store listings, (no more than a total of 25 per member), and adding a link to the eBay Stores Sidewalk Sale search results to their AM (About Me) page.
People can also participate other ways, such as joining "An eBay Stores Sidewalk Sale Group" (started by brasilglass) http://groups.ebay.com/forum.jspa?forumID=11137; the eBay Stores Sidewalk Sale SiteRing (administered by beadhappys) http://pub20.bravenet.com/sitering/s...um=1717475398; adding optional links from their listings to the organization page; adding the eBay Stores Sidewalk Sale Search Box (created by marketplace-arkansas) to their About Me pages; and promoting the Sidewalk Sale during eBay's Share Your Wares or Street Faires events.
If you have a group that you'd like to bring to our readers' attention, post in our forums. We created a thread devoted to new groups here: http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/ph...ic.php?t=11832
Note: You can read more about "eBay Groups" feature in last month's newsletter: http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/...09/abu0127/s03
About the author:
Ina Steiner is Editor and Publisher of AuctionBytes.com. She has a background in marketing and research in the high-tech and publishing fields. If you have story ideas, comments or questions, send them to ina*auctionbytes.com.
Answer
Why on earth would they have their boards on ebay's own site????
Kinda stupid, if you asked me.
Tell 'em to come here where at least they can say what they want without a pink thumping them on the head for whatever political incorrectness they may utter.......
Good gawd. An ebay board where its members cannot even proclaim loud and clear: EBAY SUCKS!
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Yeah, snakey...
And why aren't the 'ShabbyButChicPowersellers' being sued for trademark infringement by those litigous ladies?
Answer
vinyl-that was my first thought, too
Oh, and did anyone notice someone in this group?
The eBay Stores Sidewalk Sale group (http://beadhappysfavorites.bravehos...ksale.html#esss) was started by eBay Stores owners The_godmother, brasilglass, dolfynbead, dr.tevel, dfrazier18, bingoil2000, katiyana, scrappinstore, stardust.skies, www_frik-n-frak_com, anita5162sstuff, pirate.treasure.chest and some others. They were discussing how to increase awareness of eBay Stores on the eBay Stores Board last year in August and September, and came up with the idea of the Sidewalk Sale.
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I hope that was a good thing being pointed out mgc *smile*
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Yep-very good
Originally Posted by katiyana
I hope that was a good thing being pointed out mgc *smile*
Answer
Good question snakey.
I expect they have the same problem many groups face.
If you want to communicate with a broad segment of eBay users you must remain on the eBay site and use the structures they provide.
Then you must not offend eBay and avoid a vague and generalized set of undocumented regulations about off-site references and stating complaints.
Two of the most helpful users on the eBay Store Board were recently slapped for off eBay sites that offered free and effective tools as well as much helpful information.
Just yesterday the user with an ID of FriK-n-Frak found out how far "eBay Punishment" can reach against people that speak-out about concerns on eBay Boards.
They were sent an email from eBay stating they must change their ID because it was vulgar.
When the information was made public on the Store Board by a user, a thread started and nearly a hundred posts later eBay appeared and acknowledged a mistake had been made and that the wrong "standard email" had been sent.
If you have a few minutes read some of the thread.
Link
here may well be the largest independent user site and still only reaches a fraction of one percent of active sellers.
I think groups need to use the eBay site for communication among users and maintain an off-site location for helpful information that eBay Nation finds offensive to their interests (the price of their stock)
The truth and/or best interest of users and the protection of eBay's stock price are often in conflict.
eBay Nation does a good job of taking care of their interests and we must learn to do the same for ourselves.