Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 12:06:27 -0600
Reply-To: Bruce Nadig <motorbruce@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Bruce Nadig <motorbruce@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: recycled german parts / eBay
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
I have to respectfully reply.
Just yesterday I needed to get into contact with a potential bidder. She has
several in-depth questions about a very expensive item I am selling. Each
time I tried to respond, the e-mail bounced back. Unfortunately, because she
had not actually bid on the item, eBay couldn't give me any contact info.
I assumed (and later found that this was true) that she had recently changed
her e-mail address and not updated that information with eBay. My dilemma: I
had a very expensive item for sale, and a frustrated potential bidder I
could not communicate with.
I turned to the eBay community. I won't say how (I don't want anyone to
figure out any scams from this, and I was not scamming anyone) but I reached
out to other community members to help me contact her. Quite a number of
people did offer effective help. One person in particular was a bit gun shy
of giving me her information (which I had as for only as a last resort). He
said that there are too many eBay scams and that he would forward my
information and message on to the potential bidder. He did absolutely the
right thing. He did everything in his power to protect the community. Sure,
it may have only been one finger in the dyke, but he wanted his community
protected while at the same time help me to solve my problem.
Finally last night I got a note from the potential bidder with her correct
e-mail address - it had changed.
It all worked. The COMMUNITY wants to make it work. eBay, the company, puts
an electronic forum in place. It is the people that make it a community.
Sort of similar to this list, huh (except no one is getting rich here)? The
community, both eBay and Vanagon, tries its best to police itself. The vast
majority of the folks in each community want the place to remain safe and
peaceful. In fact, eBay, the corporation, has a vested interest in this. If
too many people get ripped off, folks will stop buying on eBay and there
will be no more money for the corporation.
The free market works, and the idea of community works. But you must be a
willing participant in the community (ie. give neutral or negative feedback
when warranted) for it to work at its peak efficiency.
Cheers,
Bruce
>From: George Goff <THX0001@AOL.COM>
>Reply-To: THX0001@AOL.COM
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Re: recycled german parts / eBay
>Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 08:24:35 EST
>
>In a message dated 3/24/04 7:34:34 PM, motorbruce@HOTMAIL.COM writes:
>
><< I work hard to keep the
>
>community honest. It is a significant source of my income. I want to keep
>it
>
>a place where people want to shop. >>
>
>Ebay must have come from the furtile mind of a master conman. Mr. Ebay
>makes
>his millions (billions? Who knows, it's only money) by providing a service
>and the suckers he serves do all the work! It's no community, it is the
>pinnacle of bald faced capitalism while Mr. Ebay washes his hands of any
>responsibility to provide a fair field of play. If you ever have any kind
>of problem on
>Ebay, try to give Mr. Ebay a call and see if he calls back.
>
>George
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