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ebaY Cuts Web? FIGHT IT! |
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ebaY Cuts The Threads of The Web? FIGHT BACK!!!
Editorial
ebaY has decided the World Wide Web is now a one way street that runs ebaY's way. Effective 31 May, they are no longer allowing links from sellers auction listing pages to the sellers website, web page or ANY page unless it is directly related to the item on sale on that particular auction. There are a few restricted exceptions that allow you a link out to the web, such as allowing a link to a gallery of ebaY items, a discrete link to give credit to a third party service provider, a discrete link to an organization that confers legitimacy on the seller and/or offers services. It also allows a link to the sellers email address, and links within ebaY and to other ebaY owned companies such as Half.Com. Though it is your paid for advertising page on a site that claims to be a venue only, ebaY is cutting your way to link out and only allowing links in.
TAG does not believe that ebaY has thoroughly thought through this policy. We feel it is harmful to ebaY's users and antithetical to the very thing that allowed the creation of ebaY in the first place - the web. The policy is actually in direct violation of ebaY's own user agreement, which directly states what kind of links are not allowed, none of which are included in this latest policy interpretation change of ebaY's. ebaY is not changing it's user agreement to reflect these changes, but instead is making a policy change that amounts to a set of unwritten rules, that if not adhered to, will cause the ending of auctions and suspension from ebaY.
So what can you do to fight back?
1. List and buy on other sites. Even if you place a small percentage of your items on other sites, many of which are free or charge a final value fee only, this will help increase the variety of items on other sites, which in turn will bring buyers. If you buy on other sites, you might find yourself getting some real great bargains, and you will encourage sellers to list more. With increased traffic, new marketplaces will become more viable forcing ebaY to compete for your attention, and lose their current virtual monopoly. Include links to all your auctions on sites off ebaY, in every end of auction notice and every correspondence you send out. Sellers can put notices in their auction packages and buyers can add a note about the sites they buy from, with every payment they send. ebaY was built by word of mouth, and it is NOT the only option for online auctions and trading.
2. ALL ebaY users should remove all links they have that lead TO ebaY, from every page they might have an ebaY link on. The Internet is not a one way communication tool, and if ebaY thinks it will benefit by these draconian policies, TAG holds that the sellers should show ebaY who is the prime beneficiary of links. ebaY is one site where a small percentage of users will click on a seller's website link, but sellers have millions of links that go TO ebaY. Does ebaY think that they can cut off the seller's links and that the sellers won't reciprocate? We hope ALL sellers reciprocate and cut the links in, until ebaY changes its policy.
3. Review ebaY owned companies and corporate partner auctions. Search out and report every violation of this policy on auctions conducted by ebaY Premier (Butterfields), Disney, USPS etc. (see below for a list of corporate User IDs to target) Though ebaY may not care what their smaller sellers say, how long will the likes of Disney put up with hundreds of auctions being ended by ebaY? How many times will Overstock.Com be happy with having their About Me page shut down for rule violations. ebaY has specifically stated that these link policies will be enforced across the board on ALL their users. ebaY also told The Industry Standard, that they were depending on users to enforce this policy for them, "EBay spokesman Kevin Pursglove said that enforcing the anti-hyperlink policy will "involve a large dependency on eBay users" So we will do just as ebaY asks, just NOT against small sellers and individuals, but against the large corporate sellers. As a corollary, DON'T turn in small sellers who violate the policy.
4. Use ebaYs own tools to build your customer list. Put up highly desirable item at very tempting price with a restricted bidder list. Interested buyers have to email you to get permission to bid and added to your bidder list. Get them to sign up for your opt in customer list, explaining how ebaY's restrictive policies make it necessary to have a customer list in order to protect both the seller and buyer from risk of suspension. Once you get their opt in permission in writing, you can prove to ebaY that you have a relationship with this customer outside of ebaY. This also gives you an opportunity to send links to other sites you have like items listed on, and provide the buyer an incentive to buy at the alternate site as opposed to buying on ebaY. Which brings us back to number one.
5. Do not use ANY special features on ebaY. List on ebaY but do not offer Billpoint, Tradenable, SquareTrade or any other ebaY partnered company. Do not use highlight, gallery, featured, 10 day, double category or any other ebaY extra fee options you don't find absolutely essential to sell your items - go PLAIN VANILLA when you list
You can buy and sell the same way you are doing now, but use these methods as a platform to build your business and expand your horizons. You might be able to shape ebaYs actions with these ideas, but more importantly you will help build a future for person to person trading on the world wide web. -TAG
Corporate User IDs to watch for auction violations -
Butterfields and Butterfields2
Country Living
Disney
Greg Mannings
Hard Rock Cafe
IBM
Mitsubishi Automation
Motor Sports
NFL
Overstock.Com
PGA
Philadelphia Eagles Auctions
Planet Hollywood
SkyAuction
Sun Microsystems
Pennsylvania Treasury Department,
Bureau of Unclaimed Property
USPS Books
USPS Music
USPS Collectibles
USPS Everything Else
Return Buy
Net Tour Golf Shop
TGW Auctions
Dallas Golf
Edwin Watts Golf
EZ Links Golf
Thomas Golf
State of Oregon
To report auction violations to ebaY go to the REPORT FORM or email SAFEHARBOR
(please note this list is not comprehensive -
have links to add? email us at tag@theauctionguild.com) |
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