Ina Steiner EcommerceBytes Blog
News and insight focusing on ecommerce.
by Ina Steiner, Editor of EcommerceBytes.com
Thu Nov 20 2014 14:26:30

Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?

By: Ina Steiner

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After the eBay-PayPal breakup next year, current eBay Marketplaces president Devin Wenig will become CEO of the new standalone eBay Inc.

In a new interview with the Wall Street Journal, Wenig said when he takes over as CEO, he wants to reconnect with small and large merchants and energize the eBay community. Though it's not clear why he has to wait to do so.

He also said he plans to make "significant changes." But what kind of changes could he be planning? So far under his helm eBay Marketplaces has continued to embrace large brands and retail chains, while rolling out an unpopular Defect Ratings policy. Could there be any good news for small merchants?

Every new leader wants to make his or her own mark on a company. When John Donahoe took over for Meg Whitman as eBay CEO in 2008, he launched so many changes it became impossible for sellers to keep up with the constant disruption to their businesses, a fact later acknowledged by the company with a promise to slow the pace of change.

Let us know what advice you could offer Devin Wenig as he gets ready to take over as eBay CEO.



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Readers Comments

Perminate Link for Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?   Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?

by: angryllama This user has validated their user name.

Thu Nov 20 14:56:14 2014

Fall back 10 yards and punt.  I have seen exactly ZERO positive actions by eBay over the entire year of 2014. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Nichts.  Roll 'em ALL back to mid 2013 and HOPE for the best.

Perminate Link for Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?   Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?

by: sasikat9 This user has validated their user name.

Thu Nov 20 14:59:02 2014

Well I would gue$$ a big fat rate increa$e ju$t might be in order...It$ the only way left for flee$ebay to make anymore $$$$$

Perminate Link for Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?   Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?

This user has validated their user name. by: Anonymous Annie

Thu Nov 20 15:05:11 2014

Ina writes: ''Every new leader wants to make his or her own mark on a company.''

Unfortunately, in JD's case, it appears to me that his attempts at ''making a mark'' ended up being little more than obscene grafitti and outright intentional vandalism.

This proves that ANYONE can ''make a mark'' ... but it takes a lot more thought, wisdom and insight to have a lasting positive influence on a venue and its members.

There's more to being a good steward than greed and profit.

Perminate Link for Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?   Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?

This user has validated their user name. by: Rexford

Thu Nov 20 15:07:14 2014

I like "he wants to reconnect with small and large merchants".........if he is sincere. But explain to me how they EVER disconnected from larger sellers.

I don't like " he plans to make "significant changes", unless it means rolling back some of the LUDICROUS heavy handed policies of JD.

Change is what ruined eBay.  Why more?

Perminate Link for Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?   Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?

This user has validated their user name. by: Rexford

Thu Nov 20 15:19:50 2014

Oh, and my advice?  LEVEL PLAYING FIELD, do away with defects, go back to original time-ending-soonest search (no algorithmic search), and no hiding sellers' listings.  And that 180 days return scheme is NEVER going to work.

If sellers go back to making serious money on eBay they just might spend it on eBay.

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by: brokenarrowleather This user has validated their user name.

Thu Nov 20 15:53:10 2014

I almost want to say "Anyone is better than Donahoe" Here's hoping this guy really will connect with the small guys and wake up to where their money comes from. My advice, stop abusing and punishing honest sellers with a proven track record.  

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This user has validated their user name. by: Map

Thu Nov 20 16:22:42 2014

Nothing is going to change under this man.

The butchering and bleeding the small sellers out of cash will continue until ebay has run us all off.

If he was a man who meant what he said then already small sellers would be happy sellers because our products would once again be getting massive page views from the ebay search engine which equates money in hand for sellers to once again grow their business on the ebay site.

As it is now the current leaders of ebay want to exterminate small sellers because they fear one day we will successfully sue them and ebay.

I would stop being a complainer of ebay if my listings were actually seen in search to an actual customer.

Perminate Link for Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?   Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?

by: handmedownheaven This user has validated their user name.

Thu Nov 20 18:26:43 2014

Reinstate all of the sellers they restricted with 100% feedback along with an apology.  otherwise there are thousands of us who will be nothing but bad advertisement for feebay and discourage future buyers.

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by: Massachusets Howler This user has validated their user name.

Thu Nov 20 18:28:57 2014

He is a PUPPET.

He is just a FACE like Matsura.

He, as well as us, are going to be traded like hogs in a pen.

Bankrupted and/or sold off, hold on right after the holidays.

ALERT: TODAY, JD sold off HALF OF HIS SHARES and VP Axelrod 40% also- this is coming SOON folks.

MH

Perminate Link for Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?   Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?

This user has validated their user name. by: Island_Sam

Thu Nov 20 19:09:17 2014

My best advice for your sir:

Your small sellers are your most loyal buyers....

Perminate Link for Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?   Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?

This user has validated their user name. by: Map

Thu Nov 20 19:49:27 2014

If what Massachusets Howler is saying is true then what we all already know is that Devin Wenig is certainly lying his *ss off and he has no intention of helping small sellers.

My sales are plummeting now which is inline with my expectation that we small sellers are having our lights shut off. ebay wants all of us broke and unable to make claims before they sell ebay.

These crooks are all predictable now. they are cashing out and they plan on scuttling small seller ships before they leave ebay.

Now that the other crooks have control of Washington DC in January 2015 we can flood their offices with our complaints about ebay.

@Ina if you could find out i would like to hear more about ebay executive stock sales.

Perminate Link for Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?   Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?

This user has validated their user name. by: iheartjacksparrow

Thu Nov 20 19:59:19 2014

My advice: Return everything it was in 2006. No defects, no DSRs, two-way feedback, ending soonest as the default search, and no taking a cut of the postage amount.

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by: OnlyPollyPocket This user has validated their user name.

Thu Nov 20 20:38:38 2014

Too little, too late.  As my grandma used to say ''take good care of your reputation.  Once gone it is almost impossible to recover''

I don't know where his heart is but I doubt, even with the best intentions, Wenig can do anything to recoup ebay's reputation with former and, what is left of, existing sellers and buyers.  I think the best thing he could (for himself) is say thanks but no thanks.

The captain is leaving on the next lifeboat and Wenig is elected to go down with the ship.

These comments are, of course, assuming he isn't just taking an interim position until a sell-off.

Perminate Link for Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?   Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?

This user has validated their user name. by: eBankrupted

Thu Nov 20 20:56:09 2014

My advice to Devil Wenig is to sing like a bird and become a Confidential Informant for the DOJ to expose Donahole. The insiders might have enough at this point to sing before they get stung, IMO.

The 'soul' of ebay has migrated elsewhere and the culture has grown tired of feeding the corporate vultures. I'd go back if I saw Donahole doing the perp-walk. Otherwise, I don't need feebay, and neither does my customer base. Ebay is not safe, and we don't trust it.

Perminate Link for Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?   Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?

This user has validated their user name. by: LDS Brother

Thu Nov 20 21:05:44 2014

I was always taught about the COURT of PUBLIC OPINION....... And Mr. Wenig, best of luck to you, as in the PUBLIC'S OPINION eBay SUCKS ! Everyone knows it is unfair, and an unstable platform to sell, glitchy, hacked, hated, despised, manipulated with the search and so on and so on and so on !

I feel your as Delusional as John Donahoe, IF you think you can reconnect with the small sellers ?????  LOL !!!

What small sellers ? We were all EXTERMINATED, but a few of us from the LYING Opinions of Buyers !

And that Mr. Wenig is something eBay will NEVER reconnect with small sellers on !

I weep, for ALL the sellers over JD's reign of cruelty who lost their incomes, their homes, and maybe even their sanity or worse fron the unfair BS stress imposed on us with DSR's exterminating us on a lying unfounded, unfactual opinion of buyers who were LIARS ! and Buyers Remorse !

I know I came close a few times since 2008 to almost being terminated, and I cried to deaf ears ! Reps who told me to just accept it and hang up hearing me cry and beg when I was wronged and not 1 damn thing could be done for me to undue unfair damage when I was clearly in the right !

Your descore crap came out way to long after the fatal damage was done to eBay sellers ( The Good ones ) Yes COLLATERAL DAMAGE to the GOOD SELLERS was Devastating !

That sadistic John Donahoe ! I would love to see that fool have to survive 1 year on his own finding products and trying to sell and earn a living on HIS eBay !

He could not do it ! Then when he worked his @ss off and knew he did EVERYTHING right and a prick buyer wanted to DING HIM for no valid reason with a 1 year DSR penatly for the small sellers, I would love to see his hurt and shock if his very survival depended on it, and he KNEW like me and so many other sellers he did nothing wrong, but risked getting suspended on a lying opinion ! Looking at his wife, and kids, and knowing he did NOTHING to deserve it, and that as a result of just a few lying opinions, he would have no income for his wife and kids !

And you want to reconnect ???? You had better have the hand of the Almighty upon you for you to save eBay at this point !

You fools let John Donhoe destroy eBay and it's sellers for way to long, and rewarded him for it !

Now when he became Temp CEO of Pay Pal we get the 180 day file a claim policy ! That man has a real hatred for the common people who work hard for $200 or more a week to literally survive !

Mr. Wenig as I said, earlier also Donahoe was ashamed of eBay when he got it handed to him from Meg Whitman, well it was still VIBRANT compared to what he is handing you !

You Mr. Wenig should in my opinion be ashamed of what John Donahoe did to us American sellers, and Donahoes version of eBay he is handing you !

I am on my way out of eBay, I cannot financially or health wise afford to invest my energy 7 days a week for no views, few sales, and the lowest income I have ever made since the 1990's on eBay !

The stress, the risk is just not worth the reward ( There is no reward )

My advice, after Hurricane John is close eBay down forever !

Perminate Link for Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?   Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?

This user has validated their user name. by: Map

Thu Nov 20 21:38:27 2014

Who listening has the brains and the contacts to get a class action lawsuit against ebay.

These crooks are going to sell ebay and walk.

they destroyed so may thousands small business that any promises to reconnect with small sellers are not believed.

sellers we need a Judge to halt the sale of ebay so that criminal complaints can be investigated.

a sale of ebay will hinder an investigation.

Devin Wenig if you were serious your ass would have already been changing the algorithms and restrictive programing that is hiding the listings of small business sellers.

We sellers will believe you when we can see Omniture traffic reports showing that the "ebay search engine" is recording increasing page views to our listings and our ebay apps would be verifying with many chachings.

until then your a liar!


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by: used2luv2sell This user has validated their user name.

Thu Nov 20 21:46:16 2014

If this guy has ANY BRAINS, he already knows what to do.  If he has ANY  MORALS, and that's a big one, he will make the right changes.  I haven't seen much evidence in the past 10 or so years that anyone with the letters CEO behind their name give one iota about people who don't.  

Perminate Link for Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?   Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?

by: used2luv2sell This user has validated their user name.

Thu Nov 20 21:46:16 2014

If this guy has ANY BRAINS, he already knows what to do.  If he has ANY  MORALS, and that's a big one, he will make the right changes.  I haven't seen much evidence in the past 10 or so years that anyone with the letters CEO behind their name give one iota about people who don't.  

Perminate Link for Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?   Can eBay Sellers Take Any More Significant Changes?

This user has validated their user name. by: Philip Cohen

Thu Nov 20 22:20:15 2014

Details of eBay SEC Filings (Insider Trading) at
http://investor.ebayinc.com/sec.cfm

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This user has validated their user name. by: Ric

Fri Nov 21 00:39:31 2014

I think the bigger question is:

Can a stand alone eBay continue to disrupt, dictate, brow beat, antagonize, alienate, ignore and demoralize their seller base and still expect to survive?




Third party sellers bring the merchandise that stocks eBay's shelves - a technicality that the outgoing CEO chose to ignore to the point that eBay became the proverbial concrete overshoes dragging PayPal down and the companies had to be separated.

If eBay's new leadership fails to take meaningful steps to reach out to small sellers followed by a mending of the fences John Donahoe destructively tore down, then eBay is finished.

My attitude as far as Mr Wenig assuming the role of CEO is that he needs sellers like me more than I need the eBay marketplace.

If I do not see a significant change in course and attitude towards small sellers from Mr Wenig , I will pack my inventory and head for the local flea market this spring where I am sure I can liquidate my remaining inventory in a single weekend and be done with all the aggravation once and for all.

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