I am at home. I am glad to be away from the office, and I am going to try hard to stay off computers until I have to return to work Sunday night.
Bruce On Wed, Aug 5, 2009 at 7:57 AM, Dave Rosen <[email protected]> wrote: > All interesting points. But, Bruce, aren't you supposed to be on > vacation? > > Dave > > ----- Original Message ----- > *From:* Bruce Hershenson <[email protected]> > *To:* [email protected] > *Sent:* Wednesday, August 05, 2009 12:52 AM > *Subject:* [MOPO] An experimental idea: Let eBay be eBay! > > The Dish network where I live has been showing the show "The West Wing" > from the very first episode, so I began taping it and watching it (I like > watching entire dramatic series from the first one). > > I was struck by a story line at the end of the first season, where the > President (Bartlett) has been making weak decisions, trying to steer a > course that will make everyone happy, and in the process pleasing > next-to-no-one, and getting little worthwhile done, and at the end of that > arc, the President's top aide gives him a note that says, "Let Bartlett be > Bartlett", meaning quit making decisions you think everyone else wants, and > start making decisions you personally believe it, and in essence, go back to > the roots of what got him to the Presidency in the first place. > > Whether you like this show or hate it is irrelevant. It struck me that > there is a very strong parallel between that TV idea, and eBay's problems. > > I say, "Let eBay be eBay". Forget all the changes and new-fangled notions > that have brought eBay down, and return to the roots of what made eBay what > it was. > > Get rid of DSR's, and the micro-managing of sellers. Let people charge what > they want for shipping, and above all let search work like it used to. > > Charge a reasonable listing fee, and allows hidden reserves, but charge a > high listing fee for reserve auctions, and then rebate 90% of the listing > fee if the item sells, to greatly discourage people listing reserve items > that don't sell. > > About the only change from the eBay of 2001 I would suggest would be what I > first saw as a painfully obvious necessary change when I started selling in > large quantity that year. > > Qualify all the users (with good ID) and each person gets ONE ID, and if > you screw up bad (with set rules defining what screwing up bad is) then THAT > PERSON is banned, not just their ID. > > Let the millions of good buyers and sellers deal with each other just as > they did in 2001, and given today's difficult economy, I think millions of > old users and millions of new ones would flock to the site. > > Let eBay be the eBay that was. It worked perfectly well until the leaders > of eBay fixed it until it is now broken (maybe beyond repair). > > Bruce > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > ___________________________________________________________________ How to > UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: > [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF > MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. > > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > ___________________________________________________________________ How to > UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: > [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF > MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. > > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
