Strange email from Ebid!

[LeBastet]

Mostly i get requests to leave sites rather than join them.

That was too funny... New to ebid and going through some of the help posts.

[bykimbo]

But, it appears this person has pulled names off of ebid (from listings or forums, etc) and turned them into ebid saying he/she wants to invite them to join ebid. Obviously it is not a poor guess, this person knows we are members. Is this a way to earn buddy points (ebid- ah look they are members now, lets give her some buddy points?).

*confused* that doesn't make any sense at all. The one place there is no point in them harvesting email addresses is here, and the OP confirmed the address used was not used here. They will not get buddy points after the fact, it will be triggered by the joining process using certain values (parameters). The last person you want to email in that situation is somebody who's already a member.

[cmjewels925]

I can't answer for "popular opinion" but I have always identified contacting your back customer list this way as spamming, and in the early days used to bother to say so whenever it was recommended. I got bored and stopped. It doesn't mean I changed my mind and suddenly thought it was a spiffy idea.

I've always considered it spamming, too and have cautioned people against it.

More to the point, eBid think it's spamming and have suspended accounts in the past if too many emails were sent through their buddy point form.

[NeedfulThingsUK]

Could it be some one who has sold / bought from you elsewhere?

[deltadelta48]

*confused* that doesn't make any sense at all. The one place there is no point in them harvesting email addresses is here, and the OP confirmed the address used was not used here. They will not get buddy points after the fact, it will be triggered by the joining process using certain values (parameters). The last person you want to email in that situation is somebody who's already a member.

Maybe they thought it would work. Why invite any of us to join ebid as this person was, duh?

[deltadelta48]

I've always considered it spamming, too and have cautioned people against it.

More to the point, eBid think it's spamming and have suspended accounts in the past if too many emails were sent through their buddy point form.

I agree. We get way too many emails already, most are pretty goofy anyway but the number continues to grow because its free. I don't like it as I have to sort thru 50+ every day!!

[OldPostcards]

Could it be some one who has sold / bought from you elsewhere?

I didn't recognise the name at all... no idea where she got my email addy from, especially as I never use that email address on sites such as this.

[moonwitch]

Mostly i get requests to leave sites rather than join them.

Same here ...although going by what has happened to several sites I got booted from, I don't blame them

[hotandvintage]

You have lost me also, why would someone be looking for ebid members to join ebid?

I have separated my past customers emails and have sent a thousand out already. But now it is being suggested we don't use the buddy system for old transaction contacts, then I suppose I will just leave the rest.

But back to the point of the post, as you wrote:

"Let me clarify my initial objection to receiving the email. My objection to it was purely based on the fact that the Ebid message referred to this person as my 'friend'.

I have never heard of the person before, never bought off her or to my knowledge, or sold to her. The email address it was sent to, has never been used here on Ebid.

So to conclude, she decided to send an email via the Ebid system pretending she already 'knew' me from elsewhere, suggesting that I join the site. She must have picked up my email address somewhere but goodness knows where. On a forum perhaps as Kimbo suggested.

Have you not just thought to ask them where they knew you from? they may have bought from you or sold to you, off ebid, I know a couple of the people we contacted, have contacted us saying they are already members, and one of them remembered us the other did not, but she did remember the product she bought from us, when reminded.

I don't know if you were only on ebay a few months and recall every transaction, and the name of the person that bought from you or sold to you, as there were only a few, then I suppose I can see your point but looking at your about me page it states

"I have been selling now on another well known auction site for several years and have 100% feedback and over 2,000 satisfied customers."

I think if I were you, I would think about this a little, as this person may not have been someone you bought from, but may have bought from you, and you are complaining about a customer thinking they want their old seller here as they refuse to buy from ebay.

I personally think if you are that puzzled then contact them and ask, and if they do not have an answer then complain. You never know you may lose a customer if you do not.

[deltadelta48]

Maybe all of us are reading way too much into this. I have a friend who reads every piece of mail she receives, must take an hour a day to read all the advertising junk etc. comments on it "they just sent me an invitation to open a bank account" (ya you and 100 million other people). We have similar discussions. "I wonder why they sent this, it bothers me".

Gosh, it does not bother me, I just rip it all up and throw it away!!