Some explanation is needed...

[bykimbo]

Oh, how very droll.
.

I'm afraid rudeness isn't tolerated on the ebid forums. If you make personal comments like this you stand a good chance of getting the whole thread removed, which some will then use as evidence of ebid trying to suppress a discussion you have caused to be deleted. All of which would be a shame. It really ought to be possible to discuss even widely differing views without being rude. So far this discussion has proved remarkably durable, probably because the negativity has only been directed at ebid themselves, not their customers. They tend to me more tolerant of anti-ebid posts than they are of attacks (even comparatively mild ones) on posters in my experience.

[0ctavias0fferings]

Excuse me? What is wrong with finding something amusing?

[HelenAndGraham]

I agree. Obviously emotions run high when you have strong views but I think this is a very constructive thread for people to see and chip in to and could ultimately result in some improvements to everyones benefit.

[madelaine]

Astral has already been quite abrasive to other posters, imho.

[DZAMBO]

Ohhh…boyyy…..Are We There Yet?...heheh…..Verification or no verification….
Dzambo is for everybody who thinks we need verification all the way….

P.S. I’ll be back…nobody go away…heh….

[bykimbo]

Astral has already been quite abrasive to other posters, imho.

I didn't notice it in this thread, which is almost the only one I have time to read at the moment, but I do have to skip bits even here. Not that tit-for-tat is any excuse. Either way, anybody who has an interest in keeping the discussion live should err on the side of caution.

[poppa501]

Another very easy thing that could be done is for Gazza to just hop on and say 'Hello' and 'I do care about you all'

He replied once--way back on post #24.

[Gothicina]

The quickest easiest way to start would be for eBid to reword, not only the emails sent, but the message that is displayed, when there is any problem with an account.


What this thread has done is show that there is more than one problem that members feel support need to address, but there also seem to be a great many misconceptions as to how registration works, for both buyers & sellers.

As far as I understand it, you join eBid, you are sent the verification email, you click on the link, or paste it into the address bar, & you are a member, & can start bidding or buying. This is, in most cases, instantaneous, so that you don't miss out on bidding for or buying an item that is ending.

The verification of your registration details, as put in the form, are carried out as soon as possible after you have joined. If your postal address, or phone number is missing, contains an error, or is fake, then your account is put on hold until you rectify the problem.

If you upgrade your account to seller or seller+, extra verification, ie credit/debit card, or paypal checks are also carried out.

If you then start to list very expensive items, or items in certain categories, further verification documents are requested. Obviously some members feel this extra verification is unwarranted.
The only way I can see around this, is instead of allowing you to list those sort of items & then putting the account on hold whilst requesting the extra verification documentation, is to bar all new sellers from listing certain types of items, until they have provided the documents.

Clearly Octavia's solution, to allow non registered (casual or guest) buyers limited accounts, with no bidding, no feedback, no buddypoints, a cap on the number of items they can buy, or the amount they can spend, resulting in a checkout system, with probably instant payment being required,
is welcomed by some, while many others feel, buyer registration, offers at least some measure of seller protection.
I suspect the point of view depends to a very great extent on whether you believe that the payment processors, ie paypal, google checkout, pppay, & the soon to be integrated moneybookers, are totally inviolate or not.
If this were to be introduced, I truly believe there will need to be an opt-out for those sellers who choose not to participate.

Much has been said about B&M shops not putting barriers in the way of buyers this is true, you can walk into any Sainsbury's or Tescos, & buy, no problem, but you CANNOT, buy from their websites without registering first. Registering on Tesco's doesn't mean that you can buy from Sainsbury's without registering there as well.

Registering at Amazon, isn't only only about buying from them, but buying from their marketplace sellers too, so why is/should eBid be any different?

Octavia's solution, would not solve the problems with missing emails to both buyers & sellers, the only way I can see around that, is a website based messaging system.

[FBNeNotes]

This is what Gazza has said..... 3 Days ago.

http://www.ebid.net/forums/showthrea...eeded.../page3

[adruml]

I don't believe eBid suspend an account on a whim. There has to be something wrong with a user's registration details for the block to be put on soon after registering. Whether that be an innocent error or an outright attempt to deceive...what do eBid do? Turn a blind eye and let the user continue or make them correct the error/ommission before further problems are caused?

Not in the case of buyers, but true in the case of sellers - then only if, with no eBid history, they list high value/high risk items that are favoured by scammers. As is ever the case, the honest seller has to suffer inconvenience due to the actions of a few bad apples - such is life.

The only situation in which I can imagine eBid might ask for more information from a buyer is if the supplied registration details cannot be resolved as correct when they are.

The common ground in all this is that all camps agree the way the user is addressed is bad. The gulf between us is in what we think eBid should do about it. That ranges from simply changing the text of the message to rewriting eBid. The best solution likely lies somewhere between - preferably towards the former.

As ever, what we all spout here is irrelevant. eBid will do as eBid will do. All anyone can do is raise the matter and hope they take it on board. I don't expect admin to come here and get embroiled in a debate (cum argument) over the issue. So expecting an overnight fix and getting upset when it doesn't materialise is pointless.

You as well as others have stated "I believe", "IMHO", " I think this is what it is". Does anybody in the forums really know?