[meteorite-list] eBay issues of late

From: Michael Gilmer <michael_w_gilmer_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2008 17:21:55 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <940683.86360.qm_at_web58401.mail.re3.yahoo.com>

Hi Folks!

Speaking strictly as a buyer, I dislike eBay's new look and
interface. I've been on eBay as a member since 1999 and I have
witnessed all of the changes eBay has been through over the years -
the good and the bad.

I find eBay's new look runs slower than previous incarnations and
it annoys me alot. Search results take longer to appear, regardless
of how you display or sort them. And it's now more tedious to
select and deselect search criteria. I also dislike the masking of
bidder's identities. I like to know who I am bidding against, and
this is another change that makes eBay more faceless and anonymous.
The sense of community that early eBay had is long gone, IMO.

FWIW, in almost 10 years on eBay (and about 7 on PayPal), I have
never had any virus or scam issues. Sure, I get the typical
crude phishing email attempts every so often, but who doesn't?
My mother gets PayPal phishing emails and she doesn't even use
PayPal. I think this recent new trend of eBay tripping off
firewalls is related to increased data gathering on eBay's part,
and not part of any overtly malicious agenda. It's intrusive, but
it's mostly harmless. Today's advanced antispyware and firewall
software is much more sensitive to threats than it used to be, and
that adds to the problem. I'm not discounting anyone else's
experiences to the contrary. I'm just saying my PC has never
been attacked with a virus or malware coming from eBay or PayPal
in 10 years of frequent usage.

The old saying of "if it isn't broke, don't fix it" applies here
to eBay. IMO, the look and interface of eBay was fine before
this last round of changes. I don't see any "improvements", and
it makes me look at the eBay experience as a chore now, and not
a pleasure - like it used to be years ago.

I'd much rather deal directly with my fellow list members off eBay,
than use the eBay interface anyway. It's more personal, it's
friendlier, and it's cheaper for everyone involved.

Regards and clear skies,

MikeG



.........................................................
Michael Gilmer (Louisiana, USA)
Member of the Meteoritical Society.
Member of the Bayou Region Stargazers Network.
Websites - http://www.galactic-stone.com and http://www.glassthrower.com
MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/fine_meteorites_4_sale
..........................................................



      
Received on Mon 01 Dec 2008 08:21:55 PM PST