Don’t Be A Dolphin in the Tuna Net: eBay Communications Suck, But Are YOU Lazy?

My guess is that 98% of eBay NARU issues with sellers could be avoided if two things happen:

1) IF eBay had better ORGANIZATION of communication.

2) IF Sellers took PERSONAL responsibility for eBay rule compliance.

[POINT #1] Here is what I mean…The folks in the eBay Development community (whom I adore BTW) communicate to developer fantastically. Most issues with API changes are notified pretty well in advance of changes.

Long (that is a relative long) before most BIG issues of change come to the platform, the developer community is notified and kept abreast. HOWEVER on the user side, you are like a mice in a maze with moving cheese.

Who do I blame for that? Hmmmmm…I can NOT really tell you, but my uneducated guess is his name rhymes with “flusher” LMAO.  If you got a title like eBay Communication Executive, then HELLO, Usher Lieberman, when sh*t stinks your nostrils SHOULD burn. SO I will point the finger at the head and HE can “communicate” to his down stream division where the lack really is.

My honest contention from HIS OWN words is that the dude could use a “mentor” on how to communicate?!? Maybe I am a complete idiot (and that is a HUGE possibility). But to take on the task of communication of this HUGE corporation, along with the challenges of communication with the large buyer community, TOPPED off with change after change that needs, at the very least, some minimal communication could be a little overwhelming for a “newbie”

Listen the the eBay communication executive “newbie’s” massive list of qualification and experience from the Auction Wally interview…WTF?

Listen to the Auction Wally Interview Clip
(press play button and be patient, it takes a minute to buffer)

(get the full Auction Wally Interview HERE)

My hope is that the new years resolution for Usher, will maybe get a coach that has some experience in communicating change or maybe hire yourself a consultant, or even find a communications MENTOR! Do something DUDE, see if we can do better in 2009. Grow…Expand…Educate yourself into the position. Become a MASTER communicator in your own right.

If you listen to the clip, I think even Wally was a little shocked by his lack of experience and his answer…Wally says”OK…” LMBO.

The great Gordon Ramsey (Hell’s Kitchen) says that to be successful you must “focus in on the wrong and FIX IT, do not IGNORE it” and that should be for all of us. No matter if you are the executive in eBay or in your own Mom and Pop operation, that is what we must do. So now, that brings me out of issue 1 and on to 2

[Point #2] If you want to be successful in your business then the FIRST thing you must do is take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for YOUR business. HELLO?!? I don’t know how so many sellers that run businesses take almost ZERO responsibility for their own ignorance.

Here is what I mean…eBay inherently covers their “ass”-sets constantly on EVERYTHING they do. They have one of the MOST comprehensive help pages of any venue ever. They have communication feeds, rss, chat board, user groups, blogs and ON and ON with GREAT information.

My guess is they have one hell of a writing staff and they (the help topic writers) must bang there heads up against the wall daily thinking NO BODY READS OUR STUFF!!! I am sure that has to sound familiar to sellers, who write sale terms and customers/buyers NEVER read them!

Well those same  sellers, then turn around and NEVER read eBay communications, or seek them out. I am NOT one of those people. I am constantly LOOKING, searching, reading and trying to FIND information. Knowledge is POWER and if you lack it, you are powerless…hence the cry of may eBay sellers “I feel powerless”. Well part of that is because you give your power away, because you wait on information to come to your front door and knock on it, WTF?!?

NOT GONNA HAPPEN EVER! Get that out of your head and out of the way for your success. There is a saying…”SEEK and YOU shall find”…that saying is 1000% true. So you can either embrace that, or sit there on the carpet and kick, scream and flail your legs like a 2 year old. That is your ONLY two choice so chose wisely.

But OF COURSE after all of this in-depth and inept grade school thinking, John Donahoe reminds me that I am SOOOOO wrong!!! Their current strategy is working ya’ll