Time to break the silence

I logged into my blog and I checked, has it been 4 months already since I last wrote here?

It has been THAT long....whatever the hell happened to me? Where did I go?

I'm still the same old same old....got a new job that requires more travel....like at least once a month.....so I'm new to this whole travel frequently thing and it can really break one's momentum! Been trying to adjust, keeping up with things but things have not really worked out smooth.

Is it still worth it?

Since April as some of you would have known, I was heavily criticised on eBay for receiving low DSR feedbacks for 'shipping time'. I was stripped off powerseller status and given very much lower search rankings on ebay for my listings. My plan of action included communicating more with buyers explaining to them about the shipping situation and expected arrival times....also of course, begging for good feedback and high DSR points. Hell, the same shit still happens. There would be people who simply likes to leave a 1 or a 2.....or a neutral feedback for slow shipping time. I slowly decreased interest in selling on ebay or even selling as a whole.

I still serve a lot of my regular customers who buy from me behind the scenes but I really began to lose interest selling on a 1 to 1 basis on ebay. I began to detest it, 90% of the people I've met are great, amazing and really beyond what you can hope for, but the remaining 10% are so mean, its mean enough to make me decide I may wanna just give it all up. People who will write to you saying (in a rude manner) "I PAID 3 DAYS AGO, WHERE IS MY ITEM? I WILL REPORT YOU FOR FRAUD IF YOU DO NOT RESPOND". Of course I have to reply politely, right? Deep in my heart, I curse this stupid S.O.B! WTF I've written clearly on my listing the exact transit times to be expected and you wanna report me for fraud after 3 days? Really?!

There are more atrocious messages I have received these last 4 months. Anyway...

The lost of interest

So I began thinking that selling on ebay is all BS. BS rules, BS people, BS feedback and DSR. I took very little interest in selling on ebay. I appreciate every customer that bought from me, I really do. Especially some who mentioned that I was referred to them by a friend. I just listed the same listings over and over again.....in all honesty I have so many other good stuff here, different variety of sleeves that I have not even listed on ebay until today....because like I said, I am losing interest.

Of course I continued to do my part by posting out on time....ship stuff out.....but I just totally did not care about uploading new listings, updating my blog. Even when it comes to leaving feedback for customers and sending them their tracking number, I do it like once every week (I used to do it everyday). I just did not find joy in doing this anymore. Discouraged would be the perfect word for how I feel.

The final straw

Ebay finally wrote to me, again.

My average 30 days DSR for shipping is now 4.4

BAD

You need to maintain a 4.5 to stay in business. You see one sweetie can give you a 5...but all you need is an idiot to click on a 1 to ruin it all.

So yeah....

I will not be allowed to sell on ebay come September if this situation does not improve.

Being a strong-willed person, I came up with a plan to fight back. You know? Regain my status.

I started writing to buyers again, begging, I even offered some customers free FEDEX upgrades. All in the hope of improving the situation before september.

I decided its really not worth fighting

Just mins ago, I decided to give up. If I shall be kicked out of ebay come September, so be it.

I walk off with my head held high. I did everything I could.

I did not cheat anyone of their money

I sold legit stuff

I was doing a reputable business

The only shortfall was in its shipping time, and that's beyond my control. So, all in all theres nothing for me to feel ashamed of if I lose my ebay selling account.

If I were to sell a 2009 Taylormade sleeve at $35 buy it now (without best offers) - would anyone buy it? NO. I had to sell it at $25 and even listen to some offers lower than that. I had to ship the cheapest method which of course takes a longer transit time. If I sell it for $35 I'd ship it with FEDEX, no problem.

So people want the 100% genuine stuff, cheapest and fastest.

I promise to ship on time, but if you can't understand the transit time part, I'll not waste time either. You may want to try other ebay sellers who are closer to you, that way you'll get it faster.

The last week, was probably the scariest time of my life. I literally had a health scare. 3 times in a week, I suffered the same symptoms: Blurred Vision, Severe punching headache, numbness on 1 side of the body, followed by vomiting. I also had fever and a flu. I decided to see a doctor when I actually thought I saw I vomit blood on the 3rd occurrence. I went through many tests, and its nothing serious (not as serious as I thought...I mean I thought I had a tumour or something). The doc said its probably just a severe migraine attack and that was probably ketchup instead of blood I threw up.

I was told to 'rest more'.

I did not manage to post items as swiftly last week because of this drama. One guy sent me a message like 2 days after he paid, asking me for a tracking number. I told him I'm not feeling well so I have not posted, but will do so the next day.

So when I gave him his tracking number, I also begged for good feedback in that same message.

His reply was horrible (as attached above). He complained that the tracking number is not updated on USPS.....but its completely normal. USPS does not update registered articles on their website live until it arrives. All of you who bought before knows this for a fact. He goes on and on and says that I am BAD.

Yup, I have had enough shit trying to keep myself together and keeping this whole ebay crap intact.

After reading his message, I decided that its no longer worth it.

Come September if ebay suspends my seller account because of low shipping DSR, I will not fight it. I will not appeal it. Its now really all in the hands of existing buyers who have not left feedback yet.

Taylormade, Nike and Cobra shaft sleeves I have them all now, but if I am taken off ebay, I'd not sell them anymore.

Thanks to buyers who are not understanding enough. Thanks to people who wants the cheapest and the fastest.

Ebay is bullshit with this new seller performance rule (especially for someone like me based overseas), but maybe some of the buyers on ebay are the real culprit.

Thanks for all the support on 'the world's greatest online market place' all these years.

All good things come to an end they say.

Maybe it really does.

oh, for your info, I refunded that guy $25. I know I am not obliged to, but he made it sound like I am such a bad person, like I wanna cheat his money....I figured I'd give him one for free.

It might be the medicine that I am taking that makes me this moody....I really am not in any sweet talk mood right now. Besides, by giving the refund, the 'blood is now on his hands'. (Yes I want to instill some guilt)

Sorry for all my rudeness in this post....but I really have gone through a very disappointing 4 months fighting this new seller performance rule