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Covering auctions, collectibles and marketplace selling.

The AuctionBytes Blog has been giving a voice to online merchants since its launch in 2005. Named one of the world's top 30 blogs in 2008 by "Blogging Heroes." Weigh in with your thoughts on the joys and pitfalls of selling online.

Fri Sept 5 2014 22:09:28

eBay to Make Reparations to Sellers for Service Disruption

By: Ina Steiner

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eBay will make some reparations to sellers who were impacted by the major technical issues the site experienced on Wednesday that disrupted transactions. But it did not invite sellers to cancel auctions that were impacted by low-bidding activity caused by the incident as it did in the case of the May 21st password-reset incident.

eBay experienced major technical issues on Wednesday that left many buyers and sellers unable to login to their accounts and conduct certain tasks, a disruption noted by the BBC which called it "the eleventh such outage eBay has suffered this year." Not only were users unable to log in to the site, many people said they were unable to open auction listings, clearly impacting bidding and most likely resulting in some items selling for far less that they would have for auctions ending during the disruption.

Whereas eBay had always had a consistent outage policy in place since 1999, this year it changed the policy to be far less transparent. However, it did post messages to its announcement board for this disruption, informing sellers it would "provide them with additional information separately on possible fee adjustments and related seller protections."

That notice came in the form of an email sent to sellers on Friday. Here's what the letter, signed by Steve Boehm of eBay's Global Customer Experience, stated:

Dear ,
For several hours on Wednesday, September 3, some users experienced issues when visiting eBay. We acted quickly when the disruption began shortly before 10:00 AM PDT, and the issue was fixed for most users within two hours. Transactional issues were completely resolved for all users by 4:16 PM PDT.

This service interruption was the result of a technical issue that occurred during scheduled server maintenance. The personal information of our users was not compromised.

While many users were not affected, we know that any interruption for our users is frustrating. Please know that as a seller with transactions impacted by this issue, we'll be protecting you as follows:

- You'll receive a credit for all fees for auction-style listings (except those that sold for a Buy It Now price) and any fixed price listings without a sale (except 30-day and Good 'Til Cancelled listings) that ended between 9:46 AM PDT through 6:20 PM PDT on Wednesday, September 3.

- If the affected listing was a free listing, you can relist it within 7 days for free, even if you've used all your regularly allotted free listings.

- Any transaction defects we can identify as resulting from this issue will be automatically removed and will not impact your performance record.

- Your seller status and any applicable Top Rated Plus discounts will be protected if you were not able to upload tracking information to eBay within your stated handling time due to this issue.

The credits will be applied to your account by September 15 and reflected on your next invoice.

We understand that this type of service interruption has an impact on your selling activity. We're taking steps to prevent this from happening again and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.

As always, thank you for selling on eBay.

Sincerely,
Steve Boehm
Global Customer Experience

After eBay disclosed the hacking incident on May 21st and required users to reset their passwords, it allowed sellers to cancel auction transactions for an 11-day period, saying it recognized the impact such disruptions had on bidding:

"Additional steps for sellers regarding auction-style listings: We recognize that the password reset may temporarily interrupt the normal bidding process for buyers. We're taking additional steps to ensure successful transactions for sellers," it wrote - and, included in the provisions: "Sellers can end any auction-style listing without penalty between 6:00 AM PDT on Wednesday, May 21, 2014, and 11:59 PM PDT on Saturday, May 31, 2014 and will receive a credit for all listing fees related to these listings on their June invoice."

eBay did not explain why it made allowances for auctions with the May password reset but not with Wednesday's technical meltdown.

Comments (29) | Permalink

Readers Comments

eBay to Make Reparations to Sellers for Service Disruption

by: Massachusets Howler

Sat Sep 6 00:20:52 2014

They will give FRERE LISTINGS (that nobody will ever see)!
Big Whoopie!
How are they going to figure out what auction folks lost- really?!!
Alibaba JUST announced they are opening the IPO (Friday, today).

That, combined with Apples new and SUPER-SAFE phone nfc payments from 800 million users on file should be enough to crack JD's neck.

Massachusetts Howler
(CRACK).

eBay to Make Reparations to Sellers for Service Disruption

by: brokentoys19

Sat Sep 6 03:36:54 2014

But of course, credit in the form of worthless hidden ads. iow a few more crumbs of the same crap sandwich users are conditioned to chew and swallow. mmm-mmmm

Just as well the don't acknowledge the existence of so many glitches and crashes.

But there was some other great news too though: Devin Wenig says Cassini will be a "10 year long effort." Whoopie!!!

eBay to Make Reparations to Sellers for Service Disruption

by: Rexford

Sat Sep 6 06:59:32 2014

Donahoe will never escape the noise. We are like the spring lambs screaming in Silence of the Lambs.

eBay to Make Reparations to Sellers for Service Disruption

by: Linda

Sat Sep 6 09:52:25 2014

I got one of these emails, nothing shows in my offers so am afraid to list. They have it set so the timing at the end of the auctions which was 19:04 (24 hour clock) September 3 vs 6:20 PM PDT on Wednesday, September 3.
I was still having various site issues after my auctions ended, don't see any offers in my summary and if fact, don't even see the 150 I pay for in my store! Is this confusing or what?

eBay to Make Reparations to Sellers for Service Disruption

by: Linda

Sat Sep 6 09:56:09 2014

@brokentoys
As for cASSINI, it is eBay's own trap unto itself. The only place it works is within eBay and no where else on the WORLD WIDE WEB!

eBay to Make Reparations to Sellers for Service Disruption

by: ebay refugee camp

Sat Sep 6 09:57:54 2014

The issues will continue on and on, there are glitches daily on ebay. There is a core programming flaw on ebay that needs to be addressed.
Two weeks in a row on their scheduled maintenance we had a problem.
I now have items missing, where did they go? I had a long time customer contact me and asked if I was still selling that item, I looked at it was gone along with others. Check your listings on ebay. Make sure all of you are listing on other venues, go onto the stock market blogs and comment on your sales that are not on ebay to show them the millions ebay is losing in fees because sellers are listing elsewhere.
I have had the biggest year listing elsewhere, my off ebay sales have rocketed. Thanks to Etsy and my website.

eBay to Make Reparations to Sellers for Service Disruption

by: Jerseygal

Sat Sep 6 10:38:54 2014

@Rexford The screaming lambs... I read this... and despite NO ebay sales... You made my day.

eBay to Make Reparations to Sellers for Service Disruption

by: Philip Cohen

Sat Sep 6 10:44:29 2014

"... possible fee adjustments and related seller protections."

How generous. Don't go overboard now eBay—the old scow will go submarine soon enough anyway ...

The eBay executive suite—where the incompetent mingle with the disingenuous, the malevolent and the outright criminal, and the just plain stupid ... http://bit.ly/11F2eas

eBay to Make Reparations to Sellers for Service Disruption

by: iheartjacksparrow

Sat Sep 6 14:19:26 2014

Mr. Boehm states: "If the affected listing was a free listing, you can relist it within 7 days for free, even if you've used all your regularly allotted free listings."

I think we all know that's not going to end well. There will be a "glitch" that will result in the extra "free" listings being a charge on the seller's invoice. And I hope the hacks, meltdowns, glitches or whatever eBay wants to call them continue because my sales have never been better at eCrater.

eBay to Make Reparations to Sellers for Service Disruption

by: AgendaSwallowsAll

Sat Sep 6 14:34:23 2014

@Rexford

Absolutely correct, Donahoe will never escape the noise. It's Donahoes thought we are easily replaceable, all who made the former ebay what it was. He may or may not be correct in this assumption but the John Donahoe & Co. site being what it is at this point, noise will only be replaced with noise at an ever increasing volume, replaced sellers or not and the replaced will continue to be just as loud selling on ebay or not.

There was an article written not long after the Donahoe ''noise'' reference back in 2008-2009 where the Author had advised Donahoe he'd be wise to listen to and/or not dismiss the noise, once all is said and done he'll wish he would have paid attention. The man lives ain a Myopic state of mind having not the slightest clue that...

AgendaSwallowsAll

Not just they the Myopic state of mind truly believes it will only take care of they it has been applied against.

eBay to Make Reparations to Sellers for Service Disruption

by: Ming the Merciless

Sat Sep 6 17:19:15 2014

What the arrogant incompetents who run the world's largest criminal enterprise fail to understand is that the .com's ONLY asset is their sellers.

Screw with us and they screw with shareholder earnings.

Ebafia needs to backoff this defect system NOW and concentrate their efforts and resources on fixing their platform infrastructure which is clearly on life support.

Had any of us had 11 "outages" this year, we'd be selling pencils on street corners.

John Donahoe isn't and never was up to the job he inherited and the sociopaths he's hired are even more incompetent than he is.

Ebafia's BoD won't do anything because they'd lose their ability to pimp their own financial interests (think Marc Andreeson here). The BoD is really nothing more than an illegal interlocking directorate who can't be counted on dismiss Donahoe in order to protect themselves.

Carl Icahn and any other independent major stockholder should be screaming at Pierre Omidyar every minute of every day.

Apparently what Icahn failed to grasp in his infamous meeting with Donahoe is the depth and breadth of Donahoe's incompetence.

and unrelated...

BOYCOTT BEST OFFER!

eBay to Make Reparations to Sellers for Service Disruption

by: mamabear

Sat Sep 6 23:01:23 2014

Apparently that letter is only for 'select' customers. I never received one. I had 42 items end during that time, both auction and BIN, and couldn't start listing again until today.

eBay to Make Reparations to Sellers for Service Disruption

by: Santini

Sun Sep 7 00:38:25 2014

Reparations???? How about 40 acres and a mule?

Better yet, how about investing in some onshore $12/hour programmers to beef up GlitchBay?

eBay to Make Reparations to Sellers for Service Disruption

by: Filadelfos

Sun Sep 7 08:46:05 2014

So, according to eBay, these are the only people who were affected by this outage?

1) You had an auction-style listing end unsold.

2) You had a fixed-price listing end, and it was a less than 30-day listing.

Really... nobody else was impacted eBay?!

Puh-lease.... and all your doing is crediting them for fees??

What about all that lost visibility to everyone else? Everyone knows you get a bump in visibility during that last 24hrs.

What about auctions that sold extremely low, because those ''final hour'' bidders were unable to drive it up?

-Bill

eBay to Make Reparations to Sellers for Service Disruption

by: shabbychick

Sun Sep 7 11:24:51 2014

You know! And I hate it that I sold that number 1 Superman comic in pristine condition for 20 bucks first opening bid with 342 watchers! Should have pulled that listing when I heard about the glitch. JUST KIDDING...

eBay to Make Reparations to Sellers for Service Disruption

by: shabbychick

Sun Sep 7 11:25:39 2014

But I guess a free 30 cent listing would have made up for it.

eBay to Make Reparations to Sellers for Service Disruption

by: Santini

Sun Sep 7 11:50:26 2014

EBAY could make reparations to sellers by just taking a few weeks off from DOING ANYTHING! I swear this Rube Goldberg contraption is so convoluted I'd cringe if they started allowing 2-way feedback again. These days they'd wind up breaking 1000 other things in the process!

eBay to Make Reparations to Sellers for Service Disruption

by: Massachusets Howler

Sun Sep 7 16:30:05 2014

I want "reparations" for the LAST 7 YEARS.
Mass Howler
(and Andreeson needs to not be on ANY boards).

eBay to Make Reparations to Sellers for Service Disruption

by: Rexford

Sun Sep 7 19:38:17 2014

"..... where the Author had advised Donahoe he'd be wise to listen to and/or not dismiss the noise, once all is said and done he'll wish he would have paid attention."

And it's called the voice of the customer. Any smart and reasonable CEO would know the importance of this, but this one does not.

eBay to Make Reparations to Sellers for Service Disruption

by: val2525

Sun Sep 7 23:23:55 2014

When buyers can't see our listings due to eBay technical defects, eBay should ALSO provide a credit for that day's store subscription fee.

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