Book Board Chat

Ebay is so astoundingly stupid I find it hard to understand how they have made it this far and become such a huge success. Every time one turns around you can see a new "rule" or "procedure" or "best practice" that is so completely assinine. My wife sells postcards along with our duplicate yearbooks. Ebay's new rule about requiring tracking on 90% of the transactions in order to be a "Top Rated Seller" has forced her to end about 1,000 postcard listings ($50/month of revenue for Ebay + final value fees etc.) because when she ships a postcard she does so in a hard plastic holder, which is, in turn, placed in an appropriately-sized heavy-stock envelope, which carries for the U.S.P.S. First Class 1 oz. fee (i.e. we put a stamp on it and ship). There is no tracking, no shipping label, but it gets to the buyer in 2-3 days in superb shape and we pay the .45 postage, the .25 holder, the .17 envelope + Ebay listing and final value fees and Paypal fees. When one sells a $6 postcard that doesn't leave much left. After speaking to "Mikey" in India, I was finally put on with someone in CA who suggested that we use the Ebay "thick envelope" first class for $1.75 or avail ourselves of a new trial with Stamps.com for 1st. class tracking for $.40 or $.30 a shot. My jaw dropped at their total stupidity and insensitivity to the realities of selling. Obviously they are THE game in town so they get away with a lot. I am sure that a "buyer's fee" will be upcoming on certain auctions (just as they are now instituting the fee for auction-style listings that end early.) Truly amazing.....but they have the game, just like government ;>>)