Comments on: The World is Flat http://www.jasoose.com/2006/01/23/the-world-is-flat/ Normal is a variable. Bitching is a constant. Sun, 20 May 2012 05:38:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Christina http://www.jasoose.com/2006/01/23/the-world-is-flat/#comment-12 Sat, 04 Feb 2006 17:23:00 +0000 http://www.jasoose.com/2006/01/23/the-world-is-flat/#comment-12 Hi, Tom, lots of interesting areas on your website(s), I'll keep checking back. I learned a lot about strategic nutrition from reading "Superfoods." Cheers from NYC Hi, Tom,

lots of interesting areas on your website(s), I'll keep checking back. I learned a lot about strategic nutrition from reading "Superfoods."

Cheers from NYC

]]> by: Tom Weishaar http://www.jasoose.com/2006/01/23/the-world-is-flat/#comment-11 Mon, 30 Jan 2006 00:42:46 +0000 http://www.jasoose.com/2006/01/23/the-world-is-flat/#comment-11 My son sent me a link to a New York Times article titled <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/29/technology/29ebay.html" rel="nofollow">Seeing Fakes, Angry Traders Confront EBay</a>. The story makes it clear that not everything is coming up roses at eBay. It seems that groups of counterfeiters have figured out that they can create fake trades with each other, give positive ratings to the fake trades, and increase their trust scores. They use their good ratings to cheat people by selling fake collectibles and other knockoff products as real. In addition to cheating buyers, their activities cheat honest merchants by lowering price points for real items. According to the article, eBay hasn't been responsive to complaints from buyers or collectors hurt by the fakes. <blockquote> "We never take possession of the goods sold through eBay, and we don't have any expertise," said Hani Durzy, an eBay spokesman. "We're not clothing experts. We're not car experts, and we're not jewelry experts. We're experts at building a marketplace and bringing buyers and sellers together. </blockquote> However, if eBay can't police the trust ratings of its merchants, all it has is a house of cards. If buyers and sellers can't trust the trust ratings, there is no eBay. My son sent me a link to a New York Times article titled Seeing Fakes, Angry Traders Confront EBay. The story makes it clear that not everything is coming up roses at eBay.

It seems that groups of counterfeiters have figured out that they can create fake trades with each other, give positive ratings to the fake trades, and increase their trust scores.

They use their good ratings to cheat people by selling fake collectibles and other knockoff products as real. In addition to cheating buyers, their activities cheat honest merchants by lowering price points for real items.

According to the article, eBay hasn't been responsive to complaints from buyers or collectors hurt by the fakes.

"We never take possession of the goods sold through eBay, and we don't have any expertise," said Hani Durzy, an eBay spokesman. "We're not clothing experts. We're not car experts, and we're not jewelry experts. We're experts at building a marketplace and bringing buyers and sellers together.

However, if eBay can't police the trust ratings of its merchants, all it has is a house of cards. If buyers and sellers can't trust the trust ratings, there is no eBay.

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