Hi guys! I created a new petition that's sort of a cousin of Su's AH petition... I'm trying to convince eBay to rename the Handmade Lampwork>US category to Handmade Lampwork>Self-Representing Artists. I think that if we can get 1000 signatures, eBay will listen!
Here's the link:
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(I made a typo in the President's name. It's ridiculous, but I figure that in the long run it's pretty insignificant)
Good deal, I have signed too. I think that the people you're trying to separate from in Ebay have shown a willingness to misrepresent themselves and their items so I'm not sure the restructuring would help that but maybe it will give Ebay the message that people care about it, maybe motivate them to do something when people misrepresent themselves.
I can't remember if there is still a function on Ebay that says that something is in the wrong category, but it is helpful to point that out in the Q&A section of an auction, also. Not only are artists self-representing but Ebay is self-policing, as are most auction sites. Let's make an effort to be vigilent!!
I don't know if you read the petition, but it explains the reasoning behind the change.
I believe that the number of self-representing artists from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK (to name but a few) who are harmed by restricting "our" category to the US only is far far greater than the few people who have purchased and need to resell SRA work. For that matter, people trying to resell SRA work generally do better selling it on the boards, rather than at auction.
Handmade Lampwork>US seems to be widely misinterpreted as meaning lampwork being sold by a US vendor. The rename eliminates any possibility of misunderstanding, deliberate or accidental.
ebay has recently made a commitment to enforce rules about miscategorized auctions. Check Austin Hamilton's items; all their new auctions are going into "Lampwork>Other".
Further action against other vendors who deliberately miscategorize are dependent upon the auctions being reported, but given this recent move, I think there is a high likelihood that eBay is listening.
Kalera, check out the Lampwork ETC section where Paula Morgan, the beadwork editor for About.com is asking for input on the AH issue, and also working on an article about SRA.
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