FAIR SHAKE

Hi all!

Plese visit Fairdeal - Germany at the following link to show support for our German allies!

http://www.fairdeal-germany.de/Diskussi ... hreadID=17

<b>Report - Contacting German Boycotters - Tuesday April 22, 2008</b>

I went on the internet on Monday and checked out the boycott situation in Germany. I don't claim to have a comprehensive analysis of the situation yet, but I did find a few forums on eBay, one forum off ebay (similar to Fair Shake,) and a website from one of the forum members (similar to Jim and Dee's.) I did a lot of reading, because I wanted to make sure that anyone I wrote to, was dedicated to boycott and not possibly an eBay spy.

There are a couple of Boycott Threads on German eBay. They do not have many posts (<50 on Monday in the largest, most up-to-date one.) I think we need to teach them the word "BUMP" or in german "STOSS."

Here is the link:
http://community.ebay.de/forum/ebay/thr ... 70&start=0

On Tuesday morning I wrote to the OP of that largest forum. I sent him links to American eBay Forums, as well as Jim & Dee's Website, and the Fair Shake Forum (and of course "The Rain Has Come" Video.) I also told them:

American Boycotters are trying to contact Boycotters in other countries, to possibly share information and expand the Boycott. We believe, that there has never been a business before like Ebay, with the ability to harm and/or destroy so many people around the globe.

I have seen that many ebay changes begin in Germany on June 1. Here in the USA, they begin on May 1. So we want you to join with our brothers and sisters in the UK, Australia, Canada and the USA, to make this a world wide Boycott. If you are interested in sharing information with us, please write back to me at xxxxxx @xxxx.xxxx.



I received an e-mail back on Tues. night. Detlef and Margit do not speak english. But I have translated their letter below:

Hello Paula,

Thankfully we have received your e-mail. Unfortunately we do not speak English. But you speak better German...

You are welcome to write or leave contributions with Links in the forum, so other visitors can also read them... the more the better.

We would be very glad to work together with you. The way Ebay is at the moment, simply can not continue. Ebay is already in planning further changes. Would you inform us still more comprehensively about that. All countries must hold together and boycott Ebay with one another.

We have called on Buyers and Sellers on [german] eBay to boycott from June 1 to June 30, 2008. When is your Boycott planned? It would be super, if it would work that many other countries could boycott together.

Here is the Link to the forum:
http://www.fairdeal-germany.de/Diskussi ... hreadID=17

Hi all!

Thank you Paula! Detlef and Margit seem like such nice people. We put their link on two of our web pages and one here.

Jim

gymquail (and all),

Jim also received two very nice emails from the folks at Germany Fair Deal .. the second email was also signed by Margrit, and the English was outstanding .. unfortunately, neither of us know even the basics of German as we do with Spanish and French.

We went to the Fair Deal site, and it was great to see that they had an option for English. Jim posted the Fair Deal site here and on our info site.

As you say, their boycott is planned to start in June .. great news that they may join us in May.

How great it feels to reach out globally !!

Dee

I am SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS!!!! Thank you, Gymquail for all your efforts, and in translating for us. What a job---but a very worthwhile one! Please convey our wholehearted support, and provide a link for them to post at Fair Shake in German, if you are up to helping them navigate the forum with somewhat limited German options in their profile. If it would help, we could set up user accounts for them which has already had the default changed to German? Just ask them what user names they would like, and we could set it up.

No matter what they decide---this is an important outreach. Thank you SO much, Paula.

If you go to the Fair Deal - Germany Forum (link above) you will see the English Greeting Page. You will also see the reason why using computerized translators do not work well.

Detlef told me that they had used a "mechanical translator" and that they know the translation was not very precise. He asked me to translate the page from German into English for him. I did that last night, although it has not been altered yet ... hopefully soon.

If you will indulge me, I am posting the new English translation here now. I was amazed to discover how closely the German thinking paralleled our own thinking. See for yourself:



Fairdeal-Germany calls buyers and sellers on Ebay to boycott from June 1 to June 30.

On June 1, 2008 the new and one-sided Feedback system will be introduced on German Ebay. For this reason buyers and sellers should boycott Ebay together, and show Ebay that their members do not like these things. Together we are stronger. Particularly since many buyers are also private sellers, they should join with the business sellers for a fair feedback system and a customer-friendly Ebay.

Ebay has certainly not changed the feedback system just for that reason alone, so that the feedback system should be supposedly more fair. But they have rather also recognized how important the buyers are for their business. And they would not like to lose these customers to other auction sites, which would have a lasting effect with large losses of revenue. Thus Ebay has made scapegoats of the sellers, in order to protect their financial income, when what is really necessary, is a fairer and customer-friendly feedback system.

We call upon buyers at this time to also boycott. Because we are of the opinion, that it is more sensible to boycott together, and to pull together against Ebay . Thus buyers should buy on other auction sites. Many sellers will list their items there. ;-) We know from experience that customs can not be changed overnight.

We offer sellers the opportunity to be able to represent themselves in our forum; to be able to advertise themselves in other auction sites. So that other auction sites become as well known as Ebay. In addition, buyers should buy on other auction sites during the boycott, because there are not many buyers there. So the buyer can find good deals and the sellers' losses can be reduced this way.

Also we know that it will not be possible for many business sellers to be able to renounce Ebay completely, in order not to endanger their own existence. They also do not have to do this; everyone should do what they are capable of doing; nobody will make a reproach about that. Besides, it is not expected that a business seller can boycott for a month. Everyone should do what they can.

It is certainly not our purpose to damage or destroy Ebay. Ebay does this all by themselves, if they continue as they have done so far. What we want is an Ebay appropriate for customers with fair prices!

But as Ebay is at the moment, the sellers and buyers may not let themselves be pleased.

Which buyers and sellers will take part and fight for a better Ebay? Who will have enough time to make preparations, especially for business sellers? Unfortunately, we have learned too late of the last Ebay boycott, but it was a great beginning. There will always be complete egoists as a buyers and sellers everywhere. That it is always to be expected. We hope however, that many will go along. You do it first of all for yourself.

...3...2...1... We are there ... are you?...
[font=Times New Roman] [/font]

Paula, thank you so much for your work!

I have registered on their site, and I am in the process of making a post right now. I am going to try to encourage Detlef to post a small greeting here in German, just to show his presence and support on our site. If the translator messes things up too badly, maybe you can rescue the situation! :o) Actually, I think the idea comes through for the most part, even if it can be a bit humorous at times.

You are SO right about how similar the thinking is on what eBay is doing. I find that especially significant, because sometimes as things get talked about, ideas develop, and one group of people might arrive at a different collective opinion than another, depending on the random input there has been. I think this adds credence to our viewpoints, that we have both arrived at the same conclusions. It will be interesting to learn about the changes that are happening there, and hear more about their Boycott Plans.

Paula (and all),

This may be a bit off topic in the German forum .. but, since you mentioned other countries .. as you probably know, Fair Deal Germany has set up a forum for the Italians and the French. So far, there are no posts on the Italian forum, but there are some on the French forum. I was wondering if we have anyone here who would be capable and willing to translate between French and English.

Many countries learn English as a second language, so I may ask on the French forum if any of them speak English and would like to join us here .. I have mentioned this thought to Fair3 who is the moderator for the other International sites.

By the way, Detlef chose Samanthacat to be the moderator for the English forum .. we were quite surprised, but it should be fun.

Thank you for all of the work that you have done translating the German .. I wish that I was as talented :).
Dee

Hello All :),

I greatly encourage you to visit the German Fair Deal site (the link is listed in two of the above posts.) It is a really neat experience .. especially when Detlef and/or Margit are there to reply. Go to "Forum English" and say hello.

If any of you speak French, they also have a forum for France with some posts .. also a forum for Italy, but no posts yet.

Dee

Dee---that's a great idea to post on the French forum---or maybe even on Detlef's forum in the French section, where it will go through the translator?!!! Edit: oh...never mind! That wouldn't work, would it! It would go through a German/French translator, not English!!!! "Asleep at the wheel" here!

Did you see that Detlef has registered with us here at Fair Shake?!!!! :o)
Oh---and I did register on their site last night and gave them a link to this international room where you may have noticed there is a greeting for them in German.

We have official German representation!! Yeah!!!!!

Thank you Paula---GOOD WORK!!! And Dee and Jim and Deb---you're all doing great with this!! Thank you.

Hello all,

To be allowed to be hello together, nicely again here. Also freud it to us very much to have found friends in the USA many thanks for all your support. This is the Internet and the translator Abacho is called. A little further below stands into German and red colour " Übersetzung starten=translation start " a little further to the right of of it one chooses the language in is translated, e.g., "Deutsch ins Englische=German has to go into English" This I use if I write into German to You. If I liked to have translated your contribution from in English in in German, I move it around from " Englisch ins Deutsche=English into German ", insert the text below " Wort und Text Übersetzung=word and text Translation " and press " Übersetzung starten=translation start "

Here I have found one more: http: // www.babylon.com/affiliates/landing/index.php? Id=10588*lang=ger*textlink=gkn14788*gclid=CMDM0M_x-5ICFQoTuwod6DZgDQ http: // www.de.abacho.com/uebersetzer.html? q=fairdeal-germany

Viele liebe Grüße Detlef

Detleft -

Thank you for all your kind support and your helpful information.

We here in the USA will continue to do what we can to communicate with you and all others around the world - we all need to be patient while we try to cross the language barrier. But we're doing fine so far!

Please keep us updated on any news and we will do the same. Thank you for helping us to unite other countries!

Debbie

gymquail and others

Great posts and info!!

IMHO - I think we can get our biggest bang-for-the-buck with media contacts.

Could Detlef or someone could post the links to German media and then encourage eBay members there to write to their local newspapers or TV stations?

That has been a powerful tool for us and I have developed a couple of news "contacts". I'm working with one right now to get a story on the international aspects of the boycott.

Would Detlef agree to an interview, if something like that happened? I know I could get one or more Aussies if I asked.

Just random thoughts.

bis später

Jim