Things that are pissing you off. - Page 12

Because ebay will pull your auctions and/or suspend/ban you if you state in your auctions that you accept Google Checkout, personal checks, or Western Union.

I have had auctions pulled in the past for this.

Shouldn't there be an anti-trust lawsuit in that?

+1 I like real hip-hop but despise rap and American Pop.

I also hate not having money...

My AFL team's start to the football season - 0 from 2 and bottom of the ladder. I went and watched them today and they played like a bunch of wimps. At least we're still winning in the cricket.

I saw two fine young gents in the airport the other day. They were of vaguely swarthy, indeterminate race, and they were both wearing hip-hop threads, Timbs and do-rags - but the rags were wrapped super-tight and had these weird lumps on top, as if they were samurai-top-know thugs...

I stared in bewilderment until I saw their father appear - an imposing, classically be-turbaned Sikh! His sons had actually taken the traditional Sikh requirement of turbaning up the hair and spun it around to the Thug Life aesthetic!!

Gotta love the global culture.

But none of that pisses me off...what does is:

Turkish pimps.
Belarussian whores.
Being mugged

You know what is worse than saying "bling"? Saying "bling bling"

Fuck FedEx....

Jon.

Sorry...had to!

I got a couple after this weekend:


1. tiny rolling "luggage" (especially on the Metro) that weighs all of 5 lbs.
2. automated deliver scheduling software that won't accept that your condo restricts what hours deliveries can be made--and the dumb bitch who won't override it.
3. stores that don't tell you they will be closed for Easter Sunday.
4. people in museums who insist on walking in front of you as you are admiring the artwork. Hey, look where you're going douche.

Argh, bad mood.


bob

No.
Not trying to be flip with the short answer, but finding the middle ground between that and an overlong, rambling explanation takes too much effort. (But if you're really curious, I don't mind addressing more specific questions.)

Are the companies related?

b

I believe ebay owns paypal.

Then I need an explanation. If they aren't related, I'd just say EBay can choose to do business with one firm and that's their..well, business.

But if they are related, then I'd look at EBay's position as the far-out leader in internet auctions (what competes with EBay?) and ask if their requiring the use of PayPal isn't just a tying arrangement in order to take over the internet-payment business also.

bob

'bling bling' was used before 'bling', which makes it ode skool, which makes it cool, no?

Tying generally means you're requiring the use of the second product. Here, they're prohibiting references to competing products (competing against the "second" service, paypal). You're not required to use paypal. You can send checks or use a variety of other payment methods. You can probably also use Western Union, etc., but just can't explicitly list them on your ebay listing.
Also, while I'm assuming for argument's sake that ebay has market power given its large market share, the facts that ebay is not providing a unique product or service, and that presumably it would be relatively easy for a new market entrant to compete, may well run counter to that.
(Just my off-the-cuff thoughts, obviously. FWIW in deciding how much salt to take with my views, I'm not an antitrust expert although I've dabbled in it from time to time.)