Hey eBay, you're not the boss of me!

I realize that title makes me sound like a spoiled 6 year old, but it expresses my current attitude so well I couldn't resist...

I let the new policies over at eBay throw me for a loop, I let them make me nervous, hell - I even let them scare me, for brief moments. But, I've officially broken on through to the other side, and remembered why I started my own business in the first place - to be my own boss. It's that simple.

In November of 2006 the newspaper I worked for for 10 years called us into a meeting and told us that they had decided to outsource the work of the entire department to India, effective April 1st, 2007. 10 years of work down the drain, in one 15 minute meeting given by a big wig I had never seen before.

I decided I was done. If my fate was going to be in someone's hands, I wanted it to be my own. No more depending on the whims of a corporate entity, no more having the rug pulled out from under me because it would help someone else's bottom line.

Sound familiar? It is exactly the situation that eBay has tried to put me in - and I'm not going to let it happen. I pay them for a service - I don't work for them. eBay isn't my boss!

So - I'm going to keep selling internationally. eBay's star system doesn't control my business, and I am not going to let it close an avenue for sales that I really need.

I also put this graphic into my new auction template:

I figured if eBay isn't going to educate my buyers about how the star system really affects a seller's standing, then I will. I am also working on an insert that I will include in my packages that has that graphic, as well as information about my return policy, my contact information, and links to my websites and other online shop(s).

I'm the boss! Say it with me now. :)