Tremendous

You may be aware of the feedback system involved in the many marketplace-based shops. but For every transaction in which you partake, you are encouraged to offer feedback on your experience with the relevant user. Alas, this has evolved into something like "Smooth transaction! Thanks! A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++", which has the literal translation of "Cheers, but I can't be bothered going into the details" (the irrelevantly long trail of plus signs relates to the character limit, and just shows that someone has held the button down until it doesn't go any further).

Well, having had a lot of time to think about things recently, I've decided to start a new project. Or sub-project, I should stress, for I would hate to think that you see this as something that would take over my life. Basically, I'm going to turn this thing on its head. It's going to be like a mini-revolution! Or something. Every time I offer feedback from now on, I'm proposing to describe the transaction in the most convoluted ways possible, and I will remain positive despite the now soulless nature that is commonplace of what used to be a novel idea. I mean, it's a neverending worldwide carboot sale that you don't even have to leave your house to attend. How can we take that for granted?

I have to confess this isn't something I just came up with. In fact, it goes back to April 2005 when, inebriated, I stated of a particular transaction: "Payment received within six minutes of bid ending. The world's best ebayer?" It's kind of snowballed from there I guess, ranging from the simple ("Truly amazing.") to the ridiculous ("Awesome ebayer! I got a free CD for nowt! What a legend". This probably caused the poor girl a host of problems when further transactions were greeted with "Where the chuff is my free gift?" - or whatever youths say these days). My pick of the bunch is "There is no possible way that this payment could have been any quicker. Amazing!" although a special mention must be made for "I will definitely be using this supremely tremendous marketplace dealer again. Top dog."

I hope to continue this trend in future transactions, not least because it begs me to commit to even more activity on my marketplaces of choice than ever before. I will also take this moment to encourage everyone (possibly singular) reading to do the same, and tell their friends to do the same. Hopefully you'll get as addicted to this as I have and turn the online marketplaces back into the warm and personal places they could and should be.