More eBay Insanity

[cerebus]

Wow. Ebay never ceases to amaze me with its ridiculousness. First, they made it so that sellers can only leave positive feedback for buyers, regardless of what the buyer does (even if they try to extort you into sending them an item for free, you can still ONLY leave positive feedback for them). Now, even if a buyer abuses the feedback system, they will no longer remove negative or neutral marks applied against a seller.

As a seller I just had an experience where a buyer left a grey mark on my feedback (not as bad as a red mark, but certainly not a positive thing) because the item WAS EXACTLY AS DESCRIBED. The item in question was a softcover book (though a Very Rare one), which was described as being softcover and which included photos of the item clearly showing it was softcover. So why is the buyer unhappy with it? Because it isn't hardcover. He wanted it to be hardcover, even though I clearly stated and showed that it wasn't, but because his wanting it be be so did not make it so, well that must be MY fault so he punishes me for it. And eBay refuses to do anything about it...

[Steve James]

I sympathize. I sold a few sticks of memory on ebay once, and the "potential" buyer gave me all kinds of hassles. He sent them back, after a nasty email, saying that they didn't work. Okay, I said that I still had the warranty (lifetime) and would rma them back to the factory. I did so (out of my pocket). The new ones arrived and I shipped them to him, after trying them out in my own machine. Whaddya know. These brand new ones didn't work either. So, he gave me more grief. But, I told him just to send them back and I'd refund his money, which I did. Now, the memory is still in the box, and I haven't thought about using ebay until just recently --cause I'm moving. Afa bad feedback, I didn't get any; but, I'm not sure if it affects sales. Although, with enough non-positive feedback, I'm sure a buyer might be wary, especially if the same item were available from a seller with a better rating.

[bailewen]

Ever since Paypal and eBay merged there has been a steady shift towards protecting buyers at the expense of sellers. They have apparently made some sort of business decision that by empowering buyers the "brand" becomes eBay as a safe place to purchase things online. Sellers are kicked to the curb because they are mostly small time individuals. They are cultivating and image that the only real seller is eBay it's self.

I have no love for them since I was kicked off paypal for reasons unknown about 4 or 5 years ago. With no paypal account I am now not able to sell on eBay. My eBay account has a perfect record with no complaints. Paypal has refused to say why they closed my account. For the time being, there is no other option. Google and Yahoo both have alternative sites but have you heard of them? That's my point. So for the time being eBay/Paypal (same company now) is a complete monopoly which means they can feel free to metaphorically fuck you in the ass as there are no alternative services available.

Afa bad feedback, I didn't get any; but, I'm not sure if it affects sales. Although, with enough non-positive feedback, I'm sure a buyer might be wary, especially if the same item were available from a seller with a better rating.

Actually, if you receive more than a certain number of negative feedbacks, they will suspend your account and perform an "investigation". After review your account may or may not be restored. My family runs a business which used to be nearly 50% eBay but the threat of having 50% of your business closed down for a month became too dangerous and they have been reconfiguring their business model because of this policy.

[Michael]

But it wasn't hard cover. Why can't you understand? It's very simple. He wanted hard cover. Why don't you want to make your customers happy? Sheesh.



At a certain point, I don't think it matters. You've got a huge number of sales with positive feedback, so you just have to blow off the nutters and/or change the system. I remember one seller with good merchandise whose policy was to always send via slow, media mail, and people always complained when it took long even though he put the info. in all of his sales. He just blew it off and kept selling what people wanted, damn the idjits.

[bailewen]

Depends on your sales volume.

More than 3 complaints in a month and you get your account suspended for a month with the potential to be banned altogether. Not much chance of that if you are just selling the odd used book here and there but if you are selling 8 to 10 items a day, 3 complaints in a month can happen pretty easy.

[Michael]

Didn't know that. Maybe that's new since I was a seller several years ago, or maybe I never took notice. Is a complaint different than negative feedback?

EDIT: Missed bailewen's first post. No need to answer my question now.

[cerebus]

Ever since Paypal and eBay merged there has been a steady shift towards protecting buyers at the expense of sellers. They have apparently made some sort of business decision that by empowering buyers the "brand" becomes eBay as a safe place to purchase things online. Sellers are kicked to the curb because they are mostly small time individuals. They are cultivating and image that the only real seller is eBay it's self.

Google and Yahoo both have alternative sites but have you heard of them? That's my point. So for the time being eBay/Paypal (same company now) is a complete monopoly which means they can feel free to metaphorically fuck you in the ass as there are no alternative services available.

EXACTLY! Which SUCKS for sellers. And yes, feedback actually can make a big difference. Many people are still very nervous about buying things over the internet and won't even consider a seller unless they have perfect feedback (which I did 'til just recently... ).

[Teazer]

Ever since Paypal and eBay merged there has been a steady shift towards protecting buyers at the expense of sellers. They have apparently made some sort of business decision that by empowering buyers the "brand" becomes eBay as a safe place to purchase things online. Sellers are kicked to the curb because they are mostly small time individuals. They are cultivating and image that the only real seller is eBay it's self.

Sounds like they're trying to hone in on Amazon's territory, also with shifting more towards fixed prices (IE 'buy it now'). For ebay its more cost effective to just deal with big vendors. Shame really.

[bailewen]

It has been really frustrating for me as I initially spend a number of years scrabbling around for a way to supplement my meager Chinese income from China by say...selling Chinese kung fu training equipment...or Jade nick-knacks etc. Now I'm banned for life and shit out of luck. AFAIK, I was banned for attempting to paypal some cash to my then girlfriend (now wife). My ip was flagged because I was registered in the US but a Chinese IP showed up attempting to send money to someone in China. Ok. Flagging and freezing the account for security reasons seemed reasonable enough except for what happened next. After sending them all the appropriate documents, confirming all my personal info on the phone, faxing copies of my drivers license, passport etc.....they decided not to restore my account and I am now banned for life.

There's no incentive for eBay to be fair. The lose of a seller here or there does not cause them any real financial loss compared to the perceived value of an online marketplace that is 100% safe for buyers. Even the return policy on items that you sell is determined by eBay. As long as the buyer used Paypal, if he complains or says that the item did not arrive, eBay will first withdraw the funds form your account and then perform and inquiry. So you sell your book, you are out a few bucks. But what if you sold a 10,000 digital video and editing system complete with a terabyte of storage in an external drive array so that it was Avid compatible? That's the sort of stuff my family sells on eBay. Then suddenly your family business is out 10 grand for a month or so, maybe longer while the two parties fight it out. This is not a hypothetical. eBay returned they buyers payment even though the buyer had not yet returned the equipment!?! Where on planet earth can you get a full refund on a $10,000 purchase without at least returning the merchandise first? Answer: eBay.

[cerebus]

Ebay is a heaven only for buyers, especially scammers & those who like to exploit loopholes and regulations to cheap other people out of things. For sellers..... it friggin' sucks! And Omar, if you are okay with the delays and amount of time it takes to do so, you can still sell items on eBay by specifying that you only accept checks & money orders, though it's a pain in the ass to sit around & wait for a check to clear...

[bailewen]

No you can't. Not anymore.

My seller account was suspended recently saying that I needed to verify my paypal information. Ever since paypal and eBay merged it has become eBay policy to require Papal accounts from sellers. You don't have to use the account. You can require checks money orders etc. but you must own an active Papal account if you wish to be a seller on eBay.

[cerebus]

Damn. Maybe if you applied for another Paypal account you might slip in past their censors? Or if someone you know will let you open an account in their name?

[Michael]

US Postal Service money orders are good. Paypal was always about expediency, never any concept of fairness. I would think that more and more people are aware they are kind of a crap shoot to deal with. Works great until there's a problem, then you're not only screwed, but they make you jump a thousand hoops before hand, and then finally, you're screwed. I'd hoped that when ebay bought them they might improve, but it seems that things just got worse for both companies.

[Steve James]

Nah, they'd still want credit card info --unless he has an alternate identity. I think the best bet would be to continue fighting it.

[bailewen]

Cerburus,

I would need to open both a Paypal and and eBay account in someone elses name which is, of course, grounds for both parties being banned for life if they find out. That's what I was trying to get at earlier, they are the same company. eBay checks to confirm that your Paypal account and your eBay account are the same person. I was already a registered seller on eBay when I got the email from them requesting that I confirm my account information. That's why you can now pay for your purchased items on eBay using Paypal and not even leave the eBay website. It's all integrated now.

Michael,

Since when has any large corporate merger resulted in better conditions for the consumer? They did make eBay and Paypal more seamlessly integrated but at what cost? It's a new emerging market with a lot of grey areas. I could see down the line Paypal being regulated the way banks or other credit cards are but since presently they are just a consumer service and are not considered a financial institution, they are not bound by any of the laws regulating such things. That's why they are not required to tell me why I was banned and why I have no recourse short of participating in a class action lawsuit. (there have been a couple already)