What is happening with ebay?

[SUPERTYKE]

There’s a way round it. I had a beef with a seller re delivery costs and was furious when I found I couldn’t neg him.

So I put up an item for sale – a t.v for £1.00 – no picture so that thousands have a look. Instead of a description I told the world what a thief the guy was.

It took them a week to remove it!! No repercussions for me – they want EVERY penny of your business and don’t want to upset you too much – they said not a word to me.

[Leah-Lacie]

It's been like this for a while now. They stopped sellers leaving neg feedback a long time ago and I've yet to hear from a single person who thinks this was a good idea. It just encourages scammers and idiot buyers. There's been a huge backlash in the eBay forums from all the big sellers; everyone would like to see an auction site to rival eBay, possibly from someone like Google. As it stands, eBay can pretty much do what it likes because it has no decent competition.

 

eBay pretty much say, the feedback means nothing, as you can't stop a buyer with negative feedback bidding on your items, unless you are vigilant and keep removing bids.

However, sellers can set up buyer requirements. You can make it so if your buyers have had 1, 2, 3, 4 etc, (choose one) unpaid item strikes in the last month/3 months/6 months then they can't bid.

If sellers always report unpaying bidders, they get a strike, and if you set it up right, they won't be able to bid on your items. You can also block particular buyers using the 'block buyers' function. Some of the established sellers who use the discussion boards have quite extensive blocked bidders lists, and are willing to share, usually full of people who leave a lot of negative and neutral feedback for their sellers, fussy buggers. Look at an ebay member called: Justasickgeeza (advanced search, find a member), he is the fussiest I've come across!

[NorthernStar]

Why?

 

What difference does this make to the buyer?

 

The buyer must be a bit of a numpty if the seller stated a different courier, but personally I only bid on items delivered by royal mail because I know I'm not going to be in when they deliver but I know I can easily pick up my item. The other courier companies can make it an absolute nightmare to get hold of your item, with issues like you can't pick up your item locally and they are only able to deliver when your at work.

 

...... and don't get me started with DH fricken L ............ grrrrrrr!

[quisquose]

I sold my iphone via ebay in the last week or so, what annoyed me was the actual cap they placed on the postage fees. There was a max limit of £7.75 they would let me charge for sending by special delivery, yet it cost £9.05 to send not to mention packaging materials.

 

I was going to list a large CD box set for sale on fleabay, but it forced me to have the maximum postage of £1.25 despite the fact that it would cost me about a tenner.

 

I didn't bother, and in fact haven't bothered since. I used to sell quite a few things, but the fees have killed it for me now. I prefer to get less for something selling here, as long as it goes to a happy buyer.

[Karis]

The buyer must be a bit of a numpty if the seller stated a different courier, but personally I only bid on items delivered by royal mail because I know I'm not going to be in when they deliver but I know I can easily pick up my item. The other courier companies can make it an absolute nightmare to get hold of!

 

I even offered a redirection to work on Monday... That was rejected.

 

Why?

 

What difference does this make to the buyer?

 

The buyer is demanding I pay again for the postage and EBay had never, in hundreds of problems, sided with me.

 

Maybe this will be the first.

[Amaranthus]

eBay pretty much say, the feedback means nothing, as you can't stop a buyer with negative feedback bidding on your items, unless you are vigilant and keep removing bids.

However, sellers can set up buyer requirements. You can make it so if your buyers have had 1, 2, 3, 4 etc, (choose one) unpaid item strikes in the last month/3 months/6 months then they can't bid.

If sellers always report unpaying bidders, they get a strike, and if you set it up right, they won't be able to bid on your items. You can also block particular buyers using the 'block buyers' function. Some of the established sellers who use the discussion boards have quite extensive blocked bidders lists, and are willing to share, usually full of people who leave a lot of negative and neutral feedback for their sellers, fussy buggers. Look at an ebay member called: Justasickgeeza (advanced search, find a member), he is the fussiest I've come across!

 

Well this proves that eBay is run by chimps. A lot of people buy AND sell, so don't want to accrue neg feedback at all. If someone can receive neg feedback as a buyer it will stop people trying to bully sellers into doing what they want, as per Karis's example above. Buyers must all be aware that they may like to sell something in future so they would be more careful. eBay has really lost the plot.

[Leah-Lacie]

The buyer must be a bit of a numpty if the seller stated a different courier, but personally I only bid on items delivered by royal mail because I know I'm not going to be in when they deliver but I know I can easily pick up my item. The other courier companies can make it an absolute nightmare to get hold of your item, with issues like you can't pick up your item locally and they are only able to deliver when your at work.

 

...... and don't get me started with DH fricken L ............ grrrrrrr!

 

Ahhh yeah, that makes sense, never had anyone demand I send via RM before

[John_S6]

I sell a lot on Ebay and have noticed a sharp rise in non paying bidders since they stopped allowing sellers to leave negative feedback. The fees are a joke too, they're effectively charging you twice as they own Paypal, and they recently announced a profit of over a billion dollars despite the site having changed from a small seller's market to being full of fakes, scams and crooks.

 

I also lost over £20 because of an overseas buyer claiming that they never received a blu ray boxset that I sold them. I've got proof of postage, I've got almost 1000 positive feedback, the buyer has about 20, yet Ebay have made me give them a full refund even though it was only their word that it was never delivered.

 

I'm going to start selling on Amazon Marketplace or Playtrade now, I'm sick of Ebay.

[Leah-Lacie]

I sell a lot on Ebay and have noticed a sharp rise in non paying bidders since they stopped allowing sellers to leave negative feedback. The fees are a joke too, they're effectively charging you twice as they own Paypal, and they recently announced a profit of over a billion dollars despite the site having changed from a small seller's market to being full of fakes, scams and crooks.

 

I also lost over £20 because of an overseas buyer claiming that they never received a blu ray boxset that I sold them. I've got proof of postage, I've got almost 1000 positive feedback, the buyer has about 20, yet Ebay have made me give them a full refund even though it was only their word that it was never delivered.

 

I'm going to start selling on Amazon Marketplace or Playtrade now, I'm sick of Ebay.

 

I've not had an item not received get to dispute stage since back in 2005/6, I always resend or refund in the rare case that I haven't had another one of what I sold them.

The only time I had an INR dispute was when I sold a phone, which was a Nokia and couldn't be unlocked, to an Italian, who I had told several times not to bother bidding as it wouldn't work. He got a bid in too late for me to remove it.

I sent it, using Airmail signed for. He opened a dispute not saying it wasn't received at all, but saying the box was empty. He said, in Italian, which eBay translated "customs man says box very light. I pick it up. Very light, Wrap intact. Box opened to find empty!"

It clearly just hadn't worked when he got it, and I pointed it out to eBay that I had told him it wouldn't.

They asked him to get a police report regarding theft. I sighed, and prepared myself to have to refund. The Italian postage system is dire at the best of times, I'm surprised he even received his empty box.

A few days later, the money which Paypal had removed and held while the dispute went on was back in my account. I had won the dispute, as "The buyer submitted a police report that is invalid". I wish I knew what this report said!

[SUPERTYKE]

I sell a lot on Ebay and have noticed a sharp rise in non paying bidders since they stopped allowing sellers to leave negative feedback. The fees are a joke too, they're effectively charging you twice as they own Paypal, and they recently announced a profit of over a billion dollars despite the site having changed from a small seller's market to being full of fakes, scams and crooks.

 

I also lost over £20 because of an overseas buyer claiming that they never received a blu ray boxset that I sold them. I've got proof of postage, I've got almost 1000 positive feedback, the buyer has about 20, yet Ebay have made me give them a full refund even though it was only their word that it was never delivered.

 

I'm going to start selling on Amazon Marketplace or Playtrade now, I'm sick of Ebay.

 

Sad story but not uncommon I fear. These yanks hey - but they're only doing what America does best - reeling in the dollars on a monumental scale by whatever dubious means they have at their disposal.