The "New" Ebay

tecnopolis · Oct 15, 2012

They really should start a sister site....vintageBay? Only selling things that are preowned, not new, so as not to compete with their red carpet merchants selling their iPhone5's or Galaxy's.

RE: Ebay search results...their default of "best match" should read, "sellers we make more money off of".

I have tried to change the default search mode to "newly listed", but every few weeks it reverts back to "best match".

Also, if I don't agree to accept PayPal, my listing is artificially buried in the results, no matter how you sort the search.

launderess · Oct 15, 2012

Newly Listed

Have set mine to such years ago and it's never reverted. Made the change from my eBay "summary" page display options and that was that.

tecnopolis · Oct 15, 2012

Maybe they'll have a "Bank of America" moment and pause, Naaaaaaa

tecnopolis · Oct 15, 2012

Here's something I found while reading the official ebay Fall 2012 Seller update posted July 24,2012 by Michael Jones, VP of Merchant development.

"<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Ending Auction-style listings when they have a bid [COLOR=#333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px]can lead to buyer frustration. Starting October 1, to protect the spirit and [/COLOR]integrity of auctions[COLOR=#333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px], a fee will be charged for ending an Auction-style listing early after there’s been a bid."[/COLOR]

tecnopolis · Oct 15, 2012

.[COLOR=#333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px]The amount charged for ending an Auction-style listing early is equal to what the final value fee would have been if the item had sold for the highest bid, or the highest bid equal to or above the reserve price.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px]You will be allowed to end early one Auction-style listing with a bid equal to or above the reserve price per calendar year without paying a fee. After that, you will be required to pay a fee to end early additional Auction-style listings with bids equal to or above the reserve price.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px]
[/COLOR]

mixfinder · Oct 16, 2012

Shipping

The cost of shipping has increased sharply and that can't be blamed on sellers or ebay. However I am finding more and more price gouging on shipping costs. It allows the seller to drop the selling price and make it up in shipping. There is a Sunbeam on ebay which is up for it's 5th listing at an opening bid of $7.00 with shipping of $55.00. Considering there are no bowls included one wouldn't need to pack to send glass. And don't even get me started on sellers who take a complete unit or set of something and then part it out piece by piece. If I was desparate for a part of piece of something I would use ebay but my time of on line shopping is coming to a fast end.

tecnopolis · Oct 16, 2012

One part that confuses me is the DSR's for shipping. Here you can rate a seller on shipping charges which to me is unfair because the cost is (at least in my auctions) clearly listed before you place a bid. So in essence you are agreeing to the charge. It doesn't change no matter how little or more you or others bid. Therefore you shouldn't be able to complain about it after-the-fact. If you don't like it, don't bid.

RE: ridiculous shipping fees, now that ebay charges a final value fee on that too, you should see those types of shipping charges disappear since there is no financial advantage to doing it.

launderess · Oct 16, 2012

Right Back At Them

First thing one does upon receiving an eBay package is to open and examine contents for damage, truth in description and so forth. Next thing one looks for is the postage affixed versus what one was charged and paid. If there is a significant difference the seller will be hearing from me.

Once purchased a vintage postcard from Europe. Seller charged something like ten or so Euros for shipping, but figured what the heck maybe it's coming mounted between cardboard and in a protective envelope. Not a a bit of it. Thing came in a regular envelope via normal Air Mail post with nothing besides a copy of the invoice as "protection". Postage was something about 3 or so Euros. Well one dinged his feedback and left a polite word in the comment section along the lines of "over charged for postage but otherwise ok".

A few days later received a total refund via Paypal from the seller along with a snide comment via email/eBay's system that one should have contacted him first if unhappy, and or not have bid if one didn't agree with his shipping costs.

*Whatever*

As for ending auctions with bids on them early, good for eBay and about time too.

Am sick of sellers testing the waters for items by listing them on eBay whilst also having them on offer elsewhere, so in essence the best and first highest price wins out. Ebay is quite right to point out it ruins the spirit of the community. Either you are listing goods for sale on eBay or you aren't.

launderess · Oct 16, 2012

Shipping Charges

One has no problem paying a decent amount for shipping if the funds are going towards proper packing materials and so forth. However 9 out of 10 times sellers are using any old box found in the rubbish, recycle bin or from a local grocery store. Or worse turning USPS Priority Mail boxes inside out. Either way the box is free to them. As for packing material any old nasty recycled bubble wrap is what one sees mainly. That or yesterday's newspaper, and even then many sellers aren't that generous either.

Have found also just because a seller states their shipping cost in the auction that is not what one finds on the package. When you call them out on this sellers will say "I've got to cover my costs for shipping & handling including my time and petrol for driving to the post office".

tecnopolis · Oct 16, 2012

I too would be put off by anything happening to me like what you describe launderess.

Fortunately for my customers none of that will ever happen.

But sometimes the smallest things you would think would be inexpensive to ship, get high shipping charges. Case in point. I sold a gift card for $25. Yes, it weighed less than an ounce and I could have sent it in a letter envelope and slapped a few stamps on it and called it a day. However, in order to qualify for seller protection. I have to show "proof of delivery" for any item valued at over $20. So, it's a catch-22

whirlcool · Oct 16, 2012

I sometimes list items on Ebay for friends who are less than computer literate. No matter what I am auctioning, if the shipping price is more than than the actual shipping price and more than $1 I send a refund back to the buyer.

I recently bought a new upper half to my Cory glass coffee maker on Ebay. The woman packed this thing so well it took me a good 30 minutes to to unpack it. Inside there was a very nice letter from the seller thanking me for my business.
That was so nice of her to do that.

Sometimes the postage isn't printed on the box, so you can't tell how much the seller paid in shipping. And I think a lot of people who get gouged on shipping didn't look at the shipping charge when bidding. I know in my early days on Ebay I got stung a few times like that.

I have found a good way to check the shipping is to check the shipping on similar items that other sellers are selling. Usually if they are overcharging it will stick out like a sore thumb.

And yes one time when I contacted a seller before bidding on an item about the shipping cost she said it was to cover: the fuel for the trip to the post office, the "wear and tear" on her car, compensation for the time she spent waiting in line at the post office and the cost of the box.

BTW, the new Priority Mail boxes have the words "Priority Mail" stamped on the reverse side so sellers can't reverse the box anymore. We have a nice shipping store near us with a very large selection of boxes. They aren't all that expensive.
But I add the cost of those into my shipping. I guarantee new boxes when shipping.

And I agree with running an auction for an item concurrently with Craigslist, Greensheet, etc. List it on Ebay and if it doesn't sell, THEN list elsewhere.

tecnopolis · Oct 16, 2012

I have to remind myself that in 6 months or less, all of this discussion will probably be irrelevant as the site will have evolved a new set of thorns for us to navigate through, willing or not.

moderncleveland · Oct 17, 2012

eBay used to be my favorite site on the Internet, and now whenever I think of it it just gives me bad feelings. They don't help their customers (us users), they don't want us to sell on it anymore and it doesn't feel like a nice place. Now with Amazon Marketplace (and Prime membership) offering so much more, and also Etsy for the vintage items that aren't (yet?) on Amazon, there is much less reason to even go to eBay anymore. Oh yeah, and Craigslist for the big stuff. I'm sad that eBay has turned into this horrible creature, and I wish the old days were back. Someone needs to make a new auction site that brings back those great feelings of eBay back in the day. But one thing for sure, eBay has the WORST customer service of any company I've ever seen. Feedback trouble or scammer got you? Good luck getting help.

tecnopolis · Oct 18, 2012

Of course, when you can't get resolution from ebay, you can always file a claim with "square trade". It's free to file a claim, but if it gets nasty, you'll have to hire a mediator for $15 to resolve it.

What is online dispute resolution? Online dispute resolution is a new, unbiased method that can help you resolve disputes that may arise involving eBay transactions. SquareTrade, eBay’s preferred dispute resolution provider, offers two services: a free web-based forum which allows users to attempt to resolve their differences on their own or if necessary, the use of a professional mediator. What are the benefits and costs of this service? All eBay buyers and sellers can use this online dispute resolution service. It’s free to file a complaint. SquareTrade will contact and encourage the other party to respond to your case. You can then try and settle your dispute through SquareTrade’s free Web-based process and patent-pending technology. A significant number of complaints are directly resolved in this way. Because we believe this service helps make eBay a better place to trade, you can request the assistance of a professional mediator for $15 (eBay will subsidize the rest of the cost). Benefits In addition to turning a negative episode into a positive one, using SquareTrade can help:

<ul style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">
<li>Resolve misunderstandings fairly</li>
<li>Provide a neutral go-between for buyers and sellers;</li>
<li>Reduce pre-mature negative feedback</li>
<li>Generate trust in the eBay community</li>
</ul>

Iowegian · Oct 18, 2012

The people that complain about eBay's unfairness are the same ones that disparage the SNAP program without realizing the similarities. Go figure.

jmurray01 · Oct 19, 2012

Absolutely repulsive.

tecnopolis · Oct 20, 2012

launderess · Nov 2, 2012

New International Shipping Servivce To Be Rolled Out

Seems fleaPay is going into the international shipper export business.

Pipe:

http://announcements.ebay.com/2012/11/attention-sellers-upcoming-program-will-make-selling-internationally-as-easy-as-domestic/

The "New" Ebay

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