Who else thinks Ebay needs to get off their butt!!!!

[westywashndry]

Ok, just a general rant here but I think Ebay better start fixing some problems or no one is going to want to sell or buy things on there anymore. Over the last month I've heard nothing but bad things about all these people be offered Bogus Second Chance Offers and just plain relisting items that were not theres and so forth. The thing is Ebay doesn't seem to be doing alot of anything to fix it. I know they are a big company and that they can only do so much but they need to become a little more involved in what goes on. And I think until they feel they have some real competition they aren't going to do anything about it. Tell me if I'm out of line here. Just wanted some feedback.

 

[whirlcool]

I also think that Ebay could offer better support to their sellers and buyers who get all these ridiculous "phish" type e-mails. I have gotten everything from my account needs to be verified (both Ebay and PayPal) to messages from the resolution center saying that I have been reported for selling items and not delivering when I wasn't even the seller!
I think what is happening is that their member database is being hacked and they need to improve their data security protocols on their servers. Look at all the money that Ebay takes in. If large corporations can protect their servers, so can Ebay.
When I get one of these, I always forward it to [email protected] or [email protected] with the header records visible. All you get back are automated messages. I have asked Ebay is they do anything about any of this, but never receive a response. Has anybody noticed that it seems like Ebay prices are slightly depressed lately?

 

[westywashndry]

Ebay Prices

If there is one thing I've learned about Ebay.......its all about who is buying that week. One week a certain type of sewing machine will go for $900 the following week.....same model almost same condition will go for $550. But yes I have noticed that prices are not going as high for most things as they used too.

 

[launderess]

Craigslist has put a big dent in eBay's sales, especially for larger items. No fees, no BS, just come on over with cash in hand. Truth be known rather do CL than eBay as one see in person what one is getting. If the item is not as described, my money stays with me and the hunt continues.

Like many online businesses, eBay could do more, but that would mean hiring live bodies, which costs money.

The real good eBay sellers are finding other ways to make their money as they are being squeezed by bad low end sellers on one side and the big liquidator sellers on the other.

Ebay also needs to do more about sellers who gouge on shipping charges and or sell items not as described. Just this week bought some canvas to run up some slip covers. Seller stated there was some stains and soils,but on the ends of the fabric, no big deal I thought, so went ahead and bid. Fabric arrives heaped into a box, not folded, not on a bolt and was filthy with stains all over. The man charged excess shipping charges to boot. Well I've something brand new for his behind, will wait until the 89th day to leave feedback and at the last minute will slap him with a neg so hard he'll be rubbing his behind for weeks.

L.

 

[maytagbear]

I like the way you think,

Laundress....!

"Stuff" like this is why I don't ebay any more. I had some good sellers, and one real jerk, who tried to jack me on shipping.

I agree with Laundress about Craigslist. It's not just for hooking up!

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[dalangdon]

I was nervous when I read that eBay had bought an interest in Craigslist, but it doesn't seemed to have rubbed off on them.

While I am also annoyed by the phishing emails, it really has nothing to do with either PayPal or eBay. The phishers are just making up email addresses and trying them, or they got your email from another source - in either case, they are spoofing the eBay or PayPal website.

Whenever I get one, I delete it without opening it, but then log on to the appropriate website and go to my account just to make sure they're not really trying to contact me.

As far as eBay itself goes, so many of the sellers are frankly freaks ;-). I got rather harshly attacked when I mentioned in one of the eBay discussion forums that I dislike it when the sellers don't put their location in the "location" field. Instead, some put things like "bid now" "God Bless the USA", etc (noble sentiments, but they don't help me when it comes to estimating what shipping should be. Generally speaking, A widget in California will cost me a lot less in shipping than a widget in Rhode Island would). You wouldn't believe how some of them reacted. You'd think I'd insulted their mother or something.

I also have no patience for the sellers who won't take PayPal. I don't have a checking account anymore, and getting money orders is a huge hassle.

 

[gyrafoam]

You go Laundress! I have had many sellers just throw misrepresented items in a box and ship them without any care in the world------untill I zap them with a negative!

I am also sick of excessive "shipping and handling" charges. I now have a habit of "calling their hand" by "ask seller a question". I ask them if there were some sort of mistake-----as S&H couldn't possibly be that high! That usually embarrases them into fixing their rip-off attitude! Or I will say "Shipping and Handling" charges appear to be excessive, will not bid untill this problem is corrected".

If they don't take PayPal----I won't bid. Plain and simple, and I let the seller know via the same "ask seller a question" venue. I've been ripped-off one time too many by sending a Money Order.

I also share with the seller that I will not tolerate "slipshod" packing. I demand good protection for the item during shipping and I warn the seller I will give them a negative "in a second" if they do an obviously careless job of packing.

E-Bay does need some reform. They are really set up to favor the "seller" not the "buyer".

So as PeterH says----"Buyer beware"!

 

[Brneyedgrl80]

Yea, eBay has its ups and downs, but I think for the most part it has its ups.

As for the sellers who don't except Paypal, I happen to be one of them. The reason being for me is that I don't sell enough items weekly, monthly or yearly to make it worth my while to pay Paypal for the service. I do however try to make things as easy on the person as possible and except just about anything else such as personal checks/money orders/cashiers checks and even money (thought I highly recommend delivery confirmation). I will also email the person as soon as I recieve their payment so that they will not have to worry about whether or not I'm trying to rip them off. I want the person to feel as comfortable as possible throughout the whole transaction, so I email almost constantly to let the person know what is going on every step of the way (I also keep copies of all the emails to cover my butt).

I know this can't be said for all eBay sellers, but I try to be as honest as possible and for the most part, that pays off.

One of my pet peeves for eBay sellers are people who don't post the shipping amount or a shipping calculator. I'll email the seller asking what the shipping amount would be to my zipcode, but if I don't hear anything back I definitely will not bid for fear of ridiculous shipping amounts.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I paid for a glass item when the auction closed July 24th. It was shipped 8/12 and when I saw the small box sitting on my porch, I wondered what it could be; certainly not what I had bought and I had no mail order prescriptions due to arrive. Then I saw the return address and my heart sank. I heard the shards of glass shift when I picked it up. I did not hesitate to pay the postage quoted because I knew it would take good packing to make the shipping safe, but the label on it shows that the seller paid half what I was charged for shipping and obviously nothing was spent for a box or packing. It has an insured stamp on it so I am taking it unopened to the PO to see about a claim form. I have already written to the seller and if I do not get a full refund, I am going to rip the seller a new orifice in public and online. They won't be posting anything to Ebay for a while because they are gonna need both hands to hold the orifice closed.

 

[dalangdon]

I think one of the best things they could do would be to revamp the feedback process. 84 characters is not enough to explain anything. Maybe if you could rate the transaction on shipping/handling, payment process, accuracy of description, etc. that would be better.

 

[gadgetgary]

Packing

I agree...Lots of the problems arise when the seller simply does not use proper packing materials(bubble wrap, popcorn peanuts, etc).
For example, I received a Corning Ware electric perk from and Ebay seller who simply packed it in newspaper...and then proceeded to let me know that it was properly packed and would not do anything else. My local Post Office investigated and would not pay the damage claim since they stated that is was not properly packed. Had to chalk that one up to a bad Ebay experience. Double negative happened when I purchased that product off Ebay, since the Corning Ware perks were recalled and not allowed to be sold on Ebay.

 

[DADoES]

Can html links be included in eBay feedback? If so, put a picture of the broken item, shabby packaging, or postage label on a file sharing service and link to it in the feedback.

 

[westytoploader]

I don't believe so, unless you keep it "short and sweet" (or in a broken item case, bitter, LOL) since the HTML coding would count as characters and there is an 80-character limit for each feedback comment.

 

[tomturbomatic]

You can report the transaction to Ebay and PayPal, if you wish. They have dispute ressolution.

 

[launderess]

And Another Thing

Stop pestering me for feedback!

Am so tired of the begging notes, cloy messages and so forth from sellers asking me to leave glowing feedback. Contrary to popular belief do not spend my life glued to the computer, and when I get to it,I will get to it. Should that time not happen within the 90 day limit, so be it; life is tough then you die.

Worse still are the sellers who've done wrong, and know they've done wrong and are shocked about negative feedback. Next will come the "mutual feedback release" offer, along with some sort of lame promise to make whatever went wrong right. Well I'm sorry, if one had done the right thing to start, there would not have been any problems to complain about. I always pay with my Gold Visa card on Paypal. If the latter won't get my money back, the former will, so no problems there.

OTHO some sellers do go out of their way, and they deserve a nod.

 

[mixedup]

I'm getting sick of Ebay too

Well the people on it actually. I hate how some sellers hold their feedback until you give yours. I pay quickly, usually as soon as auction is over & that is all my feedback should be based on. That is my only job as a buyer. But so many sellers now won't give you positive feed back until you've given a positive to them. I have mostly been happy with the quality of packing on most of my items, a couple of times I was quite impressed. Once though I bought a model 10 mixmaster & the seller packed it very poorly. Put the glass bowl & the mixer together in the box with nothing to protectect it but a handfull of peanuts & a couple of plastic grocery bags. Well you know I could hear the broken glass when I picked up the box. There was much damage. I could not believe the utter carelessness.