I don't like this "if you don't like it go to Russia" level of accusation. People have every right to complain about wanting Ebay to be better than it is, and as several posters have said, more the way it used to be. No one is saying, "I wish Ebay had never existed" or "I wish it would disappear," merely wishing there were a better management of the system to help facilitate the sales both ways to make sure it is an equitable experience for everyone.
I would like to chime in here. PayPal is if not the bees knees in monetary handling it’s with out question mighty handy. Just a few clicks and cash has gone where ever. All exchanges, tracking (of cash), recording done in a flash, right there when you want it. Hell, is there any other options?
Ebay, well, what can one say. It’s a bit like a market complete with honest straight shooting folk surrounded with scurrilous scumbags. Buyer beware is never been so relevant as on this site. Being as one can’t fiddle the stuff till it’s bought and paid for and in your possession.
One thing I have learnt with ebay after many $000’s spent is to ask the questions you never thought of asking till you see the problem in your hands. An impossible task? Well yes, but still we are all drawn by curiosity to the market stall.
The lesson of life learnt is to read not body language or face expressions but rather the email reply. Promptness, answering the particular question directly and completely, maybe adding a bit more than asked for or do they flannel around it. The notion of responsibility implied in the text. Some times I ask a parallel question and gauge the response to ascertain the sellers integrity. If any thing feels ‘just not quite right’ I’m off. No second chances.
[As already mentioned. Protecting yourself for eBay and paypal is rather easy, just open a new checking account and pre-paid credit card at a different bank exclusively for eBay]
Out of many $000’s spent I can only recall one complete dud. Fully fixed by Paypal and one so-so by a photographer who somewhat stretched the truth regarding condition along with too much double talk. In this instance a return was offered. And I will also add that I have had several sellers offer correction beyond requirements trusting ME to not screw them.
Overall really it’s a pretty handy service. And as for the alternative, well, I suppose it all depends where you live and what access you have to the trade.
Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure... Life is either daring adventure or nothing: Helen Keller.
Doing business on Ebay is simply not worth the risk or hassle involved . There are other options that are much safer and worry free.
jim
I think I prefaced my rant by saying I was usually above the curve. What caught me off guard was the general untruthful blather about how paypal and ebay are going to take care of all your problems if a dishonest seller should chance your way. Now I was raised in the generation that had a mother that often withheld sympathy scolding me all the while with the oft heard "ignorance is no excuse for the law!" I confess I never read to find out just how much I might get back via "insurance" if a seller absconded with my dollars. My bad. That is why my title says it is a cautionary tale. Had I known just how worthless PayPal's policy was, I would have never sent the lenses back. I could have sold them for junk and realized quite a lot more of my cash returned and just chalked it up to experience, or playing the odds.
FWIW I filed an insurance claim with the USPS today. When the tell me that the person has in fact received the goods concerned which will make them non-responsible I will in turn escalate it to a mail fraud complaint. I hope to simply pressure the evil party into doing what is right.
I wonder if everyone here knows that eBay bought PayPal a number of years back. They had their own competing service, I think it was called billpoint or something like that but PayPal proved to be the people's choice. If ya can't beat em buy em!
It is really a two sided sword though. On one hand it has made paying some of my suppliers so much easier, especially overseas ones. International bank wires are $40.00 now so being able to pay someone in England or Germany with PayPal is a huge savings. Before you ask why don't I just pay with a credit card it's because I have only one card and quite a few people do not take AMEX. Also it has made buying in general online a lot easier. My credit card has been comprised through other companies carelessness at least 3 times and I do feel more secure transacting with PayPal.
On the other hand as a seller the fees are huge. Almost double what my bank charges me to run a credit card. The chargeback process stinks. I had someone claim they never got their goods and even though they signed for the package PayPal debited my account $250.00. The latest that I heard just today was from someone I had just purchased something from. They told me that Pay Pal was holding their payment pending my leaving feedback on eBay. I couldn't believe it so she sent me the policy for "new" accounts. She has 91 positives on eBay 0 negatives. My question would be how much interest is PayPal holding back and pocketing by debiting my account immediately and withholding it from the seller for 21 days. And how is this policy legal? Dirty pool in my opinion.
Ebay has leveled the playing field between large companies and small ones but has also opened us up to loads of 2 bit con artist, scammers and generally bad business people.
I feel like eBay & PayPal acting in Unison now have complete stranglehold on what was formerly the mail order business.
> Nov. 24, 2008 Payment From XXXXXXXXXX On Hold
>
>
>
> Payment Status: On Hold
> What should I do now?
> We've completed Payment Review and placed a temporary hold on this
> transaction.
>
>
> To get the funds sooner, please ship right away. We'll release the hold
> after 21 days unless you receive a dispute, claim, chargeback, or reversal
> on the transaction.
> We may release the hold earlier if:
> * The buyer leaves you positive feedback on eBay
> * We confirm that the item was delivered
> Learn more about the PayPal policy for payment holds for eBay items.
> Seller Protection:
> Eligible for protection for items not received
Ebay and the golden rule?
I have not used Ebay recently, so my comments may be outdated. All in all, I have been as happy with the fifty or so Ebay transactions I have had as I have been with using other businesses like KEH.com for example.
I have bought and sold items on Ebay and with more expensive items have been able to return them without difficulty, some very inexpensive poor condition items I purchased were thrown into the trash bin upon receiving them, as the time and mail charges did not warrant my effort to return them. I have been lucky to have no problems with buyers.
What I have always been struck by as a seller is the great feedback that I receive, sometimes through EBay's system and sometimes through personal emails after the sale. They gush about the condition of the product they bought being better than described, the attention to packaging before I ship the product, the promptness in my shipping, etc.
I say this because I think the majority of problems are not due to Ebay as they are with the buyers and sellers which are not being as fair as we are; however, this seems more an issue with morality than with Ebay.
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