eBay screws sellers. Again.

Any top rated sellers here? Just got an email from eBay...we'll now have to accept 14-day returns AND process all orders within a day or else we lose our 20% commission discount. You know...because eBay buyers don't already have enough ways to fuck sellers, now they get an extra 14 days in which to do it! But eBay is allowing us to upload pics for free now so we're supposed to be overjoyed!!!

• I've gone through a lot of shit selling on that site the last few months. It took 4 months for me to finally get my money as soon as people paid and not having to wait 2 weeks and ship everything out first. Then after 3 weeks they say my seller rating is low and have restricted me again. Meanwhile my feedback is 100% No complaints, zero returns. I finally said fuck it and gave up.

• We're sure come a looooooong ways since the early days of eBay. You know, when they weren't tyrants trying to control absolutely EVERY aspect of a transaction? If they're such control freaks they should just sell all the shit themselves.

• I used to sell on eBay, haven't since they started the shitty feedback star rating sliding charge thing. They are so greedy and out of touch, I think the only sellers left are mass distributors of fake antiques, cheap electronics and a few small time hangers on from the good old days. Like most anything anymore, once they made it to the big time, the people that made the company popular and a good thing get screwed. It's full of scammers and liars.

• I have 100% positive feedback, but don't sell enough to be a power seller. I sell mostly CDs, so naturally I don't accept returns. (In Apu voice: I'm not a lending library!) I guess this means I'll never qualify for the 20% discount. Expecting a power seller with a one-man operation to process all orders in 24 hours is a bit much. I think their motivation, however, is the megasellers who often take days to ship. That extra 20% from them will really add up. At this point eBay is still better than a garage sale, but only marginally so.

• ebay sucks. the fucking shipping costs more than the items - it's a rip off, and known to be the number one fence of stolen goods in the world. fuck them.

• I've just started buying on eBay because I now have a dog and can get stuff like poop bags and pee pads in larger quality and for less. I use to avoid eBay like the plague . I always knew it was a shitty site but now I'm sucked in.

• It's great for a buyer. Pure hell for a seller.

• [quote]Any top rated sellers here? Just got an email from eBay...we'll now have to accept 14-day returns AND process all orders within a day or else we lose our 20% commission discount. You know...because eBay buyers don't already have enough ways to fuck sellers, now they get an extra 14 days in which to do it! But eBay is allowing us to upload pics for free now so we're supposed to be overjoyed!!! Is this for ALL sellers or just top-rated ones? Because I sell the occasional thing on eBay, but not very often and if I have to go through all that shit then forget it. Speaking of eBay, I used to buy on there all the time in the 2000's, but the last two or three years I've barely bought anything on there because most of the stuff I can get on Amazon brand new for the same price or cheaper AND get free shipping. It rare that I find a better deal on eBay these days.

• I sell stuff on Craig's List now. It works for me because I'm in a huge metropolitan area and can meet buyers in person to exchange goods and cash. Only if I don't sell there would I go to eBay.

• [quote]I used to sell on eBay, haven't since they started the shitty feedback star rating sliding charge thing. What's this feedback star rating sliding charge you speak of? I haven't sold anything on there in over a year, so I'm out of the loop.

• OP, didn't you post something similar just a couple of months back? Jesus, why are you still using them if they irritate you so? I haven't used fucking ebay since around 2005. Why anyone would still have a monetary relationship with them is beyond me. Let it go OP. Just punch and delete.

• R8 It's just for top rated sellers who currently receive 20% off their monthly eBay fees. For me personally this amounts to about $500/year in savings. I refuse to offer a 14-day return policy though knowing what could potentially come of it so I guess I'll be losing $500/year! Perhaps I'll just jack my prices up to make up for it. I have no problem shipping things out the next day, but for eBay to strong-arm me into accepting returns when they ALREADY give buyers all the power to begin with is absolute bullshit. Even if you put in your ad "NO RETURNS" eBay still forces you to take them if a buyer files a case...and of course we all know what happens with Paypal disputes. So what gives? Why even pretend to give us an option??

• [quote] I refuse to offer a 14-day return policy though knowing what could potentially come of it so I guess I'll be losing $500/year! What are you selling?

• R11 I don't believe I posted a few months ago? I could be wrong, but I know I'm not the only person pissed at eBay! And I really find it insulting the way they alway spin these things by first telling us how they're doing us a huge favor (giving us free pics!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!) and then hit us with the REAL changes (the ones that benefit THEM).

• The early days of eBay (1999-2002 for me) were really fun for buyers. It was buyer-friendly without going draconian on the poor sellers. Sellers were actual people and not drop-shippers, online retailers, or saturated with cheap Chinese knock-offs. It was less bureaucratic. The prices were fair. I found collectible items I wouldn't otherwise find. Now, most of what is on ebay can easily be bought elsewhere and much cheaper. What I liked most back then was that it felt like the sellers were collectors who were just unloading things they didn't want anymore; or small-time sellers who weren't expecting to make a living off of what they were doing. Now, people are expecting to make a living off of it and ebay knows this. They know they can push sellers and there would nothing they can do about it because they still have to make a living.

• r11, has it ever occurred to you that maybe OP makes his living (or supplements his income) selling on eBay? If that is the case, how can he just "punch and delete?"

• I've had a couple awful experiences selling on eBay the past couple years, to the point that I've taken a break while some retaliatory feedback clears the rating system. I believe eBay wants to clear out the smallest of sellers completely by making it miserable for us. Why? Dunno. I'll probably avoid them completely from now on.

• eBay to me is like AOL. They once dominated their markets, but people have moved on to better models.

• {quote]but people have moved on to better models. What are some alternatives?

• R13 I sell a number of things, but mainly nutritional supplements. You can probably imagine how a 14-day return policy could backfire on me, especially given the nature of some eBay buyers. I sell a few other items as well that could be potentially used for a short period of time and then returned in a condition that would not be resalable. I'm just not doing it!

• But in practice, how many buyers actually request a refund?

• R20 What's your ebay ID if you're willing to share? I buy nutritional supplements all the time. I'd gladly give a datalounger the business.

• What are some ebay alternatives besides Amazon marketplace or Craig's List? I'm short on cash, needing to move this year and want to sell some items w/o having a garage sale where no one wants to spend more than $1-$19 on stuff. I'm talking recent hardcover books, clothes w/ tags on, etc., mid-century housewares. I sold one big-ticket item on ebay last February. eBay fees and the Paypal fees were so nickel and diming (Paypal held onto payment money for a month) that I don't want to go that route again.

  Anonymous

• Can someone explain the fees? I'm thinking of selling a $7,000 - 8,000 ring. Thanks

• Most cities now have multiple Facebook groups to sell in your local area. I love them. Better than eBay or Craigslist. I have sold several things for twice what I thought I could get for them. Search buy/sell/trade and your cities name.

• I'm a power seller, but I can't possibly offer a one day shipping option. One of the things I sell is original art that I don't varnish and frame until it's sold. That takes two full days to dry. So how am I supposed to ship in one? I used to have fun selling and buying, but now it's drudgery. Most of what's available is just fake shit, and they make it very difficult to sell.

• The next time I receive broken merchandise, poorly packed, and can't reach the seller, or are told it's my problem, or receive crap that is not in the promised condition, or receive something 10 days late, I'll think of you all and weep.

• How dare eBay expect you to function like an actual store in the real world that accepts returns. [quote]I sell mostly CDs, so naturally I don't accept returns So if you sell bad warped CDs, the buyer is out of luck? Yeah it's easy to see why sellers had to be forced to do what is right. Sellers on eBay scammed so many buyers it drove them away. You sellers have no one to blame but yourself.

• [quote]I'm talking recent hardcover books, clothes w/ tags on, etc., mid-century housewares I'd list the books on Amazon. For the clothes, and maybe the housewares, I'd look for a good consignment store. If you don't find one that prices items appropriately, consider Craigslist.

• Ebay moved to bigger things but yet prevents other online auction ventures to take over the market that made ebay what it is now.

• I collect Movie Soundtracks and Broadway cast albums. I used to eBay them but at Amazon I can get a used CD (going to digitize them anyway) for one penny plus $2.99 shipping immediately where the same CD on eBay will be $8 or $9 plus shipping and I have to wait for the auction to end.

• You use eBay. Oh how could you? What if an item you bought had the bed bugs? Or the AIDS? Or what if someone had an unwashed arm pit and put a shirt on. Oh gross

• Do something like this:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DIOwTAiat1vg

• I have 100% Feedback rating. I haven't sold anything in a month. I get this in my inbox this morning. "We're writing to let you know that your performance record as a seller was below the minimum performance standard required of all eBay sellers. As a result, your search placement will be lowered and selling limits will be placed on your account until your ratings improve. Also, funds from your sales may show as pending in your PayPal account and be unavailable for a period of time to allow for successful fulfillment."

  FUCK YOU, Ebay.

• you are not now on 14 days return policu - you got brand new 45 "return for free" buyer protection - so if i need a tools to fix my boat - i will say it was incorrect to seller description ... and free rental on ebai begins...

  magtic

• Yea ebay is not what it used to be.

• eBay just isn't what it used to be, for both buyers and sellers. I only buy off eBay maybe 3 times a year now and I haven't sold anything in a few years because of the listing fees and the large chunk they take if you make a sale.

• R34, I think that's because of the star system. Unless you get five stars in all five categories, it counts against you. As a buyer, I hate the star system. If I've written a seller an excellent notice, why do I have to star-rate them, too?

• What R15 said.

• I've just gone several rounds with eBay over buyers returning items that I know they've used and received the value. I even had one suggest I could just cancel the transaction after I got the item back so that I didn't have to pay the final value fee. Meanwhile, PayPal refunded another customer entirely because he said the item did not match the description. No questions asked, just gave him the money back. I'm out the cost of the item plus shipping. But, when I got into online commerce, I made several mistakes that cost me far more, so I guess it's live and learn. The customer is not always right, and you don't have to do business with him again. Just keep in mind that it says more about you than the buyer if you rack up a list very long.