Is the penny finally starting to drop for eBay?

mellowsun

You could argue that the current system is designed to purge the site of hobby sellers and only make it viable for the box shifters, but will these changes make a difference?

Perhaps they are now modifying their 'buyer is always right, even if fraudulent' stance 

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/may/21/ebay-accused-failing-sellers-buyers-manipulate-system-protection

ICBM

About time. But it will take more than that to make me even consider selling again.

octatonic

ICBM said:

About time. But it will take more than that to make me even consider selling again.

Agree.
It simply isn't worth the risk.

Flink_Poyd

About 10 years ago they had a purge on accounts because of the amount of fake stuff that was being sold, this was the start of the gradual shift towards cleaning the site up and moving towards the bigger retailers. Ever since then they have slowly eroded the rights of the seller in favour of the buyer which has essentially shifted the scammers from being sellers into dodgy buyers. They then bought Paypal to get everyone by the bollocks and control every aspect of the sale. Like many others Ive had funds and accounts frozen when Ive done nothing wrong and had to go through the shitstorm of eBays "customer service" to get my money released. I only sell stuff I can afford to lose on there nowadays, the risk of pissing off a buyer by something completely trivial is so great that it just doesn't warrant the effort any more.

Moe_Zambeek

Too little too late, I hope.

57Deluxe

I have fallen foul of this manipulation by fraudulent buyers and lost 2 ebay accounts. No amount of irrefutable evidence provided did any good and eBay still have the audacity to mail me telling of the weekend no fees selling promotions even though I have given the mouthful at their arrogance and inefficiency.

stickyfiddle

I don't think ebay give a shit and I don't think that article will make any difference. 

It was fantastic in its early days but now I look forward to its demise.

57Deluxe

I took advantage of this high profile published article to ask them to re-evaluate my account which I was similarly victised by these actions, I got the following response withing seconds! ie - an auto reply regardless of the original content!

++
I wish to enter into dialogue with ebay regarding how fraudulent buyer activity by manipulating ebay buyers protection cost me my right to sell on my account. I wish to do this in view of the recent Guardian newspaper article and ebay's admission that this has indeed been prevalent since its seller protection policy inception. I supplied much evidence for similar actions against me since Dec 08 and they were ignored and overlooked. I feel that in light of this being finally given a public voice and ebay admitting this and that I have otherwise have a long history of a responsible ebay purchaser/account holder, that I should be given a chance to prove that I am indeed an equally responsible seller and a typical VICTIM of manipulated buyer protection abuse.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/may/21/ebay-accused-failing-sellers-buyers-manipulate-system-protection

eBay Immediate response:

Your question about the selling restriction on your account - SR# 1-115524435xxx

Hello

Thanks for contacting us about the selling restriction on your account.

We carefully reviewed your account and determined that it doesn't meet our minimum seller performance standards. For this reason, your account is permanently restricted from selling.

For details on your selling history and performance, please visit your seller standards dashboard at:
http://www.sps.ebay.co.uk/sd/sdrefresh

If you recently sold items, be sure to post them promptly. You can still use My eBay to see your sales and get in touch with your buyers. You can also buy and bid on items as usual.

Registering new accounts or using other existing accounts to avoid this selling restriction isn't allowed.

We know this may not be the response you were expecting, but we hope you understand our decision. We appreciate your cooperation.

Regards,

eBay Customer Service

stickyfiddle

@57Deluxe That's just a stock reply from the look of it. May have even been triggered completely automatically after a keyword search. 

Welcome to Customer Service 2017...

Heartfeltdawn

mellowsun said:

You could argue that the current system is designed to purge the site of hobby sellers and only make it viable for the box shifters, but will these changes make a difference?

Perhaps they are now modifying their 'buyer is always right, even if fraudulent' stance 

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/may/21/ebay-accused-failing-sellers-buyers-manipulate-system-protection

The real problem for Ebay has been the rise of the app. As followers of the JC saga will know, it's simply too easy to get on there and cause some mayhem. The Ebay decision to charge fees on postage and to push for free postage as much as possible really kicked off the scamming. Why is this a problem? Because sellers large and small will go for the cheapest postage possible. Frequently this will be proof of postage only or a less than excellent signed for method. With the Ebay policy as it is regarding proof of delivery, this allows scammers such an easy get-out clause. 

The ease of which scamming can be conducted is then made even worse by the shitty nature of Paypal. Again, because it's been made easy to use, it's easy to abuse. 

As I've said elsewhere, I remember the system in 2002 when you joined Ebay. You'd supply bank details and they'd place a small payment into your account with a reference code that you then used to validate your account. It's ridiculous that I've suffered more dodgy sellers and buyers  in the last three years than I ever did in all the years I was on there when you'd get people paying with cheques, postal orders, and sometimes even cash in an envelope. 

TheMarlin

I've stopped selling there. It's just not worth the hassle. 

57Deluxe

email grievances directly to ebay CEO here:

rob.hattrell@ebay.com