It might be the belief that these companies are not linked but be advised, they are. They have to be a pair of the most corrupt companies on the web. Like Face ache and others they lie consistently and have absolutely no way of contacting them so after 30 years of use it's time to give them the order of the large boot into the weeds, both of them. It is far easier to order directly from companies and sell to them than go through the pain of dealing with Ebay and their tame paymasters, Paypal. It's bye, bye time

 

They have had a long time associating "working" together. About 6 months ago, my wife started getting all this paypal stuff in her email (she doesn't have it!) saying that her account is all setup and blah blah. It took forever to get through to someone to get it straightened out. Apparently someone with her same/similar first and last name (and similar email address) opened an account but PP thought it was my wife.

Just going through all that crap, i unlinked all my accounts from PP but still have it so that people can send me money

Ebay has always sucked and their fees are stupid high -- i dont know how anyone sells anything anymore and still make a profit.

 

I've been a member of eBay since June of 1999. Back in the beginning I sold exotic tubes for high end audio gear. Back in those days the community was pretty small and most sellers didn't even post photos of their items. I have to say, I never had any issues. However, I would never want to be involved with any electronic gear on eBay today what with all the fraud that takes place.

It's getting worse everyday just selling used Land Rover gear. eBay's return policies have become so easy to game that in the last few weeks I had three different buyers return items that weren't mine! Yes, they took delivery of the item they purchased from me, installed it in their truck, requested a return (most common in fraud situations like this are "buyers remorse" like "I no longer need the part" or "I changed my mind), packed their broken part in a box (some without any packaging for protection) and sent it back for a full refund!

Now, you may ask how I knew the parts that were returned weren't mine? Simple, really, I inconspicuously mark items I ship to eBay customers with a unique marker. That way, the minute I open the return shipment I know what I'm dealing with.

Do you think eBay cares about any of this? Of course not. I had to take to twitter and facebook to shame eBay into covering all three fraudulent returns. I would happily forfeit my Top Rated Seller ranking for a little more security when it comes to returns but that's not going to happen any time soon. Fraud is on the rise, especially in instances of "buyer remorse" and eBay refuses to even acknowledge the problem. I have to agree with Saturnine about making a profit. eBay is build on a model exemplified by the "race to the bottom" and is attracting more and more unscrupulous buyers. Yes, there are plenty of bad sellers but buyers have so much more protection than sellers, you'd have to be pretty foolish to lose money to a bad seller.

I have been a PayPal member from the beginning and haven't really had many run ins with them. Do I wish their fees were a little lower, of course, but otherwise, I don't really have a lot to bitch and moan about with them.

 

X1 ........ likewise Paul, there are so many fraudsters on Ebay these days whereas in the outset they were genuine sellers shedding their new or used wares. It is now mandatory to check a vendors feedback (which of course can easily be fiddled) for negatives regarding one's intended purchase. Now due to their horrendous fees on Ebay I have found it is often more prudent to buy directly from a company online vendor rather than risk Ebay as most take Paypal etc directly. If I total my losses on Ebay they probably amount to less than $150 over the many, many years but there is an increase in the people posting total rubbish sold as 'top quality'. As for purchases via Ebay, I will diminish my involvement from here on out but retain Ebay merely as a useful back up.

 

I would think, in the exercise of due diligence, a buyer would automatically take a look at a seller's feedback before entering into a transaction. Given that caveat, I do think we're in a world where an extra click is a bridge too far for some. The mobile app eBay offers is egregious in its design. The seller info is obscured and the descriptions require additional clicks, the horror!


[quote=OffroadFrance;647623]Now due to their horrendous fees on Ebay I have found it is often more prudent to buy directly from a company online vendor rather than risk Ebay as most take Paypal etc directly.

I'm confused. Do buyers in Europe face fees for making their purchases? Here in the US the seller is the one who pays all the final value fees. Hell, most sellers (Top Rated ones at the very least) pick up the cost of shipping as well. What fees do you incur as a buyer in Europe? International transactions represent about 15% of my total sales. Aside from the cost of shipping and any customs fees, I don't think my buyers also face eBay or PayPal fees but maybe I'm wrong.


If, over the years, your losses (and I don't know what exactly qualifies as a loss) on eBay amount to less than $150 then I'd say that's on par with buying bad fruit at the local market.

 

The problem is Paul that vendors charge their fees into the final cost whereas it's less hassle and more prudent to now buy directly from companies rather than the hassle of Ebay and their rules and regs.

I have taken the plunge this evening and told them to FO after 30+ years of membership. Maybe I should have done this years ago as they are now a real drag to deal with.

 

Ebay has been around for 30 years?

 

....it's the wine

 

In vino veritas?

 

eh.. 23.. 30 years.. it's all the same..

... I think Al Gore started it when he invented the internet