It's Time to Verify Sellers

[9ahau]

It's time for eBay to have some verification process that sellers have what they publicly claimed to have for sale. This nonsense of having people coming on their site and listing things they don't have is killing the spirit of online shopping...even Amazon started following suit.

Online shopping must follow the law and the essence of the Uniform Commercial Code...

Yet, when buyers who already paid and has not gotten their item  call eBay or have eBay call them after the buyer securely logs in to have eBay call...are greeted with so much verify process, its sickening...

[redlinear]

Wonder if could be somehow mandatory that the shipping label must originate on eBay, and from the seller's IP address??   (up to a certain weight or ??)

Dumb idea I'm sure, but then again, if I worked for eBay and threw out a dumb idea.....they would implement it immediately!  LOL  

[brightlightbookseller]

IP Addresses for most people change semi-regularly.  Also, some people use VPNs or log in to public wifi to handle some things.  It would be a nightmare to use IP Addresses exclusively.

[chevymontecarlo88]

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@evry1nositswindy wrote:

Any thoughts on exactly how this can be done @9ahau ?  There are policies in place to rid eBay of bad sellers and there are policies in place to rid eBay of bad buyers as well.  Buyers have more protections than sellers do, so I really don't see the issue.  You have no need to call eBay (nor can you), but you have the 30 money back guarantee, but if abused, it becomes null and void.  

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Maybe a third party company like what the BBB (Better Business Bureau)  was for retail stores years ago. A registry of verified sellers. Ebay does have many protections for buyers and I think for the most part they do their part as a platform. However there are some grey areas that cause some issues with new items. Many sellers list Brand New items that do not qualify for manufacture warranty's. They are not approved dealers/sellers from the manufacture/distributors. If buyers have issues after the 30 days and need to contact the manufacture about warranty, many times they are not covered. Maybe there should be another category that points out the Sellers are Authorized Dealers (of certain products) or not.

[luckythewinner]

For those who just want to argue on checking a buyer's profile because you have nothing else better to do, just cracks me up.

I don't think there is any right or wrong approach.

Like a lot of other things in the world today, there are many ways to approach an issue and it is rarely a simple binary choice between "yes  or no" or "red or blue".

I cannot control whether a buyer scams me or not, so I decided to focus on what I could control - how much money I stand to lose if I am scammed.

As I see it, there are three ways I can lose money if a buyer scams me: the initial shipping cost, the item cost, and the return shipping cost.

A decade ago, I began to evolve my business model and my inventory to minimize my exposure if a transaction goes bad. So I decided to migrate toward

• items with low acquisition cost;
• items that are not fragile;
• items that can ship by Media Mail or under 1 lb USPS  Ground Advantage;
• items that can ship using a handful of standard low-cost shipping supplies;
• items that I have no problem refunding without a return.

The irony is that I have not had a return, dispute, or lost or damaged item in ages. But nevertheless, the reward is that I enjoy stress-free selling.

[american-photography]

Are you talking about drop shipping?

Drop shipping is allowed from a wholesaler.

Drop shipping is not allowed from another retailer (like Walmart, Target, etc.) or marketplace (like Amazon, etc.).

If you suspect your seller is drop shipping from another retailer or marketplace, report them.

[chevymontecarlo88]

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@luckythewinner wrote:

For those who just want to argue on checking a buyer's profile because you have nothing else better to do, just cracks me up.

I don't think there is any right or wrong approach.

Like a lot of other things in the world today, there are many ways to approach an issue and it is rarely a simple binary choice between "yes  or no" or "red or blue".

Agreed! That being said to make a blanket statement that it is not necessary or absurd to research your buyers is kind of silly. If you sell books, low value items or bulk i can understand why someone would not want to spend extra time/effort. If you sell high value goods ($1000) it's in your best interest to spend 30 seconds to check. Or even better offer some good customer service by contacting them before and after the sale to ensure the deal stays down. You can't stop fraud completely but you may be able to learn something about the buyer that raise red flags.

Guest Buyers have limited info available which does make them harder to gauge.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

All Ebay categories differ from each other in terms of both buyer and seller fraud rates.

There is little reliable information which you can use to screen for bad sellers, and virtually none to screen out bad buyers.

You can avoid selling items which are more likely to draw bad buyers and buyers can avoid buying stuff which is more likely to be counterfeit or stolen goods.

It requires have a functional brain.

For example, anyone who chooses to buy designer perfumes from an Ebay seller will eventually buy a fake or not receive the item. The Ebay MBG is adequate to deal with those cases.

If you sell Women's Clothing or Auto Parts, you will get returns. Sometimes those returns will be not what you bought or sold. As a buyer, you might find hidden flaws. MBG works for the buyer. The seller needs to eat the loss.

I sell in far fewer categories online than I did 20 years ago. I have good self-preservation instincts. Some people don't. If you are an online seller, the only protection you get is that you provide. Stomp up and down. Post your "it isn't fair" and "ain't it awful" here and on facebook and reddit - it does not change.

I have an order right now, that I cannot find the item. I know it was no sold anywhere else or on Ebay. I had it and there are pictures on the listing. Nothing Ebay could do would predict that I might have to cancel. I am sure this item has a personal link to the buyer. I feel awful about cancelling, but if I cannot find it soon, that is what I will do.

[luckythewinner]

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@chevymontecarlo88 wrote:
Agreed! That being said to make a blanket statement that it is not necessary or absurd to research your buyers is kind of silly. 

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I think when most people post "it is not necessary" what they really mean to say is "I do not find it necessary".

Full disclosure: I have never researched a buyer and probably never will. I do not find it necessary.

[luckythewinner]

Maybe a third party company like what the BBB (Better Business Bureau)  was for retail stores years ago. A registry of verified sellers.

Who would create this third party company, who would run it, and how would they pay for it?

What would be the criteria for establishing that a seller is "verified"? 

How would this third-party company verify that a seller actually has the items he is listing on hand, which was your original complaint?

Simply stating that it should be a third-party company does not explain how they would review and verify 1.5 billion listings.

[gone.c-33]

It takes very few Out of Stock cancellations for eBay to Thanos a seller account.

Unfortunately, this isn’t Minority Report where eBay can sanction sellers before they misbehave.

[chevymontecarlo88]

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@luckythewinner wrote:

Maybe a third party company like what the BBB (Better Business Bureau)  was for retail stores years ago. A registry of verified sellers.

Who would create this third party company, who would run it, and how would they pay for it?

Similar to how the BBB was created and run. I would say it should be heavily regulated by the government. (Just kidding) Private market funded by subscriptions.

What would be the criteria for establishing that a seller is "verified"? 

Membership subscriptions?

How would this third-party company verify that a seller actually has the items he is listing on hand, which was your original complaint?

Was not my complaint nor am i the OP. My point was to concentrate on Sellers rather than the inventory. Except for new items that should be verified, authorized dealers. This system already exists in the world.

Simply stating that it should be a third-party company does not explain how they would review and verify 1.5 billion listings.

Verifying listings would be difficult unless it was a new item that the manufacture/distributor authorizes you to sell. This already exists in retail.

I am spit balling not endorsing. There are systems that authenticate shoes, jewelry and purses, why not for sellers. I thought this was an interesting topic and i added a few off topic ideas for thought.

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[chevymontecarlo88]

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@luckythewinner wrote:

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@chevymontecarlo88 wrote:
Agreed! That being said to make a blanket statement that it is not necessary or absurd to research your buyers is kind of silly. 

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I think when most people post "it is not necessary" what they really mean to say is "I do not find it necessary".

Full disclosure: I have never researched a buyer and probably never will. I do not find it necessary.

I was referring to this statement.....

‎05-01-2024 09:00 AM

Actually, as you've been told repeatedly, most of us see no point in reviewing a buyer's profile before shipping.  They pay, we ship.  This is absurd advice for sellers.

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Of course and i totally understand. When others research and find this post may not understand the context.

Its better not to state absolutes but i do appreciate opinions and related experiences. IMHO

[baantiques]

I wish they would.  I hate doing inventory.

[ten_o_nine]

Only a tiny fraction of sellers fail to maintain accurate inventory, or misplace items, really!

[gamersbaystore]

ebay has a money back guarantee, there is no reason to verify what people are selling. If its not as described, then send it back. If they don't mail it, then file an INR, problem solved.

ebay also doesn't tolerate sellers who can't deliver on their promises, I've watched many get thrown out over the years.

If you make purchases from well established sellers then there should be no problem. ebay publicly states the age of accounts, how many sales they have, along with their feedback.