eBay

5baydave · ‎07-09-2020

Yet again I have sold an item only for the winning bidder to not pay. They state:

"I am sorry to tell you.
Is it possible to cancel the transaction?
Deeply apologize !"

This continues to happen and as sellers we have no recourse.

When I contacted eBay (for the nth time) about this, the suggestion was to modify my buyer requirements (which I've already done, but do nothing when a seller has some positive feedback).

As sellers we have no recourse. Yes, an unpaid strike is placed against the buyer, but it's not visible. No one sees it. It is essentially useless as seller protection.

Approximately 1 out of my 5 sales result in a buyer not paying. No, it's not the end of world, but it costs time and money and the same buyer will continue to do this. All in all, it's frustrating as a seller and eBay does not care.

I'm wondering if others share this same concern enough to push eBay to reinstate the ability for sellers to leave negative feedback for buyers. Or, alternatively have some means to block non-paying bidders?

Thoughts?

cashvaluerecovery2011 · ‎07-10-2020

Now imagine if sellers could at least flag these accounts as those that return incomplete merchandise and you could block bidders with 2 or more of these flags. Its not about shaming its about protecting us but ebay gets paid on sales. Even if you get screwed and ebay refunds the fvf....they still made profit on the shipping. Ebay would lose many figures if these scam transactions got stopped before completion. Conflict of interest 101.

prettywoman-2012 · ‎07-10-2020

@gwzcomps wrote:
Seller feedback is borderline useless. Even if I do a deep dive into a seller's feedback I still pick the wrong people to buy from.

I agree. It could be errant in both directions. I have purchased items from sellers with 100% feedback rating and was not too happy with the service - while also purchased from 99.3% feedback sellers, and loved the item and the shipping was great, too.

Because so many (mostly, Mega-sellers) get their neg. feedback removed by eBay now, it is really not that relevant. Buyers being "extra cautious" may also deprive themselves of a wonderful item they would have gladly worn or used otherwise, but which they did not buy because the Ms. Marple voice in them talked them out of purchasing it.

I just go with my gut feelings as a buyer, and most of the time, I was right - give or take a few rare exceptions.

PW🐿

eburtonlab · ‎07-10-2020

@prettywoman-2012

It could be errant in both directions. I have purchased items from sellers with 100% feedback rating and was not too happy with the service - while also purchased from 99.3% feedback sellers, and loved the item and the shipping was great, too.

The numbers themselves are often arbitrary; a good seller with few recent sales and a single negative can have a bad percentage that would otherwise be disqualifying for a high-volume seller. And there are certainly plenty of scammers with 100% ratings because their victims have not yet realized they have been scammed.

Nonetheless, the overall pattern in the feedback often tells the story.

The low-volume antique seller that has 95% feedback because of one shipment that "arrived late", but otherwise has spotless selling feedback stretching back five years is still a good bet to buy from. A seller with dozens of negatives that are offset by thousands of positives can be a good seller, provided the negatives do not indicate some critical flaw (such as selling knock-offs), or some recent trend indicating that the seller is unable to keep up with the demands of selling.

The 100% account that only has feedback for selling key-chains for six months, but is suddenly now selling dozens of Amazon Fire Sticks is not a good bet, and is likely a scam. And the 100% account that previously only had feedback for buying doll clothes which is suddenly selling industrial welders, drone cameras, bicycle motor kits and ergonomic gaming chairs has quite obviously been hijacked, even if there are recent positive feedback ratings from single digit feedback accounts that are almost certainly part of the scam.

Perhaps if eBay allowed more than 90 days worth of a seller's past listings to be shown, feedback might not be as necessary. In many cases feedback is the only real clue to a seller's past behavior. Looking at feedback is the best way to tell when a seller changes behavior drastically, or is just not consistently reliable to begin with.

Feedback will not tell you which sellers are the best, but it can certainly show you which sellers are best avoided.

mam98031 · ‎07-10-2020

@cashvaluerecovery2011 wrote:
Incorrect. Fb groups publicly announce dead beat buyers and scammers. Its why some the best groups i sell in require your face as an avatar that matches a drivers license on file. A bad seller is blacklisted as fast as a bad buyer. Either are kicked off quickly and reputation follows you.

By far the cleanest , happiest, easiest selling experience i have now.

While you are right its fewer and fewer. Its incorrect to say there are none.

As a seller I don't have the time or inclination to do anything like that. If it works for you, I think that is terrific. Unless someone is investigating [independent] each of the allegations of bad behavior by a buyer, anyone can still say anything whether it is true or not. But like I said, if it works for you, that is great.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

cashvaluerecovery2011 · ‎07-10-2020

It works for me to the tune of close to 400k. I assure you the "time" you dont have to waste is easily paid for in sales and margins. I was sceptical at first as well until i realized its where like minded people, sellers and buyers, left to do their own thing without the tyrannical overlords.

Today alone $1350 in coins. Boombox $40 net profit. Espresso machine $38 net. Outdoor pet cage $76 net. The 1350 in coins is $422 net.

Ebay so far today 4 sales for $78 cost of $42. Fees and shipping $24. Net profit $12 on $78 in sales. Insanity i work harder here for the lowest margins and weakest protection.

mam98031 · ‎07-10-2020

@cashvaluerecovery2011 wrote:
It works for me to the tune of close to 400k. I assure you the "time" you dont have to waste is easily paid for in sales and margins. I was sceptical at first as well until i realized its where like minded people, sellers and buyers, left to do their own thing without the tyrannical overlords.

Today alone $1350 in coins. Boombox $40 net profit. Espresso machine $38 net. Outdoor pet cage $76 net. The 1350 in coins is $422 net.

Ebay so far today 4 sales for $78 cost of $42. Fees and shipping $24. Net profit $12 on $78 in sales. Insanity i work harder here for the lowest margins and weakest protection.

Nope, not worth my time. Clearly you have more significant issues with buyers than I do. I have a few issues from time to time, on my accounts here and on other sites, but in total not worth doing as you do. I am however glad it helps you.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

inhawaii · ‎07-10-2020

I'd rather see a petition to do away with managed payments.

Papa Was A Rolling Stone - The Temptations

nkpina2014 · ‎07-12-2020

@wesk_36 wrote:
"Yes, an unpaid strike is placed against the buyer, but it's not visible. No one sees it. It is essentially useless as seller protection."

Sellers can block buyers with two or more of these unpaid strikes, so it's not totally useless.

On the other hand, I lean towards those that ask; Show me a store that rates buyers.

I agree with you in theory, bad behavior, scammers, and dishonest buyers are able to hide behind 100% positive feedback. Ebay will never change it back because they are afraid that they would lose buyers.

Stores frequently rate buyers, especially online. See this article: https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/investigations/companies-are-rating-you-and-those-rat...

Of course, they do so surreptitiously. The most obvious examples are loyalty rewards or points schemes, which aren't that hidden. Airlines are notorious for this, and your rating can affect whether you get free upgrades or not. Hotel industry is another big example here. Cable/Internet/Cell Phone companies use a different tact by luring you with offers like "we'll pay your current contract off or cancellation fee" - but the fine print is usually up to $X amount. What you've given your new company is insight into what type of customer you'll be, and how much you're willing to pay for a bill while simultaneously converting to THEIR service. It's win-win for them because you handed them your rating on a silver platter.

Lastly - your credit score. It's literally credit card companies rating you as a customer. While they aren't a single store per se, one could argue entire industries such as automobile dealerships and real estate represent an oligarchy as a single, unified store. If you have bad/poor credit, you aren't moving into a new house easily, and your terms will be highly unfavorable - regardless of which bank or real estate agent you choose. That's based entirely on your customer rating.

But I'm just playing Devil's Advocate, here. These types of ratings are done by REALLY BIG PLAYERS, not by small sellers on Ebay. Small sellers giving buyers ratings simply won't work. It might make a seller feel good momentarily by dinging a buyer, but we all the know the truth; buyers hold all the power since they are the ones with the money. And it's easy enough to simply create a new buyer account for free.

muttlymob · ‎07-12-2020

@5baydave wrote:

I'm wondering if others share this same concern enough to push eBay to reinstate the ability for sellers to leave negative feedback for buyers.

It's been 12 YEARS.

Not going to happen.

@5baydave wrote:
Or, alternatively have some means to block non-paying bidders?

That already exists.

The block in the Buyer Requirements section of your selling account Preferences is titled: Buyers with Unpaid Item strikes

debbe4ever · ‎07-12-2020

@alcoforever wrote:
You can petition all you like. Ain't gonna happen.

^^ This

prolific_author · ‎10-19-2020

Sorry to hear about this. Every day I use ebay, I hate this commerce platform more and more. It's like ebay got all of the Microsoft and Amazon rejects and put together a bunch of poor coders to slap together lipstick on a pig and put it in front of sellers. The site is so disjointed that it is almost unusable. I harken for the day when Amazon or another company will make ebay keel over and die, but until that day comes, I guess we have no recourse but to use this piece of junk. There is nothing as a seller that you can do. Ebay uses the feedback system to give buyers leverage over sellers. I've petitioned multiple times to have negative or neutral feedback removed. You'd have more luck trying to beat your head against a wall and have the wall collapse.

iart · ‎10-19-2020

I don't agree with most of ebay's changes but this was a good one.

ebay needs buyers, not more sellers. Leaving negative feedback for buyers makes them leave. Maybe you have a legitimate reason for wanting them to leave. But all sellers? We've found just as many sellers who are dishonest as buyers.

Plus, we don't really know (most) buyers until after the sale. So, what's the upside?

arisdisc · ‎10-20-2020

Just my opinion, but I have been selling in here for 21 years and I still disagree with the change to eliminate sellers ability to leave negative feedback.
I have had my share of savvy scammers (you can tell them a mile away just by the way they write) subtly threaten in so many words to get an unwarranted discount or an undeserved adjustment and I usually give in to avoid getting a negative because I don't have any recourse of any kind.
I sell vinyl records. Discogs, a very successful record site that currently does about 12 million pieces a year and growing fast still allows sellers to leave negs and I find it very telling and helpful to browse and see the difference it makes on their site. You can easily see a pattern with a LOT of buyers, not just a few.

I'd feel better if Ebay would reverse the decision of hiding full ID names in feedback of people who are notorious for leaving a LOT of negs - at least that way I could block them before they would try and scam me. If a buyer would write asking why they were blocked, I'd give them the reason and then we could have a civil discussion about it BEFORE anything sh*tty happens and maybe come to a mutual agreement.

To each their own, I guess. But I still wish we had the option to make it a fair playing field.