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Is there an eBay sellers' union?

eBay just deleted one of my listings because they claim it is a copyright violation to sell a a PSP-2000 with just open source emulators and homebrew on its memory stick.

 

I had pictures of what could be done with it, told buyers that they would have to install their own custom firmware and that there were no roms included. PSPs are pretty obsolete so I decided to explain how to use it as a very nice retro gaming machine to attract buyers.

 

eBay deleted my listing anyway. 

 

Now, not a lot of money was involved, but I am suddenly concerned. eBay is essentially a benevolent dictatorship: sellers (and buyers) have no privacy and little recourse if eBay decides it doesn't like what you're selling.

 

Is there any sort of union or other organization of eBay sellers? There really should be, otherwise these management corporados will walk all over people. Management is not always your friend and kowtowing is not always a good strategy.

 

I am seriously considering quitting eBay over this. I mean, it would have been civilized of them to have contacted me with questions and warned or asked me rather than just exert their power. 

Message 1 of 18
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Re: Is there an eBay sellers' union?

Did eBay remove the item, or was it a VERO member who removed the item, it makes a difference.

 

Ebay does at times remove listings by mistake, that said, do not relist it even if you call customer service and they say it's okay to list, that's because eBay's right hand doesn't know what it's left hand is doing, and since they took down the item, their bots will patrol your listings a little more often to make sure you don't list it again, so you are better off finding a different selling venue for the item.

 

If it was a VERO member, you have to contact them and ask why it was taken down, if they give you permission to relist it, you can.

 

I am seriously considering quitting eBay over this. I mean, it would have been civilized of them to have contacted me with questions and warned or asked me rather than just exert their power. 


Ebay has millions of sellers, and to take the time to call and discuss a seller's item that is in danger of being removed, wouldn't be cost effective for them.

 

As you stated, it wasn't a lot of money, so why fight the machine. Think of Ebay as the Borg and you are just one of the collective.

 

Resistance is futile.

 

Message 2 of 18
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Re: Is there an eBay sellers' union?

Howdy All, I know this will sound crazy to a lot of people, but why isn't there a Ebay Sellers Union? Without sellers Ebay would not exist. I've been selling since 2000, back when you could give buyers bad feedback. In thousands of sales, I have only had one bad feedback and that was from a buyer that did not pay.Over the years, Ebay has become more and more for the buyers and less and less for sellers. Ebay always seems to make the sellers the bad guys. I have no problems with Ebay's fees but when they tell me that I have to give the buyer his money back weeks after the sale AND PAY RETURN SHIPPING, it really **bleep** me off. WE need some kind of representation to tell Ebay how we feel and make them realize that without us, they are in an unemployment line. If there was a Sellers Union, how many of you would join? If we had a million members and actually stuck together, we could reform the insanity of Ebay. What would Ebay do if one million sellers agreed not to list anything for one week? Even a couple of hundred thousand sellers would make a difference. If anybody knows about such a Union or can start one, let me know, I will sign up right now. If dues were $10 a week, with a hundred thousand members would mean $ 1 million dollars a week into the Union to press for reform and influence { BUY} Congressional support. Sorry for the {BUY} but we all know this country is run by money and if we want to be heard we have to make our contributions {BRIBES}. I am not smart enough or talented enough to start a Sellers Union, but I know there is someone out there that can. Let your voice be heard! Steve Sims / Deadoralivecycle

Message 3 of 18
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Re: Is there an eBay sellers' union?

PLEASE!!!  I agree completely!!!  PLEASE someone start a union.

annasalcedo55
Message 4 of 18
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Re: Is there an eBay sellers' union?

Hi,

 

I am looking in the matter of forming a Union as Ebay is very unfair to all the selller. A unjust act is unjust no matter it is done to a person or a community. I would like to be in touch with other sellers too. I would like to be in touch with you. 

 

Thanks.

Message 5 of 18
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Re: Is there an eBay sellers' union?

I am also very frustrated by Ebay's unfairness towords sellers. Please contact me so we can look into some options.

 

Thanks.

Message 6 of 18
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Re: Is there an eBay sellers' union?

if a seller gets a none payment  they open a dispute buyer does not want a strike they pay for item break a few  items or if its a single item  and  then send it back under not as described sellers loss on postage out and back pluss broken items if the buyer decides to be kind they will simply return them or they can just not sighn for it it will sit at depo for 30 days and be returnd to seller buyer then simply by passes ebay and gets there mony back via paypal massive massive loop holes in disputes 

 

unhappy customer  or  feed back extortion its a loose loose situation for the seller feed back extortion sickens me and time to time we all deal with them i feel sorry for all sellers as they can extort you and still leave you bad feed back lol lets say your not up for extortion and you dont care about the feed back you did your best now ITS TIME TO SEND THE ITEM BACK again you loose postage cost there and back and whos to say you wont get a parcel back  full of stones 

 

there so many other platforms to sell off so many other avenues  unions wont help ebay are a law  on to them selfs  you cant mess with them  i can say this i use to work in the mobile sector nokia use to be the big gorrila in the room but they stoped paying attention to what was going on and thats when apple came along and destroyed them no one disliked nokia however it seems a load and i mean a lot of sellers dislike the way ebay has been treating them  you willl notice there are loads of platforms comeing up IT WONT BE LONG  BEFORE EBAY SELLERS JUMP SHIP or slowing down there sales as they have othere platforms to sell off ive just  been through a horrifying time with a extorter and ebay also bulling me i have had these problems and last time it happend i started  joining and getting use to selling on other platforms i am supprised  its good the scary part it is change and learning but once you do its great so when i got this problem this time i simply strarted selling more on other platforms and now i wil be ebay free well not complety they are still good realy good to sell on however its not fair even we f bend over backwould for the buyer we get bullid and extorted ripped off and ebay dont just do any thing most likly join in with bulling NOT any more

Message 7 of 18
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Re: Is there an eBay sellers' union?

Hi there,

 

Count us in. I have 3 acccounts 2 high volum account and 1 just for fun and we fed up with eBay. I started on Amazon last Decmber and I am happy there. 

 

Farris

Message 8 of 18
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Re: Is there an eBay sellers' union?

Shah, I couldn't agree more.  I just had three- THREE problem auctions in a row.  One of them I more or less resolved, but the other two I basically got screwed on.  I contacted ebay expecting some help......three week later and nothing.  I've been on ebay for roughly 16 years, been selling for about 15.  I"m not a high volume seller but I do a few thousands dollars in sales a year here. 

Not anymore.  I just pulled down all of my auctions.  Untill ebay decides to start actually tryng to protect it's sellers....you know, the people that actually do the work an make ebay it's money....the auctions that I do post here are going to be very few and far between.

 

I miss when Meg Whiteman was ebay's CEO, she used to look out for us.

Message 9 of 18
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Re: Is there an eBay sellers' union?

Reviving this thread. I'm getting increasingly more irratated with eBay's blatant lack of seller protection and having a "No Returns" policy that of course means nothing at all. Count me in for unionization.

Also, has Amazon been any better for some of you guys who are using it? I might be tempted to switch.
Message 10 of 18
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Re: Is there an eBay sellers' union?

Count me in. I was suspended from ebay for 30 days for listing a flare gun.  My employee copied a closed listing to list this item. My goodness, they're half to blame for this listing.  I really despise that they can decide that a flare gun is a weapon but will let you sell a gun barrel for a hand gun. Where is the logic?

Heres what ebay says about flare guns:  We prohibit flare guns because they fire a projectile and can be used with anti-personnel ammunition that would qualify them as firearms and destructive devices.  

 

ATF excludes flare guns as weapons under this rule: 

  1. Air guns, pellet guns, starter guns and flare guns provided they are not firearms as defined in 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(3) and do not have tear gas dissemination capability.

 

 

Message 11 of 18
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Re: Is there an eBay sellers' union?

EBAY Sellers need a union ! Yes Ebay is so unfair to Sellers
Message 12 of 18
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Re: Is there an eBay sellers' union?

Just had a "customer" make offer on item, pay for accepted offer -but then changed mind a few hours later. This was Sunday night. Trying to provide good service I shipped item off with others on Monday morning after looking at my "awaiting shipping" screen. I was in a hurry and didn't look at my messages until the next day but this buyer had sent message saying he didn't want the item that he had made an offer on, and paid after I accepted his offer. This was a non-returnable item (a Wink home automation hub, brand new in sealed retail box). Before he even received it he initiated a not-as-described dispute and was threatening me with negative feedback. I didn't approve the return through FEEbay but told customer if it was sealed he could send it back. I was away for a few days when the item arrived and he filed with ebay and, of course won his case (he's the customer and even though he said item was defective before he received it, eBay finds in his favor) -So now I have a strike against me after I let this creep send item back, FEEbay will keep their 10%, I'm out the shipping & like an idiot, I even refunded the buyer 50% of return shipping!
The biggest **bleep** about this is that this was an eBay member with like 1200 feedbacks! He should know better!
I'm not a full time FEEbay seller -I buy some stuff cheap when I can and sell on eBay. I have a life outside of ebay and I have to travel for work. I work in agriculture and can be off-grid for several days at a time. I have my shipping covered when I'm away but don't have email surgically attached to me. WHen I sell an item listed as not returnable -especially something new in box that is exactly what is listed by the UPC code, there should be no reason for a return. I don't get it. If I buy something by mistake I don't go whining to FEEbay. Instead I would re-list it and take a little loss rather than expecting some seller to pay for my stupidity -but that's just me. I have some empathy for my fellow FEEbay sellers. Too many people do not.
And FEEbay is only out to pacify the buyer. They don't care that their rules are completely biased against the seller. A seller's union would be the answer. Representation for sellers as a group. Mandated policy changes. protection for the guys that sell a few thousand dollars a year as well as those that sell 100K per month & more.
I think I sold my first item on FEEbay in 1998. It was a much better community back then -and I think the company was more profitable! Then Meg W. left and the other **bleep** took over. Wanted to be Amazon or Wal-Mart. eBay is NOT a community these days -It's a Rat-Race! The sellers pay the inflated commissions but are not represented by eBay at all. Unscrupulous customers can cheat sellers at will and FEEbay does nothing!

Message 13 of 18
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Re: Is there an eBay sellers' union?

Is there any traction on creating an eBay Sellers Union???

 

Last summer eBay had a blunder that they admitted to and deleted millions of photos on active listings.  I had over 2,300 active listing and a bunch of those were affected. eBay apologize (after a week of avoiding their fault) and gave a $20 credit toward the next months store subscription.

 

I literally had to spend over 400 hours trying to the original photos or retaking photos. TIME IS MONEY and do to an eBay admitted technical glitch, over 400 hours was taken from me.

 

I used to use eBay's Turbo Lister, but eBay persuaded me to use their Store's Inventory feature.  I used to host my own web photos, but eBay outlawed that practice.  Then they have a glitch that loosed millions of photos and the seller are responsible for the expense of cleaning up the mess eBay made!

 

Seriously, how does a company get away with that much incompetence and not be made responsible for the damage they do?

 

We need an eBay Seller Union or at least a Class Action Lawsuit company that will make eBay more accountable for they business practices and technical incompetence!

 

That is my RANT!

Message 14 of 18
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Re: Is there an eBay sellers' union?

We need some kind of seller protection because eBay is not giving it to us anymore. Time after time buyers are  Bidding and not following through on their purchases. 

Message 15 of 18
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