If there is another stock market crash expect Ebay to go bankrupt and keep your money!
There was a stock market crash about 3 years ago and Ebay stock plummeted to half its previous value. If there is another crash eBay will declare bankruptcy Chapter 11 which means it gets to keep all sellers money that is due. If Ebay owes you $500 you'll never get it. The main reason eBay puts on holds and restrictions is not to protect buyers but rather to make money on interest in bank plus the possibility of declaring bankruptcy chapter 11 and not having to pay anything.
A few years ago, a famous autograph dealer in New York City received very valuable autographs, letters and documents on consignment but declared bankruptcy because he sold some forged letters by Joseph Smith to the Mormon church and it turned to be fake so the Mormon Church sued the dealer and he was forced to go bankrupt. No consigner ever got their items back and received no payments.
thelongball
·5 months agoPretty interesting Analytics'. But I think it needs to be twisted around a bit before anyone will believe you. I think a seller with hardly any sales for a year would be the one who is at risk of bankruptcy before eBay. So yes maybe that's why they hold money so that they don't loose money when the seller files and can't refund the buyers they stiff.
sreu3058
·5 months agoI am sorry about that (sincerely) for John (OP)
I would think if he replied to the negative reviews with the truth apology of hospitalization
it would be helpful…
onefootflipper
·5 months agoJohn could go right back to selling if he wanted to. Those negatives have already timed off his actual rating and they would fall off his "most relevant" feedback front page as well if he just started selling again. Most people are not even going to click through to the feedback of someone with a 5 digit feedback number that also shows 100 percent.
greatstuff80
·5 months agoSo do you think everyone should just stop selling? Ebay is just a hobby for me but many rely on the income. They can't just quit. This appears more like sour grapes.
onefootflipper
·5 months agoJohn got some negatives for not shipping items while he was in the hospital last year and has been unhappy with everything about ebay ever since.
gloryglorygifts
·5 months agoThanks for the warning....
sreu3058
·5 months agoI find it interesting my thread about ‘live sales’ got moved to the ‘social’ forum, but this thread stayed in the ‘selling’ forum.
Wish there were more marketing topics in this forum….
P.S.
Not worried about EBay stocks, not one bit.
vip2054
·5 months agoYes Ebay is having financial problems along with what appears to be serious management problems . Probably why the company has put itself up for sale, as equity investors we follow these types of issues.
gurlcat
·5 months ago@vip2054 🤣 What are you talking about? Show us where eBay is listed "for sale."
funfactorychannel
·5 months agoeBay is on sale on Nasdaq.. As long as they have enough money for a hostile takeover 😂🤣😂
itsjustasprain
·5 months ago@vip2054 : Cite please?
onefootflipper
·5 months agoEbay is a public company, with 90+ percent of the shares held by institutional investors, it is most certainly not "for sale". It generates consistent massive profits every single year and the only people who seem to have problems with the management are the least important people to ebay, the sellers.
We are not important to ebay. Ebay could lose 2/3rds of their sellers tomorrow and the net result would be that they would make more money. Not less. It is buyers that are important to them. An excess of sellers does not create new buyers it only creates additional downward price pressure that lowers ebay's profits.
grann-4629
·5 months agoProbably why the company has put itself up for sale
If they list it on eBay, maybe the fees will be enough to keep them in business.
go-bad-chicken
·5 months ago@john_wade
From the inter web
Price: ~$94.14
52-Week Range: $58.71 - $101.15
Market Cap: ~$42.17 Billion
P/E Ratio: ~21.69
Dividend Yield: ~1.25% - 1.3%
jdbelt1960
·5 months agoIf there becomes a stock market crash, we have more problems than Ebay.
gb58
·5 months agoIf ebays stock was to lose half its value in an economic downturn, best thing to do, if you own ebay stock, or any other companies stock losing value in a downturn for that matter, would be to buy more shares. You'd be buying when the shares are on sale.
Stocks go up and stocks go down. Invest for the long haul, buy on the dips, reinvest your dividends and capital gains, and over time you will do OK.
The stock value and the topic of ebay ever going into chapter 11, have nothing what so ever to do with each other.
onefootflipper
·5 months agoI have been buying Wendy's stock for a while now because it just keeps going lower despite them consistently beating earning estimates and paying a high dividend. That is where the real money is made.
theteamsetguy
·5 months ago@onefootflipper ,
I have a friend who has been buying shares of the Golden Arches (McDonalds) for over 20 years because the dividend increases every year. He has reinvested all of his dividends. I finally took his word and bought some share a few years back. I wish I would have bought much earlier.
bbcardzman
·5 months agoAnother doom and gloom optimist
sin-n-dex
·5 months agoIf eBay goes bankrupt losing $500 will be the least of my worries.
Having to find another platform, start over, earn trust and all that will be paramount.
Sure I don't want to lose $500, but it won't be my biggest problem to solve.
C.
asset_liquidators
·5 months agoThe stock is not the company, and the company is not the stock so yeah, about that...
kensgiftshop
·5 months agoIf you haven't sold anything in a little while, they will hold your funds.
Weren't you the one that had problems before getting orders shipped?
Ebay wants to make sure the buyer receives their item before they release the funds.
onefootflipper
·5 months agoJohn apparently at some point went in the hospital with no backup plan related to his listings, didn't ship anything, didn't shut down his listings and picked up a few negative feedback for it.
However that was over a year ago. He currently has no listings and only one sale in the past 90 days, however he still seems to be extremely concerned with what is happening on ebay, at least I assume he is given the frequency of the threads he starts.
onefootflipper
·5 months agoI don't think you understand how stocks work.
Ebay's stock price is the supposed value of the company, not the amount of money in their bank account. The rising and falling of their stock price does not change their income in the slightest. They also have an extremely large profit margin for a company of their size.
Ebay buys other companies with cash. Ebay does not "declare bankruptcy". They are also the exact sort of company that can almost immediately scale their cash outflow if business drops. If people stop buying trucks then Ford still has all those really expensive factories and pension liabilities and they still have to keep researching the new models and dealing with warranties. However if ebay's business drops, they fire overseas contractors and spend less money leasing server space from other companies.
tarotfindsandmore
·5 months agoPretty sure the OP doesn't understand how ebay works, never mind the stock market.
bonanza125
·5 months agoOP doesn't and they have a history of this pattern.
hartungcards
·5 months ago"If there is another crash eBay will declare bankruptcy Chapter 11 which means it gets to keep all sellers money that is due. If Ebay owes you $500 you'll never get it."
This is due to an annual increase in system activity experienced during this period, which has caused processing delays.
gurlcat
·5 months agoOne of the absolute best documentaries I have ever seen. 10/10 HIGHLY recommended, especially if you have any interest in the antiquities trade (on eBay or not).
christworks
·5 months agoThat full moon from the other night is still having an impact on these boards. 🥜e
grann-4629
·5 months agoWhen I worked in a hospital, whenever there was a full moon the ER would overflow with incoming patients!
grann-4629
·5 months agoThe main reason eBay puts on holds and restrictions is not to protect buyers but rather to make money on interest in bank plus the possibility of declaring bankruptcy chapter 11 and not having to pay anything.
I think the main reason is to allow eBay to make buyers who have been ripped off/scammed whole again with programs like their Money Back Guarantee. They probably make interest also, if allowed by law (they are just holding the money) .
The demise of eBay, like the demise of the Earth has been predicted many times and we're all still here. Relax and enjoy the ride 🤓
mattva
·5 months agoThe demise of eBay, like the demise of the Earth has been predicted many times and we're all still here. Relax and enjoy the ride.
So there is no need to dust off my old shabby robe and the "END IS NIGH" sign?
grann-4629
·5 months agoWell, when I turned 30, they promised me a white robe and all the LSD I could ever consume. Didn't get either .
Hang on to the robe just in case ... 😚
ten_o_nine
·5 months agoMoney held for sellers (such as "Pending" or "Held" funds) is a complex legal area. In many jurisdictions, if funds are held in a clear fiduciary or escrow capacity, they may not be considered "property of the estate" and could potentially be returned to the rightful owners rather than used to pay other creditors.
The primary goal of Chapter 11 is for the business to survive. If a marketplace like eBay were to "keep" all seller money, it would effectively destroy its own business model, as sellers would immediately stop using the platform.
monica-sells
·5 months agoJust when I though this place was getting boring, you posted a "facebook quality" memorandum opining about something that has nothing to do with anything. Thanks for enlightening me.....
grann-4629
·5 months ago... about something that has nothing to do with anything.
I feel like I'm in an episode of 'Seinfeld' ...
gone.c-33
·5 months agoDid the medical episode that prevented you from shipping out items and wrecked your account last year involve a TBI?
inhawaii
·5 months ago@john_wade
Thank you for such insightful topics.
I'm going to add this one to my favorites list:
Is eBay restricting me for 13 months because I'm not a Chinese counterfeiter?
Walking slow through 3 feet of snow may get you negs and restrictions.
Is it legal io buy and sell full grown carrots noses for Snow Men on eBay ?
Can sellers sell a robotic cat that licks its owner?
Why is there no category for books? One of the most collected items in existence.
If seller dies and gets negs for not shipping does Ebay keep the money?
Sellers are being treated like slaves. May get kicked off permanently if they don't sell more.
How many items sold on eBay are the result of kidnapped children and women slave labor?
suzysemporium
·5 months agoThank you. Your favorites list gave me a good laugh. 😂 😂 🤣 🤣
theteamsetguy
·5 months ago@john_wade ,
Absolutely not. As of December 31, 2025 eBay had almost 3 Billion in cash and short term investments like T-Bills on their balance sheet. The 3 Billion is their money not funds held from seller.
According to their cash flow statement eBay generated over 3.5 billion in free cash flow in 2025. They used over 500 million to pay dividends me and fellow shareholders. They used another 2.3 billion to buy back stock. Making mine worth more.
If things got tough they would scale back stock buy backs or reduce the dividends.
itsjustasprain
·5 months agoOh please. Your post-and-run declarations are getting progressively more silly each time.
@john_wade : Stock price is not directly connected to bankruptcy. Stock prices go up and down all the time at companies that just keep chugging along regardless. As long as we keep getting sales we will keep on selling here. Ebay holds our money for barely a day or so once we are clear of the new-or-infrequent seller hold.
Well then - it's a good thing that Ebay does not do sales on consignment - isn't it?
annadryl
·5 months agoThey're holding your funds because you don't sell much, same for everyone. The stock market and some seller that went bankrupt (unrelated) has nothing to do with any of this here.
roccotacodad54
·5 months agoSigh...Eye roll............
stainlessenginecovers
·5 months agoMakes alot of sense....NOT!
Ebay Stock Values since 2015
2015 $30
2016 $28
2017 $34
2018 $30
2019 $36
2020 $50
2021 $66
2022 $45
2023 $41
2024 $62
2025 $87
Now $91
inhawaii
·5 months agoThank you for the information.
I will take the appropriate action .......... which is NOTHING.
luckythewinner
·5 months agoeBay made about $2 billion last year. If the stock price drops, eBay will still make about $2 billion this year.
When stock prices drop, it means that people who have already bought the stock lose money. eBay will remain profitable.
Actually, if the economy is bad I think even more people will be selling eBay items to raise money, and buying eBay items to save money. I woudl expect eBay to do better in a tight economy.
grand-and-glorious-purpose
·5 months agoCan you imagine what CSRs would be like if their stock tanked and shareholders demand cost cutting?
It's terrible now...I mean a lot of the time you're better of with a magic 8 ball than with what a CSR tells you.
house*of*paws
·5 months agoHi @john_wade
Thank you for the information, but I don't think that "expecting eBay to go bankrupt and keeping our money" is something I plan to do just now. 🙂
tarotfindsandmore
·5 months agoPlease explain how this is in any way analogous with ebay. You're comparing a particular dealer (the analog of which would be a seller) to ebay? The Mormon Church was right to sue the dealer, as the dealer assumed responsibility for the collection when he took the collection, in precisely the same way a seller who picks up a collection of something like Pokemon cards does. If that seller sells those cards and they turn out to be counterfeit the seller is responsible, not ebay.
So, what are you talking about? ebay holds funds for a variety of reasons, but established sellers are generally not subject to holds. Personally, I haven't had to wait more than a day for a payment in at least 2.5 years. Yes, I'm small, but several of those single day payouts have been in the 750-1k range (particularly during peak season).
gloryglorygifts
·5 months agoI believe that same Mormon seller got his just dues by sleeping wrong on his writing hand, in prison, and rendering it useless because of the damage done to it.
tarotfindsandmore
·5 months agoOh the irony!! Well I guess he didn't really need it anymore LOL.
God certainly has a sense of humor. 😁
gloryglorygifts
·5 months agoI'm not sure if it was God or karma, but it is the perfect ending to his story. LOL
mtgraves7984
·5 months agoNo consigner ever got their items back and received no payments.
@john_wade
No consigners here... so, it seems like a non-issue to me. 😐