Is it getting worse and worse on eBay
Summary: In a discussion about eBay's challenges with sellers and product descriptions, twk recounts finding a misleading listing for a pewter set falsely advertised as silver plated. This issue of deceptive listings is associated with the use of AI for descriptions, which some participants argue can be misleading. mam98031 notes that sellers have responsibilities, while arraus criticizes eBay’s reliance on AI for violating policies and mentions the competition in sales channels. Many participants argue that both sellers and buyers need to be diligent, with some highlighting the platform's system for money-back guarantees. The discussion also touches on personal experiences with online and physical marketplace shopping.
and no wonder good, decent sellers are having a more difficult time.
As someone from this board once posted, anyone with a credit card can sell on eBay and, boy, that is true. Especially when they use AI to do the description for them.
I came upon this totally by accident and could not believe what the seller was saying, much less selling. They were selling a 5 piece silver plated on pewter coffee set. Okay, you say, what is the problem, well, if you look at the pictures you will see that it is just a Woobury Pewter set and is not silverplated, no way, no how and never had been. I mean REALLY. Totally no clue of what they were selling.
I see tons of art work listed as original oils when they are canvas prints and the seller leave out in the picture the print number so some unsuspecting person will buy it.
My thing is that when someone buys it, has a bad experience it is irrelevant whether they get their money back or not, but they will remember being deceived. Some buyers will get smarter and some will leave.
With all the items listed here it is relatively easy to find out what you want to sell unless it is truly unique and that is few and far between.
I know there are some here that love it because they can score good deals.
I am old and I use to go to the old Maxwell Street Market with my parents in Chicago. Yeah, there was a lot of knock off, junk there, but at least one had a chance to look it over and check it out before deciding if you wanted it or not or if it was what they were telling you it was. You cannot do that on eBay especially with the AI descriptions and poor pictures.
I also sell on eBay and go to great means to describe items and show pictures. I actually wash tablecloths before I put them up for sale, and clean wax out of candlesticks before listing. I am fussy about what I sell and want the buyers experience to be pleasant.
squinkercat59
·1 month agoI remember Maxwell Street too, back in the 1970s. Going to that and other flea markets around the Chicago area was such fun, especially as a teenager looking for cool & groovy stuff to wear. I think it is still going on. But flea markets have changed too. Hard to find the true treasures. Still a source for tube socks and cheap tools, though.
twk
OP1 month agoI have been out of the Chicago area for a long time and I thing Maxwell street was gone by the 1980's. Oh the haggling that went on there. Was so fun to listen to my Uncle when he haggled, he was good at it.
arraus
·1 month ago · Edited@twk
I think the venues that keep it straightforward will win out. Buyers want to browse, buy, and get what they paid for without wading through a bunch of red tape or doing heavy research just to vet the product and seller.
Some might say buyers are responsible for protecting themselves or that eBay shouldn't have to police bad listings. But trust & easy purchasing have always driven buyer retention, and the market is only getting more competitive.
Right now, automated checks are failing at this. Just last week, I reported a listing where the title claimed "925 Sterling Silver" necklaces for $4.95, but the description admitted they were stainless steel. I even reached out to the seller assuming it was an honest typo... it wasn't. When I reported it, the automated decision cleared it with zero way to escalate or get a human to review an obvious policy violation. False advertising gets a pass, and honest sellers take the hit.
twk
OP1 month agoI think what you experienced with the $4.95 alleged sterling necklaces is totally wrong and does leave a bad taste. It also makes it difficult for the seller with the genuine item to sell because of the bad seller's low price.
dhbookds
·1 month agoBuyers have the control........they either don't buy or file cases when stuff doesn't measure up to the descriptions, which eventually will harm bad sellers.... Not a perfect system, but the only one available on a site like this with a billion or more listings.....no way for ebay to police every listing or item.
kibble-net
·1 month agoAnyone can sell here. That's both a blessing and a curse.
How would you feel as a seller if ebay were to require you to complete a more thorough onboarding process, thus denying usage of the platform to 90% of applicants? Yeah, there's no way they're gonna do that. It would be too much of a sacrifice to their bottom line.
So as a buyer, you just need to take some PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY and do some due diligence when you buy. It's really that simple.
bolensparts-360
·1 month agoIf a seller is too lazy to write their own description or take their own photos on their items I wont buy from them . The AI descriptions on old vintage items are a hoot and how a seller approves and lists it is beyond amazing. We still do all our own photos and descriptions I will never lose the human part of what made our business successful.
twk
OP1 month agoI totally agree with you. AI is a hoot. I have always tried to describe my item as if the buyer were somewhat blind as they can not touch the object and sometimes even a multitude of good pics don't show what may be a problem, dent, etc.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 month agoThere have always been sellers who produce listings which are as awful as the one you described. AI is more literate than some Ebay sellers, and does not know less.
What has changed on this site is the odds of a buyer who mistakenly buys a misdescribed item is going to get their money back if they are smart enough to realize they have been cheated, and can follow the simple, automated procedures.
twk
OP1 month agoSo bad sellers are playing the odds that the buyer will just let it go?
eburtonlab
·1 month agoSellers on eBay run the gamut from professional to amateur and everything in between, as well as scammers.
That does not mean that buyers have to treat all sellers the same.
Buyers would be well-served to choose to only to do business with the best sellers, and to avoid new or unproven sellers until they can demonstrate they can deliver what they advertise, or else be prepared to use eBay's generous money back guarantee when problems arise.
There is no real alternative to buyers knowing what they buy and buying what they know.
mam98031
·1 month agoThere is more required to become a seller on Ebay than just a credit card. I'm not sure where you got that from, but it isn't correct. And AI has NOTHING to do with it. Sellers do NOT have to use AI, it is a choice. One many do not choose to use.
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/getting-paid/registering-seller?id=4792
It isn't just sellers that have a responsibility when dealing on the internet, buyers have responsibilities too. And we all need to be acting responsibly and in good faith, which actually is most of us. But you are correct, the few do cause negative issues on this site and other sites like it. But don't think that the bad few represent us all because they certainly do not.
arraus
·1 month ago · EditedUnfortunately, eBay is using AI to decide if a listing is in violation of eBay Policy. From my experience, it's failed to identify clear violations EVERY time and provides no way to escalate. I'm sure it's this way when verifying new accounts too. Some seem to be able to create new accounts, get shut down, and create more over and over (many foreign).
Buyers want to browse, buy, and get what they paid for without wading through a bunch of red tape or doing heavy research just to vet the product and seller.
Some might say buyers are responsible for protecting themselves or that eBay shouldn't have to police bad listings. But trust & easy purchasing have always driven buyer retention, and the market is only getting more competitive for sales channels, like eBay. Buyers have a lot of options and the one that is most reliable & easy to use is going to have an advantage.
twk
OP1 month agoI want to add the pieces were marked clearly Woodbury Pewter on the bottom in the pics he had.
ten_o_nine
·1 month agoSo, what do you think eBay should do?
twk
OP1 month agoWell, get rid of guys selling 4.95 necklaces as sterling when they are not would be a started. But, as was said, eBay saw nothing wrong in it.
Stop the carpy AI descriptions. That would be a biggie as if a seller does not know what he is selling how the heck is AI going to do it for him and vice versa