ALWAYS screenshot your promotional offers!

[jsharpe27]

Executive summary: ALWAYS screenshot your seller fee promotional offers before and after activation as proof for when eBay claims you never had it

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I've been a member since 2002, but I'm usually just a buyer. I sell occasionally, a couple times a year or so, and almost always only when I receive promotional offers for discounted or zero seller/final value fees.

I received one such offer in early September, and with an extra pair of Hamilton tickets I was looking to sell I figured this would be a perfect opportunity to list them. After clicking through the message and activating the offer, I immediately followed through in listing my item.

Today I received another promotional offer for 50% off fees in select categories (tech, musical instruments and fashion). I activated this offer, as well, and listed a couple of pairs of sneakers I want to sell internationally. After the listing was live I went to my seller page and upon scrolling down to the "Promotional Offers" section I saw the latest offer listed, but the previous offer I used to list the tickets had vanished. Not in Active, and not in History. Not expired or anything, just gone.

A quick search of the community boards here shows numerous people having the same problem, many of whom hadn't discovered the issue until after their items sold and their invoices arriced in their inboxes. Thankfully I was able to spot it before my item sold and I was screwed out of $100 in fees.

I called in to customer service, and both the first-level CSR and her supervisor told me they had no record of the offer and couldn't help (the same response other ebay sellers have received). Basically, I'm screwed.

If this was a one-off experience I'd write it off as a "glitch," but considering other users are reporting the same problem (including the initial message disappearing from their "messages" inboxes to essentially remove all trace of the offer ever existing), this is systemic, and they have to at least be aware of it, if not actively pursuing a policy of "bait-and-switch" by duping sellers into listing items under false pretense.

Anyway, the moral of this story is to ALWAYS screenshot your promo offers - I just saved the 50% off offer I used today on the sneakers. Meanwhile, I'm de-listing my tickets and will gladly sell them on CL or Tickpick instead of eBay.

[lex-talon]

Meanwhile, I'm de-listing my tickets and will gladly sell them on CL or Tickpick instead of eBay.

Why?

[jsharpe27]

Honestly, simply out of principle. I'd rather save the $$$ selling on CL, or give Tickpick (a company I've always respected due to their "what you see is what you pay" policy) my money than to reward a company that just tried to screw me over after 16 years.

[poppyswag]

Wonder if they would even honor a screenshot?

[jsharpe27]

The way they are, I have serious doubt that they would. I had to pull teeth to get them to reinstate another no-fee offer for a re-list when I had a scam buyer on an $800 pair of sneakers in the spring.

[poppyswag]

^^ Yes, I can  easily see that happening. There aren't any dates on the acceptance screens that I've seen. And sometimes in the promo the dates are wrong too, not always updated.

[jsharpe27]

Well surprise, surprise.... I'm shocked - SHOCKED! - that ebay deleted the 50% off seller fees promotional offer I used to list my sneakers a couple of days ago (mentioned in my original post above).

This company sure is something else...

The promotion was listed there a couple of days ago, and now it's gone

[pjcdn2005]

I don't see that promo under offers or expired offers  but I still do see the message about the promo that ebay sent.

[jsharpe27]

The message for my 50% off seller fees promo offer is not in any of my "Messages" lists. I also didn't receive notification of the offer until Sunday, which was the last day it was valid for activation.

I'll upload the screenshot I took on Sunday of the promo offer when I get home.

They're certainly trying their best to screw over their sellers. Total shame, too... I've always liked using ebay, until this year.

[thecodee]

Same issue here. Sold 3 phones and none counted under the promotion even though I had it activated prior to listing them. They were listed in Electronics so they should have been eligible.

[silas8098]

I had that happen just last week with the Sell $30 get a $10 disappearing act they had and have decided the second I see the next scam I am not only taking a screenshot but calling eBay immediately, getting the reps name and making them confirm it is a legitimate offer.  This way when it disappears you can hold their feet to the fire and honor it. 

Also in a similar scheme they had last year, someone in the community thought that this may be a phishing hack.  I believe this could be credible for 2 reasons. 1. eBay always acts surprised when they hear about these there one minute and gone the next routines. I worked for a paper company that told us to act "like it's first we heard about this" when a defective lot of specialty paper got out even though I fielded 20+ calls on it already that day. Do they really want you knowing they are susceptible to being hacked? 2. Look in your Seller Account settings. Click on Communication Preferences and in my Google Chrome browser there has been a Shield in the address bar that says "Insecure content blocked" and that "This page is trying to load a script from unauthorized sources." I never clicked OK but it's there and I believe that their system is not as secure as they want Buyers and Sellers to believe.

[ittybitnot]

Anyway, the moral of this story is to ALWAYS screenshot your promo offers 

It doesn't always help to do this since they won't honor them anyway.  Basically, it proves you weren't "dreaming" that you got one. You are correct that the offers sometimes "disappear".  Case in point the one they sent out over the previous couple of weeks that was "good til 2038" or some such.  LOL.   A mistake was made, ebay should get some defects on their performance rating. 

[moonbloodstone]

I had a promotion once where I'd get free FVFs for anything listed between XX and XX. I worked like a dog getting a bunch of listings out. I didn't sell anything. Then I laughed at myself. eBay won they got me to list a bunch of stuff and didn't show anything so it would sell. after ALL, why should they show stuff they are not making FVFs on?

[clu3]

When you read the offer details there's usually a reference code at the bottom.  Sometimes I make a note of that on my listing, especially the max FVF of $20 ones.