Ebay is playing favorites and allowing my direct competitors to steal my customers....

[imac7065]

Let me preface this by saying I am a multi million dollar account on this platform, I rank in the top 10,000 (have been as high as 1500 volume wise) sellers globally, and I have been MSO for years......

This week I lost my 3rd consignment customer to a direct competitor. Not because this customer likes their service better than mine, not because of any personal issues (this is a friend of mine in fact)... but because my direct competitors are able to offer consignment fee's LOWER THAN EBAY FEE'S!!! Quite literally going as low as 8% for high end items consigned to them.

These sellers do it openly.. they advertise on their websites, at trade shows, and make sure people know.. consigning to them is literally cheaper than selling the item yourself on ebay.

This has been an ongoing frustration for over 10 years, but thanks to my service most of my customers did not leave me... that's changing as these big box consigners grow bigger and bigger....... I have contacted ebay, asking how is possible COUNTLESS times... Asking what would qualify me to achieve what they already have.... each time getting some run around, but in the end being told to "get over it" and "we have a right to reduce fee's on sellers if we so choose"

I am writing this to vent, and raise awareness... ebay will give unfair business practices.. even to accounts who have existed for less than a few years, when you have been on the platform generating millions in sales for over 25 years..... they pick and choose who can succeed on this platform.. and it's outrageous.

EDIT: It seems I was not clear on this... what I am warning about here is happening on the Ebay platform.. I am not saying I am losing customers to other selling formats.. I am saying ebay is giving my competitors adjusted fee rates that allow them to steal customers by offering half the % anyone paying normal fee's can offer. 

[reallynicestamps]

These sellers do it openly.. they advertise on their websites, at trade shows, and make sure people know.. consigning to them is literally cheaper than selling the item yourself on ebay.

None of this is illegal or even immoral.

I list on several sites, some of which offer better rates than eBay, some of which are more expensive but have a higher quality of customer. We don't have our own website anymore, nor our own shop, since we retired.

[ebooksdiva]

It is ultimately the buyers choice of which seller they wish to do business with. eBay has nothing to do with your competition getting some of your business. Nor your buyers choosing to try out the competition. It's business, nothing personal.

How do you expect eBay to stop your buyers from buying from a competitor? 

I seriously doubt any seller is getting lower fees other than TRS plus discounts on fees. 

[chapeau-noir]

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@reallynicestamps wrote:

These sellers do it openly.. they advertise on their websites, at trade shows, and make sure people know.. consigning to them is literally cheaper than selling the item yourself on ebay.

None of this is illegal or even immoral.

I list on several sites, some of which offer better rates than eBay, some of which are more expensive but have a higher quality of customer. We don't have our own website anymore, nor our own shop, since we retired.

---

These people are on eBay - this is not outside competition.

In my area I'm working with the situation by changing what I do and how I do it, but I'm just a little table top seller and pretty meaningless in the big scheme of things

[albertabrightalberta]

There's nothing stopping you from leaving ebay and selling on your own website and doing exactly what your competitors are doing.

[imac7065]

Did you even read what I wrote? Ebay is giving them such low fee's they can do consignment BELOW EBAY FEE'S... this is ok to you? Maybe you did not understand these are direct competitors HERE on Ebay... not outside the platform?

[imac7065]

everything I wrote is happening on here I wouldn't have posted it lol.. not sure people are understanding that.. I'm not complaining about something ebay cannot control.. I'm telling you ebay is doing this themselves.

[imac7065]

Once again... THIS IS HAPPENING ON EBAY.. NOT OUTSIDE OF EBAY lol.. I would not complain about what other sites are doing.. to once again clarify... EBAY IS GIVING THEM REDUCED FEE'S TO ENABLE THEM TO DO WHAT THEY ARE DOING 

[funfactorychannel]

How do you know if they are getting lower ebay fees rather than absorbing that cost due to them having less overhead?

[bonanza125]

Has nothing to do with Ebay. Your customers made a decision to go elsewhere. We would have told you that contacting Ebay agents about this would be a complete waste of time. Do not contact Ebay about this issue again. Ebay agents will say whatever to get you off the phone. They can't help you in this situation. You have to accept both business in general and the practices are not the same as they were 25 years ago. Ebay has new sellers who were even born when you first started. Things are changing and yes sellers here already know it.

[imac7065]

"I seriously doubt any seller is getting lower fees other than TRS plus discounts on fees. " 

I am telling you that this is 100% happening... it has been confirmed to me by ebay support it is happening.. and if you do not believe me... go do a generic search on the PC version of the site.. you will notice some sellers have a little logo under their search result.. it's a link that takes you to their ebay store... you cannot get that, I cannot get that.. only the people I am describing in the OP can get that.... 

[imac7065]

1) who are you to tell me when and how to contact ebay? 2) try reading a form post before making comments so inflammatory next time you clearly were lost here.

[imac7065]

Great question.. I had it confirmed years ago by ebay (it was called concierge back then but that only exists with MSO now), I've spoken to owners of accounts that get it, and you can confirm this yourself as I previously described... some search results will have a small logo hyperlink below the title.... no one can get that benefit other than the people in this program.

[reallynicestamps]

They are advertising on eBay that they take consignments and charge the consignor less than eBay rates?

Or are they -- as you first said-- "These sellers do it openly.. they advertise on their websites, at trade shows, and make sure people know.. consigning to them is literally cheaper than selling the item yourself on ebay."

Advertising consignment services on a website or at trade shows, or even by slipping a letter into the packaging of a shipment, is not illegal.

Given the amount of work that goes into making a salable listing for eBay, and how long items take to sell, making consignments could be faster and less work for the consignor.

That the company pays lower fees than a one-off newbie is just gravy.

You get lower fees than I do. You probably even pay lower shipping fees than I do*.  It costs me more to make a sale than your cost.
That's a perk of being a "multi million dollar account on this platform".

Two points:
The bad news: Someone may have invented a better mousetrap.

The good news: There is a reason why there are very very few eBay sellers who will deal with consignments.  Basically it's  money pit, a time sink, and involves a lot of annoyance.

*Actually since you are in the USA, and I am dealing with Canada Post, you certainly pay lower shipping fees than I do.

[imac7065]

REDACTING THIS POST BECAUSE NEW INFORMATION CONTRADICTED IT