eBay

guardian_of_eden · ‎04-23-2019

We have been a buyer on Ebay for 2 decades and was a seller. We have purchased real estate, boats, motorcycles and cars and many thousands of items on Ebay. We also used to sell on Ebay - until permanently banned from selling.

At the time we were banned we had a 5 - 5 - 5 perfect rating and had been an Ebay seller for over a decade.

Our selling was suspended because an employee mistakenly set our shipping to "1 day" when it should have been 2 days. So while everyone received everything they ordered, our rating perfect, the computer triggered an automatic PERMANENT suspension.

There is no one at Ebay you can talk to, just an automated message stating selling is permanently banned and there is no appeal.

Result? We sell tens of thousand of products each year on Amazon. We sell NOTHING on Ebay.

So in the competition for market places?
Amazon 100%

Ebay 0%

Ebay always defaults to banning and removal. For example, while selling on Ebay one time all our listings were removed for a mistaken reason. While we could clear that up, all our listings were gone. We literally had to decide whether to pay enourmous IT time for Ebay's mistake. We put about 20% of the products back up.

Amazon's policy is the opposite. Amazon does NOT erase listings that are possibly a problem. Amazon stops the listing from showing and informs you that if you want it back on you need to explain why and address the issue.

Same when Ebay changed rules on pictures. Everyone had to replace EVERY picture within a deadline to meet Ebay's new requirement. If not, the listing would be taken down by Ebay. At the same time, Amazon also changed it's photo policy, but only to apply to new listings. So again for Ebay we dropped many listings unable to justify the huge cost of IT time.

Simply, Ebay does NOT like merchants and Amazon does. To Ebay, all merchants are evil dishonest people. Because Amazon is both a merchant and a sales platform, Amazon has a balanced perspective. Ebay's view (and at least used to be Paypal's view) is that all merchants are cheats and liars - searching for any reason to ban people. To maximize bannings, Ebay uses computer matrix to do so - meaning no human decision was even made. Ebay literally runs on software designed to ban as many merchants as possible.

Can a merchant appeal an Amazon ban? Yes. Does Amazon totally erase the listings? No.

Can a merchant appeal an Ebay ban? No. It is impossible to even talk to anyone. Does Ebay totally erase the listings? Yes.

Was our ban because of any customer complaint? No. We had a 5-5-5 rating. No one had complained of shipping times or anything else. Rather, it was just a computer matrix decision - automatic. Ebay makes decisions by computers programmed to search any reason to ban people and companies no matter their rating or how long on Ebay.

What does that mean in real terms - noting this is for the exactly same products at the exact same prices and exact same shipping? It means we pay thousands to tens of thousands of dollars a week to Amazon - and we pay $0 to Ebay - though Ebay still charges us a monthly store fee for a store they have banned us from selling in - despite a 5 - 5 - 5 rating.

Of course, this also means we don't sell cars, trucks, boats, real estate or other personal items on Ebay - also Ebay's decision.

Everything equal and Amazon is 100% and Ebay - on Ebay's decision - is $0. But then, Ebay doesn't like merchants anyway. Never has.

18704d · ‎04-23-2019

Hi.

There's a lot to read in your post,

but first...

..who said Amazon has ran past eBay?

It's really apples to oranges.

I think both are doing fine.

Thanks

and glad you're happy.

Lynn

Lynn

You love me for everything you hate me for

.

guardian_of_eden · ‎04-23-2019

I should clarify to be fair that Paypal is a vastly improved company. Credit should be given where credit is due.

weschurch · ‎04-23-2019

@18704d wrote:
Hi.
There's a lot to read in your post,
but first...

..who said Amazon has ran past eBay?
It's really apples to oranges.

I think both are doing fine.

Thanks
and glad you're happy.
Lynn

Really? Amazon is a giant compared to Ebay. They command a HUGE market share.

The original poster nailed it. Amazon is ran by professionals who know what they are doing. I don't fear changes on Amazon because I trust Amazon knows what they are doing and it will be executed with little disruption. Ebay on the other hand runs around and tries to put 1000 fires out with half-witted policies that they can't execute effectively. I sometime think Ebay is ran by high school students. Its like total confusion. customer service, if you can call it that, doesn't even know whats going on most the time. You can't get a straight answer because honestly noone knows whats going on most of the time. Ebay does amateur stuff like suspending sellers because they are selling something that is "high risk" whether what they have is authentic or not. Its a giant cluster****. of stupid DSR's, INR, SNAD, GTC, Promoted garbage, on and on and on. People just want to sell a dang toaster, not do whats akin to filing taxes everytime they want to buy and sell.

Ebay is amateur, Amazon is professional. Ebay is complicated, Amazon is simple. Ebay has a tarnished reputation, Amazon has loyal followers. Ebay struggles, Amazon thrives. Ebay is miserable, Amazon is Fun.

I used to love Ebay but its been ran entirely into the ground the last decade do to AWFUL leadership. Its an endless chain of ineptness from the top down. Its probably to late to be saved, and though it saddens me to som extent the nosedive was so self destructive in nature its hard for me to feel bad for them

guardian_of_eden · ‎04-23-2019

It is sad that we were just put off Ebay by a computer over an employee clicking on the wrong button - with exactly no one harmed or complaining about anything.
Many (many) years ago, our company's very first online sales were on Ebay. It grew very quickly from there. Because Ebay acts summarily - even if their error - erasing everything and then when they say "oops" you have possibly hundreds of IT hours to rebuild what they deleted - we expanded as a safeguard - fortunately. Ebay just isn't a reliable sales platform.

Ebay is good for used stuff to buy or sell, only we can't use Ebay for that either for personal item sales.

nmemoryof · ‎04-23-2019

I see the two sites as too different to compare. I use eBay far more than Amazon; but unless you're talking media - books, cds, dvds, as a buyer, I don't use them for the same things. I don't sell on Amazon so I can only give you a buyer's perspective of how they compare. I can say that you and the original poster are distorting the picture, no doubt due to your own separate, negative experiences. That's fine. You're entitled to your opinions. I wonder why you're on eBay community boards just to run down eBay. Seems bitter.

For the record, Amazon became a giant well before they expanded into hosting other sellers. It's not a contest. The world has room for both. We all benefit by having options.

weschurch · ‎04-23-2019

@guardian_of_eden wrote:
It is sad that we were just put off Ebay by a computer over an employee clicking on the wrong button - with exactly no one harmed or complaining about anything.
Many (many) years ago, our company's very first online sales were on Ebay. It grew very quickly from there. Because Ebay acts summarily - even if their error - erasing everything and then when they say "oops" you have possibly hundreds of IT hours to rebuild what they deleted - we expanded as a safeguard - fortunately. Ebay just isn't a reliable sales platform.
Ebay is good for used stuff to buy or sell, only we can't use Ebay for that either for personal item sales.

I actually had that happen like 3 times in the mid 2000's. Ebay doesn't care and that frustrates me. People have real life problems that they are depending on Ebay income for and Ebay takes that away sometimes with no real reason to back it up. Then they just move on while these people are stuck trying to figure out how they are going to pay for medication or groceries or whatever. Its truly sickening. Nothing like being accused of something you didn't do, having your life majorly disrupted and having no way to defend yourself. It happens daily on here

weschurch · ‎04-23-2019

@nmemoryof wrote:
I see the two sites as too different to compare. I use eBay far more than Amazon; but unless you're talking media - books, cds, dvds, as a buyer, I don't use them for the same things. I don't sell on Amazon so I can only give you a buyer's perspective of how they compare. I can say that you and the original poster are distorting the picture, no doubt due to your own separate, negative experiences. That's fine. You're entitled to your opinions. I wonder why you're on eBay community boards just to run down eBay. Seems bitter.

For the record, Amazon became a giant well before they expanded into hosting other sellers. It's not a contest. The world has room for both. We all benefit by having options.

You can call it bitter but I call it honesty. The numbers clearly reflect that the majority of people prefer the River over Ebay. Its just fact. I'm just saying I can 100% see why

castlemagicmemories · ‎04-23-2019

@nmemoryof wrote:
I see the two sites as too different to compare. I use eBay far more than Amazon; but unless you're talking media - books, cds, dvds, as a buyer, I don't use them for the same things. I don't sell on Amazon so I can only give you a buyer's perspective of how they compare. I can say that you and the original poster are distorting the picture, no doubt due to your own separate, negative experiences. That's fine. You're entitled to your opinions. I wonder why you're on eBay community boards just to run down eBay. Seems bitter.

For the record, Amazon became a giant well before they expanded into hosting other sellers. It's not a contest. The world has room for both. We all benefit by having options.

I agree. I don't like Amazon's format, and I almost never find anything I want to buy there. There is far greater variety here. I know I am not alone. Options are good, though, and there is room for both.

nmemoryof · ‎04-23-2019

Well, since you and the other person still like eBay as buyers (apparently), I won't complain too much. Vent all you want. At some point you guys might feel happier if you just let it go. You can't do anything about it. You both say you're happy selling on Amazon. So....life goes on.

guardian_of_eden · ‎04-23-2019

I agree. It just seems sad because I like Ebay and think competition overall is good for everyone - consumers and merchants. As the online starting point of our company it was special to us, frustrating as this could be sometimes.

Banning a product line (we are a manufacturer) narrows consumer selection and, candidly, price competition.

It sadden me today to learn being permanently banned as a seller. I can see how that could wipe out a small business. It our first year it would have done that to us. However, Ebay became a very small portion of our sales as the business grew. Ebay is a great place to find used stuff and I price compare between Ebay and Amazon - and other online searching. The online market is better for everyone the stronger Ebay is - buyers and sellers.

guardian_of_eden · ‎04-23-2019

Ebay is easier to search than Amazon because you can exclude search terms.

castlemagicmemories · ‎04-23-2019

@guardian_of_eden wrote:
Ebay is easier to search than Amazon because you can exclude search terms.

I've been able to search here and exclude terms. Amazon doesn't have much to search for, IMO.

clu3 · ‎04-23-2019

I buy NEW items on Amazon.

Ebay is the go-to for collected, used, unique or out of stock.

coolections · ‎04-23-2019

I am thrilled Amazon is a completely different platform. Hopefully Ebay never turns itself into a retail giant such as Amazon as that is not what bay is about and has never been what Ebay is about. Those that get booted here a run to Amazon good luck to you.