eBay

my-cottage-books-and-antiques · ‎04-28-2020

For those who offer Local PickUp….ebay is rolling out a Proof of Delivery feature. When the buyer pays online, he gets a QR Code and a six digit number. When he picks up, he shows the code to the seller, who can scan it with his phone and that will then indicate delivered in the shipping area. Don’t want to get close enough to scan? The buyer is also given a six digit code number which he can provide to the seller, and that too will be accepted as proof of delivery.

This is being rolled out, so not everyone may have it today. Also, at this time, this won’t work if Local PickUp was not chosen by the buyer at time of purchase. (Example: Listing does not offer Local Pick Up. Buyer buys item, but then notices he lives in same town as seller, so asks for Local Pick Up. This won’t be available, although it sounds like they might try to add that ability down the line)

I don’t think there’s been a formal announcement yet, but this was discussed in today’s ebay Podcast. https://community.ebay.com/t5/The-eBay-for-Business-Podcast/Episode-88-Checking-In-With-Sellers-Sell...

luckythewinner · ‎04-29-2020

I talked to ebay at great length about my idea. They listened each and every time, "Oh what a great idea!".

I have no doubt that eBay customer support was polite and agreeable when you told them how the site should work.

funnymaniac · ‎04-29-2020

I guess the great push on this "product" of local pick-up using paypal too is for buyers who LIST FOR SALE LOCALLY ONLY, is it needs to be spelled out clearly to the buyer, that there is NO POSSIBILITY OF RETURNS IF YOU HAND OVER THE "SECRET CODE" at pick-up. You inspected the item, were happy, so why would a buyer need a return? (I guess if you are a seller who sells locally, that wasn't a 0 possibility of return, you could offer this on items that could be shipped. This makes it another great reason to offer it, but that is up to the seller, if they want traffic at their location for any size item.

Imagine, no need for insurance, no need to return, no damage claims. YOU CAME, YOU SAW, YOU TOOK. DEAL OVER.

funnymaniac · ‎04-29-2020

Ebay would save a lot of energy not having to deal with claims, fraud etc.
I have come up with MANY Ideas that ebay implemented over the years. I could give you a list. Way back, they used to call me and ask me my opinion. Then lately, there's all this talk of INTELLECTUAL IDEAS. This is indeed an intellectual idea. Ebay does listen and they make notes and escalate a good idea if the person sees it. I think I originally said this back in 2005! It's been a long time and finally, it looks like it might happen. They own CL as well, and this would be perfect for that as well. ON ALL ITEMS. The great thing is, YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE DEALING WITH and the whole point of paypal. DISCREET but SAFE purchase/transactions.

coolections · ‎04-29-2020

@funnymaniac wrote:
Ebay used to call me and ask me my opinion.

Ebay has hundreds of employees and think tank people but they call you for ideas on how to improve their site ? Interesting. Just curious, did you used to work there or are you a consultant for them ?

funnymaniac · ‎04-29-2020

I created this idea first for myself. I have no idea what ebay or paypal is thinking in so far as rewarding me, but it would be nice of them to do something in the form of reward, especially since I just made them BILLIONS of dollars, FOREVER. Kinda makes ebay a lot more attractive. It's not called CASHTRKR, this was the name I gave it when I purchased a domain and tried to build an app, then found out the cost. This was just back in February of 2020, though I had the idea many years ago. I lost a few claims taking chances taking paypal, for local pick-up. The WHOLE crazyness about local pickup WAS, that YOU HAVE TO LIST PAYPAL as a form of payment EVEN THOUGH you have no intention of taking paypal, or have to make it known to the buyer and is why you used to need to say "OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT". Having to take paypal was a bit misleading and went on for years. Paypal told me..."have buyers leave feedback when picking up, this will protect you!", BUYERS LAUGH when I ask them to post feedback in my driveway. They always say, "I don't have my phone on me", or "when I get home I will". This idea is very easy to handle and known by those interested parties when making the purchase. I see they are saying there is a small fee for the buyer? I was thinking... if there are no returns, no damage, heck, I'd pay the fee, no problem. Wouldn't ANY seller? Maybe split the fee because it's a mutual deal. But I really think if they allow a return... how in the world would that work? I don't think it would be anywhere near as attractive or used.

Imagine, before you sell, providing the buyer likes and takes the item at pick-up. NO NEED FOR A RETURN. This will make buying online a whole new world. WORTH BILLIONS. Wouldn't it be good press for ebay to pay someone for this idea. They just changed the submission of of ideas that they are unsolicited for legal reasons. THey never said when I spoke with them that they can't talk. They listened and forwarded to the proper department. Should I be paid... if it were your idea and had such a huge idea, wouldn't you want some compensation...? I would hope ebay will do the right thing.

funnymaniac · ‎04-29-2020

@coolections I work for ebay every day, selling goods.

No, I was never officially paid by ebay a salary. Just a phone # to call and be treated as an ebayer who they listened to, so as to improve ebay. Since early 2000's... I can't remember when it started but this was completely normal for them to call me because I gave them so many good ideas.

Other ideas that I suggested to improve ebay...Not for a fee, but because it helped me.

1. Remember when best offers first started, ebay would show WHAT THE SELLER ACCEPTED? I called them and explained, "IF YOU SHOW EVERYONE WHO SEEMS MY FEEDBACK WHAT SOMEONE ELSE PAID, THEN WHY WOULD ANYONE ELSE WANT TO PAY MORE THAN WHAT I ALREADY ACCEPTED. BUY BUY IT NOW PRICE WOULD BE MOOT!", this was changed the NEXT DAY! Ebay HID the price. (I sold some items CHEAPER than usual to pay ebay fees, but it was like stabbing myself in the back if ebay posted the sales price.)

2. Remember when AUTO's were just a regular search? ENDING SOONEST/NEAREST, HIGHEST, LOWEST? Well, I would search for THE NEAREST & LOWEST PRICED. Why do I need to see the lowest price if I have to pay $1000 to ship? Kinda defeats the purpose. I had to explain to ebay several times about making it a 2 tier search. FINALLY, they figured it out and now it even goes beyond this. But my idea gave them a head start.

3. I would call ebay and wait on the phone for 30 or more minutes.... one day while asking them something I said, "Hey, instead of me waiting on the phone for you, why don't you make it so I can just tell you to call me when your ready, or not dealing with another customer..... wouldn't this free up your line of communications?" Eventually, you saw the CALL EBAY/HAVE EBAY CALL YOU.

My wife is mad at me. We are not rich, and I give away my ideas by talking about them. When ebay wasn't using THIS idea, and I saw a BILLIONAIRE running for PRESIDENT, that didn't seem very intelligent, I said "THIS GUY IS A BILLIONAIRE?" What can I come up with that will make me a billionaire? So I started pushing this product and had to give it a name, and I came up with a name which I could get a domain for. And is the reason I chose CASHTRAKR. It tracks your cash. Paypal is somewhat of a cash alternative. Yes, you don't pay cash, it's actually BETTER....because you don't have to carry a lot of cash with you to pick up an item....but that was the name I came up with that sounded like it applies to this situation.

funnymaniac · ‎04-29-2020

@coolections Certainly, ebay does have a THINK TANK. But I am an actual user. I have no college degree, I come up with ideas. (it's in my horroscope! lol, IDEA PERSON, check CANCERS SIGN!

The thing with the EBAY THINK TANK, they may be higher educated, but I am in the real world, an ebay user. Most folks I've talked to at ebay, buy on ebay, but I don't think I've spoken to one that sells on ebay, other than an item here and there.

Ebay is not likely to create this idea, because if they dont' sell locally, using paypal, then how would they come up with this? I have 2 small stores, I think 5 ebay URLS, probably well over 10,000 transactions... I've seen it, been there, done that. I would always tell ebay to hire me, but they never offered to. I would joke with them on the phone about this all the time. People that work on ebay come and go and probably have large salaries. But I always suggested they hire me as a consultant. There was a period of several years when I refused to talk to them because I was never paid for my ideas, but I have a lot of nice old antique furniture that I just don't want to ship and I can't take paypal because I can't prove delivery, and simply won't take the chance to ship and should the item arrive damaged for any reason, provide a return label? It's a bit risky my friend. I would be poor and probably insane and definitely suffer from insomnia if I did this. I'd never sleep until the item arrived at the buyer's location and they posted a positive. I was really pushing for this lately and it's funny as soon as I try to get an app for it.... they roll it out.

Superman creators Siegal and Shuster were not compensated FOR YEARS, until there was public outrage. I'm sure they get ZILLIONS of ideas submitted to them, but I pretty much spelled this one out clearly, to paypal as well. Paypal heard this idea from me as well on numerous occasions and I waited for a call that never came.

Which is why my wife is now very angry with me. When my friends need ideas, they know who to call and she doesn't like it because when I call them for a favor, I never get a response until days later. (She says, "they all have phone's in their pockets, they can't even respond via email?, but they call you at midnight and keep you up all night!" She's right, I guess. But I am an easy going person with ideas. I have many. I have inventions, several intellectuals, I created transparent backing boards for comic books. (I didn't get a patent, but I published the idea in the 1998 OVERSTREET PRICE GUIDE, with full details to protect the idea. At the time they said my product was too expensive, $3. But I did sell a lot and my house was full of plastics. But that's another story.) I have been contacted recently from past customers who tell me this might be the right time for a re-release. I was told by a charter member of a comic grading company that it was my idea that inspired slabbing. "Before we saw your CLEARS BACKING BOARDS, we didn't know how to do it." (Slabbing came out JUST AFTER "CLEARS".)

funnymaniac · ‎04-29-2020

Oh, the "detailed" publication of CLEARS was in COMIC BOOK MARKETPLACE. I think issue 46? (around 1997/1998.) I was atually a bit upset for OVERSTREET putting my full name in the back of the book as the advertiser. (I wanted it be say "CLEARS.COM") But now I realize I should be thankful to OVERSTREET because I can officially point to this for proof of creation.

my-cottage-books-and-antiques · ‎04-29-2020

funnymaniac.
You say: "They own CL as well, and this would be perfect for that as well."

No, ebay doesn't own CL. At one time, they did own a stake in CL (never full ownership), but they got rid of it years ago. eBay does own a number of other Classifieds sites, which they've been trying to sell off.

go-bad-chicken · ‎04-29-2020

@yankeebob1951 wrote:
@go-bad-chicken wrote:

For some reason the eBay app will not work on my phone. I'm fairly certain the problem is on their end.

Let me call tech support for you on my fancy flip phone....

(I think I still have one of these in one of those "boxes o' stuff that have just been shifted around unopened for decades", ha-ha!)

I remember being excited at the time when these new generation of flip phones came out. They reminded me of the communicators used by the crew of the Enterprise from the TV show Star Trek.

pburn · ‎04-29-2020

@funnymaniac wrote:
I would always tell ebay to hire me, but they never offered to. I would joke with them on the phone about this all the time. People that work on ebay come and go and probably have large salaries. But I always suggested they hire me as a consultant. There was a period of several years when I refused to talk to them because I was never paid for my ideas . . .

Unsolicited idea submissions policy

funnymaniac · ‎04-29-2020

@go-bad-chicken

Actually, your instincts on working, I believe the idea indeed was inspired from Star Trek communicators.

funnymaniac · ‎04-29-2020

@pburn

This was long before that policy was put out. This idea was presented LONG before that. Ebay would CALL ME! And I would CALL THEM. WE WERE FRIENDS, PARTNERS in a common cause. TO MAKE EBAY A BETTER PLACE FOR ALL.

Hey, I'm not trying to sue anyone as someone seemed to think for using my idea. Idea's and methods CAN NOT be copyrighted, nor patented. All I am simply asking for is proper attribution. By doing so, this means a lot to the person who gave freely. I am not a rich person and ebay is a $90 BILLION company. I would settle for "GOOD JOB! THANK YOU!" and if they wanted to give me a gift card on ebay for $1,000,000, that would be most appreciated too! lol Would that hurt them so much, no, it would be simply good karma. They would get great publicity too for doing so and you can't buy that kind of marketing folks. "Ebay rewards Ebayer XXXXXXXX for implementing idea!" That would just be great press. It would definitely make ebay look good and make ebayers feel good about ebay. Such a small price to pay for such good karma. I am already in receipt in a way that I know my great idea is being used. Makes me feel good that I can actually make a difference in the world.

The thing is, if I was given proper credit where credit is due, or proper "attribution". I could put this on my resume and get a pretty good position somewhere, providing ebay doesn't want me. I think I've at least earned a thank you patt on the back, and maybe a couple of tickets to visit ebay's headquarters. I do have a few more good ideas to share.

funnymaniac · ‎04-29-2020

@pburn

Oh, not sure why ebay has that policy, maybe some people THOUGHT THEY COULD SUE? So they had a lawyer or group of attorney's draw that up to let people know up front, "YOU AIN'T GOT NOTHIN" (As one poster says). But in truth, they don't have to give me a dime, and I can't sue for FAILURE TO ATTRIBUTE!

But to not even get invited to the party?" IT BOINS! IT BOINS! lol