eBay

oletooks · ‎10-02-2022

What exactly is eBay's policy for photos for books. We have had numerous questions from our customers asking why do some sellers use stock photos for used books, some that have obvious flaws and damage. It is our understanding that stock photos are for new books and not be used for used books. We scan all of our books so that the potential buyer can see what they are buying. Any flaws are also described in the detailed in the item description. If eBay has a stock photo policy, why don't they enforce it. If book sellers are too lazy to scan their books, then they should be prohibited from using stock photos for books that are not new or even using a photo that is just a logo and not the actual book they are selling at all. eBay please explain why this is happening, our customers what to know.

lepke1979 · ‎10-02-2022

Usually you'll see stock photos on book sellers that have a ton of listings. Others do it out of laziness.

Photos or scans of the books is recommended and necessary to stand out from those sellers since they'll usually be cheaper. Plus, they can probably afford to handle returns better than you.

femmefan1946 · ‎10-02-2022

Unless their customers are unhappy enough with the book that actually arrives, as opposed to the one in the picture, to open a Not As Described dispute and get a refund, eBay doesn't know that the seller is cheating like that.

If all the unhappy customer does is leave feedback, nothing will ever change because eBay does not use feedback to assess accounts.

A high volume seller can have many negs and still sport a 100% rating, because that's how ratios work. Additionally, many buyers think a 95% feed back rating is a solid A.

stainlessenginecovers · ‎10-02-2022

Ebay has 93 pages of policies that effects about 1,349,499,336 items/things.

Therefore, nothing is enforceable.

gamestoysandmorestore · ‎10-02-2022

I have no answer for you. But its annoying to order a hardcover book and not have a dust jacket.

kensgiftshop · ‎10-02-2022

It's not just books you see stock photos being used for used items all over Ebay.

Have a great day.

2013grotz · ‎10-02-2022

Ebay never polices their own rules if a seller has big enough income. Besides most sellers that do it bring them in enough sales that they don't want to sanction those accounts.

And on the buyer end, most buyers just want completely cheap and barely readable and don't care about the quality of the item so most of those sellers fit the bill for them too.

coolections · ‎10-02-2022

Why would you be so worried about others who do not scan their books ? Customers are asking YOU why others do not scan books ?

eunster1313 · ‎10-02-2022

@oletooks wrote:
What exactly is eBay's policy for photos for books. We have had numerous questions from our customers asking why do some sellers use stock photos for used books, some that have obvious flaws and damage. It is our understanding that stock photos are for new books and not be used for used books. We scan all of our books so that the potential buyer can see what they are buying. Any flaws are also described in the detailed in the item description. If eBay has a stock photo policy, why don't they enforce it. If book sellers are too lazy to scan their books, then they should be prohibited from using stock photos for books that are not new or even using a photo that is just a logo and not the actual book they are selling at all. eBay please explain why this is happening, our customers what to know.

Picture policy
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-policies/picture-policy?id=4370&st=12&pos=2&query=Picture...

femmefan1946 · ‎10-02-2022

But again, if the buyer does not open a Claim for Not As Described, eBay does not know there is a problem.

Ebay never polices their own rules if a seller has big enough income.

A huge seller last year was shut down for bad behaviour last year. I don't remember the details, not a category I am interested in, but there was a lot of discussion about it. Sneakers? Video Games? Trading Cards?

Something of a nine-day wonder. Apparently the company was one of the largest in their field.

2013grotz · ‎10-02-2022

Indeed. For most of the book sellers I've seen on here as a buyer, they almost always violate some combination of 1, 2, 3, or 5. Yet eBay has no issues...

lepke1979 · ‎10-02-2022

@femmefan1946 wrote:
But again, if the buyer does not open a Claim for Not As Described, eBay does not know there is a problem.

Ebay never polices their own rules if a seller has big enough income.
A huge seller last year was shut down for bad behaviour last year. I don't remember the details, not a category I am interested in, but there was a lot of discussion about it. Sneakers? Video Games? Trading Cards?
Something of a nine-day wonder. Apparently the company was one of the largest in their field.

Sneakers (expensive ones). Chris from Daily Refinement.

Issue I believe was he couldn't prove where he got them (private collector if I recall correctly). And the suspension happened months after he stopped selling shoes. Probably some sort of internal audit by eBay or Adyen.

eunster1313 · ‎10-02-2022

@femmefan1946 wrote:
But again, if the buyer does not open a Claim for Not As Described, eBay does not know there is a problem.

Ebay never polices their own rules if a seller has big enough income.
A huge seller last year was shut down for bad behaviour last year. I don't remember the details, not a category I am interested in, but there was a lot of discussion about it. Sneakers? Video Games? Trading Cards?
Something of a nine-day wonder. Apparently the company was one of the largest in their field.

https://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/blog/blog.pl?/pl/2021/8/1629255806.html

onefootflipper · ‎10-02-2022

Your customers are asking you why OTHER SELLERS have bad photos?

In all my years on ebay including the accounts I used to manage for other people I have never once had a customer ask me about other people's listings.

If ebay actually forced the charity booksellers who don't pay ebay fees and actually have media mail discounts to use real photos they would start doing it and then it would be even harder to compete against them. It isn't like any of them would suddenly quit or raise their prices.

You should be absolutely thrilled that at every bad practice every one of your competitors has. Ebay enforcing the rules on them is not going to remove them as competition, it would just make them more competitive with you.

stainlessenginecovers · ‎10-03-2022

@femmefan1946

That was a Trading Card/Sports Memorabilia company that was using 'shills' to drive up pricing. Not just an 'eBay' illegal thing, but an illegal thing with the government (FTC)