😃
This is what happened: While still using my VPN this morning, I was connected to a location about 1,200 miles from home. (Note that the fact it was me and that I was using a VPN is not really, should not be relevant to what I am about to describe, because it could have been any person who lives at the location my VPN showed as the location from which I was browsing eBay. But it is relevant when considering the FALSE information exhibited by eBay).
What I did was, I was reading one of the threads on this Seller discussion board. In that particular thread, my ID prettywoman-2012 came up as one of the posters. So, out of curiosity, I clicked on my own posting name and then Profile, like someone from that location would perhaps want to do, to see who this person is, and what she is selling.
The first surprise came when I then clicked, from my profile, on the link "Listings." This is what eBay showed me (or would have showed to the person following the same steps):
Items for sale from prettywoman-2012 prettywoman-2012 (966 Purple star icon for feedback score in between 500 to 999)
About Me | Save this seller
All Listings- Current page
Auction Buy It Now 0 results
This means that, a person searching for my listings from that particular location would think I have no listings whatsoever, when in fact, per my own Seller Hub page, I have 138 active listings!
I said to myself, O.K. calm down, this must be some glitch, surely, ebay would not engage in deceptive tactics to cut down on the ability of a seller to sell her goods, despite some critically voiced opinions on eBay, earlier on these discussion boards. So, as the next step, I have logged off my VPN and as usual, logged in to this eBay account.
The Seller Hub showed
Active listings: 137
I had one message from another seller whom I have asked a question earlier, about a pair of Calvin Klein shoes, I needed more measurements. I have clicked on that message and read it, then clicked on My eBay and this is what awaited me in Seller Hub:
Uh-oh, something went wrong and we can’t customize Overview.
We’re showing the default view while we iron things out. If you’ve made customizations, you’ll see them again in a bit.
Right below that, some information popped up which I have never before seen on eBay in 22 years+ of selling. It looked like this:
Get Started opens in a new window or tab
Set up your account
New business seller guide opens in a new window or tab
Choose your store subscription opens in a new window or tab
Create your listings
Hear from experts and eBay sellers on how to create good listings.
On the right side, however, contrary to the above which would imply I have NO listings yet and I am a new seller - the following link was exhibited:
Listings eligible to send offers: 3
If there is anybody who STILL believes eBay is not retaliating against vocal sellers posting their opinion per their constitutional right on eBay discussion boards, I still have a bridge to sell you in the Kalahari Desert.
eBay has, in shape or form, notified me of my Active listings (137 currently) not being shown to people searching for my listings on eBay. eBay has not informed me that not having enrolled in Managed Payment by the 15th of July would result in my listings to not be exhibited to potential buyers from any part of this country (I only sell domestically). eBay has me believe that all 137 listings of mine are alive and well, given the listings clearly being visible when I first logged in to Seller Hub. eBay further did not specify what the "you will see them in a bit" part of their message means, particularly, whether "a bit" means minutes, hours, days or weeks, or as long as all the items expire?
Note that 130 of the 137 listings are Fixed Price, with a total value of 5,525.93 so this is probably just peanuts for eBay - they would earn around 600.00 in fees, if that. But if they do these things to 1,000 other sellers, they lose 600,000 in revenue, so besides the above phenomenon being inexplicable (eBay did say that you cannot create NEW listings if you do not enroll in Managed Payments - but it never stated your listings will not be exhibited to potential buyers), it can also cost eBay significant monetary losses, kind of like shooting themselves in the foot.
Without any further ado, I have saved all these pieces of information and will not hesitate to show it to appropriate instances, as proof of silencing critical posters and interfering with their ability to sell their inventory on this marketplace, as they feel fit.
In case all of the above is just a temporary technical glitch: I did not see any announcement relevant to that. It is 12:15 p.m. July 18, 2020 and a screen shot was taken of this post, would it be mysteriously made to "disappear."
PW🐘
mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999
