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Why does eBay treat sellers as if they're fools?

 Why does eBay treat us like we're fools? Why do they consistently implement new rules and regulations which they state are to help their sellers' bottom lines? Those are rhetorical questions because I know the answers; it's because they can. They know they have a captive audience. They know most of us rely on eBay to pay our bills, including feeding our families. Therefore, their attitude is that we will just pay up because we have no alternatives.
 I know this one is old news, but when they came with the garbage that they had to start taking 10% of the shipping fee to combat final fee dodgers, I was, and remain, extremely perturbed by that. They have the most complex algorithms for everything, and they couldn't come up with one to weed out the very small percentage of sellers who were trying to dodge final value fees by making the item price very low and the shipping cost very high? Really? They just saw an opportunity and ran with it. It's disgusting! If you buy the reasoning behind their ludicrous explanation for charging a 10% fee on the shipping cost, then you certainly are a fool. EBay is run by disgustingly, greedy people who couldn't care less about eBay sellers, many of whom have been around since its early days and helped build the site. Sellers are disposable to eBay; they have no loyalty to them. 
  My final straw was when they started the "Managed Payments" **bleep** so that they could make millions or even billions of dollars more on our money (the float) sitting in their bank! PayPal was working just fine; I could make a deal with someone and receive my payment within minutes. Now they want to hold my money for some number of days and release it when they feel fit. Had I opted into that system then I would no longer be able to receive funds immediately. Their Managed Payments system precludes us from making quick deals to raise immediate funds because we have to wait days to receive the payments. No more putting something out there for a reduced price to get some money in your PayPal account right away. I don't know how many times I needed a quick hundred bucks and made deals to get it, literally within minutes of listing an item at a reduced price. Those days are over. Well, everything's over for me because I'm finally done. 
  It's been a long time since eBay has been any fun at all. In the last number of years all I would ever do was worry about who was going to open a case against me and how much money I was going to lose because of it. I constantly worried about losing my right to sell on eBay. I'm elated that I am moving on. I just wish many more sellers would do the same. Don't let them dictate whether or not you will be able to feed your family or have a roof over your head. Of course, some will advocate for eBay, but I couldn't care less. EBay is a tyrant which deserves no support. I always say that even the mighty can fall, and I hope they do.  In closing, I recommend that you find something else to do before eBay kicks you to the curb, because that time will come. I'm lucky in that I saw it coming and I had something else to fall back on. They should be working for us, but instead they treat us with disdain, notwithstanding the fact that their income is derived from the myriad fees we pay. I loathe no company more than I do eBay.
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Re: Why does eBay treat sellers as if they're fools?

eBay also sucks it comes to buyers trying to rectify Feedback errors.  I had a seller that wound up fighting for her life with the Covid19 virus.  She had left someone else in charge of the orders, and I assume messages, while she was in the hospital.  Well, he only did a half-way job and never answered any messages and I had no way of knowing.  When my order failed to arrive and I filed a complaint with Negative Feedback, eBay left her hanging out to dry as there is NO path available to buyers to correct Feedback when these things happen!  The lady is a senior, just as I am, and very vulnerable to this virus, which she unfortunately caught!   The shipping error was NOT her fault but eBay seems to not care since they leave no avenue for Feedfack corrections in cases like this!  NOW people can understand why I toss perfectly good stuff in a Goodwill bin rather than battle it out with eBay and try to sell it!

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Re: Why does eBay treat sellers as if they're fools?

ahhh no ebay sucks the life out of profits

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Re: Why does eBay treat sellers as if they're fools?

They should be called FOOLBAY SCREWYOUR SELLERSBAY anything BUT HONESTFAIRBAY because they suck the life out of profits and they will fail for all their to big to fail complacent policies

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Re: Why does eBay treat sellers as if they're fools?

Yeah, you obviously enjoy what you're doing. I read some of your other posts in favor of eBay. You obviously have ulterior motives. Nonetheless, I lied about nothing. I know what they stated. I was there when it was initiated. Perhaps they coupled various reasons together. However, combatting FVF avoidance was certainly one of them.  Now move along, nothing more to see here.  

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Re: Why does eBay treat sellers as if they're fools?

 I'm with you. You're obviously not going to win against eBay and the preferential treatment they give buyers. One thing I forgot to mention in my initial post is how things really went south when they changed their search algorithm back in 2016; I think it was in October. It's as if someone turned off the lights. Sales almost completely stopped and they never recovered. I'm talking about a 75% decrease in sales. There are just so many horrible things they do to sellers that they don't deserve to be in business. Again, I'm glad I am finally walking away. It's an incredible relief. 

 Best wishes to you. 

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Re: Why does eBay treat sellers as if they're fools?

It would probably be an actual relief to many here if you finally did "walk away". Best wishes to you, too. 

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Re: Why does eBay treat sellers as if they're fools?

I obviously agree sir. However, there are those who advocate for eBay and claim we are bad business people because we should be making plenty of profit notwithstanding eBay's fees, rules, and regulations. I guess the myriad posts complaining about eBay on these boards have no merit; that's what they'd like you to believe anyway. 

 Thank you for your post and good luck to you.   

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Re: Why does eBay treat sellers as if they're fools?

I read some of your other posts in favor of eBay.

If you have read my posts, you know that my two most common posts are"Any buyer can steal and item from any seller at any time by filing a fraudulent SNAD dispute"  and that "eBay rules in favor of buyers because it is in their financial interest to have sellers to pay for the Money Back Guarantee." Neither of those is in favor of eBay. 

 

Nonetheless, I lied about nothing. I know what they stated. I was there when it was initiated. Perhaps they coupled various reasons together.

I was there too ... and earlier in this thread I posted exactly what they stated when they first announced the fee change in the 2011 Seller Update. And that Seller Update does not state what you claim. I think you are remembering all the sellers posting here claiming what eBay said, rather than remembering what eBay actually said. 

 

And just to be clear - I certainlt beleive that eBay had fee avoidance in mind when they implemented that fee. I just can't find any evidence of them actually saying that. 

 

You obviously have ulterior motives. 

So what would those be? You have already accused me of working for eBay, which seems to be a common tactic around here when someone is grasping at straws. 

 

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Re: Why does eBay treat sellers as if they're fools?

Oh, and who is forcing you to read my posts? It's quite obvious that the majority of people agree with my statements and position. Just peruse the rest of the discussion board topics and posts and you'll see what I mean. You're obviously happy with your lot in life, so go enjoy it and leave the rest of us in peace, Mr. EBayer. 

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Re: Why does eBay treat sellers as if they're fools?

welcome @antiqueautoparts 

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Re: Why does eBay treat sellers as if they're fools?

In answer to the tile of this thread:

 

Because to many sellers are fools.

They have no idea of the rules and policy they agree to in using this site.

 

As for the original poster...

I am not willing to read through this entire thread of a soap opera to find out.

 

Just from the topic post it is the usual "OH MAY GOD EBAY CHANGED SOME THING SO I HAVE TO LEAVE"

 

Hey if you can not make money on eBay there is no point in selling here.

If you can, and are upset over change:

well you have a choice use or do not use: 

in other words: make money or don't make money.

Your choice.

 

 

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Re: Why does eBay treat sellers as if they're fools?

The fact that you didn't read my original post summarily precludes you from making an intelligent comment regarding the same. I'm not going to summarize it for you either because you're not worth the time. Continue enjoying eBay. I'm sure you're just buried in sales. You're a real inspiration, too bad I'm not sticking around so that you can teach me how to make tons of money on eBay without being afraid of losing my account due to the constant barrage of **bleep** from buyers and the friendly folks who run ebay.   

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Re: Why does eBay treat sellers as if they're fools?


@ed8108 wrote:

It would appear manny sellers find it to be profitable selling on eBay ?


As of now, I'm two of those.

 

...but every day the needle creeps a little bit closer to "not worth it".

 

About 5 updates ago, when sellers had protection from fake SNADs I felt was about the most even handed they had ever been in sellers vs buyers.

 

Then they went and swung the scale so ludicrously far in favor of buyers.

 

This place is a hellscape for new users. You see it every day in here. New seller gets rolled, ebay does nothing, seller leaves.

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Re: Why does eBay treat sellers as if they're fools?

What other sites are you using would love to have a better alternative?  Thanks for any info.

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Re: Why does eBay treat sellers as if they're fools?


@turquoisetulips wrote:

That's exactly what I do these days  meaning that I no longer rely just on e bay  to make sales . I made a few decent sales on e bay  lately  but the best profits  come from another  selling site I use  and it's been that way since the day I decided to expand. They even send  text alerts when I've made a sale  so I don't need to constantly log on to check.  Now that e bay has decided to do away with the ''Activity'' link on the summary page  which IMO just makes it much more difficult and time consuming  to list items for sale  I'll probably be concentrating  on even further  expanding  out with other  selling sites . Tulips


If you use the ebay app you'll immediately know when you have a sale via the cash register sound!

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