Wish there was a way to filter out dropshippers

[jonathankirkland]

I am getting to get tired of ordering stuff on ebay and receiving "gifts" from "A"...

And then a few days ago I purchased something and tracking info has now been uploaded to one of those awful "TBA" numbers which, according to a brief web search & search of these forum archives, is apparently provided from "A" and cannot be tracked at all.

This is the first time I've had a "tracking" number provided to me that I wasn't actually able to track. I know people will argue "as long as you got the item you wanted at the price you wanted, what's the big deal buddy?!?!" but all dropshipping nonsense is just starting to get really annoying and frustrating for me. It is starting to make me feel like I have very little control over something I spent "MY" money on. 

Also, should I be concerned about sellers using Prime to ship things to me from A for free? Isn't that a violation of A's policy? This whole thing just bothers the heck out of me, I can't help it!

[lex-talon]

I have no problem with sellers who drop ship. As long as I receive the item on time, then it's fine with me.

Before buying anything from a seller, check their feedback and find out if they drop ship. 

[ymeagainlord]

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@missjen831 wrote:

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@freeshipusa1 wrote:

I would think EBAY would do something aboiut these A dropshippers,as it is free advertising for A,next time you will go to A and buy direct from them.

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You keep saying that. Do you not realize that eBay is making money here? Why would they care who’s name is on the box? The sale originated on eBay. Seems a seller should understand this.

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So I assume then you agree that "buyer retention" isn't exactly an eBay priority?

It's a commerce truth (not JUST e-commerce) that it always costs more to GET a buyer than to keep one.

[namtrag1]

If the seller does EXACTLY what you wanted then who cares what path your item followes.

[cherry*fizz]

I think there is a possibility that if something goes wrong with a seller dropshipping something from Amazon (after it's received),  seeing that Amazon box might actually take a bit of the blame off of eBay in the buyer's mind.  Yes, they know they bought it on eBay, but it might end up helping them in some instances where something goes wrong, even if it's just subconscious. 

[freeshipusa1]

the reason Ebay should care is that

-some buyers do not like to buy on AMZN,and so they come to Ebay to buy on EBay,

-they find out they could buy it cheaper on AMZN instead of Ebay 'A' dropshipper,

-some get mad,like somone has made a fool out of them 

-some make a note that they will go to AMZN first before they shop on Ebay in the future

-some feel stupid,why cant they do the same or at least check with A first.

I think the obvious reason is that they found out they could buy it cheaper on AMZN as it does not have the Ebay markup/  

[emerald40]

IMO that holds true for all new items.

Why pay a middle man at all when you can just go to the source.  And more and more of those stores now are online so you can order it from them and have it delivered.

[freeshipusa1]

Ebay sellers who use dropshippers do not have a good reputation for good service,often the companies which provide dropshipping can run out of stock,slow in shipping as they re-order,disorganised and pick the wrong item .

Paypal used to have a rule that domestic order should be delivered in 7 days,some buyers took advantage of these ebay sellers if their dropshippers cannot ship promptly,they will file INR after 7 days and then the item arrives in a few days later,they get a laptop,pc free. 

Not every dropshipper has the resources of A,but you never know,even A can run out of stock. 

[seamssewwright]

Yes, everytime this has happened to me, the message was loud and clear.  I could have bought it for less on A.  In the long run, I can't see how this can be good for ebay.

[dougsue123b]

As a rule I dont like drop shippers, I dont like the river (nothing political, I just dont like them).

I recent;y bought something that said the item was located in Oregon, I wanted it fast so I ordered it.

Turns out it was drop shipped from back east, not from Oregon. It just peeves me.

[jonathankirkland]

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@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

I filter out dropshippers by using Ebay as it was intended - for pre-owned/vintage/antique items. Other than a few shipping supplies, I don't buy new stuff on Ebay. There are too many other places with lower prices and fast delivery that I can buy from.

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I think it's a bit shortsighted to say that ebay is only intended to be used for pre-owned, vintage & antique items. Sure, that's how it started out, but come on, it's 20 years later now... ebay has evolved, and not necesarily for the better.

As far as other places that have lower prices and fast delivery ... not really. I always double check a widget I'm looking for via web search and on other websites, and in every case so far I've found the item here for cheaper. I do not have a Prime account, so I don't get free shipping on most things I would get on A, so to buy it here on ebay instead where free shipping is offered without a subscription is optimal.

But that still doesn't mean I expect or like that it comes from A...

[fazzaz]

Those who think dropshipping from Amazon on eBay works well are probably right . . . until something goes wrong as it did for me.

The eBay seller had never seen the actual item, of course, and what was sent was very different from what had been sold.  I contacted the seller, who told me that it wasn't his problem, and for me to contact Amazon for a return.

No.  I'm not an Amazon customer, I bought from this seller on eBay, and  Amazon doesn't recognize me as their buyer.  (I suppose I could have lied to bail out the sorry seller and told Amazon he was my cousin and this was a gift, but I have no reason to lie for him, and I resented being asked to do so.)

The seller flatly refused to refund so I had to file a SNAD.  The seller got a defect and a negative and I got my money back. 

I ended up wasting a bunch of my time, having my money tied up for a while, and while I got the money back it's a month later and I still don't have the item I tried to buy on eBay. 

eBay will not be my first thought when I need to buy something in the future.

[dougsue123b]

He told you to pound sand and talk to amazon?

Man that would frost me to no end.

[jonathankirkland]

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@fazzaz wrote:

Those who think dropshipping from Amazon on eBay works well are probably right . . . until something goes wrong as it did for me.

The eBay seller had never seen the actual item, of course, and what was sent was very different from what had been sold.  I contacted the seller, who told me that it wasn't his problem, and for me to contact Amazon for a return.

No.  I'm not an Amazon customer, I bought from this seller on eBay, and  Amazon doesn't recognize me as their buyer.  (I suppose I could have lied to bail out the sorry seller and told Amazon he was my cousin and this was a gift, but I have no reason to lie for him, and I resented being asked to do so.)

The seller flatly refused to refund so I had to file a SNAD.  The seller got a defect and a negative and I got my money back. 

I ended up wasting a bunch of my time, having my money tied up for a while, and while I got the money back it's a month later and I still don't have the item I tried to buy on eBay. 

eBay will not be my first thought when I need to buy something in the future.

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What a nightmare scenario!!!!

Thankfully, that seller is not long for ebay if he continues with that terirble business model.

[fazzaz]

This was a fairly new seller, and I'm almost certain he was following the business model he got from some "eBay guru" who gave him a bargain price for the course.

"Nothing to it," said the guru.  "Just copy Amazon listings to eBay, mark up the price -- here, I'll sell you the software to do it -- and sit back and watch the money roll in.  You don't have to do another thing."

And new seller, soon to be former seller, believed it.