"This is a known glitch that seems to happen every year when using Ebay Labels."
Right, Ebay has demonstrated for years that they can not handle the most basic software programming tasks. And that is why I do not want them handling the payment processing part of my sales- Managed Payments. I have been here over 20 years and I know what they are good at and what they are not good at. Ebay really has me pushed up against the wall with this forced managed payments change.
Yeah, I'm off topic, but someone just brought up a perfect example of Ebay's sloppy programming skills, yet they want to manage the payment system. Ebay taking over the payments system while initially being "just a venue" brings up a lot of questions.. How does any company actually become qualified to take on this business? What are the standards? Is it just a free for all system? How is what Ebay doing different from what a bank does? How does all this mesh into Commerce and Employment laws? As a seller am I now more "employee like" because Ebay is now paying me directly? The Paypal system was quasi-cash. Someone buys something and I can almost immediately withdrawal the cash at an ATM. Ebay is now holding the money, but who says how long they can hold it for? Where in the legal system would this even be covered?
What are the limits of Ebays expansion and powers? Can they force me to use only their shipping program like they are doing with the payment system? They already cut off my ability to communicate with customers to prevent off site sales (which I do not do, I believe Ebay deserves their commission). How far will Ebay wedge themselves between me and my customer to collect every possible cent? Would they go so far as to completely hide the identity of my customer and have me ship to an Ebay warehouse like they do with GSP?
My point is that sellers are slowly becoming invisible to buyers. All the ponderous "terms and conditions" sellers place in their listings are essentially meaningless. Ebay approves returns not sellers. Buyer are essentially buying product from Ebay and we are becoming drop shipping providers for Ebay. Except that drop shippers providers would have more control over their business than we do.
As sellers we (I should really say I) have not completely lost control over our business. But if you go back to the beginning there is definitely a trend of giving up more and more control of our business. Granted times change and Ebay has made changes to keep the site viable. It was a "free for all" for awhile, and not just on Ebay. But at some point buyers loose so much control that they are no longer an independent business. Sellers are sort of like employees but with no benefits, sort of like sub-contractors but with no contracting powers, sort of like drop shipping providers but under a performance contract and again with no contracting powers. In the beginning it looked like Ebay was provide a service to sellers (a venue), now it looks like sellers are providing a service to Ebay. It's actually a new class of labor with no protection or powers.
I am just venting, don't anyone get too worked up. Just wondering if any other sellers fell the same.
