ebay is disgusting

[dsbowdie]

I am a seller who has been inactive for a few years.  My successful selling with ebay ended abruptly several Christmases ago when my husband (at the time) carelessly spent every last dime in my Paypal account.  I had a successful run of 100% positive feedback and quick sales and so I overlooked his carelessness, knowing that I could build my funds back up quickly. 

Unfortunately, the next thing that happened was that two of my recent buyers asked for their money back for items I had listed "as is, untested and for parts only" with no written or expressed guarantee that they would work.  They both opened cases based upon the items not working......seriously.  This caused ebay to place a hold on the funds they had paid for the items + shipping.  The cases were opened after my ex had spent the money they paid and so the holds were placed on funds new buyers had recently paid.  This left me with no money to ship their items and so they opened cases.  You can see where this was going. 

I called ebay almost every day, BEGGING them to at least release the shipping money paid by my new buyers so that I wouldn't get more cases.  They refused.  Finally, I simply threw my hands up and walked away from it all.  Over a month after the two cases were opened, ebay found in my favor that both buyers weren't entitled to a refund but the damage was already done.  

Fast forward five years.  I finally get to a place where I can settle up with ebay and I contact them to make payment on the $306 I have owed them since that time.  I ask if I will be able to sell again and they assure me that I will.  I just lost my job and ebay was always a good way to make extra money.  I'm  divorced and in charge of my own finances again and so I step out there and invest the $306 in ebay, my old friend. I paid the money and the message that I am reinstated and can sell again is almost immediately in my in box.  Out of 126 visible sales reviews, I had only 7 negative reviews and they were all from this incident.  I think I'm back on track.

A week later I try to list something and ebay says I have exceeded my limit!?!? huh?? I waited another week and tried again....still not able.  I called them today and Ebay informed me that I will never be able to sell on ebay again.  %$&^$&%$#%(*&) liars......

I should have included them in my bankruptcy! lmao

Thanks for reading!! 

[dcl_91]

heckflosse2, I could not agree more.  eBay was a great place before it went public.  In the early days, there were not photos on listings and no PayPal, and I tell you what....  I never once had a problem with a buyer or a seller in those days.  It is precisely because people look to eBay as a way to earn a living, or at least a supplemental income, that eBay has evolved into the greedy, sick place it is today.  

[dcl_91]

Your analogy fails miserably.  There is a world of difference between intentionally stealing from a seller and the unintentional and unwanted circumstances that arose in the OP's life.  

[dcl_91]

I agree.  eBay's greed is unbelievable, but as one other poster noted, no company lasts forever, and the unethical ones get their just desserts sooner than the rest.  

eBay's customer service is without question or doubt, THE WORST of any company I have ever dealt.  I am amazed that calls are connected to the place there are connected (roosters crowing, babies cryings, sounds of parties, and all sorts of unprofessional noises in the background of calls most of the time) and the lack of knowledge and integrity of the reps.  

[mr_lincoln]

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@luckythewinner wrote:

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@mr_lincoln wrote:
So as previously posted, for this particular thread I would give the Seller the benefit of the doubt ... others can certainly take whatever position they want.  Could I be wrong here?  Absolutely, but I suppose we will never know ...

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The OP defrauded eBay by taking something (the service eBay provides) and not paying for it.

That's really no different than a buyer filing a false SNAD and returning an empty box - in effect, taking something and not paying for it. 

For those defending the OP who have also been ripped off by a buyer - did you give that buyer the same "second chance" that you want eBay to give the OP? Or did you block them?

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 The OP's situation is not about false SNADs or INADs ... it's really about their specific situation, at least that's all I am focusing on for the OP.

[luckythewinner]

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@dcl_91 wrote:

Your analogy fails miserably.  There is a world of difference between intentionally stealing from a seller and the unintentional and unwanted circumstances that arose in the OP's life.  

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Agree to disagree. The OP had five years to repay eBay. Five years. But the OP only chose to repay eBay when the OP wanted to sell again and could not do so. Call me a cynic, but I suspect the OP would never have repaid eBay otherwise.

All that said ...

IMHO the suggestion that eBay CS knowingly lied to the OP may be not be as cut and dried as is being suggested. I do not think eBay CS reps have any insight into eBay's decisions about restoring selling privileges.

The act of bringing an account up-to-date probably makes a seller eligible to get his selling privileges restored, but would not be surprised if that final decision is made by a bot further down the line once the account is brought up-to-date. I doubt that rep looked at a computer screen and said "Aha! they are going to get banned, but I will lie and say they won't". 

[golfingaddict]

No where did the op own up to their mistakes.  The blame is squarely put on others.

Did the OP have a plan of action to present ebay to show or insure that the problems will not happen again.

Is there an outstanding debt on the Paypal account in question?  Or did the OP just try to open another one to avoid issues from the past.

All I see is her blaming her EX, blaming bad buyers, blaming ebay.  Even blaming the fact that she didn't bankrupt the debt owed to ebay?

 If you make a mistake, own it...

[yuzuha]

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@dcl_91 wrote:

Your analogy fails miserably.  There is a world of difference between intentionally stealing from a seller and the unintentional and unwanted circumstances that arose in the OP's life.  

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That doesn't mean OP gets to just "throw up their hands and walk away" from a business transaction that THEY agreed to by listing their items in the first place. They are an adult. They can figure out some way to get their items shipped, and if not, they have no place running a business, which apparently eBay agrees with.

Also, the only way their husband could have emptied out their PayPal account is if THEY gave him access to it. OP seems unwilling to take personal responsibility for any of this (and didn't even want to pay the money they owed until they had a need to use eBay again-- otherwise they were clearly content to simply never pay it back), so I think eBay is right in saying they're no longer welcome here.

[yuzuha]

So the OP had no credit cards and absolutely no money other than what was in that Paypal account? I find that impossible to believe.

[inhawaii]

Just when you think you've heard/seen it all.

[glasser]

In the days of yore, eBay touted itself as a place for people like the OP to gain or regain control of their lives. It built its success in the early years on sellers who found eBay as a place they could the could empower their lives if they lost a job, needed to stay home and care for someone and do eBay as well, or expand a market nationally or globally from a place  (geographic or otherwise) that offered few opportunities for growth.

While everyone is quick to blame eBay some of the changes were made to satisfy their biggest sellers.

Pierre's vision was that eBay was a level playing field. People like the OP could compete with the largest sellers in the world. If you could deliver a quality product at a good price with excellent customer service, you could do well. Now it feels like eBay thinks smaller sellers are not worth it to them anymore. Yet, without us eBay never would have made it through the first 5-10 years when bigger sellers didn't flock to eBay. In fact they didn't trust it at all.

Not waxing nostalgic and saying everything in the past good and new bad.  I remember when just getting a photo in a listing was a 30 minute project. But eBay's initial success was grounded in values not process. Like I said, a level playing field, people are doing the best they can, and people are basically honest. That was the foundation Pierre built eBay on.

It was the power of a good idea. At 25 years maybe it's time for eBay to remember its roots. My guess is many fo the employees at eBay today no nothing of its history.

[nuvistors]

If someone owed you a  large sum of money and did not bother paying it back for 5 years would you  lend  them more ?  That is what the OP expects of ebay.

[jimmy1000000]

They or some have been working at home do to covid. I read some companies are planning on never bringing employees back that can work from home since it is cheaper. I hope ebay didn't read that same article because I agree, it is not just the quality of the connection, it is also the road noise, family and friends that I have heard as well. I can usually get past the accent. US call center was the worst specifically Texas. Yes, the worst customer service is ebay, if you’re a seller. But unfortunately this is more and more common in corporations.  

Its paint by numbers for them at this point anyway as the heard you to the "proper department", Buying, selling, or account related. Selling has the authority to do virtually nothing on their end since that would usually cut into ebays profit. Buying department only has to say don't worry you are protected. Sellers usually only have reach out if there is a problem, problems with ebay or ebays buyers are the sellers problems as far as the selling department is trained. 

ebays wet dream has been to automate ebay, especially returns. With covid they were able to finely shut of the phone line for call ins. They will never go back the way it used to be for phone support but they will always have to allow it for buyers, so, sellers get to vent on them but that's about all the good that call is.  The seller still has to pick up the bill for whatever and everything, especially the boards bonuses at any means necessary.  Might as well automate the scheme. 

[inhawaii]

If ebay was honest and told the OP "even if you pay us back you will not get your selling privileges back" ... i'm sure he would still have paid them back.  We all agree on that, right?

[yarm_79]

Not that way only. A seller advertised guarantee and refund, sent me a bad part, and now can run away with my money. Personally, I won't buy until contact a seller first. For regular items i will use Amazon. They refund you in minutes or resend product right away, worry-free. Ebay will be done soon with this way of make business.

[*madison]

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@inhawaii wrote:

If ebay was honest and told the OP "even if you pay us back you will not get your selling privileges back" ... i'm sure he would still have paid them back.  We all agree on that, right?

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Well, the op called the debt an "investment" 🤣

So, if the op knew upfront that they would not be getting selling privileges back, I think it's highly unlikely that the debt or so called investment would have been paid.