eBay

jaywild · ‎11-22-2019

I see that eBay has gummed up another function that used to be easy. I'm trying to do a "search by seller"--anybody have any idea how to do that? I found a "function" where I could "include" a seller (what does that mean??) but the "search" returns nothing.

It's useless to hope eBay will quit monkeying their site into complete dysfunction. All I need is a simple rectangular field in which I can input a seller's name and have access to what he is selling.

eburtonlab · ‎11-22-2019

@jaywild

Sounds like you found it.

Using a desktop browser, go to Advanced search using the link to the right of the search button, then to the "Search by Seller" section. Check "Only show items from" then select "Include" to show items sold by that seller (or sellers) or select "Exclude" if you want to search for items, but not see items from that seller. Enter the seller's username (or multiple usernames in the case of exclusions at least, separated only by commas), and hit the search button at the bottom of the page. If nothing comes up, the seller does not have any current items for sale that ship to your location.

If you are using the eBay app, you can search for a particular seller's items by entering this into the search field:

seller:jaywild

substituting the seller's username for your own.

de66 · ‎11-22-2019

I have a saved file of who I follow by adding user name at right of this link: https://www.ebay.com/usr/jaywild

swop user name each time and save to file

msgtdavid · ‎11-23-2019

Suggest you contact Ebay with your concerns! Over the years I've made 3 suggestions to Ebay, two were adopted.

Its better to be part of the answer then part of the problem!!!

malolo · ‎11-23-2019

You seem to be very lucky.

Jaywild and I remember when eBay wouldn't admit it was enabling sellers to list fakes in the Stamps category, but that was 7 years before your time here. The worst ever enhancment by eBay was the inclusion of pull down menus in item descriptions that included every country in the world for postage estimates. Turns out that ruined keyword searches for any country because any description that included that mailing list turned up in every search for a single country. It was like eBay didn't understand basic HTML searches. Now I find it basically impossible to narrow any search down to areas of my interest. I do not find search returns with 12,000 items helpful when there is no mechanism to refine that search! Of course there used to be a Stamp Chat Board that occasionally was visited by an eBay person who asked how things were going. It was a decent give and take until it was obvious our suggestions were being parried to eBay's claim it was only a venue in regard to listing of fakes, etc..

In another ten years you might learn that eBay rarely responds to user's "suggestions", consider yourself lucky anything happened.

My single suggestion would be for eBay to refine the categories within each stamp issuing country. Mint, used, covers, special events, FDC, airmail, etc, etc, including time period breakdowns: 1840-160-1861-1880, etc etc. according to major stamp issuing years. Simple research on eBay's part would make finding items in each country simple.

jaywild · ‎11-23-2019

Roger, Sheryll, myself and too many others to count fought for YEARS for eBay to make changes that would ban fraudulent sellers in the Stamps category. Whenever they agreed to make changes it was NOT to address the issue of weaselly sellers but merely to add another layer of useless complexity.

Anyone who would suggest that expressing my disappointment at having to navigate eBay’s pointless complexity is somehow a “problem” needs perhaps to have yap surgery, so that it doesn’t keep flapping open embarrassingly.

msgtdavid · ‎11-25-2019

Hi

So exactly is "fraudulent sellers in the Stamps category"? Seems to be a subjective, what do you mean?

To me there is fraudulent sellers in everyday life we all encounter such as used car dealers, any auction listing, investment company, yard sales, on and on. Its really up to the bidder or buyer to be aware.

Ebay are not stamp experts, Ebay does not buy nor sell stamps, it is an auction house period!

Some times on Ebay I find unrecognized errors not described, if I win the auction and pay a very low price for a stamp(s) which I trade later for a stamp of more value does this make me a fraudulent buyer?

Buyer beware!

OK, its your turn to open up on me and call me all sorts of names!

malolo · ‎11-25-2019

"Ebay are not stamp experts, Ebay does not buy nor sell stamps, it is an auction house period!"

Ebay would totally disagree with your assunnmption that it is an auction house. It is a venue and has no responsibility for the accuracy of items sold.

What you are pointing out is what was determined during the early 2000's: Ebay does not auction anything, nor does it hire stamp experts. You do realize that at one point eBay, in association with the American Philatelic Society, processed "reports" of fake stamps offered as real, and if one could show they were fake, the listings were removed.

About that time Tiffany, and a few other high end companies sued eBay for facilitating the sale of faked trademarked items which led to eBay revising its whole selling model. It was forced to accept the responsibility that items sold on its venue werre real. Maybe you don't remember the days when many questionable stamps were listed "as is, cat value $2,500" for a reproduction. The problem was that the sellers had starting prices that were way too high for reproductions implying "if real" they were valuable. Ebay even started a category for fake stamps, but few were ever listed there because it turns out there are very few buyers of fake stamps, but more buyers who think they are outsmarting the seller, thinking the seller maybe doesn't know what they are offering. It's my belief tha eBay changed the whole chat format which had it possible to discuss fakes and easier to "out" crooked sellers. Ebay didn;t like the concept that buying on eBay was a chancy proposition.

oggilby · ‎11-25-2019

At one time, ebay was offered the opportunity to remove fraudulent stamp sales/sellers with help from knowledgeable ebay sellers. Nothing came of this offer.

There are still fraudulent sales of current US stamps on ebay. Writers from Linns Stamp Weekly have identified these sales, reported such to ebay. Has anything been done about this reporting.. .who knows!

ebay identifies itself as a sales venue only.

malolo · ‎11-25-2019

"Some times on Ebay I find unrecognized errors not described,"

That is fine. The problem is when a seller offers a manipulated stamp and offers it as real such as US grill series stamps, or overprinted stamps of any valuable nature. This thread shows what was going on around 2009.

http://stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=16175&p=595352

Remember ebay is only concerned about listings that violate ebay business rules, the ddescription and authenticity of an item is up to the seller.

msgtdavid · ‎11-25-2019

Hi

"Remember ebay is only concerned about listings that violate ebay business rules, the ddescription and authenticity of an item is up to the seller.", you forgot the most important fact, actually the buyer has to make an informed decision, again and again buy beware!

jaywild · ‎11-25-2019

Hi oggilby!!!

Sgt Carter: EBay has always fought viciously against members pointing out fraudulent stamp sales/sellers. More than half its energy at one point (which could instead have been used to attack fraud) was tracking down and quashing even the most innocuous comments about the criminality rampant in the Stamps category. Then they threatened the "whistleblower" with expulsion from eBay.

After years of battle, most persistently and effectively by Sheryll of Oregon (by way of OZ), eBay agreed to set up a secret contact at eBay whereby a few trusted members could report fraudulent items, and after review they would be removed. BUT--no sellers could be reported, no matter how frequently their c-r-a-p was taken down. I was privileged to be one of the "reporters", although after a while this effective function went away, without explanation. Next step was to remove the eBay chatboard, the venue through which most of the fraud was reported.

malolo · ‎11-25-2019

This didn't take long -
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1924-HELVETIA-20C-SWITZERLAND-PERF-11-Mi-192B-CV-34000/153737996722?hash=it...

The valuable stamp has 24 teeth on the side of the stamp = SF24,000
if only 23 teeth = SF2.50

The referenced auction shows the stamp to have 23 teeth. So go to the listing page and tell me how you would report this as an incorrect description using eBay "report" button?