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In every issue, readers soundoff about issues important to them. From feedback to payment services, from increased fees to posting policies, AuctionBytes Soundoff gives you a chance to air your views.
Hi Ina,
Rather than focus your newsletter on eBay Express, I'd prefer to read about Google's new services....how can I (and other sellers) help them become competitive? The auction marketplace needs some healthy competition. . .
Regards,
Dan
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Hi Ina,
I am working on a new television show (please don't let anyone know that it is me that made this request)...
I am looking for a few "mega" collectors in the east coast to midwest regions to come talk to. It doesn't matter what they collect. But we are looking for collectors in the 20-40s age range, as that is the viewers this channel has.
Can you query your readers to see if they could send me one main photo of their collection and a brief blurb about how they got started? To sell me on their passion for collecting. And if you could, ask them to send their replies to relostrat6@aol.com
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Ina,
I don't know if you're aware of threads like these: http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=1000220125&tstart=0&mod=1141550606606
and http://forums.ebay.com/db1/thread.jspa?threadID=2000094920&start=0 and http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000081936&tstart=0&mod=1141551182709 and there are more about this same issue. Perhaps you've already reported on this problem, but it still persists to this day and ebay claims it's a cache & cookies problem with user computers. That is their response for all ebay technical problems... but I'm sure you know that. Anyway, this problem has gone on for a very long time now & only seems to be getting worse. Ebay has done nothing except make things worse with their neverending "enhancements" which is sending their site to hell in a hand basket. Please help us sellers by reporting on this and forcing ebay to be accountable for this. They have announcement boards that go unused. The never admit there is a problem. They raise their fees. Yet they are not giving us what we pay for. Thanks in advance.
Valerie
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I have a story regarding eBays Policies. I had 2 teacher edition text book sets, you can sell these on any web site, Amazon, Bidville etc. Nothing illegal about them, I get the notice both lots were ended early, the email the normal canned email. In the email was a link to the policy in question, when you clicked it came back page not found. I do not feel that is right that someone can ban a book, that is un-American and just plain wrong. I sent an email, after three days no reply so I sent a second email and a letter to the Better Business Bureau about eBay's actions.
It took eBay 1-week to reply to the first email I sent them, in that email they stated the auction was ended in error on there part, I had to go in and restart the auctions, I lost both of the bids that I had. In the email that was sent to me they stated the policy was for books grade 8 and up, the ones I offered was grades 4 and 5. The policy link worked in this email, but could not find anything in the policy in regards to what grades can and cannot be sold. I never got an answer to the second email.
If ebay has the time to end the auction and send me an email, they have the time to answer my email in a timely matter, not one week later.
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Hi, Ina -
I'm getting quite concerned about the "buzz" regarding fraudulent sales on ebay. Many sellers have joined in the cry for "someone to do something" about eBay fraud.
These must be the same people who firmly believe politicians who assert that they can cure any ill without costing anyone a cent. What these sellers don't stop to think about is that any significant attempts to increase monitoring of auctions or somehow authenticate items on eBay will cost a bundle and that eBay would pass these costs on to sellers - without any question at all.
IMO sellers should be actively encouraging ebay to enforce the rules already in place. Example: Ebay's policy against charging virtually nothing for an item and then making your "profit" on inflated shipping (found in their tutorial on fee avoidance at http://pages.ebay.com/help/tutorial/feecirctutorial/intro.html as well as in other places on their site) is rarely, if ever, enforced. There are numerous sellers who have hundreds of sales of lightweight items at under $1.00 per item with $35 shipping charges. This is a frequent subject on the PowerSeller board where many sellers complain that they've been told by eBay that they can't or won't do anything about these sellers.
Sellers who blindly join the hue and cry to "do something" regarding fraud are shooting themselves in the foot by actively encouraging actions that will lead to a significant increase in fees.
Carol
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Good Afternoon,
Thank you for all the good work getting the news out! Please do keep it up.
A number - growing rapidly, it seems - of Ebay sellers have gotten fed up with Ebay's refusal to do anything about sellers who knowingly and deliberately sell fakes and reproductions as original. Who keyword spam. Who mislead buyers into getting antique and/or vintage items when the items are actually brand new. Etc.
Here's a new website devoted to fighting fraud on Ebay.
www.fraudonebay.net
Here are links to the boards on Ebay where this is being discussed:
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000095265&tstart=40&mod=1141711245246
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=1000233485&tstart=0&mod=1141753293641
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=1000237302&tstart=0&mod=1141752666172
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=1000136227&tstart=80&mod=1141688596770
Ebay refuses to do anything constructive about the flood of fraud on its website. Apparently, they want the fees too badly.
I'll be happy to give you specifics for an article - or you can get most of them off of the above threads and website. Giving this push some publicity would certainly help try and clean up the site. Anything that I can do to make it easier for you to post something? Please advise. I just want the fraud off of Ebay - make the site more honest.
Thank you.
Lee
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I am not a reporter, but have been interested at the rate of increasing fraud on ebay. I started looking for a tractor about a month ago, and came across some real devious characters. John Deere tractors in the 4400 series, in particular, I reported eight possible frauds, and heard back that three were frauds, and the others being investigated, with identity theft of user names. They were trying to sell these thirty thousand dollar tractors at a buy it now price of about $4400-$4500. They would advertise free shipping, and when I questioned them on their methods, I was told they had a friend or relative in the shipping industry. This allowed them to ship once a year for free and that was how they would do this. Keep in mind something like this is over two or three thousand dollars to ship by freight. My fraudsters claimed the items were in England, and Australia!!
They also claimed to have account protection plans for $10,000 or more, that you could not contact them by ebay email, because their inbox was full...no phone number because they did not have phone service. The audacity was amazing. It makes me wonder how many people actually fell for it. And yep, they also referred me to their own escrow holding company...just follow THEIR link.
They really got my ire up, so I have been kind of patrolling ebay, looking for similar auctions, and fishy looking auctions. Without bidding (so I don't interfere with legitimate auctions) I inquire and try to identify questionable auctions. Then I refer that auction to ebay's fraud department. But I have to wonder if it does any good. They never respond back any more, and I wonder if they are disregarding the tips, or even checking them out before an auction ends and someone is scammed.
I guess I am angry that I came so close to losing such a large chunk of money, that I work hard for. I am not rich by any means, and wish I could help catch someone who was committing these frauds. How hard would it have been to have someone in the legal system to get in touch with me and set up the transaction and catch them when they pick up the money????? Or does ebay even refer all of the frauds to law enforcements. One article I read from them, suggested that only the large scams were of concern. How large is LARGE, to them? Four thousand dollars is large to me, but I am not a multi-million dollar company either, I guess.
I suppose we may never know, but I will continue my watch and get some satisfaction from that. I am careful though, not to interfere with what seem to be legitimate auctions , and only report the ones that are truly questionable. I have become rather adept at filtering them out though.
Sincerely,
Wendy
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Here's an idea for your TV show, Ina: print out all of eBay's policy pages. A pile of paper (?) feet tall would make a point.
David
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I see there is another foreign 5 cent listing day coming up. At one time a US ebay member could go and list on other sites and take advantage of the reduced listing fees. They could offer to ship to the US and the item would appear in item searches done by members in the US. You have not mentioned this possibility in the last several announcements about foreign reduced fee listing days. Is this still possible? If it is why don't you mention it? Have US members discovered it does not bring sales?
Carl
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I went to your site and tried to find where to comment. Guess I am getting too old cause I didn't find it. Here's the problem. Seems like there is really no one that will publish what's wrong with EBay cause they get paid by 'em.
Right now, my pictures on eBay are missing. For several EBay has been omitting several items of mine from the search. For instance, I pay them for 30 items and they only show 28. Happens all the time.
Why? They have a glitch in their system and don't have to correct it. They are above the law and there is no where to challenge them.
Tom
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Ina,
I always find your columns very helpful. We are having trouble with Turbo Lister. It says for some categories that we can't specify a reserve price. We get around it by modifying the listing after submitting it. There also doesn't seem like there is an option for counters. Do you know what is going on.
Thanks,
Chuck
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