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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.
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Editor's Note: Izzy Goodman has written a number of articles for AuctionBytes and has had a special interest in online payment services from their early days.
Hi,
It's been a while. I just thought you should know I upgraded my rating of paypal due to two recent experiences.
- I paid an ebay seller via paypal. Two weeks later, I had still not received my item. My emails to him went unanswered, despite the fact that he was continuing to post items on ebay. I went to paypal's site and filled in a dispute. In a few days, the seller emailed me to say my item was on its way. It arrived and I canceled the complaint. I found the process straightforward and easy. I believe that most of the time, even when a seller ignores your emails, he'll take notice if he gets an email from paypal about a complaint. It's certainly a smoother, friendlier way to operate than doing a charge back. I give them points for this.
- An ebay buyer paid me via credit card to my regular email ID rather than my ebay email ID. My regular ID is tied to a personal paypal account, the other to a business account. A personal account can not accept credit cards. Normally, when a credit card payment comes in to a personal account, it can be denied. However, this was for an ebay auction and you can't advertise paypal if you don't accept credit cards, so the deny button was inactive. I called Paypal on Sunday, got through immediately, and a helpful support person told me to upgrade the account, refund the payment, and then downgrade the account (which she had to do on her end). It was quick and efficient. Again, I give Paypal points for this.
So in my opinion, they have come a long way from the days when you couldn't reach anyone by phone, emails went unanswered, and sellers automatically lost. I still feel that when you accept credit cards through ANY service other than doing it directly, your chances of running into a problem are higher due to the extra level of complication sitting between you and the card issuer. But Paypal is showing a real willingness to address the problems and I have to spread the good news with the same zeal I used to publicize the bad.
Izzy Goodman
http://www.ccs-digital.com
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HELLO,
MAYBE I MISSED THE TALK ON THIS OR MAYBE THERE HAS NOT BEEN ONE AS OF YET. I WANT TO EXPRESS MY FEELINGS AS A SELLER ON THE NEW FEEDBACK RATING SYSTEM.
DID EBAY THINK WITH THE RISING COSTS OF THE POSTAL SERVICE THAT THE STAR RATING FOR SELLERS WAS GOING TO BE FAIR? I HAVE NOT HAD ONE COMPLAINT THROUGH EMAILS ABOUT MY TRANSACTIONS SINCE THE STAR RATING WAS INTRODUCED. THE BUYERS WANT GOOD FEEDBACK SO THEY LEAVE GOOD FEEDBACK. IF THEY DON'T LIKE THE RISING COSTS OF THE SHIPPING OR SHIP TIME THEY CAN EXPRESS THAT THROUGH THE STAR RATING SYSTEM. SO WHO IS AHEAD HERE? NOT THE SELLER.
WHY CAN'T THE SELLERS HAVE A STAR RATING SYSTEM FOR THE BUYERS...LIKE PAYMENT TIME? I HAVE NEVER WROTE TO ANYONE ABOUT THIS. MAYBE I AM JUST ANGRY THAT EBAY ALLOWS THE BUYERS TO EXPRESS THEIR FEELINGS AND THE SELLERS HAVE TO TAKE THE BULLET. BOTH SIDES HAVE TO EAT THE COSTS.
I WENT FROM PRIORITY MAIL ON ONLY SMALL ITEMS TO PARCEL POST SHIPPING ON THE LARGER ITEMS. THAT HIT MY STAR RATING FOR SHIPPING. IN THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, I HAVE HAD TO WRITE OUT MORE UPI'S THEN I CAN REMEMBER.
I AM JUST TIRED OF EBAY'S UNFAIR TREATMENT OF SELLERS. IT IS TIME EBAY MAKES THE SYSTEM FAIR FOR BOTH SIDES OF THE SALE.
THANKS FOR LISTENING,
D.
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Hi Ina-
I don't know when this happened but some time earlier this year I noticed that in looking for a book AUDIO title on Half.com the listings or specifications no longer included whether or not the title was CD or CASSETTE. I wrote to them and rec'd a reply that this would be passed on for improvement, but so far, no change. Here's the reply from customer service copied. I know it used to be a "feature" of the site to identify the product and I don't know when ebay became "unable" to provide this feature.
I sure hope you can bring some attention to this lack of product info. As a seller, I specify what I'm selling, but as a buyer I find it frustrating to have to email a seller and wait for a reply to identify the product I'm interested in ordering.
I read every issue of AuctionBytes. Thanks for asking the questions and getting us sellers the answers we need.
Leigh
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Ina,
I have read your articles in the past, and they are great. I understand you write articles about Ebay. I haven't followed up lately, but I am a disgruntled Ebay member, who had his account restricted for seller- non performance, and who after taken care of every complaint still ebay will not reinstate me.
I don't know if other people have been emailing you before about this, or if you have plans to do an article. But if you do, please count me in.
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Ina:
This seems to be the latest feature in eBays efforts to crack down on lousy sellers and fraud.
So...why aren't they hitting the big sellers, the ones that list hundred's of items per day...don't be silly...the big sellers are paying big bucks to list and relist.
Nowhere have I been able to find an actual detailed list or policy showing/explaining what or how they are determining what flags a bad seller. Guessing it seems to be some sort of a 5% rule and within a 90 day cycle using some type of filter.
This is flawed. Sellers are being banned from listing for 14 days.
Can you explain in an article in English exactly what in the hell eBay is doing? Seems they want to exclude the smaller seller
I am including a portion of the DNF BOARD (Discuss ebays latest features) from this morning. Also you can check the dreaded threads yourself.
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Hello Ina
Not sure if you are aware of this....but if you visit the Trust & Safety Discussion Board there are many posts by sellers being suspended for "nonperforming seller" complaints.....actually complaints are on multiple boards. Sellers with as high as 100% FB!
eBay is falling apart...
Jennifer
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Hello Ina, I've read your articles before with interest. I thought you might find this thread from the trust and safety forum interesting.
As a small time ebay seller with 100% positive feedback for the last 4 years, I have been dreading the day I receive my first negative feedback. Now I actually fear that day. It could get me suspended. I am moving as much of my business to other venues as I can and cutting back on my listings on ebay.
Here is a link to one many threads on this issue.
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=1000515860&start=40
I hope you will look into this. Thank You,
PS I wouldn't want my name mentioned
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Ina,
Type into google : stolen goods
This is how they prioritize what's appropriate for driving traffic to the site?
Editor's note: Here's the text of the sponsored link ad that appeared next to the search results:
Stolen Goods
Looking for Stolen Goods?
Find exactly what you want today.
www.ebay.com
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Dear Ina,
Your newsletter is very helpful and well written. This is my first time sending in a comment but I suspect it is something that is causing a lot of discussion in Ebay circles and I would be interested in your feedback.
I was very disappointed by Ebay's current "sale". What sellers need to prompt us risking putting more items up (Ebay's goal) is a break on overhead. The key element of overhead is listing fees (Insertion, gallery, and the overcharged for BIN) since the sell through for categories like Collectibles is poor. Giving us a few cents to a maximum of $0.18 savings on items under $25 that sell is not helpful and in fact insulting to us professionals. That is a tiny amount of money, does not apply to the whole final value fee, and encourages cheap items.
Most of us sell inexpensive items as well as better and rarer items BUT as a professional I'll tell you I can't make a living at $10 items. To save $18.00 on ebay fees this month, I would need to sell 100 $25 items. Does this seem like a deal any powerseller would care about?? Any regular seller?
It is also very disheartening as it seems to mean that they will not do the usual insertion fee sale which is a useful and profitable promotion. Do we know what genius at Ebay came up with this? and thought it would be a something the community would like? I would certainly like to send feedback to them but they make that so hard that I thought I would send it to you. HA.
Regards,
Francee
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