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.

You can also read the AuctionBytes blog, which has a place for reader comments (http://blog.auctionbytes.com).

********

Re: "eBay's PayPal Promises Fix to Shipping Glitch"
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y07/m09/i14/s01

Thank You.. For your news letter.. I had that experience with Pay pal today 9-14, went to ship a large package, and they wanted to charge me 18.75 for shipping, when I had quoted the bidder 14.90.. So I went to USPS site and printed out my label, and it cost me 14.90.. Pay Pal would have made almost 4.00 off of me, with that transaction. I have forewarned two of my ebay friends.. So many Ebayites, will not know..
Sincerely,
Rochelle

********

Hi, I haven't had much time to keep up with new features on ebay, but had something happen today that worried me. I was trying to search current and completed auctions. . .but there was no button for completed. . . a new format was on the screen. At the bottom of the page, there was an Ebay note that I was testing a new search system and if I wanted to opt out I could.

Hoping that the completed auction search isn't being taken away?????????????? Thought I would pass this along to see if you are familiar with the new search.

Thanks for all the information you provide.

********

Hi Ina,
Couldn't find a place on the eBay site to complain, so though you might like to know. I may have missed it before somehow, but just today I noticed after getting to the bottom of a page of Search Results on eBay, there was a list of Sponsored Links which opened up a new window of folks off-eBay websites - "can't find it on eBay, try these folks". I was researching boat ladders, and was given a list of several websites.

It's on both open and closed auctions searches. Odd that eBay policy forbids Sellers from linking to off-eBay websites because it encourages off-eBay sales (no $ for eBay), but eBay itself is now doing it (they are, after all "sponsored" links, i.e. $ for eBay), to the detriment of all sellers!!!! Unbelievable. Thanks for listening.
TJ

********

Re: "Alibris Testing Partnership with eBay's Half.com"
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y07/m09/i03/s02

We love Alibris.

Also notice we can list as much as we want on half (ebay sister site) with no restrictions, although we were told 10,000+ positive feedback at 99% isn't quite good enough.

Alibris is well run, great for buying selling.

********

Hi Ina,
I just read Bob's letter about eBay's policy on suggestions. We have a whole email folder full those eBay responses. We were told that the policy is there to protect eBay from having to pay someone if the idea is used and then that person tries to claim ownership of the idea and wants compensation (and we all know how much eBay loves to part with it's money!!!). However, that being said, eBay does listen to the suggestions and many times implements them (as their own ideas).

Some of the things that we kept requesting were implemented by eBay and I would imagine that it was because a number of people probably requested them. Also, I was able to explain the reasons for the suggestions to some of the managers at eBay Live ( such as the benefit to be able to give partial Paypal refunds and the benefit of letting more than one person have authority to deal with eBay and Paypal issues for an account without always getting permission from the original name on the account) . So, my recommendation to Bob is, please keep sending in the suggestions. eBay may say that they don't accept them, but they really do evaluate them......they just don't want to give anyone the opportunity to claim credit for them.
Have a great weekend!
Martha

********

Hi Ina, thanks as usual for your continuing alerts and news.

However, I wanted you to know for your memory bank:
Paid eBay fees via my Paypal acct 8/30. Recd immediate verification of same from eBay and from Paypal. Tonight when listing noticed my bill total does NOT reflect payment. Having just finished after 52+ emails solving another eBay bill matter and losing ten more years of life over it....decided to immediately contact Paypal.

As usual, PP advises to contact ebay AT support@eBay.com. And AS USUAL this is a dead address for over a year and you get a form saying in the subject field "This letter has not been received (or read) Use blah blah blah forms.

Now, aside from being frustrating and infuriating, it CANNOT (?) be legal for a financial institution, bank technically or not, treating your money so cavalierly. This is a real flim-flam game with the addresses. WHY does the JUSTICE DEPT allow this. It is like my bank directing me to a phony phone no that doesn't exist. Paypal and eBay know this of course...its "the loop."

CANT any light be shed on this in the press, etc? My eternal question. WHY don't any of the financial papers ever have articles on the a) stupid b) nutsy c) illegal) d)counterproductdive e) juvenile marketing a la the playground and that crapola....

We get a ticket going thru a yellow light and these charlatans who (IMHO many should be in JAIL) go merrily on their way. What an example.
Thanks.
Joan

********

Ina,
I had a very interesting talk today with an Ebay "preferred customer" rep. There are a couple of glitches in their systems, and it seems I'm not the only one who has had a rash of buyers going NARU recently.

• Some bug in the system won't let sellers leave feedback for some auctions. It's being worked on.
• Another bug won't let a seller contact their high bidder. An error message says "you are trying to contact a member with whom you have no open transaction" or something like that. This was a new one to the rep, who was going to report it.
• Ebay has been NARU-ing a lot of IDs for fraud prevention resons. I was told that at least some of mine fell into this category. So, it wasn't just my imagination. I thought I was attracting the buggers.

Pam

********

Hi Ina,
I love your newsletter and was wondering if we can get some discussion going about having eBay and Paypal subject themselves to the same standards to which they are holding their sellers. Or, as they say in Silicon Valley: "eBay needs to eat their own dogfood."

The following is a slightly edited version of the one my son posted to Seller Central. Would you please help publicize his idea?

The easiest way to demonstrate that their new seller non-performance policy is fair would be for eBay and Paypal to be willing to live by the very same rules. Here's how it might work:

First, every buyer and every seller for every transaction (whether refunded or not) should be able to leave feedback about eBay and Paypal's performance. And that performance is permanent and cannot be removed just like our feedback. That way eBay will know what it is like to be rated by customers who are drunk, are not native English speakers, or simply had a bad day.

Second, eBay and Paypal cannot process any new transactions for two weeks if their combined negative and neutral ratings exceed 5% in any 90 day period since they believe that is a fair punishment for their sellers who meet the same criteria. Since that would hurt a lot of buyers and sellers, perhaps the rule should be modified so that eBay and Paypal have to forgo their fees for 2 weeks.

Third, eBay and Paypal cannot process any transaction for an indefinite period of time if their combined negative and neutral ratings exceed 10%. Again, since they believe that is a fair punishment for their sellers who meet the same criteria. And again, since that would likely hurt a lot of eBay's members, eBAy can simply forgo their fees indefinitely.

My daddy always said: "Whats good for the goose is good for the gander." It only seems fair that eBay be held to the same performance standards to which they hold us.