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 under every posting (http://blog.auctionbytes.com).
********
Subject: new scam
Ina
Here's a new one:
You are bidding on a box, not the Dell XPS M1330 Laptop, just the box. One of the 25 boxes WILL contain the Dell XPS M1330 Laptop, the other boxes will contain cash. (see below for more info about laptop).
I prefer not to waste a bunch of money mailing out the empty boxes, so only the box containing the Dell XPS M1330 Laptop will be shipped by USPS Mail, Free of charge. The cash winners will get theirs by Paypal.
Within 48 hours of the end of the auction I will open the boxes and inform you of the item you will receive.
Please give everyone a chance. No more than 5 boxes per bidder.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=0&item=160198567811&rd=1
********
Ebay raising fees is not unlike your condo building assessment fees or
apartment rent. It raises each year. Ebay can afford to piss
off/alienate their customer base, because there is really nowhere else
of size to go to. They have successfully bullied every other player
out there, and people that use the site either don't sell enough to
make a difference going to another, or simply don't know, but really,
if all the angry users voted with their feet and all went somewhere
else (Bidville, BluJay, ANYWHERE), and SHOWED ebay they aren't going
to stand to be considered an afterthought, ebay might be forced to
change their stance, but as long as people willingly suck up whatever
ebay dishes out to them, then there really is no reason for ebay to
change their business model of do what is best for them, and not for
their community.
********
Hi Ina,
I really enjoy reading auctionbytes at work.
Some new ebay policy ebay just started you might not know about yet:
You know how when someone steals your text or photo, you could report them to ebay, well now it looks like if you are NOT still paying for the listing, ebay WON"T take your complaint: When I tried to report someone today, here is what I got:
"Enter your item number from which picture or text was copied:
Please enter a valid item number for a listing that has not ended."
Ebay would not let me enter an old item #. That kind of stinks........ plus what if the thief's listing started before your NEW listing? How are you supposed to report this? What ebay is saying is you have to pay again to list something in order to report a theft.
This does not seem fair.
Also, I think ebay is saying that your ad becomes their property. Or maybe they are thinking about this for the future.
Thanks for sticking up for the sellers in your newsletter.
********
Ina,
I would counsel users of the new repatoo.com site you announced, to be very, very careful with that site.
Once a user is signed up, to become a verified seller on their site, they require users to give out their password on Ebay to Repatoo! I'll would be crazy to provide that password of our entire operation to a totally unknown company. It is an enormous security risk.
Cordially,
Peter
********
For the reader who talks of getting a P.O. Box and says they are secure, I would dispute that.
I have a P.O. Box right inside the main Post Office of the downtown area, and I was sent merchandise, listed as Delivery Confirmation, which my seller showed me from the Post Office website that it was delivered to my box. The problem is that it was NOT delivered. I talked to the person in charge of the box section, and like all Postal employees, he proved that he was in a secure job, and didn't really have to do any work, as he claimed that if it was marked delivered, it must have been delivered, despite the fact that I wouldn't be dealing with the worthless lump had my merchandise actually been delivered.
I was informed that Delivery Confirmation does NOT actually confirm delivery, as the Post Office would lead you to believe, but it just confirms that it hit the Post Office (that was later disputed by other Postal employees).
I have been given the run around for over 2 months now from the Post Office, have filed a claim with the Postal Inspections unit, and am preparing to sue the Post Office. I also was expecting a mailed check that never arrived in my box, and a package that was sent Priority Mail on or around 21 Dec that arrived at my box last Friday.
Granted, Chicago has a reputation for the worst mail service in the country ( a fact that the same Postal employee who told me that Delivery Confirmation simply means that a package hit the destination Post Office, and does not actually mean an item is delivered tried to rebuke!), but still, I have a box for not only security reasons, but also because it is easier for me to get to. However, having all this happen so recently is proof that there is no such thing as secure mail from the USPS.
They complain that DHL and FedEx and UPS cut into their business, along with e-mail, but they fail to say that their is no customer service, Postal employees are rude and uneducated, and that mail fails to actually be delivered in a timely manner. If the above mentioned services A) delivered to my PO Box, and B) didn't cost to much, I'd use them every day. The Post Office is a money-losing, useless organization.
Greg
********
Hello,
You run such a fabulous website for auction merchants that I thought I'd see if you have any resources for me from the customer's side. In using eBay, I could use a software that would allow me to watch more than 100 items, and allow me to save them by category. (I'm not always buying that much, but don't have time to save interesting postings to my hard drive for future reference.) Any suggestions?
Many thanks,
Jane
********
Hi Ina,
First off, love Auctionbytes! It's the first place I go for the latest on ebay.
I have several seller accounts at ebay. My first seller account was restricted back on 7-12 in the SNP crackdown. I am an episodic seller with my sales varying greatly from month to month. Because of this, I had neg/ neuts left in a slow sales period when the sales were from a high sales period. It meant that I didn't have high enough sales to offset the negs left from the higher sales period. It calculated on toolhaus at about 6.5 percent. I had no INR or SNAD complaints at all in the 90 day period.
When they restricted me, they took down all my store listings, making the item numbers invalid. When I contacted ebay, they could only suggest that i go through MFW or "wait it out" until my scores improved. With no way to list new items and generate new positive feedbacks my score was frozen essentially. When I tried to go through MFW they suggested, the first thing the MFW form asks for is the item number which comes up invalid so it wont let me proceed. I contacted ebay repeatedly inquiring how I could use MFW or improve my scores if I couldn't sell anything to get some new positives or get any feedbacks withdrawn. All the answers I received either didn't address the question or they simply sent me the same response over and over again to go through MFW.
After about 8 to 10 emails with no help, I just decided to ride the restriction out for the 90 days. The problem is because of the timing of when the feedbacks were left, my toolhaus percentage showed actually fluctuated up because of positive feedbacks dropping off the 90 day cycle.
Through all this, . They continued to take out my store subscription fees out of my bank account even though I couldn't list or sell items. When I asked them about this in stores support, they basically refused to refund my 6 months of subscriptions. I have considered going to my bank and filing complaints with the BBB and the attorney generals office but I am concerned ebay may take punitive action against my other seller account which stands at 99.5 percent pos.
They also naru'd my account in early December because my feedback scores had not improved despite the fact that they made it impossible to improve them. I appealed immediately and received another form email stating that because I had not improved my scores, I was naru'd.
I am beyond frustrated and could definitely use some advice. I know you have to remain objective but I would surely appreciate any help you could give me. If you know of anyone at ebay that would be in a position to help and let me plead my case. I would prefer to get someone at ebay to hear me out before I consider going the legal route and filing complaints with government agencies..
Any suggestions or help you can give will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for the great site and any help.
Bob
PS: I have been posting in your blogs as "another wronged seller"
