In every issue, readers soundoff about issues important to them. From feedback to payment services, from fees to posting policies, AuctionBytes Soundoff gives you a chance to air your views.

Send your letter to the editor by emailing ina@auctionbytes.com with "Letters to the Editor Blog" in the subject line. (Remember to include your name as you would like it to appear.)

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Hello,
I just finished the survey on "whose Customer is it" (Link ). This topic started me thinking about the subject. Current I sell on eBay, Amazon, Bonanzle, other venues as well as my own website. Unless I am grossly missing the point I can not understand why the venues would begin to think the buyer would be any one's other the seller who listed the product. The listing seller would be the venues customer. The fact they charge listing fees and final fee's they are no different then any auto auction house.

They provide the platform to sell on, define the rules to conduct business on. If there is a problem the customer contacts the seller for resolution. The venue beats the seller to death to conform to their rules with eBay being the worst. I sell the exact same item items across all venues. The feedback system each employs is design to rate seller's performance not the venues.

Currently I am a gold level seller on eBay and sales on Amazon for our first year (2009) exceed eBay's year to date. eBay and Amazon are more concern about their image to insure traffic with Amazon being different with their own products. If a buyer buys from Amazon one of their products then the customer is theirs vs buying my product which they are mine.

In summary the seller who actually owns the goods for sale and sells to a buyer, the buyer becomes the seller's customer. What would happen if the seller on eBay or Amazon told a customer who had a problem with the product or transaction received the following comment from the seller "Look you are eBay or Amazon's customer, take it up with them".

The venues really have no fiduciary responsibility with the transaction. between the buyer and seller. They do have responsibility between themselves and the seller to insure the seller performs according to their rules.
Thanks.

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I am a 10 year small seller of antiques with 100% positive feedback. I recently listed an old comic (with free shipping inside the U.S.) and clearly stated I do not ship overseas. It was bought by a buyer in England. ( I thought Ebay had a way of preventing that)

Then that buyer said he thought I should ship to England for free. (That would cost $8 First Class vs. 90 cents in U.S.) And the item only brought $9. I finally got the buyer to agree to pay the difference. After I mailed it, he told me he would be leaving negative feedback.

I have repeatedly tried to contact Ebay to (a) get them to guarantee that they will not let overseas buyers bid on future items, (b) to prevent me getting negative feedback because of their mistake. I can't even get a responses back from Ebay.

I know I am just a "little guy" in their eyes. But how long can they expect us to put up with this kind of treatment? Sooner or later, even stupid little loyal sellers like me have to give it up.
(name withheld)

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Re: "You Can't Take It with You: PayPal and Estate Planning" - Link

You can set up your paypal account to have the balance swept into your bank account every day. If you do this the funds may be much more accessible as you can set the account up so than someone else can sign checks on the account, withdrawn cash from an atm with your pin or make direct withdrawals at the bank. If it is a joint account then your spouse, child/children, mother, father or significant other or friend can immediately withdraw the funds from the bank and not have to deal with paypal in any way what so ever. Dealing with paypal is a pain and there is no way I would ever leave my money in my paypal account.
Maggie

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Earlier this past summer I sold four book lots in which the buyer did not pay. I successfully filed for Non-Paying Bidder fee credit and added the buyer to my Blocked Bidder List. I relisted and resold the book lots. Several weeks later I receive an email from this buyer wanting to buy the books. I told him they were sold.

His next emails were quite nasty but I deleted them and moved on. His next emailed he revealed he now was NARU'd (no longer a registered user) and he demanded I remove the strikes. I deleted the email. This continued on for the past months...each email getting nastier. Today I get home and check my emails and there is a notice from ebay re: User Contact. EBAY GAVE THIS NARU BUYER MY HOME TELEPHONE NUMBER AND MY FULL EMAIL ADDRESS. The phone has not stopped ringing all afternoon into this evening.

This is not a kid but an angry man who thinks it is my fault he is not allowed on ebay. EBAY CLEARLY VIOLATED MY PRIVACY and their policy by giving out this information.

This guy is nuts and part of his ID includes the word POSTAL and now I understand where the term going postal comes from. I did contact them and requested someone of authority contact me ASAP and this policy must be changed. Just wanted to give your readers a heads up that this can happen to them. This man was given carte blanche to harrass me at no fault of mine.
Thank you.
DB

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Having now used the new ebay system which allows ebay to repay me if the seller will not respond to a claim I will certainly NOT be using it again!

I bid and won a stand alone PC, inbuilt sceen etc. I had some misgivings about the seller so arranged to have the item collected (I am in France and he the UK) Seller contacts me 12 hours before collection (Late friday) to say he will now not be available. So i am forced to allow him to post the item a computer? But he is asking £20 to post by a method that will cost him £6.99 so I agree as that will allow him money to pack well? Result? A single wall cardboard box used to transport Toilet Brushes! A nearly full roll of 2" sellotape and 60/60 polystyrene chips? Result as may be expected damaged goods and unhappy buyer.

Seller starts and unpaid item case?? I had paid?? I then after some discussion open a case with ebay AND Pay Pal. Seller asks me to send picture of packaging? And fails to respond to unpaid item case? So I escalate to a claim with PP. Seller does not respond and so case passes to the "We are considering what to do" stage. then ebay contact me and we finally agree that ebay WILL refund the purchase cost £41 and IF and WHEN PP refund me I will refund ebay. And quite happy I was.

THEN next day I get an e-mail from Pay Pal telling me that as I have agreed to a refund from ebay they have closed the case in favour of the seller??? WHY? this agreement has nothing at all to do with PP!! This part has NEVER to my knowledge been made public? So why are PP assuming that I do not want them to do what I pay for and judge the case on it's merits? I am down £20 on the deal and the icing on the cake??

Ebay have not refunded the money I paid either! So whare do i go now?? I think the Financial Ombudsman is going to get a call as Pay Pal have certainly as is usual chosen to ignore me! And this is a perfect case of "We have a bigger stick then you have and we WILL beat you with it!!"

BUT the FSA in the UK have an even BIGGER stick! :-0

Just like to say THANK YOU Ina for all the hard work going into these pages!! I have passed along your url to many people in the UK and France!! Just hope they follow my advice is all!
Regards,
Chris

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As eBay's relationship with Pepperjam Network winds down, many who are owed a final few checks from Pepperjam were surprised this week when the regular 1st of the month payment failed to materialize. Since the 1st fell on a Sunday, the payment should have come through the following business day, the 2nd. However, eBay in its unfailing quest to crap all over (again!) their affiliates, didn't come through apparently. At least that's what Pepperjam reps are telling us, that eBay hasn't yet paid them, so they can't pay us.

What's up eBay? You know you owe us the money. We fulfilled our part of the deal, now you owe us for leads and commissions through the final days of the term with Pepperjam. Perhaps a call to California's Attorney General's office will be needed to pry our money loose? eBay, you're a class act (NOT!).
Signed,
a very unhappy affiliate

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Re: "Auction Site eBid Awards Cash Prize to Celebrate 3 Million Live Listings" - link

Hello,
I won the 3000 dollars for listing the auction number 3,000,000 on ebid. I wasn't really aware there was a competition and for some time thought the e-mails saying I'd won were either a joke or a scam. Finally ebid managed to convince me it was genuine (sending money to me helped) and my wife has been planning how to spend it ever since.

I knew ebid was friendly, the fees are low and I have enjoyed selling on there for sometime, but this really was as unexpected as it is welcome.
Thanks ebid .
Four million here we come.
Kevin

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Regarding last issue's "First Item Sold Online" column ( Pre-Amtrak China, or, "the Railroad Plate Story")

The plate he is talking about was from the Chicago & North Western Railroad and the train was the "400" not 600 as stated.
Thanks.
Jack

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Just received this in a promo email from eBay. "Google recently announced that individual sellers can no longer submit their own item information to Google Base. But not to worry - eBay currently sends millions of listings to Google Base at least once every day. We continue to work closely with Google to ensure our feeds - and your listings - align with Google requirements. So there's no need for you to change your listing practices."

Since many feel like search seems to return items on a rotating server basis, if at all, shouldn't this sentence have read?:

eBay currently sends millions of listings to Google Base at least once every day.
eBay currently sends ALL LISTINGS to Google Base at least once every day.
Are they only sending diamond sellers "millions of listings" or are they sending everyone's listings?

(Prefer my name not be used, so eBay can't retaliate against us for our thoughts)

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Letter to editor re: ebay advertisements

Today oct 31 I just noticed these big advertisements appearing at the top of each ebay page? Is this new?? I am trying to figure out why my firefox and adblock will not block these Ads (like they do all other ads)

I am not interested in having ads on ebay pages likes these Has anyone started a petition on facebook or other price to sign against this type of advertsing I (and millions of others) pay ebay tons of money every month and it deserves to be ad free

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Also visit the Letters to the Editor Blog, here are links to letters published from November 2 to present:

eBay Search Visibility Tool Affecting Best Match? (November 13, 2009) - Link to Letter

Online Merchant Complains of PayPal 15% Holds (November 12, 2009) - Link to Letter

eBay Issues Seller a Warning for Deferred Dispute (November 9, 2009) - Link to Letter

Advice for eBay Sellers - Shipping and Photos Are Key (November 9, 2009) - Link to Letter

Will Latest eBay Changes Affect Traffic to Stores? (November 6, 2009) - Link to Letter

eBay Counts All Three Negs from Impatient Buyer (November 4, 2009) - Link to Letter

Problem with eBay's Free Shipping Display (November 2, 2009) - Link to Letter