What are your biggest ebay gripes ?

[Tamiyabigstuff]

Thought I'd start a new topic.

Sellers who refuse to give any shipping discount for multiple wins. [:@]

Sellers who invoice you for Special Delivery or First Class Recorded and then send by Standard Parcels or Second Class post. [:@]

Feel better for that. []

Anyone else ?

 

[mymonsterbeetleisbroken]

Sellers that dont provide you with their payment address for ages, and then moan asking why the payment hasn't been received yet [:@]

Buyers who dont bother completing the checkout, and send a random payment with nothing on it to say what its for, or who its from! [:@]

[nzl60]

I have to say its the huge number of bogus auctions, these are really wearing me down, oh yeah and people who charge way too much for shipping. I dont mind paying for packaging and a little of someones time, but when they claim huge amounts, that really rips me. [8o|]

[T.C~Tamiya]

<moan>

Buyers...

Buyers who randomly hit "buy it now" buttons but have no intention of making payment, then string you along for weeks with stories of great personal tragedy, so far I've had "couldn't pay as I was in intensive care" had this one 4 times now, once due to car accident, once motorcycle accident, and twice non specific "mystery" illness. then there's family tragedy / crisis, been told that one about three times, then there's the one about having their Paypal / eBay account hacked, then there's the one about faulty computer equipment so no internet access, the list goes on... Yawn.

Don't get me wrong I'm not being callous here but these excuses are basically big old lies, what they don't realise is that anyone can check their bidding history and see which days they were placing bids, if you've just spent a week in intensive care for example it's quite unlikely that they gave you a computer and internet access so you could place bids on R/C cars every day.

---

Sellers...

Sellers who wait a month before posting your stuff or just don't bother posting at all.

Sellers who don't pack stuff well so it arrives broken, like a hard drive I bought that came in a large paper envelope.

Sellers who describe everything they sell as being in "very very very good condition", when in fact the condition is well below average or just plain junk.

</moan>

[Shodog]

lame feedback system

sellers who charge a "handling fee"

People who don't have paypal.

[Phoenix]

People who won't post to the UK because they think filling out a Customs form and slapping on an airmail sticker is too much like hard work.

**** pictures.

Reserve auctions.

Ppl that rite in der 0wn langwige + xpect evry1 els 2 undastan it lik.

On the otherside, I've made some great friends through eBay over the years, 9/10 Germans/Austrians will bend over backwards to help you out (even when you make a pathetic attempt at their language) and Paypal has made transactions so simple. It's a fat, corrupt, messed up corporate pig, granted, but would you want to go down the bank and send a money order for EVERY item you won!?

[focus1]

I can't remeber excatly how much it was, but I posted a tread about it in the forum when it happend. I bought a standar tamiya esc just minutes before it ended for around £6. And the seller had a ca.19£ flat rate shipping policy. The ad said that the item was located in UK, while he was desputing that the shipping was so costly because the item was in HK! I ended up filing a complane about excessive shipping sharges on him, and gave him a netrual coment that was explaining.

 

[Voltar]

Biggest ebay gripe is getting their bill! Next is how the buynow feature disappears as soon as a bid is placed....I know there are cures for that. Why they alway allow known scammers to keep "selling". If you accidently do a typo in leaving a feedback, there is no way of changing it. Make sure it is correct before hitting the button! Ebay can remove a negative feedback.....all you need to do is pay them. You can't do a Search title and description for completed auctions. ...just a little annoying. My appologies to any ebay store owners on this one.....Store owners can have tons of search words and keywords in their auctions.

But....I love ebay! Jim 

[OCD]

1. EBAY CHINA!

Did you know that China is receiving free insertion (listing) fees?

Did you know that eBay offers their service for free in China since it's an 'emerging market'...

Do you know who is paying for all of those wonderful items to be posted???

2. Sellers who avoid fees by selling the item for a 99 cents, and shipping is $25.00

This is damaging for both the sellers as well as the buyers.

3.  My lack of voice...

Ebay makes major changes (i.e. eBay China) without consulting their client's input first. 

Not that our opinions matter though; I think the bottom line for eBay is just the bottom line now days.

-Steve

[Stefan(2)]

L@@K

Freeee !!!!

DON'T LOOK HERE

*)@!*(#)!(@*# tamiya kyosho hpi

 

thats it :

[OCD]

My appologies to any ebay store owners on this one.....Store owners can have tons of search words and keywords in their auctions.

But....I love ebay! Jim 

Don't worry Jim, Store owners just got slapped with 150% fee increase to help fund eBay's $2 billion stock buyback ... [:^)]

[nigeninja]

Sellers who don't reply to emails when I ask when they will be posting an item out,I need to know so I can make sure I'm in!! (not too much to ask).

Feedback system,if you have a none payer and you leave him/her negative feedback,the dipstick who has not paided can then also leave you negative feedback even though I have done nothing wrong[:@].

[backtomyroots]

1.  Sellers who refuse to give any shipping discount for multiple wins [:@].  I know for a fact that several small items can be stuck in the same envelope with little difference in the total shipping cost.  One seller wants $14 US per item (all gpm products).  Ridiculous ! So, I refuse to buy them no matter how much I need them [] (and I want them real bad !).

2.  Lack of interest in Ebay enforcing rules/regulations.  They are sporadic at best.  I have had an auction cancelled for the title - but it was only listing the brand name !

3.  Feedback system (although I don't have an alternate system). 

4.  Ease at which people can scam (I think I am going to be at the receiving end of a jerk scammer who won one of my recent auctions - claimed he didn't receive item - paypal took the money from my account - after he waited only SIX DAYS for it to arrive !  When normally it takes up to 3 weeks ! What a jerk !).

5.  Ebay fees.

I could go on, but overall, I have gotten some good deals from ebay members & great service from some of the stores !

[Voltar]

150% increase? WOW! That could really ......vacuum. Jim

[OCD]

150% increase? WOW! That could really ......vacuum. Jim

I'm sayin'![:|]

Here's the exact wording as per Bill corn-on-the Cobb:

Since its debut in 1995, the eBay marketplace has continually evolved to meet the needs of the eBay Community. For the most part, the behavior of buyers and sellers has naturally adapted to changing conditions -- over time, we've learned to allow the marketplace to direct itself as much as possible. On some occasions, though -- in the interest of the eBay marketplace's long-term vitality -- we've had to step in and implement new policies, introduce new formats, or make changes to our fee structure to create needed incentives for eBay members.

Put simply, we at eBay have two basic roles: to deliver the best overall value for buyers, and to maximize cash flow for sellers. As eBay has grown over the years, we've added various enhancements and tools to the site -- but in essence, our "products" are two types of listings:

Core listings (auction-style, auction-style with Buy It Now, and Fixed Price) deliver the signature eBay buying experience. For sellers, they're the fastest way to sell inventory on the Internet -- the only place where items typically sell within about two weeks.

Store Inventory listings were introduced in 2001 and intended as a low-risk way for sellers to display large amounts of product in their eBay Store. This format employs low insertion fees and higher final value fees to encourage an abundance of inventory on the site.

Amid all this change, one thing has remained constant: auction-style listings are the foundation of eBay. Auction-style and other core listings made eBay what it is today -- and they'll always be front and center on eBay.com. They account for about 91% of the gross merchandise value sold on eBay.com.

But recently, we've been wrestling with some troubling facts:

Store Inventory listings now comprise about 83% of active eBay.com listings on average.

While eBay.com core listings typically sell in about two weeks, Store Inventory listings on average take 14 times longer to sell. In some media categories, Store Inventory listings take more than 40 times longer to sell than core listings.

And, when you compare our operations costs for an average Store Inventory listing and an average core listing - factoring in the duration of each - our cost to host a Store Inventory listing is more than 50% higher than for a core listing. In fact, current Store Inventory insertion fees don't cover eBay's costs for hosting them.

It's vitally important -- to your business and ours -- that we maintain a healthy balance between listing formats on the eBay marketplace, and ensure that inventory conversion across the site remains strong.

So we're taking action.

Today, I want to inform you of changes we're making to eBay.com -- changes intended to rebalance the overall eBay marketplace by further distinguishing the roles of core listing formats and our Store Inventory format. In short, we're improving the advantages of selling in core listing formats -- and taking action to manage the proportion of Store Inventory listings -- to ensure that the buying experience on eBay stays true to shoppers' expectations.

Core Listings

Core listing fees will remain unchanged. So for the vast majority of eBay sellers who use only these formats, their fees are not increasing.

And we'll be providing greater exposure for core listings on eBay Express. In late August, we'll begin displaying auction-style listings with Buy It Now on eBay Express for qualifying sellers. Also in late August, core fixed price and auction-style Buy It Now listings that qualify for eBay Express will be advantaged over Store Inventory listings.

Also, in response to the requests of many large sellers, we're raising the 10-item multiple listings limit to 15, effective Aug. 22.

Store Inventory Listings

For those of you who operate an eBay Store, we're making changes to Store Inventory listing fees, as well as to the on-site exposure we provide for this listing format.

We'll begin charging variable insertion fees for Store Inventory listings, as we do for core listings. Beginning Aug. 22, eBay.com Store Inventory format insertion fees will be tiered with an item's starting price.

These Store Inventory format insertion fees take effect Aug. 22, 2006:

Starting Price   New Insertion Fee   Current Fee

$0.01 -- 24.99 5¢ 2¢  

$25.00 and higher   10¢ 2¢

Some Store Inventory format final value fees also will also increase, effective Aug. 22, 2006:

Selling Price New Final Value Fee   Current Fee

$0.01 -- 25.00   10%   8%

$25.01 -- 100.00 7% 5%

$100.01 -- 1,000.00   5% (no change) 5%

$1,000.01 and higher   3% (no change)   3%

Please note that for current listings, the new final value fees will apply only after these listings are renewed.

For more detailed information on these fee changes, please see our fee changes overview.

For some time, we've been working to identify the best way to display Store Inventory listings on the site. In the spring, we pledged to sellers that we would test a variety of ways to mingle their Store Inventory listings with core listings on eBay.com. We've tested several alternatives and these tests showed the ideal approach is how we're doing it today - that is, when a buyer's search returns 30 or less core listings, we display up to 30 Store Inventory listings. This is what we'll stick with going forward.

However, starting in about a month, we'll also include an unlimited number of Store Inventory listings after all matching core listings, when the buyer clicks the Buy It Now listings tab at the top of every search results page. When the buyer hasn't selected this option, eBay.com will display Store Inventory listings along with core listings as described above.

Half.com Listings Added to eBay.com Search Results

I recognize that sellers in the Books, Movies, Music and Video Games categories will have unique challenges with the changes we're making. As many of our media sellers have requested, starting in late August we'll again provide visibility for Half.com listings in core search results, by bringing back the Half.com listings merchandising feature we used previously (click here for an example). We're also exploring additional ways to promote Half.com listings in search results on both eBay.com and eBay Express.

How These Changes Affect You

I'm confident the actions we're taking are the right thing to do for the overall eBay Community. We'll more effectively deliver on our buyers' needs and expectations. And for sellers, these changes will ensure that eBay remains a differentiated and distinct e-commerce channel with fast inventory turnover.

I know there's a lot to digest here, and that you're probably most interested in quickly determining if and how these changes will impact your business.

A typical eBay Stores seller who uses Store Inventory format -- making no adjustments to his or her selling strategy following these changes -- will experience an overall fee increase of less than six percent, based on our analysis of all June selling activity. Of course, you need to clearly understand the impact on your business -- which could be greater or less than six percent. To get started, please visit the seller resources page or consult the Frequently Asked Questions we've prepared. Also, use your seller support resources in Customer Support. Our CS teams are fully prepared to help you understand the effect on your business, and discuss your options for adjusting your eBay selling strategy to minimize impact to your bottom line.

In addition -- to help eBay Stores sellers make informed decisions about any changes to their selling strategies -- we're making eBay Marketplace Research Basic available to them at no cost for eight weeks, starting today. Through September 19, eBay Stores sellers can use this data to compare selling formats or determine how best to price inventory on eBay. You can access eBay Marketplace Research here.

I'll be hosting a Community Town Hall discussion on Thursday, July 20th at 4:00 p.m. Pacific time, where I'll answer your questions. Please click here for more details on the Town Hall, or to submit a question in advance.

Sincerely,

Bill Cobb

President

eBay North America

I wonder how the big sellers feel about being considered a 'troubling fact'?? 

-Steve

[eek!]

Ha..ha..ha..he..he..oh man, best laugh I've had this week!  (...but some really great and entertaining  responses.) []  Ok, serious again.

I'm not what I would consider a seller and have

never sold on Ebay (I'm a "horder"...what can I say?) but I can see

some concerns are important to sellers based on their auction page

descriptions.

Clearly expeditious payment is of top concern to many sellers. 

Also bidders committed on follow through with their auction win. 

And why wouldn't this be important?  Makes sense to me.  I

think I would probably get tired of excuses from buyers changing their

minds after winning an auction.  Nobody told you to bid or list a

sky-high amount, so you are guaranteed a win.  The BIN option has

several steps to confirmation, granted it's easier to make a mistake

here but it still is a conscious action to bid with BIN and then

confirm.  If either type auction was a mistake I could understand

that, but I would also expect the buyer to "immediately" email the

reason rather than last minute excuses, which I suspect happens. 

Lastly I would think zero-feedback buyers that bid and win on auctions

worth several hundred or thousands of $ should know better (what if

this auction is bogus?).  I know everyone must start somewhere but

really, is

an expensive item the best place to start your Ebay history?  With

all the scam artists out there do you expect to be taken seriously by a

seller possibly ripped off in the past?  I can see why sellers

often clearly state "no zero-feedback bidders" or "email me first

before bidding".  I would do the same if I sold.

As a buyer it is most important to me to pay as quickly as possible and

make it known by emailing seller (even though with Paypal they get a

notice anyway).  I believe as a buyer you should know when your

desired auctions end and make payment asap.  The end result of

course is glowing feedback and often sellers willing to work with you

on shipping charges.  Nice.[]  However I have some gripes.

As a buyer:

1.  Seemingly slow response by staff to questionalbe sellers/auctions

2.  Poor system for feedback comments.  One line?  How much space does text require on servers?

3.  Poor email ettiquette/communication from sellers (and one

wonders the origins of misunderstandings and its resulting conflicts?)

4.  The feeling from Ebay staff of "canned" responses to questions

asked of them.  (Didn't I just read this in your FAQ?)

Best,

[djmcnz]

My biggest gripe is sellers who don't leave
positive feedback immediately upon receipt of the correct payment and shipping
information.  Some *sellers* even state that the *buyer* must leave
positive feedback before they will.  Well, I'm sorry but if I've paid the
correct amount in a timely fashion (~24 hours) then I have completed my end of
the bargain, the seller then owes me that feedback.  I only owe them the
feedback when I've received and verified the goods.



I can see why some sellers do it - to protect themselves from unjustified
negative feedback - but I'm afraid that's not reason enough for me, and it puts
the buyer at the mercy of the seller which is inappropriate.



All said and done, all of my ebay trades have gone well, the only exception is
occasionally relatively slow or expensive shipping.

[RETRO R/C]

1)  Toolbag sellers that steal pics from my site AND my

descriptions to sell their car.................jeeeeez - then ebay

wants you to jump through 10 pages of crud just to get them to move

their sorry buts. (can you tell I am peeved!![:@])

2) Ebays new store policy charges. Having only recently set up a store

here in Australia for modded parts and other nicities - ebay goes and

puts a MASSIVE increase on the cost of having the sore....then try and

justify it by saying it is the buyers that want it this way.............

3) PATHETIC, USELSS, SELF SERVING feedback "system"...............what a joke.

ahhhhh - I am going on a bit...........

Sorry.

Cheers

Darryn

[eek!]

Hey Darryn, I see on my feedback history you were there when I started on Ebay.  You're #2[]

Best,

Kee

[jerrywasaracecardriver]

FEES! Between ebay taking their cut, and paypal digging in, I have begun to look elsewhere to sell some items. Some items I refuse to take paypal on as well. Selling through ebay and accepting paypal costs about 10-15 percent, right off the top,, depending on how many features you have in the auction. Those people make billions already. Why do they have to be soo greedy and keep raising the fees? As a buyer I see it too. Many sellers are recouping fees by charging excessive shipping, and that only makes up for a small portion of fees usually. Oh well, the ebay marketplace is now an atmosphere of screw and get screwed,, and I blame it all on greed from both ebay and paypal.

[Wrc action]

I have noticed ebay seems more hostile and theres a lot more sellers appearing and less from my old favs. My biggest gripe is bad 1 word or line replies to mail also often late along the lines of - payment or other such things. I now take a lot more care in my ebay and look for reputable sellers from abraod who speak english or stick to the uk for safety.

As for above with buyers and feedback - as a seller i like to know that my item has been accepted and is well before leaving feedback so i often send a mail saying can u confirm its arrival by feedback or a mail so that i can leave feedback for you - i prefer it that way. after its been sent a few weeks i leave feedback anyway there cant be anything wrong they havent complained yet lol - its worked well on all 99 feedback and more transactions so why change.

regards Ryck

[KEV THE REV]

Yes ,ive been there with the Paypal knockback too !!.Here is one example .I had sold an item to a guy in the USA ,i sent the item the very next day after his 'E' cheque had cleared (it took a week for him to pay and clear the 'E' cheque !!) 3 daysafter me shipping  he put a complaint in to Paypal as 'item not received'.As i had sent the item via std. airmail with proof of postage certificate Paypal took the money back from me because i had not used a trackable shipping method !!.Then the jerk buyer left Ebay !!So ,now all of my ebay items go out recorded / tracked whether it be UK or overseas shipping - you have to cover your ar*e so to speak.

Another grumble is that i always send out my  Ebay sales very well packaged (anyone who knows me will know that). I always communicate to let the buyer know when payment is received ,or when i will be shipping an item usually the next day after cleared payment and also to let them know that their item has been shipped. Then what do you get your efforts - some buyers cant even be bothered to leave any feedback whatsoever !!

 All in all though i find Ebay a generally happy place to be - surrounded by all that lovely nib Tamiya stuff - yummy

[theshopkeeper]

A lot of powersellers use something called "selling manager pro".  If this is set up to their benefit, they never leave you any feedback - as it automatically leaves positive feedback when you leave positive feedback for them, or it sends them a warning email if you leave neutral or negative so that they can leave you a nasty response.  [:|]

(They'll claim they spend all the time packing orders but really this is so they can spend all day logged onto the power sellers discussion board discussing the weather, the road system in croydon, quality of fish and chips in the south etc etc (or anything except ebay!).  [])

Feedback is a bit of a joke on ebay.  The fees are getting more of a joke by the day.

[theshopkeeper]

 I always communicate to let the buyer know when ... i will be shipping an item usually the next day after cleared payment and also to let them know that their item has been shipped

Not necessarily a great idea that.  Scammers oldest trick in the book is to ask for you to confirm when dispatch has occurred - then they can bung in a Paypal Item Not Received claim and likely PP will settle it before your item has a chance to reach them. It's a bit like providing tracking numbers on dispatch, it's often possible to redirect with the tracking number to a third party - very few commercial firms will give out a tracking number until a delivery attempt has been made as a result.

[modelmaniac]

When sellers use a never ending list of things that the item isnt....!

(Tamiya Chassis for sale - Not Losi - Not Schumacher - Not Carson - Not Cucumber - Not Aardvark - Not Purple - Not Kitchen Sink ...... it goes on and on!

Cheers

Modelmaniac[6]