Ebay's and Paypal's Loss

[kaibacorp*]

I've been a member for about 10 years and I have had many problems with eBay.
Up to this point I have been as tolerant as a saint; but no more.
I'm throwing eBay where it belongs; in the garbage and here are the reasons why.

- Unacceptable customer protection. I was sent a DOA item worth around $1500 and seller refused to refund. eBay did refund me, but about 10 months later.

- Inventing nonsense reasons for denying customers protection. For example; poker software designed to improve your poker play is ineligible for buyer protection because eBay consider it the same as gambling. And I only have to speculate that, that's the reason because they either wont or are just unable to give the reason why they deny customer protection.

- Online help page says wait time for eBay support is 1 minute. Real time is 30+ minutes.

- eBay charging sellers fees for postage cost; which is unethical.

- Originally they screwed over sellers and to some degree buyers by a complicated money exchanging scam. Later on they changed their policy on this and allowed customers to hold different currencies; e.g. AUD & USD.

I think eBay was originally a good idea, you know, like ordinary people selling stuff over the internet to each other. But now it seems that it's become an amalgam of online stores. They have gone away from that original idea of democratising selling and buying in a safe environment where for example your wife can sell that toaster oven that you accidentally bought. They've went from that idea to pandering to argumentative, giant online stores who hate their customers.

I can't recommend eBay a.k.a Paypal to anyone unless it was a life or death kind of situation because all that they are, is another business with $$$ symbols in their eyes, more than happy to rob you whenever they get the opportunity.

[lyndal1838]

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@kaibacorp* wrote:

- Unacceptable customer protection. I was sent a DOA item worth around $1500 and seller refused to refund. eBay did refund me, but about 10 months later.

Why did it take 10 months to get a refund?   No dispute takes that long to complete unless you have done the wrong thing.

- Inventing nonsense reasons for denying customers protection. For example; poker software designed to improve your poker play is ineligible for buyer protection because eBay consider it the same as gambling. And I only have to speculate that, that's the reason because they either wont or are just unable to give the reason why they deny customer protection.

Did you check whether the item you bought was eligible for protection before you bought?   You can see at a glance if you look in paypal.

- Online help page says wait time for eBay support is 1 minute. Real time is 30+ minutes.

That varies considerably on a day to day basis.....hardly a good reason for not using ebay.

- eBay charging sellers fees for postage cost; which is unethical.

Unethical maybe,  illegal no.

- Originally they screwed over sellers and to some degree buyers by a complicated money exchanging scam. Later on they changed their policy on this and allowed customers to hold different currencies; e.g. AUD & USD.

Please explain?  You have always been able to hold funds in various currencies, even before ebay bought paypal.  Nothing has changed.....it has always been an international money exchange and transfer service.

I think eBay was originally a good idea, you know, like ordinary people selling stuff over the internet to each other. But now it seems that it's become an amalgam of online stores. They have gone away from that original idea of democratising selling and buying in a safe environment where for example your wife can sell that toaster oven that you accidentally bought. They've went from that idea to pandering to argumentative, giant online stores who hate their customers.

While a lot of us are not happy about all the large stores on ebay I have never seen any evidence that they hate their customers....quite the opposite I would say.

I can't recommend eBay a.k.a Paypal to anyone unless it was a life or death kind of situation because all that they are, is another business with $$$ symbols in their eyes, more than happy to rob you whenever they get the opportunity.

Ebayand paypal are quite different.....ebay is a selling platform, paypal is a money transfer service.  It is a bit hard to confuse the purpose of either one.

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[not_for_sale2024]

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@lyndal1838 wrote:

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- Originally they screwed over sellers and to some degree buyers by a complicated money exchanging scam. Later on they changed their policy on this and allowed customers to hold different currencies; e.g. AUD & USD.

Please explain?             

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  Pauline?

[springyzone]

 Under a different nick, I used to sell a lot-back in about 2002-2005. I was also a buyer-again, under yet another nick.

As you say, it has changed.

I think back in those days it was actually riskier for buyers. If a seller shot through with your money (and a few did) there was nothing you could do about it.

It's still not 100% safe I know, but paypal has made it safer.

If I were you, I would definitely cut out the big purchases. No way on earth would I spend $1500 on ebay unless it was pick up and I had viewed it. Then I would only pay as I actually picked it up.

Ebay has changed, it still has a few mum & dad sellers but not as many. Why not do as I do? I make all my major purchases elsewhere but I have no problem with buying small items & I have found them to be really reliable. Things such as cinnamon verum & other spices. Small stuff that you can't get easily in a shop but is not all that expensive. That's how I use it.

[kaibacorp*]

"No dispute takes that long to complete unless you have done the wrong thing."
According to that logic, I done the wrong thing. And I'm sure you're not interested in hearing what I have to say. 🙂

[kaibacorp*]

"Please explain? "
In the past Paypal did not allow users to hold multiple currencies.

If you were Australian based and bought and sold in USD for example, Paypal used to charge you both ways for it.

This drove a lot of smaller eBay stores out of business, until Paypal decided to change their policies.

[kaibacorp*]

"Why not do as I do? I make all my major purchases elsewhere but I have no problem with buying small items & I have found them to be really reliable."
That's some good advice thanks.

But, my point still stands that eBay/Paypal are not doing the responsible thing towards the buyers. They should be sorting those things out in a matter of days-weeks, not months.

[lyndal1838]

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@kaibacorp* wrote:

"Please explain? "
In the past Paypal did not allow users to hold multiple currencies.

If you were Australian based and bought and sold in USD for example, Paypal used to charge you both ways for it.

This drove a lot of smaller eBay stores out of business, until Paypal decided to change their policies.

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This must have been something to do with the ebay/paypal relationship.  It was certainly not a paypal rule before they were connected to ebay.

I have had a paypal account since long before it was bought by ebay....at various times I have had US, Canadian and Aussie dollars in my account at the same time.....sometimes 2 different currencies, sometimes all three.

[kaibacorp*]

Well, I guess that was quick. I made several purchases through eBay the other day.

It's pretty clear to me now, that even though eBay are probably doing the wrong thing to their customers in some areas, their value is so high that they can get away with it.

I guess the only thing that can put eBay right is competition.

[this-one-time-at-bandcamp]

eBay started charging for postage because sellers would lowball "buy it now's", and jack up the postage.  I bought a hand-stitched wall hanging of plum blossoms back years ago.  It sold for $40, but the shipping was $150 from China.