Personally I think the way the system is setup is completely inconsiderate towards sellers. I understand there needs to be security measures in place. But I don't understand why, as a seller, I am instantly treated as a guilty criminal the moment any one raises a dispute.
Our feedback at the moment 1793 (99.8%) seller since 2004. I have just had a new customer with 1 feedback and that 1 is from our sale. Account created 21st of March, same day as the order. So this buyer has raised a dispute out of eBay. They bought an item which is sent by standard mail, so not tracked. I'd love to send everything by parcel, but with an item that sells for $9 (free delivery) and in which eBay will take more than 30% just in selling and promotion fees, I can't afford to send it by parcel, even on tier 5 with Australia Post. They ordered on Sunday, we sent Monday, while also sending them a message with a photo of the envelope sent. 3 days later they raise a dispute as transaction not recognised. Instantly the funds for that transaction are put on hold until I provide tracking details, or until the 5 days have passed I suppose I will be forced to refund this person.
How can this even be allowed. 15 years of reliable service with almost 5000 transactions in the last year, without a defect against us. Then a completely unknown person can come along, easily create an account and the rest is open season, only limited by their deceitfulness. Yes this could be-and let's hope-just a customer who is yet to learn that deliveries do not happen instantly. But what if it's not. What if they saw the listing and figured out, hey this is untracked, we can just say we never got it and we'll get it for free!
It's not the funds being put on hold, or even losing that lousy $9 that is hard to deal with. It's the instant disrespect that, as a seller, we get the moment anyone raises a dispute, inside or outside of eBay. Painfully, and it is a pain, I sit every night and send a message to all orders with untracked mail delivery. The message includes a picture of the actual mail sent, so a photo of the envelope just before logement. I'd like to say I do this out of quality customer service, but I don't. I do it to try and protect us that little bit extra. I can't send tracking information as it's untracked mail, so I send that message with the photo. Yes it is to show the customer that this is where your order is up to, but it's mostly done as a hope to raise the attitude of mutual respect, so people are less inclined to be deceptive, and take advantage of a very advantageous system.
This is the reality that I have experienced in my life: the majority of the world would rob you blind if they knew they could get away with it. Unfortunately eBay and their payment providers support this behaviour too much. Far too easy for a buyer to lie and far too difficult for a seller to prove they are not lying. This is it in a nutshell, and sadly, this is the reason we have grown to dislike selling as we do.
