Why do eBay's policies now favour deadbeat buyers?

[andrewjens]

Firstly, let me admit that I'm a minor buyer/seller on eBay, but a recent bad experience while selling has made me wonder why eBay has changed its policies to marginalise honest sellers and at the same time protect deadbeat buyers. When I first bought on eBay (in 2001), it was made clear to me that any bid I made was binding. A recent selling experience has turned that around because it is now apparent that eBay is going out of its way to protect buyers with dishonest bidding practices.

Specifically: a bidder can win an auction and then refuse to pay. When that happens, it now turns out that I (as a seller) have no recourse to leave a negative feedback rating and comment – something that used to be a quintessential part of the eBay feedback system (both to warn other sellers, and to encourage correct bidding practices). Also, as a seller, it now seems that I'm not entitled to see the feedback profile of a bidder who decides to keep their feedback profile "Private". To be honest, that's staggering (compared with how eBay used to be in the early days). At the very least, as a buyer, I should be able to reject a bid from any buyer with a private feedback profile.

TO EBAY: I'm officially finished with selling on eBay – at least until you fix these inequities and return the system to the way it was. Namely, that bidding (by buyers with transparent feedback profiles), is honest and binding. I realise that I'm a minor player, but please understand that I'm going to add my voice to social media outlets, and personal contacts by repeating loudly and often that eBay should now be avoided as a tool for selling.

[thecatspjs]

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@andrewjens wrote:

Firstly, let me admit that I'm a minor buyer/seller on eBay, but a recent bad experience while selling has made me wonder why eBay has changed its policies to marginalise honest sellers and at the same time protect deadbeat buyers. When I first bought on eBay (in 2001), it was made clear to me that any bid I made was binding. A recent selling experience has turned that around because it is now apparent that eBay is going out of its way to protect buyers with dishonest bidding practices.

Specifically: a bidder can win an auction and then refuse to pay. When that happens, it now turns out that I (as a seller) have no recourse to leave a negative feedback rating and comment – something that used to be a quintessential part of the eBay feedback system (both to warn other sellers, and to encourage correct bidding practices). Also, as a seller, it now seems that I'm not entitled to see the feedback profile of a bidder who decides to keep their feedback profile "Private". To be honest, that's staggering (compared with how eBay used to be in the early days). At the very least, as a buyer, I should be able to reject a bid from any buyer with a private feedback profile.

TO EBAY: I'm officially finished with selling on eBay – at least until you fix these inequities and return the system to the way it was. Namely, that bidding (by buyers with transparent feedback profiles), is honest and binding. I realise that I'm a minor player, but please understand that I'm going to add my voice to social media outlets, and personal contacts by repeating loudly and often that eBay should now be avoided as a tool for selling.

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The protection that eBay has offered to non-paying pests is just unacceptable IMO.

The tools available are limited, not promoted to new sellers, and easily overcome by  non-paying pests by easily being able to create multiple accounts, as there is an ID verification process that is truly laughable.

eBays lack of respect for sellers in this area is apparent by the lack of improvement and the continued maintenance of the current state of play with non paying pests. .

[chameleon54]

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@the_great_she_elephant wrote:

If your defaulting buyer had had multiple negative feedbacks, would you have been aware of that before he bought from you?

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If they had private feedback they would be buyers only ( as sellers cant use the private feedback option ) and would automatically have 100% positive feedback with 100% positive comments as only sellers can recieve negative feedback and comments. Not saying its right, just the way it is !!!

[debra9275]

Hi Andrew, amber's advice is the right advice, you can claim back your fees through the resolution centre process and block that buyer from purchasing from you again.

Also don't let anyone chase you away IYKWIM

[thecatspjs]

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@2106greencat wrote:

Andrew - all due respect - this topic has been done to death

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But Greencat with all due respect - it is one of my favourite topics and can never be done to death

[haolove13]

This topic has been done to death by deadbeat buyers abusing us sellers.

I am sick of the same small band of loyal ebay supporters defending the no negative stance , over and over, and over and over and over and over.

The problem is that if negatives were awarded to these clowns they would be sanctioned against like those sellers who have too many negatives. That would stop them wasting our time and money.

So if the small group of people who think this topic has been done to death are tired of contributing your repetetive responses , then you do not need to contribute.

I am willing to be 1002 if necessary

[andrewjens]

>and easily overcome by  non-paying pests by easily being able to create multiple accounts, as there is an ID verification process that is truly laughable

While we're at it, why has eBay allowed that situation to develop? A deadbeat buyer setting up another account must have one or more of the following in common: email address, PayPal account, or mailing address – and hence be detectable.

In my case, the deadbeat buyer has managed to get 300+ "positive" feedbacks since starting their current account in January 2014. I figured out that means almost four "positives" per day in the first couple of months – hardly the behaviour of a newbie. I'm pretty certain that what that deadbeat buyer is doing is creating account after account to bid on everything they can – in the hope of picking up bargains (I started my auction at $0.99 cents) – and simply not completing the transaction for the auctions that don't turn out to be a bargain. Yes, eventually they have to close a buying account when things go badly, but so what? They simply move on to the next private buying account. And of course, they use an entirely different (squealy-clean) account to sell the bargains they pick up.

BTW, in my case the deadbeat buyer claimed that they were going into hospital for a hip replacement, that they were in considerable pain, and that they needed more time to pay – which I gladly granted. Their next communication was that they were still incapacitated and that I might like to relist the item. Surprise, surprise: their next communication was that medical bills were such that they could no longer afford to complete the transaction. When I questioned the veracity of the situation, the deadbeat buyer got nasty. I have raised a unpaid item case via the Resolution Centre, and I believe that it would take a human about thirty seconds to discover the truth behind the case; however since everthing is clearly automated and eBay's policies now protect deadbeat buyers: we all know what the outcome will be: nothing; and me never selling on eBay again.

To eBay: if you build it, equitably: the sellers will come – and scrupulous buyers will follow. In other words: please stop your convoluted and non-transparent attempts to wash away most of the mud, when you should be starting from the point of view of not allowing buyers to get mud on themselves.

Cheers,

Andrew.

[andrewjens]

Hi About the_great_she_elephant,

>If your defaulting buyer had had multiple negative feedbacks, would you have been aware of that before he bought from you?

That is a good point, and my answer is that I wouldn't have –  but you have to understand the reason why I wouldn't have. Being a trusting soul, I naturally assumed that eBay's policies were based on fairness to all, and I assumed that after almost nineteen years of operation eBay would have figured out a better way to weed out deadbeat buyers.

You can bet your bottom dollar that from now on I'll be carefully checking buyers for warning signs – in the unlikely event that eBay changes its policies and I decide to try selling again.

Cheers,

Andrew.

[Anonymous]

Hey Andrew.. i reckon i had the same thing with the same deadbeat buyer...... did it have a womans name with a year? and she is "supposedly" about 80 years old?

Im currently 2 days into my UID dispute on that one

[andrewjens]

>did it have a womans name with a year? and she is "supposedly" about 80 years old?

Bingo.

[andrewjens]

It would be interesting to compare the MO of this deadbead buyer. Here are the three communications I got (before the buyer decided to get nasty):

Deadbeat buyer's excuse #1 (3 days after auction end):

I apologise about late payment,have been in hospital having a hip replacement operation done and being 80 years old its very hard for me to do things at the monment and will have threw to you ASAP I hope tat will be alright.kindregards <name withheld>

Deadbeat buyer's excuse #2 (8 days after auction end):

I am so sorry I am really late with payment because I have been in hospital and had a hip replacement operation done and I haven't been able to get around to do anything and going back to the hospital to make sure that everything alright and being 80 years old I'm very sore,so if you want to wait longer or re list it because you have been waiting long enough and I am very about this.please let me know.kind regards <name withheld>

Deadbeat buyer's excuse #3 (9 days after auction end):

Could get back to me about if I can cancel this it's because I have to go into hospital for two weeks again,I had a operation 3 weeks ago,a hip replacement done and there a problems with the operation which I am 80 years old and I am in a lot of pain and I won't be able to get the payment threw due to medical bill and being on a old age pension it shards,I hope you understand,regards <name withheld>

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Is there any way we can drag this deadbeat buyer to the attention of a real person at eBay? It would be nice to be able to flag the email and/or PayPal account and/or mailing address – to protect sellers. Am I allowed to publish the eBay account name here?

Cheers,

Andrew.