All,
Everyone except the extremely counterproductive would agree that as a buyer — a consumer — that online shopping should be a simple process: Buy, go to checkout, input shipping type, and away the order goes. You buy it, you get it some days later.
However:
Statistically, one could objectively say that the majority of posts on these very forums are in relation to shipping. A disproportionately high number of posts on many other sites regarding eBay also illustrates shipping with eBay as the transaction mediator is problematic.
Why is this? I feel it is because eBay's own attempts to simplify shipping in fact complicate it. With how current process is, you practically have to be keeping your finger on the trigger constantly for the Resolution Centre, keeping your finger on it almost right from the purchase until you have the product in your hands in a good state because it 's often like buzzing in for a game show. One second off and you've lost, game over. Even if you buzz in and documentation, policy and law seems to make it a straight forward case, it's still up to "The House" to grant you relief.
Contrary to what various posts on this forum speak to, this isn't a seller problem, it is an eBay problem, an eBay problem whereas eBay's processes almost constantly break down due to that over complexity. I see often times various people who point out "The facts" about how things are done under eBay, while this is good information with good intentions and useful for people, it really at the end of the day legitimizes eBay's over-complicated procedures. People get their problem solved and they move on without seeking reforms within eBay to stop these problems generated by eBay process from needing to be worked around all the time.
As a buyer, It's almost like you need to take out insurance on eBay purchasing in several regards as there's so many technicalities eBay can catch you on as a buyer according to their often conflicting rules. eBay seems to adore bombarding users with too much arbitrary information (via the terms and lengthy FAQs that seem at odds with the website's programming) while never giving accurate or definitive information as it keeps things running the way they want it to run — arbitrarily.
eBay itself is too far vested in the shipping procedures and too far vested in keeping "good" sellers that it has lost most objectivity as far as being able to help buyers in shipping conflicts. Whenever you walk into an eBay purchase, you, the seller and eBay aren't at a round table with you, it's a rectangular table with eBay and the seller on the opposite side to you. This makes it seem you're coming in for an interview more than being a customer. The only solution seems to be coming to the table with a lawyer of your own or at minimum, keeping your credit card company on retainer with your other finger over that chargeback button.
There's no smooth paths in eBay's process nor are most of them really public. Can a front line rep grant relief for a GSP issue? No. Can a front-line rep do anything about pirated software? No. You practically have to know eBay's internal company structure to know how to coordinate these issues.
