Update to the eBay User Agreement

[pierrelebel]

http://announcements.ebay.com/2014/08/updates-to-the-ebay-user-agreement-user-privacy-notice-and-mon...

Please read carefully and read again.  Your rights may be affected.

[cumos55]

The link is to eBay.com.

As Canadian sellers  we should be looking at the User Agreement for eBay.ca,  and make note of the differences between eBay.ca and eBay.com

The last time I looked at the User Agreement on both sites....  the difference started with the very first statement.

The User Agreement varies among eBay's many sites....

[pierrelebel]

Many Canadian sellers (known as legacy users) registered with eBay.com (before eBay.ca was started about 13 years ago) and currently receive updates to the User Agreement from eBay.com.

[cumos55]

I had originally registered on eBay.com... when eBay.ca was very new....

Then  came a transfer to ebay.ca.

I do get the impression that the User Agreement on eBay.ca is more user friendly...

[pierrelebel]

I am a "legacy user", registered on eBay.com in 1998 (well before eBay.ca was created).

About seven years ago I had long discussions with Jordan Banks then eBay Canada country manager (a lawyer by trade) as to how "legacy users" were being treated.  For example, there was a legal "ownership" issue between eBay.com and eBay.ca as to who "owns" the user!

That legal dispute prevented eBay.com from sending me some promotional offers and the same dispute prevented eBay.ca from sending me other promotional offers or communications.

It had been more or less agreed at the time that - to eliminate the problem - both eBay.ca and eBay.com would send communications to those Canadian "legacy users".  However, that was dropped soon after due to "legal issues"..

To the best of my knowledge, that question has never been solved.  Today, there are many instances when I get notices of promotions from eBay.com but not from eBay.ca.  Is that logical?

That raises the obvious question: which user agreement applies to me?

[cumos55]

Flip a coin... and it lands on its edge.....

[triber]

I am in the same situation as you Pierre, I also joined in 1998. The whole thing is very confusing. My elderly mind need things to be simple!

[pierrelebel]

According to eBay Canada Country Manager, answering the question today on the Weekly Board Hour:

"There is in fact only one eBay user agreement that we translate into many languages."

"the user agreement changes applies to all users, irrespective of which site they registered on, or where they list."

[Anonymous]

One thing I don't like about it is Returns. I felt that eBay shouldn't have too much power over sellers. The sellers are the only ones that should decide to accept returns or not. Very common sense, all stores will not accept returns on panties, earrings, and swimsuits, regardless of what and eBay should be the same. The way I see here, it seems that eBay wants us to accept returns on everything, I mean everything which is not acceptable. We as sellers should decide not eBay decided "for" us, period. eBay butt out!

[femmefan1946]

You don't have to accept returns.

You DO have to give REFUNDS on unacceptable merchandise. (If you take Paypal. Yes, there are alternatives.)

Many sellers for example will refund on the basis of pictures of damaged products.

Intimate garments?  Well the ick factor is certainly there-- although anyone who buys a bathing suit in a store has to close her mind to the possiblity that it has been tried on several other bodies before.

[realjazz-123]

On my listings. I have a NO RETURN policy, but it has not stopped buyers asking for a return.In fact, the refund requests have always been on INAD and in all cases, even tho I disagreed, I  I have refunded all or part. I knew that if I did not I would very likely get a negative feedback. Now with new eBay  return policy, I will still list as NO RETURN policy, but in fact, it is a worthless practice. How will be possible to refuse a return request on INAD (completely subjective)  without getting a negative feedback and/or defect. Moreover, now I will also have to pay for returns. Am I missing something??

[rose-dee]

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@realjazz-123 wrote:

Am I missing something??

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Nope.  

More and more eBay wants to become the sort of site that makes their "big boys" comfortable -- those with big margins, big turnover, big tolerance for returns/refunds.  

In my view, the legions of small sellers who made eBay are step by step, policy by policy, slowly being nudged towards the door.  I'm beginning to get that persona non grata feeling.