EBAY is a joke...and very unfair to sellers.

[amethyst1415]

I joined EBAY because I thought that when buyers agreed to buy (either BUY IT NOW or winning an auction) that they had to pay. However, this is not the case. The buyer has more rights than I do and it is wrong.

Twice now I have been waiting for payment and with no response from the buyer. Since I am new to this I did not know about unpaid claims for the first one so I attempted to have the transaction cancelled. Still no response. I just know that I am not paying a final value fee if I do not get paid. The second one I will put in an unpaid claim but even then there is no consequence to the buyer.

I am not listing my items here anymore. There are other sites where I can sell my stuff and it is free. They do not take a percentage of my sale just for selling it. I would be fine with that however, if I actually got paid.

EBAY should be more helpful to sellers. When we sell our stuff, you make a profit. Treat us better. I have worked hard to get a great seller rating and it is all for nothing now. I always pay right away, and ship right away. In fact, I have lost money on shipping items to people because I am new at this BUT I still shipped the item. I am so annoyed right now.

[cumos55]

You have run into a brick wall..

You have tried to sell  on eBay.

You list many things that have to be learned.

Now is the time to go to customer support  and read, read, and read more...

I did a couple of months of reading... eBay and Paypal... before I started selling on eBay... Started slow and built up to where I am now... and today is after 11 years on eBay

In order to make eBay work for you,  you have to know many things....

(1) Who you are...  How to communicate with a customer... These two go hand in hand... These you have to learn how to do effectively without creating a difficult situation...  

We all have to learn how to sell to someone that we do not see....  People depend  a lot on visual cues when communicating, which is something many do not understand

(2) How to list it... Terms of sale..... Keep it simple

(3) Pricing ... How much.  or how little

(4) Shipping options... which to use... depends on what is being sold... and how to price..... visit Canada Post's website  ... Parcels versus lettermail and more...

(5) Invoicing.... sending an invoice.... many times a buyer will pay based on price and shipping cost indicated in the listing.

(5) Paypal.... the rules in using Paypal... and transferring money to one's account...

(6) Buyer pays... something we all love....  but sometimes do not get..

(7) How to package... critical... with respect to size, ...Is it breakable ....and more.....

(8) Buyer does not pay... and we all get these at times.....  Sometimes it may seem like a flood.....Go back and read number 1 above....

(9) How to get a Final Value Fee credit... if buyer does not pay.

and this is just a start...

Learning how to sell on eBay takes time... lot of reading... 

Now you know the right questions....  and it is time to find the answers ....

The answers are on eBay... but require a major degree of patience in learning the...

How to sell on eBay....

However,  the most import thing to know is  number 1  above.... 

[amethyst1415]

Number 1? I communicate quite well with people. Read my feedback. It's hard to communicate with someone who never responds. Anyway, the other sites I have been using for two hours and I've already made three sales. I am not a bad seller. I just want to be paid when you agree to buy it. I should not have to beg, plead and jump through hoops. I also should not have to pay to deal with this garbage. If EBAY wants my money when I sell things then try working with me to get paid instead of ignoring  me...just like the two buyers are doing.

[amethyst1415]

Also, how great it must be for you to have everyone pay you after agreeing to buy your item. Nothing that you say or do is going to make someone live up to their end of the bargain if they are a bad buyer. When I buy something I pay right away because it is the right thing to do. I got two bad buyers and it is ridiculous.

[pjcdn2005]

You said that for the first transaction you attempted to cancel but didn't get a response. If you filed a mutual cancellation then you can close it yourself after 7 days to get your fees back.

If you do decide to sell something else, you might want to sell it at a fixed price rather than as an auction. You then have the option of requiring immediate payment so the item isn't bought until is paid for. It looks like you need to have a paypal premier account in order to use IPR. It has been a while since I did that but there should be more info about that on the paypal site. I don't think that there is a charge for that.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/pay/require-immediate-payment.html

[amethyst1415]

It says I have a premier account. Thank you for the information. I have spent time reading about EBAY but I feel as if I am going in circles or can't find the information I am looking for. I'm glad I will be able to cancel the transaction myself after seven days (it's been five days). The only thing I found on being able to cancel it myself was that I would have to wait over 40 days.

If I can guarantee that I will get paid (the immediate payment) then I may list again on here but I still wish that EBAY was more helpful for sellers.

[cumos55 · Accepted solution]

The most helpful place on eBay is right here where you are now.

Come here with questions  and the answer will be forth coming... usually 

and remember sometimes  the answer may not be what you like or expect... but do keep coming

Practice makes perfect....

[dipmicro]

I agree - sale does not happen until money changes hand and Ebay should not bill commission before.

Many of us invested lot of time into this relic of a marketplace and so we stick around until it has momentum, but it should not take months to learn convoluted rules of a flea market. I should have invested that time into something more gratifying and more profitable.

[i*m-still-here]

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@dipmicro wrote:

it should not take months to learn convoluted rules of a flea market. 

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Well Put!!!

There are so many rules for sellers that the process gets circular.

The regulations start to cancel each other out as one trumps another.

More important:  The endless rules for buyers are insane.  It's one thing to police sellers, but quite another to force buyers to spend their money as if they were in a boot camp.

[rose-dee]

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@i*m-still-here wrote:

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More important:  The endless rules for buyers are insane.  It's one thing to police sellers, but quite another to force buyers to spend their money as if they were in a boot camp.

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Sorry -- what rules are those??  Who is forcing whom?  I think sometimes buyers' misdirected brains may be forcing their fingers to hit the "Commit to Buy" button against their better judgment (or without any thought at all), but certainly no one on eBay is forcing them to spend their money.  

The only "rule" a buyer has to remember is to pay for what he or she has selected and committed to buy, and return it for a refund if unhappy.  Beyond that, responsibility for a buyer ends.  Trouble only starts when buyers choose to purchase and not pay.  Why is that a complicated concept? 

[i*m-still-here]

Rose.  I made my point and you are free to disagree.

I'm not interested in arguing just for the sake of arguing.

[pjcdn2005]

The endless rules for buyers are insane.  It's one thing to police sellers, but quite another to force buyers to spend their money as if they were in a boot camp.

I am curious too as to what you mean by that. Obviously, you are giving your point of view from a buyers side but some examples of what you mean by your comment would explain what you are referring to.

[rose-dee]

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@i*m-still-here wrote:

Rose.  I made my point and you are free to disagree.

I'm not interested in arguing just for the sake of arguing.

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Well, you may not have appreciated the distinction, but this is a discussion forum.  At any rate, your comments reflect a lack of experience or lack of understanding of eBay, both as a buyer and seller.  I'm not sure who created this impression you have about buying, or why, but it may be time to revise it. 

[i*m-still-here]

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@rose-dee wrote:

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@i*m-still-here wrote:

Rose.  I made my point and you are free to disagree.

I'm not interested in arguing just for the sake of arguing.

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Well, you may not have appreciated the distinction, but this is a discussion forum.  At any rate, your comments reflect a lack of experience or lack of understanding of eBay, both as a buyer and seller.  I'm not sure who created this impression you have about buying, or why, but it may be time to revise it. 

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Yes, this is a discussion forum.  

I understand what a discussion is, and I know the difference between sharing ideas and being told that my thoughts "reflect a lack of experience and understanding" because you don't agree with my post.

As I said:  I'm not interested in arguing.

[pjcdn2005]

As I said:  I'm not interested in arguing.

Me either.  But if I made a similar statement that you made about ebay and buyers, I would at least explain why I said what I did. 

[i*m-still-here]

Sure, I just have haven't had the time to respond to your question yet.   (Patience please.)

I buy and sell on several venues.

Selling is pretty much the same everywhere.  EBay has more rules but they never get in my way. 

A good seller is a good seller everywhere.

Buying, on the other hand, is much more time consuming on ebay than elsewhere.

There are a number of reasons for that and since you asked I'll briefly touch on a few.

For buyers:

First:  Anyone and everyone sells on ebay and so you get problem sellers here in numbers that don't exist on other venues.

Second:  EBay shipping cost issues are endless for Canadians, and since they've introduced the GSP more time consuming than they were 2 years ago and as difficult as 10 years ago: Huge step in the wrong direction.

Third:  The way sellers and ebay harass buyers for immediate payment even though the system allows deferring payment is _____________ .  I could put several words in that blank but I don't want to insult anyone.

Fourth: It's actually quite easy for sellers to report buyers for absolute nonsense and eBay actually pays attention.

Fifth: Fair and honest  FB is removed way too easily when sellers complain about nothing.

Sixth: Sellers on ebay are very sloppy about accurate descriptions and returns between countries are expensive and difficult.  

Sixth:  EBay sellers are abrupt and rude when compared to other venues.  The difference is very noticeable.

I really could go on and on, but you get the picture.

Now, Please don't tell me that if I don't like it I can leave.

I love ebay, and most of my transactions are great and obviously I'm staying. 

For sellers, on the other hand, it's really easy to be a good seller.

Yes, there are problem buyers who take advantage of the rules, but if you're a good seller the issues are few and far between.

[amethyst1415]

I'm a good seller and I've been screwed over twice.

[froogal_electronic_parts_and_overstock]

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@dipmicro wrote:

I agree - sale does not happen until money changes hand and Ebay should not bill commission before.

Many of us invested lot of time into this relic of a marketplace and so we stick around until it has momentum, but it should not take months to learn convoluted rules of a flea market. I should have invested that time into something more gratifying and more profitable.

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+++ I can't count that high

[femmefan1946]

 I attempted to have the transaction cancelled. Still no response. I just know that I am not paying a final value fee if I do not get paid.

Did you file a Mutual Cancellation request through the Resolution Centre?

If not, do. Then close it asap, and eBay will automatically refund your FVF.

EBay will otherwise get its fees from your Paypal account or credit card, as you authorized it too when you set up your Seller Account.

Both you and the bidder will be able to leave Feedback.

The most effective Feedback is calm and factual.

The second one I will put in an unpaid claim but even then there is no consequence to the buyer.

The deadbeat bidder will get a Strike. Two of those and he will find it difficult to bid, because so many sellers automatically Block bidders with UID Strikes.

More Strikes and eBay will end his membership.

I'm a good seller and..

Well, no. Not yet.

Your titles are so weak I'm amazed anyone has ever looked at them, never mind bought. And the pictures and descriptions are just as bad.

Take the sold item "Necklace". That's the whole title?

You have 80 keystrokes to advertise your offering. Free! What metall? How long? Manufacturer? Colours of stones? How many strands? New? In Box? Used? Estate? 

And those same questions are ignored in the text where they should be repeated and expanded upon.

And only one picture? You get 12 free pictures.

Poor descriptions may be the reason your bidders are having second thoughts.

[mr.elmwood]

Femme, you sound like me. I keep hammering on the points of making a better listing. Do we get listened to? No. It is highly frustrating when we get these "I know what I am doing" people who do not want to consider enhanced ideas. They prefer to point fingers and blame externally.

How about stopping in front of a mirror and questioning themselves, first. 12 years in and I am constantly learning. Tip of the hat to Poco for the advice I received last summer. Advice I have put into practice. I dunno. Maybe, the longer we are in business, the more we listen.