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We want to hear your own opinions on why you think Google would be a worthy adversary to Ebay.
• Your stories »
We want to hear about your own past bad experiences using Ebay and other such auction sites.
Please note that we are in no way affiliated with Google, nor do they endorse us in any way. We are simply petitioning Google to provide an auction site to rival that of Ebay, and therefore give users a choice. Please also note that all opinions and stories posted on this site are submitted by users of this site and therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy of those mentioned.
Stories
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Submitted by Shaun Favell, Swansea, UK
I've been an ebayer for over 10 years. I used to rave about ebay, encouraging all my friends and family to use the site. Now I'm infuriated with their bullying tactics, monopoly, control, and escalating fees. Their customer service has always been poor so I guess no change there.
Last year we had to use the Financial Ombudsman to force paypal to release £371 of money they froze for no good reason. Court action was difficult as paypal UK had moved their offices to luxemburg to escape the FSA legislation that would prevent them operating in the dubious manner they do. After this experience I dumped paypal and started using Google Checkout which is far cheaper and more flexible. the new restrictions stopping me from selling without a paypal account means I can no longer use ebay. I love Google, their customer services are fast and friendly. If Google started an auction site I would be there without hesitation.
Stories/Experiences
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Submitted by Steve Davis, Dudley, UK
Where do I start ...
I have had listings removed because I have put a disclaimer on saying anybody who wants to pay with paypal is to add 3% to the final price to cover paypal fees. Ebay do not allow surcharges. I have since stopped using paypal. Some of my items are high value items in excess of £500 although the profit margin may only be 20%. With ebay fees and paypal fees I am losing half of my profit.
I have had listings removed for "reserving the right to end the auction early if the item sells locally before bids are placed". Well excuse me my ebay but I paid for and store the item and you are still likely to get a fee,. It is extremely frustration when listings are removed after I spend a long time and lots of care placing them. I am also a small business reliable on items selling when planned, unlike yourselves.
I read other listings from disgruntled sellers saying they have relisted after it was removed because of whatever nit picking reason ebay can think of.
I have paid a fee to advertise on ebay it is still my item to sell and I think that they are probably breaking a law in assuming they have sole rights over its sale while it is listed. Even in a local auction where they store it you are alowed to withdraw an item before the sale date
I was a silver power seller for 12 months with sales in excess of 1800£ per month. Being a power seller did me no benefit at all. I am supposed to have priority email support but when I have written about unfair feedback I have only received automated replies. Some bad ebayers can also be spiteful. Once I sold a car to somebody who contacted me after the auction to say he had changed his mind. I read his fb profile and found out he is doing this regularly. I left a non paying bidder strike, and was left with negative feedback as revenge. This person emailed me telling me that he would do this if I didnt remove the strike. Feedback abuse is against ebay policy but they are not interested in listening or helping victims of this. I have 3 negatives left by unscrupulous members when I have done nothing wrong.
Finally ebay fees are excessive. They are making millions from the listing fees of the millions of items that do not sell. They should be satisfied with a nominal percentage of items that do sell. I am a small business not a multi national organisation. Sometimes £50 can be the difference between going overdrawn or avoiding bank charges.
I also wish they would stop telling us that ebay is a big family, it is nauseating.
Ebay have got too big and too successful and they are now on a power trip. Years ago it was brilliant, they were cheap cheerful and friendly yet they were still making good money.Now they are huge they are just greedy and want more and more.
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Submitted by D Hodges, Kearney, USA
What a nightmare! Goodness, where do I begin!
After finally establishing my eBay store and building up my inventory, at first it was slow, but then I was new and that was expected. It's been over one year now and with the changes that some mindless, uncaring, "sit on your brain" CEO and staff conjured up, the problems then erupted with eBay to the level of insanity.
I worked hard in obtaining a 100% feedback score and assisting with great care on providing a superior service to all my customers, and it has paid off. I now have repeated buyers and have met a ton of honest and decent friends. That has been the only positive thing that had happened as a seller on eBay. I started noticing increments of slight changes; first the fees were getting higher in listing and selling. And of course if you use PayPal and your buyer pays through them, then there's another fee that is incurred by using this valuable option. An option that is totally unfair when eBay offers this and yet charges your buying audience. It should be free.
Then we come into PayPal's printing of shipping labels, which is now "not working" to certain account holders, and has been down for some since April, 2008; it hit me the very beginning of July and I can't use this option in the printing of my shipping labels. Has this issue been addressed and corrected on PayPal's end? NO! Has eBay and PayPal been informed? YES! Have they investigated this complaint along with the many of thousands more? NO! So here you have basically been forced into using them, as they lose money if you indicate the method of payment such as personal checks, cashier checks and money orders; monies that they will lose if your buyer chooses to use this method of payment. So here you offer PayPal as a form of payment and PayPal collects your monies, you see your customers info to print out their shipping labels, and this option isn't available to you! As PayPal is experiencing technical problems on printing.
Finally, I was advised by an eBay customer service rep, that a virus hit PayPal and along with that virus, certain accounts have been de-activated and out of commission. "Until when I asked?" No one seems to know. In fact, I was the one who had to initate a technical work order to have this investigated. Good Grief! I honestly think that no one knows what is going on there. Trying to communicate with either PayPal or eBay is tough enough, as I've noticed with PayPal they have a lot of "hard-to-understand" employees who don't quite speak the English language very well, so the lines of communication are very difficult. So with that dilemma present, believe me, you'll not be getting your issues resolved, as they don't understand what you're saying. And forget the emails, as out of 6 emails I received one answer back and that was a joke. It's one of their automated messages and again, no assistance.
EBay stresses very hard the importance of reporting unscrupulous sellers who are selling fraudulent and bootleg merchandise, however, they will not close them down and continue to allow for them to sell these deceptive wares. While reading their feedbacks, it's enough to go "eBay postal," as these buyers are being taken for, and their money not being refunded promptly by eBay. Again, their dispute area means no help at all; worthless! It's always the same old same old, "communicate with your seller and/or buyer." And without being able to give a negative feeback to these criminals of low life, you are the one OUT, not they, as they are still in full force in the selling of fraudulent merchandise. Can you not see the colored picture here on what is happening? EBay has taken a great means of advertising ones wares all over the country and beyond, to make it now into nothing more but an easy way to extort money out of you the seller and the buyer who had bought an item but never received, or not as advertised, or bootleg, broken, etc. Shame on them at eBay who has now sunk into the slime of corruptible behavior. They are no better than the sellers that they are now allowing to sell inferior wares, keeping your money and continue on with many of us who have become their victims.
What have they offered to us, the seller? If it weren't for all the sellers on eBay who are selling, then eBay would not have any buyers. But do they acknowledge this? Do they want to make right what they made wrong? Why take something that is a money-making profit, and cast it into a change of events that is causing nothing but harm? The saying here is, "if it's not broken, then don't fix it!" What are they trying to fix anyway? Allowing for the sellers not to be able to express their feedback on a buyer, a buyer that has not paid, nor communicated? And you can do nothing as eBay doesn't have the integrity to address their own issues, their own internal problems to smooth out the rough areas and ease the tension that they have caused and continue to cause. Needless to say, it's not going to happen!
My friends, the bottom line here is, any problems you have, any concerns you have, any suggestions you have, anything you may want to express to eBay or PayPal, is only lip service that you will receive back from them. "They just do not care enough for their clientelle to put a stop to the injustice that is evading and eating away at their own company within." A company is only as good and honest as the people that they hire. It's a direct reflection upon that company if their customer service reps are not educated with the knowledge to address and get all issues corrected. A friendly voice on the other end says, "I care," and they will examine the problems and concerns if they are sincere in wanting to make their company the best. Yet, too many changes and not the right changes have once again made eBay a name where some would liked to had never known. I for one am! What good is eBay and PayPal if their word is worthless, and they will let all fester into a boil, ready to pop?
I thought better of them. I had confidence in them, their word was their intregity in being the type of company that rest assure, you could depend on, reliability and dependability was there. Thoughtfulness and caring was there. Being courteous and friendly and addressing all matters of concern was there. Now it's only the $$$ that is their goal, their concern, their method in twisting and squeezing every inch of life out of every transaction that you have and no regrets. Is this the eBay that we want to continue with, or do we support each other in removing ourselves from eBay and look for a new and bright future with Google? I say Google!
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Submitted by Lance Smith, Columbus, USA
Sorry, but paypal is holding my account hostage for 2.50 and I am waiting on an echeck to clear according to them! "So, please try again in a day or two. Sorry for the inconvenience!" ... "Or you can send a cashier’s check or money order!"
Accounts should automatically clear when issue is only related to lack of funds what needs reviewed? Stopping sales makes zero sense, since Paypal is waiting for funds, but stops incoming payments. WOW! Stop thousands of dollars in sales for less than 3 dollar negative account! This even after a being an 8 year customer. WOW! They give you no idea of what is going on and deduct money from your checking account without notice.
Submitted by Lucia Evans, Kunkletown, USA
I've been with ebay for 5 years and about 2 years ago I starting selling on ebay. then the changes came with the escalating fees and being Forced to use paypal now I am not able to collect my money. I've called ebay and paypal several times and I have Done all they have asked me to do, including have these people resubmit the payments no less than 3 xs and all they can do is tell me to have these people resubmit the payment and neither one knows what to do. So in my case I had to pull all I had on auction with ebay till all this is resolved.