By Jae-Ha Kim
jaehakim.com
April 28, 2011
OK, I’ve been neglecting the blog side of my website for a variety of reasons, mainly because I’m not a blogger! I’m a writer/reporter/journalist and I’m good at what I do. Blogging is something that’s foreign to me. When I read other people’s blogs, it seems effortless. Then I tried my hand at it and I pretty much just sat there. Wondering. What should I write about?
Enough excuses. I’ll probably get better at this with time, right? RIGHT? (Or, this might be my first and last blog entry. No worries either way.)
The customer is almost always right on eBay. Thanks to eBay’s desire to attract more buyers, it’s become a perfect way for dishonest buyers to order an item, claim they never received it, complain to eBay and have the online company mediate between the buyer and the seller. And guess what? The buyer almost always wins.
Which is why I won’t use eBay anymore. Too many of my friends–and myself on a smaller level–have been ripped off by buyers who want something for nothing. And eBay lets them get away with it.
A few things to know about eBay if you decide to try to sell some of your items there:
— Ebay gets a percentage of whatever the seller sells. Fine–that’s only fair. But now they’re also taking a cut of the shipping and handling fees. They said they do this to prevent sellers from inflating s/h fees. Again, not a bad idea in theory. But sellers can’t inflate the s/h price in most cases because eBay caps the prices sellers can charge. For instance, if you’re selling a CD or a DVD–regardless of whether it’s one disc or a heavy boxed set–you can only charge $3 for shipping and handling. Go to Target and see how much a bubble mailer is…a cheap one is at least 50 cents. It’ll cost you another $2.22 for the postage to mail a 6 ounce package through the U.S. postal system. So now you’re at $2.72. You’re up 28 cents, right? Sweet!
— Not so fast. Because the seller also is expected to provide proof of shipping/delivery, which means sellers have to pay for delivery confirmation (80 cents) and/or insurance ($1.80). And the seller can’t charge these costs to the buyer. Now the seller has paid out anywhere from $3.02 to $4.82 to ship the package. But it’s worth it to prove that the item reached the proper destination, right?
— Again, not really. My friend Aiden (not his real name) sold an expensive piece of musical equipment on eBay. The buyer–who had given my friend positive feedback in writing–later claimed that he never received the item. He wanted his money back. It seemed like a no brainer to anyone with a brain. Aiden had written proof from his customer that he had received the item and loved it. He also had delivery confirmation from the post office that the item was delivered. Any sane person would agree that the buyer was trying to rip him off. Ebay’s official position on this transaction? It was Aiden’s job to make sure the item safely reached his customer (it did, as proven by the post office’s record of delivery confirmation) and that his customer was happy with the product (he was, as evidenced by the positive feedback he gave Aiden. In writing, remember?). The outcome? Ebay sided with the buyer. Aiden no longer uses eBay.
— Which leads me to the topic of feedback. Ebay allows its customers to leave a line or two on each transaction so the public can see who they’re dealing with. In theory, this is a great idea. But then eBay decided that sellers leaving negative feedback for buyers might chase away potential buyers. A couple years ago, they made it so that sellers could ONLY leave positive feedback for buyers. But, buyers can leave negative feedback for sellers. For any reason. No thanks, eBay. If I want to be unfairly judged, I’ll call my mother. (Just kidding, mom. You rock!)
For those of you who’ve dealt with eBay–either as a buyer or seller–I’d love to hear about your experiences, both the good and bad.
© 2011 JAE-HA KIM | All Rights Reserved
You know our experiences. That’s why we’re having a garage sale. 🙂 Love that you’re blogging!!
You also have to love the fact that eBay owns Paypal. eBay only allows PAYPAL as the sole method of payment now and that PAYPAL also takes a nice cut on each sale. AND, when it comes to problems like you stated on your blog they tell you that eBay & Paypal are two separate entities and have nothing to do with each other so that now you have to deal with both eBay & Paypal and the fraudulent buyers have two ways to rip you off.
One through eBay and one through Paypal.
Either you lose or win the case, eBay/Paypal still get to keep the fees and make money.
Also worth noting. Paypal has started “Holding Funds” on sellers. Lets say you sell a $300 item. They will hold the funds from 2 to 4 weeks claiming they are making sure the transaction went smoothly…what they are really doing is holding YOUR money in their bank so they can collect interest on it. Once the interest is collected they will release your funds. In the meantime the sellers can reverse the transaction with false claims and it is too late to be able to file a counter claim to get your money back. Never in my entire life have I encountered a more corrupt dishonest business model that eBay/Paypal uses.
They promote fraud then offer protection against it.
In Italy that’s called Mafia. eBay/Paypal calls it business as usual.
I’m so sorry about what happened to your friend. It stinks! But, most people do not belong on ebay as sellers. I have been a ebay power seller over 5 years. There is a lot to it. It’s a business for me, just as my travel business is. If you want to hear more you will have to call me, as I’m too busy to type anymore. I’ll just end with this thought.
Ebay and all their fees, afford the seller a world wide audience. That’s worth a lot more then the minor fees I pay, or the few refunds I have to give out.
Natasha, care to expand on “most people do not belong on ebay as sellers.”
Who are “most people”? and what do you mean by “do not belong”?
I had a music store and was also a powerseller that had been using eBay for almost 10 years now.
I did everything honestly and by the book according to both eBay & Paypal rules and regulations and got screwed over by fraudulent buyers that eBay not only protects but also encourages and invites.
A few years ago I sold a $900 guitar. Delivery confirmation. Signature confirmation + insurance.
The buyer left me positive feedback.
30 days later he reversed the charges and with no questions asked Paypal refunded his money.
In three months time during the investigation the buyer refused to answer any ebay/Paypal claims. His phone number on his eBay account was fake and the address he provided on his eBay account was also fake.
The shipping address to his “business” turned out to be an abandoned warehouse.
I found this out after calling the police in his area.
Even after all this eBay/Paypal were refusing to give me my money back. Only when I got a lawyer and a chicago tribune reporter involved did they PROMPTLY give me my hard earned money back.
Andrew, you and Aiden experienced similar issues with eBay.
Natasha, I’ve bought quite a few things on eBay and sold a few items here and there. And there are some nice, honest buyers. But there’s also an element that wants something for nothing. Literally. Honestly, I’d rather give my unwanted items away than deal with eBay. And I have. Goodwill is always happy to see me. And next month, I’ll be doing a little yard sale where all the proceeds will go to an orphanage (for real–I’m not making that up to pull at heartstrings! LOL!).
Hi Andrew,
If you were a power seller and have been on ebay for 10 years, which I of course believe you, I think if you think about it, you can answer the question you put to me. Honestly, as a business man, and by running a ebay business at power seller level, you know that most people do not belong selling on ebay. Please think about this..and let know if you really want me to explain that statement.