Cool, I've got all this junk to unload... too bad I've got a conscience

From a seller's perspective, eBay is going down the tubes too. I have had 3 consecutive auctions (the same item) won by Nigerians who have hacked into legitimate accounts and placed bids. I get the confirmation that someone has won my item, and FIVE minutes later I get an email from eBay's account trust team saying that the whole auction has been cancelled. I lose the text of the auction, all the watchers, bidders, and the ability to contact them about said items. eBay doesn't even allow me to immediately relist the same item - because it doesn't exist in their system anymore. I have to start from scratch, wait the "dead day" before my item starts showing up in search results and hope for the best.

There's no recourse for sellers. Nothing to make things easier. I just have to hope that I get my fees refunded. God knows if they'll do that.

I'm can sympathize with Monty. I quit eBay after just one burn about 4 years ago.

It's a load of crap, and I'm going to start shopping elsewhere.

An expensive lesson well learned. I hope Monty (and anyone else burned) will reach out to eBayersThatSuck.com to report the scammers.

I bought less than 5 things off ebay my entire life and sold 2 things. That is as far as I will go with ebay. That place sucks and I avoid it like the plague. Besides, it's impossible to save any money on anything worthwile anymore.

ebay sucks monkey balls.

The jerks who misrepresent/lie about their auctions really suck. I was actually looking for a copy of Xenosaga 3 (PS2 game) the other week, and found numerous people who had "sealed, new" copies of the game. However, you could look at the picture and they were clearly used copies re-sealed by a store heat sealer (as opposed to factory glue sealed). Luckily, I did find one person who was selling a legit new copy (and he even specified it was factory sealed) and it all worked out.

I can't believe I get to say it first: "CHARGE BACK" Always use a credit card with pay pal and don't bother calling pay pal just call the CC company and charge it back. I a special amex card that I use on ebay.

I sell my school books through ebay, and I must say, the power sellers are definite cry babies. I've found it easy and the fees are much better compared to Amazon.

Also, I think you should have returned the laptop in the first place rather than trying to fix it yourself.

As a seller, the same thing can happen. Had a lady order a lamp in Canada, she abandons the package at customs and I get hit for almost $400. The days of eBay trust are GONE.

i've stoppedd using ebay since the stores grew too big and the little sellers slowly got swallowed. No more ebay. The whole point of ebay was to save me money by letting me buy used or direct, now i preffer brick and mortar for the ability to see my actual product and the satisfaction of getting it now. those two are worth the premium. so whats ebay good for anyway?

I've been an Ebayer for over 8 years, and have 250+ feedback. In the last couple of years, and after being screwed by fraudulent sellers and buyers, I've pretty much resolved to never use Ebay again. In addition to getting scammed by a seller, it's gotten almost impossible to save any money on Ebay, or make money either. Listing fees are a joke, and Ebay either doesn't care enough about the fraud, because my experience is nearly identical to the articles author.

As a side note, this guy NEVER should have taken his computer to Geek Squad. As soon as he saw that the computer came loaded with Vista, he should have filed for item not as described.

I too gave up on e-bay a long time ago. As a buyer and seller, I can say it's not good for anyone. It's great to get price points to compare to other (reputable) sellers, or at tax time when I want to figure out what my charitable contributions are worth. Otherwise, it's its own world that includes so many scammers that I don't even want to give it a chance anymore.

To think of all my wife and I do, selling good quality items, EXACTLY as described in detail, down to each item included.

And packaging - we have never lost a single glassware item.

We had one item arrive with a part bad - sealed halloween costume. Exchanged a couple emails trying to help them fix item, no good. We refunded all money and let them keep it.

We COULD just sell crap like all these other people I guess............

@HalOfBorg: You are a dying breed.

I think things are about to get a lot worse at eBay.

In Australia, they will be requiring folks to pay via Paypal only...or pick it up in person and pay cash.

Of course, since eBay owns Paypal, aren't they the lucky ones?

[news.smh.com.au]

i've had a lot of problems with ebay: 1. my mom had me buy her wrinkle cream on ebay and the last time we got scammed. the seller's account was shut down right after we bought it, but we were never notified, so i filed a 'didn't receive' complaint. then we got it so i dropped the complaint.
2- my mom found that the cream was fake, so i tried to file another complaint. problem: this was after the allotted time, and i can't file a second claim on the person. would it have been so hard for ebay to refund our money after we bought from the banned seller?
3-my ebay account was closed because it was linked to my brother's account. he's ... not very bright. he bid on and won 2 auctions, then promptly decided he would buy it from a third person, completely forgetting about the other two auctions, ignoring the fact that it says if you win, you have to pay. then my account was shut down. and he still won't pay for the items (we can't afford it) so i'm stuck with being tied to an account which i have no control over, so no ebay or half.com for me. oh well, it seems like other people have willingly given up on it so i guess i'll deal.

I've purchased form Ebay a few times, but the shipping charges are often outrageous. I've turned instead to Craigslist for my occasional purchase, for the simple reason that I meet with the person face to face.

Yes I know there are scammers on Craigslist as well.

Ebay has ruined the garage sale. Now stuff you could pick up for a song is going for $$$$$$. "I could get $$$ on ebay!" Well if you could, you would, you just don't want to fool with all the BS.

I have been a member for at least 7 years and have 261 feedback with 100% positive rating. I have never been outright burned, but I'm VERY carful.

Yeah, Ebay is a waste of time these days. I sold about seven items on there and bought about four, but I had this one experience that turned me off completely. I auctioned off a piece of high end stereo equipment to this guy, and he got a pretty good price. I accurately described the item, took superb photos, the whole nine. This prick gets the merchandise and starts complaining about minor cosmetic imperfections that should be expected to occur on used stuff. So I go back and forth with him via email and the hostility is escalating until he threatens to give me a bad seller rating if I don't return $200 of the purchase price. I told him that he must be crazy and that he was obligated to observe his end of the agreement. The nerve of that guy trying to scam me. Needless to say, my Ebay days ended with that transaction.

A++++++++!!!! To all the posters here! You're all great Consumerists!

;-)

Wow, the free market goes to hell without oversight and protection. Imagine that, Paultards.

Hmmm.

The OP bought from ebay because he was willing to take a risk on a product in exchange for a lower price.

But OMG anybody that pays $20 shipping on a 2 lb package is an idiot.

@dakotad555: Your comment pretty much sums up our experiences with ebay.

I find better deals looking on Amazon with less risk of getting scammed.

I can't believe noone has mentioned the benefits of paying with a credit card yet!
When paying with paypal, always make sure you pay with your credit card, that way you can file disputes directly with your credit card and skip the joke resolution system that paypal has.

Your credit card company ALMOST always will side with you

amen

this is a tragic story and all, but this guy clearly stated that he a) took his equipment to the geek squad to repair and b) paid them $300. he is clearly a fucking moron, and fucking morons aren't going to get what they think they're getting from ebay.... pure and simple.

You really have to respect a company that Pleads for the world to join their community, makes hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars, Then turns and stabs every one of their customers in the back by slowly INCREASING Final Value Fees, Listing fees, paypal fees etc, The most recent jump made Ebay's Final Value Fee Equivelent to CA Sales Tax of 8.25%, + Paypals %, Plus listing fees, Its Absolutely insane. I for one will never sell anything on ebay again, 200+ feedback, and never again. I complained about this in the Live chat and they told me the decision was made to increase rates in order to "improve our website"......... Any web-developers want to put in a better bid than 4% of the cost of every ebay auction in existence?

Two Words: Caveat Emptor

Ebay recently cancelled one of my auctions without any notification to me. Nothing stuck in a spam filter, just no message. The worst part? They did it AFTER the auction had already been won and paid for via paypal, and since I received no notification, I shipped the item. I didn't realize the problem until the buyer puts a claim on the payment and the funds are frozen. Luckily, the buyer was understanding, received the item, and released the funds, but either one of us could have gotten screwed over, and from the looks of it, many people have.

On top of this, ebay, in owning paypal too, esentially charges you 3 times when you sell something and use paypal. If I sell a $40 videogame, I'm charge about $1.20 for the listing, about anoter $1.50 for the paypal transaction, and then about another $1.50 for a complete BS "final value" fee that ebay charges based on the sale value of the item. I understand the listing fee and the paypal transaction fee, but now Ebay gets a cut of the sale price too? WTF? Why does it cost me more than 10% of the sale value when all is said and done to sell an item?

There is clearly room here for competition. Maybe craigslist will grow to fill the space, or some smaller more nimble company will.

Don't buy it from ebay unless you are willing to write it off.

@djanes1: Unfortunately, that's what it's come down to. I'd never spend more than twenty dollars on anything on eBay and I work for a darn powerseller. We don't screw anyone because we're a legitimate small business, but it's amazing how many people do.

@greenpepper:

Green, give it me. I'll sell it. ; P.

I quit buying on eBay when I gave a Power seller neutral feedback after I won a auction. I sent 5 emails to the guy and never got a response and when I gave a neutral he posted a negative stating he demanded a positive. Plus everything is overpriced because a lot of people have there friends bid to bump up the prices

I blame the buyer on this one, I can promise you he was trying to go cheap on all of these and in the end he got what he paid for.

@castlecraver: Bah, it's not a free market, it's a flea market, and the cops aren't around. Only thing we needs are some crusty jugglers and we'd be in business!

@dlynch: I have to agree. If you aren't a computer geek you need to stay away from computer equipment on ebay. Only an idiot would take ANYTHING to the Geek Squad.

When will people learn?

Only use a credit card with paypal.

If paypal/ebay refuses to help you then simply do a chargeback and get your money back.

Only fools use debit and bank accounts for payment.

Also, when you get paid take your money out as soon as you have it. Do not let it sit in your paypal account as paypal can take the money back at any time if someone wrongfully files a complaint.

Er...dude...you better wake up.

Never buy electronics or jewelry on ebay unless you are a epsilon-d-minus-moron.

Seriously.

I'm happy to say I've had exactly one bad experience on eBay in nine years. In that case, I never received the item, and PayPal issued me a refund.

I've been screwed plenty on eBay, but rarely if ever directly because of eBay. I believe they're doing a fair amount to protect buyers and sellers, but probably not all they can do. PayPal, about the same in my experience.

You just have to be really careful with eBay and check over a seller's or buyer's feedback very carefully.

There are can be successes, but it's caveat emptor, baby.

@Rae12401: It's about time someone said it!!!!

I was with ebay for years, a power seller. I bought LARGE quantities and charged an average of $5-$10 over my wholesale cost (depending on the freight cost I needed to recover and make a couple bucks.) I always shipped free. I always replaced missing or broken items, no hassles. Everyone loved my items and my prices with tons of repeat buyers who would resell my items at local swapmeets etc. Then Ebay started raising prices, just 25 cents here and there, I had to raise my prices... then they went nuts and raised it a couple bucks and several percentages for everything...(I'm afraid to see what they charge now!) My monthly eBay fees tripled almost overnight! I struggled for months in the red and finally quit over 3 years ago and never went back. Ebay basically shut me down.
They forced all the small mom-and-pop, honest people offline. There is no way you can buy wholesale, sell cheap on ebay and make the smallest amount of profit unless the items are stolen or you are running some sort of scam. It's just not possible!
Funny they still have me as a power seller even though I haven't sold anything in 3+ years. I really miss the eBay that was, it was GREAT for buyers and sellers... There's a real need here, Someone needs to step in and copy the original community, they would make millions and eBay would be gone! GoogleAuctions?!

@Rando: damn straight!

I've had no trouble on ebay. I'm a modest buyer and seller with ~80 feedback. So I've been around the block, but don't know the whole neighborhood.

And why the hell did someone pay $40 in shipping? HELLO? USPS flatrate box?! FLAT RATE FLAT. Time to go enjoy friday night...

@Promethean: Ebay did the same thing to me, only they cancelled my auction with a couple of hours left.

I created an Ebay Motors account to sell my first motorcycle. Without notice or warning, after 6 days and 22 hours of the auction being posted, Ebay cancelled my auction because of 'suspicious activity' on my account.

When I got in touch with someone over there, I asked them what 'suspicious activity' they noticed? Someone creating an account, and offering an item for sale that people might bid on?

They told me it was the value of the auction, and the suspicious activity of multiple people bidding on the motorcycle. Oh, really? I paid for a highlighted listing, with all the fancy box outlines, pictures, and featured listing positioning, and it's surprising that people were piling on bids in the final 60 minutes?

Losers. Their policy was "yank the auction and delete all associated information first, and maybe ask questions later". They told me I could re-list, but since they'd deleted the old auction, there was no way for me to re-contact the people who'd been communicating with me about the bike and explain to them why the auction disappeared under a cloud of suspicion.

That's my one and only eBay horror story. Never again.

I got hit with not one, but two NARU'd sellers recently. One of them, I had paid for the item and they went NARU a week after I paid. It was another two before the item showed up, but I was shitting bricks. Neither ebay nor paypal would help because the auction was cancelled even though it was cancelled a week after I had paid.
The second one was a recent NARU and it happened between winning and paying for the item. Since I know someone who works for ebay personally, I asked what to do and spent three days telling the seller to effoff because there was no guarantee I'd get the items even if I did pay. The auctions were cancelled and there was no obligation on my part to finish the transaction.

Seems to be a buyer issue. Sounds like the buyer needs to make a second ebay and paypal account for buying than his seller accounts. That way any problems in buying can easily be settled with a credit card charge back without effecting his good seller rating or getting his paypal account robbed.

DON'T BUY USED ELECTRONICS ON EBAY. Ebay does seem to make money for some sellers. There is this one guy, who I swear just buy motorcycles, takes them apart and then lists the parts individually on ebay. He makes money on shipping

I'll give you a suggestion how to de-scam this type of seller.

ONE : pay through PayPal with a CREDIT CARD, so you can issue chargeback in case of PayPal's failure to help you.

TWO : If there is NO tracking on original package, declare item as NOT RECEIVED, instead of Not as described. (This is mainly for China's unscrupulous sellers, where the return shipment, with tracking, costs more than item itself and who always pretend, that they ''didn't receive'' your return).

@dlynch: And you're a ''genius'', now go back to high school, where you belong with this type of attitude.

well i've used Ebay for almost 7 yrs and have over 250 feedbacks. In all that time I have only ever had 1 major problem with a seller not sending out the item. I luckily paid for the item with a CC through paypal and when the seller flaked had a full refund in 7 days.

Just use your CC and you have the protection of your issueing company.

But overall I love ebay. I canm= get so many slightly used games and dvds far cheaper than gamestop or any other store.

"So... let me get this straight, eBay: I'm going to lose a total of $40 in shipping for my $56 item??"

No, you'll lose more like 30 dollars, because that 20 dollar shipping fee was inflated to pad the seller's margin, outside of Ebay's fee structure.

@r081984: That's good advice - eB forced me to open a linked account years ago, so I opened a passbook savings account that I keep $20 so I can keep it for the rare occasions that I want to buy something off eBay.

As with virtually all the other posters, I started on eB in the early days ('97?), have 100% positive feedback but now only go there for commoditized crap I can't find anywhere else online or locally.

It's pretty sad, really. I can remember a time when eBay was a great place to shop with tons of cool stuff at reasonable prices. Now it's overrun with scammers and junk.

@MyPetFly: Many eBay policies do not make sense, on the contrary, it gives dishonest sellers opportunity for fraud. Like in cases, where ''item not as described''