Is eBay "Broken" ?
The Consumerist thinks so: They note that it is now Completely Impossible To Sell A Laptop On Ebay.
Then there is Paypal, the eBay subsidiary. Paypal may very well have the worst customer service of any major internet firm (thus bypassing Dell).
My experience trying to get changes made with them as a corporate partner was a trip into Alice in Wonderland. To say they were awful does not begin to explain it: I picture their office as filled with people walking around in big floppy shoes, huge red noses, car-pooling to the office 20 at a time in a really tiny car.
We were long EBAY earlier this year; I am glad that position is now closed.
~~~
I am curious: What are people's experiences with eBay/Paypal? Does anyone have any stories you want to share?
Go to town:
Thursday, May 22, 2008 | 07:30 PM | Permalink
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We sell 15k a month on average thru ebay . Its a great way to get rid of Pawn Defaults .We start everything off @ a dollars and let it run .Out of 2800 plus feedback we never really had any problems.We have a part time college kid doing it and reuse boxes from weight watchers .Ebay seller name Roscoe1469
Posted by: greenbrierpawn | May 15, 2008 7:46:12 PM
I refuse to use Paypal and have had to forego doing business with some vendors...like yours Barry! Wanted to subscribe, say Paypal, contacted your people to see if there was another option, but no luck.
Posted by: Tim | May 21, 2008 7:32:49 PM
Canceled my business PayPal(s) last year, oh the cluelessness...
Posted by: VennData | May 21, 2008 7:36:06 PM
I gotta say I have had positive experiences as a buyer and seller.
First of all, don't buy anything over $1000, and check the buyer's feedback and location.
Secondly, I am happy to say that I get good prices for my guitars, much better than as trade-ins at the local music store.
Just be careful and you should be allright.
Posted by: ZB | May 21, 2008 7:36:24 PM
Ebay is terrible and most of the people selling on it are scam artist. I've gotten manufacture's bad returns (missing parts, damaged items, etc) sold as brand new.
Ebay won't cover if the item was false advertised. You have to take it up with the seller, which is pointless.
I used it a lot around 2 years ago. But not anymore at all.
For example I bought a chop saw from a pawn shop which had a gear broken and it didn't work when I got it. I contacted them and they say ha ha basically. I could have sued them for breach of contract but it wasn't worth the time. The ad said "working good".
After my experiences I shorted Ebay earlier this year with some $25 2010 Jan Puts.
Posted by: John Borchers | May 21, 2008 7:41:41 PM
I had almost the identical experience trying to sell a Sony Playstation on eBay. Listed it three times and had it purchased three times by people who wanted it shipped to Nigeria.
I finally gave up and just gave it to a friend ... I found it impossible to sell it on eBay.
I've been surprised how little press eBay has received about their many issues.
Posted by: Joe | May 22, 2008 7:40:53 PM
Ebay has become a joke. The new corporate policies are a joke. And this is coming from someone who has bot and sold hundreds of items without any problems.
Lately, Ebay has decided that magazine subscriptions could no longer be sold because the item in question wasn't "owned" by anyone as it was something that was going to be used in the future.
I can't even begin to tell you the great subscriptios I got on Ebay. These are deals I have gotten without exxageration: 3 yrs of Forbes for $4.99 3 yrs of Vanity Fair for $8.99, etc. etc.
Ebay is a disaster.
Posted by: Neal | May 22, 2008 7:53:02 PM
I used to use eBay/Paypal quite a bit buying rare LPs and such and didn't have any big problems, but that was years ago. I've since broken that habit.
Posted by: Rodger Coleman | May 22, 2008 7:53:14 PM
Over the years eBay has slowly become less and less useful. For most things that you can buy elsewhere the price differential is just not worthwhile.
The final straw for me came with a seller scamming me out of $2275 earlier this year. The eBay seller with over a 1000 positive feedbacks refused to send a refund for a Flat Screen TV that was returned as it was damaged in transit. After following the eBay and PayPal dispute process that lasted over three months I was told that the eBay/PayPal purchase protection was no longer valid as it was 90 days past the transaction. I have been advised that eBay and PayPal cannot do anything and my only option is to file a fraud case and a formal complaint to law enforcement.
Extremely disappointed with eBay and PayPal handling of the fraud transaction and their process for handling it.
Posted by: Disappointed Ebayer | May 22, 2008 8:05:56 PM
I've used it for really hard to find items, like an OEM copy of Dreamweaver Suite for half of retail, but I checked out the seller first and used a credit card.
The only time I've trusted paypal was for minor items. I used it several years ago to stock up on REAL Corning Ware. You know - the stuff that can go from freezer to stove top. What is sold under that name now is simply stoneware. The name was purchased by some outfit in the bankruptcy of Dow Corning. To me, this was an illustration of the decline of America.
Forays onto Ebay for computer hardware usually result in finding things that could be bought new for less elsewhere.
Posted by: Mike in NOLA | May 22, 2008 8:09:02 PM
I use Paypal to have my editing clients in Europe pay me, but I can't believe the fees they charge. I'd love to find another internet money exchange medium.
Posted by: roger | May 22, 2008 8:25:41 PM
I got ripped for $400 a few years ago for computer electronics. I paid for the product and it never came. 7 or 8 other people in the auction got ripped also. Ebay did basically nothing.
I use Ubid now and never have any trouble.
It seems all commercialized now. Everything is always from business.
Posted by: Jim B | May 22, 2008 8:26:22 PM
@ Posted by: Disappointed Ebayer | May 22, 2008 8:05:56 PM
I assume you didn't buy on credit? I always do even through Paypal that way if I get scammed I can always take it up with my CC company. I've never had to go that far though probably because I have had the option
I have have great success buying on ebay. I usually save at least 25%. I only buy from the sellers that have thousands of sales and stellar track records.
One thing that really frustrates me is the featured sellers. They really skew the pricing and I will usually bypass them to get to the real prices. I almost always do the buy it now once I've done a price comparison online.
I've never sold anything on ebay because I am the type of person to use something until it is dead. If it is not dead then it is a charitable item that someone probably needs more than I need the money.
I also don't buy high end stuff though because I'm not a high end person and I buy for basic function so that is probably why it is easier for me to give it away or use it until it's dead
As for paypal, that is kind of like being a trainer in the zoo. You always have to keep in mind you are in a cage with a wild animal and it could strike at any time. This is from someone who is in online marketing and has seen marketers taken out for some of the strangest reasons. Being the 800 pound gorilla in online payments though they get their way most of the time but if a big bank were to decide to make a credible push for that business segment there could be a significant exodus in that direction
Posted by: DavidB | May 22, 2008 8:26:30 PM
Barry, you're aware of the website paypalsucks.com, right?
Posted by: Garuda | May 22, 2008 8:36:04 PM
Never had a problem with Paypal, still use it. However, I use it to purchase things from web vendors and my purchases with it have all been for less than $500.
I'm also using the Paypal plugin that creates a Mastercard on the fly when I want to purchase from a web site that doesn't take Paypal direct. No problems with that either.
Haven't ordered on ebay for months. Only go that way when I have no choice, i.e. when the product is discontinued and not available elsewhere. If I want an out of print music CD or something similar for example. On those occasions I have been very suspicious of the goods being sold and purchased carefully. Result, no problems for me.
-- -- -- -- --
I suspect that some of these horror stories are from folks being penny wise and pound foolish. If you're willing to spend a few thousand on a flatscreen, go to Buy.com, or Amazon, or Best Buy or Frys. Get something a little bit smaller for the same money but without the pain of no support and near fraud. Heard a lot of folk on this site telling us we have the government and/or financial system we deserve. Well, your Ebay experience may also vary in proportion to your own rationality.
Posted by: Jim Nutley | May 22, 2008 8:37:26 PM
Ebay is a fantastic place to purchase a laptop computer.
Not long ago, I had a one month old laptop liberated from a locked vehicle. I shopped eBay for two months, looking for a replacement.
My search was eventually rewarded when one evening I found on eBay the exact same model I'd lost. In fact it was so "exact" that the serial number/UUID matched the laptop I'd had stolen. As an extra bonus, I also got the identical accessories I'd lost.
Ebay is a great place to "shop" for [stolen] laptops.
Posted by: engineer al | May 22, 2008 8:42:42 PM
I buy stuff on ebay and I've had good luck with it. I've bought skis, cellphone cables and charges, fireplace screens, camera.. never had a problem. Super deals and often times stuff you just can't find other places.
On the other hand I set up a merchant account with Paypal and was infuriated with the incompetence of the customer service. In fairness it works great usually. However trying to get a human response to a genuine question is nearly impossible... and that is inexcusable since they charge the same rates as banks that offer good customer service.
Ebay's total incompetence in failing to market and capitalize on their Skype investment also boggles the mind. Skype has awesome features but you'd never know Skype existed from shopping on Ebay or using Paypal. The word Idiot was created for a reason.
Posted by: Bob A | May 22, 2008 9:01:33 PM
Any electronics on eBay draw out the scammers. If you're selling, the buyers will want you to ship to Nigeria. If you're buying, the goods will be stolen, reman'd, gray market, etc.
That said, eBay is a good place to find vintage things. New-old-stock items, dusty and just recovered from a store room or a closed up dealership. Things that haven't been manufactured in decades, still brand new and in the box. You're almost always dealing with small sellers that are almost always a pleasure to deal with.
The new policies eBay started Monday are intended to discourage the small sellers of vintage things and reward the high volume sellers of things like electronics.
Which is too bad.
Posted by: engineer al | May 22, 2008 9:07:05 PM
If you believe Behavioral Economics, ebay is a great place to sell (if you build up the feedback rating) but a terrible place to by. With more buyers than sellers (maybe this is tipping?) it is all about The Winner's Curse. The winner has almost certainly overpaid.
I was never a big ebay buyer ... maybe half a dozen small items bought, and maybe another dozen auctions lost. FWIW, I surf craigslist now, for things I *might* buy.
Posted by: odograph | May 22, 2008 9:11:14 PM
Came across a fraudulent listing for a John Deere mower on Ebay that was also listed on Craigs list for sale in a area 900 miles apart. The selling party was looking for a cash advance to bring the mower from Berlin, looked thru Ebays security pages to report this and finally gave up . conclusion Ebay doesnt want to be bothered.
Posted by: Greg | May 22, 2008 9:14:00 PM
FYI...get a Paypal debit card and you can always get get service by calling the # on the back. Has always worked great for me.
Posted by: Phil | May 22, 2008 9:27:44 PM
I was happily using their affiliate program via Commission Junction with good success. Ebay brought the affiliate program in house effective April 1 and my income immediately dropped by 80%. They keep saying there isn't any problem, but that seems unlikely.
I think your experience will be quite different depending on the items you buy/sell. Collectibles has been fine and I have purchased a couple of computers successfully. However, electronics looks risky.
Posted by: Paul | May 22, 2008 9:34:15 PM
I've bought many things on EBAY. I (believe it or not) bought some very nice estate jewelry. I buy from only a couple of folks that had guarantees. I was buying when gold was $436. My favorite piece is an Edwardian bangle bracele (1910 and 14k). My second favorite is a gorgeous 18K hand forged bracelet. I also completed my mother's silver set as well as bought some Minton china. I've some really nice pieces--and the sellers were terrific.
I only had 1 experience where I felt that I was "had". It was for a pittance--I succumbed to terrific copy writing.
I use PayPal often. I've never had a problem. The level of service is determined by having a problem and a successful resolution. So, I've not tested it.
Posted by: Leisa | May 22, 2008 9:36:58 PM
My only and *major* concern with PayPal is that their computers constantly ask me for access to my checking accounts. Whenver I ask "why such access is needed", I receive nothing but a robot reply saying how wonderful PayPal's service is.
*There* *is* **no** *way* I am going to give PayPal unfettered access to my checking account. They can charge my credit card, at least I am only responsible for a maximum of $50 is something goes awry (and with eBay/PayPal involved, something is nearly always destined to go wrong).
Posted by: Bob | May 22, 2008 9:42:02 PM
I have been an eBay member since 1997 and have a feedback rating of 240+ (100%). I buy and sell items and use PayPal.
I have had a very positive experiences with both. I was very pleased with PayPal when I had my first bad purchase on eBay for a $150 item that never shipped. I followed their instructions to try to resolve it with the seller. My emails to the seller were ignored and I was able to escallate my PayPal claim and was pretty quickly issued a full refund (as covered buy their puyer protection).
There are definately scammers there. You have to know what you are buying and check the sellers feedback and other current auctions for anything suspicious.
Overall, I continue to find some great deals on most of the items that I buy there and get a fair price for what I sell.
Posted by: Alexi | May 22, 2008 9:48:43 PM
