eBay- Long Rant

[SkyHawk]

got my notification a couple of days ago, not sure what I will do yet. Have a few burner checking accounts I suppose I could use ...

[BigPimping]

Sometimes I buy a small things there like pocket knives and it's such. But will never sell anything there again. Thanks for the vine and thanks for your time OP.

[Sanderhawk]

I quit selling on ebay years ago when they made it manditory to use pay pal. They already had enough damn fees I had to pay I wasn`t going to pay more.

[NavCop]

Seems everything connected to the little guy is eventually turned into a scam by some greedy big business.

[Dan_Eastvale]

These are some of the reasons I've stopped selling on ebay. It's probably also the reason why a majority of items, except those that are straight up auctions, are more expensive than buying retail, even at a brick and mortar store.

Yes.
I only buy EBAY when it's an item that's discontinued or otherwise unavailable retail, AMAZON etc

[Samoset]

"Now that the rant is over, I have the following observaitions/questions:
- eBay now requires sellers to provide direct access to their bank accounts included limited power of attorney."

My credit union offers a free Bill-payer that allows me to specify amount and timing of payments. To prevent any "authorized" business from overdrawing, I may allow access to a credit card (can challenge billing errors) or to a small account containing less than $100 (no overdraft protection). The small account looks like a perfect defense against e-bay.

[NoHeavyHitter]

The simple solution is to not use ebay...

If I see something I want to buy on ebay, I simply research the seller (company) and contact them directly. While i don't do that too often, I have yet to be turned away as a direct customer and merchants have so far been willing to match any deal that was offered via ebay. It only makes sense as the merchant will save on not having to pay ebay any commission.

The reason this strategy works for me is that I don't purchase used goods via auction from private sellers. I know too many people who have been unhappy w/ebay auctions to try to make similar purchases.

[PaperTarget]

OP. thanks for posting this information. Otherwise I wouldn't have known.

Ebay or other companies will put as much into their "agreement" as they possibly can get away with to benefit their business.

[AregularGuy]

Sometimes I buy a small things there like pocket knives and it's such. But will never sell anything there again. Thanks for the vine and thanks for your time OP.

Word BP! Never know when you might need to stick a biotch!

So what is alternative to ebay?

[vino68]

Some of you seem to be not aware that PayPal is no longer an eBay company. These changes are a result of the payment agreement between PayPal and eBay expiring this year. They sent out notices and it was covered in the business/market news. Some people must live in caves.

[deephouse]

[bigdrunk92037]

Ebay lost their way a long time ago. In my experience sellers have zero rights vs. buyers and charging sales tax is now BS.

[Endless]

Not sure this is the proper forum vs OT, but the recent changes by eBay in their Managed Payments program has raised a red flag for me. I have been an eBay seller for more than 20 years and have seen the evolution from a true marketplace to an oppressive seller environment where the main goal is to squeeze every nickel out of it’s merchants.

Now that the rant is over, I have the following observaitions/questions:
- eBay now requires sellers to provide direct access to their bank accounts included limited power of attorney.
- sellers are now required to provide SSN or tax id information which is scary considering the majority of their customer service is overseas
- Seller payments are now made directly by eBay but not until receipt of item by buyer is verified. Considering packaging/handling/shipping and then normal ground transportation, this can mean 10-14 days to receive payment.
- Given the above, this means eBay impounds $250 million a day and holds those funds until paid out 7-10 days later. During this hold period, the impound will grow by an additional $250 million daily.
- Since eBay is not legally a financial institution they are not subject to banking regulations and are not prohibited from earning interest on any funds impounded as are mortgage escrows.
- In essence, sellers allow eBay to “borrow” their funds for 10-14 days. Instead of being paid for the “loan” sellers are charged 12.5% for the use of their own money.

In considering the above, how can eBay create a $90 billion a tear financial institution with no regulatory oversight? With the Democrats now poised to take over, it is no coincidence that eBay chose this time to roll out this program that had been in the testing stages for more than a year?

BTW, the day I was notified of these changes, I deleted all my listings and have no intention of selling there again

Not entirely accurate. Payment to the seller is much faster now. 2-4 days tops. So you get your money a lot faster. Yeah I don't like them knowing some things but it's much faster now.

I use it for small stuff.

I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Liberal Californians worry to much about petty things. I have had my identity stolen like the rest of you but at the end of the day it's only money and credit. I don't give a **** about either after almost dying. Money and credit means absolutely nothing in that context. Sorry that's how I see it now.

[Gromann]

Just to throw in my 2 cents; I run an ebay page for work and handle the transactions. Mostly old testing materials and excess inventory.

I've noticed in the last year that eBay is doing nothing to prevent my storefront from dealing with fraudulent purchases.

Seller purchases item, claims its mis-advertised and demands a refund. I contest, offer screenshots of the description, ebay rules in purchasers favor.

Over the previous 2 years this never really happened, but in the last year or so this has happened a few times. We've been trying to find alternatives to eBay but there's not really much out there.

[Rizzo]

So what is alternative to ebay?

Ditto.
Anybody?
Craigslist maybe?