mjsmith2k
Come on you Reds!
I just had to say something about eBay. I've been a seller on there for a number of years without hassle, but over the last few years their policies have got out of hand. I know that eBay has become a haven for scam artists and people selling counterfeit goods which has contributed towards eBay taking positive action and has ultimately led to them implementing new policies, I can't help but feel that selling on "the world's biggest marketplace" is more hassle than it's worth, and in turn is leading to it's decline. Here are a few examples of eBay's new policies.
1) Vero: The new Vero programme has become a useful tool in weaning out those counterfeit goods that you often see littering the music and DVD sections. The Vero programme is run by users who sign up for the program and admins on the site who check any suspect items. However, some items are falsely flagged up and a number of people have since complained about items being removed. I for one have had a few listings removed through the Vero programme for quote "Stating brand new with tags and not showing them in my pictures". It was clear from my pictures that there were tags attached to the coat and I even provided the receipt from the shop I bought it from to prove it's authenticity. However, the misguided judgement of one person led to my listing being completely removed from the site without merit.
2) Postage: In October last year, eBay introduced a cap on postage. I can understand why they did it, people have abused the use of postage for years as the FVF (final value fee - eBay's fee on the final price at which the goods sell) is only calculated on the price at which the auction ends at, and does not include postage. So if you sell an eBook for £0.99 and charge £6.00 for postage the final amount due is £6.99, but you only get charged fees on the £0.99, the auction price. However, the introduction of a limits has only imposed more restrictions on the seller rather than solving the problem of abuse. For example the limit for postage on PC accessories is £5. So for an item such a heavy PSU which will cost £6 or £7 to post, excluding the cost of parcelling the item, I ultimately lose money. Also, all DVDs have to be posted 'FREE' which can ultimately lead to a lower final auction price and in turn you losing money. I feel that eBay should reduce the charge for the FVF, but this time charge for the sale and postage. This would be a good compromise which would catch these postage cheats out.
3) 'Keyword Spamming'. The other day they removed 4 of my listings for Keyword Spamming. Their evidence? I put 'NEW' in the title. WTF! Not only is this a common word to use when listing, as it attracts buyers who only want new products with warranties etc, but I and many thousands of others have harmlessly used it for years.
So it seems, the actions of a few scammers and rule breakers has led to an overly regulated eBay and increasingly frustrating place to sell. I am honest seller, and I try to be transparent about every aspect of my product. However, I have become increasingly paranoid due to the fact that every listing is intensely scrutinised and ultimately removed for only a minor breach of their policy. It wouldn't be so bad if they ended the listing for breach of these conditions and refunded the listing fee, but oh no, they completely remove all trace of it from the site, whether they were right or not. If I were to contest the removal, they still cannot do anything about it, the listing is now erased completely from the site. eBay is a mess.
1) Vero: The new Vero programme has become a useful tool in weaning out those counterfeit goods that you often see littering the music and DVD sections. The Vero programme is run by users who sign up for the program and admins on the site who check any suspect items. However, some items are falsely flagged up and a number of people have since complained about items being removed. I for one have had a few listings removed through the Vero programme for quote "Stating brand new with tags and not showing them in my pictures". It was clear from my pictures that there were tags attached to the coat and I even provided the receipt from the shop I bought it from to prove it's authenticity. However, the misguided judgement of one person led to my listing being completely removed from the site without merit.
2) Postage: In October last year, eBay introduced a cap on postage. I can understand why they did it, people have abused the use of postage for years as the FVF (final value fee - eBay's fee on the final price at which the goods sell) is only calculated on the price at which the auction ends at, and does not include postage. So if you sell an eBook for £0.99 and charge £6.00 for postage the final amount due is £6.99, but you only get charged fees on the £0.99, the auction price. However, the introduction of a limits has only imposed more restrictions on the seller rather than solving the problem of abuse. For example the limit for postage on PC accessories is £5. So for an item such a heavy PSU which will cost £6 or £7 to post, excluding the cost of parcelling the item, I ultimately lose money. Also, all DVDs have to be posted 'FREE' which can ultimately lead to a lower final auction price and in turn you losing money. I feel that eBay should reduce the charge for the FVF, but this time charge for the sale and postage. This would be a good compromise which would catch these postage cheats out.
3) 'Keyword Spamming'. The other day they removed 4 of my listings for Keyword Spamming. Their evidence? I put 'NEW' in the title. WTF! Not only is this a common word to use when listing, as it attracts buyers who only want new products with warranties etc, but I and many thousands of others have harmlessly used it for years.
So it seems, the actions of a few scammers and rule breakers has led to an overly regulated eBay and increasingly frustrating place to sell. I am honest seller, and I try to be transparent about every aspect of my product. However, I have become increasingly paranoid due to the fact that every listing is intensely scrutinised and ultimately removed for only a minor breach of their policy. It wouldn't be so bad if they ended the listing for breach of these conditions and refunded the listing fee, but oh no, they completely remove all trace of it from the site, whether they were right or not. If I were to contest the removal, they still cannot do anything about it, the listing is now erased completely from the site. eBay is a mess.
.
Some people only type 'PS3' in, I wanted to catch all potential buyers. It's not spamming.
Jay
