What ticks you off about Ebay

[DougN]

I have to agree with Stephen, regarding my use of eBay. However, I don't see the big deal about the fees, as long as you know what they are before you list - as you can then you can build it into your starting price. Now if you want to take a risk and start at $.01 with no reserve, then you take your chances. Otherwise, eBay gives the option to set whatever starting price you feel you need to get for an item, and even a reserve system to ensure that you can get what you feel is a fair price for your item + eBay fees.

The part that I don't like about eBay is what 26oz'er described - the high cost of things now that sellers can typically find someone on eBay who is willing to pay more than I am for something!

[zed2]

Seeing something being sold a Forum Member before they give other members a chance to buy the item directly.

[geezer]

Kinda like a love/hate relationship for me. Love that I can find the odd treasure that I otherwise would not have been able to find; Hate that in the end, I pay much more than the item is worth (in all fairness, buying internationally doesn't help) and on the odd occasions when I never even recieved the item, or recieved substandard items, nothing was ever done about it. I don't sell on Ebay any more, biggest reason being, I hate packing/shipping but also feel the fee structure is pure greedyness. I can also relate to the sentiments Mr Camouflage has with PayPal's self advantagous fee structure. Both Ebay & PayPal are the same savy entity, who is well versed on the willingness of both buyers & sellers to participate. They have a thumb on the pulse of the market and reap the profits accordingly. Policies are set up within the limits of the law, and are geared to absolve themselves of any financial liabilities. Just like at the casino, they win, we willingly gamble.

[hls30.com]

... Just like at the casino, they win, we willingly gamble.

Pretty much sums it up...

Will

[Mike]

Great poll, Will. I'm not sure if I have a complaint about Ebay other than the high fees they charge to sell products. They've cornered the online market and it seems like they can charge whatever they want. By the time you're done paying service fees to list the product, another fee when it sells, and the Paypal transaction fee, there's almost nothing left! I must say, however, Ebay does provide an excellent venue for marketing and researching possible sales.

My biggest complaint is the sheer number of people who are bidding on items to unreasonable levels. I recently tried to buy a satellite module for my car. By the time the auctions were over, a used unit was selling for nearly the same price as a new one at the store! There are certainly good deals on Ebay, but, sometimes one must be tenacious

Ebay is a good service and a great way to find cool things.

[justinr54321]

Hmm, all the above, including what's been posted...

[TomoHawk]

I don't like buying things from eBay that are supposed to be from the U.S.A., but you find out come from Hong Kong or Taiwan ( from the shipping label.) I prefer to support local or domestic markets, even if it did cost a bit more, and would rather not send my money to some bloke overseas, whose selling 5,000 items a month! That's how our economy in the U.S. got so bad!

thxZ

Edited October 29, 2008 by TomoHawk

[Go240Zags]

I voted for too hard to contact when there's a problem. I have to agree about the greedy fees, with a caveat: Where else can someone living in Oroville, Wash. list his surplus/junk/someone else's treasures and reach the literally multi-millions of potential buyers sitting out there? No where, not even in the classifieds in the nation's biggest dailies. You can end up selling to people who didn't even know they couldn't live without your item but accidentally stumbled on it when they were searching for something else. I guess really the fees aren't so bad when you think of it that way and list it for a price where you know you've got them covered. I dislike that people bid up used items for more than they cost new like Mike said -- I've been watching sev'l auctions for Twin Max carb balancers for my motorcycle and they either start out at higher than new prices or end up selling for more. About trying to contact eBay I remember trying to find a phone number to call someone and at the time it was impossible, however, they recently sent me a contact number even without me soliciting one. 1-800-701-3229. The worst part of eBay is there are liars and scammers out there and even when they get caught eBay does not seem to do much about them -- they just change their names and go on doing business. Also, as others have said, never bid on something unless you know the shipping and handling fees first, you're just asking to get screwed. I either put a calculator or conspicuously list a flat shipping fee. Would like to always use the calculator for exact shipping costs, but the U.S. Mail has made it harder to do as they have so many variables with sending to different parts of the country now. It used to be all the same (in the lower 48) but isn't any longer -- guess that was replaced by the flat rate box.

[DeesZ]

With all of its flaws, and there are many, it still is the place to buy and sell to the world market. There are no alternatives with the traffic that eBay offers. I was a Power Seller a while back, but have dropped to about one sale per month as a result of their rules, regulations, and fees. Knowledge is your friend when in any marketplace.... eBay or your local flea market.

[sblake01]

One little annoyance for me on eBay is sellers that wait until I leave feedback before they will leave feedback. What's up with that? I pay as soon as I win an item so at that point I have fulfilled my obligation to them.

[AWC]

My biggest complaint is the lack of transparency. You may be bidding on something and perceive something is fishy is going on just because you are unable to tell if it is legit. For example, you used to be able to see the identity of those bidding against you and check out their prior transaction history and make a judgement whether they were a legitimate buyer or a "straw buyer" and avoid the latter. Now I guess they have made changes that protect the identity of legitimate buyers but those changes have the side-effect of making it much easier for dishonest sellers to bid up their own items without anyone beging able to tell what's going on. I don't know how much this goes on, but I probably suspect it more than I would if there were better transparency. I find myself bidding and buying on ebay much less than I used to.

[Sailor Bob]

The shill - I have to say that is one of the most annoying things for me. It is very common.