eBay is trash

[Deactivated] on 20/03/2014 - 17:34
Last edited 21/03/2014 - 08:44

Hi all,

I've had my eBay account since 2004 and have around 600 feedback score, and up until recently I have never sold anything on there.

I decided to try out selling a dSLR and an Xbox360 both are in great condition etc etc.

I put the dSLR up for auction about two weeks ago for buy it now and it was sold around 6 hours after to a person from USA (my listing said Aus only). I waited two days after it had sold to wait for payment which never came so I relisted the auction with the relist button.. 2 days later exactly the same thing happened again.. waited then relisted.

In the meantime the auction for the Xbox360 finished and the highest bidder was from North WA (I'm SW VIC) and eBay calculated $71 express postage, the buyer complained that I was trying to scam them.. I had nothing to do with the price of the postage as it was done via the auspost API on eBay. I entered the correct dimensions and weight, I checked the postcode via auspost's website and the price was exactly the same.

The buyer will not pay nor will they cancel the purchase so I can relist it.

…now to today!

I received an email from eBay that I have been charged $91 for listing fees and my account has been closed for review "to ensure a safe marketplace".

Is this a farking joke? none of the items have actually sold nor paid for so I don't understand..

Where can I sell online where there isn't shitheads with fake accounts and people who can't read?

/rant

edit: it seems people aren't reading this post before posting themselves, the person who bought the xbox360 was in a remote location (North WA) and selected the express shipping option (price was visible before selecting) then whinged that it was too high

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Comments

    • netsurfer on 22/03/2014 - 09:25

      The buyer did not pay. FeeBay whacked him with final value fee (possibly listing fees for the re-lists, if he re-listed them too early before he got the final fee rebate).

      Honestly, $35 postage, you might as well not sell it on FeeBay (for XBox 360), unless you are willing to sell XBox 360 at a really crazy low price to compensate the buyer for paying that kind of postage.

      This whole thing is a combination of: (1) there is an increase number of dodgy buyers and rookie buyers (2) OP under estimated selling on FeeBay is not straight forward for new sellers and (3) the need to go through unpaid process properly and when buyers dispute an item with really high postage, FeeBay won't rule in buyer's favour - FeeBay may think you try to save on Final Value Fee.

  • dragon7 on 22/03/2014 - 09:14
    +1

    Raise a non payment case and ebay will refund the final fee for you. Next time, try to use buyer restrictions as many as possible, i often use most of them (address in countries i don't post to, no phone verification, no feedback, etc.), this will weeds out those potential scammers. Immediate payment required is also an option, and try selling using auction, buy it now is more prone to scams.

    And i would try selling using gumtree first if you can handle those cheap buyers, ebay + paypal fee sucks, nearly 15% commission from your sale.

    • [Deactivated] on 22/03/2014 - 09:30

      Yeah I had the stuff on gumtree before but kept getting hit by scammers, I used to sell a lot of stuff on there but electronics seem to be targeted more by scammers than anything else on gumtree. I just wanted to extend my advertising to get rid of this stuff.

      I'm just going to put an ad in my local paper and see how it goes, back to basics.

      • netsurfer on 22/03/2014 - 10:37

        Xbox360 and DSLR are hard to sell on FeeBay unless you know a good courier deal. Put an ad on local paper is good idea.

        You can clear mobile phones, tablets easily on FeeBay. FeeBay wants sellers to provide top notch service so you might as well sell only to the good buyers. Require immediate payment is the best way to get rid of dodgy buyers. People willing to pay right away are serious buyers. It avoids all those unpaid items BS.

        You cannot do require immediate payment with auctions.

  • tramperleo on 22/03/2014 - 09:28

    I am not sure what's exactly happen there. But it seems sometimes the eBay system automatically set the express shipping above the regular shipping in buyer's buying record. In this situation, the inexperienced buyer would be surprised to see a much higher express shipping cost to the regular one before they bought it. And this would make them angry because they thought it's you did it.
    So recommend to contact buyer to make sure if they want a regular or an express shipping

  • RedSky on 22/03/2014 - 09:35

    If you were charged listing fees then you never addressed the unconcluded transaction. eBay will assume the transaction took place (maybe with cash) and charge you for it, unless you address the problem and in this case the buyer may have also stirred up trouble to suspend your account.

    eBay is shifty in how they have back ended the fees and made listing 'free' but you should have been aware of this before you started selling.

    Yes, eBay fees are extortionate, yes they screw over sellers often but this doesn't look like the case in your situation. Buyer fraud is usually after the seller has shipped. In the case pre payment I don't see anything eBay can award in favor of the buyer as he hasn't paid.

  • figarow on 22/03/2014 - 09:38

    Welcome to eBay storyteller. You have pointed out only a fraction of the problems sellers face. Google eBay sucks or paypal sucks and you will gain new understanding as to why sellers are shutting shop and selling on Gumtree instead.

  • hsk on 22/03/2014 - 09:45

    If you have facebook I have friends who sell on there, local groups buy swap sell, meet the buyer at shops or other place if you are not happy to have them come to your house. Or deliver to them if it is convenient to you

    • [Deactivated] on 22/03/2014 - 11:53

      Yeah I tried some of those groups before Gumtree and before eBay, most were asking prices that were too low (30-50% than what I had it listed for). I wasn't asking anything too much in the first place, I was undercutting my self by $100~ and giving free postage.

      I just want to sell lol

  • andyken on 22/03/2014 - 10:33

    Just open a dispute on ebay "buyer wont pay" ebay will take off all the fee

    • [Deactivated] on 22/03/2014 - 11:53

      eBay have returned the fees on one listing and unbanned my account (thank god). Still waiting on the second buyer to wake up.

  • j4ck on 22/03/2014 - 13:21

    eBay can be a complete pile of shit sometimes. I've had a bunch of people buy my items and never pay. Just a big waste of time really.

    That being said, I've had some really good sales on there and not everyone using eBay is a numpty.

    I'd take a local sale over eBay any day of the week (obviously).

  • [Deactivated] on 22/03/2014 - 13:59

    I don't sell on ebay anymore because of the ridiculous requirements on sellers.

    Sold an item, I gave the option of registered post for added security, the person declined. I sent the items, I sent two other items at the same time and both made it there without issue within three days.

    The person who refused to take registered post launched a paypal dispute almost immediately. I told Paypal that although they have sent me an email saying they will be withdrawing the funds from my account, I will be shutting down my bank account and reopening a new account to stop that happening.

    Can't remember the exact details because I haven't used eBay in so long, but they ended up saying I was found to be at fault for not having registered post, but they would mark it as a strike against my account and refund the buyer from their back pockets.

    This scared the shit out of me and I wont touch it anymore.

    • johnno07 on 23/03/2014 - 19:14
      +1

      Sellers don't seem to understand that tracking/insurance is for them - not the buyer. The buyer is protected by eBay and PayPal, the seller is protected by the postal service's insurance. That's the way it is.

      • [Deactivated] on 27/03/2014 - 16:42

        I wish I knew that before I sold items.

  • Iwantthatbargain on 22/03/2014 - 14:47

    I lost $300 at eBay / PayPal. Their guaranty is farce

    • johnno07 on 23/03/2014 - 19:16
      +3

      I lost $300 at eBay / PayPal.

      You're doing it wrong.

      Their guaranty is farce

      So is that sentence.

  • altomic on 22/03/2014 - 15:18

    sold a small elcheapo MP3 player on ebay.
    Client messages me 3 weeks later to say it hadn't been received.
    I confirmed the address and sent another.
    3 weeks later client messages me to say it hadn't been received.
    I just gave a refund. and altered my feedback to the seller to say that 2 items sent and never received.

    what more can be done?

    • figarow on 22/03/2014 - 15:20

      Nothing, it's eBay's game either play or don't play.

  • D6C1 on 22/03/2014 - 15:43

    I've had ebay for since 2001 and its, been generally pretty good. Recently i have found ways i can scam people and get away with it as i was recently scammed with the wrong product sent to me and no refund or exchange and a couple of items I've sold ive had non paying bidders and ebay didn't refund the listing fee though i went through resolution center.

    bottom line it sucks and ill go through other means to sell my stuff and not get sluggged or scammed.

    • [Deactivated] on 22/03/2014 - 17:24
      +3

      Did you just justify being an ass to someone because someone else was an ass you to? You are pretty much everything wrong with ebay trying to blame it on something else.

      • D6C1 on 22/03/2014 - 18:32
        -4

        You idiot. I said i found ways… That means there are ways that people can scam others and get away with it. You are the ass.

        • RockyRaccoon on 22/03/2014 - 21:05
          +5

          You might like to look at the way you wrote this.

          You said

          Recently i have found ways i can scam people and get away with it

          That can read to many people that you are now able to do the scamming

          Maybe it would have been better to say

          Recently i have found ways people can scam and get away with it

          That would be more in line with what you say you meant.

        • [Deactivated] on 23/03/2014 - 01:27
          +1

          Thank you for understanding English.

  • morpheu on 22/03/2014 - 17:25
    +1

    my relationship with Feebay(Inc) is a love/hate type, love buying hate being treated as seller(by feebay) you know, like having a gf who is dropdead gorgeous but a total biatch, her looks reel you in but the attitude is splitsville…

    re $71 postage, 2 words, cubic shipping!

    i've moved away from shipping large bulky items on feebay because shipping charges can make or break your profit, not to mention the almost monthly hikes in FVF, so my tip is this, for bulky items don't pack in a regular(square) box, pack in bubblewrap where possible then into a postbag, or make the box irregular shaped by putting something outside box, whatever it takes, basically if the employee pulls out the ruler to figure cubic weight, "game over man"! try again! there can be a BIG difference in normal weight postage and cubic weight, let me tell you i got some weird looks over the years by post staff, but heck, the most i saved once was like $25 and the buyer still got the item in good shape!

    remember Austpost can charge a lot for more remote locations/bulky items so it pays to check around, e.g not many know but Officeworks do parcel delivery through Toll http://www.officeworks.com.au/services/parcel-delivery and prices can be reasonable, like a 2kg box 22x16x7.7cm $12

  • umoddbro on 22/03/2014 - 20:00

    I've sold plenty of things on eBay, never been charged a 'listing' fee, the only fees I've been charged were sales fees when the item is sold. If you never received the payment I'm sure you can just let them know about it and they'll cancel it.

  • 00 on 22/03/2014 - 23:10

    During earlier Internet years there was an Australian 'sold.com.au' auction site. eBay bought them out I believe.

    [Edit: here is a relevant link]

    http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/06/1060145721367.html

    Gumtree is owned by eBay. You have Grays but that isn't for individual sellers. Trading Post anyone? Multiple forums & blogs but with limited audiences. Perhaps it's time for an OzBargain branded, low fee buy & sell site. Scotty?

    • highdealer on 23/03/2014 - 01:29

      That wouldnt work since most broden wouldnt be able to sell anything since all the buyer know what the product is worth.

    • Ughhh on 23/03/2014 - 02:15

      There's quicksales too btw. No final fees fees too I believe. Unfortunately, not as many buyers and sellers.

  • Aceboy884 on 23/03/2014 - 01:26
    +1

    Or build your own website

  • highdealer on 23/03/2014 - 01:34

    I wonder what happen if you use paypal to pay for ebay fees and file a dispute when ebay wrongfully charge you.

    • netsurfer on 23/03/2014 - 17:46

      eBay fees are charged on a per month basis. FeeBay generally do the refund quickly (usually within a day or two, which means you probably won't be overcharged by the time FeeBay worked out the total amount you owe them that month).

      Even if they overcharged you (due to the unpaid buyer not responding quick enough), they will refund the money in the next billing cycle (or that credit will be used to lower next month's fee).

    • Wormetti on 23/03/2014 - 19:53

      Sadly the PayPal system won't allow you to file a PayPal dispute against eBay fees.

      • netsurfer on 24/03/2014 - 22:38

        Good to know. So in Paypal's world, parent company (eBay) is always right.

  • jendownunder on 23/03/2014 - 11:35
    +3

    Hi, I have not read all these comments so sorry if I am repeating something here.

    As an eBay powerseller I've had many experiences with them, including the international buyers even when clearly stating no international postage. When you make your listing there is an option to "exclude locations" and you must exclude anywhere you don't post to here, otherwise you are obliged to post to the international buyer, even if you've stated in the listing that you won't. You also have to make sure to tick the box that says you exclude buyers who have a primary address in locations you don't post to. If you forget and the winning bidder is somewhere you don't want to post then just quote the postage fee with tracking (usually a ridiculous amount noone would ever pay) and refuse to post overseas without tracking.

    When the buyer doesn't want to complete the transaction (overseas or not) you have to go to "resolve a problem" and let ebay know that you're not going through with it. Make sure you choose the option for buyer changed their mind so you get your final value fees back. If the other party doesn't respond you will automatically get them back in 7 days.

    To be honest ebay is only good for selling small items that fit in satchels. Larger items and more expensive items carry too much hassle as not only are you are paying ebay 10% not to mention PayPal's 2.4% plus 30c, buyers can claim items such as xboxes or cameras as arriving broken due to poor packaging or that they are faulty and PayPal are always going to return the buyer's money.

    I find the best way to sell items like yours are local Facebook buy and sell sites. Search your suburb name plus buy and sell. Gumtree has so many timewasters and scammers I usually sell quicker on Facebook.

    • llama on 27/03/2014 - 15:07
      +1

      When the buyer doesn't want to complete the transaction (overseas or not) you have to go to "resolve a problem" and let ebay know that you're not going through with it. Make sure you choose the option for buyer changed their mind so you get your final value fees back. If the other party doesn't respond you will automatically get them back in 7 days.

      NO NO NO - Bad idea.

      If you raise it in that way and teh buyer chooses "refuse" then they can leave you a Neg AND also you won't get fees refunded.

      The only correct choice for Unpaid Items is "Buyer did not pay". This does not give the buyer any options.

  • TRANCE on 23/03/2014 - 14:33

    Not sure what kind of postage your using, but I've posted several large and heavy items including a PS3 and Logitech 5.1 sound system. For Registered large Sachel it costs $25, so you are choosing an overly expensive method. Just use the Sachel method at Auspost.

    But that aside I have lost $180 on Ebay from a Dodgy Seller, and Pypal Resolution being useless.

    • netsurfer on 23/03/2014 - 17:56

      OP indicated the total weight is 5.4KG. Thus, the 5KG express post or registered post satchel cannot be used. Dunno why OP couldn't lower the weight to under 5KG (maybe XBOX 360 is really heavy).

      Anything above $100, it is probably better to buy from a physical store.

      • TRANCE on 24/03/2014 - 21:53
        +1

        I've posted a 10KG speaker set for $25 though…

        • Manh on 24/03/2014 - 22:30

          I'm guessing you posted it to a major city? Try posting the same box to a remote town in north WA and suddenly all the couriers add an extra $100 to the price.

      • llama on 27/03/2014 - 15:08

        Why should the OP do anything?

        The BUYER pays the shipping costs.

        Teh OP is quoting what the buyer requested (Express). The buyer knew the price before they purchased.

  • watty on 23/03/2014 - 15:14
    +1

    I feel your pain in regards to shipping it to WA. I shipped a shoebox there once and AP charged me $45 (with tracking). From then on I made it clear that I would only sell to buyers situated in Sydney metro areas.

  • [Deactivated] on 23/03/2014 - 20:20
    +4

    Considering the amount of people either not reading what you wrote and providing suggestions anyway or reading what you wrote and using their 20/20 hindsight in ways that probably wouldn't have helped… good on you for not just unloading your exasperation on OzBargain and calling us all a pack of ****s.

    • [Deactivated] on 24/03/2014 - 11:04
      +1

      It's been temping but I'd rather not get banned lol

    • johnn on 24/03/2014 - 13:49
      +2

      Definitely one of the most painful reads I've had on OzBargain. Would not be surprised to see news headlines in the near future of "Reading comprehension of Australians at new low".

      Best thing would be to just take it as (an expensive) lesson mate.

  • [Deactivated] on 24/03/2014 - 11:07
    +1

    I've been using eBay since 2002.ish and there's used to be a really strict (and harsh) feedback score system, like you need to start selling small something to build up your reputation then move on to more serious items etc.. single negative feedback will ruin your kingdom etc.. then ta-da thanks to all the Internet booming, now it's a total rubbish with utterly extreme fees.

  • jimbobaus on 24/03/2014 - 12:20

    To avoid situations like the one with your camera. I set my but it now auctions to require immediate payment using PayPal. This stops the scammers and means the purchase doesn't count unless they pay on the spot.

  • Psychd on 24/03/2014 - 14:30

    Sounds waaaay too hard.
    Thx for post.

  • berger on 24/03/2014 - 15:21

    there is the actual cost in shipping, but people forget the costs involved in packaging… bubble wrap, foam, tape, etc.. Things I sell on Ebay cost $10-40 just in preparation to post…

  • [Deactivated] on 24/03/2014 - 15:39

    I had the same problem with ebay, I sold something, they took like a 10% cut (bastards) then decided to charge me like $40. I called up and apparently I owed $11 from years/months ago but for some reason charged me extra and had to put the money back on on CC. How that isn't super dodgy/illegal I don't know.

    I try and use quicksales now (although they are run by carsales who are also jerks), or if I use ebay I only buy stuff.

    • berger on 24/03/2014 - 23:29

      Wow, someone who uses quicksales! I've found it to just have no affect with my products :(

      • llama on 27/03/2014 - 15:28

        Yeah, there are heaps of sellers who use Quicksales

        Pity there aren't any buyers who use it.

        • berger on 27/03/2014 - 16:32

          My thoughts exactly… I've tried selling, not a single bite..

  • Junkee on 24/03/2014 - 21:07

    You could try sell it on OCAU forums.. There is a good community there..

    I think you need to be a member for a few weeks to list stuff though..

    • [Deactivated] on 24/03/2014 - 21:28

      I can post it on there but I don't really want to under cut my self 20-30% just to make a sale.

  • spychiatrist on 25/03/2014 - 00:21

    Sold an item for $30 shipped to Tas. After I received the listing fees which left me with $10, I will never sell on feebay again. As a buyer, I hated that sellers were charging insane amount for shipping, but feebay put a stop to that practice of selkers dictating the shipping cost which I think contributed to your problem.

    • altomic on 25/03/2014 - 13:35

      just out of curiosity -how did feebay put a stop to that practice of sellers dictating the shipping cost which you think contributed to the OPs problem.?

    • Ughhh on 25/03/2014 - 17:49

      Sounds like you dont know how to use ebay…

      • altomic on 25/03/2014 - 20:13

        yeah, I mustn't understand because in my auctions I nominate the amount for postage. or am I missing something?

        • spychiatrist on 25/03/2014 - 23:52

          If you sell an item now, you're limited to the drop down menu with fixed cost. Before you can say standard postage but charge $50. Thus there were items before being sold for $1 but postage cost is at leadt 3 times the actual postage cost.
          People were doing said practice because feebay determines the fees based on how much the item sold excluding postage

        • llama on 27/03/2014 - 15:31

          If you sell an item now, you're limited to the drop down menu with fixed cost. Before you can say standard postage but charge $50. Thus there were items before being sold for $1 but postage cost is at leadt 3 times the actual postage cost.

          That is a complete and utter load of bollocks

          Sellers can still charge any amount that they like for the Item and/or the Postage

          There is no such limit (or drop box) like you describe. Why post when you obviously have absolutely NO idea about the subject?

        • altomic on 28/03/2014 - 10:12

          hence my confusion. I'm never limited to a "fixed" postage rates. i choose my own.

  • ikaruga on 25/03/2014 - 21:00

    Evilbay is not the best place to sell your Big ticket items like DSLR since 10% fee is just plain extorting and you need to mark up your item if you don't want to get any loss. But in exchange your item is highly likely to get sold

    ebay postage calculator is not reliable because for the stuff i sent they quote me $8 for shipping while actually it only cost $2 to ship it. Unless you are experienced it is better not to sell your item overseas from Australia because it is very expensive to ship items from Australia internationally expecially if it is a big one.

    Overall my experience on Ebay is not a good one but as long as they monopolize the market there is not much decent choice to sell your item within a short time other than gumtree

    • llama on 27/03/2014 - 15:36

      Evilbay is not the best place to sell your Big ticket items like DSLR since 10% fee is just plain extorting and you need to mark up your item if you don't want to get any loss. But in exchange your item is highly likely to get sold

      The 10% is a cost of sale. You simply add 10% extra onto your item price, so you clear the same amount.

      It's better to pay 10% fees on a sale of $120 than pay no fees on a sale of $100 (eg: Gumtree).

      ebay postage calculator is not reliable because for the stuff i sent they quote me $8 for shipping while actually it only cost $2 to ship it.

      Well, of course - Ebay postage calculator is for CALCULATED POSTAGE. In other words it's for items where postage is charged based on volumetric weight and distance.

      If you are sending for $2 then you are using letter rates, which are a flat cost Australia-wide. Therefore you don't NEED to use EBay Postage Caclaulator because you already know the postage price.

      I mean truly… if you are going to use eBay then you need to spend some time to think about what you are doing.

  • Euphemistic on 27/03/2014 - 11:08
    -1

    And as of a few minutes ago they've now announced that postage cost will incur the eBay fee. I used to get a little extra in the pocket by upping my postage fees, ostensibly to cover packing etc, but I guess ebay has figured that one out. Nw you can't sell an item for 99c and post it for $10 and only pay 9c to ebay. Now it will cost $1.09.

    • morpheu on 27/03/2014 - 22:07
      -1

      FFS!
      let me guess, Feebay are going to expect sellers to cop this fee and clamp down on sellers who increase postage to cover this! typical Feebay mentality, and yet ANOTHER nail in the small Feebay seller coffin

      • altomic on 28/03/2014 - 10:15
        +1

        FFFS!

        "eBay is changing the way we calculate the final value fee from 6 May 2014. The final value fee will be based on the total cost to the buyer, including postage. This change is being made to encourage sellers to offer free or competitive postage in line with consumer expectations. Where fees on total cost has been introduced in other markets, the rate of free and fair shipping has increased substantially. This is obviously good news for buyers - but it is also ideal for sellers as satisfied buyers come back and this leads to higher conversion rates.

        Already more than 60% of the listings on eBay.com.au offer free shipping and if you currently offer free postage on most of your items, this change will have little or no impact on you. For the remaining listings we would encourage you to look at our integrated label printing platform. Buying and printing your postage on eBay offers great value as we have negotiated discounts on a number of Australia Post products. To help you manage costs while you adjust to the new fee structure, for a limited time, we'll be offering a 10% rebate on the only service not already offering a negotiated rate (500g assessed parcels)."

        This change is being made to encourage sellers to offer free or competitive postage in line with consumer expectations.

        bullshit. it is to gain further revenue from sellers.

        • altomic on 28/03/2014 - 10:35
          +1

          Oh yeah, how much in government fees (i.e. tax) did ebay pay last year in Australia?

  • JediJan on 28/03/2014 - 11:08

    (Apparently) eBay is changing the way it will be charging sellers in a few months; received email today. Basically their 10% fee with come from item price including the postage also. Ouch! One thing in sellers' favour appears to be automatic relisting if unsold items three times without affecting the free selling limit each month. A few months ago, at eBay's (emails) suggestions to relist I was charged a bomb and a half for relisting items, which then effectively took 30% of everything I sold and I have not touched eBay since. Okay, my ignorance as a new seller, but their suggestions to relist items, i believe, should have come with warnings I was incurring ridiculous fees as a result. I appealed for common decency but that's not how they operate. Just ripped off and badly too. Sellers beware; read all the terms and conditions first. Good luck.

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