Ebay has their head up their ass with their priorities. Driving off all the good sellers and then encouraging fly by nighters to list as much stuff with their cell phones, mobile apps and 3 word descriptions as they can get away with.
Out of 2 of the last 3 items I won on Ebay.
I didn't get gouged on shipping charges but one of the lots (a group of about 30-35 1940s era boxing programs, tickets and credentials) was delivered as "Contents missing from package" by the Post Office. Not the fault of the Post Office. They were stuffed into a plain white 10x12 envelope, no tape reinforcement, just licked closed to the adhesive, shipped media mail and a half-assed taped copy paper shipping label that was flapping in the breeze. Only thing left in the package was a half a piece of backing board.
Sure I got a refund, but a collection that survived together for about 75+ years now sits destroyed at the bottom of a USPS sort table somewhere between California and Connecticut.
2nd was a large poster, shipped in a gift wrapping tube. Not a shipping tube.........a gift wrap tube. That was a fun adventure to get out of the package........and then when finally I pull it out, I find it's a horrible large photo reprint with a guage in it. My fault I guess. When I went back to look at the description the word "Reproduction" was hidden in the "Item Specifics". Unfortunately no clue to this in the massive 5 word description or the blurry camera phone photo they provided in the listing. No worries I guess, it was cheap and I can just pin it up in my attic space............but I didn't get gouged on shipping I guess.
This seems to be the norm lately.
I would gladly take a little gouging if these people could just get their stuff to me safely. This is coming from somebody who sells a LOT more on Ebay then he actually buys on Ebay.
Ebay has managed to piss off both good buyers AND good sellers with their wonderful business strategies.