Giving up on Ebay?

[Buythatcard]

Ebay is the only place that I sell my cards.

At one time, I thought it was the best place. The only reason that I still do today is because it's the only show in town. Where else can you show your cards to so many people.

Just because I still sell on Ebay doesn't mean I am happy with them. They have never sided with me in any dispute I might have had. I am a Powerseller for several years and have 100% positive feedback. I would think that maybe just one time they would support me in a dispute with a buyer.

I didn't even know that they were changing their fee structure until I read this thread today. You would think that they would contact all members.

It's just a matter of time till a new place to sell your cards will pop up and treat sellers the way that they should be treated. I am not asking for special favors. I just want the opportunity to fight back when I get burnt.

[Jewish-collector]

In the old days, it was hard to find the buyers. You had to put an ad in SCD, Trader Speaks, etc,... or set up at a show. Of course, eBay eliminated the need for publications & shows.

I think this forum's B/S/T is FANTASTIC !!! Maybe it can reach a larger audience.

[GrayGhost]

As great as this forum is, it doesn't reach the numbers ebay does. Still, the BST sections are good because people on here know what they are buying and selling and seem to be mainly honest. I enjoy posting my cheapie oddball things now and then, and very much enjoy this entire forum.

[Robextend]

I agree with Alan and Scott. The B/S/T is my favorite avenue for picking up and selling cards. What makes it so good as said before, is that for the most part we are all honest and can trust the transaction will be a smooth one. If I could find all the cards I needed on here I would never use Ebay....

[martin neal]

I think I must have a thin skin. I received an undeserved neg over a year ago and haven't listed anything since. If Ebay or Paypal would have been fair, I probably would have sold at least a hundred graded t206s in that time. I hope someone there gets the message.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by martin neal

I received an undeserved neg over a year ago and haven't listed anything since.

I thought when they changed the feedback system so that you can only leave positive feedback for buyers so that sellers have no way of defending themselves against undeserved negative feedbacks was a dumb idea. The sellers are the ones paying the fees and eBay seems to do everything they can to screw them over.

[T206DK]

ebay may look alot different by this time next year. If you watch any of the business channels on t.v. at all you may have seen some stories just in the last week or so about Ebay troubles. Alot of analysts seem to think that with Ebay will be totally dominated by the "Buy It Now" listings and that fewer actual auctions will be taking place. I couldn't find any numbers online that break down Ebay's selling, but I think I remember a reporter on CNBC saying that something like 54% of the active listings on Ebay are BIN items.
I joined Ebay way back when it was in it's infancy so I've seen it evolve into what it is today. The new policies they've enacted may seal their fate as an online auction leader. In the last few years Ebay has tended to alienate the sellers that got them to where they are today. Their latest fee hikes have chased a lot of sellers I know away, and their dispute resolution that favors the buyer a clear majority of the time has also. When a buyer can file a claim against you weeks after an auction ends, get their money back and keep the merchandise...something is just wrong with that. I talked to a guy last night at the bar I was at about ebay and discovered that he has over 10 different screen names he uses on ebay. He also proudly talked about how he had bought some accessories for a guitar on Ebay ,didn't like them , so he filed a claim with Ebay/PAYPAL to get his money back....after he had left positive feedback for the seller. Ebay sided with him and he got his money back- 31 days after the auction had already closed. My brother sold a woman some Crown Royal bags and she filed a complaint against my brother 45 days after the fact...she got her money back and got to keep the bags.....the next day when I went to check her account she was no longer a registered user of Ebay. Imagine waking up on a monday checking your bank account out and seeing that Ebay/PAYPAL has withdrawn money from which then caused overdraws to occur and bank penalties as well. a minor transaction on Ebay ended up costing my brother around $80-$100 in penaltiesand fees. I think sellers need to realize that there is a culture of this type of buyer behavior developing on Ebay and it makes me sick to see it. The woman who filed the claim never responded to PAYPAL nor did she answer any emails pertaining to it from my brother. After about 20 days he stopped getting the messages about PAYPAL waiting for the "other party to reply" and they simply withdrew the $$ from his bank account the next monday without telling him. They then deemd the "Case Closed". Ebay wouldn't even talk to my brother on the phone about the situation either. With their employee base cut in half just in the last 2 years I guess they don't have the people to answer phones now ?? If this doesn't scare you as a seller I don't know what would about Ebay. they basically dissed a charter member who had faithfully bought and sold on their site since it became Ebay back in the mid 90's. Funny Ebay has the time to call my cell phone and leave messages about their latest offers though.

[smtjoy]

I got to say I am in Barrys camp. Ebay has been good to me as a buyer and seller. It's not perfect but its many times better than the pre ebay days. While Ebays fee are not cheap they are very in line with the auction houses so why are people not complaining about them?

Right now is the best buyers market I have seen in the last 7 years on ebay, if you have the money to spend its easy to get many cards for bargin prices. I think a lot of the negative we hear is from sellers for the opposite reasons, its hard for many sellers to swallow taking a loss, they at least want what they paid even if the market has moved lower. In my case I used to run a lot of .99 auctions but now I am only using .99 in cases of cards I just want to sell at any price, the cards I dont want to lose money on I put at auction at the starting price I want to sell at and if it fails to get a bid it goes into my store as a BIN.

Not sure about the future but ebay has been pushing for more auctions these last two weeks with a couple specials for half price listing fees and I think under the new pricing scheme some people will get free auction listings. We shall see.

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by smtjoy

I got to say I am in Barrys camp. Ebay has been good to me as a buyer and seller. It's not perfect but its many times better than the pre ebay days. While Ebays fee are not cheap they are very in line with the auction houses so why are people not complaining about them?

Right now is the best buyers market I have seen in the last 7 years on ebay, if you have the money to spend its easy to get many cards for bargin prices. I think a lot of the negative we hear is from sellers for the opposite reasons, its hard for many sellers to swallow taking a loss, they at least want what they paid even if the market has moved lower. In my case I used to run a lot of .99 auctions but now I am only using .99 in cases of cards I just want to sell at any price, the cards I dont want to lose money on I put at auction at the starting price I want to sell at and if it fails to get a bid it goes into my store as a BIN.

Not sure about the future but ebay has been pushing for more auctions these last two weeks with a couple specials for half price listing fees and I think under the new pricing scheme some people will get free auction listings. We shall see.

In my opinion, Scott has his thumb on the pulse of ebay regardless if you collect Baseball Cards, Pez, Fishing Lures, or Comics.

Good points all the way around Scott.

Best, Jimmy

[iggyman]

Originally Posted by smtjoy

While Ebays fee are not cheap they are very in line with the auction houses so why are people not complaining about them?

Okay, I let it slide the first time and I almost agree with everything that Scott, Barry, and now Jimmy said. But, I do take exception to one little itsy-bitsy-thingy.

Once eBay fees (starting on March 31) start hovering around what an auction house would charge. Then from my standpoint as a seller, that venue is "dead as a dodo bird!!!" It's a no brainer, because to sell on eBay I have to...................

grade cards,
create lots,
take pictures,
pay for image hostings/templates/scheduling,
write descriptions,
update listings,
reply to questions,
sweat it out waiting for a sniper(s) to rescue me,
send invoices,
create shipping labels,
answer "do I combine shipping" questions,
securely package cards,
go to the post office,
make small talk with a burly postal worker with bad breath,
answer "why have my cards not arrive" questions,
track lost packages,
issue full refunds,
issue partial refunds,
accept returns,
deal with non-paying bidders,
re-list items,
deal with eBay's resolution center,
explain to my wife why I spend so much time in front of the computer,
keep records of all my transactions for the IRS,
balance my books to to see if I am in the red,
purchase bubble mailers
purchase top loaders
purchase bubble wrap
purchase/find boxes
purchase six-pack and/or heart medication.

For now, the beer is working, but in a few more years the only thing left would be the heart medication. Thus, do I want high blood pressure or for the same fees and profit margin will I now send my stuff to auction houses for 90% less agravation? I might not look like Einstein, but after March 31st, me and him will have alot in common.

Lovely Day...

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by iggyman

Okay, I let it slide the first time and I almost agree with everything that Scott, Barry, and now Jimmy said. But, I do take exception to one little itsy-bitsy-thingy.

Once eBay fees (starting on March 31) start hovering around what an auction house would charge. Then from my standpoint as a seller, that venue is "dead as a dodo bird!!!" It's a no brainer, because to sell on eBay I have to...................

grade cards,
create lots,
take pictures,
pay for image hostings/templates/scheduling,
write descriptions,
update listings,
reply to questions,
sweat it out waiting for a sniper(s) to rescue me,
send invoices,
create shipping labels,
answer "do I combine shipping" questions,
securely package cards,
go to the post office,
make small talk with a burly postal worker with bad breath,
answer "why have my cards not arrive" questions,
track lost packages,
issue full refunds,
issue partial refunds,
accept returns,
deal with non-paying bidders,
re-list items,
deal with eBay's resolution center,
explain to my wife why I spend so much time in front of the computer,
keep records of all my transactions for the IRS,
balance my books to to see if I am in the red,
purchase bubble mailers
purchase top loaders
purchase bubble wrap
purchase/find boxes
purchase six-pack and/or heart medication.

For now, the beer is working, but in a few more years the only thing left would be the heart medication. Thus, do I want high blood pressure or for the same fees and profit margin will I now send my stuff to auction houses for 90% less agravation? I might not look like Einstein, but after March 31st, me and him will have alot in common.

Lovely Day...

You don't have to do any of those things Iggy. Either you choose to, or not to, do them. Now if you are trying to do this as full time employment, just remember this...when going into business for yourself, you get to choose ANY hours that you want to work! Any 14 hours a day.

Best, Jimmy

And BTW... Yes, it is a lovely day here in in Pasadena

[smtjoy]

While I do sell a lot on ebay I have many cards that when I do decide to sell them, they will go to an auction house as i think that is the best way to maximize my revenue.

Even with the fee increases I just feel ebays sweet spot is cards in the $1-$200 range, thats a range many auctions do not sell in and/or want to combine them into lots. I also feel that ebay has tons more low end bidders than auction houses, just goto the CU boards and see how many posters there buy all the time from ebay but have never bid in an auction.

[iggyman]

Originally Posted by T206DK

Imagine waking up on a monday checking your bank account out and seeing that Ebay/PAYPAL has withdrawn money from which then caused overdraws to occur and bank penalties as well. a minor transaction on Ebay ended up costing my brother around $80-$100 in penaltiesand fees.

Dave, in no way do I want to defend eBay, but they cannot go into your bank account without authorization. So I am confused with what happened to your brother??? Here is the eBay "User Agreement" link....


http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/user-agreement.html

Lovely Day...


"Sellers must have a reimbursement method on file with eBay.

For transactions paid with PayPal, sellers agree to allow us to remove funds from their PayPal accounts to reimburse buyers. Sellers may change this reimbursement method by contacting eBay.

When there are insufficient funds in PayPal accounts, transactions are not paid with PayPal, or when PayPal is not the reimbursement method of a seller, we will require another reimbursement method.

For future claims where the seller is found at fault, we will notify the seller and continue to charge the sellers preferred method for any reimbursements made under the eBay Buyer Protection Policy. Changing a reimbursement method will not affect eBay's use of a payment method on file for other purposes (such as payment of your eBay fees). If sellers do not provide eBay with a valid reimbursement method, we may collect amounts owed using other collection mechanisms, including retaining collection agencies. We may also suspend or restrict sellers from trading on our sites until payment is made."


-OR THIS-



10.2 Reimbursement for Your Liability. In the event that you are liable for any amounts owed to PayPal, PayPal may immediately remove such amounts from your Balance. If you do not have a Balance that is sufficient to cover your liability, your Account will have a negative Balance and you will be required to immediately add funds to your Balance to eliminate the negative Balance. If you do not do so, PayPal may engage in collection efforts to recover such amounts from you.”

[T206DK]

I know all about the user agreement. PAYPAL withdrew the funds from his savings account without notifying him they were doing it. He found out 3 days or more later in his "my ebay" message box, well after the money was withdrawn and fees and penalties were imposed. I assumed this was because his PAYPAL account was empty. this was 50 or so days after the initial transaction took place on ebay !

[Doug]

I haven't bought anything on there this year and I really try to avoid selling on there unless I can find a better option. The fees are getting out of hand. I sold a used Wii game the other day for $30 and the eBay and PayPal fees were almost $6. 20% in total fees on a $30 transaction seems pretty excessive IMO.