Should eBay Give Sellers More Control over Blocking Risky Buyers?

by: Truk

It seem that eBay's concern for protecting seller's is somewhat compromised that they benefit if the transaction turns out good

Even if it goes bad it appears worth the risk to eBay

I don't see eBay allowing more protection's for seller's, even as item prices increase as does the risk of selling on eBay continues to escalate

If you believe eBay's just a venue with both parties interest at heart

Well you're gonna have a bad time

by: Philip Cohen

As it has been demonstrated that eBay is knowingly and calculatingly facilitating, and aiding and abetting, before and after the fact, endemic auction shill bidding fraud, by unscrupulous merchants, on consumers, how then could anyone think that eBay would be any more likely to care about the reverse, of sellers being defrauded by buyers? As long as eBay gets its FVF everything is OK in the Wonderland of Johnny Ho ... http://bit.ly/11F2eas

From time to time eBay will issue assurances about such matters but, fortunately, we can always tell when an eBay/PayPal spokesperson is being disingenuous—their lips are moving ...

The eBay executive suite—where the incompetent mingle with the disingenuous, the malevolent and the outright criminal, and the just plain stupid ...

by: NetWatch

Risky buyers are one of many reasons that there is a major ebay boycott going on:
Major Nationwide Ebay Boycott Now Underway

‪#‎boycottebay‬ @ebay.com Ebay has become very hostile to the mom and pop sellers. I am a disabled lady and they notified me that I would no longer be able to sell because I had to many “defects.” Which is a system were buyers are led by e-bay to mark their transactions so they are labeled as defects. As a result small mom and pop sellers are being restricted. Restricted meaning they can never sell on E-Bay again.
I was shut down and told I could never sell on E-Bay again. E-bay is trying to get rid of the mom and pop sellers for the big box stores and the sellers from China. I am an elderly lady who tried very hard to make my customers happy. I had 2880 positive feedback, 2 neutral feedbacks,and 0 negative feedback I also had 8 E-Bay instigated defects on 880 transactions. I can never sell on E-Bay again. Doesn’t sound right because it isn’t right.
I don’t know how I’ll pay my bills now. It’s hard to make extra money when you are elderly, disabled and can’t walk.
Toys R Us has 65,000 feedback with 842 neutral feedback, and 1,200 negative feedback. There is no way I can find the number of defects they have. I’m sure I would be amazed at the sheer number. They are still selling.
I would like for everyone to boycott buying anything from the big box stores that are selling on E-Bay. Also boycott buying anything from China. I wish you would continue to buy from the little people who made E-Bay what they are today. Boycott everyone else. Behind every post you make please put #boycottEbay @ebay.com They are going down all by themselves. Let’s just help them along… by NANCY WILLIAMS, member of Facebook group Former Ebay Sellers.

by: MADandCracked

Anyone that lists a $7000 item on eBay is just asking to get ripped off.

by: markgrohman

Absolutely. We had some credit card thieves out of the Miami area plague our jewelry store. If we could have temporarily blocked sales to Miami, or to the outlook.com domain, or to buyers with few to no positive feedbacks, we could have stopped them much more effectively.

by: Ric

The OP correctly observes: "A seller of a $10 used DVD must go through a ton of hoops before they receive their payment, including verifying bank information, identity, shipping and receipt information and waiting for feedback," he said. "Yet a person can place a $7000 bid within minutes of setting up their account."

This is the eBay way. Sellers must be verified to the hilt lest eBay have problems collecting their precious fees.... Buyers on the other hand are not vetted simply because eBay does not have the need to since buyers pay no fees to eBay.

This is just another example of how sellers receive zero in the way of protection from eBay and how the company allows, permits and condones buyers abuse of the marketplace and it's sellers.

eBay will not give sellers better ability to limit buyers from making purchases especially now that eBay is going to become a stand alone company and it will need every penny of revenue it can possibly squeeze out of sellers.  

by: LasVagueness

Yes eBay should give buyers more control. I currently have a $7,000+ handbag I am selling on layaway. Large sales ALWAYS make me nervous. I usually will Zillow the buyer's home address and do some investigatory work, but eBay is making it much harder. After my inventory has been depleted I will no longer sell goods valued over $1,500 on eBay.  

by: donald

Absolutely, we need more control. Who needs a bad buyer ...

by: Ming the Merciless

Ebay and specifically Brian Burke have no interest whatsoever in protecting sellers. Burke is nothing more than a sociopathic corporate toady who delights in exterminating sellers.

Alleged 'seller protection' is nothing more than an illusory window dressing facade.

Ebay profits as much or more from buyer fraud than from a legitimate sale.

Now it's nearly impossible to get refunds from returned items.

The buyer requirements are ludicrous are hopelessly outdated and largely irrelevant, and the BBL can be easily circumvented.

Until such time -- and I wont be holding my breath -- seller protection and ebay's best interests dovetail, ebay will continue to encourage and allow buyers to defraud sellers and/or create seller defects ebay so desperately want.

The Ho should take Burke with him when he exits.

by: Tiffee Jasso

Anyone that would ship a $7000 item Internationally might as well put a big bow on the item they gave away and willingly so. I can tell you right now, none of the large auction houses would ship an item of that value without special couriers, insurance and vetting of buyer and cleared payment up front that is nonrefundable.
However that said, I cannot blame Ebay for this seller's potential loss due to fraud.  He or she failed to protect themselves. All sellers have a choice of what countries they choose to peddle their wares. If a seller choose to gamble his merchandise in the International market, then they must accept it was their choice to play the game.  

by: Ebay Seller-Ebay Buyer

There would be no need for a blocked bidder list if ebay had in place the right rules to remove bad buyers, without allowing sellers to get ripped off financially or to have their feedback ruined by bad buyers.  Amazon doesn't have blocked bidder lists.  Sellers have no choice but to sell to any registered member. And Amazon works great

by: RichieC

I have seen enough to imagine! Thousands of sales a year and some of the Things I've dealt with...

Call eBay, Must say, do like their callback service. Get such good lip service, but it is hard!!!

Had a number of issues, resolved in my favor, at least not a mark against me. But, the headaches I see coming with some of these, "Special" buyers!!!

Would love having more control, and return a TRUE Feedback System!

God, I hate this place!!! But it pays the bills... :(

   

by: eBankrupted

Years ago I would browse my competitors' feedback and block all buyers who left negatives to my direct competition. Now we can't even see the names of the buyers on feedback, so its impossible to identify abusive buyers.

It doesn't matter what sellers want. Ebay won't listen to sellers and doesn't care about our concerns. Getting your hopes up about changing ebay policy will just lead you to more disappointment and eBuse.

by: moto-science

Whoa.....are there still any buyers still on Ebay ?  The place has turned into
Deadbay.....where small sellers inventory goes to die.

by: maxmad

It's ebay that is the root cause of the issue, not the buyers, in the real world, we sell to anyone good or bad, and when a sale goes bad, we can fully protect ourselves.

It's ebay that will cause the damage,

it's ebay that favors the buyer in almost any dispute.

It's ebay that causes damage to your standings and business.

 

by: Rexford

First of all, with the current state of eBay, I would never sell such a valuable item on eBay.

With sales at all time lows, small sellers can not absorb any losses, particularly losses this big.  In times where small sellers were doing quite well on eBay, they might have been willing to absorb a loss here and there, but no more.  I am guessing many are barely covering their fees.

A poster above described eBay as Deadbay, which at least for small sellers, is accurate.

I think that small sellers have pretty much been hidden from search this holiday season.  Thank you for the lump of coal John Donahoe.  I guess this is your parting gift to small sellers.  Ho, Ho, Ho!  Ebenezer Scrooge lives.

by: sasikat9

Anything that is going to affect Fleecebay's bottom line isn't ever going to happen...

Fleecebay is the biggest thief.

by: Surplus

We've sold big ticket items on ebay (Cars, Trucks, Tractors, Construction Machinery.  The transaction is always completed in person with cash or certified irrevocable funds.  I not would ship an item with a high value overseas without a letter of credit from the buyers bank.  There are ways to conduct large transactions internationally with minimal risk but the services do cost $$$ and require banking relationships that understand international business.  That said, Ebay absolutely needs to give sellers more control of who can bid.  Zero feedback buyers that have been on ebay less than a week are a dead giveaway that something is probably going to go wrong.  

by: Basset

Rexford says ''Ho, Ho, Ho!  Ebenezer Scrooge lives.''


About time for Marley's Ghost to make an appearance, emphasis on  ''Mankind was my Business''.

And note: ''mankind'' is not limited to upper echelon of management.

by: beverly

so cancel the transaction..sellers have done that to me and said the item was no loner available and there was nothing I could do