Should eBay Be Allowing Sellers to List Empty Boxes?

by: kazaly

I don't see why not providing;
1. ebay enforce use of the term ''empty box'' in the title
2. restrict listings to a ''packaging supplies'' category
3. put a skilled human in charge of the investigations that are bound to ensue.

They banned this sort of listing for good reason in the first place and should be ensuring that there are proper systems in place to avoid a repeat.

There are valid reasons for people to require empty boxes but the door is wide open to scammers if not very carefully controlled.

In my experience eBay are never good at fine control.

by: blaumann

Ah Griff, I wondered if he was still around. An idiot among idiots.
I hate that creepy jerk with a burning passion.  

by: forrosebud

No... but listing empty boxes is perfect for the new regime of scamming sellers that ebay attracts. For example, if I am 're-selling' an Apple product that I personally purchased for myself last year, you can bet that I didn't 'lose' the original box/paperwork. (I must have a dozen various product boxes stored away.) The claim is replacement product boxes are needed on Ebay so that some sellers can make more $$ when they list their product for sale or auction. Most likely the seller needs that box so he can palm off some 2nd or 3rd hand piece of garbage and claim it's a like new one-owner (Apple) product as an example... see it comes in its original box, but I lost the paperwork...  

by: Brused

No.  I'm not concerned with buyers getting an empty box thinking they were going to get a full box.  eBay sides with the buyer to the degree that only a few idiots will try this once.  I understand why someone would pay a little more for a used item in the box.  If the buyer has the foresight to save the box they likely took better care of the item than the buyer that didn't.  Also why help counterfeiters?

by: Bloggo

"Griff explained the reason for the lifting of the ban: "Through improvements in our detection to catch counterfeit concerns,.."
Hilarious.

by: Tiffee Jasso

I don't think they are catching all the counterfeiters. I was looking at one seller who sold a slew of Coco Chanel jewelry from $4 to $6.  

by: Mog

The solution is simple really. When a buyer clicks the BIN box or wins the auction a pop up box in BIG letters asks them if they've read the FULL description and tick the box to confirm it. Only then can they buy the item.
Same method as most sites TOS's work.
If they then moan about getting an empty box it's their own fault (unless of course the seller didn't mention it in their description, in which case they should not be a seller, ebay doesn't need any more scamming sellers, there's enough already)

by: Mog

PS. This same method could have been used to stop the postage scammers but of course that would mean ebay not getting it's 10% (in other word ebay are scammers themselves which encourages other lowlifes to scam)

by: sasikat9

Buyer Beware still exists. If buyers are so blind that they can't or won't read a product description then they get exactly what they bid on.

Ebay needs to quit changing diapers and burping the losers.

by: Chicago48

One of two things happening.  The buyer is not reading the description thoroughly.  Or, the seller is not making it clear it's an EMPTY BOX.  Sometimes you have to repeat repeat repeat repeat over and over in the description area and take good pictures.

by: pace306

1) ebays fraud detection is so bad its laughable ..... its like "reporting a buyer" or "reporting a counterfeit item" ... NOTHING ever happens

2) eBay itself is an empty box - anything that was good in it, was thrown out AGES ago. All thats left is a useless old worn outer shell - sorta like GRIFF himself

3) eBay is SO desperate for sales that they let this go "again". Its what happens when you have NO business plan. If it wa a major announcement of a previous important policy reversal, it would have been on the not often used announcement board, not buried in one of Griff's rambling Wednesday sessions.

I dont have any empty boxes to sell, but i do know of a place that has alot of empty rooms - some padded, some with bars, that would be PERFECT for Griff and others over in San Jose.  

by: Ric

Another policy change implemented by eBay without advising sellers the change had been put in place.

I do not know which is more hysterical.... eBay reversing course on a policy put into place to reduce fraud, or eBay's claim that "Through improvements in our detection to catch counterfeit concerns, we will now allow the sales of these types of items now. "

This company become a bigger joke on an almost daily basis.

by: Donkey

"Empty Box"

The story of ebay over the last ten years.

by: spooky

this policy was always about the worry an unscrupulous seller would buy the empty box to make their counterfeit fake item look real

by: RKTOYS

@Mog
My thoughts exactly.  Vintage toy boxes are a popular item because, surprise, lots of them were thrown out.  I'd be very wary of selling them for fear of somebody not reading the description, not looking at the picture, not thinking in general before bidding and then being "surprised" that the toy was "missing."

by: toolguy

I've been looking for a specific empty box for 10 years and I'm still looking.

I need a box for a .22 Browning Challenger III, it's kind of rare since they only made that model for 3 years. (1983-1985)

by: wallflower

Once I listed a 100 year old Tiffany velvet bracelet box. Had seen similar ones sell for decent money. It got pulled because somebody could put a non-Tiffany bracelet in the box and pass it off as authentic. Gave the box away at a flea market. What a shame.

So are these type of boxes allowed too?

by: bb6

Ebay do you have Fraud protection? Yes we have Frog Protection. Wait you are saying Fraud protection right? Yes Frog protection. Ok as long as we are on the same page! HAHA

Side note, you guys do know this policy was change 7 months ago right? I remember reading an article about it.

by: Toledo Maude

Permitting sales of empty boxes has two flaws:

1.) Unscrupulous sellers looking to take advantage of unwitting buyers.

2.) Lazy buyers who fail to read the description (if any) who believe in prices that are just too good to be true..

I myself nearly make the mistake of jumping on a promotion from a major high end camera manufacturer's Christmas offer received over the weekend.

The promotion shows a lovely new camera body and in front of the camera was a lens (not attached to the camera body).

Returning several times to the promotion due to the low promotional price for (what I thought was) the camera, I finally realized that the promotion was for the lens (only) and not the camera body and lens.

I would have been very surprised and disappointed to be stuck with a pricey lens and no camera.

How many years ago was eBay allowing cell phone sellers to list high end cell phones for under $10 and shipping for $600?  

Let us be honest...  We sellers would prefer less interference from eBay than more.  

by: mcposty

Of course it should ve allowed many people collect them or try to replace them.