Warning: Check Your eBay Settings

by: Philip Cohen

Let's face it, everyone by now should know that you have to watch eBay very carefully; never leave your wallet unattended when eBay is around, and, regrettably, you have to take the time to re-read every letter/word in the/any contract every time you interact anew with eBay ...

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

by: The End

Once again, a favorite Ebay category I've not visited in over 4 years used to have over 250,000 (a Quarter MILLION ) items , is now down to a paltry 71,000.
That's not a "decline", it's a CRASH.
Ebay MISMANAGEMENT = Ebay DEATH SQUAD.

by: pace306

The BIGGEST surprise is that people are "still surprised" that things like this happen.

Global Shipping is a GOLD MINE for eBay and so eBay (being EVERY SELLERS BEST FRIEND), opts you in aka does whats best for eBay.

1) eBay gets a kick back from Global Shipping aka Pitney Bowes.

2) eBay gets further revenue by mischarging VAT and customs amounts - keeping the extra or unwarranted charges

3) eBay finds something for some of the 11,000+ employees to do

4) eBay gets a kick back from USPS for package amounts (rebates)

5) eBay colludes with overseas manufacturers to charge sellers (US based) with "Parallel Importation violations" (VERO infraction) and the ONLY "magical solution" is ... that items ship via Global Shipping (wouldnt you know it!)

It goes with out saying that this like all other programs on eBay is full of fraud and lies.

It used to be that when you shipped via Global Shipping there was no SNAD, no defectives, no INR .... once it passed through GS in KY - that was it. Now, GS provides sellers ZERO protection - its just a shipping program and NOTHING else ..... what a shame.

by: moreintheattic

There really should be a class action lawsuit against eBay for this.  For starters it's Illegal.  I buy mainly antique paper goods from eBay sellers and ALL antique paper that is 50 years old or older is DUTY FREE and we are getting nailed for it.  Check the URL I've left which is an official Canadian Government website stating this as a fact.  

by: LasVagueness

Both my accounts still show an opt out.  

by: Sierra

Not necessarily related, but maybe.

For the last month or so, I've had a funky new listing form. It has some weird shipping thing that I **cannot** figure out. Can anyone explain this to me? In particular, how can I see which of my listings are using which shipping setting. They should all be the same, as far as I know but eBay, in its infinite wisdom, has spread my listings across about 10 different shipping settings!

by: dfactor32

There is alot of sneaky stuff that goes on with ebay on top of the expensive fees this why it is better to create you own website and slowly start to drift away as your are building up your own website with out having to worry about fees and profit more from your items market your site and products on social media  

by: Rexford

Here they go again. We ended ALL international selling when they implemented their crazy return policies.  I'm guessing they shot themselves with that one because I have read that many other sellers did the same.

I've never witnessed such contemptuous boldness by a company on an on-going basis. They really do think, as it relates to legal standards, that they are untouchable.

by: Ric

eBay's insidious practices such as opting sellers into Global Shipping program against their will is one of a laundry list of objections that keeps driving sellers out of the marketplace.

If eBay truly wants to grow their seller base, they need to end these underhanded actions that violate the sellers choice of how they conduct business and with whom.

eBay is inviting suspended sellers back into the fold, but with anti seller actions such as this, they are reminding those sellers why they were happy to have been thrown under the bus by eBay in the first place.

While management desperately needs to grow sales, forcing sellers into cross border selling is actually working against their ultimate goal.

by: Bidonmine

I phased out all my international shipping over the last few years except for postcards and ads/pin-ups.
Ebay keeps trying to put those items into the global shipping program which would increase the buyers cost by several dollars. I am protecting my buyers by not using the global shipping program (but I have to watch every relist).

by: JimBob

I am pissed about this ....
I just had a $15 item sell to a guy in Bahrain ...

I had NOT offered any international shipping options, which apparently caused ebay to NOT sent the buyer an invoice ....

Now the buyer is seeing that he has to pay $13.50 shipping cost to receive his $15 item and is not happy ...

I don't blame him ...

and I am truely pissed off at ebay...

 

by: candyk

Thank you so much for publishing this info- sure enough, my preference was changed.  I am now going through everything to see if anything else was changed without my permission.

by: Barbbie

Thanks for the warning - I had been opted in!

by: WOODJUNGLE! ON EBAY

$13.50 to ship to Bahrain? That's dirt cheap. I would love those shipping rates. Is that what they pay through GSP?  Maybe I should look into it.  We certainly can't ship for that low of an amount.

by: toolguy

eBay can change my listings but the customer can't pay without a US based Paypal account & a US shipping address.

I've been thru this before, after explaining that it is ILLEGAL to ship my US Military Surplus Tools to foreign countries, eBay see's the light and changes everything back to the way it was.

I would hate to call the Pentagon on my beloved eBay. . .

by: The Grey Fox

We use third-party listing services through Auctiva, not the eBay listing form, so I'm guessing this doesn't affect us. Anyone hear if this change is affecting third-party listings?

by: Don Wagner

Hello all - You were right - I checked my preferences and Global Shipping had been turned back on.

by: Rexford

I checked my settings, and sure enough they opted me in even though I don't even ship internationally.

Ina, will you please ask someone at eBay why?  And please ask them if it was a glitch or was it intentional, and if it is intentional, I would love to hear a detailed explanation of why they would do this when the sellers have clearly chosen what shipping preferences they prefer.

by: toolguy

I just checked all of my preferences and I'm still good to go!

No changes. . .

by: Bidonmine

my accounts had been opted back in.... I have opted out.