Ebay: Wake Up & Smell the Coffee! Protect Us From Fraudsters Now

BigRedAnt

chancesare wrote: »

Either follow the rules or take the chance.

Too many people think too many buyers/sellers are scammers. Most of those (if this board is anything to go by) are buyers/sellers who are not aware of the rules/protection.

Sorry but that's just papering over the issues. There are no rules regarding tracking, only that items aren't eligible for PAYPAL protection if they aren't. In the UK that isn't a massive problem, but if you sell abroad (as Ebay want us to) then that would add a minimum of £5.50 via Royal Mail, and only to designated countries.

Also Royal Mail recorded isn't worth the paper it's written on; postal workers are happy to take a signature from anyone.

I am perfectly aware of the rules, and we sell 400+ items per month, 100% feedback, and we do everything by the book. There are lots of fraudulent buyers on EBay, and also many incompetent ones. Sometimes it does depend on your market; selling IPOD accessories attracts scammers more than say Gardening equipment.

One acquaintance put a false tracking label on their items (a barcode), and guess what? INR claims dropped dramatically.

The system is skewed to the buyer; although reciprocal feedback wasn't ideal, it at least gave the seller some leverage. Now they have none.

Byatt

soolin wrote: »

In reality though it is extremely rare to run across more than one of that sort of buyer every few years..

I think it really depends on what is being sold, whether this happens every few years or more frequently. I am a very small seller, but the type of items sold are easy for buyers to scam. I have probably had 3 since I started selling again in September. I won't go into details on how this was done, but I did bite the bullet and refunded and so on, except for one case where ebay refunded for a parcel that was stated as not received by someone in Estonia, during the very bad weather...they hadn't received it in 3 days (!)...their feedback was private...and despite me proving I had posted it made no difference. Being a small seller, I have very tight margins, but also offer full refunds (including postage), and sometimes money off, or send a freebie. But 3 is 3 too many.

I have had a low DSR for item not as described within this last period, and I have no idea why. All positive feedback. I don't know whether it was an error, or just someone a bit peeved...I have seen sellers who give bare minimum descriptions with full DSR's, but I now have this held against me, even though I write everything down. I would like to have had the opportunity to rectify, being somewhat OCD and anal...:rotfl:

I pride myself on my customer service, but I do think there can be improvements on eBay. I know sellers abused the negative feedback in the past, but I find it frustrating not to be able to warn other sellers of buyers who abuse the system

As for feedback, maybe it's just me, but I feel it is a reciprocal process, and actually get irritated when sellers leave me instant feedback; yes I have paid quickly etc but the transaction isn't completed until I have received the item. Maybe I'm alone in this!! Because of the items I sell, I say to buyers I will leave feedback once they have left theirs, because a small percentage don't want me to leave feedback as they don't want others to see what they have bought. I know I can go private on items, but this is not beneficial for me, as the items aren't "racy" and I want people to see my feedback and the items they relate to. If someone asks for instant feedback (usually because they are new) I will do it.

Having said all this, in every form of life there will be scammers, and I kind of view them as high street shops would shop lifters. Once scammed, forever blocked!

Byatt

Bigredant, you said it better than I did, and in fewer words.

lovinituk

soolin wrote: »

In reality though it is extremely rare to run across more than one of that sort of buyer every few years..

It might be rare for you but there are high volume sellers and sellers of certain items that run in to that sort of buyer on a regular basis.

chancesare wrote: »

I do however disagree with your statement that you can be taken for a ride. There are always scammers and at the moment, I think the situation on Ebay is probably one of the most secure it can be for both seller and buyer alike. Nothing is perfect or 100% secure, but I am more than happy with it.

Again, there are high volume sellers and sellers of certain items that are taken for a ride on a regular basis.

Just because neither of you have exeperienced it on a regular basis or at all doesn't mean it won't continue to happen to thousands of sellers.

If you are happy with the situation then I appreciate this Facebook group is not for you - its the sellers that are affected that the group will appeal to.

lovinituk

chancesare wrote: »

As for claiming purchases never arrive. Currently the rules are very clear. Send it via an online trackable means and you are covered. When someone sends without tracking and an item is claimed as INR, then you as the seller have no way of knowing if that is a genuine or false claim. Either follow the rules or take the chance.

Too many people think too many buyers/sellers are scammers. Most of those (if this board is anything to go by) are buyers/sellers who are not aware of the rules/protection.

Thats a very sweeping statement that hasn't taken into account other factors. If you're a high volume seller of lower value items, it makes no sense to add 71p for recorded delivery onto the overall price - you either price your self out of the market or you take a big hit on your profit margin. Personally I send anything worth about £20 - £30 by recorded but everything under is sent normal with proof of postage.

You will find that a lot of ebay sellers are well aware of the rules and regulations and realise how skewed they are in the buyers favour!

soolin

lovinituk wrote: »

Thats a very sweeping statement that hasn't taken into account other factors. If you're a high volume seller of lower value items, it makes no sense to add 71p for recorded delivery onto the overall price - you either price your self out of the market or you take a big hit on your profit margin. Personally I send anything worth about £20 - £30 by recorded but everything under is sent normal with proof of postage.

You will find that a lot of ebay sellers are well aware of the rules and regulations and realise how skewed they are in the buyers favour!

I think we are forgetting though that the problem of delivery is not an ebay only issue. If I ran my own website (which I no longer do) I woukld still have to refund for any parcels that buyer claimed did not arrive. Likewise if i sell on any other venue I would need to refund for lost items as well.

I don't think we can blame ebay for expecting us to do the correct thing legally.

What would the alternative be? Buyers pay at their own risk and if something fails to arrive then hard luck? I can see that attracting bidders..I prefer to stick to the status quo both morally and legally.

lovinituk

soolin wrote: »

I think we are forgetting though that the problem of delivery is not an ebay only issue. If I ran my own website (which I no longer do) I woukld still have to refund for any parcels that buyer claimed did not arrive. Likewise if i sell on any other venue I would need to refund for lost items as well.

On your own website you cannot be held to ransom by someone threatening you with bad feedback that could ultimately seriously damage your business.

soolin wrote: »

I don't think we can blame ebay for expecting us to do the correct thing legally.

What would the alternative be? Buyers pay at their own risk and if something fails to arrive then hard luck? I can see that attracting bidders..I prefer to stick to the status quo both morally and legally.

If you look at the points the group is making they are actually very fair. No-one is asking for it be skewed in the other direction so buyers lose out, thats just silly.

The aim is to try and make it fairer for the genuine and honest sellers. There will always be the means to highlight bad sellers on eBay and the changes the group are seeking won't allow bad sellers to hide.

Byatt

soolin wrote: »

I think we are forgetting though that the problem of delivery is not an ebay only issue. If I ran my own website (which I no longer do) I woukld still have to refund for any parcels that buyer claimed did not arrive. Likewise if i sell on any other venue I would need to refund for lost items as well.

I don't think we can blame ebay for expecting us to do the correct thing legally.

What would the alternative be? Buyers pay at their own risk and if something fails to arrive then hard luck? I can see that attracting bidders..I prefer to stick to the status quo both morally and legally.

I don't believe anyone, and certainly not me, is saying that. I am an extremely moral person, and also aware that people scam...

lovinituk

Byatt wrote: »

I don't believe anyone, and certainly not me, is saying that.

Exactly! I don't know where the idea has come from that sellers want the system changed so that it has a huge negative impact on buyers? It makes no sense to ask for that.

porto_bello

soolin wrote: »

What would the alternative be?

:idea:
It's easy enough for ebay to present us all with seller's a feedback percentage, so why can't they provide us with a similar percentage, showing what proportion of negatives and neutrals a buyer is leaving?

:idea:
And why not provide sellers with a facility to block those buyers who leave a large proportion of negatives and neutrals or who make a large proportion of INR claims in the same way that we can block those amassing NPB strikes?

:idea:
Why are DSRs anonymous? What benefit is there to be gained in covertly hammering a seller's reputation? Can you imagine the worldwide crash in feedback scores if buyers could leave anonymous negative feedback too? :rotfl: