The Guardian - sellers beware listing on Ebay

RFW

Brooker_Dave wrote: »

Sellers are ebay's customers.

But it does not treat them like kings...

Ebay certainly could do more to at least look as if they are treating sellers well but any sensible person can see that they have to take care of the end consumer more than the seller who, in theory, should be able to look after themselves.

RHemmings

Brooker_Dave wrote: »

Sellers are ebay's customers.

But it does not treat them like kings...

I'd like to see someone describe how Ebay could protect BOTH the sellers and the buyers from fraud and other negative aspects such as unfair feedback. Without creating an unreasonably onerous burden on various middle-men such as Ebay itself and courier companies.

Brooker_Dave

RHemmings wrote: »

I'd like to see someone describe how Ebay could protect BOTH the sellers and the buyers from fraud and other negative aspects such as unfair feedback. Without creating an unreasonably onerous burden on various middle-men such as Ebay itself and courier companies.

Perhaps a feedback system where buyers *&* sellers can leave feedback?

Perhaps not forcing paypal on sellers?

Perhaps taking ebay back to the glory days of 2004 when both it and it's sellers made money?

RHemmings

Brooker_Dave wrote: »

Perhaps a feedback system where buyers *&* sellers can leave feedback?

Didn't work. Too many sellers left tit-for-tat negative feedback even when the buyers were blameless.

Perhaps not forcing paypal on sellers?

Doesn't work. If sellers cut and run without supplying the goods, there was limited action that ebay could do.

Perhaps taking ebay back to the glory days of 2004 when both it and it's sellers made money?

Here's an article from 2004 with the subtitle 'Scammers run rings around ebay', and the scammers described here are sellers, not buyers. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/11/16/petty_fraudsters_ebay/

techspec

RFW wrote: »

Ebay certainly could do more to at least look as if they are treating sellers well but any sensible person can see that they have to take care of the end consumer more than the seller who, in theory, should be able to look after themselves.

Funny you think buyers - who pay Ebay NOTHING - are their end customer.

Ebays end customers are sellers - who pay them a fortune for their service (or lack of it).

Buyers are then the sellers end customer.

RFW

techspec wrote: »

Funny you think buyers - who pay Ebay NOTHING - are their end customer.

Ebays end customers are sellers - who pay them a fortune for their service (or lack of it).

Buyers are then the sellers end customer.

I don't think it, it's a fact. I was an auctioneer for several years, it's always the people who buy from you that are the customer, if you haven't got them then there isn't a business. Vendors are easy to come by.

The easiest thing is to find people who want to sell something, the hardest is getting people to buy. Obviously buyers and sellers go hand in hand but the one who legally gets all the protection and rightly so is always the buyer.

Ebay are, for them, happily moving towards large commercial sellers they don't need to give two hoots about us little guys.

techspec

RFW wrote: »

I don't think it, it's a fact. I was an auctioneer for several years, it's always the people who buy from you that are the customer, if you haven't got them then there isn't a business. Vendors are easy to come by.

The easiest thing is to find people who want to sell something, the hardest is getting people to buy. Obviously buyers and sellers go hand in hand but the one who legally gets all the protection and rightly so is always the buyer.

Ebay are, for them, happily moving towards large commercial sellers they don't need to give two hoots about us little guys.

You keep saying that - but i would say 95% of Ebay sellers are the little guys.


The little guys who sell, are usually buyers too. If i didn't sell on Ebay - i would never use it to buy again. I can assure you that ARGOS and TESCO don't buy on Ebay.


Ebays constant free listings for private sellers is a drastic attempt to stop them leaving.


And i still don't see how someone who never pays for anything can be classed as a customer. In fact, you confirm that when you say "the person who buys something is a customer". That's what i said - sellers buy a service off Ebay - WE are the customer. Buyers are the sellers customer.

RHemmings

techspec wrote: »

And i still don't see how someone who never pays for anything can be classed as a customer. In fact, you confirm that when you say "the person who buys something is a customer". That's what i said - sellers buy a service off Ebay - WE are the customer. Buyers are the sellers customer.

A proportion of the sale price is taken by ebay as fees. This is money paid by the buyer that is going to Ebay. It's possible to engage in sophistry to claim that the full sale price goes to the seller who then pays fees, but I think it's unrealistic to discount the role of the buyer in Ebay's income stream. As an exaggerated example, it would be a bit like claiming that supermarket customers don't pay the supermarket, as they pass the money to the teller, who then is the one that pays the supermarket.

RFW

techspec wrote: »

You keep saying that - but i would say 95% of Ebay sellers are the little guys.


The little guys who sell, are usually buyers too. If i didn't sell on Ebay - i would never use it to buy again. I can assure you that ARGOS and TESCO don't buy on Ebay.


Ebays constant free listings for private sellers is a drastic attempt to stop them leaving.


And i still don't see how someone who never pays for anything can be classed as a customer. In fact, you confirm that when you say "the person who buys something is a customer". That's what i said - sellers buy a service off Ebay - WE are the customer. Buyers are the sellers customer.

Wow. Seriously? You don't get that the buyer on Ebay pays ALL the money? The set up of the Ebay business may not be a traditional one but essentially it is supplier (seller), trader (Ebay), buyer. Despite Ebay's claims they are "just a platform" it isn't like that in reality.

techspec wrote: »

If i didn't sell on Ebay - i would never use it to buy again.

Hmm. A lot of people say this, I don't believe them. If Ebay announced that Argos were selling one million new Iphones for £10 each I expect a lot of these people would ditch their 'principles' quite quickly. You are right that Ebay do try and keep the private sellers buying by promoting selling to them (free listing days, etc). That is Ebay's USP.

To bring this thread back on topic, if you can find a way of having a successful marketplace that favours sellers over buyers and think that that is a good idea, then open it up. You'll have a lot of sellers queuing up to sell all ready to pay you their cut.

Brooker_Dave

RFW wrote: »

Ebay are, for them, happily moving towards large commercial sellers they don't need to give two hoots about us little guys.

The bulk of ebay's revenue comes from small sellers, large sellers tend to have their own websites and just use ebay as a bit on the side.

Ebay needs to wake up and realise that treating their customers with contempt is destroying their own business...