If eBay's customers are always right, who'll protect its sellers?

Poppet2014_2

I've sold quite a few things over the last year and I have yet, touch wood, to have any issues with buyers.

On most things I state 2nd class and post 1st class.

My partner on the other hand got banned from selling because he disputed an issue on a game he sold for about £2. From memory the buyer expected to receive it within a day or two despite the listing clearly stating when it would be posted. The guy left negative feedback and eBay decided to stop him from selling. Unfortunately not everyone can put it in the post next day.

I do think some people are unreasonable. I bought something and it took over 2 weeks to get it. It was a part to sell with my car and came too late and is still sat in a drawer somewhere. Mistakes happen and it was barely a fiver. The guy apologised for the mix up. That's good enough for me.

campdave

Sellers aren't banned over one issue. It can't be the only problem your partner had.

These and other forums make ebay sound like the Wild West and that every buyer is out to scam you. Most transactions go smoothly, and when selling High value items common sense should be exercised and tracked and insured methods should be used to post,

It's also worth stating there were a lot of rogue sellers in the halycon days being described here. It was a lot easier to see counterfeit goods and software on ebay and the buyer had less protection and bore the rough end of the stick in those days.

Things may have swung more towards the buyers these days, but without buyers feeling safe purchasing on ebay, we wouldn't have anyone to sell our items to.

soolin

As campdave says a seller cannot be suspended due to the actions of one buyer alone. That does protect us against the possibility of a single malicious bidder causing us issues.

Under the current rules it takes a minimum of 3 buyers leaving low stars in one category for even a very small seller to be suspended. The new defect rules state a minimum of 5 defects and each buyer can only result in one defect.

Rev

soolin wrote: »

If false INR claims were in any way the norm then I don't think eBay would be where it is today. Rev it is interesting that you say you don't sell on eBay,and that perhaps explains your view. For those of us that do sell on eBay yes there are real,issues, but endless false INRs are not an issue. .

I don't have the confidence to sell online. The few times I have sold something I've had panic attacks worrying about problems that never happened.


What I'm saying is, as a buyer I know I'm fully protected. As a seller I know I wouldn't be.


There needs to be protection for both buyers and sellers. Yes I know the problems posted here are a very small fraction but that fact that they happen at all is shocking. There was one a few days back where someone bought a phone and returned it in bits. Yet eBay still issued the buyer a refund. That's outrageous. And the buyer has now learned they can do as they please because eBay will always take their side. Utterly unacceptable.


In that case eBay should have sided with the seller. You can't buy something from Argos. Smash it to bits saying 'sorry, I put it back together as best I could' then return it for a refund. You shouldn't be able to do it on eBay either.

RFW

Rev wrote: »

In that case eBay should have sided with the seller. You can't buy something from Argos. Smash it to bits saying 'sorry, I put it back together as best I could' then return it for a refund. You shouldn't be able to do it on eBay either.

I've never worked in Argos, but I'd be very surprised if they didn't experience that as much or even more than Ebay, chances are they'd refund too. The main difference is Argos will keep quiet about it where a small seller on Ebay will come on here or Facebook or other forums to complain about it. It isn't possible to have equal protection for buyers and sellers, it should always be weighted to the buyer, they are the consumer and have the rights.

Rev

RFW wrote: »

I've never worked in Argos, but I'd be very surprised if they didn't experience that as much or even more than Ebay, chances are they'd refund too. The main difference is Argos will keep quiet about it where a small seller on Ebay will come on here or Facebook or other forums to complain about it. It isn't possible to have equal protection for buyers and sellers, it should always be weighted to the buyer, they are the consumer and have the rights.

You honestly think of I went to Argos. Bought a phone, took it apart. Couldn't fix it and took it back to Argos in bits they'd refund?

I highly doubt it. I'd be told to sod right off.


I know in reality it can't be equal as buyers should be protected. All I'm saying is if seems eBay offers zero seller protection and absolute buyer protection. Some of the stories on here are shocking and whilst I know they represent a tiny minority it doesn't make them any less awful.

googler

RFW wrote: »

it should always be weighted to the buyer, they are the consumer and have the rights.

Are they 'consumers'?

Does a buyer on Gumtree automatically become a 'consumer' or are they merely a private individual buying from another private individual?

Just because eBay has facilitated the sale, why does that elevate their buyers to the level of 'consumers' with 'rights'?

Strapped

Interesting to see that the ebay rep said

"If a package is late it causes buyer anxiety and that puts them off. If we resolve in favour of the seller, the defect status is removed."

I thought that all cases opened result in a defect, and there's been lots of discussion about how ebay say thereis no mechanism to remove a defect.

Not that it bothers me as I'm off soon anyway.

RFW

Rev wrote: »

You honestly think of I went to Argos. Bought a phone, took it apart. Couldn't fix it and took it back to Argos in bits they'd refund?

I highly doubt it. I'd be told to sod right off.

Find someone who works in customer services in any retail outlet and they'll tell you that happens. I used to handle chain store returns and mail order returns, you'd be amazed at the stuff that was in some of the boxes that buyers had been refunded for. Nothing new, it's been happening for generations.

RFW

googler wrote: »

Are they 'consumers'?

Does a buyer on Gumtree automatically become a 'consumer' or are they merely a private individual buying from another private individual?

Just because eBay has facilitated the sale, why does that elevate their buyers to the level of 'consumers' with 'rights'?

There's a grey area here, as a business seller I can't call myself a private seller and absolve myself of any responsibility. As an individual I can't sell, for example, a "working Iphone" and send a 50p toy phone and tell the buyer it's tough and walk away from it.