Well done EBay (not)

charlies_mum

Had a message from a potential buyer asking for my location so that they could collect a £150 item. I double checked with EBay and they confirmed that not only can't I give my location, I'm also not allowed to guide the buyer to my business address at the bottom of the listing

I messaged the potential buyer to say that I couldn't give my location until she bought it and if the location wasn't suitable, I would cancel the order

Result? Buyer said thanks but hasn't bought. I've lost a £150 sale and eBay lost their commission.

ballisticbrian

I don't do collection, but I always assumed you could give the rough area or suburb, maybe using pubs if you still have any open where you live?

LadyDee

I had a similar problem recently. Something listed as "London" - I simply asked if that was N, S, W or E London. The seller wasn't permitted to answer. If they employed a few more humans to do the checking there'd be far less of this nonsense. Technology is all very well but there are situations where it's simply not enough.

Sometimes I think ebay towers should be re-named idiot towers.

ballisticbrian

This action against sellers doesn't seem to have boosted income for eBay looking at 2018 q1 results, but certainly has fuelled a lot of distrust on the part of eBay. The email I've seen for a person who directs all their business to eBay as their trading platform (instead of running their own site) was disgusting. But it's also created an environment in which one seller can try to "set up" their competitor using an alternative buying account, in other words a very horrid and disturbing place of paranoia and distrust.

twhitehousescat

ebay and technology ?????

I had a motorbike listed , 7 days started at 99p , was at £847 with 9 bidders and 3 days to go

because I used the words "This is my sinnis retrostar , known on sinnis and other facebook groups ,(and liked) due to the upgrades/mod done"

they accused me of using ebay as a vehicle to sell it on facebook , they had already taken £17.50 in listing fees , no paypal involved

contacted them this morning , "a robot had misread it " , and said they would reinstate it with one day left , but all bidders would be lost ,

bxboards

I do a lot of cash on collection items and I got a 7 day suspension for sending my collection details to a buyer AFTER they had bought the item, it seems the bots scan for mobile phone numbers.

Since then I've been ultra cautious and do not allow viewings and I also make sure the first part of my pos code in the the listing which seems to stop people asking where I am.

When people buy, I ask them to message me contact info to arrange rather than sending my details to them. I've had 3 4 figure collections over the last few days and so far this seems to work.