Ebaying - boils down to honesty, something sadly lacking in this wacky world we inhabit .....

....the new changes to ebay make the place stink ...... and I am gobsmacked at the incredulous amount of people who will lie through their teeth to make everyone but themselves the 'bad guy'.  I am not saying I am perfect - but I have worked very hard to be totally upfront with listings - as well as provide the kind of 1st class service I would like to receive ....... and it has all been for nothing ... completely destroyed on the say so of a few unscrupulous buyers out bargain hunting ...literally paying pennies for items --- but I guess ebay sellers are the new 'sport' .... and their seems to be many who have become victim of the new buyer power now corrupting ebay

BUYERS

Leaving feedback

When you leave feedback - -do you consider the time and effort that has been put into providing the information so that you could make an informed choice about your purchase ?

**Did you read the listing - including the terms and conditions ? Or did you just go by a picture ? Or did you ask the seller questions about the item to make sure it was the right purchase for you ?

Now you have your item -- Have you received value for money and great service? Remember this was your choice (hopefully having done the above ** - this is your responsibility as a buyer - the details provided by sellers so that you can make an informed choice ...) ...

So now it is time to leave relevent and appropritate feedback ... so say how quick it was posted - well packaged ... good communication - lovely item .. etc ... but try to make the comments appropriate ..... If there is a problem - don't just leave bad comments - contact the seller - speak to them with your concerns - many of us will try to help in any way we can ....we understand (especially smaller sellers as we are ebay buyers too).

..the rest of the feedback concerns the gold stars left - each and every single one of those stars counts ......Ebay have now tied in the feeback to detailed seller ratings, and have set these levels at nearly 5 - with everything under the unattainable 5 considered as poor service. This leads to less visibility in searches that buyers do for items - thus restricting choice and availability .....  and god forbid you the buyer leaves a negative - this can lead to suspension and possible permanent removal of the suspended seller - as they will struggle to get their detailed seller ratings back to actually be visible in search results ...... .......... so it is up to buyers out there - you keep on leaving negatives for the slightest thing and you will have no sellers left to buy from ... especially the smaller ones like myself who list all the bargains that can be picked up for next to nowt ....

......as a note ......I find it incredibly sad that you quibble over a few pennies paid for post and packing when postage has and always will cost more than the actual cost of a postage stamp. Many small sellers like myself struggle to keep up with payment of fees that ebay and paypal (owned by ebay) charge ... these fees amount to incredulous amounts at times .. and rarely have I actually sold items for more than the 1penny bid when listed at auctions - so please tell me who is benefitting here ?? Ebay ...Paypal .... Post office .... the buyer with their bargain ...and the seller who just about breaks even........ so hey why not add insult to injury and just leave that negative or poor feedback .....go for it ... have your vindictive moment and remember when you are sat there complaining about the lack of bargains who started this silly nonsense on ebay in the first place ...... sellers have always been blamed - easy targets - and yes there are a few horrors .... that ebay could easily have rid themselves of .... but they chose not to .... for one reason I guess .... profit .........sellers pay ebay fees ;) 

    For me Selling is and always has been about Honesty

- Honesty about the item being listed - spending alot of time by actually including factual information regarding that item including taking time to include photos so that buyers are aware of what they are bidding on. All of my items are second hand - in other words used - apart from the occassional item that still has tags ....all of the information - giving buyers informed choice - but the sad thing is very few actually read what is specified on listings - let alone ask questions. ...and so the buyer experience will always have an element of disappointment - due to the buyer choosing not to read listings or ask the questions that have not been covered on a listing.,....... A perfect example ... recently I sold a star wars mask - the buyer was from overseas - I did not have on the item listing any information stating that I would ship abroad .... I contacted the buyer at the end of auction and advised I will only send items overseas with Airsure - as it is the only option that gives full trackability and proof of delivery..... the cost of this service has gone through the roof at the last lot of Royal Mail price changes.... so the buyer then stated that the item could be sent to her parent's address in the UK. I agreed that I would do this - if 1) payment with paypal was with recorded postage (again trackability) and b) that the invoice address on both paypal and ebay were the address being sent to. I corresponded with the buyer the whole way through the transaction - to finally receive feedback comments about the item being played with ... and seller ratings that stuck me firmly in the lower search rating category..... ermmm hello - the listing stated quite clearly that the mask was both used and played with alot ..... I sometimes wonder !!!!

Another was from a lovely buyer/seller - who I would never have dealings with again - she took over 2 weeks to pay ... initially she sent payment through paypal - which was returned because she did not read the listing - or the invoice - or the winning auction bid email that went out to her stating that paypal was accepted with recorded postage only ... ..So dutifully I returned her payment and advised by several emails the reasons why I only accept paypal payments with recorded post .... (it costs appx an extra £1 to send 1st class recorded from std 2nd class) (Paypal postage do not offer std 2nd class postage and request sellers provide tracking information on all items dispatched .. and I stay within that by accepting paypal with the requested recorded post .... - -- nor did she request prior to completion of items combined post (which I don't offer ...as not all items are actually located with me .. as I sell for family and friends too and have to go collect quite a few bits n bobs .. this is in my time .. it costs me in petrol ...) ... but I offerred her combined p+p for her items ... she knew these costs up front prior to bidding - so why complain afterwards ...if she didn't want to pay those costs she had the choice to walk away ....myself as a seller can not do that - I cannot pick and choose who I sell items to .... so this lady after 12 days still has not communicated so I raise a non payment strike against both items....and bang I get an immediate response saying that the cheque is in the post .... well that cheque did not appear for another week. She claimed to have sent it on the bank holiday weekend - yet it was post date stamped for the Thursday after the bank holiday - sorry but the post office were not closed for that long ..... then she leaves negative feedback for the two items ... completely destroying what up to that point had been unblemished feedback for quite a number of years.  

Packing + post charges - well - who on ebay likes to pay these - and how on earth do others manage to send items out without covering the costs of actually getting to the point of being able to dispatch? This one will always be a can of worms - purely because the majority of ebayers balk at having to pay anything on top of the bargains that are to be had out there. It does make me laugh though - those who pick up bargains for a penny - when they know that to buy items new would cost them an absolute fortune to purchase on the high street and they bag the bargain and complain bitterly through feedback afterwards saying how they think postage is a rip off etc etc - when they knew all the costs up front when they put their bid in ...that massive 1 penny bid ;)   - yet items received are of a high quality and look new or I wouldn't sell them .. and items that are not as new looking are always described with the reasons why I believe they are looking not new........ sad eh

Re my problems - and problems hundreds of other sellers in the same position out there .......What do ebay do ? Absolutely nothing - apart  from an automated response saying that the feedback will stay ... well thank you ebay .. now I know you are 100% for liars crooks and thieves.

I have sent emails to ebay - about buyers demands for money back .. all of the differenet fraudulent transactions I have experienced over the last week or so ..... and have not had one reply ......all of this nonsense has only started since the changes that ebay made recently ...

In all of the years I have been buying on ebay - and then finally starting to sell - I am totally disgusted with the behaviour of these people .. the lies ...all over a measly few quid 

     Honesty ...... hmmmm .... and the sad thing is .. those of us that are - will be made to look like we are the worst .....and these liars will destroy what was once a lovely place - a great place for picking up bargains ..... well If I am not suspended before ...I am only here until July when the last of my listings will finally be finished. Ebay fees have been paid - and some days later I am still awaiting a response from Ebay's trust and safety regarding the rising amount of fraud conducted on the site by buyers .... and information about ebay returning my fees with immediate affect and cancellation of all listings I have... but I still await their reply ;) I guess they are waiting like me for another negative so that they can refuse to pay me back all the money they have taken from me in fees for a service that doesn't even do what I have paid for ..... ... I want no part in this abysmal mess that has been created .... ...... it does not have the same values as me - that of honesty.....

The changes that ebay have made - and paypal - have made it almost impossible for any one who sells on ebay to do anything without being totally at the mercy and whims of dishonest fellow ebayers - and generally feedback rarely actually reflects what is being asked of buyers

Ebay has changed and it has sickened me - the levels that some will go to over a few pounds ....

Come on guys sort it out - we are not all bad - and those that are - are obvious if ebay were to really want rid of them - but why should they or paypal give a darn when they are reaping in all of the fees they charge .... hey let's stick it all on the sellers full stop - make them all pay (even if the most of us are actually the good guys ....) .... yeah right ... shift the onus from those that can do something about these con artists and re-focus buyers onto the performance of all sellers - and all based on emotive subjective and not always factual personal taste and expectations - with many never actually reading listings !!!!!!!

....  Most of us honest ones go out of our way to list accurately and honestly - we go out of our way to dispatch same day as payment received - for buyers to receive in  under 24 hours ....we try to keep costs for p+p to a minimum yet cover our own costs to actually be able to dispatch .. we keep buyers informed via the message service .... but does feedback always accurately reflect this ... nope ... and now with the changes - well even if you have a god awful experience with a buyer you can no longer be honest as a seller and leave a negative ...... hmmm ... so what is all that about ?

I am sorry if I have repeated myself here - but this whole mess has left me completely and utterly shell shocked by the amount of lies and fraud of late .....and the feedback .... well ... what a complete pile of pants .... dirty stinky smelly ones !

Feedback is not always accurate - nor a true reflection of the great service that many sellers give out there..... 

What happenned to ebay ? -selling on ebay was fun ... now it is utter madness ....

honesty and fair and level playing fields for buyers and sellers alike ......    oh look I just see a pig fly by ;)