Oh how I hate Ebay......
ASUtodd
Posts: 1,312 ✭✭
Ebay saw fit to cancel one of my auctions because I stated I accepted money orders... Seems I missed the notification that they only allow PAYPAL or PROPAY for auctions now, unless it is a special category which mainly consists of Ebay Motors items... So they canceled my auction with 9 hours left instead of just notifying me... I called them and asked if they had this new policy so they could make more money by FORCING peopl eto use PayPal and ProPay... The lady said, "Well you could look at it that way but we are doing it to prevent fraud and the like." I explained to her that as a detective I work more fraud cases on their beloved PayPal than any other thing, told here it's been awhile since I worked one on a money order. I told her that I thought this was just a way for EBAY to make more money and I was not pleased at all. I explained that this cuts down on bidders that will bid on my auctions because some of them don't want to get PayPal or ProPay accounts... Stupid Ebay.... I guess they can take the time to weed out the auctions that have Money Orders as a payment option but weeding out the counterfeit auctions is being their control......
Todd
Todd
0
Comments
I tried to lower (revise) the BIN or BO on an auction last week, and got the "lose the check/MO" offer from eVILbay.
You could try a note to the effect, "If the winning bidder would like to arrange other payments other than PayPal, advise via email after the auction ends."
This would at least defeat the "personal (cashiers) check, money order, MO, Western Union, CASH" software filters.
A lot of buyers who have purchased coins from my website prefer to pay by MO or check. I am happy to provide that option.
I believe in future auctions I will carefully craft a statement that ebay cannot state with absolute certainty that I am offering to accept alternative forms of payment, but which any reasonable person will understand that I am saying exactly that. If I come up with wording that works, I will post it here and suggest that others use it as well.
So ebay may be able to tell me I cannot publicly state that I accept other forms of payment, but if a seller chooses to send a money order, then I get said money order in the mail and mark the item as PAID, how can they say I have violated any policy? My customer is happy with the item received. I am happy with payment received. Ebay is unhappy they didn't get an extra cut, but so what? In order for them to complain, they would have to admit their policy is solely to increase fees to the seller, since after the fact, the only one making the complaint would be ebay, and for what? They get their listing fees and their "Final Value Fees". I think if they tried to stop people from accepting alternative forms of payment, when both seller and buyer are happy, then they would expose themselves to a very expensive class action.
And guess what - until someone can get critical mass up to provide decent competition, it'll be like AT&T before the break-up.
FOR SALE Items
<< <i>You could try a note to the effect, "If the winning bidder would like to arrange other payments other than PayPal, advise via email after the auction ends." >>
You can't do that, either- sorry.
From here:
Sellers need to say in their listing specifically which payment methods they accepts and only offer payment methods approved by eBay. Sellers aren't allowed to:
Ask buyers to contact them for additional payment methods.
<< <i>can't this be cured by not using ebay check out? >>
A seller can send their own invoice after the auction ends, yes. However, how do you let potential buyers know beforehand that they don't have to use PayPal, that they can send a Money Order, or God forbid a personal check if they wish?
And even if you can somehow get accross the fact that you will accept other payment methods without violating ebay's well thought out restrictions, how can you advise them beforehand that if a personal check is sent, then shipment will be made once it clears, whereas with a Money Order, shipment will occur as soon as the Money Order is received?
What I'd really like to know is how is it legal for a business to only allow buyers and sellers to transact related business if the transaction is handled by a specific third party, which charges their own additional fees?
I could possibly understand the legality if ebay set up their site to be the whole package from listing to sale to payment, etcetera, since they have every right to set up their own online structure, but when it comes to finalizing a transaction between the buyer and seller, which ebay admittedly facilitates, how can they demand that the payment between buyer and seller only go through another third party, if the buyer and seller are perfectly willing and desirous to work out other accomodations?
Okay fine, so the buyer and seller do not benefit from ebay's "buyer/seller protections" if they finalize the transaction without going through PayPal, but if both parties choose to give up that oh so fantastic protection, why can't they do it? They can, I know, but the seller cannot tell a potential buyer in advance, and that is the problem.
<< <i>What I'd really like to know is how is it legal for a business to only allow buyers and sellers to transact related business if the transaction is handled by a specific third party, which charges their own additional fees? >>
eBay doesn't require you to use only PayPal, but you do have to offer an alternative for online payment. From the link I posted above:
For most categories, sellers need to offer one or more of the following electronic payment choices:
PayPal
ProPay
Moneybookers
Paymate
Credit card or debit card processed through the seller's Internet merchant account
<< <i>Why can't you just state categorically that Paypoo/fleaBay is a monopoly and you don't care for it? That opens the possibility that potential bidders can contact you regarding other payment means. And fleaBay cannot state that you were looking for other payment means - you are merely stating a fact. >>
Ebay has thought that one out too, and they would cancel that due to a listing violation. Specifically it would fall into their category defined as "Listings with the apparent, primary purpose of expressing the seller’s personal views". It doesn't matter whether your personal view is also a fact.
Seems like a validation robot found the words "Money orders" and automatically cancelled the auction with message something like: "You have stated that you accept money orders, which is not allowed."
... apparently they didn't see the big "NOT" I had in my listing.
Still they cancelled it and kept my listing fees.
eBay gave plenty of notice that money orders and checks were no longer permitted. You *HAVE* to accept some sort of online payment. It does not have to be PayPal.
You can gripe all you want about the policy itself, but please don't act surprised about it. We got months of advanced notice before they started pulling listings...
1/2 Cents
U.S. Revenue Stamps
DPOTD-3
'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'
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Don
<< <i>So PayPal doesn't have to be accepted? I didn't know that. Thanks. >>
As long as you accept some other form of eBay-approved online payment, no you do not specifically have to accept PayPal.
1/2 Cents
U.S. Revenue Stamps
When ebay tried to introduce a paypal only policy recently (maybe a year ago), it was defeated in court. Now they just make it so hard to find the button for anything but paypal so it is almost a standard. I'm wondering why a big international bank hasn't come up with the idea of their own paypal, could make a killing on it. Just foreign transaction spreads are at least a few percent, worst rates around.
Andrew
<< <i>CP, in my initial post I stated that I apparently missed the notification on this. I never stated they didn't forewarn me. My gripe is that they are not interested in the consumer or seller. I understand business is about making money but you have to have some sort of customer service. >>
You missed more than one notification .... and now you are blaming eBay for your ignorance... go figure.