eBay Concierge
galaxy27
Posts: 7,177 ✭✭✭✭✭
anyone a part of this program? chatting with a buddy about it today and the best way to explain it is it's like top-rated seller status on steroids. basically once you've been invited and accept, you're placed on a pedestal and ebay has your back like they've never had it before. any perceived leverage that an unscrupulous buyer has is all but nullified. i don't consider myself a big fish by any stretch, but over the course of time i guess my value, volume and history of service as both a buyer and seller warranted inclusion.
for example, a few months ago my girlfriend (who has been known to sabotage my account on occasion) sold a $250 gift card. upon receipt the buyer drained the card, called her bank and disputed the purchase, and a chargeback was issued. soon thereafter, the money was zapped from my paypal account. i placed one call via the service to a competent individual who immediately answered the phone and spoke english, and right away ebay was on it. they worked with paypal to get the funds back, and within a short period of time it happened. and most incredible of all, paypal ate it on my behalf. the rep i spoke with intimated that had i not been held in high regard by them, i would've been SOL and going above and beyond would not have happened. that i wholeheartedly believe, because i dealt with them innumerable times in pre-concierge days and invariably the only conclusion that was reached was that i was ready to go drink somewhere.
so if you're on the fence as to whether or not it's worth it to endure some of the potential pitfalls that come with being a top-rated seller (impractical and very sizable return windows being one), it does in fact behoove you to maintain your status. once you've proven yourself, put enough money in their pockets and are subsequently fortunate enough to be invited, the unlevel playing field will all of a sudden even out.
edit: and this is why you never hear about orcas like PWCC being burdened by improper returns. i assure you they experience what i do times a very sizable number. virtually bulletproof when it comes to duplicity.
Comments
Yes, I also was awarded membership into the eBay concierge service. I am almost strictly a buyer, having sold only 2 items in the last 5 years. Any issues that I have had with a purchase has been immediately resolved, no questions asked. I believe, if I recall correctly, in the program description, concierge members have a certain number of no questions asked prepaid shipping/returns/refunds included every quarter. I have not called to speak with a live person, but have used the live text/chat feature on several occasions. After the chat has concluded, they sent me an email containing the transcript of our conversation for my records. I don't consider myself a big fish, either, especially when compared to many of the items that are displayed in the monthly pickups. I have only had situations that necessitated their intervention a couple of times, but it couldn't have been resolved any easier. I don't know how they choose who to offer membership to, but I always find the forum threads about all of the problems people have with buyers and sellers to be completely foreign to me, as eBay has had my back, without exception, and more importantly, without any hassle.
I am part of the program. A few weeks ago my postal carrier delivered a package to the wrong address and couldn't find the package. I waited a day or so and didn't hear anything from the post office. I wouldn't file a claim because the seller didn't do anything wrong. I called eBay and was told wait 4 or 5 days to see what happened and that they would cover the refund if the package didn't show up. The post office never did anything to find the package. Luckily, the person that received the package sent it to the post office and I got it a week or so later.
I guess it's like a reward for being loyal to them. That's pretty cool.
I know we all talk about Ebay a lot on the forum, some good talk some bad talk, but in the end they're a good place. Heck, I practically live there. I have a little camp set up there. I roast marshmallows, tell ghost stories, check out the Larry Bird card section. I love it.
I sell a decent amount on ebay, not sports cards related and I knew there were higher levels for certain people. Thanks for posting this here and confirming that.
Great topic. I am part of the buyer concierge but apparently not as a seller. I am currently dealing with a buyer who is trying to scam me out of the two cards I sent him. He claims I sent him two five dollar cards instead of the two Mantles I sold him. (525 total value). He receives the cards on April 4th then decides on April 15th that he is going to return them because I sent him the wrong cards.
So I immediately call Ebay and they say there is nothing they can do until he sends the cards back. I call Ebay again to give them more information from the Post Office and they basically admitted to me that they were not interested in any info. like that so they would not let me email it to them. Then as the conversation goes I ask the Ebay rep. what protection I have as a seller and tells me that they will side with the buyer virtually every time in a "he said she said" situation. I eventually get this guy to move my case to another level of claims where they will look at it a little bit closer but he was being honest in that this still does not mean that you will be covered. He told me to take pictures of the cards when they are returned and upload and call back. I don't have a good feeling about how this is going to end.
"Then as the conversation goes I ask the Ebay rep. what protection I have as a seller and tells me that they will side with the seller virtually every time in a "he said she said" situation"
That's pretty much the opposite of everything I've heard (and experienced) about eBay... they side with the buyer virtually every time and sellers are left on the barn floor.
DesertIceSports.Com
I am also part of the concierge program. I have only had a few issues. I used the live chat once and spoke over the phone a few other times. Each time the issue was resolved quickly and painlessly. It's a great program.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
I’m part of the program as well, strictly as a buyer. They have resolved multiple issues to my 100% satisfaction.
John
I have had very few issues buying or selling. Over 1k transactions in the last year an a half. I am a top rated seller. I need in on this program just in case!
I'm also almost exclusively a buyer on eBay, and the Concierge service was greatly helpful in resolving a matter for me about a year ago. I paid around $900 for an item, the seller shipped it, but I never received it. The tracking indicated that the local post office had picked it up, but then there were never any additional tracking entries; the item just disappeared somehow.
After a couple weeks, I contacted the seller to let him know it never came and I wanted a refund. Seller said he'd file a USPS claim and refund me when he received reimbursement from USPS. Not wanting to cause any problems, I said ok, I'll wait. (In hindsight, I should've just called eBay customer service at this point to request a refund and let the seller deal with USPS on his own time.)
But then a month goes by, I don't hear anything, so I contact the seller. No response. So I call eBay customer service. Even though this is about the most simple open-and-shut refund case, it takes them at least 5 minutes to even understand my situation. Once they do, they tell me I need to contact eBay UK! (Unbeknownst to me at the time, the bid sniping program I was using had just started periodically using foreign eBay sites to do some of their sniping, and they had used the eBay United Kingdom site to snipe this auction.) Customer service tells me that eBay UK is separate entity and only they can issue my refund, so I have to contact them. As I'm getting frustrated now, I clearly state that I'm not calling eBay UK and I want eBay US to fix my damn problem! They finally relent and say, ok, we'll look into it.
A couple days later, I still have no response, but I just happen to receive the invitation to join the eBay Concierge program. I hit accept and immediately call the Concierge number. The rep promptly understands my situation, apologizes for the inconvenience, and tells me I'll have my refund tomorrow. "And is there anything else I can help you with?"
The service level difference is like night and day.
Was not aware of this. How did you become a member? Did they just send you an email and invite you? I am a power seller, have over 5,500 100% positive feedback and have been on ebay since 1997.
You are correct I should have stated they will side with the buyer virtually every time. (Updated original post)
I participate in the eBay concierge service and for the one issue I had with a purchase they were great.
Robb
Yes, eBay sent me an email inviting me to be a Concierge member. Upon receiving the email, the next time I clicked on the "Help & Contact" link on the top of eBay's website, there was a new button I could press to join the Concierge service. Now, when I click on the Help link, it always shows me the Concierge phone number and chat option.
As far as how you become a member, this is from eBay's website:
**Who is the program open to?
The program is currently open to selected customers only. Criteria for selection include the value and volume of business with eBay. Membership of the program is optional. Customers who choose to opt out will continue to be supported by our standard customer service team.
Membership of the program may also be reviewed by the business from time to time to ensure we continue to offer the service to customers who can benefit the most.**
As you can see, broad criteria for selection are published, but invitation is akin to the murky process of receiving an acceptance letter to an elite college or university...and as of now, it's unknown whether people are bribing their way in through the side door...
Thanks Knightrider, , very interesting and helpful!!
I've been part of the concierge for some time. They 'awarded' it to me. That was during my heavy purchasing period. They respond quickly, and when a card was lost in the mail, they gave a complete refund. This refund came from Ebay, not the seller. Right after I received the refund, the card ... showed up. I told them the card arrived, and explained that I wanted to return the money to them, but they said they had no way to accept it ... which I found odd, and they told it me it was their 'thanks' to me. Card in question came to over $140, so I took the 'found money' and gave it to a nephew without explanation.