I have more than 200 items listed in eBay at any given time. Sellers are constantly abused and screwed by eBay. I am one of the sacred money cows that eBay has screwed by raising my listing fees a whopping 300%, in the month of January.in November they took my Power-Seller rating away and raised their fees.in December another fee increase came from the dictator. I have called and spoken to many of the non-thinking trained personnel that answer the telephones. I must say that it has been quite nice to speak to these English speaking individuals that do not have strange foreign accents. Up until recently. It was almost impossible to understand some of the foreign accents. I believe that I have been extremely lucky to contact non-accented individuals recently. I don't believe that eBay has changed their hiring practices, it is most likely coincidental.
I always thought that eBay was an AMERICAN company. If they are an "AMERICAN" company, why don't they give their jobs to the American's that need a job so badly? After-all, they have the American people to thank for their success, and tons of money. The United Nations and quite a few American and foreign politicians are pushing to have the internet controlled by the UN. I am a very proud patriotic American citizen who is opposed to that. I would want some form of governmental control over eBay. They are constantly abusing the people who bring the buyers and tremendous profits to their internet business. All of those sellers, from the occasional seller, to the seller that has created a small business, to help him survive economically in these difficult times. Let's get back to the crust of this situation.
I have been selling used photographic equipment on eBay for more than three years. I worked my way up to the Power-Seller level on eBay, after a lot of hard and honest work. This rating gave me a bit of prestige along with some reduced listing and final value fees and other helpful niceties. I opened an eBay store to help sell more and save some money as well. I received very good positive feedback most of the time. As I mentioned, I sell "USED" photographic equipment. It is extremely difficult to satisfy every buyer. My description of mint may not be the buyers definition of mint. If I were in the business of selling only new merchandise, It would be very easy to satisfy the quality standards of all the buyers. With used equipment, that is almost an impossibility.
The eBay brains, implemented the DSR rating scale. This was done to protect the buyers from all of those unscrupulous sellers. Here's the way the DSR rating works. When a buyer purchases something on eBay, they can leave NEGATIVE, NEUTRAL, OR POSITIVE feedback for the seller. This information is attached to the seller's profile forever. If negative or neutral feedback is received, it lowers the percentage of positive feedbacks that is viewed by potential buyers for a period of one year. If a seller receives too may negatives, their listings can be removed from eBay, by the "Brains" at eBay. I don't feel that sellers should be allowed to run free by falsely advertising their products and/or any other forms of deceptive business practices. If a buyer leaves negative or neutral feedback, it is like the Lord's word. It cannot be changed without the consent of the buyer. I've had some very bad situations with buyers feedback. One buyer left me negative feedback because, the customs deparment in his country held his package for a long time. I contacted the puppets that answer the phones at eBay customer support, to learn that the negative feed back cannot be removed without the buyers consent. Is that fair to the seller? I think not. Is is fair that eBay lower my feedback rating because this jerk is blaming me for the actions of his customs service. If my feedback falls below a few points, I may lose my Power-Seller rating and associated discounts. Should so few buyers have so much power over the sellers on eBay or anyplace else? The seller cannot leave anything but POSITIVE feedback for a buyer. This is an example of just one more unfair and unjust rules on eBay. Another buyer claimed that I had sent a broken item to him. He told me that one of the major parts was broken. I asked him to ship the item back with the broken part. He said that the broken part was not in the packaging. Yet he claimed that the shipping packaged did not appear to have been opened. This is a case of the evaporating major broken part. He returnde part of the unit back to me for a refund. I refused to refund his money without the missing part being returned. EBay decided that I am a liar, and ordered me to refund his payment in full including the original shipping charges. I wound-up with a broken unit, with a missing part. This was an expensive item, I lost a lot of money due to the brains at eBay. I don't want to waste my time or money, sending defective or broken equipment to a buyer. This practice does not create good will and return customers. It will always cost me for the shipping charge. I'm not in business nor does it make sense for me to knowingly send bad products to a buyer. He will return it. And I will suffer a loss. The "Brains" at eBay not only forced me to return his money, they could not understand why it is not in my best interest to send broken merchandise. The buyer always is honest and truthfull and the seller is the liar. I also received negative feed back from the buyer who to this day has the missing part. I could give you countless situations where the Brains at eBay have left me stranded and abused.
I must get back to the DSR ratings now. When a buyer is leaving feedback for the seller, he is also required to rate the seller in five categories.in each one of these categories the buyer can rate his satisfaction/dissatisfaction on a scale of 1-4, with the lowest being one and the highest/best being 4. If a buyer provided free shipping that category is automatically given the highest rating by the Brains at eBay (it is the buyers money that pays for the shipping not eBay's) I was told by a few of the telephone answering brains that I should add it to my selling price. Wow what an answer, raise my price. That is the way to get more business. When the eBay brains evaluate a seller's DSR ratings, they consider the price that is offered for this item and similar items from other sellers. If your selling price is higher than other sellers, the positioning of your ad is lowered. Meaning instead of being on or near the top of the page, your ad is placed at or near the bottom of the page. They tell ths dumb seller to raise the price to cover the "free" shipping cost, then they lower your ad's position. This is an elaborate scheme to further rip-off the seller. When a seller's DSR ratings get lowered, he not only loses his ads positiong, he is also penalized if his ad has to be re-listed many times before it will or ever will sell. When your listing doesn't sell after many paid for re-listings, your ads positioning is lowered even more. The are a few reasons that I believe the Brains at eBay do this. First they will tell you to raise your price. Nest they will lower your ads positioning, many buyers will never get to the bottom of the list to offer a bid or do a buy it now. Heaven forbid if you placed your ad with it to "Continue until Canceled". This is another "Rip-Off" that the Brains have implemented. During the prior eBay managements control. If you listed your item to "Continue until Canceled", if your item did not sell at the end of the 30 day listing, your item will show-up in the unsold items section. YYou would have twenty four hours if you want to cancel or change your ad or to leave it alone and run it again. Guess what? EBay no longer will notify you that your ad has ended. It automatically re-lists the item. It is another one of eBay's schemes to steal more money from their advertisers. There are times that I have listed on eBay that I may sell outside of eBay. The ad will be automatically re-listed. Should a buyer purchase the (already sold item). The seller will have to notify the buyer that the item is not available for sale. This exact situation happened to me a few months ago. I notified the buyer that the item was not available. I offered him an upgraded meter from the same manufacturer. It was the exact same meter with the additional feature of taking flash readings as well as ambient light readings. The upgrade that I offered was currently listed in my eBay store at a $100.00 more than the meter that he purchase. This buyer would not accept the upgrade and insisted on the lower valued meter.By the way, I did not ask for a penny more gor the upgrade. The buyer had nothing to lose and a whole lot $100.00 worth to gain. Both of my ads offered a seven day reutrn option. This 'JERK " would not cooperate and insisted that I send him the cheaper meter that he won. I offered to pay for the return shipping, should he decide to send the meter back. Once again he had nothing to lose and everything to gain. This moron would not accept my offer. He left me negative feedback though no fault of my own. I can only blame the Brains at eBay. I was not able to cancel the ad, because I was not notified when it ended. I ususlly have a few hundred items listed on eBay. I cannot follow the end date of every ad. EBay used to do that, until they found another way to rip-off the sellers. Two very negative things happened to me due to this situation. First the seller left negative feedback, which left lower feedback ratings for me, Further discouraging buyers from purchasing my items. This will also decrease my sales volume, thus lowering my ads positioning even more. Hey you Brains at eBay, good work, you have another scheme going for you. This is just another way to rip-off the sellers. I'm sure the Jerk of a buyer left very low DSR ratings, The Brains at eBay, won't let the seller's know what the DSR ratings are that a buyer leaves. Once again, keeping the seller's blindfolded. When a buyer leaves 1's or 2's, eBay makes more money further ripping-off the abused sellers. Here's how this scheme works. This is is happening to me right now. I have a 99.4% positive feedback from buyers that have purchased items from me over the last twelve months. I have no idea what DSR's they have left for me (the Brains at eBay won't let the seller know). It would make sense that when a buyer gives me positive feedback, they would also give me somewhat favorable DSR ratings, 3&4's, no1"s or 2"s. It does not make sense to leave positive feedback and low DSR's 1's and 2's. The Brains have figured out another scheme to STEAL more from the sellers. 99.45 of the buyers gave me positive feedback and I must assume favorable DSR"s no 1'sa or 2"s. Over the last twelve months, four buyers gave me low 1's or 2's DSR ratings. These. 04 percent of buyers have controlled my destiny with eBay. Due to this. 04 percent low DSR's the Brains at eBay has found another way to STEAL more money from me. Due to the fact that this minuscule number of dissatisfied buyers have given me theses 1"s and 2"s, eBay is punishing me by listing 95% of my ads at the bottom of the listings, also, I am no longer a Power Seller. All of my discounts have been rescinded. "what a scheme". This punishment will continue for twelve (12) months. Why you ask for twelve months you ask. The Brains at eBay will keep this punishment in effect for twelve months if you don't make what they consider enough sales or what they consider to be enough dollars. I sell used photo equipment, not very high priced, not the broadest market either.in the last twelve months, I sold just a bit under 400 items. And a tad bellow the dollar amount dictated by eBay. I am being punished because of the. 04% of unhappy buyers, without considering the 99.6% of satisfied buyers. Is this a prime example of the tail wagging the dog. The Brains see this as a big money maker for them. To hell with the seller and the 99.6% of satisfied buyers. The minority is in charge with the complete approval of the Grains at eBay. On the other hand, if I were to complete a few more transactions and increase the dollar amount to the dictates of the Brains at eBay, I wouls be punished for three months only. That would be fine if I were selling cars, boats, real estate etc., All I would have to do is make one sale a year. These high priced items do not need to meet any other criteria than get the money amount that eBay Brains have decided on. If I sold one house on eBay, they would love that, more money in their pocket. My business is not capable of doing such big money sales. It could take me years of selling to equal the dollar amount of one piece of real estate. Just another way to rip me off. Their policy sucks. Talking to them about these situations is like talking to a well rehearsed puppet. Yes, I mean all of the gutless puppets that answer the phones for eBay.in order to work for eBay, you have to have no decent principles. I understand that you need a job. My question is, is it your job to be an accomplice in stealing. Have a bit of common decency, ask questions, get answers from your superiors.
I've spoken to many of the puppets over there. When they give me the reasons why my ads are at the very bottom, I have an still am able to debunk there bullshit answers.
If theer is anyone reading this, and wants to make some changes to eBay's dictatorial powers, please contact me with suggestions. Please send this information to anyone that you know that deals on eBay. Not just to sellers, this even more important to the buyers. Who do you think winds up paying for eBay's greed.
A buyers association should be created to combat the this terrible situation. If you have any information or advice about an sellers organization, please let me know. Also you should post any information on the net.
If there is anyone reading this complaint about eBay's deceitful practices and knows the way to legally put an end to this disgusting situation, please contact me or post your thoughts. I don't think that eBay would legally be considered a monopoly. With that being said, ther must be some legal things that can put a stop to there scheming and stealing from their dealers and customers.
The day will come when we will see the downfall of this miserable, thieving giant.
If there are any eBay Brains reading this, I challenge you to disprove any of my statements. I also challenge you to give a coherent explanation of why my items are listed at the bottom. One of your puppet members told me that I am at the bottom because I have the lowest DSR ratings of any other seller in that category. That is utter non-sense. If you don't have an answer that makes sense, may I suggest one of tow things? Keep your stupid mouth shut and do some research and/or ask someone at the eBay Brain center that can give you a logical and truthful answer. Leave out the second suggestion, nobody at the Brain Center can answer that honestly, factually, or truthfully.
I am tired and will be ending this for now. I will be bringing more delightful tidbits about how eBay is ripping-off the entire country.
Remember you and I made eBay into this monster, we can slay the monster. Let's organize and get the steamroller going.
Thank you for reading this lenghty complaint. I hope it will results in some good things for eBay users.
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