eBay is so bad I want to build my own auction site

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I am a big eBay user and so therefore a PayPal user.  I've been selling on eBay for a couple of years now and over the last 6 months have realised how much seller fees can really amount to.  It's almost like I'm paying rent to run a online shop it costs so much.

Now I could ignore this if it were the only issue, but it really angered me when eBay refused to help me with a discrepancy I had with a buyer.  I will spare the details but ended up with me having false negative feedback on 2 separate and one of my items was not paid for.  The item sold for £40.  The buyer did not make any payment nor reply to any of my messages.  Instead I was left bad feedback suggesting I harassed said buyer.  Of course I wanted to leave my own feedback to warn others of this person.  However I discovered I could not leave any feedback until I marked the item as paid.

they could not remove the false negative feedback on my profile

I didn't really understand this and so after a month of waiting for eBay to help me all they suggested was to contact the buyer.  Not only that but they could not remove the false negative feedback on my profile.  Now considering I have been a trusted seller for over 2 years and have given them so much money through seller fees I almost felt betrayed.  It seems to me eBay has become so big they don't really have to care about the individuals that use the site.

I have done some research and come across many people with same problem as well as others, high seller fees, eBay is hand in hand with PayPal and there are very scant alternatives provided by eBay, accounts being shut down for no good reason, these are but a few of the gripes I have found on the Internet about eBay.

An alternative to eBay - what would you like to see?

I want an alternative where I don't get charged absurd seller fees, where I get rewarded for being a trusted seller.  I have looked into other auction sites and while there are many good ones (Ebid.net, bonanza.com), I have decided to make my own site.  I want to get a better understanding of what people don't like about eBay, what people would change if they could even past disputes people have had with eBay.  Please respond to this with any problems you've had, anything you don't like about the site big or small.  My aim is to make a haven for people fed up with eBay and I thought the best place to start is with potential users.

By: Pursuit of Excellence

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boblet42

I have been in some sort of business for most of my life. You always pay someone, that is a fact. You are better getting used to it. Unless you have parents or a mentor who can help you at first you are snookered. My first mistake was I did not understand what the word business meant, in the real world. It took me years. I have a good firm knowledge of what it is now. Firstly you need to learn what business is. Ebay is just another buying and selling medium that some sellers understand and some do not. Some Buyers understand and do not. You are a seller trying to find the Eden site on which to sell your unwanted, broken, maybe dangerous goods & profit from such actions. I jest but that does apply to certain ebayers both buyers & sellers. Smell the coffee, my friend.

22/11/20 boblet42

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ebay powerseller

What I love on eBay is the little messages that say 'offer free P & P to attract more buyers' and 'why not consider lowering your price to attract buyers?' Who can afford free P & P? Since Royal Mail have changed their prices, it costs quite a bit to send stuff. Even when the buyer pays, you get charged a % by Paypal & eBay on the postage costs. To offer it for free, is just madness!

09/01/14 ebay powerseller

4

disgruntled seller

That should read:

It's bad enough when sellers have to refund buyers...
eBay always back the buyer....

See how they've got me riled up!

08/01/14 disgruntled seller

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disgruntled seller

I've given up selling on eBay since they introduced final value fees on postage in in September. I can understand a charge for listing an item and even Paypal offers a service. However, I really don't understand a charge on postage - something eBay has nothing to do with. All the effort is by the seller. It's bad enough when buyers have to refund sellers for parcels that 'went astray' - and eBay always back the seller even when they have signed for something!! This just adds insult to injury. It's no longer worth the effort to sell anything. I will be using car boot sales in future.

08/01/14 disgruntled seller

5

ClipInMedia.com

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26/09/13 ClipInMedia.com

0

Mia the Cat

There needs to be a genuine competitor to eBay as the other auction sites pale by comparison. It needs an investment and creative initiative by a visionary entrepreneur.

20/08/13 Mia the Cat

6

boblet

I would not argue with you Grumpy xx I have had to bite the bullet on a few occasions. I only sell used collectable items. When I had to go in hospital recently I was disgusted with the attitude of ebay & paypal, together with the buying public. All three left a bad taste in my mouth.

18/08/13 boblet

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Grumpy xx

I gave up on eBay a long time ago. I was a non business 'attic' clearer seller, yet I was still expected to adhere to 'business-like' reassurances to buyers who seemed to expect the same guarantees and refund policies as bigger business sellers. I was also wrongly accused of having sold fake items, when I was certainly not doing so at all. The last straw for me was selling a load of stuff and then PayPal locking my account, preventing me from transferring the money to my own account, and then taking what was in there and never giving it back.If you Google eBay and PayPal you will see organised groups hoping to get them to change their ways with thousands of similar complaints. They are thieves. Keep clear.

18/08/13 Grumpy xx

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helensoffice.co.uk

I've started a market place forum on my website and listed some stuff I would like to shift. We have a gypsy/rag-and-bone man, come round once a week ringing a bell to collect stuff...but I've heard they charge to take stuff away (like the council). I've only had any response to adverts through e-bay, gumtree I've not really tried and my website is getting less than 300 hits a month. But I keep hoping it will grow eventually.

07/08/13 helensoffice.co.uk

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weary eBayer

That should have read 'dishonest'

29/07/13 weary eBayer

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weary eBayer

I am so fed of eBay's policy where sellers can't leave negative feedback. I had to refund a buyer who claimed that there was a hole in the jacket I sent and that it was dirty. Absolute rubbish! Had to refund anyway. I checked back through the buyers feedback and under 'positive feedback', I found comments from many sellers who had had similar experiences. Looks like this buyer is a 'serial offender' at claiming items not received or item not as described. Meanwhile, her rating is 100%. eBay will always back the buyer, no matter how dishonese they are.

29/07/13 weary eBayer

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given up

I loggged on to eBay to sell some clothes but got so distracted by their flashing ads that I gave up. They really give you a headache. If they are making so much money from advertising, couldn't they reduce seller's fees??

29/07/13 given up

12

Film lover

I notice that eBay now show ads on their site, those stupid ones that say 'Two people are spying on you' and '2 people think you are a little ugly'. I personally can't stand the ads as they are obviously aimed at teenagers and could really upset someone if they are going through a bad time. Shame on eBay for displaying them - as it they don't make enough money already!

24/07/13 Film lover

9

Film lover

I once received negative feedback from a buyer who bought a DVD from me and decided she didn't like the film. Never mind the fact that it was well-packed and arrived on time!!

22/07/13 Film lover

13

ahforfoulkessake

I was thinking of starting an eBay account to start buying stuff and selling it to those directly interested such as sports memorabilia. Any tips on how not to get shafted by the buyers or eBay themselves? It seems Gumtree has the same troubles with people from a certain country wanting you to "transfer moneys through western union". How stupid do people think we are?
Is the mark-up of p+p and paypal even worth it as some of you think not.

13/07/13 ahforfoulkessake

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