Where did all the ebay buyers go?

[nunzia]

As a seller I miss listing stuff as auctions, it was fun to watch items start at a low opening bid and keep going up in price and the fees are lower. I switched over to fixed price buy it now with immediate payment required because of the amount of non paying bidders I had.

I agree about shipping, I hate seeing an item that has an actual postage cost of around $2 and seeing $6 - $8 shipping. I have no problem with a seller charging a small handling fee (that's what I do) but to charge 3x - 4x of the actual shipping cost is annoying.

..and so that is why Ebay has started charging fnal value fees on shipping..all the people who charged .99 for their item and $20 for shipping. Can't blame them actually. I charge as close to actual shipping as I can and sometimes even estimate wrong and lose on shipping. I have auto non payer set up and have very few non payers. I've been selling and buying since..I think..1997 and have had very few problems relative to that. When I have a problem I block a bidder..when I'm looking to buy something I will generally block overseas sellers. We don't really have a craigslist in my little area, we do have a local thing but it isn't for the types of items I sell. Sales are down but it seems like they tend to go through this every summer then pick up in the fall. The economy has to have some impact, certainly, but I still find it well worth my while. A local consignment store charges 30% so Ebay, which still reachs millions, is a decent deal at about 20%.

 

[n2mm]

For sellers, PayPal is a scammers DREAM.

Pay for your item, receive item, file a SNAD with PayPal, return ship a box of rocks with DC, get your money back. Easy as pie and the very reason I refuse to use them. The ONLY think PayPal requires when returning an item to a seller is that you provide a DC. That have no way of knowing what you actually ship back to the seller. Then, said scammer gets his money and the item to resell for himself.You should really take a gander at the PayPal board on the eBay forums

Did this happen to you??? I've returned an item once and while paypal held the funds, they did wait for me to confirm that I received the actual item and asked if I received my product before releasing the funds back to the buyer? I had to confirm that I received my product back and it was my actual product before they released the funds?

 

[Lucille1963]

I was a buyer on ebay since the late 1990s, and a seller since 2003. I jumped ship last December and went over to etsy. Etsy is for handmade items, and things over 20 years old. I sell vintage clothing and accessories. As a buyer and a seller, it took a while to get used to, but I'm really enjoying it now. My sales numbers aren't quite as high, but since the final value fee for etsy is only 3% instead of ebay's approximate 12.5 (I think it may have gone up) it feels like extra money in my pocket. My ebay fee bill used to range between $200-$600/month.

I no longer sell on eBay, but I do remember the "summer slump" well! Not as many people are at their computers in the summer, as they are out and about. Sales for us used to pick back up in September/October when the children were back in school, and people were just starting to think about the holidays.

Yep. The summer slump happens every year. I use the time to stock up for fall. I've been stocking up on sweaters and wool for weeks, and its already selling!

I'm in this same boat, have been using eBay for about 13 years now, on and off. I think the biggest problem, at least in my recollection, came around 2000-2001, when the number of sellers was dramatically increasing; unfortunately, a great many of them weren't really running much of a business or offering unique items, but rather, were simply cleaning crap out of their closets and basements. There was definitely a sense by a lot of short-term participants that they expected to be able to use eBay as a get-rick-quick scheme.



This is one of many things I don't especially like about eBay lately. Although from (their) business perspective, it makes sense to be pro-buyer.

Yeah, I hated the feedback thing. It was such a great way to weed out the flakes. I think what ebay failed to consider is the fact that many sellers were huge buyers. When they got ticked and left, they not only took their fee money, they also took their spending money.

 

[crazelion]

When I got sign up for paypal. I went straight to bank and open a free checking account. Because i refuse give them my main account.

my paypal is just for my reward sites alone. I rarely buy anything through paypal at all.

I just use ebay when i can't find what on amazon.

 

[secretpantssam]

Personally I haven't been on ebay as much recently as a buyer. I prefer etsy because I like the feel of the site and the price is just set, I either want to pay it or I don't. On ebay I had a hard time winning things I wanted because snipers came in at the last 3 seconds and would take things away.

 

[sweetdana]

I might be an odd ball... but there is to much stuff now.

I used to look through all sorts of things, but could look at nearly everything. Now if you pull up toys, you have to pick ball, or doll, or barbie it is too hard to sort.

I liked it cause it was like a garage sale, buying used items. Auctions at 3 -5-6 days.. not 75 days. It is now more like a store, mostly new or buy it now prices, and often have reserve not met even after 6 bids.

I am currently bidding on an item, but the 1st time in 8 months, where i used to go daily/weekly and have a # of things runnning.

... now i shop at amazon more. 2 day shipping, and no waiting 11 days for the offer to be accepted/not accepted. Boom at my home.

 

[starry_solo]

I used to buy on ebay all the time but I had trouble with getting my credit card hacked through paypal and closed that acct, everyone on ebay only seems to want paypal payments so I dont shop there anymore.

Once eBay bought PayPal, sellers didn't have a choice in what method of payment to accept. It had to be PayPal and you had to offer credit card via PayPal as an option.

I used to sell on eBay and would take well-concealed cash or unused US postage stamps (under $5), postal money order, or PayPal bank balance or account balance. Then when eBay bought PayPal, I stopped because I didn't want to ever start accepting credit cards (fees on those, there used to be no fees on bank balance of account balance, but now there are if its for the sale of goods).

 

[chabs]

I just got burned on Ebay so I am leary of buying anything for a while. My item arrived reeking of smoke and was packed in a used dog food box (Vera Bradley item). I was so disgusted that it turned me off of Ebay for a long while. To make matters even worse, Ebay erased the poor feedback that I left for the buyer because I chose not to return the item. I didn't bother returning it because it would have cost me more money in my time and packing materials than the item was worth. I am finding the same items on Amazon that I would buy on Ebay.

 

[mello]

I use to use eBay back when it started and kept using it until a few years ago (buying and selling). eBay decided to weed out the small sellers because they didn't want the fleamarket appeal. They did so by raising fees on sellers which made small sellers not able to make any profit.

PayPal is a LIVING NIGHTMARE which I will never use again - ever. In addition, the fees on every thing is just too much. Plus, as a seller you can only leave positive feedback anymore.

I have moved to Craigslist and done much better. I haven't bought/sold on eBay in about 2 years now and haven't missed it a bit. Craigslist is MUCH easier and better.

Same here. I used to buy and sell a lot on ebay way back when. But the whole atmosphere has changed. As a seller, I could no longer make any profit so I gave up. As a buyer, it's now like a big mall - I can get that on Amazon with free shipping and good reviews.

I also hate the changes to feedback - makes the whole systema big fraud.

And agree about Paypal.

 

[stasijane]

I spent so many years buying stuff on ebay and selling a few items here and there that I no longer needed, but found out the hard way that PayPal is crap and they dont protect everyone they say they do, I am boycotting them now. Which really sucks cause I have seen a few items I would love to have but no can do on the paypal only...

 

[n2mm]

I just got burned on Ebay so I am leary of buying anything for a while. My item arrived reeking of smoke and was packed in a used dog food box (Vera Bradley item). I was so disgusted that it turned me off of Ebay for a long while. To make matters even worse, Ebay erased the poor feedback that I left for the buyer because I chose not to return the item. I didn't bother returning it because it would have cost me more money in my time and packing materials than the item was worth. I am finding the same items on Amazon that I would buy on Ebay.

Please remember this was not Ebay that gave you such a bad deal, this was the seller. I am on both sides of the fence as a buyer and seller and use the buyer side of me to treat people how I want to be treated. I've gotten a ornament that wreaked of smoke and still does to this day -- I even tried putting it in a bag with a dryer sheet. When I buy I always watch for the "smoke free" message. Also, when I sell I make sure that my auctions say "smoke free and Pet free" always! This was important to me because of it happening to me, so I'm sure it's important to others like myself. Personally I don't like when a seller lists something and doesn't describe it, now that is bad. I on the other hand go overboard and am way too honest. Heck, recently someone paid me for 2 items they won and before I could do an invoice and adjust the shipping, the buyer paid for 2 sets of shipping once ebay did an automatic invoice before I could adjust the total. I felt so bad that this buyer didn't wait for me to do an adjustment, I just went to paypal and sent him a refund of the second shipping fee -- and I didn't even get a thank you or even feedback. I don't know too many sellers that would've done that. I think one of the things that bugs me the most on Ebay is the other sellers. I have a ton of unique things since my husband use to work for the Disney Catalog, and the BIG sellers try to buy up my stock before the true collectors can so that they can resell it at twice the price I sold it for. Yes, I got my money that I was hoping for, but since I'm selling my collections, I guess deep down I hope that someone who really wants the item will win/buy it. I'm just a softie I guess. While I have a ton of stuff I won't sell, I have a ton of stuff that got shoved in the closets that I just don't collect anymore, so why not offer it to someone else to love.

 

[Jerseymomof2]

I used to sell stuff on ebay and the take the $$ I made to buy more items. But now that I am out of work the $$ I make selling stuff goes to groceries. No more buying for me.

 

[nunzia]

Please remember this was not Ebay that gave you such a bad deal, this was the seller. I am on both sides of the fence as a buyer and seller and use the buyer side of me to treat people how I want to be treated. I've gotten a ornament that wreaked of smoke and still does to this day -- I even tried putting it in a bag with a dryer sheet. When I buy I always watch for the "smoke free" message. Also, when I sell I make sure that my auctions say "smoke free and Pet free" always! This was important to me because of it happening to me, so I'm sure it's important to others like myself. Personally I don't like when a seller lists something and doesn't describe it, now that is bad. I on the other hand go overboard and am way too honest. Heck, recently someone paid me for 2 items they won and before I could do an invoice and adjust the shipping, the buyer paid for 2 sets of shipping once ebay did an automatic invoice before I could adjust the total. I felt so bad that this buyer didn't wait for me to do an adjustment, I just went to paypal and sent him a refund of the second shipping fee -- and I didn't even get a thank you or even feedback. I don't know too many sellers that would've done that. I think one of the things that bugs me the most on Ebay is the other sellers. I have a ton of unique things since my husband use to work for the Disney Catalog, and the BIG sellers try to buy up my stock before the true collectors can so that they can resell it at twice the price I sold it for. Yes, I got my money that I was hoing for, but since I'm selling my collections, I guess deep down I hope that someone who really wants the item will win/buy it. I'm just a softie I guess. While I have a ton of stuff I won't sell, I have a ton of stuff that got shoved in the closests that I just don't collect anymore, so why not offer it to someone else to love.

What's your ebay name?

 

[Colleen27]

As a buyer the shipping costs did me in. I like shopping there for fabric but I'm not paying $10 shipping for a $2, quarter-yard cut of material. A lot of sellers seem to be trying to make up for the low selling prices on their shipping/processing charge and I have no interest in playing that game. Etsy is generally more reasonable on that front and there are often good deals to be found on supplies there as well.

 

[n2mm]

What's your ebay name?

I'm JJT219

 

[inkedupmomma]

If your items do not arrive within two weeks, contact the seller and give them the opportunity to explain. If you do not receive appropriate response and do not receive the items as described in the description, you have PayPal to use as a resource to receive a refund of your payment. The seller should provide you with a tracking number for your shipment.

If the items you receive do not match the description, and you pursue a refund through PayPal, you may need to return the items. If this happens, make sure you photograph the items before you ship them back to the seller. Also, make sure you purchase delivery confirmation.

I have had a few issues with some of my eBay purchases, but the majority were wonderful and problem free.

the man was very quick with responding to me until he received my payment. He did send me a short email in response to an email I sent, saying im heading to post office soon. However, I have not received any shipping/tracking info.

I'm getting super nervous about this

 

[cari12]

I think with E-commerce taking off, you can buy most things directly from the company that sells them without the middleman of an Ebay seller. For example, I used to buy party favours for my kids birthday parties from Ebay but now Dollar Tree has ship to store an most their items. Much easier and cheaper.

 

[preschoolmom]

I don't feel like the prices on e-Bay are that great. It used to be, you were competing against other sellers in an auction - and you could "win" some great deals. Now, it's all buy it now, or the shipping + purchase price isn't really a great deal.

I live in an area with all the shopping you could ever need - so there is no incentive to use e-Bay if it isn't a good deal.

 

[bpesch]

Ebay has pretty much shot themselves in the foot over the past few years. Highter fees, ridiculous rules and restrictions and a site that encourages buyers to complain about each purchase they made so "buyer protection" can kick in and refund them. It's gotten ridiculous for sellers. The sad part is that Ebay can't figure it out!

 

[chabs]

Please remember this was not Ebay that gave you such a bad deal, this was the seller. I am on both sides of the fence as a buyer and seller and use the buyer side of me to treat people how I want to be treated. I've gotten a ornament that wreaked of smoke and still does to this day -- I even tried putting it in a bag with a dryer sheet. When I buy I always watch for the "smoke free" message. Also, when I sell I make sure that my auctions say "smoke free and Pet free" always! This was important to me because of it happening to me, so I'm sure it's important to others like myself. Personally I don't like when a seller lists something and doesn't describe it, now that is bad. I on the other hand go overboard and am way too honest. Heck, recently someone paid me for 2 items they won and before I could do an invoice and adjust the shipping, the buyer paid for 2 sets of shipping once ebay did an automatic invoice before I could adjust the total. I felt so bad that this buyer didn't wait for me to do an adjustment, I just went to paypal and sent him a refund of the second shipping fee -- and I didn't even get a thank you or even feedback. I don't know too many sellers that would've done that. I think one of the things that bugs me the most on Ebay is the other sellers. I have a ton of unique things since my husband use to work for the Disney Catalog, and the BIG sellers try to buy up my stock before the true collectors can so that they can resell it at twice the price I sold it for. Yes, I got my money that I was hoping for, but since I'm selling my collections, I guess deep down I hope that someone who really wants the item will win/buy it. I'm just a softie I guess. While I have a ton of stuff I won't sell, I have a ton of stuff that got shoved in the closets that I just don't collect anymore, so why not offer it to someone else to love.

Obviously I don't blame Ebay for the smokey item-and the seller did state SMOKE FREE in the auction. My problem with Ebay is that they erased the negative feedback that I left for the seller. I think this is a total scam because it makes me wonder how many times this happens. The feedback system is a joke and I no longer trust it, especially after this incident. Most everything on Ebay can be bought on Amazon now, with fast and free shipping and hassle-free returns. Plus, I get points on my Chase Amazon card for buying through them, so Ebay loses. Which is too bad for the small sellers, because I used to sell on Ebay way back when before Ebay and Payal got really greedy. Erasing poor feedback for an obviously bad seller was the last straw for me.