Where did all the ebay buyers go?

[DianeV]

What I hate is that a buyer can leave me a neg or neutral for no reason and I cant do anything about it. they no longer want to work with a seller if they arent happy, they just leave a negative. We have gotten so many 'newer' ebayers lately who leave ridiculous comments on feedback that are not even true. I just dont get that

And then when I have a buyer who doesnt pay I cant even leave them a negative so others know. It stinks that no buyer will ever have less than 100% feedback. How ridiculous is that? In the last month we had 6 non paying bidders. 6! And nothing happens to them. I dont know what the number of non paying final value refunds against a buyer to get suspended anymore but they must raised it because I had some that sellers were leaving negative comments with a positive feedback since that is all you can do and they are still active on ebay..

And the fee on the shipping costs? That is such a joke. We are re-evaluating selling on ebay as we dont make enough to justify the time put into it all

 

[cathy0124]

Count me in as one of the former E-bay buyers who stopped when they forced everything thru Paypal.

Hate Paypal and refuse to use them for any shopping. If I'm on another website and all they offer is Paypal, then my cart gets emptied and I don't go back.

I've been using Craigslist and good old-fashioned estate sales.

Cathy

 

[POPCITY]

I used to buy on EBay a lot, but quit a few years ago. Too many things were "buy it now", and the prices were always too high that way. The other thing that turned me off was the shipping. Shipping used to be realistic, the last few times I looked at things the shipping was more than the item, and a complete ripoff. I remember one wanting $8.00 to ship a paperback book. That's ridiculous.

 

[disneychrista]

I stopped using ebay after my Paypal account was hacked. I cancelled both my Paypal & Ebay account.

 

[ajh88]

I remember one wanting $8.00 to ship a paperback book. That's ridiculous.

It baffles me how this can happen. I listed some lots of books. Because of the category I was listing in, I was BLOCKED from charging what shipping would actually be...there was a maximum amount I could charge to ship (maybe $3 or something - I don't recall exactly). Anyway, far less than what it would cost to ship a lot of several hardback books. I don't understand how sellers circumvent that system that was put in place specifically to protect buyers from being gouged on shipping.

Add to that, the unscrupulous sellers who would list an item for $1 then charge $50 to ship it - thank those folks for the new rules about paying FVF on shipping charges too. Ridiculous. I have a few things to sell at the moment but I'm wondering if I should even bother...

FWIW, I'm not a huge fan of Craigslist either - I prefer the anonymity of ebay in all honesty and I don't really like people knowing where I live (as in the case of a car we are thinking of listing on the site). I try not to be too paranoid, but sometimes I can't help it.

 

[budafam]

I boxed up all of my baby clothes and was planning on putting them all on Ebay. I have taken pictures of 7 of the boxes already (each individual picture and then a group) and wrote down all the descriptions. Well... I put one box on there just to see how it would do and there were 19 pieces in it including 2 Gymboree 3 piece outfits & brand new Gap tennis shoes. I got one bid of $0.99 Saddest day ever. I would've kept that stuff for my daughter instead of doing all that work for not even $1. I'm not sure what to do with everything else now. I have it on Craigslist but it's not budging.

 

[n2mm]

I boxed up all of my baby clothes and was planning on putting them all on Ebay. I have taken pictures of 7 of the boxes already (each individual picture and then a group) and wrote down all the descriptions. Well... I put one box on there just to see how it would do and there were 19 pieces in it including 2 Gymboree 3 piece outfits & brand new Gap tennis shoes. I got one bid of $0.99 Saddest day ever. I would've kept that stuff for my daughter instead of doing all that work for not even $1. I'm not sure what to do with everything else now. I have it on Craigslist but it's not budging.

That is really sad. I know, it's alot of work. I use to do the .99 auctions, but no more. By the time ebay and paypal got their cut, you probably got about .10 (if that) esp. since ebay now gets 9% of both the cost and shipping cost. Clothes just don't seem to sell. I've even tried selling new items with tags on them. For example: I have a couple of disney camis/tops, brand new with tags and can't move them and they are new....they were $22 ec (though we got them on sale) and I was only asking $5 ec and selling both together and the total shipping for both together was only $4 and still no hits, not even a watcher. This is the 4th time I've listed them, but the last. I will pack them away if I get no takers again. I would suggest you try again, but don't list for .99 anymore. I will only list what I'm willing to accept and no less. Sometimes I have to list something 3 or 4 times before it sells, but often it will sell eventually. BTW--summer is just a bad time to sell stuff...in the winter, folks spend more time on their computer, but in the summer not so much time. I find when I sell stuff it seems to be during the work week (I"m guess while folks are at work?). Good luck.

 

[dhardawa]

I was buying and selling on Ebay when it first came out in the 90's and loved it. Then the fees started rising. Paypal was pretty good and as long as you didn't accept credit cards, it was free. Then Ebay bought Paypal and suddenly you had to accept credit cards (i.e. had to pay fees on everything so they could double dip on your auction). Then, they made acceptance of Paypal mandatory so there was no way to not pay the second set of fees. The fees went up. The fees went up more. The fees went up even more. Shipping prices went through the roof. (I remember when up to 2 lbs could ship Priority Mail for under $3.) Then Paypal got to where a buyer could buy an item and file with Paypal to get his/her money back for pretty much any reason and would win. So, there was no security for a seller. Then they started holding the funds for certain purchases but expecting the seller to ship anyway. For me, the final straw was when they stopped letting sellers leave negative feedback. A buyer can do absolutely anything and a seller can't even warn other sellers of the buyer's reputation.

So, essentially, Ebay has slowly screwed sellers over completely and most have left. When I'm not selling on Ebay, I stop thinking about it when looking for an item. Most sellers were also buyers. When those sellers leave, they also leave as buyers.

 

[ajh88]

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.

Here's the thing though...you sound like you have a valid complaint and I understand *why* you didn't want to send the item back. However, it is pretty clear that in order to "win" in disputes, you have to return the item to the seller - that is quite possibly the reason the feedback was erased. Think of it from the seller's perspective - you complained about the bag but refused to send it back...from their side, maybe they think you are scamming them, KWIM? **I am NOT accusing you of scamming anybody - just pointing out the other side of the argument.**

This is a touchy subject for me because my one and only neutral came from a person who felt just this way. I sold an OLD toy and one that I thought was in good condition for 99 cents. It cost me about $8 to ship it (more than what I charged in the auction, so yes, I lost money from the get-go). Anyway, buyer receives the item and says it is broken. I refund her the 99 cent selling price and tell her I'll be happy to refund shipping if and when she returns the item to me. She refuses - states it is too expensive and she just wants her shipping fee back. She leaves a neutral when I tell her that I will only refund shipping if she returns the item (ebay policy). I guess I could have caved, but at that point, she would have had my item, free shipping, and a total refund. Is that "fair" to the seller? In the end, she got the item for free but did have to pay shipping.

Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now...I actually don't understand how ebay can charge fees on shipping, but I guess they have figured out a way.

 

[nunzia]

I used to buy on EBay a lot, but quit a few years ago. Too many things were "buy it now", and the prices were always too high that way. The other thing that turned me off was the shipping. Shipping used to be realistic, the last few times I looked at things the shipping was more than the item, and a complete ripoff. I remember one wanting $8.00 to ship a paperback book. That's ridiculous.

If you list a book in the BOOKS sections (not in some other category) then you are only allowed to charge no more than $4.00. This is usually PLENTY, but when I sell big heavy books or book sets I eat the additional shipping cost. I'm going to have to raise shipping rates..the Post Office has raised them. An item that weighs a bit over a pound costs over $7.00 to ship..I repackaged it to hit 1 pound and it was $2.00 less. I look for FAIR shipping costs..when I shop at regular online stores I go to great lengths to find free shipping..but private little sellers really can't eat these costs. If I'm selling something very light I'll offer free shipping, but I've included the cost of shipping into my price.
I should really not sell in the summer..some buyers got great deals though!
Also had some wacky buyers..just recently a buyer asked me during the auction if I would take a money order. I explained I couldn't, Ebay didn't allow, and this fact is stated CLEARLY in my listing. So..this person wins the auction and then INSISTS I take a Money Order. No.....explain again, so the person goes off on me about being unreasonable, and how 'everyone else does it', on and on..then she leaves me a neutral that deal fell through and NOT HER FAULT..really?? Also I sold for very cheaply an old children's book..lady compains it has damage I missed. OK..send it back and I'll refund. Will I pay for total auction + shipping cost? Sure..then I get pegged to pay for her RETURN shipping (which basically even Ebay says buyer needs to buy) It's a small amount and I value my feedback..OK. So I lose money on the deal, get the book back and still don't see this 'damage'. People like this I block. I also had someone who wanted a refund but rerfused to send the item back. Uh..no..they filed a dispute and finally Ebay forced them to return it to get a refund, which I had offered all along. Arguing isn't worth it. I'll take stuff back and refund them.

 

[wasnotafan]

Not as many sellers on there anymore with all the fees being charged. Everytime you turn around they come up with something different to take your money. It used to be listing fees, now the're gone (for some sellers), but bring in higher FV fees, add in the new FV fees on SHIPPING costs and then add in the costs to post pictures, when you want to start an auction, etc etc. It's really rediculous.

Not as many sellers....not as many buyers. Used to be where small sellers could make a small profit and feed their families and the only winners now is eBay and Paypal. Average cost to sell an item is now above 20% of the final selling price!!!! That is just plane crazy when ebay and paypal do no work except hosting a site.

Exactly

 

[seashoreCM]

I ... was planning on putting them all on Ebay. I have taken pictures of ... I got one bid of $0.99 ... Saddest day ever. ... I have it on Craigslist but it's not budging.

Ah, where did all the Craigslist buyers go?

Also had some wacky buyers..just recently a buyer asked me during the auction if I would take a money order. I explained I couldn't, Ebay didn't allow, and this fact is stated CLEARLY in my listing. So..this person wins the auction and then INSISTS I take a Money Order.

I'll quietly take money orders. Main disadvantage is the time it takes for the money order to arrive in the mail.