Let me start by saying that I fell in love with Ebay several years ago, I accidentally started a side business for myself after coming across a few items that I knew I could get a decent profit for if I was to sell them online, as a result I sold thousands of items, and made a healthy profit margin of around 30% when you take out all of their fee’s, in money terms I was making an extra £800 a month for doing very little, I would buy from one online outlet and get them to send it to the buyer on Ebay.
I had a 100% feedback, then in one week I had a customer claim that the item I sent was broke on arrival, even though I offered him a full refund and a replacement I was given a negative report, these things can happen but then Ebay told me that they would be keeping any future money I received for up to 21 days, this obviously ends my business as I needed the initial payment to pay for the goods to be sent, added to this I was clearing £2/300 a week, if you multiply this by the millions of people using Ebay and they have a nice little interest building up in their account that previously wasn’t there, this angered me greatly, they have the power to collect any money paid out to you, or as Paypal call it reverse the payment at a later date so why would Ebay now insist on keeping hold of hundreds of thousands of people’s money if it wasn’t for making money out of the very people who create all the revenue in the first place, if there is nothing to sell there is nothing to buy!
I had several robotic email conversations with Ebay, who always responded with a scripted response that made very little sense to anyone living on this planet which I am sure was it’s purpose.
I very rarely use Ebay now, I haven’t sold anything on there for years after my experience with them, I did buy a pair of jeans from a company on Ebay for my two-year old child, after a month my son came running into the room with blood all over his face, we were clueless about how this had happened until we found the jeans purchased from Ebay and noticed one of the buttons had fallen off and underneath there was a harsh sharp piece of metal that looked a lot like a mini knife, I am guessing these jeans were made in China and had limited safety checks for things like this, I contacted Ebay, they were not concerned for my sons nice new scar but did say they could probably refund my money that I had paid for the brand new jeans, I told them they were missing the point with regards to the danger that lay ahead for future customers of this company that were selling these cheap knock offs, I said I wish to contact the company direct, they refused to give a postal address, they told me that I would have to contact their head office in Luxemburg via post if I wanted to complain about the transaction or this company, they said sending an email was not possible and that it had to be done via post and sent to another country altogether, this for me is Ebay just trying to fob the buyer off , we live in 2014 and you can pretty much send anything on email nowadays apart from a serious complaint to Ebay.
So I have been screwed not only as a buyer but also as a seller, here are several other accounts of people’s experiences on Ebay….
) 
Here’s one for you… I had a PREMIUM store, which is $59.95 on a yearly subscription. Because I have a below standard rating in GLOBAL (not U.S.) I have a listing limitation on my account. SO, I can’t use the Premium store anymore, it’s pointless. After 2 hours on the phone explaining why the guy who sent a BROKEN, CHEWED up system back to me should NOT count against me (and that would take me out of lower status)… I was told NO, and that I would be charged $82 to cancel my Premium store since my year wasn’t up. So, let me get this straight… I was not backed up by eBay on a defective return. Had I been, I would NOT be in lower standing. I am FORCED to closed my Premium store due to the limitations, but will be CHARGED an early termination fee. Wow… no really. After 14+ years as a seller on eBay, I am just floored. Millions of dollars of transactions and I get a big FYOU from eBay. So, yeah. I’m out as soon as I can get free.
One “defective” transaction in more than 1200 last week (USPS failed to deliver a single baseball card, a $25 item). Seller never contacted me. Tracking showed it stalled in delivery at his post office. I should have acted sooner than I did, but nonetheless I feel I was unfairly blamed by eBay for circumstances beyond my control. I refunded the seller his money; he had opened a claim without contacting me. He still never responded to my query as to why. Goodbye, eBay. I sincerely hope your company fails because you have just punished one great seller.
(570 
) View Listings
I have sold on ebay for over a decade and have seen ebay from the “glory days” through it’s current situation. I also have invested thousands in inventory that I’m just sitting on now becasue I don’t want to give it away to some buyer on ebay that has figured out PayPal’s “FREE ITEMS—buyer protection program.” I have had a good run on ebay and ebay put my daughter through college, but that’s all changed now. Ebay is a very bizzare experience for the seller compared to what it once was.
– last edited on by 
hawk_s
eBay lost its ways. I hope the founder is seeing this and fire all the execs that is ruining brand. Also, paypal’s days are numbered with apple pay!
(200 
) View Listings
The issue is that eBay is not run by principled men. It’s run by people who have no concern or desire beyond making money for themselves. The fact is, there are tons of places to buy things. There are very few places to sell. Therefore, it makes sense (from a purely financial standpoint) for eBay to tilt the scales in favor of the buyers. Why wouldn’t they? Buyers can go elsewhere. Sellers can’t.
