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Newcastle, OntarioThis was on one of the ebay boards, written from a buyers point of view. It's actually this person's ME page, on Ebay. It's long but it's well written and makes a lot of great points:
A SAD DAY
I registered with eBay on August 25, 1999. I can still remember the first item I purchased. It was a little monkey figurine missing from my Catlantis collection. I couldn’t find it anywhere locally, and I tried eBay. I won it for my first bid and I was hooked. After a while, I decided that I needed to thin out some of my collections and started selling. I sold my first item, without even the benefit of a camera. I was shocked at some of the prices my used items garnered, but I used those funds to purchase other items on eBay. Eventually, I sold for other people as a trading assistant, and helped others thin their collections of clutter. I’ve had my share of not-so-easy transactions and I’ve even had one or two truly terrible transactions, but I kept on going. I enjoyed what eBay was....a great way to buy things that I wanted and sell things that I no longer needed. I read policies, visited the forums, asked questions, and became a pretty savvy eBay user. I "met" people from all over the world, many of whom I keep in contact with on a personal level.
I have recently begun a new passion: scrapbooking. I know this mostly ordinary hobby bores some people to tears, but I find putting my artistic flair to paper and making something truly personal for myself and my family, very cathartic after a hectic day at work. When I started scrapbooking, I didn’t bother with the typical "chain" stores in my area for my supplies....I came directly to eBay. Searching for things was easy, finding great items at great prices was the reason I shopped here. I stuck to mostly BIN items (mostly because I’m very impatient), but once in a while, I bid on an auction. I discovered a whole new world of scrapbooking and I can truthfully say that I’ve spent nearly $3000 on these items in the past 6 months strictly from eBay. I’ve bought everything from one piece of paper at a few cents, to digital downloaded patterns for paper piecing at a few dollars, to a die cutting machine costing over $500. Never once in all those transactions, did I consider a time when eBay wasn’t my "go-to" place for supplies.
However, now eBay has decided they don’t want my business any longer. Or, they only want my "high-end" purchases to be made there. I have a problem with the way eBay has overlooked me in their equation of "the buyer experience". They never asked me one time what I wanted from eBay. Not many buyers with a long track record can recall being asked about what they wanted from eBay. I can't remember a time when eBay ever listened to anyone other than themselves anyway, so I find it hard to believe that they were "listening" to buyers anyway. I can tell you that there is nothing about the current and upcoming changes that "enhances" this buyer’s experience. To the contrary, it will only serve to make it harder for me to purchase items that I love on eBay. Oh, I'll still buy them, just not here. I'll move my purchasing to other venues, and along with it, my slice of the eBay commission.
First, there’s no more bad feedback for buyers. Great you say? To that I’d ask, have you ever sold anything? Have you ever had a buyer hold you over the coals for partial refunds, rebates on shipping, freebies, etc? Have you ever been a potential victim of a scammer from Nigeria or Romania? Until you’ve sold something on eBay, and have been in that position, then you have no business making an informed decision about feedback. On three ID’s I’ve never been denied access to a transaction as a buyer due to my feedback rating....even when it was a zero...and even when I’ve left deservedly bad feedback for a seller. Now, it’s more difficult as a buyer to figure out if the seller was the problem or if the buyer was just unable to either read and agree to the seller’s TOS. Were there problems with a few sellers and feedback "retaliation"? Sure, but why make everyone pay?
Next is the "best match" search. Do I really need eBay to tell me what they think I "ought" to buy? If eBay really cared about me as a buyer, they’d help me find what I’m looking for, not steer me into what they want me to buy. How does hiding a good seller’s items from my search just because they have lower feedback numbers, no DSRs, or higher than "eBay acceptable" shipping help me as a buyer exactly? Some of the seller’s I’ve seen on the top of the best match search lists have such truly negative TOS, that I’m not sure how my buying experience would be enhanced with one of these pillars of the eBay world.
Next, eBay, in their infinite wisdom, has decided that BIN items under $1.00 are a scam and only are listed to "manipulate feedback". If the above isn’t eBay manipulating feedback already, what difference would this make? But, since many of the items I’ve purchased fall in this range of prices, especially all those neat little geegaws for scrapbooking, and since I traditionally buy dozens of under $1.00 items from the same seller at a time, can someone explain to me just HOW removing a large segment of items from my shopping experience can serve to "enhance" it? Where do I go now for these items? I have no local stores selling these items, and really...what need have I of 500 brads at $5.00, when 25 at 50 cents will do? Buyers of all sorts of items from trading cards, postcards, coasters, match book covers, swizzle sticks, craft items, and hundreds of other low-cost, but highly collected and dearly loved items, are now going to be removed from the site. Oh sure, there will be large "lots" of items at a higher cost, but what about those that don’t want to spend a small fortune on a "lot" just to gain one item, or have no need of a lot? Some of the best Stores I’ve found on eBay, I found because of a low-cost item that I just had to have.
Next, is the removal of the digital download category. Doesn’t affect you because you don’t buy penny recipes for feedback you say? Well, unless you’ve visited the digital category and seen that there’s a lot more than just penny recipes and e-books, then have some sympathy for those of us that use this category to find creative scrapbooking patterns for paper piecing, templates for digital scrapbooking, logos, original clipart, web design, and a whole myriad of other legitimate items. I don’t want a CD sent to me in the mail for these items....I just want to download them onto my computer and keep my desk free from more clutter. CDs are expensive for sellers and the postage is unnecessary. Maybe eBay hasn’t heard of I-tunes? For eBay to say that digital downloads are all scams for feedback manipulation is like saying that nobody could legitimately deliver a product over the internet without a nefarious purpose. If that’s the case, I’d have to start questioning eBay’s purpose in delivering THEIR product over the internet.
Now comes the hidden bidder shiller program. ‘Nuff said about this one. I refused to bid on items over $200 when this policy came into being for that class of items. Now, since it’s de rigeur across the board, I’ll either bid the opening bid and hope I win, or I skip the auction and do a BIN from another seller. I will not bid against any unknown person for any item. Its not that I believe that sellers are inherently dishonest, but I’m not willing to gamble with my money.
Lastly we come to the new 21 day paypal hold for some sellers. This is one change that seems good for buyers on the surface. It is designed to make sure that new sellers, or sellers with shipping or quality issues, aren’t able to take a buyer’s funds without delivering the item. I say seems good, because as a seller, you aren’t really going to know about the hold until it happens...as a buyer, you aren’t notified by paypal at all. Since the shipping funds are also held up, many casual sellers have the potential of not being able to ship the item to the buyer. As a buyer, do you really want to wait over 21 days to receive your item? Do you believe a seller when they tell you they’re subject to the hold? How do you differentiate from a poor seller who is just too lazy to ship and uses the hold as an excuse? What happens if you purchase an item, the seller waits 21 days, then ships and the item has not arrived at day 44? Parcel post, media mail, and holiday/weather shipping delays can all cause items not to arrive in a timely fashion and most agree that its only fair to wait 21 days to begin questioning a seller when using some lower-cost methods of shipping. How many INR reports, chargebacks, and trashed feedback for sellers, who are just trying to sell stuff, are there going to be?
With all the changes on eBay, I question whether eBay really wants good, steady, constant buyers to remain or if they’d rather just have the occasional high-dollar buyer. Less sales, means less listing, which means less items, which means higher prices for the items remaining. Higher ending prices means higher profits for eBay, which after all is the goal of any business. If others are hurt by the policies instituted by eBay, so much the better as the ones that are left will be the "creme de la creme", the elite, the highest producers- right? I think that when buying a car on eBay from General Motors becomes the norm, there is no difference between eBay and any other commercial site and no reason to look at eBay any differently and measure them using the same yardstick. With that yardstick being the same, eBay comes up lacking. Customer service, ease of use, reliability, lack of inane advertising, are just a few of the areas where eBay trails its competition by a long shot.
It’s too bad that eBay can’t understand that they need the steady lower-cost item buyer just as much as the guy who buys a car one time or that they’ve killed many a seller’s business with these changes. It’s no longer about adapting to the changes. eBay has made it impossible for many sellers to continue. And with it, eBay has made it impossible for a large section of buyers to find a reason to stay.
I dont' shop on eBay. I shop WITH eBay sellers.
BrisbaneI can see where this ebayer is coming from. I am a frequent buyer myself. I purchase a lot of my craft and bear making supplies from ebay. I also find its a good way to find bear makers - but since many of you are leaving ebay I guess that will be harder to do( I will always have TT!). The idea that sellers cannot leave negative feedback for buyers is absolutely stupid. This then allows the dodgy buyers to continue on ebay - another reason for sellers to avoid it.
Ebay doesn't seem to be making any changes that will keep the buyers and sellers, or attract any new ones - in fact it looks like people are leaving in droves. Now that there is more competition you think they would be trying to entice people to use ebay with favourable conditions. I guess the guys in charge there really don't give a hoot about the people who use the site. Well, they will care when no one is left to buy and sell. 
Posts: 3,540All I can say is 'corporate takeover'. The upper management seems to classically alienate the very customer base that the business was firmly built on.
My main question is where are the other auctions that should be rushing in to help these abandoned powersellers in their time of need? Google doesn't seem to have come forth and the other sites seem to be wanding around in their own haze. And by other sites, I mean other general, all over items, not just for teddy bears. 
KezjoyKritterzYeah..ebay has gone mad..On Aussie ebay they are making Paypal the ONLY way you can pay (except for cash on pickup..which is fine if you live nearby I guess)..so sellers now have to pay a listing fee, final valuation fee and a paypal fee..A lot of buyers are complaining they don't want to use paypal as they don't want to put their credit card/bank details online..and others don't have a credit card..so theyre leaving ebay..it is rumoured that they are testing out the ONLY Paypal on the aussie site before taking it to all ebay sites..they say its for buyer safety..but what about seller safety?? the sellers pay all the fees and have virtually no security that they won't get a chargeback..Ive heard of people who show proof of postage..and still paypal refund the buyer..i think peope will just take to other avenues like Etsy and other online auctions
Kerrilyn
Matilda Huggington-beareIt may have been long but boy she held my attention.
julietkvery well put I agree with all of it . did you know thier latest idea is to monitor sellers to see which computer they use to list ,they say it is to stop copy listings by scammers but what about people who use thier work computer too or cybercafes and what about our privacy 
MerBear OriginalsIf they make Paypal the only way to pay then here is a potential problem. As I said in an earlier post - I bought some trimming scissors from a US sellor. The scissors were $9.50 with $10 shipping...a bit high but I bought them. Didn't notice the fine print saying he didn't accept non-US PayPal accounts. Went to pay and found out the hard way. I had to send him cash, or a money order, registered to make sure he got it. The registered letter cost me $13 !!!! Not happy! So - if they make PayPal the only way - does that mean they only sell in their own country?
Marion
If they make Paypal the only way to pay then here is a potential problem. As I said in an earlier post - I bought some trimming scissors from a US sellor. The scissors were $9.50 with $10 shipping...a bit high but I bought them. Didn't notice the fine print saying he didn't accept non-US PayPal accounts. Went to pay and found out the hard way. I had to send him cash, or a money order, registered to make sure he got it. The registered letter cost me $13 !!!! Not happy! So - if they make PayPal the only way - does that mean they only sell in their own country?
Marion
Overseas sellers who sell to Australian buyers aren't covered with Paypal because we don't have confirmed addresses so the seller protection doesn't apply no matter *how* it is shipped- YET with these new paypal only thing (oh and even if we Aussies list on US ebay we can only take paypal!) the seller protection for Australian sellers is (supposedly) as simple as proof of postage or shipping with the correct address on it, such as Registered Post. None of this online tracking number stuff, just something that can be faxed to Paypal should a dispute arise..
Oh and the killer is- for protection for overseas sales they suggest International Registered Post- which my Post Office says doesn't exist 
Posts: 3,540This does not seem to be well thought out. It sounds like Paypal is requiring things that don't exist. 
Posts: 8,574Very interesting letter, thoughtful and well written. However she overlooked something; by holding funds for 21 days they get the interest and thats a simple net gain. In other words they are a bank without being FDIC insured and what guarantees they do offer are pretty p poor. an unregulated bank-sounds like the Ricoh statue should get them in trouble.
But it wont.
dilu
Thanks for posting that Brenda! very valid points.
hugs!
Melanie
