Capitalization consequences of Ebay Kicking off 15,000 sellers....

[slym2none]

Well, in some cases, you can - offer free shipping and you can't get your shipping DSR dinged.

 

 

 

 

-slym

[Kramerica]

Let me get this straight.

 

Ebay got rid of 15,000 sub par sellers, and that is a bad thing?

 

That's not entirely accurate. You can actually perform as promised and still get cut as a 'poor' seller.

 

eBay makes these cuts on using a variety of criteria but a majority of the criteria can be and is the Seller's ratings that sellers receive from buyers. Those buyers rate a seller on a rating of 0 - 5 on how they feel the seller performed.

 

What is unfair, is that those rates are made anonymously by buyers and even if a seller has delivered as promised, the buyer can at a whim affect the seller's income, their standing in eBay's eyes etc by leaving a low rating.

 

You don't know who left the low rating.

You don't know why they left the low rating.

The rating can be entirely unaccurate.

Your standing as a seller is affected negatively regardless.

 

 

And that's it in a nut-shell. Thanks VC (thumbs u

[comicwiz]

Well, in some cases, you can - offer free shipping and you can't get your shipping DSR dinged.

 

 

 

 

-slym

 

My last eBay transaction I found out they charged me 10% of the final bid price, and on top of that, a fee for shipping. I could not believe it. eBay did absolutely nothing to procure the shipping - that was all on me. The shipping amount was high because it was being shipped Internationally, and the insurance on the item alone was $20. When I asked them if they were on crack for thinking they could just take money from me without lifting a finger, they quickly refunded my money.

 

Their excuse for taking it is they are trying to discourage shipping profiteering, and I replied, so in cracking down on bad sellers scamming buyers, you lump everyone who ships, which include good sellers, and are turning the tables and starting to profit from your members instead?

 

In essence they are extorting sellers by forcing them to either ship for free, or pay a fee for shipping. So yeah, this is a sore point for me because it's caused everyone to hide the shipping costs in the item, causing all prices to rise, simply because eBay saw it as an opportunity to make more money.

[ItsJustRyan]

So, it is a "he said, she said" kind of thing?

 

 

Well, it's sort of like this - an anonymous buyer gives their opinion to eBay about what type of seller you are, and you can't say or do anything to defend yourself.

 

 

More like a 'they said, period.' kind of thing.

 

I gave up my top rated seller status and 'settled' for power seller status.

 

I realized quickly that I do this because I enjoy it, but felt like eBay was trying to be my boss (ship this in 24 hours, earn this score, offer returns, take it in the rear), so I said enough of that.

[ComicConnoisseur]

So, it is a "he said, she said" kind of thing?

 

 

Well, it's sort of like this - an anonymous buyer gives their opinion to eBay about what type of seller you are, and you can't say or do anything to defend yourself.

 

 

More like a 'they said, period.' kind of thing.

 

I gave up my top rated seller status and 'settled' for power seller status.

 

I realized quickly that I do this because I enjoy it, but felt like eBay was trying to be my boss (ship this in 24 hours, earn this score, offer returns, take it in the rear), so I said enough of that.

+1

One thing that gets me is the Ebay/Paypal fees. They are so high that technically one could buy a comic book for $ 19.99 today on EBay, but will find out if one tries to sell the same comic book for $19.99 on EBay tomorrow for $19.99 they will have lost money!

[mysterio]

Well, in some cases, you can - offer free shipping and you can't get your shipping DSR dinged.

 

 

 

 

-slym

 

My last eBay transaction I found out they charged me 10% of the final bid price, and on top of that, a fee for shipping. I could not believe it. eBay did absolutely nothing to procure the shipping - that was all on me. The shipping amount was high because it was being shipped Internationally, and the insurance on the item alone was $20. When I asked them if they were on crack for thinking they could just take money from me without lifting a finger, they quickly refunded my money.

 

Their excuse for taking it is they are trying to discourage shipping profiteering, and I replied, so in cracking down on bad sellers scamming buyers, you lump everyone who ships, which include good sellers, and are turning the tables and starting to profit from your members instead?

 

In essence they are extorting sellers by forcing them to either ship for free, or pay a fee for shipping. So yeah, this is a sore point for me because it's caused everyone to hide the shipping costs in the item, causing all prices to rise, simply because eBay saw it as an opportunity to make more money.

 

even if you give free shipping eBay is still charging 10% of the shipping price in a fee. They just want you to think they aren't.

 

Whether you sell an item at $10 with a $5 shipping charge or sell it at $15 with free shipping, eBay still gets the same fees, 10%. So if you bake the shipping fee into the BIN or asking price eBay still gets their cut. It is just more irritating when they do it out in the open with a direct fee on the shipping charge.

 

I always thought their rationale for tacking a FVF onto the shipping charge was laughable. Allegedly they did it to lower shipping prices to buyers, when it actually forced a lot of sellers, like me, to raise shipping prices to offset the fee. They just wanted another revenue stream and spun one there.

[fantastic_four]

+1

One thing that gets me is the Ebay/Paypal fees. They are so high that technically one could buy a comic book for $ 19.99 today on EBay, but will find out if one tries to sell the same comic book for $19.99 on EBay tomorrow for $19.99 they will have lost money!

 

That's true of any venue. What fees would be charged on a $20 item?

[Junkdrawer]

+1

One thing that gets me is the Ebay/Paypal fees. They are so high that technically one could buy a comic book for $ 19.99 today on EBay, but will find out if one tries to sell the same comic book for $19.99 on EBay tomorrow for $19.99 they will have lost money!

 

That's true of any venue. What fees would be charged on a $20 item?

approx 13%. Seriously are people buying $20 books and selling them for $20? Ive never tried this. Is it the in thing?

[seanfingh]

+1

One thing that gets me is the Ebay/Paypal fees. They are so high that technically one could buy a comic book for $ 19.99 today on EBay, but will find out if one tries to sell the same comic book for $19.99 on EBay tomorrow for $19.99 they will have lost money!

 

That's true of any venue. What fees would be charged on a $20 item?

approx 13%. Seriously are people buying $20 books and selling them for $20? Ive never tried this. Is it the in thing?

 

They make their money through volume.

[comicwiz]

Well, in some cases, you can - offer free shipping and you can't get your shipping DSR dinged.

 

 

 

 

-slym

 

My last eBay transaction I found out they charged me 10% of the final bid price, and on top of that, a fee for shipping. I could not believe it. eBay did absolutely nothing to procure the shipping - that was all on me. The shipping amount was high because it was being shipped Internationally, and the insurance on the item alone was $20. When I asked them if they were on crack for thinking they could just take money from me without lifting a finger, they quickly refunded my money.

 

Their excuse for taking it is they are trying to discourage shipping profiteering, and I replied, so in cracking down on bad sellers scamming buyers, you lump everyone who ships, which include good sellers, and are turning the tables and starting to profit from your members instead?

 

In essence they are extorting sellers by forcing them to either ship for free, or pay a fee for shipping. So yeah, this is a sore point for me because it's caused everyone to hide the shipping costs in the item, causing all prices to rise, simply because eBay saw it as an opportunity to make more money.

 

even if you give free shipping eBay is still charging 10% of the shipping price in a fee. They just want you to think they aren't.

 

Whether you sell an item at $10 with a $5 shipping charge or sell it at $15 with free shipping, eBay still gets the same fees, 10%. So if you bake the shipping fee into the BIN or asking price eBay still gets their cut. It is just more irritating when they do it out in the open with a direct fee on the shipping charge.

 

I always thought their rationale for tacking a FVF onto the shipping charge was laughable. Allegedly they did it to lower shipping prices to buyers, when it actually forced a lot of sellers, like me, to raise shipping prices to offset the fee. They just wanted another revenue stream and spun one there.

 

Either way, the entire scheme, whether illegal or immoral, is predicated upon fraud, deception and coercion. eBay buries the FVF on shipping in its constantly changing site policies, and the first thought that that runs through your mind when you catch up with the scheme is to question whether it's legal. For those who figure out what's happening and disagree with it, they are told to bypass the FVF on shipping by offering "free shipping."

 

So in essence, the seller must not only provide packing materials, handling time which includes a trip to the PO line, but in order not to be "penalized" by eBay's fee system, they now also have to pay for shipping on their own dime.

 

But wait, eBay's recommendation (and this is what I was told in a roundabout way on the phone) would be to tack on the shipping "costs" to the final price.

 

In other words, eBay is forcing sellers to defraud buyers in order to bypass FVF fees on shipping.

 

The whole framework is built on the pretext that buyers want free shipping, yet there is no evidence to support that claim, and quite the opposite would ring true if you were to see how many people complain every day in a forum thread, tweet, wall post on Facebook or on a v/blog about broken, damaged goods and shoddy packing jobs, with a trailing sentiment that buyers would actually be willing to pay more to ensure the item is packed with more thought, care and attention, and that includes using proper packing materials.

 

To reiterate, sellers are being advised to avoid the FVF fees by incorporating the shipping cost into the price of the item. I was personally instructed to do so when I complained about being charged a fee to ship to a buyer.

 

Following this to it's logical conclusion, because PayPal's requires a tracking-based evidence framework for eligibility under it's seller protection program, eBay stands to gain significantly higher FVF fees on shipping due to postal/courier companies charging exponentially higher fees on services which offer tracking and signature confirmation.

 

If after reading this you think people aren't adding the packing materials/shipping costs onto the item, and in turn inflating the price of goods being sold on eBay across the board, then please direct me to the equivalent of a food bank for packing materials or a place where one can get a "free shipping stamp."

 

eBay cannot compel you to break the law, but that's exactly what they did.

[Comicopolis]

Well, in some cases, you can - offer free shipping and you can't get your shipping DSR dinged.

 

 

 

 

-slym

 

My last eBay transaction I found out they charged me 10% of the final bid price, and on top of that, a fee for shipping. I could not believe it. eBay did absolutely nothing to procure the shipping - that was all on me. The shipping amount was high because it was being shipped Internationally, and the insurance on the item alone was $20. When I asked them if they were on crack for thinking they could just take money from me without lifting a finger, they quickly refunded my money.

 

Their excuse for taking it is they are trying to discourage shipping profiteering, and I replied, so in cracking down on bad sellers scamming buyers, you lump everyone who ships, which include good sellers, and are turning the tables and starting to profit from your members instead?

 

In essence they are extorting sellers by forcing them to either ship for free, or pay a fee for shipping. So yeah, this is a sore point for me because it's caused everyone to hide the shipping costs in the item, causing all prices to rise, simply because eBay saw it as an opportunity to make more money.

 

even if you give free shipping eBay is still charging 10% of the shipping price in a fee. They just want you to think they aren't.

 

Whether you sell an item at $10 with a $5 shipping charge or sell it at $15 with free shipping, eBay still gets the same fees, 10%. So if you bake the shipping fee into the BIN or asking price eBay still gets their cut. It is just more irritating when they do it out in the open with a direct fee on the shipping charge.

 

I always thought their rationale for tacking a FVF onto the shipping charge was laughable. Allegedly they did it to lower shipping prices to buyers, when it actually forced a lot of sellers, like me, to raise shipping prices to offset the fee. They just wanted another revenue stream and spun one there.

 

This.

[mschmidt]

Let me get this straight.

 

Ebay got rid of 15,000 sub par sellers, and that is a bad thing?

 

That's not entirely accurate. You can actually perform as promised and still get cut as a 'poor' seller.

 

No.

 

We've had this conversation before - the 15k sellers that were cut had received multiple warnings prior to being cut and had received consistent low DSRs over a longer period of time. We're not talking about a guy with 100% positive feedback who suddenly gets a single neg & a 1 star shipping rating - we're talking about people who are, in fact, sub-par sellers.

[towards2112]

Let me get this straight.

 

Ebay got rid of 15,000 sub par sellers, and that is a bad thing?

 

That's not entirely accurate. You can actually perform as promised and still get cut as a 'poor' seller.

 

No.

 

We've had this conversation before - the 15k sellers that were cut had received multiple warnings prior to being cut and had received consistent low DSRs over a longer period of time. We're not talking about a guy with 100% positive feedback who suddenly gets a single neg & a 1 star shipping rating - we're talking about people who are, in fact, sub-par sellers.

 

 

Michael chimes in with reality again. Bad Mikey !

[VintageComics]

Let me get this straight.

 

Ebay got rid of 15,000 sub par sellers, and that is a bad thing?

 

That's not entirely accurate. You can actually perform as promised and still get cut as a 'poor' seller.

 

No.

 

We've had this conversation before - the 15k sellers that were cut had received multiple warnings prior to being cut and had received consistent low DSRs over a longer period of time. We're not talking about a guy with 100% positive feedback who suddenly gets a single neg & a 1 star shipping rating - we're talking about people who are, in fact, sub-par sellers.

 

Sorry if I don't remember the conversation.

 

What is the criteria for getting cut, then?

 

 

[comicwiz]

Let me get this straight.

 

Ebay got rid of 15,000 sub par sellers, and that is a bad thing?

 

That's not entirely accurate. You can actually perform as promised and still get cut as a 'poor' seller.

 

No.

 

We've had this conversation before - the 15k sellers that were cut had received multiple warnings prior to being cut and had received consistent low DSRs over a longer period of time. We're not talking about a guy with 100% positive feedback who suddenly gets a single neg & a 1 star shipping rating - we're talking about people who are, in fact, sub-par sellers.

 

Sorry if I don't remember the conversation.

 

What is the criteria for getting cut, then?

 

 

Same here. I don't remember anyone else bringing it up other than blob. I vaguely recall FD talking about this too, but I can't remember the specifics of that thread (i.e. whether he got cut, or was sharing a link to a story about it).

[FlyingDonut]

Discussion was on seller limits, amongst other things.

[fantastic_four]

The whole framework is built on the pretext that buyers want free shipping, yet there is no evidence to support that claim

 

I'm sure they look at Amazon's stock price as all the evidence they need.

[comicwiz]

The whole framework is built on the pretext that buyers want free shipping, yet there is no evidence to support that claim

 

I'm sure they look at Amazon's stock price as all the evidence they need.

 

Speaking personally, that's a bit of a white whale example for me. In fact, I find on the contrary that not only do Amazon sellers charge for shipping, but they tack on a significant "Canadian tax" on many items, especially those in the outdoorsman category. I've found Amazon's site to be rife with barriers in this regard. A $50 item on Amazon.com is listed at nearly twice the price on Amazon.ca, plus shipping. I'm not allowed to order through Amazon.com so my only option is to pay through the nose on Amazon.ca, or source the exact same item from eBay.

 

The only exception seems to be books, but I refuse to buy anything from Amazon in this regard because the first and only time I ordered something from them was intended as a Christmas present for my Son, and the book arrived in a box that was too small for the book. So they crammed it in anyway and pretty much stuck me with a book that looked like it had been run over by a truck, when I paid "new" full-on retail price and it would be an understatement to say I was hardly thrilled about ending-up with a book a used book store wouldn't want due to its poor condition. Hard lesson to learn I guess, and if the saying "you get what you pay for" is Amazon's idea of bolstering sales, they can keep their "free shipping."

 

Edit: I recalled the exact example I last noticed when surfing on Amazon, and there are many others:

 

Garrett MD Sand Scoop - $38.79 free shipping on Amazon.com

 

Garret MD Sand Scoop - $82.28 plus shipping on Amazon.ca

 

Garret MD Sand Scoop - $39.99 plus shipping (showing $16.15 for my location) on eBay

[mycomicshop]

Some discussion here:

 

eBay Confirms Recent Seller Crackdown

 

eBay Seller Purge 2.0

[mschmidt]

Let me get this straight.

 

Ebay got rid of 15,000 sub par sellers, and that is a bad thing?

 

That's not entirely accurate. You can actually perform as promised and still get cut as a 'poor' seller.

 

No.

 

We've had this conversation before - the 15k sellers that were cut had received multiple warnings prior to being cut and had received consistent low DSRs over a longer period of time. We're not talking about a guy with 100% positive feedback who suddenly gets a single neg & a 1 star shipping rating - we're talking about people who are, in fact, sub-par sellers.

 

Sorry if I don't remember the conversation.

 

What is the criteria for getting cut, then?

 

 

From the articles Conan linked to:

 

One reader who said eBay had blocked him from listing as part of the crackdown said the cut-off was Below Standard - "aka 1 or 2 star ratings on 1 or 2% of your transactions in any of the 4 DSR categories," he said.

 

And another quote:

 

A seller who was suspended today said he was told it was because he failed to refund buyers. "I had my listings removed today and received an email that my selling privileges are Indefinitely restricted...... which is nonsense because I have great feedback," he wrote. "When I called eBay they told me it was because there have been three instances in which I didn't refined buyers in cases and eBay had to. I wasn't aware that was problematic....."

 

So he fails to refund buyers and complains that he gets kicked off eBay? Good riddance.