Recent ebay experience?

Hi,

My husband and I started selling on Ebay in 2000, and I had a store there for a while to sell my jewelry. In those days ebay was fun and easy to use and it was fair to the sellers as well as to buyers. Many items went for surprisingly high prices and more common stuff still sold well.

We've pretty much stopped selling there in the past couple of years because it's become so expensive, they have so many new regulations (i.e. sellers can't accept money orders or cash payment--is that even legal?) and I resent their policies towards smaller sellers. I think they've become a really awful corporation.

I am just wondering what kind of experiences others are having there.

Wendy

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Wanderlust & Pixie Dust on March 9, 2010 at 12:13pm

My tale is not much different than many of yours. Funny you should bring it up as I was just thinking of listing a few things on there this week. But because of all the changes in recent years I don't ever see myself going back to Ebay as my only or main venue.

Permalink Reply by Out Of The Attic 2u on March 9, 2010 at 2:22pm

I list there every so often. Now I think it will be even less than that! Life goes on and so does ebay. Me I am happy selling at ecrater and am thinking of putting stuff in my etsy store that I haven't utilized yet.

Permalink Reply by V de B:Old and Modernist Jewelry on March 9, 2010 at 3:34pm

I see we've all had similar experiences. I also sell on etsy and things do sell every so often, but no place has been able to capture the worldwide market as ebay has.

Wanderlust & Pixie Dust said:

My tale is not much different than many of yours. Funny you should bring it up as I was just thinking of listing a few things on there this week. But because of all the changes in recent years I don't ever see myself going back to Ebay as my only or main venue.

Permalink Reply by Staci @ Nifty Vintage on March 17, 2010 at 1:11pm

Same here. I've sold there for a couple of years. The fees get higher and higher and the scammers get worse. Ebay's stock is down, down, down. Buyers and sellers alike are leaving in droves. The fees are going up once again at the end of this month. With "best match", "seller ratings", and all the other stupid changes, it is no longer a venue for small time sellers. All across the discussion boards, people are complaining and leaving for good. Sales in vintage are definitely not up or in any other category. I am moving all of my inventory to Etsy by the end of this month. I pay hundreds of dollars a month to eBay for fees and I am just not doing it any more. (plus paypal fees) Final value fees are going up to 12% for clothing items. WOW! BTW, you CAN accept other forms of payment, you just can't advertise it in your listings. It's just plain dumb and WRONG.

Permalink Reply by V de B:Old and Modernist Jewelry on March 17, 2010 at 2:44pm

Thanks for the reply Staci. Whatever they are doing must be working for them, if no one else. Meg Whitman, former CEO, is a billionaire I've heard (don't know if she made her money there) and is now running for political office. It's the same story as all the other huge corporations.

Staci @ Nifty Vintage said:

Same here. I've sold there for a couple of years. The fees get higher and higher and the scammers get worse. Ebay's stock is down, down, down. Buyers and sellers alike are leaving in droves. The fees are going up once again at the end of this month. With "best match", "seller ratings", and all the other stupid changes, it is no longer a venue for small time sellers. All across the discussion boards, people are complaining and leaving for good. Sales in vintage are definitely not up or in any other category. I am moving all of my inventory to Etsy by the end of this month. I pay hundreds of dollars a month to eBay for fees and I am just not doing it any more. (plus paypal fees) Final value fees are going up to 12% for clothing items. WOW! BTW, you CAN accept other forms of payment, you just can't advertise it in your listings. It's just plain dumb and WRONG.

Permalink Reply by Out Of The Attic 2u on March 17, 2010 at 3:32pm

But life goes on and so do we. Consider ebay a learning experience and learn from their mistakes. I know I don't want to be like them, so I will look to others who grew with integrity. I have to go forward and leave the bay behind. Sure I will list when they have a discount. Sure they had a few already and this last one I did not list. Why give them more money in the same month lol. Anyway we all can learn from this which will make us better sellers and buyers!

Permalink Reply by Gizmos on May 15, 2010 at 9:36am

As all have said, have been on ebay since 99. Did really well there until the changes started. I find ebay an unfriendly place, especially to sellers. Ebay does not care. We as sellers told them over and over that without sellers there will be no buyers, but they kept up their increases etc. and it has hurt them. I still sell on there, things that I think are just not a good fit for Etsy where I have had pretty good luck, ( a little slow for me now). I just sold some old aerial photos on Ebay though and they did well, but a tooled belt I sold has not arrived to the buyer and I feel a negative coming by the attitude of the buyer, and of course I have no recourse. I have just started ecrater, and will try to get it moving so I can put the things on there that I cannot on Etsy. Etsy will remain my main selling venue now.

Meg Whitman left before the changes or as they began to take place. Smart of her to move on, I don't think she liked what she was seeing. It was her baby and they turned it into a monster. I am sure she doesn't mind the money though..lololo

Permalink Reply by V de B:Old and Modernist Jewelry on May 15, 2010 at 10:20am

Actually, I think Meg Whitman helped turn it into a monster--I really don't like her or her politics.

My husband and I started putting a few things up again. We did very well with one item--an old civil war photo. It is the best place for items like that, but I agree with all the things you said about not liking them. I don't feel like putting my jewelry there, unless it is something like an old Georg Jensen piece--something sure to sell at a good price.

Wendy

Permalink Reply by Gizmos on May 15, 2010 at 10:22am

Yes, very old and very quality items still seem to sell, but ebay is so loaded up with junk. Since ebay started courting the wholesalers, it has gone down down down.

Permalink Reply by Gizmos on May 17, 2010 at 4:47pm

As I said earlier, I have been selling on feebay for about 11 years. I do not love it, but pretty much have to use it to sell some items. Their fees are outrageous. I just sold a tooled leather belt, which unfortunately has not arrived as yet, and have answered both of the buyers questions and they opened a case against me. Geez, all I asked her to do was check to see if the item is sitting at her post office. This does sometimes happen, postal worker does not leave a pink slip etc. She replied to ebay that I was making everything her responsibility for the item not arriving. Well, I was already going to give her a refund if it was not at the post office in her town, but she wouldn't even check. This is the new buyer we have to contend with on ebay now.

sorry, for the whining......

Permalink Reply by V de B:Old and Modernist Jewelry on May 17, 2010 at 6:00pm

That is not whining--that is a grievance.

A friend told us about selling a Hummel and not hearing from the buyer for weeks. Finally the buyer said there was a defect on it and he wanted to return it. Friend said, "Fine, return it and I'll return your money." He never got the item back but the buyer was able to to PayPal (which, as you know is owned by ebay) and they refunded the money and then told our friend that he owed them. He refused, and is no longer selling there.

They are really a horrible company now and we just have to remember that when we decide to sell items there.

Permalink Reply by Gizmos on May 18, 2010 at 4:39pm

Well when it rains it pours............I ( although actually my husband) mistakenly addressed two shipments of photos to the wrong people. Actually A's photos went to B and B's photos went to A. I specifically asked my husband before we packaged them if the ones we were doing at that time were the correct ones for that buyer. Yes, hmmm, well obviously not. Party B is being wonderful about it, but have not heard from party A yet. Luckily, they both live, although in opposite directions, about 1 1/2 hours from me. Should be able to work it out ok, but geez, just want to hang my head sometimes and say....."Whhhhyyyyyy Meeeeee?" LOLOLOL