eBay Consumer Reviews - Page 5

CALIFORNIA -- I bid a cell phone on eBay from a seller "**" (no longer listing as seller. From what I heard from eBay they terminate this seller). Cell phone description is "brand new, unlocked (means you can use any sim card worldwide). I paid $481, no description where it's coming from, where it was manufactured. But instead all I know is I am making my transaction from an American resident and was affirmed by eBay that this seller is a U.S. resident.

Date of transactions are as follows: bidding ended 3-27-13, I paid it right away cause I want to get it fast to excitement. Waiting period is till 4-5-13. I was constantly checking online the status of shipment cause my waiting period is over.

My expectation from eBay at least email me. Since it's a computerized technology of selling stuff, they would monitor this seller and ask the seller why is it not yet being mailed for shipment since they already collected the fees for this transaction. I presumed they never care cause I did not received any email from them or from the seller. So at this instance I decided to ask the seller about this fully paid transaction. The seller wrote a reply telling me its "out of stock." To cut short I have a bitter communication with this seller.

I send a communication that I am going to sue him/her in the court of Washington state for "breach of contract on a fully paid item" and he/she will be coming to my state to attend the hearing and will pay all the legal fees. But I stated a demand that I should receive the item on or before 4-10-13, otherwise he or she have to face the legal consequence.

Comes 4-10-13 I got the package shipment. To my excitement I opened the package and install my existing sim card from my iPhone and boom it works seamlessly. But comes 1st week of July 2013 this Nokia Lumia acting up differently showing sluggish, slow, goes to different windows, goes on a blank dark screen. I search on internet how to reset this cell phone at Nokia.com/support page. So it did work for a little bit amount of time then it started acting up again differently.

This time I called USA Nokia and tried to get a warranty support from them. First Nokia asked me to give them the "IMEI no." Come to find out Nokia USA said they will not cover this for warranty cause it was made in "Vietnam". I tried calling back Nokia on different occasions expecting some changes about giving warranty but unfortunately "negative". Now I started investigating on the packaging of shipment. I came to find out it came from Hong Kong and manufactured in Vietnam. Those are two different countries. I explained this to eBay but help still to no avail. eBay only wants their monies of listing fees.

So consumers out there beware of Nokia product. They don't give international warranty though it was affirmed that it is their product. On this 3rd week of July I called eBay trying how to resolve the issue. EBay representative can't help me, so I went to a different venue and it's the credit card company Citibank. This credit card company is really very helpful when it comes to product dissatisfaction. What my credit card did is they called PayPal and we are on a group conversation over the phone and PayPal said they will try to resolved this issue within 30 days and send me by email reference case number.

Presently, I'm waiting what's going to come up. Recap is eBay is not worth keeping in buying stuff and its a wide door open for smuggling since seller was able to shipped this item in USA avoiding to pay import tax.

CALIFORNIA -- I sent the letter included below to eBay in December 2012 with no acknowledgment. I have several emails from eBay and spoke with them as recently as Saturday June 1, 2013- on which date I was told if I paid an outstanding balance of $8.95 my account would be reinstated in 24 hours. I paid it immediately and my account remained suspended. I called again on June 3, 2013 and was told if I enrolled a credit card as an eBay fees backup payment method, then my account would be reinstated immediately. It was not and is not.

I called again on June 4, 2013 and was informed that because I had a number of unpaid item cases that I was banned for life on eBay. I asked to speak with someone to appeal that decision based on the fact that I was in a very abusive relationship with a man determined to do everything he could to hurt me emotionally, physically, financially and socially.

He had access to all of my passwords, my computer, iPod, phone and phone records, banking, credit cards and he set forth to discredit me and succeeded. Every single bank, credit card company, family member, health care worker has worked with me to restore my credibility and fix the damage done except eBay - the one I depend on to earn a living.

They will not allow me to appeal with documentation of the severe abuse he subjected me to and blame me for the damage he did and will not reconsider any legal, physician's statement, letters of support from domestic violence advocates, proof of me changing all my accounts, phone number. And because he could access that account on my computer, they have let him do the worst damage imaginable - I have suffered terrible economic losses and uncertainty over being banned from selling on eBay without any consideration for reasons that has ever been fully articulated.

I can no longer support myself at all and have had no luck finding work. I am on the verge of becoming homeless and have no way to pay for my room I rent, phone, medicine, bus pass and buy my cat food. My parents are deceased and my siblings cannot or will not help - I have exhausted all help my friends can offer. I can't believe that a company of this size and importance doesn't have any policies regarding victims of domestic violence.

Of course I cannot be the only person to discover selling on eBay as a way to support oneself and get out. Problem is he installed software on my computer and abused all my personal information. He even sent private pictures to my family and friends. Can anyone help me with this?

How can a company be so capricious and dishonest and outright ruin someone's life when by their own admission my compliance with their rules and policies was always high and my feedback 100% positive? Can someone PLEASE help me?

You don't know me. I am not anyone notable. I have been absent from the world at large for years only having just begun to re-emerge after escaping an abusive relationship that continues to threaten to swallow me alive leaving no trace of my existence. I have no money, no list of distinguished accomplishments. My parents are deceased and having grown up in dysfunction, I have no other family, no relatives to whom I can turn to for help.

Like most battered women, I have no friends - developing any type of friendship was prohibited by my abuser. After 2 hospitalizations and having nearly succeeded in ending my own life to escape the intolerable conditions in which I was intimidated and coerced to exist - I knew I had to escape which meant I had to have some means with which to support myself. Extricating oneself from domestic violence is near impossible without help. I am afraid to seek regular employment because my abuser Is determined to destroy me because I left.

I was able to escape by opening a clandestine eBay account and selling clothing and boxed family heirlooms on eBay... I left in March and have encountered numerous difficulties and sabotage by my former partner. By the grace of God, through eBay, I was able to break free from my abuser and manage to keep a roof over my head and get my basic needs met - and I do mean just barely!- but I am alive, I exist and I am visible again which is worth more than anyone apart from those who share my experience can ever imagine!

Today, every hope I dared to have again, my ability to support myself and my freedom - actually my survival were all shattered today when eBay suspended my account because I couldn't always pay for items- which I regret and would gladly forfeit any privilege to buy on eBay if I could just keep my seller account which to me, quite literally is life or death.

I have called repeatedly today. Been told to stop crying and calm down as calls were lost during transfers, being left on 20 to 30 minute holds only to be told someone would call me back but I had to change my number last week due to harassment from my ex and no one seems to understand when I beg them to update my number so someone CAN call me back nor will anyone explain WHY they did this without telling me that this was about to happen - HOW did this come about? WHY no mention of this.

I spoke to them earlier this week. I was led to believe everything was okay and I was not about to be suspended - and why they feel I had too many "not as described issues" when None have counted against me and there were 3 ever opened... But no one will speak to me and explain what happened or why I wasn't instructed that this was imminent.

They restricted my buying privilege for 7 days, reinstated it yesterday and then suspended my account indefinitely today and tell me if I try to open another account they'll suspend it too... I am desperate for information - for an opportunity to right where I have erred and have more guidance - some concrete rules to follow and clear proscribed consequences not things that hit you out of the blue.

I am so desperate, I am begging for your help. I know from reading your story that you are on a committee and clearly someone eBay values and is proud to be affiliated with. I have nowhere to turn and no place else to go. If I can't have my seller account restored right away - I will be homeless in 2 weeks or forced to return to my ex where I cannot even fathom the punishing hell he will subject me to for having left. Neither option is livable - that account is literally my life.

I never have to be allowed to buy anything on eBay ever again- just someone please, anyone- help me at least have a chance to talk to someone or be granted only selling privileges - or some forgiveness - and FAST! I cannot make rent come January 1 without the account restored - not asking anyone for any money, any support other than to believe in me, honor the fact that while imperfect, I am doing my best to pull myself up and out of darkness ... Please!

COLUMBUS, OHIO -- I am a seller on eBay and have been for years now and I am really fed up with the customer support that eBay has to offer. It is completely terrible. The worst I've experienced in my life and that's saying a lot since I really have had some terrible service.

Since I have been a member for so long, you'd think they would treat me better since I am more prone to giving them negative feedback if treated wrongly. What makes matters even worse is that I am also an extreme buyer, so I know both sides of the story and buyers are treated slightly better but not by much. The overall support is just terrible.

Firstly as a seller, eBay provides absolutely no security and buyers usually abuse their feedback. But personally I had my account put on restriction because I was "selling too many items." They proceeded to ask for proof of merchandise. If you have a regular account, not a company account, how can you provide proof of merchandise?

They are basically slandering their own motto where it states that they are the place where you can sell old items and earn a little extra money. Who keeps receipts for items you bought for family members or your children years ago? What if it were a gift? It's simply impossible for home sellers to provide "proof of merchandise", period.

Not only were they harassing me by putting my account on restriction. But for over two months I called in every day to resolve whatever issue they had with me. Countless times would they tell me they would call me back or send me an email to address my concerns and I NEVER received a response. They always told me that the department I was trying to get a hold of had no phone support and they didn't know their email address for me to contact them. Sounds hard to believe that they don't know how to get a hold of one of their own departments, don't you think?

Two and a half months later I called back in and spoke with a phone representative and they FINALLY slightly lifted the restriction. Instead of the previous items I was allowed to list (as many as I want), I was allowed to list 5 items. 5 items couldn't even pay for gas money. As a seller since 2007, you'd think they would treat me with a little more respect then only giving me 5 items.

When I threatened them that I would cancel my account completely, only then did I receive a response and after leaving a long detailed message the only part they responded with was, "We do this to all our sellers." Does that make sense to you? We are bringing in all this money for them and they are treating us like **. If it weren't for us then they wouldn't be as successful as they are now.

I felt I needed to voice my opinion because I understand that there are people who cheat eBay and do them wrong, but for me to be a member for that long and to have excellent feedback, there's got to be something wrong with the eBay company.

I sold items on eBay for over a year. I had 100% positive feedback until the end of March. Where do I begin with this? EBay will black mark any seller if you receive neutral or negative feedback or if a buyer opens a case. Buyers know if they open a case it 100% guarantees they get their money back for any reason. This includes them destroying items or sending back empty boxes - eBay kisses their ass. The first bad review was a woman who bought a epad tablet from me.

Two days after purchase I am sending out her order. After I just dropped it at the Post office she gives me a negative feedback saying "worst experience ever". I never got one email from her. Ebay regardless counts it against me! I sold about 50 tablets in 2 weeks. Ebay never put any restrictions or selling limits on me due to being a long time member before they started that. I go on and my account was suspended! They said because my sell gross was 10,000! WTF! I had to submit paperwork about all my electronics. I had no sales due to this. No money for 2 weeks till they approved me to sell.

They gave me 5,000 a month gross. This is not profit! I had 2 buyers open. Not described cases (very common lie with buyers). I got black marked for that. They lie saying items not working bs. Items came back fine. They just wanted their money back. They should just send it back asking for a refund. I then start selling again. I had a buyer receive a tablet and send me an email cursing at me. I told him to return it if he did not like it. He opened a case after I told him to return it. It came back DESTROYED. The buyer took the tablet apart.

I called eBay and had video and picture proof. They still gave him his money back! I then have another guy mad because he destroyed his tablet trying to program it. I told him I don't refund customer damage. He thinks it's because they're fake! He really knew nothing about android programs. He writes a review saying Fake tablet! He calls eBay saying his Microsoft 98 certification makes him an Android expert. Yeah whatever **!

He wrote all my buyers who left reviews! I then get 3 more cases buyer admitting his harassment and lies. Ebay sides with him regardless of all my proof vs HIS MOUTH!! I have facts and documents from manufacturers. They send eBay messages encouraging buyers to file claims due to what he said as well! I talked to eBay appeals and other departments. They tell me buyers are allowed to do what they want! This buyer destroyed my company and so did eBay! No proof just mouth!! My Paypal that Ebay owns is negative and I can't pay it! I am sick of this. I need a lawyer!!

I have been a long time eBay user, a loyal customer and seller, advocate, cheerleader, and even a shareholder of the company stock - but my most recent experience has forever changed my opinion of this company.

My journey to resolve a 2-minute simple situation took me deep into the bowels of eBay'€™s indifferent and arrogant customer service department, tumbling down a black hole I found myself in the pit of customer service hell, snarled for weeks in their labyrinth I was flushed out the other end of this mind-numbing experience having wasted countless of hours of my time, only to find myself no closer to a resolution. Convinced this company couldn'€™t give a damn about customers.

Short story: I sold an item to a buyer that ended up in dispute. eBay settled the dispute in my favor, yet the buyer was still able to leave negative retaliatory feedback, even though their stated claim was fraudulent. My question (and request), is it possible to have this erroneous feedback removed? Much abbreviated "G" rated history of events:

Over the course of three (3) weeks I have spent no less than 30+ hrs on hold.
I have spoken to 22 different customer service representatives and had 6 separate chat sessions.
Each representative required that rehash and re-explain in exhaustive detail, ad nauseam, the same points over and over again (22 + 6 = 28 times) because they keep NO record of your previous call/transcript.

After each lengthy explanation, every representative told me they did not have the authority to help me with this matter, but assured me this would be taken care of, and transferred me to the Trust and Safety dept (who do have the authority) where
Each time I was promptly disconnected or rang busy (19 times).

Each time I was told that if I get disconnected they would call me back. I'€™m still waiting for those 19 callbacks.
Start over again.
On 3 occasions the transferred call actually made it through (yay!) to Trust and Safety where I was able to explain the circumstances to a live human, only to be put on hold so they could "€œlook into it"€, and then I got disconnected again.
The End!

My initial thought was that my experience was the result of complete unmitigated incompetence, which is almost tolerable. But after three weeks of exhaustive effort and numerous conversations with these staffers, I am convinced I was on the receiving end of a malicious and insidious strategy at eBay to throw up so many unbearable, herculean, and painful obstacles that you get worn out, ground down, and just go away bewildered.

There is no way anyone can justify and explain away the experience described above with a lack of training of staff or simple ignorance in customer service department. This was mean-spirited, arrogant, and disrespectful. The fact that everyone in this department at eBay was "€œon the same page"€ exposes eBay's leadership, the intent of their customer service scheme, and their total lack of regard for those who, in the end, pay their salaries. This has been, without equivocation, the absolute worst customer experience I have ever encountered. eBay makes the airlines industry look like five-star JD Power customer service rockstars!

As a consumer: It is unacceptable for any company to treat their paying customers with this level of disdain, disrespect, and lack of regard. I have never encountered this level of unaccountability, ignorance, and indifference at any company I have ever done business with. Thankfully there are other auction-retail options, do I will vote with my two feet, and take my business elsewhere.

As a shareholder: A strategy that centers on giving your customers the proverbial stiff-arm and middle finger is not a long-term sustainable business strategy (This also in part explains why my investment has been in the tank for years). A multi-billion dollar company can fly blind for a long time (maybe years) with incompetent pilots, a dysfunctional flight plan, and a broken autopilot, but eventually this vessel will meet the side of a mountain and crash. It is inevitable.

And as a shareholder I have seen enough to know my investment is not in capable nor ethical hands, so I have sold my entire long term equity position in this company, and will take my money elsewhere. I tried in vain to reach someone at eBay to tell this tale of whoa, but of course I was put on hold, disconnected, hung up on, etc.

This was not meant to be a rant that falls on the trash-heap along with millions of other unanswered complaints. Rather, my hope this ends up in the hands of someone at eBay that actually gives a damn about the company and their customers, and becomes a wake up call for this once great company.

EBay (aka “the eBafia”) is demonstrably a totally unscrupulous, dysfunctional, criminal organization! How could that be, you ask? Well, with much effort and some multi-auction analysis, it can be very clearly demonstrated (see the following link) that shill bidding fraud by unscrupulous professional sellers on nominal-start auctions is rampant on eBay auctions, and the executives “in the know” at eBay, unless they are actually even more naive than they apparently think all we simple consumers are, cannot but be aware of that criminal activity.

And, of course they will say they are not aware, because they do not want to be aware, because if they admit that they are aware of such criminal activity (which they cannot but be, and from which they are profiting), and they do nothing effective about it (which they don't), then they are guilty of the crime of “criminal facilitation”. It's as simple as that!

And, it can also be demonstrated that, contrary to their claims, they do not do anything proactive nor truly effective to prevent such criminal activity. Indeed, they have done the very opposite. During the second half of 2008 eBay introduced anonymous non-unique masking of bidding IDs, which serves no logical purpose other than to deliberately further obscure such criminal activity and aid and abet said criminal shill-bidding sellers to maximize their sale prices, thus maximizing eBay's final valuation fee (FVF).

It's even worse in the UK, where the form of bidder masking makes it simply impossible for buyers to detect the unscrupulous, sophisticated shill-bidding professional sellers that undoubtedly now infest eBay UK auctions. Needless to say sales by auction on the UK site have collapsed to a small fraction of what they used to be. Is it any wonder then that, relatively speaking, buyers are staying away, and eBay's marketplace business, the world over, is still going down the toilet?From an eBay buyer's point of view, the full ugly story of eBay, and the proof of eBay's criminality, at http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=6502877

It is about time that some competent authority in the US shone a bright light under this slimy rock. eBay: Dead Man Walking! Then there is PayPal— about the only part of the eBay business that is not, relatively speaking, going backwards. PayPal is an unregulated, unprincipled, systemically dysfunctional, amateur organization (just like its ugly mother, eBay).

PayPal and Bill Me Later are not a bank, are not regulated as banks are, do not subscribe the banks' credit card code of ethical behaviour, and yet offer banking-type services, services that would be more appropriately and more competently carried out under the auspices of the real banking community (via their credit card organization partners).

The simple fact is that without the bankers' knowledge of the entities involved in the transactions, PayPal, or any other non-bank provider, will always be handicapped. Non-bank providers will never guarantee anything for the buyer or seller because they simply cannot have the bankers' level of knowledge of the entities involved.

The head turkey at eBay, ‘Noise' Donahoe, has occasionally talked of the possibility of offloading PayPal, because he is just barely smart enough to know that when the major credit card companies do get off their butts and introduce a like card/terminal-less payments system to complement their credit card system, they will do it properly, and the dysfunctional PayPal will then sink like a stone — other than, possibly, on what is by then left of the Donahoe-shrinking eBay marketplace.

Possibly, the banks may even let PayPal keep those problematic customers that the banks, who will always better ‘know' the entities involved, might not likely allow a merchant-type facility. If Donahoe has any brain at all he will be actively trying to sell PayPal to the banks to complement their credit card system; but I doubt the banks would want to lower their image any further by associating themselves with the likes of PayPal; not even for a peppercorn consideration would the banks touch such a dysfunctional amateur operation as PayPal, I suspect.

Does anyone then think that ‘all the banks' are not watching this market segment with interest, and is it possible that PayPal could be having some negative effect on their credit card business? Why then would ‘the banks' not be considering a like system to complement their existing card systems? The simple fact is that anything that PayPal can do ‘the banks' can do better (read ‘properly') and, after all, every internet banking user is already set up to receive such a service directly, efficiently and securely, from their bank.

Do we then need to offer the banks and the major credit card companies another such monopoly-type situation? Ideally not. But, having said that, within the credit card system the individual banks do (marginally) compete with each other on terms, interest rates, etc. Regardless, it would be nice to have a card/terminal-less system that worked efficiently and effectively—as does the banks' credit card system. Regrettably (or thankfully, some say), PayPal does not have such a partnership with ‘all the banks' and so PayPal can never offer that same effectiveness.

My only surprise is that ‘all the banks', via their credit card partners, have not yet offered their own system. When they do, I suspect that it will be bye, bye, PayPal—you most ugly of daughters. And, more importantly, we will then have a system that works properly, just like our credit cards do! In support of the above comment I offer an introduction to the full sad/ugly story of eBay/PayPal at http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=6502877

How did this clown, this clown Donahoe, ever get to be CEO of a listed public company? Oh, that's right, she who would be governor of California selected him. Donahoe is undoubtedly going to go down in US corporate history as the man who literally did ‘kill the golden goose'. And, if you want a laugh or a cry (whatever moves you), take a look at this recent video interview of this clumsy, inarticulate, chimpanzee (the hand language tells it all) at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgmBYHOvb8Q&feature=player_embedded

eBay started out as such a great idea! People who had something they no longer wanted could pay a REASONABLE fee to show it to people online who might be looking for it. It was a "win/win" situation, most of the time. The feedback system wasn't perfect, but "nothing" is ever perfect. Yes, there may have been some abuses by sellers... but, in the long run, those abuses would cause the sellers to lose bidders, thus making eBay unattractive to them.

The feedback system allowed individual buyers and sellers to determine their individual level of confidence in the person with whom they were considering entering into a transaction. I have been buying and selling on eBay since 1999. With the exception of one or two transactions, out of many many hundreds, even thousands, I have had very few negative experiences, that is, until eBay began making the changes that have resulted in RABID buyers... By RABID, I mean, buyers who KNOW that I no longer have ANY power in the transaction.

They know that I can only leave them POSITIVE feedback, or nothing. They know that they have "buyer protection" through eBay and Paypal. They know that they can claim an auction item was "significantly not as described," whether that is true or not. They can "claim" anything and eBay and Paypal WILL support them because eBay has decided that the BUYER can do no wrong. eBay has decided that their CUSTOMER is NOT the individual who PAYS their OUTRAGEOUS fees, but the Buyer.

So, if an unscrupulous person "buys" something from a seller and pays through Paypal, then, receives the package and claims the seller put a brick in it, Paypal will refund the buyer's money and eBay will allow the buyer to give a NEGATIVE feedback comment to the seller AND issue a "Seller Non-Performance" strike against the seller.

There is NOTHING the seller can do to prevent this.... NOTHING. And, once the seller has been ripped off by the unscrupulous buyer, they cannot leave ANY feedback other than POSITIVE. And, IF they say ANYTHING negative in the "positive" comment, eBay will remove it.

The unscrupulous buyer may now move onto another unsuspecting seller, rinse and repeat. I am constantly reading messages from prospective buyers who tell me "I have 100% positive feedback from buying on eBay." What a JOKE!!! 100% positive feedback as a BUYER??? That means NOTHING! Because, the seller you just RIPPED OFF CANNOT leave you the NEGATIVE that you DESERVE because you are a liar and a thief.

Additionally, there are very few "checks and balances" in place to verify or validate a "buyer" on eBay. eBay wants anyone and everyone to "buy", because eBay has come to believe that the way to restore INVESTOR confidence and eBay's stock price, is to bring more BUYERS to eBay. Sadly, eBay's beancounters don't realize that a transaction requires TWO parties... the Buyer and the SELLER, and that the SELLER is eBay's customer.

My hatred of eBay and Paypal grows exponentially, every day. I have never had such a vehement opinion about them, and, in fact, for the first 8+ years of my experience using them, I was, for the most part, pleased with our "relationship." But, eBay has turned me into a prostitute. I earn the money and turn approximately TWENTY PERCENT over to them. They take it, and keep it. If I come across an unscrupulous "customer," that's "my" problem. eBay does not support me in even the SMALLEST way.

If wishing for something made it so, eBay would disappear into the sewer and its management would all be on the street wearing signs that say "Kick me, I contributed to the ruination of eBay." So, you want to sell on eBay? Get ready to bend over and don't say I didn't warn you.

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA -- EBAY SUCKS!!! I would think very hard and long before I ever sold anything on eBay again. After my father died, I sold some of his foreign currency collection on eBay. Not being a currency collector or having any knowledge at all about selling currency, I posted my items with no description other than the word “circulated” which they were. When I posted my scans of the bills, I paid eBay extra to have them enlarged so that the bidders could examine them, ask questions, and make up their own mind. I encouraged questions in my “terms” section.

There was absolutely no way that a bidder could guess that these bills were uncirculated or about uncirculated. The scan clearly showed that someone had typed a date, (month, day and year) on the rim of the bill. The bill was sold, money received and shipment was successful. I next get a demand by the buyer that he wants a refund because the bills did not rise to his high standards. Since he never asked any questions and I never set out to deceive anyone, I interpreted this as “Buyer's Remorse” and refused to grant the refund.

The next thing that showed up was defamatory, nasty, unjust negative feedback which pulled my buyer satisfaction score way down. I repeatedly contacted eBay and explained my side of the story and even wrote a letter (with attached documentation) to the president and CEO of eBay. I asked that this negative feedback be removed and my score restored. Their answer was that the feedback did not fit any of eBay's few reasons for deleting feedback, that it would compromise the integrity of the feedback system to do so and that they weren't responsible for what buyers would say.

So, aside from getting a court order, I'm out of luck even though I didn't do anything wrong or try to mislead anybody. eBay has removed the option of a seller to give negative feedback to a buyer because they don't want the buyers to be discouraged and not bid while the seller has very little protection against the unreasonable demands of a buyer who can retaliate and ruin a seller's reputation on a whim. So MY integrity can be compromised but eBay's feedback system can't. In other words, every seller MUST be prepared to give a refund on every item they sell, to every bidder for any reason no matter what, or face unjust negative feedback.

Even if you stipulate, “All Sales Final,” the buyer can still demand a refund and post negative feedback which lowers the seller's score when they don't get it. That's feedback extortion! Well, eBay, you can take your business and shove it up where the sun don't shine. I WILL NEVER DO BUSINESS UNDER THOSE RULES UNTIL YOU GIVE MORE PROTECTION TO THE SELLER.

Anyone who does sell on eBay, or is thinking about it, is warned that you could be the next one that eBay screws. Then again, after you get the item back and pay the refund, you can always re-list it on eBay again and pay the listing fees for a second time. Either way, you lose and eBay wins!

KENMORE, WASHINGTON -- NOTE: with two in-text mail correspondences

I have been an eBay member since 2001. I usually sold RC Car items. I race RC cars as a hobby so when I would get a new kit I would sell an old one. Since 2001 I had only sold 59 items with 100% Positive Feedback. I was recently laid off and I decided you know what I like selling stuff on eBay so I went out and invested in books on how to sell like a professional, how to set up a store and so forth. I applied and received my business license and tax ID. I found some products I felt comfortable with and began selling them on eBay.

Things where going great I added a new item on eBay June 23rd at 11pm. When I woke up that morning June 24th around 7am excited to see if I sold anything there was an email from eBay (see email below) my account was suspended. I was flabbergasted. What is this? What did I do wrong? I read the email a thousand times to see if I could find an explanation but nothing was there. I checked my account to see if there was an explanation but nothing was there. I have sent eBay a thousand emails but I get no response.

What is this how can a company shut you down this way with no explanation? To this day I have no idea what I did wrong I have gone back into my submitted listings to see if there is something that I missed. Everything looks good. Yesterday I called my credit card company to cancel it so eBay cannot charge me until I receive a full explanation of why this company ripped my heart and dreams out. I was so excited to get this business off the ground. I worked hard at making new vendor contacts and now I am left with nothing.

We regret to inform you that your eBay account has been suspended due to concerns we have for the safety and integrity of the eBay community. "Abusing eBay" of the eBay User Agreement states, in part:

"...we may limit, suspend, or terminate our service and user accounts, prohibit access to our website, remove hosted content, and take technical and legal steps to keep users off the Site if we think that they are creating problems, possible legal liabilities, or acting inconsistently with the letter or spirit of our policies." .

Due to the suspension of this account, please be advised you are prohibited from using eBay in any way including registering a new account.

Please note that any seller fees due to eBay will immediately become due and payable. eBay will charge any amounts you have not previously disputed to the billing method currently on file.

Regards,

Safeharbor Department
eBay, Inc.

Just so everyone knows this was sent directly to eBay and here is their response. So when I hit submit does this go directly to eBay?

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to write eBay with your concerns. My name
is **, and I'm pleased to be of further assistance to you.

I've reviewed your account and don't see any active suspensions related
to it. I can assure you that your account is neither suspended nor on
hold.

The email message stating that your account was suspended was a fake
(also known as a "spoof") email. These emails are sent in an attempt to
obtain your personal and/or financial information. They do this by
directing the recipient to reply to the message or link to a phony Web
page that will ask for the information.

Be very suspicious of email messages that ask you to submit information
such as your credit card number or bank account information.

If you're having difficulty signing in, I recommend that you request a
new password. To do this:

1. Click the "Help" tab at the top of any eBay page.
2. Click the "Contact Us" link.

If you're not writing from the email address registered to your eBay
account, please be sure to give us the account User ID so we can resolve
any sign-in issues.

Since you have received a spoof email, your email address has most
likely been collected by a fraudulent source and you might continue to
receive spoof emails for some time.

If you ever have any doubt about whether an email message is from eBay,
click the "My eBay" tab at the top of any eBay page. Click the "My
Messages" link. Any email we sent to you about your account will be
listed in the "My Messages" section. If the email you're worried about
isn't in there, then that email is a fake. Do *not* respond to it.
Forward it to spoof@ebay.com. Please don't remove the original subject
line or change the email in any way when you forward it to us.

What to Do if You Think You Have Given Out Personal Information

If you think you may have entered personal information such as your
password, Social Security number, or credit card number into a Web site
based on a request from a spoof email, you need to act *immediately* to
protect your identity. For detailed instructions about what to do, go
to:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/confidence/problems-identity-theft.html

Going forward, you might consider downloading the eBay Toolbar with
Account Guard (it's free). Account Guard has an indicator that shows you
when you're on a real eBay or PayPal Web site or a spoof (or "phishing")
site. Account Guard also has buttons to report fake eBay sites and a
password notification feature that warns you when you may be entering
your eBay password on an unverified site.

In addition, we have enacted several preventative measures and added
information to the eBay Help pages to help you spot fake emails. We
encourage you to take the opportunity to learn more about spoof emails.
To access this information, please click on the "Security Center" link
at the bottom of most eBay pages.

To help you better protect yourself from fake eBay and PayPal Web sites,
we have developed a feature for the eBay Toolbar called "Account Guard."
Account Guard includes an indicator of when you are on an eBay or PayPal
Web site or a known spoof (or "phishing") site, buttons to report fake
eBay Web sites, and a password notification feature that warns you when
you may be entering your eBay password on an unverified site.

To learn more about the eBay Toolbar with Account Guard go to
www.ebay.com, click on "Downloads" at the bottom of the page, and then
click on the "eBay Toolbar" link.

If you are ever concerned about an email you receive from eBay, simply
follow these steps:

1. Open a new Web browser and type www.ebay.com into your browser
   address field to go directly to the eBay site.

2. On eBay, sign into your account and click the "My eBay" button at the
   top of the page.

3. Check the My Messages section located at the top of the My eBay page.

If an email affects your eBay account, it's now in My Messages. Any
email sent to your registered eBay email address from eBay or from
another eBay member via eBay's member-to-member communication system
will now appear in My Messages.

Once again, thank you for alerting us to the spoofed email you received.
Your efforts help keep eBay a safe and fair place to trade.

Regards,

**
eBay SafeHarbor

From: **
To: eBay Customer Support
Subject: Consumer Feedback

The following review has been posted on My3cents.com. The consumer
requested a copy be sent to you.

If you need to follow-up with the consumer, please contact them at
**.

* * * * * * * * * *

I have been an eBay member since 2001 I usually sold RC Car items.

BEWARE OF EBAY CRIMINAL, MATTHEW BECCUE OF BATAVI -- I started selling on EBAY in 2002, but until recently I was reluctant to buy anything that cost more than $100.00. Although EBAY'€™s €œTrust and Safety€ staff supposedly oversee the transactions, I often wondered whether EBAY would help victims recover money that they lost to dishonest sellers. It was so easy for me to sell on EBAY; I figured that criminals could too. As EBAY'€™s popularity and prosperity grew, I came to believe that it would be bad for business if EBAY let its website become a venue for criminal activity. If a crime occurred, I thought that EBAY would chase the criminal and compensate the victim, but when I became a victim, I learned otherwise.

On March 22, 2006 I paid Matthew ** of Batavia New York $3,850.00 for a Nikon D2X camera. ** had been an EBAY member since 1997 and was credited with 140 transactions and 99.3% positive feedback. After EBAY notified me that I had won the auction and after receiving the EBAY invoice, I sent ** my check, but he never sent me the camera. When I turned to EBAY for help, it diverted me to an ineffective dispute process that did nothing for me or against **. Away from the flashy ads and promotions, an obscure page on EBAY'€™s website tells buyers how they can file a dispute against sellers (and vice versa).

For thirty days, buyers and sellers must try to settle their differences without EBAY'€™s intervention. During that time I notified EBAY that the seller had cashed my check, but would not send me the camera or respond to my emails, but EBAY seemed oblivious to the possibility that a felony had occurred on their website. Until the thirty days had lapsed- giving ** enough time to cover his tracks- EBAY would only repeat: "contact the seller and try to work things out." EBAY further exasperates victims by refusing to speak to them. All correspondence must be by email. Only a few "€œpower sellers"€ (EBAY'€™s money-makers) have the privilege to speak directly to EBAY.

I expect that EBAY does not talk to buyers because they are ripped off so frequently that EBAY cannot give them any level of personal attention. In a feeble attempt to provide a personal touch, EBAY offers "€œLive Help"€/a chat room where you can exchange messages with an EBAY staff. I chatted with Chad who typed so swiftly and composed his English so perfectly that I suspect he lives in India. Once I saw that Chad was giving me the same canned responses that I had received by email, I interrupted him and asked, "€œWill EBAY do anything for me or should I call the police?"€ After some hesitation, Chad typed, "€œCall the police"€.

I now hope that the FBI'€™s Internet Crime Complaint Center will recover my money and punish Matthew **. But even if he goes to jail, ** could return to EBAY under another name and bank account and resume stealing. I say this because EBAY does not screen sellers or reveal much about them. Moreover, EBAY does not go after sellers who steal, but they will file a lawsuit against a buyer who submits a fraudulent claim for the $175.00 (maximum) compensation that EBAY offers. In my case the $175.00, is not much more than the $80.00 that EBAY made on my transaction.

When I finally convinced EBAY that my claim was legitimate, it promised to pay me its token compensation. EBAY then changed its mind. I was notified (by email, of course) that because I did not close the dispute, EBAY would not compensate me or penalize the seller. The email included a link to the EBAY website where I was instructed to open the dispute (again). I replied that enduring EBAY'€™s dispute process for another three months was not worth the $175.00. A few days later EBAY sent me an apology and the $175.00, but they never mentioned Matthew **. Curious about his fate, I sent EBAY the following message:

"Yesterday, June 22, 2006, I received from EBAY the $175.00 reimbursement for the $3850.00 that was stolen from me during an EBAY auction on March 22, 2006. This token compensation along with EBAY'€™s impersonal and ineffective dispute process clearly reflects an indifference towards crime on its website. For my sake as well as those who shop on EBAY, please tell me what happened to Matthew **- the criminal who stole my money. Did you try to find him? Will you prosecute him? Have you banned him from EBAY, and if so how will you keep him from returning?"€

EBAY never responded, so I posted my story on their community discussion board where it attracted comments from sellers who have a financial interest in EBAY'€™s success. Most of them agreed that crime is so rampant on EBAY that it cannot chase the criminals or compensate their victims. A buyer'€™s best defense is to use a credit card and hope that the bank who issued the card provides the protection that EBAY lacks. Others criticized me for not thoroughly reading EBAY's user agreement.

In retrospect, I should have thoroughly read this lengthy agreement before joining EBAY, and all shoppers should read it again before making a purchase. Far more compelling than this article, the user agreement makes the case to Stay Away from EBAY.