# eBay Continues Making Stupid Changes



## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

http://pages.ebay.com/sell/July2009Update/Details/index.html#1-9

In next block change seller cannot making shipping optional to the buyer. I rather get the impression those making these changes don't actually buy or sell on eBay.

"Optional buyer charges for shipping insurance removed: The insurance option creates the perception that buyers need to purchase shipping insurance as a protection on eBay, an experience they're not accustomed to on other ecommerce sites. In fact, sellers have always been responsible for their items until they arrive safely in their customers' hands. That's why shipping insurance will no longer be included in the purchase flow as either an option or requirement for buyers. 

Of course you can choose to purchase insurance on shipments, but not ask buyers to buy insurance separately. In some categories like Antiques, Collectibles, and Jewelry, shipping insurance for sellers is essential. When appropriate, you can include the cost of insurance in your item or shipping price."


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

your right ken thier getin to big for thier britchs arnt they.

I think you post the price and you post the shiping (wich would include insurance if it where me) they choose to buy or they dont.

I as a seller am paying the fees not the buyer seems ebay forgets who is paying the light bill. sure in the end its the buyers but its the seller who has the goods and pays the fee. 

seems the world might be in order for a new auction website.


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## Plow Boy (Jan 1, 2004)

Looks like this one might work. Everything on this page has a bid.

http://auctions.overstock.com/cgi-bin/auctions.cgi?PAGE=SEARCH&TYPE=4&SORT=1&BYSELL=empireliquidators&TAB=ALLITEMS&CTG=23&THISCTG=on


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## Wisconsin Ann (Feb 27, 2007)

Ebay has been losing money hand over fist lately. BIG store types are being courted, the recent "if you have a high feedback and sell over $3000 in a year, you get 20%off of " whatever it is they're taking 20% off of..insert fees maybe? Can't remember...

I haven't understood the reasoning on that sight for years now. At a guess, their sales are being cut into by Craigslist and other local type places. I know I will put up an item on craigslist before I put it on Ebay. No or little shipping. No fees. No paypal hassles. Someone pays me for an item, I give them the item. It's done.

Can't offer optional shipping will do 2 things. As a seller, I will up my price so that I can automatically insure it, which will put off some buyers. And 2, the upped price means more money in Ebay's pocket. Even a few pennies from every sale on that site is BIG bucks to them. 

The word "idiots" comes to mind....


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

> In next block change seller cannot making shipping optional to the buyer. I rather get the impression those making these changes don't actually buy or sell on eBay.


I assume this is a typo and you meant shipping _insurance_, rather than just shipping. 


I've had insurance as an optional thing for over 10 years. Something I've noticed is that buyers almost never purchase it anymore. 
Regardless, it's _still_ my responsibility to make sure they get their item or get a refund. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, insurance protects the _seller_, not the buyer. 
This particular policy change really makes no difference for me whatsoever... :shrug:


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## georgec (Jul 9, 2007)

Ebay is self destructing. Eventually someone will come along and knock them off of their monopoly pedestal. I used to buy stuff there all the time. Now I rarely go there at all.

I like auctions; they are pushing everyone into stores, and the good auctions are disappearing. As they lose market share to Craigs List they are getting desperate. The thing is they are making stupid decisions and pusing more people away


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## Nomad (Dec 19, 2002)

I've been buying and selling on there with two accounts since 1997, but I've about had it. The fees keep going up and I sell less and less. I can't afford to waste much more money.

Nomad


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## TurnerHill (Jun 8, 2009)

Well, something about their "stupid" changes is working for them. How many companies do you know of right now that are beating revenue and profit expectations? Contra to what some have posted here, eBay is most emphatically NOT losing money hand over fist:

July 22, 2009 - EBay Inc., owner of the most visited U.S. e-commerce Web site, reported profit and sales that beat analysts&#8217; estimates, a sign that Chief Executive Officer John Donahoe&#8217;s turnaround effort is gaining traction. 

Second-quarter net income was $327.3 million, or 25 cents a share, San Jose, California-based EBay said today in a statement. Excluding costs such as stock compensation, earnings were 37 cents a share, compared with the 36 cents estimated by analysts in a Bloomberg survey. 

EBay&#8217;s sales and profit forecast for the current period also beat analysts&#8217; predictions. Donahoe, 49, is pushing EBay toward more fixed-price items and away from its roots as an online auctioneer, an effort to stem customer defections to Amazon.com Inc. EBay has lowered listing fees to help sellers get more items on the site and made changes to the search engine to help buyers identify the best deals. 

&#8220;This signals the changes they made to bring sellers back are also bringing buyers back,&#8221; said David Rudow, an analyst at Thrivent Asset Management in Minneapolis. He helps manage $69 billion, including EBay shares. &#8220;It&#8217;s a slow process, but they are doing all the right things.&#8221; 

EBay rose 54 cents, or 2.8 percent, to $19.99 in extended trading after closing at $19.45 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The shares have jumped 39 percent this year. 

Second-quarter revenue was $2.1 billion, EBay said. That compared with the $1.99 billion estimated by analysts. A year ago, EBay reported second-quarter profit of $460.3 million, or 35 cents a share.


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## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

georgec said:


> Ebay is self destructing. Eventually someone will come along and knock them off of their monopoly pedestal. I used to buy stuff there all the time. Now I rarely go there at all.


I'm the same way, I used to buy and now rarely even visit Ebay. I slowly started drifting away when they started hiding bidders identities, changed their software enough that Java Script being on was requirement to view more than one page of listings. I like it off so that pages load much faster.

I drifted away faster when they started having ads for others. If they aren't making enough money without them they don't need what little I provided.


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## georgec (Jul 9, 2007)

TurnerHill said:


> Well, something about their "stupid" changes is working for them. How many companies do you know of right now that are beating revenue and profit expectations? Contra to what some have posted here, eBay is most emphatically NOT losing money hand over fist:


Their profits and growth along with stock prices are down. This is a company that had double digit growth for years.

They are abandoning the people that put them where they are.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

TurnerHill said:


> Well, something about their "stupid" changes is working for them.


Oh yeah, like the way they're running PayPal today? I can here the suggestion now:

*Server Operator:*_ "Hey, I've got an idea. Let's bring the Paypal server down in the middle of a business day for cosmetic changes!"_
*Management:*_ "Sounds good. How soon can you bring the server down?"_
_[An hour passes]_
*Server Operator:* _"You know those cosmetic changes we were going to make? They didn't apply too well so the server's been down for over an hour now."_
*Management:*_ "Sounds good. So when's lunch?"_

They've been down for the better part of an hour now. Idiots!


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## dakine (Jul 26, 2009)

I just bought an item on ebay. THe vendor had listed free shipping in the United states in the Shipping and Payments tab. I missed the part about "continental" in the "description" tab. My thinking is "Shipping and Payments" would be the last word. So I chatted with the vendor, then Ebay. Ebay took the vendors position that it was mentioned in the description. I think it is unfair and sneaky, but guess next time i'll read all the print


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## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

If the item purchased will fit into a USPS PM flat rate box it would be the same price to HI as to any Continental state, AK and U.S. Territories.

You do have the option for leaving feedback for the seller. One rating is for charging excessive shipping. Under the new rules a seller cannot leave feedback for a buyer.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

dakine said:


> Ebay took the vendors position that it was mentioned in the description. I think it is unfair and sneaky, but guess next time i'll read all the print


If they listed it _in_ their description why would it be "unfair" or "sneaky?" :shrug:

People don't put that stuff in their descriptions just to fill space, you know. It's put there with the hope that buyers will actually _read_ it. 
Though if they sent it USPS First Class/Flat Rate, it _should_ have cost the seller the same amount...


Taking this tangent and running with it, now 

Fat quarters-- 
As a seller, it drives me absolutely _batty_ when a buyer buys fat quarters, receives it and then wonders why they didn't get a full yard of fabric. 
I put it in my description in no fewer than three places that this is not a full yard. This is a FAT QUARTER. (Caps, bold). Below that, I link to the full yardage listing with a link that says, "Full yards available, click here!" Directly beneath the central picture I give the dimensions "approximately 18" x 22" I also put "fat quarters" in the ebay-provided white Description box at the top.

And yet at least once every week or two I get an irate customer who is bent out of shape because _they_ can't read!!! :soap:


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## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

I read the thread reply and still have no idea what a 'fat quartrers' is. A McD's quarter pounder?

With that many customer complaints I think the primary problems lies not with them, but with the description. Use the term fabric remnant or bolt end or something. How about fabric remnant ( " x ")?

Dictionary: remnant: 3. a small unsold or unsued piece of fabric, as at the end of a bolt.

At one time my folks had a small department store. One area was devoted to fabric and such. They use to buy remnants by the refrigerator size box.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

Most quilters know what a fat quarter is Ken. 
I promise you, they're extremely common and have been for decades.
And they are _not_ a remnant! :nono: Much like a half yard, they are a deliberate cut.

there's a reason eBay even has a category for fats.  
However, because there are always newbies I'm still very careful to make sure to link to full yardage, as well as give dimensions.


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## sunflower-n-ks (Aug 7, 2006)

A "fat quarter" is a specific cut of fabric. It is 1/4 yard, but instead of being the full width of the fabric and only 9 inches long, the fabric is cut so the piece is 1/2 yard long and 1/2 the width of the fabric. So it ends up about 18 X 22 inches. It is easier to get quilt pieces cut from that size rather than a long skinny piece.

A very common thing in the sewing/quilting world.


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## YuccaFlatsRanch (May 3, 2004)

It helps to know something about what you are trying to buy on Ebay!!! It also helps if the seller knows something about what he/she is trying to sell.

The FIRST PLACE I check when I need to by someting is Craigslist, but I do buy a lot of things on Ebay. Beats WALLY WORLD.

You all are ASSUMING that the average American can actually read.

I still haven't gotten around to getting one of Ken's propane forges though. I already have the regulator.


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## romysbaskets (Aug 29, 2009)

There are alot of upstanding genuinely good people trying to utilize ebay to earn a living or supplement a tired income. I have bought and sold for many years. I have watched ebay as a baby turn into the company it is now. I do not believe many of their changes have been for the benefit for both buyer and seller. The fees increasing and the partnership with paypal have definitely made them far more powerful so they changed the payment requirement to paypal only. I am one of those good old fashioned ladies who still enjoy making her own preserves and canning, sharing and trading and sewing etc..... Most people on here can step back in time with comfort while still living in the now. Craigslist has proven to be a good resource with which to sell. I am very impressed with the response I have gotten on this wonderful website with a simple garlic bulbil posting. Ebay still has a place as a means of financial resource just seems to be getting tougher to make enough on a consistent basis.
Romy
www.romysrealm.blogspot.com/


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