"Done with online auction sites" Topic

Warning: Long winded rant.

So Ebay has taken a dark path where sellers can cancel your auctions for any reason without review. I have had my auctions canceled with "I don't have this item anymore" and "seller asked me to cancel the auction". With the former, they just reposted the same item a week later at a higher price. They were not happy with the price I won it at. With the latter, I did no such thing and after proving that to Ebay they would just "keep an eye" on that seller. If I win an auction I am expected to pay within 4 day. No ifs, ands, or buts. Even if the seller is a long term contact of mine and is happy with waiting longer. Ebay will not allow it. This really blows when you are trying to win several auctions and combine shipping.

When you talk to their support group, they are all off shore. You can post a very clear record of what happened. Most times they don't read it or comprehend it. You can tell because they ask you questions you have already answered. I had enough of Ebay's crap. Too many sellers trying to profit off shipping when it is against the rules and trying to out-wait you by ignoring your combined invoice requests. Yes they were online posting other auctions so were not sick or dead or run over by a heard of cattle, etc.

One ignored me and tried to hit me with an unpaid strike. That did not go well for them. Documentation is a thing.

Here comes Mercari to save the day right? Seems new and hopefully will have learned from Ebay's mistakes. Things are going great. The whole site is either "buy it now" or "make offer". I can buy anything using my paypal account and boom…it goes through. However, if I make an offer, it pre-bills me to ensure I will pay. That is fine. Seller accepts my offer, same paypal account does not go through. I asked them why and naturally they say it is Paypals fault even though I clearly pointed out having used that account the same day. I suggested they contact Paypal and fix their payment process. No dice. It was like pulling teeth to get their rep to even understand how their own site worked.

I am done. I don't have time for stupid anymore. I cannot give these corps the benefit of the doubt. They just don't care. Thankfully swap meets are becoming more common locally. Will just have to throw my lot in with those.

Thanks for listening to me rant. Make sure to save your communications with any such sites. You will need them.

Sorry for your experience. With the tax changes, bank requirements, and higher postage eBay is not the place it once was. I would never cancel a sale because I didn't get the price I hoped for. That just seem wrong on so many levels.

I haven't sold anything there since the fall of 2019, but expect to start selling again this year.

I have bought a few things and everything went smoothly. Prices are higher, but there are still deals to be had.

I am also quite happy that flea markets are reappearing and can usually find exactly what I was not looking for there. ;)

So if I understand correctly, you are angry because someone won't sell you something. You didn't have it before and you don't have it now. Seems neutral with only a very tiny loss of effort.

I'm guessing the anger comes from losing the "deal of the century." This smacks of a you problem, not an eBay problem.

No, based on the posting, I believe it is a seller issue. A sale was made and then the seller backed out. I have had a buyer go dark after winning an auction and a seller withdrawing an item that I had purchased. No fun on both cases. Not eBay fault, just folks not living up to their obligations.

Doesn't Ebay still allow sellers to set minimum amounts? I agree it's not right to pull out of a sale, and if the seller can establish the minimum amount that he will accept, there never be a reason to cancel a sale.

@MR. Elmo

I must not have explained it well enough if that was your take-away from it. I am frustrated at having to play by the rules and the sellers not having to. Having been on Ebay for something like 20+ years (their support is required to state that every time)..I've seen a lot of changes. The latest ones literally allow the seller to cheat the process until they get enough attention and get banned. It apparently takes awhile to reach that point. I was venting my ire on the board that is meant for such things. Ebay does allow sellers to set a minimum but it drives up the price of posting. For a long time, people would try to get around that by starting auctions at a dollar and then charging insane shipping. Ebay caught on eventually and made it a bannable offense as it hurt them in the wallet. Now they've failed to forsee these situations and their support people are often underpaid and unmotivated. Mercari turned out to be not much better. Your mileage may vary. Just ranting.

I'm a "Buy It Now" kinda guy. I don't want to post a bid and have somebody snipe it at the last minute. And I won't buy if the shipping costs aren't presented up front.

But my main issue with eBay isn't so much the sellers as the absurd prices people expect (and some people apparently play). For example, I'd love to find a copy of the original TSR Divine Right game. But the prices on eBay every time I checked were well over $300. USD To paraphrase a certain interstellar farm boy "I could make my own game for that!"
So "no sale," and I'm happy to walk away.

I've been with Ebay for 20+ years. Well before a CC was required. Same with paypal. I haven't bought or sold anything on Ebay for a couple years. I've found other sources. I may do so again, but it has become a cumbersome process. I much prefer simple processes.