Another reason buyers will leave the platform?

[555njp]

Evening all, 
I was researching a new Dyson vacuum cleaner, just to compare pricing across platforms and B&M stores.

First thing I came across having filtered by “model”, “New” and “lowest price first” was that the first 6 items were being sold by “private” sellers, clearly running a business…!
Yeah I know that’s now the norm on eBay 🤨 but anyway……...I opened the cheapest listing to find that having been listed as “Brand New” on reading the description I find it states:

“As new, boxed, ONLY USED TWICE!!”
Sorry, that isn’t even “new other”, that is USED. They are also advertising a 2yr warranty (and that’s definitely not transferable on a used product from a private seller!).

So, I decide to report the listing only to get the standard “we looked into your report and could find nothing wrong, your report was looked at by a customer service agent”…! Seriously?

Surely this is blatant mis-selling?

I’m on the cusp of closing both my accounts because of the latest changes to this platform which collectively are making running a business impossible and even selling off you old stuff a real chore. Sales have virtually dried up anyway so this could be the final step.

I’m thinking if someone buys this without reading the full description (I.e. on the app or on their phone), they are going to have a poor buying experience, tell everyone they know and never come back.

What do others think? I would PM Marco, Dave or Kate the listing number but I’ve been blocked from sending at the moment (responded to 3 messages after last weeks chat and apparently that’s too many).

[elianajvintage]

There is a similar issue in with Vintage clothing. Although it’s  under the clothing category it’s hidden within the specialist subcategory rather than a vintage subcategory.🙄

[elianajvintage]

I sent a message about my concerns to one of eBay senior management last year and it was passed down to someone in EBay executive escalations.  Although I had a good dialogue with the person there it was then passed onto other departments to address.  Predictably absolutely nothing has happened.

Today I sent a message back to my initial contact to update them on the current situation and to inform them that absolutely nothing has changed since our last communication in August. I’ve offered to discuss them with somebody if anyone is truly interested in addressing them, but that is more in hope than an expectation.

One of my concerns as a buyer is the awful attitudes of some of the newer private sellers. I have shocking examples of some who really don’t care that their listings are inaccurate.

I have also started buying from v******** and recently sold a personal item on there.  I was surprised by how easy it is to list and how straightforward the sales process was.  I am considering setting up a business selling account there simply because of it’s ease of use and convenience even if the sale prices achieved are lower.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

that wouldn’t happen on Amazon. Imagine if you reported a seller selling something as new when in fact it was used. Amazon would remove that instantly.

Sorry, but no.  Have you ever tried to get a listing taken down for being wrong/illegal etc on Amazon?

It's nigh on impossible.  And most definitely far from instant!

Even just trying to get listings corrected so that they are stating the correct things on the item, is extremely difficult to do!

[suelel1968]

Lets not forget the business sellers who use the wrong stock photos for their poor quality, probably not fit  for purpose, substitutes. 

[elianajvintage]

True. I also remember an experience buying from a private buyer who sent me a brand new item with a badly damaged box. Turned out that she gets a crate of items to sell (so not a ‘private’ seller) and and if there are one or two that have damaged packaging it’s not worth her while to mention it in the listing and she will still use stock photos.  She would then contact the buyer before sending it to offer a refund if the buyer doesn’t want to proceed and that process didn’t happen with me. As if that makes it acceptable!! 😤

[555njp]

Stock photos are fine if the item is BNIB, it’s when they are secondhand or refurbished it becomes a problem.

As a business seller of used and refurbished garden equipment, every listing has photos of the exact item for sale and says so too. Reason being, every used item will have different levels of damage, scratches, marks, scuffs, even after refurbishing. So if I was buying it, I want to see the one I’m getting. Not a photo of the nicest one when you’re actually going to send me the roughest one.

Trouble is eBay don’t like lots of the same type individual listings. They want businesses to list as a single multi-quantity listing which if used or refurbished doesn’t always work.

[555njp]

I bought a car key a few years ago to return with my nearly new lease car as I lost one. It was far cheaper to get a second hand one reprogrammed and get a new blade cut than to go to the dealer and buy all new. So I found one on here from a private seller that looked perfect. When it turned up it was heavily used, worn, scratched and split. 
Seller had photographed the unused spare key which he sold with his car, and sent me the totally wrecked main key which he’d kept!

I did get a full refund in the end but what a pain. I said I’d bought on the strength of his photos as the key needed to be near perfect but he really didn’t seem to get it.

[555njp]

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@therenewalworkshopltd wrote:

Have you ever tried to get a listing taken down for being wrong/illegal etc on Amazon?

---

Yes, after my son bought some designer football boots that turned out to be fake.

I contacted their CS who immediately provided a full refund including postage but I pushed the point that these are fakes being advertised as genuine which is wrong and the listing should not be permitted and it was taken down.

But, I have to admit that was a few years ago and I don’t generally use Amazon these days if I can help it.

So, I’ve just had a look on the seller forums and was frankly shocked how bad the platform appears to have become (scammers, poor seller support, not providing the seller Safe T protection, sellers threatening to leave etc. etc.). I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s actually worse than eBay now, and that’s saying something.

When I was on Amazon, it was far more professional. Any issues with market place seller accounts were dealt with very quickly, because as they sell themselves, they really didn’t want any poor press.
It would seem it’s changed rather a lot since then, so maybe you are right?

[therenewalworkshopltd]

In a word, they are abysmal.  It's one of the biggest reasons why I stopped selling on there, getting on for two years ago now.

Trust me when I say, that Ebay support is FAR superior to Amazon.

I sold there for most of 10years and you have no idea of the number of times that I have tried to get listings changed.  Unless you own the brand, it's nigh on impossible and has been for years.  It's most definitely not a recent thing.

Whilst you may have got that particular seller removed, what has probably happened in the background, is that the listing was suspended for that seller.  They then are able to fight this and 9 times out of 10, their listings re-appear.  So I would suggest, that assuming it's no too long ago, that you go look again.  There is a good chance it's back.   
There are very big issue with the catalogue, dropshippers creating new listings but with incorrect details and buying from the original listing for the customer.  Lot's of issues with sellers not registering for VAT etc.  And this is just the tip of the iceberg.  You are a number, never a person when dealing with them, no matter how big a seller you are.  And that's coming from someone who at one point, was turning over just shy of 1 million a year with Amazon.

They have even had huge issues with fake items, that have caused harm to people.  It takes forever to get these removed.  

[555njp]

Wow, I’m genuinely shocked. As I said it was a few years ago but I didn’t think Amazon was that bad.
But saying that, my sister in law was a big seller on Amazon and ran into problems (she got scammed more than once so stopped selling there).

I really dislike Amazon as I find it incredibly difficult to navigate without accidentally ending up with Prime! So I don’t even buy on there now.
Just reading their forums was an eye opener having been away for a while. 

Thinking about it more, I wonder if I did get that seller stopped or if the brand owner got wind and it was them that put a stop to them?
Back then you could actually speak to a CS rep but I suspect it’s all AI now.

[the-nutwood-collection]

I agree that Amazon has become incredibly difficult to navigate.

Sainsbury's has delisted the coffee I like, but a Google search told me it was available on Amazon in a 500g tub, so off I went to buy it.

The link took me to the listing, no problem, but I wanted to see the reviews in case they said that the product wasn't the same as the one that was sold in supermarkets.  Previously, I just scrolled down for reviews, but now there's masses and masses of ads to scroll through.  Couldn't find the reviews, so scroll back to the top of the page.  Find a link for the reviews - which takes me to another page.  Read reviews, they're OK, but now have to get back to where I started.  Back button - back button.

I can have free shipping if I sign up for Prime, but I don't want to.  I can get free shipping on orders over £35, but the coffee doesn't cost that - so what's the shipping cost?  It's not on the listing.

Put item in basket.  Still no shipping cost shown.  Do I want Prime?  NO I DON'T.  Do I want a credit card?  NO I DON'T.  Click-click-click for name, delivery address etc.  Finally, I discover that the shipping is £4.99.

Maybe there's something else for I want for £11 to get free shipping?  Back button-back button-back button-back button.  Still not on Amazon search screen, so can't look for a book or some haberdashery.

Totally exhausted.  Give up.  It used to be so easy to buy from Amazon.  Not any more.  I'll get it from Viking.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

Lol, it is a point that I've made a few times in the past, but nobody seems to hear me!  🙂

Search is just as bad as Ebay, if not worse.  Ad's everywhere and offers in your face constantly.

I still have prime as I still do buy the occasional thing from there, but it's mostly now for the films etc.

Back then you could actually speak to a CS rep but I suspect it’s all AI now.

You can still speak to support, but it's as hard to get hold of them, as it is Ebay.

You can't just call them.  You have to wait for them to call you, then half the time you get someone who's english is terrible and you struggle to understand them.

But even when you do get someone, they literally just tell you stuff, to get rid of you.

I can't tell you the number of times that people have been told things, that will get them banned.

It happens far too often.

It's still perfectly possible to use the site to sell on, but be prepared to very much be a cog in the machine!

[action-figure-supplies-uk]

I agree, getting details changed on Amazon is impossible and one of the many reasons I stopped selling on there. Hasbro would release information to wholesalers and toy stores of their upcoming releases but Hasbro would use code names for the toys. These code names would make it on to Amazon somehow and when I got these toys from Hasbro I'd try to list them on Amazon by EAN and all my listings were names like "Blue Ferret" or something equally ridiculous when the toy was "Luke Skywalker". Anyone searching for a Luke Skywalker toy wouldn't find it unless they put "Blue Ferret" in the search! And as I'm not Hasbro I wasn't allowed to change the listing title.