Hello Everyone,
I FINISHED WITH EBAY TODAY
This is the first time I have felt that I needed to share – and it will probably be my last.
Having sold on eBay for over 22 years, I have stopped all of my sales as of today.
As a private seller who has sold loads of items that I have collected over the years, a few months ago I saw an opportunity to buy and sell new relatively high quality watches on here.
In my naivety as a 100% feedback seller of many years, I ended up selling a gorgeous £85 Titanium Seiko VN31 driven watch to a scammer in Australia.
Last week, 9 days after he received the watch, this person started a return and claimed that the watch is not as described despite the fact that I had fully and clearly described the watch over a full 13 points in either the item specifics, title heading, my own description, many photos and also a video clip.
After reaching out to eBay for help last week, eBay accepted my arguments and found in my favour against the scammer.
This morning, I discover that that eBay has now changed it's decision and found in favour of the scammer, so it will probably cost me over possibly £90 to get the watch back from Australia and if I don't buy a returns label the scammer gets to keep the watch and get his money back.
At the time of sending the watch via eBay's Global Shipping Programme for only £3.45 Royal Mail Tracked Service, I never envisaged that someone would pull a scam like this. I know now.
After speaking to eBay again, they now claim that their first “decision” against the scammer was a mistake, so basically I have to accept the situation.
However this situation finally concludes, I am finished with eBay for good because it's very obvious that there will only ever be support for the scammers and none for the seller, even if it is a cut and dried case.
Therefore, this morning I pulled over £7500 worth of listings and if I can't sell them on other platforms then my friends and relations will be getting some lovely watches as presents over the next few years.
This isn't some emotional flash in the pan decision but it is bourne out of pragmatism because if eBay will not support an honest seller with an iron clad case then there is no point to me selling on eBay and then having to worry if I will fall victim to another scammer who will again be supported by eBay.
I choose not to have to worry about honest sales and that means that I must leave eBay behind.
Hopefully, one of the other sales platforms will eclipse eBay at some point.
It can happen to big arrogant companies, like when Blockbuster Video were so big and successful that they laughed those upstarts Netflix out of the meeting room.
We all know how that story ended.
