The bitterest pill

[spence0175]

I can't help it. I've never seen so many "private" sellers come to life in the category I mostly sell on. I'm seeing dollshouse makers in the real world selling on here as "private".

Ebay are you really going to let this fiasco carry on into the new year whilst us small business sellers are well and truly stuffed by your very poor decision.. Talk about a flood of stuff and a drop in what items are selling for because there is so much.

and as for the new wonderful private seller who is told it's easy to sell. Well yes it is easy to sell but it's after the sale..I purchased 4 items on separate days from one. Not one item had the correct tracking number applied.

3 have turned up, 1 hasn't but that one has the tracking number applied from the first one to arrive and says it's now delivered which it isn't and once an item is marked as delivered you cannot change the tracking....

[the-nutwood-collection]

Thanks for the link.  I think I'm Top Rated Plus.  I meet the conditions and I've got a blue badge on my listings - looks like the EU flag - is that it, or is it a bigger, brighter badge for Plus?

I had to laugh when I saw that I supposedly get 'enhanced visibility in eBay search results'.  I used the search to find a listing to check whether I'd got a badge.  Took me ages to scroll past the private seller that's created 81 listings at the last count before I found one of my listings.  That's 'enhanced visibility'?

[british-ceramics-and-paintings]

Not sure top rated etc means anything these days. I have been a top rated seller for years and years and I see no benefits, at the end of the day if a private seller can pay more in promoted listing fees than I can because they aren't paying any other fees my listings will be buried lower down the searches.

May as well just sell on a private account and set promoted listings at 12.9%, I'd be far better off.

It's shambolic that it has got to this situation and judging by the usual "we will pass on your comments"  on the community question and answer session this afternoon very little is going to change.

It very much seems to be a case of deal with it or close the door on your way out.

[ashlands-emporium]

Its a fantastic system they have set up with the community question board. The only people fielded to answer questions are in no position to be able to provide answers - if this is the case, and they are clearly getting the same questions week after week then why not send someone from the policy team to speak with us. Currently they are this mysterious non-contactable team that are held absolutely no way accountable for anything they do or do not do. 

If it is that they are making actions against fake private accounts then all they would have to do is release some figures. If they just posted "We reviewed 500 accounts reported to us in the last 2-days and took action on 450 of those" then I am sure this would provide a bit of hope for frustrated business sellers on this platform. Instead the "we will pass on your feedback" line is just an empty nothing reply. I wouldn't be surprised if the "feedback" goes to an unmonitored inbox 🤔

[the-nutwood-collection]

I absolutely agree,  Does the little blue badge mean anything to buyers?  Of course it doesn't.  They've got the MBG.  They should look out for sellers that are more likely to give them a hassle free sale, but I don't think this crosses their minds.

My listings are not just behind the sponsored listings, they're way behind the private seller that's creating listings in industrial quantities.  I suppose eBay's logic is that, having lured private sellers in with fee-free, they'd better make sure that they get sales.

Billy Muggins business sellers can wait at the back of the queue.

[dch2112011]

Yes most of your listings are top rated plus ( ebay premium service in the UK)  this is the ticket for buyers who sign up for the monthly fee 

[ashlands-emporium]

For anyone more knowledgeable than myself - is there a reason we cannot simply post the usernames / urls of rule breaking users on this forum?

[the-nutwood-collection]

Well, I never knew that.  Top Rated Plus.  A little EU flag on my listings.  I am honoured.  Just imagine how much lower my sales would be if I didn't have the flag.  Doesn't bear thinking about.

I will watch carefully for eBay proclamations about a 'buyer club'.  My spidey senses tell me that this doesn't bode well for sellers.

[nutrafituk]

GDPR I guess. No need for that though. Just PM the moderator with a list, take a screenshot for your records. If nothing done - you have evidence for reprting those accounts and no action being taken.

[dch2112011]

I wouldn't be too sceptical just yet, there is already a dedicated search facility for top rated plus products, it is fairly hidden at the moment but the page is aimed at buyers encouraging them to buy from sellers with the badge - I can only surmise that this ranking will change to another name when the 'prime' club rolls out, with buyer benifits only being offered when they buy from 'plus' sellers - at this time I would expect a push towards your listings.

The only thing I can't seem to find is whether a seller will have the 'plus' ranking as well as individual listings, I sense that this is a realistic expectation - of course noone knows for sure

[the-nutwood-collection]

The dedicated search facility is certainly well hidden - I've never heard of it.

Negative Nelly that I am, I suspect that the buyer benefits will co-funded, the 'co-' being that the seller pays the lion's share - but I will wait and see.

[dch2112011]

---

@howmuchtobid wrote:

The seller of this item makes great use of images 🙄

235488434452

---

It's a start see below transcript of ebay's decision to remove contact details - 

The content you reported was removed

Hello,
Thanks again for reporting the problematic content you found.

What happened:
We looked into your report and removed the content. It may take up to 24 hours for it to reflect on the site. This determination was made by a customer service agent.

We let the content uploader know about this decision and the action taken. They may have the option to fix the content to make it visible again on site. They can also appeal our decision, and we'll review the case again and may reverse the original decision and action taken.

If you reported content that isn’t included in the below reference ID, we’ll send a separate email once we’ve made a decision.

Your reference ID: 

Here are the listings you reported that have been removed:
Item: xxxxx34452  xxxxxxxxxxxx  xx x  xx x xxxxxxxx

[howmuchtobid]

Years ago that seller would have been suspended for showing a link to their website. These days they just carry on selling on a private account, how Ebay has fallen, the standards on this website are so low now.

Nearly 2000 items selling thousands of pounds each month, Ebay just ignores it. It's a scandal.

[vintagechinashop]

EBay care little about anything except making money. Yes I know the purpose of a business is to make money but it’s a shame they don’t appreciate that’s what we are trying to do but the hurdles we have to jump are crippling us 

as a single lady in her 60s working full time in addition to trying to make money it’s hard just to make enough to pay the bills  a few years ago in lockdown I was making enough to do this but now I have a shortfall each month and have to juggle which bills I miss for a month. I worked hard to build this business  I no longer have the funds to buy stock so I’m selling what I have. I miss the days when weekend sales were good. Now I’m lucky if I get one sale over a weekend. I may have to downgrade my shop and rotate listings  if it continues. Meanwhile my neighbour sells as a private seller pays no listing fees. Spends her time at boot fairs buying stock and boasts about how easy it is. 
don’t get me wrong I’m not a jealous person but it makes me annoyed that eBay allow this to happen one hundred fold.