eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

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AuctionBytes Blog
News and insight focusing on
ecommerce and the online auction industry
by Ina Steiner, Editor of AuctionBytes.com

February 10, 2008

eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

By: Ina Steiner

Sun Feb 10 2008 22:07:23

Over 1,600 eBay sellers responded to AuctionBytes' recent survey about eBay fee, feedback and policy changes announced on January 29, 2008. We're publishing the overall results in Monday's Newsflash newsletter and would like to read what you think of the data and what it means for eBay, sellers and buyers.

There was a nice spread of sellers in terms of annual sales and number of listings, providing a representative sampling of eBay sellers. There are various ways of slicing and dicing the data, so we'll be publishing additional articles this week - stay tuned!

Comments (129) | Permalink

Readers Comments

eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

by: Kirk

Sun Feb 10 23:25:15 2008

Ebay has gone crazy

eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

by: pat

Sun Feb 10 23:36:57 2008

When I worked in corporate America, I was measured on metric performance records. It is incredible to me that an Ebay seller has to go through the same rigorous exercise with no increase in salary, stock options, flex time, benefits or other bonus compensation! Who ever thought you would have to work so hard to sell at the world's largest flea market?

eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

by: Ming the Merciless

Sun Feb 10 23:37:17 2008

No, ebay hasn't gone crazy.

Their real corporate nature has simply been revealed so even the most brainwashed among us should now be able to clearly see them for exactly what they are: greedy, lying charlatans who should be under investigation for, IMO, countless violations of the Sherman Anti Trust Act, IRS regulations, and fair trade practices.

eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

by: KevinWP

Sun Feb 10 23:43:14 2008

I took the survey, and I want to comment on one thing...

The Feedback changes are a negative to me... but only because I already give positive feedback upon payment. (And I have managed to maintain 100% positive feedback with 0% retaliatory Feedback).

The change in feedback unfortunately takes away this 'advantage' I previously had over all the 'scared' sellers.

I sell things for Dollars, Not feedback.
If I do something wrong... my buyers are free to complain about it.

eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

by: Carol

Sun Feb 10 23:43:28 2008

I have been on ebay since it started and am a powerseller. I crunched the numbers and am actually losing money instead of making any. I have threatened to leave ebay before but now I have no choice. Thanks for your loyalty to your customers, Ebay - you just showed me the door with your latest fees and rules. I pay a lot in fees, but it's nothing compared to what Ebay gouges of everyone else. I know they won't miss me, but I am mourning the ebay I used to know in the past. It's bye bye for me and selling off my website and www.morethan-dolls.com

eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

by: Sandy

Sun Feb 10 23:45:42 2008

They have kicked the dead dog for the last time......will no longer sell or buy on their site, all listings will be cancelled immediately. Their greed will be the end of them yet, people do not need to pay or give up their moral standards to sell or buy through them any longer with all the available auction sites around with better incentives and who will stand behind their sellers........adios ebay and good riddance.........

eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

by: Lisa

Sun Feb 10 23:53:15 2008

Dear Ina, First, thank you for letting E-bay sellers have a voice, somewhere in the world. I feel that e-bay is holding the sellers responable for all of the problems that e-bay, it self has created. They don't care if 10,000 thousand of thier top sellers, just leave e-bay. They don't care when we need help!! When the truth is, the e-bay sellers, PAY all of E-bays BILLS! I have never, in my life ever heard of a company that doesn't care about losing costumers, and money. It's just not RIGHT, just as fast as E-bay went up, it is GOING down just as fast! I just don't under stand WHY e-bay can't HELP the sellers,and instead of hurting them, every chance they can. Thanks again, I wish everone the all the best. Sinecerly, Lisa in L.A. looking for a new Career!

eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

by: LapisLee

Sun Feb 10 23:53:28 2008

Good news! I am listing a lot of my items for $0.99 and others at reduced prices so these changes will not affect me much longer. I feel very fortunate to only have had one insane customer leave me negative feedback in over three years. For those who also have perfect or close to perfect feedback and don't mind the changes, please post a link to your store so we can 'fix that'. JK!

eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

by: ebay could care less

Sun Feb 10 23:53:32 2008

This is getting ridiculous! I am a powerseller, and My sales have already dropped by 1/2 when the store search changed. Now we can't leave negative feedback for the buyers with remorse who threaten to leave us one if we don't return items, the one's who do charge backs or non-paying bidders? Do they not think that buyers will figure it out and not be truthful by leaving negatives for their regret? It hurts the sellers. Sellers make ebay, not the buyers. If there is nothing for sale, then what? I have thousands of positive feedback, and a couple negatives from nonpayers, persons who have done chargebacks & color regret. How fair is it for me to not warn others and be slammed for something that I did not do and I have 25 characters to tell my side?!? Most of us are "as is" fully described item sellers, and don't take returns on regretted items. So what?? We get punished?!? That is the one thing stopping people from giving negatives. Can we go on strike? I am selling out and moving on. ebay has turned to hell for sure! Anything good in competition, they buy out. Remember 4sale.com ??? It was free! ebay bought it out. remember listing for 25 cents! on a hundred dollar item. Now with all the raised fees on ebay and paypal it will cost about $16 or more to sell the item!! It costs over 50 cents to sell an item for a dollar!! more than 50%! Get that one!

eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

by: Adrian Simmons

Mon Feb 11 00:00:56 2008

I believe every person in a management position on eBay should have to sell 50 items. Most have no idea what it costs to list a $25 item with all the fees involved. They have not experienced a ''bad'' buyer that can complain, do charge backs, threaten, etc. Buyers are now free to neg a seller for any reason, knowing the seller can do nothing, our hands are tied. I have bought and sold on eBay since 1998, been upset several times over fee hikes and rule changes. You can only take so much, this is the straw that broke the camels back!

eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

by: Irene

Mon Feb 11 00:12:20 2008

As a retiree who just started selling on ebay to supplement my income, I am going to have to think about this again. I get this email because a young person I know suggested it. It is a wealth of information. The rates to sell are too high. I think i will just go to flea markets or have a garage sale. costs about $20 for an ad and signs. I can make more in a day.

eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

by: Lyn

Mon Feb 11 00:21:13 2008

The survey results should make ebay's stockholders and top management nervous at this point, with so many folks out there ready and able to take ebay down (ie, Yahoo, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and a raft of posed-to-grow online selling sites such as OnlineAuctions). The survey nicely backs up the enormous impact that the feedback and its guaranteed trickle-down effect of loss of FVF discounts has. This is not just producing desertions, it is a deliberate massacre of bread and butter sellers. What can ebay's management possibly be thinking?? (Well, maybe we know, since John Donahue was overheard to snort about how ebay's front page looked like a yard sale.) So if the boycott of buying and selling from Feb 18-25 turns out to be a fleabite on ebay's ankle, so be it, but fleabites itch for quite a while and fester up and get infected and take a long time to scab over. Maybe ebay's stockholders will sit up and pay attention it it turns out to have the flesh eating bacteria. Too bad not many of those small sellers (mainly home-based and in need of that additional income) can afford to strike. They will get the shock of their lives soon enough, though, and I just really hope that they are paying attention and developing alternative selling venues. If anybody is at home at ebay HQ, maybe they should be having a board meeting to rethink the no feedback to buyers policy. At least disclose the secret proprietary Buyer Satisfaction Rating formula, ebay, so that we can figure out how to be more pleasing in thine eye.

eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

by: Paul

Mon Feb 11 00:22:05 2008

Anyone who is just NOW seeing eBay's "real corporate nature", just hasn't been paying attention for quite awhile...
This marketplace requires 3 parties - Sellers, Buyers, and the Venue... and yet - Sellers get to do all the hard Work, Buyers get Deals, Ebay gets Rich... How is it then that eBay coddles the Buyers, but seems to spend all their spare time dreaming up ways to make it harder (& costlier) for Sellers to do their part!
I've been selling there full-time for 9 years. It used to be fun, but not any more... Between all the "evolving" regulations on eBay - and PayPal - Sellers end up backed into a corner, feeling almost like we have to beg for the priviledge to do this work!
It's a shame that the old eBay and PayPal are long gone, and even what is left will disappear if they continue on this course. The corporate names may survive, but the business will be something ELSE...

eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

by: Ruth

Mon Feb 11 00:48:09 2008

Ebay is trying to encourage buyers to neg sellers for a simple reason. They have decided to force sellers, even veteran ones, into accepting Paypal if they have more than 5% "problematic" transactions. What constitutes a "problematic" transaction? Whatever they want to come up with. They state they have devised an "algorithm" to determine if a seller reaches that magic 5% mark. Right. Here's their algorithm. Seller accepts Paypal = good seller. Seller thinks Paypal is a ripoff and refuses to offer it = bad seller. Pretty simple formula, wouldn't you say? And Ming the Merciless is correct. EBay is currently being sued for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act. They are trying to tie Paypal in with eBay, which is illegal. Their new rules just strengthens the case against them,IMO. Let's hope they are found guilty and are forced to stop harassing sellers into accepting their bogus payment service.

eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

by: Dave

Mon Feb 11 00:53:33 2008

I hope everyone joins the ebay boycott on 02-18-08 to 02-25-08This boycott will send a strong message to ebay. Thanks, Dave

eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

by: donnellwells

Mon Feb 11 01:09:32 2008

COULD NOT AGREE MORE WITH ALL THE COMMENTS - IT IS DISGRACEFUL -
WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT THE BRASS DOES DURING THE PLANNED BLACK OUT BY SELLERS -
CANNOT WAIT TO SEE WHAT BAIT THEY THROW OUT FOR THE WEAKER AND HUNGIER AMONG US.
THIS SHOULD BE INTERESTING -
GOTTA SCRAM - NEED TO FIND ANOTHER VENUE THAT DOESN'T BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS IT -
MERCY!

eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

by: donnellwells

Mon Feb 11 01:12:22 2008

EXCUSEZ - THAT WOULD BE "HUNGRIEST"-
I AM SO DISGUSTED THAT I CANNOT EVEN SPELL IT OUT!

I WILL GIVE MYSELF A STRIKE FOR THAT GOOF!

eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

by: Mary

Mon Feb 11 01:46:21 2008

Ina, keep up the good work***! Ebay was great, just plain Awesome! I noticed the last 2-3 years it has changed for the worst. I am a powerseller during Christmas and slow store owner the rest of the months. Rather than finding an other auction place and be a puppet again eventually when '' the new online place gets revvved up'' we should just start out own website and pay no fees at all. The dip we would have in sales is not bad considering freedom and fees we would be saving that we once had. Keep a few items listed, and migrate customers over time. I am sad to leave Ebay, doesn't that sounds silly? It was great in the beginning, sometimes all good things do have to come to an end. It is time we start controlling our own goals.

eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

by: mike

Mon Feb 11 01:48:31 2008

I think the media better start researching the truth on how many people have shut down their stores on ebay and also the ones who have left for good in the last few days , the numbers on one site have jumped so much in the last few days that ebay stockholders better take a long hard look !!

BUT I FORGOT
Ebay is now the biggest used car dealer in the world thanks to GM !!! They should be proud !!!

I closed my stores to make room for them , but I'm thinking about oppening a new one !!!

GRAMMA FANNY'S VASELINE AND LUBES

eBay Sellers Tell It Like It Is in New Survey

by: Paul

Mon Feb 11 02:12:34 2008

Time to open your store on eCrater where the selling is free and they don't frighten the customer into using PayPal.

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