ebay/paypal

[Outsider]

Re: ebay/paypal

eBay/Paypal is not a scam. Is a business.

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner who understands. It's a business, it costs money to buy their service! It's free enterprise, everyone should feel perfectly free to take their business elsewhere if they're unhappy or dissatisfied. Or better yet, be an entrepreneur and start their own. Oh, and here's a flash, there is someone out there who wants to take what you have. With EBay, like life, you pays yur money and takes yur chances ... :facepalm:

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: ebay/paypal

Bubba,

Well agree with me or not, makes no matter at all, I have been using both services since day one basically and I have received an email every single time they change the terms of service before the effective date of the change. I have over a dozen credit cards in my wallet, most of the big ones, and they change terms of service all the time as well and I don't have any say in it, except to not accept it or accept it.

All I can say, if your not getting the emails notifying you about the changes in terms of service, then you are having a completely different experience than I have all these years.

Like I said last night it is always interesting to read the comment from others when these discussions pop up, but you know, they are still a couple of the most popular as well as profitable companies in the world, which tells me a heck of a lot of people are still using them.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: ebay/paypal

An excellent point, except that I believe this is an unethical practice followed by too many modern companies because they can get away with it, and you seem to be using the fact that it's done a lot as a kind of justification for the practice.

Lately I'm finding out I'm one of the few remaining people in the world with ethics, though, so that's not a surprise.

Erik

Erick,

Don't even attempt to question my ethics, you have no knowledge of who I am, what I do, of what I have done. If you feel that you are one of the few remaining people in the world with ethics, then I hope I never meet you, I know a heck of allot of people with ethics, including the majority of those I served with. To question my ethics based on my post and understanding of how business is done now a days is uncalled for.

Colonel David P.

Retired, US Army O-6, Graduated West Point Military Academy 1978
Silver Star recipient, Twice awarded the Purple Heart, One Bronze Star.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: ebay/paypal

I use both Ebay and Paypal...a lot! I even use Paypal to receive rent at times on my vacation home for rentals over a thousand dollars when I have rentals with short time constraints where a check mailed to me doesn't cut it!

Back when I was selling a lot on ebay I had a couple small problems but nothing I wouldn't have also had processing purchases with credit cards.

I also believe Erik is way off base here. If he doesn't want to use the services, that's his choice. Saying they are unethical and that he is one of the few with ethics anymore is kinda out there if you ask me. Paranoia comes to mind.

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: ebay/paypal

I've found sellers that say they have a X % fee to be paid directly or something like that. It's a way to circumvent the Ebay fees, or at least offset them. I've reported many people for that, you can't do that. I'm only paying the auction price and what you list as shipping, and that's it. Period.

It annoys me to no end people that try to screw you out of your money. That's why I refuse to use anything but Ebay. CL is a bunch of scams anyway.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: ebay/paypal

I always enjoy the ones that will sell you a $20 widget for $5.00 then charge you $30.00 for shipping! Come on guys, do you REALLY think we don't know what your doing? LOL

 

[QC]

Re: ebay/paypal

I always enjoy the ones that will sell you a $20 widget for $5.00 then charge you $30.00 for shipping! Come on guys, do you REALLY think we don't know what your doing? LOL

Yeah, and I've seen $100 gift cards sell for $105 . . . soo, uh . . . caveat emptor

 

[bruceb58]

Re: ebay/paypal

I always enjoy the ones that will sell you a $20 widget for $5.00 then charge you $30.00 for shipping! Come on guys, do you REALLY think we don't know what your doing? LOL

I see that all the time and really don't care. Its the final price including shipping that matters. It would be eBay that should care.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: ebay/paypal

I see that all the time and really don't care. Its the final price including shipping that matters. It would be eBay that should care.

Well Bruce that is your prerogative, I won't deal with dishonest people, and when you are trying to nix a company out of their money when you have agreed to their terms of service, I consider it to be dishonest. Just like so many things in life, when one cheats others pay. Also, ebay does care, they have started imposing restrictions on certain categories of products when it concerns shipping charges. I suspect one of these days, they will be restricting many more.

 

[Kiwi Phil]

Re: ebay/paypal

I really can't see where the issue of "ethics" is relevant to the argument.
Ebay-Paypal is an excellent business, obviously meeting the needs of our communities.
Both buyers and sellers feel the fees they pay justify the service they receive.
On top of that, Ebay-Paypal are 100% fully compliant with the laws-codes-directives of the countries they operate in.
They are a legitimate honest business.
Should anyone have an issue with them, then they may refuse to use their services, and if they really feel strongly enough, then maybe they should develop and implement a better service.
The problems are not with Ebay-Paypal. Problems are with their supposed customers.
Cheers
Phillip

 

[bruceb58]

Re: ebay/paypal

Well Bruce that is your prerogative, I won't deal with dishonest people, and when you are trying to nix a company out of their money when you have agreed to their terms of service, I consider it to be dishonest. Just like so many things in life, when one cheats others pay. Also, ebay does care, they have started imposing restrictions on certain categories of products when it concerns shipping charges. I suspect one of these days, they will be restricting many more.

I understand your point. They obviously have to weigh the difference in getting those shipping charges moved over to the price of the item vs risking a seller not selling. They are still get listing fees and PayPal fees. I wouldn't mind Ebay getting tougher on the guys that play that game

 

[jasoutside]

Re: ebay/paypal

Though all good discussion points, I do believe we are straying a bit away from the OP's intent of the thread eh fellas?

I believe his main concerns might have been (in short)...

"Can the buyer screw me, take/break my stuff, not pay for it, and not even return it? Even if I say sold as is, where is, no refunds, no returns?"

Yah, pretty much unfortunately. The buyer is definitely in control of these deals and eBay/PayPal will back them.

"Can I talk to a live person from eBay/PayPal to try to sort things out?"

Yes you can actually! I have talked to people from eBay and PayPal both and I have found that they were super helpful actually. I cannot totally remember how I got ahold of them as it was a while ago but there are live people these days to help work things out (didn't used to be that way).

Cheers

 

[erikgreen]

Re: ebay/paypal

On top of that, Ebay-Paypal are 100% fully compliant with the laws-codes-directives of the countries they operate in.
They are a legitimate honest business.

This is a good illustration of the fine difference between our points of view. In my view, Ebay is "100% fully compliant with the laws-codes-directives of the countries they operate in" too. But, just being law abiding doesn't mean you're ethical. It's like lying... unless you lie about something in a way where your actions break a law, like fraud or theft by deception, it's not illegal. But I'd still argue that lying isn't ethical even if it doesn't break the law.

With regard to the last line above, I'll say that Ebay/Paypal is a legitimate business. Honest means something else to me.

Erik

 

[QC]

Re: ebay/paypal

That is a very good definition of the difference between legal and ethical. Frankly whether eBay is, or isn't, ethical depends on intent of the people making decisions, and I don't think we will ever know that.

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: ebay/paypal

In Ebay's defense, their website does have a "sort" feature and one of the options is "price+shipping=lowest first" which will put the items in the list, cheapest at the top, including the shipping costs. So the ones who do the 20 dollars plus 30 shipping or 50 dollars plus free shipping will be right next to each other in the list.

Ebay tries to make it dummy proof, but I guess the world always invents a bigger dummy.

 

[mscher]

Re: ebay/paypal

This is a good illustration of the fine difference between our points of view. In my view, Ebay is "100% fully compliant with the laws-codes-directives of the countries they operate in" too. But, just being law abiding doesn't mean you're ethical. It's like lying... unless you lie about something in a way where your actions break a law, like fraud or theft by deception, it's not illegal. But I'd still argue that lying isn't ethical even if it doesn't break the law.

With regard to the last line above, I'll say that Ebay/Paypal is a legitimate business. Honest means something else to me.

Erik

"Nowadays I only use Ebay to find local sellers, then offer to meet the seller locally and pay cash. Technically that violates the seller's agreement with e-bay, but that's the seller's problem. "

Shouldn't ethics and honesty, be a two-way street?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: ebay/paypal

Shouldn't ethics and honesty, be a two-way street?

Especially for one of the last ethical people in the world!

Lately I'm finding out I'm one of the few remaining people in the world with ethics, though, so that's not a surprise.

Erik

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: ebay/paypal

Ethics are a personal belief, with no root in law, what you believe to be ethical is often times quite different than another person ethical view, when you argue ethics, you might was well be arguing religion, every single person has their own view of it. I, for one, have never seen a winner in an argument concerning ethics.

 

[QC]

Re: ebay/paypal

And that argument would get this thread closed . . .

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: ebay/paypal

And that argument would get this thread closed . . .

Yes it would, just trying to illustrate how hopeless it is to argue that point..