From: J. Forster (jfor@quik.com)
Date: Sun Aug 22 2004 - 20:19:59 PDT
J Travis wrote:
> John,
> I'd be curious to know what they ever backed down on. As far as I could
> tell, they basically don't care what their customers think, and instead
> think they are best equipped to decide for us what we can and cannot
> sell,
Yes. You are quite correct about their excessively paternalistic attitude. What they
did was write a very strict policy about what type of items could be sold that
essentially eliminated any and all trading. They backed off after the appropriate
Federal authorities basically told them they were not interested. They didn't
actually CHANGE the policy, but they don't enforce it strictly anymore. I'm being
purposely vague to avoid the issue resurfacing.
> and their "Safe Harbor" system is designed to leave anyone who
> gets caught in its bureaucracy hung out to dry until eBay gets around to
> them.
I have had nothing but bad experiences with "Safe Harbor". They have been utterly
useless in trying to recover moneys I was cheated out of. I was taken for about $150
by a memory seller in California and over $500 by an army surplus dealer in Ontario,
Canada. In two other cases, I paid by USPS Money Order and recovered 100% via the
Postal Inspectors.
> But the difference is, I doubt that they have any real interest
> in the opinions of even their customers, as they view us as simply
> another disposable commodity that gets replaced if it does anything to
> interrupt their cash flow.
Agreed.
> Still, until someone else brings out a
> viable competition that enough people will search out in order to buy
> goods from to make it worth a seller's time to pay to list their items,
> eBay is the only game in town, even if only because so many people just
> keep accepting their arrogance- or are too lazy to look elsewhere, or to
> create options of their own.
There is another possible threat: Anti-Trust law. Since they have essentially stomped
out all other internet auction sites, a pro consumer federal government might be able
to reign them in. eBay is in essentially the same monopolistic position as Microsoft.
Also, the banking or credit card industries might begin to perceive PayPal as a
threat also, and that could lead to some better consumer protections. PayPal has a
virtual monopoly on internet payments, and it is certainly NOT customer friendly.
Read their Terms and Conditions. One can hope.
> Gunbroker.com did it; maybe there needs to
> be something along that line for MV collectors?
> JTravis
To be really useful, it has to be a pretty big tent. Many items come from estates or
or collectors who just don't know about the specialized lists. Almost everyone knows
about eBay.
-John
>
>
> J. Forster wrote:
>
> >J Travis wrote:
> >
> > There's a way to passively resist almost anything that eBay can try to force on
> >you,
> >
> >
> >
> >>if you get creative enough.
> >>
> >>JTravis
> >>
> >>
> >
> >That's why I made the original post in this thread. The ONLY hope of influencing
> >eBay is for enough people to object. They have backed down, although not in
> >public, on several issues.
> >
> >Let's not beat around the bush. eBay is a big, powerful company, out to do what
> >they see as in THEIR best interest alone. They are not a charity. Sellers are
> >their customers, and buyers are but a necessary evil and carry little, if any,
> >weight and are a secondary concern. Only if they perceive their customer's
> >business is severely threatened, will they alter their plans. No different than
> >Exxon or GM or any other big corporation.
> >
> >Some of their surveys are legit. You can look at the links to be sure. As to the
> >content of their surveys, they seem to be more concerned that their 'customer
> >service' people are courteous that whether they actually make a meaningful
> >response or solve the problem. I guess it's a result of their strain of
> >corporate culture: form vastly outweighs function. (i.e.: 'Have a Nice Day'
> >after you get screwed)
> >
> >-John
> >
> >
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> >
> >
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