Love eBay?

[Rockdiamond]

Hi All!
Just a heads up regarding eBay.
Their commission has gone up to about 10% ( ouch!!)
They have robots that read any communication sent through the system- and if you suggest direct communication ( ie, call me to discuss) that's is a HUGE no no in eBay's eyes.
If a merchant is charging $1100 on eBay, and they have their own website, it's likely a consumer can save that 10% by contacting the merchant outside of eBay.
As I mentioned, if the merchant advises the consumer to call- or tells the consumer about this difference in price, the merchant gets kicked off eBay.

A case could be made that eBay is earing the 10% by offering services.....and a case could be made that eBay sucks wind when it comes to customer service.

Anyway, when someone on eBay writes to us, telling us that they've seen us on PS or someplace...it's pretty frustrating. I don't want them to pay the extra fee.
I'm sure other merchants have the same issue.
So if you find a merchant on eBay that's interesting to you, google them- find them and communicate outside eBay and save money and have more direct communications....


/rant

 

[PreRaphaelite]

Good tip to find the seller's website. Sometimes they have Etsy shops too.

Despite my perfect feedback score after years and years as a seller, I stopped listing on eBay, due to the massive amounts of fraud both on the site and in the PayPal transaction systems. I was defrauded out of thousands and learned my lesson! No selling there ever again.

As a customer, I recently bought something that had undisclosed condition issues and after returning it, the seller tried delaying the refund and giving excuses and then at the very last second they could wait, I finally got a refund just before filing a claim. Never buying there again.

eBay is dead.

 

[maita13]

You’re SO right, @PreRaphaelite. ebay used to be a treasure trove but not so these days. It has become a platform for more scammers. I came across this listing a few weeks ago and emailed GIA to look into it. It’s a listing that sells GIA certificates to match your diamond. The listing is still active so I don’t know what else to do. Perhaps @Rockdiamond as a member of the trade could escalate it with GIA. Here’s the listing in question:

GIA Certificate 0.3/0.4/0.5/0.6/0.7-1ct No Diamond Included See Description | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for GIA Certificate 0.3/0.4/0.5/0.6/0.7-1ct No Diamond Included See Description at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[Rockdiamond]

Yes- I will absolutely call eBay to get some action!!
Do you think the really nice people in the Philippines will understand English well enough to get the issue here? ( *** I LOVE the people of the Philippines, but eBay is charging in US dollars- maybe hire people here?????)
Plus, I do happen to have 5 or six hours to wait on hold.....
And once I get the really nice lady to understand, I'm sure eBay will WHIP into action!! Within a year or two action will surely happen

( can you tell eBay is on my $hit list??)

 

[maita13]

Yes- I will absolutely call eBay to get some action!!
Do you think the really nice people in the Philippines will understand English well enough to get the issue here? ( *** I LOVE the people of the Philippines, but eBay is charging in US dollars- maybe hire people here?????)
Plus, I do happen to have 5 or six hours to wait on hold.....
And once I get the really nice lady to understand, I'm sure eBay will WHIP into action!! Within a year or two action will surely happen

( can you tell eBay is on my $hit list??)

loud and clear, @Rockdiamond!! Should I say the same about GIA, though? I communicated this issue with GIA and received a response saying “they’ll report it to the proper channel.” How much time does it take to take action? Because it’s their “brand” that’s most affected in this scenario.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Likely GIA is in the same position the rest of us are.....my pics have been stolen literally hundreds of times ( probably thousands at this point)
I can provide the original hi res files- but none of that matters.....as long as eBay is getting their fee.

 

[maita13]

Likely GIA is in the same position the rest of us are.....my pics have been stolen literally hundreds of times ( probably thousands at this point)
I can provide the original hi res files- but none of that matters.....as long as eBay is getting their fee.

Capitalism rules and greed is the death of us all...sigh.

Curious how a seller in China was able to get a hold of these certificates...

 

[Musia]

You’re SO right, @PreRaphaelite. ebay used to be a treasure trove but not so these days. It has become a platform for more scammers. I came across this listing a few weeks ago and emailed GIA to look into it. It’s a listing that sells GIA certificates to match your diamond. The listing is still active so I don’t know what else to do. Perhaps @Rockdiamond as a member of the trade could escalate it with GIA. Here’s the listing in question:

http://[URL]https://www.ebay.com/it...Diamond-Included-See-Description/153923370676

[/URL]

I reported the item to eBay.

 

[Musia]

Capitalism rules and greed is the death of us all...sigh.

Do you know any good alternative to capitalism in US? Please don't mention socialism or communism, I had tried both.

 

[maita13]

Do you know any good alternative to capitalism in US? Please don't mention socialism or communism, I had tried both.

Thanks for reporting it, @Musia! If you don’t mind, I won’t wade into the ideological/political fray just now. I simply don’t have the energy for it.

 

[Musia]

I simply don’t have the energy for it.

Me too! Thank you.
I didn't call to eBay, there is an option (the button on the right where the description is) to report the item and I did give it a try.

 

[Tekate]

What about ETSY?

 

[Rockdiamond]

What about ETSY?

Ah, Etsy.
The site where you can steal DBL pics with impunity, but DBL was kicked off because.......well, I'm really not sure.
They said it was because I do not set the stones and cast the metal personally. Yet there are multiple buyers who are getting fooled by sellers who've stolen my pics. That's ok with Etsy.....

And what about loose diamonds- there's gazillions of them there...why can't DBL show our diamonds there.....
Call Etsy??? Sorry - they're not interested.....
MAJOR LEAGUE SUCKAGE.

 

[PreRaphaelite]

Ah, Etsy.
The site where you can steal DBL pics with impunity, but DBL was kicked off because.......well, I'm really not sure.
They said it was because I do not set the stones and cast the metal personally. Yet there are multiple buyers who are getting fooled by sellers who've stolen my pics. That's ok with Etsy.....

And what about loose diamonds- there's gazillions of them there...why can't DBL show our diamonds there.....
Call Etsy??? Sorry - they're not interested.....
MAJOR LEAGUE SUCKAGE.

You’re 100% right and it makes no sense. I’m wondering if I’ve violated some ToA by listing things I can’t keep? oh no.

I’m sorry for that double standard! If anyone should be able to list with confidence it is the real professionals.

 

[anne_h]

As a shopper, I rarely use eBay anymore. I don't like using it.

I buy my jewelry on rubylane, etsy or directly from my favorite vendors.

I buy a lot of non-jewelry stuff on etsy too, and sometimes amazon.

Side note - I see some sellers now sell on instagram, a platform I understand less well. I don't find it intuitive for shopping either... often there or no prices listed, and you have to DM for any info. Things are often already sold, and not marked as such.

Anne

 

[Bron357]

eBay is still the love of my life but I’ll be honest and say the relationship has cooled!
I’m a buyer, 17 years now, many many many purchases and almost no problems. I’ve sold a few items as well.
eBay seller fees are unfair, they even charge their 10% on the mailing cost. Australia post charges me $10, not $9 so that’s $1 extra they take.
PayPal also takes around 3%. The “joy” with PayPal recently evolved to them keeping the 3% even if the sale fell through. Sellers who used to offer a return if you do t like it, can’t anymore. If a buyer of a $10,000 piece says “changed my mind”, the seller will have to pay the missing $300 that PayPal kept out of their own pocket. So pay $300 to NOT have a sale!
And if selling say furniture, like I have, a potential buyer can’t view it without the seller being obliged, irrespective of the outcome, to pay the 10% eBay fee. This is because they think you will take the sale “off eBay” to avoid paying the eBay fee.
A friend of mine had her eBay account closed on her. Her crime, she had also advertised her items on Gumtree. She said in her listing, naively, that the items were also listed on Gumtree. In her Gumtree ad she said also listed on eBay.
Gumtree is free to use, no fees payable. eBay owns Gumtree. Two items were sold via Gumtree and so she ended the eBay listings. It was assumed by eBay that she had directed the buyers away from eBay to avoid having to pay eBay fees. She was actually only trying to maximise her selling options. Too bad, banned from ebay, no recourse.
The Global Shipping Program- OMG.
Talk about a rort. Shipping costs, calculated by Pitney Bowes, bear NO relevance to actual shipping cost as it is loaded up with fees for Pitney Bowes. An item can spend two weeks being shipped from one end of the US to the other before it even leaves on its International journey.
I won’t talk about the scams around “not as described” and “not received” as both buyers and sellers have been scam artists.
eBay isn’t as good as it used to be. I still buy on eBay from carefully selected, by me, sellers and sellers do trust me as a buyer due to my many years and thousands of feedback.

 

[Starfacet]

They said it was because I do not set the stones and cast the metal personally.

Meanwhile, tons of other people are getting away with it!! You can't tell me all those other vendors are setting their own stones. LOL

 

[Rockdiamond]

If a buyer of a $10,000 piece says “changed my mind”,

Amazing post Bron.
To add to this- say you get a clearly bogus sale where the buyer ( scammer actually ) used a stolen credit card. For example a sale from a non verified card requesting shipment to Indonesia.
No problem!
PayPal keeps the 3% because....... because....... sad

 

[whitewave]

Hi All!
Just a heads up regarding eBay.
Their commission has gone up to about 10% ( ouch!!)
They have robots that read any communication sent through the system- and if you suggest direct communication ( ie, call me to discuss) that's is a HUGE no no in eBay's eyes.
If a merchant is charging $1100 on eBay, and they have their own website, it's likely a consumer can save that 10% by contacting the merchant outside of eBay.
As I mentioned, if the merchant advises the consumer to call- or tells the consumer about this difference in price, the merchant gets kicked off eBay.

A case could be made that eBay is earing the 10% by offering services.....and a case could be made that eBay sucks wind when it comes to customer service.

Anyway, when someone on eBay writes to us, telling us that they've seen us on PS or someplace...it's pretty frustrating. I don't want them to pay the extra fee.
I'm sure other merchants have the same issue.
So if you find a merchant on eBay that's interesting to you, google them- find them and communicate outside eBay and save money and have more direct communications....


/rant

For your products, I usually go to eBay first because I find it is easier to search (we had already discussed my iPad issues), then I go to your website and plug in the R number to find the item.

10% is ridiculous.

 

[Tekate]

Wow, so sorry David, seems like nothing is worthwhile anymore.. I can't stand ebay.. I NEVER know if it's real unless I know the vendor. Your Insta is perfect and I look at it every day.. sorry again.

Ah, Etsy.
The site where you can steal DBL pics with impunity, but DBL was kicked off because.......well, I'm really not sure.
They said it was because I do not set the stones and cast the metal personally. Yet there are multiple buyers who are getting fooled by sellers who've stolen my pics. That's ok with Etsy.....

And what about loose diamonds- there's gazillions of them there...why can't DBL show our diamonds there.....
Call Etsy??? Sorry - they're not interested.....
MAJOR LEAGUE SUCKAGE.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Thanks guys!!!!
@Bayek - please keep positive!!!
If all we’re discussing is eBay Etsy nonsense ...... somehow we’re still kicking. We started selling diamonds on eBay in 1999 believe it or not. We’ll get through this.

 

[Musia]

Wow, so sorry David, seems like nothing is worthwhile anymore.. I can't stand ebay.. I NEVER know if it's real unless I know the vendor. Your Insta is perfect and I look at it every day.. sorry again.

Can you share links to David's eBay and Instagram pages please? I can't find them myself...thank you!

 

[the_mother_thing]

That Etsy is now unfairly jacking with you @Rockdiamond makes me mad; you are right - so many on there don’t actually ‘make’ squat - it’s just an alt-eBay. I rarely peruse ebay for anything due to the risk for fraud & the costs; and only hop on Etsy occasionally, and only U.S. sellers. The little bit ‘saved’ by shopping with overseas vendors isn’t worth the risk, hassle or headaches.

I would agree that those who are solely-selling on social media are creating a bit of a barrier to potential buyers/business. Not everyone likes/uses it, and it’s not always ‘reliable’ or easy/user friendly. And I’m with others frustrated by sellers who either don’t link to a site with details (including price), or don’t just post all the details on SM. This is an area where I whole-heartedly feel DBL definitely does it well/right!

 

[Bron357]

I haven’t been buying on eBay of late, apart from the fact that the Aussie dollar is worth less than 70 US cents, the “protection” provided by signed for delivery has been “Cancelled”.
Because of Covid 19, deliveries can be just dropped off, no signature required even if you paid for and requested that service.
The reason why signature delivery is important for both seller and buyer is if the parcel is not as expected, not actually received ,damaged or tampered with a buyer can refuse delivery and invoke an insurance claim for damage, and/or a buyer and a seller can “prove” to eBay / PayPal that a parcel was not or was actually received.
As I’ve discovered if you accept a parcel and the contents are damaged or missing due to parcel tampering, you as buyer can’t prove that it wasn’t you who did the damage yourself or that you arent pretending nothing was in the parcel. You need to refuse the parcel according to the shipping insurance.
If it gets dropped off on your doorstep you’ve accepted delivery. If it got dropped off at the wrong address, sorry, it’s recorded as delivered and if a porch pirate stole it after delivery, too bad, it’s recorded as delivered.

 

[jeweln]

I love browsing ebay daily, relaxes me . I buy stuff including antique jewelry .

 

[cflutist]

I don't buy anything on eBay but hubby has a teddy bear store on eBay. It's a long story.
My late parents were going to open a teddy bear store but both passed away before that happened.

 

[SallyB]

Magically, most of the jewelry I’ve purchased through eBay has shrunk during shipping.

 

[yssie]

Magically, most of the jewelry I’ve purchased through eBay has shrunk during shipping.

Now there's a weight loss strategy that no-one's advertised yet.
Hire a marketing team @SallyB!!

 

[SallyB]

Now there's a weight loss strategy that no-one's advertised yet.
Hire a marketing team @SallyB!!

Lol!

 

[missy]

We don't really use eBay anymore but we used to. In fact we sold our Miata on eBay in 2010 (I think that was the year).
Wouldn't do that on eBay now.