eBay And Paypal Fail The Fraud Test
I would love to see the scoundrels who cheated me being dragged off to jail! It’s even worse when the third parties who post statements like, “free paypal buyer protection” or “If your purchase isn’t covered by PayPal Buyer Protection, then it is likely covered by the eBay Standard Protection Program which will cover you up to $200 (less a $25 service fee)”, then find loop holes to avoid taking any responsibility or helping their customers who have been defrauded.
eBay finds itself in lawsuits from defrauded customers as it fails to clean up it’s auction business. Even eBay’s chosen provider of dispute resolution, Square Trade, has come under fire from a class action lawsuit. And, of course, we all know about the problems at Paypal which is now owned by eBay. When will eBay wise up and start seriously policing its auction sellers?
You may remember my rant a couple months ago on this blog about my own significant losses to eBay fraudsters. Today eBay and Paypal gave me their final denials regarding my fraud complaints and attempts at partial restitution. I can almost here Meg Whitman, eBay’s CEO, saying, “I see nothinnng – I know nothinnng”, in the words of television’s Sgt. Schultz. I couldn’t even get a response to my letter to her about my plight and financial loss. One feels stuck in the sixty’s sitcom with all the denials and running from responsibility.
eBay is just barely ten years old and, admittedly, the current Internet auction king. With buyers baulking, Yahoo auctions taking advantage of rising eBay fees and Google about to launch Google Base, how much longer can eBay remain number 1? Maybe eBay’s days aren’t numbered but I suspect its hold on the top spot will come under some serious challenges in the coming year.
As for myself, I’m thoroughly disillusioned with the whole eBay/Paypal experience. I’ll be closing my eBay and Paypal accounts in the next few days for good. In the words of my own little sitcom quote, “Fool me once and shame on you – Fool me twice and shame on me.” How about you?
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I am a seller of used digital cameras on eBay. I have over 600 positive feedbacks and no negatives. I am honest, post photos of my items, accept returns, and guarantee what I sell. This is not a self promotion, however. I am writing this to say I may be out of business soon because of the rampant fraud on eBay. Sometimes, it is blatant as when someone pays you with stolen money for an item, or just doesn’t send an item you won. But the real serious problem on eBay is the one no one is really talking about and is under the radar screen. And that is the serious over grading of items by sellers. This is theft just as surely as if they put their hand in your wallet and helped themselves to your bills. I buy these items to re-sell. When someone says an item is “like new” and shows up as “really used a lot”, I lose money. How often does this happen? Well, I have been a party to hundreds of eBay transactions and I would guess this happens 60% of the time. That’s right. If you buy an used digital camera (cause that is all I can speak to) the chances are greater than not, that the item is not as described. It will be over graded. And who do you complain to? eBay doesn’t involve themselves in this type of problem. PayPal is almost worthless. Why I am writing this? To warn you. Be careful about who you buy from. Better advice – do not buy anything on eBay unless you know the seller well. Otherwise, save yourself a lot of heartache and pay a few dollars more and buy from a reputable dealer. It is too bad that there are so many dirtbags out there that want something for nothing. I hope you all get what you deserve.