Thread: RANT: Why eBay sucks and don't bother trying to sell your used OEM Ballasts on there

For the most part, my selling experiences have been good. However, I have had a few issues here and there. Examples:

Negative feedback - "The visor doesn't move forward. Don't sell an item that's not fully functional."
This was for a Lexus RX300 sun visor with HomeLink. How does a visor not move forward? It was functioning when I removed it off the vehicle, so how did it..."break" in between then an installation? Sounds like dumbass user install. He didn't contact me, either. Just left the negative.

Neutral feedback - "just have a few issues with the lights don't fit the all"
First of all, his broken English doesn't make sense. Secondly, if he means not all the bulbs fit, or something along those lines, that is not my fault. He purchased a factory Volvo S40 tail light. If he bought the right part, there is no way for it to not fit/work. But he definitely got what was described/what he paid for. Again, I wasn't contact by this buyer.

More recently, a buyer received a 6-disc Pacifica CD/DVD changer, and the same day he got it, he filed a claim with eBay for "item not as described" because I forgot to put the wire harness in the box (I had unplugged it to get it to fit in the box with all the bubble wrap, then forgot to put it in the box). Rather than just sending me a message saying "hey, I thought this was supposed to come with the harness, but I don't see it", he decided to immediately start a claim. I communicated with him and got him the harness, after which he immediately dropped the case and left me positive feedback, but that was still a pretty stupid way to resolve the issue.

I also had one guy b*tch and whine that the Scion XB air bag he bought for $300 wasn't the right one for his model year, and that I should take it back because I had it listed as possibly fitting his year. After going back and forth a couple times, and telling him it's the buyer's job to make sure s/he is buying the right part, PLUS there are giant photos of the air bag which clearly show it doesn't look like his, he gave up and said "never mind, just forget it". Luckily, he didn't leave negative feedback, or file a claim because even though I was clearly in the right, I would have lost. eBay/PayPal have a nasty tendency to side with the buyers these days.

The only refund I've done thus far was a voluntary one. I listed a Mercury Milan mirror as folding by accident, which it wasn't. The buyer wrote me saying I know it says no refunds, but this is not folding and won't work for my car. It was ironic because he had every right to demand a refund, yet he was pleading for me to make an exception on my return policy and take the item back. Meanwhile, most of the people demanding a refund don't have any right to one. This case was 100% my fault. So I said of course I'd take it back.

So far, knock on wood, but I have not had to refund a complainer, or have someone run a scam on me yet. Regardless, these little incidences that pop up here and there can be nerve-racking. There are plenty of other issues, too, like the obscene eBay and PayPal fees, which are also deducted from what you charge for shipping, and takes a nice chunk of your sales. Then there's the fact that you can't leave negative feedback for a buyer no matter what s/he does (doesn't pay, lies about the item received, etc). You have your choice of leaving them positive feedback, or no feedback at all. That's simply ridiculous in my book. You also can't block no or low feedback buyers like you used to, so you have to deal with dipsh*ts who are either new to eBay and don't know how to play, or have started a new account because they've racked up too many non-paying bidder reports on their previous one(s). The list goes on.

Basically, eBay has castrated sellers. This is why eBay is no where near as busy or prosperous as it was 15+ years ago. Now it's cluttered with stores selling new cheap Chinese junk as opposed to the average Joes like you and me selling more obscure items. You know.....what MADE eBay??

Originally Posted by SomeDudeAtHome

eBay is terrible. The seller as no protection at all but the buyer can return anything. There's so many private sellers that get screwed. I sold something on ebay a few months ago and that was the last time I'll ever sell there again. 10% final value fee, 10% of the shipping fee and 3% for paypal. On top of all the charges for added pictures and all that BS.

I type up all my descriptions in MS Front Page, including embedding the pictures in them after hosting them on Photobucket. Then I copy/paste the HTML code to eBay for the listing. I'd never pay extra for any of their services.

Originally Posted by RareGMFan

For the most part, my selling experiences have been good. However, I have had a few issues here and there. Examples:

Negative feedback - "The visor doesn't move forward. Don't sell an item that's not fully functional."
This was for a Lexus RX300 sun visor with HomeLink. How does a visor not move forward? It was functioning when I removed it off the vehicle, so how did it..."break" in between then an installation? Sounds like dumbass user install. He didn't contact me, either. Just left the negative.

Neutral feedback - "just have a few issues with the lights don't fit the all"
First of all, his broken English doesn't make sense. Secondly, if he means not all the bulbs fit, or something along those lines, that is not my fault. He purchased a factory Volvo S40 tail light. If he bought the right part, there is no way for it to not fit/work. But he definitely got what was described/what he paid for. Again, I wasn't contact by this buyer.

More recently, a buyer received a 6-disc Pacifica CD/DVD changer, and the same day he got it, he filed a claim with eBay for "item not as described" because I forgot to put the wire harness in the box (I had unplugged it to get it to fit in the box with all the bubble wrap, then forgot to put it in the box). Rather than just sending me a message saying "hey, I thought this was supposed to come with the harness, but I don't see it", he decided to immediately start a claim. I communicated with him and got him the harness, after which he immediately dropped the case and left me positive feedback, but that was still a pretty stupid way to resolve the issue.

I also had one guy b*tch and whine that the Scion XB air bag he bought for $300 wasn't the right one for his model year, and that I should take it back because I had it listed as possibly fitting his year. After going back and forth a couple times, and telling him it's the buyer's job to make sure s/he is buying the right part, PLUS there are giant photos of the air bag which clearly show it doesn't look like his, he gave up and said "never mind, just forget it". Luckily, he didn't leave negative feedback, or file a claim because even though I was clearly in the right, I would have lost. eBay/PayPal have a nasty tendency to side with the buyers these days.

The only refund I've done thus far was a voluntary one. I listed a Mercury Milan mirror as folding by accident, which it wasn't. The buyer wrote me saying I know it says no refunds, but this is not folding and won't work for my car. It was ironic because he had every right to demand a refund, yet he was pleading for me to make an exception on my return policy and take the item back. Meanwhile, most of the people demanding a refund don't have any right to one. This case was 100% my fault. So I said of course I'd take it back.

So far, knock on wood, but I have not had to refund a complainer, or have someone run a scam on me yet. Regardless, these little incidences that pop up here and there can be nerve-racking. There are plenty of other issues, too, like the obscene eBay and PayPal fees, which are also deducted from what you charge for shipping, and takes a nice chunk of your sales. Then there's the fact that you can't leave negative feedback for a buyer no matter what s/he does (doesn't pay, lies about the item received, etc). You have your choice of leaving them positive feedback, or no feedback at all. That's simply ridiculous in my book. You also can't block no or low feedback buyers like you used to, so you have to deal with dipsh*ts who are either new to eBay and don't know how to play, or have started a new account because they've racked up too many non-paying bidder reports on their previous one(s). The list goes on.

Basically, eBay has castrated sellers. This is why eBay is no where near as busy or prosperous as it was 15+ years ago. Now it's cluttered with stores selling new cheap Chinese junk as opposed to the average Joes like you and me selling more obscure items. You know.....what MADE eBay??





I type up all my descriptions in MS Front Page, including embedding the pictures in them after hosting them on Photobucket. Then I copy/paste the HTML code to eBay for the listing. I'd never pay extra for any of their services.

I **** you not, this guy and I went back and forth last night. His arguments kept changing, from I submerged it in water, to there is dirt on it, to I must have sent him a different one from the listing...I **** YOU NOT. He sent pictures and said look at the dirt on this, that is not in your pictures. It just some dust from where a rubber gasket will go to seal major debris and water from getting into the headlight. His whole complaint was that the part wasn't picture perfect because of dirt. The clip isn't broken, he sent a picture of that and I sent him a picture of a brand new one that looked exactly the same. I offered him $10 to clean the dirt off himself...yup he wants to return it and wanted me to pay shipping back to me, told him it was on him and he got really pissed. I listed this item at HALF the price of any other used ballast up on ebay right now, he wanted a ballast he could turn around and flip for money (if you read his first email he told me he intended to sell it). I caught this guy lying every which way but there is nothing I can do because eBay.