[OT] eBay tale (Was: Re: flea markets (was Re: Vintage Computer Festivals???))

[Mark J. Blair]

> On Apr 19, 2016, at 10:09, Ali <cctalk at ibm51xx.net> wrote:
> 
> Well, eBay is killing itself slowly. Every year they make more and more
> onerous and anti-buyer rules and policies.

Warning: Longish anti-eBay tale inbound!

Just under a year ago, both eBay and PayPal amended their Terms Of Service (TOS) to state that they and any of their associates are allowed to robo-call members for any reason, at any phone number they obtain by any means, for any reason, specifically including marketing purposes. While many argued that eBay and PayPal just had to create such terms to call members for legitimate reasons such as dealing with nonpayment and other issues, I really didn't like the new terms. The only way provided for members to opt out of the robo-calling terms was to close their accounts. I did that, and was vocal about it (not that many people heard me, though, as I'm hardly an influential person online).

PayPal very quickly amended their TOS based on the very loud backlash online, but for some reason, eBay seemed to get a lot less attention online over the new TOS. Nevertheless, eBay did eventually quietly change their TOS to allow members to opt out of receiving marketing calls.

So just a couple weeks ago, there was a vintage military radio item listed on eBay that I really wanted, and was having trouble finding anywhere else. With the most disagreeable TOS terms gone, I decided to join eBay again. I created a new account on a Friday, and bought that one item plus another technical manual. The first item was marked as shipped over the weekend, but the manual transaction was still in process on Monday morning.

On the following Monday morning, I got an email from eBay stating that my new account was suspended, and that I would not be allowed to use eBay from that account, any other account, or any account I later create. No reason was provided. I called eBay technical support immediately, and their agent politely but firmly refused to discuss the reason for suspension. Just an apparent lifetime ban with no reason provided, and no recourse.

I can only speculate about their reasoning. My former association with eBay was long and trouble-free, with well over a thousand happy transactions and a 100% positive rating in the mid to high 800s. Maybe they specifically flagged me in their database as a trouble-maker over my vocal opposition to their TOS changes, or maybe they simply have a blanket rule of "once you leave, you may never return". I have read other accounts online of people being banned for various reasons (many legitimate, of course), but then eBay would go as far as banning any other accounts with any tenuous association to the banned members in eBay's database, including banning family members, roommates, etc.

eBay does have cause to protect themselves and their members from scammers, but their enforcement policies can be pretty heavy-handed in my opinion. While I am disappointed that I can apparently never buy old computer and radio items on eBay ever again, this recent experience leads me to suspect that my decision to part ways with eBay a year ago wasn't a bad idea. They may just not be folks I'd like to do business with.

eBay really has single-handedly destroyed special-interest swap meets in my experience, and now I wish that we could create some viable alternative to eBay for our stuff. But they're just too big to compete with at this time.

All that being said, I've gotten the impression that eBay is more anti-seller than anti-buyer. I've read a lot of accounts of sellers getting screwed over by scammy buyers, with eBay siding with the buyer every time. Coupled with accounts of PayPal seller's accounts being frozen instantly, for extended periods, with lots of money in the account, I tend to think that neither eBay nor PayPal are safe for anything but casual buying and selling with entirely disposable amounts of money.

In the interest of full disclosure, this is the entire notice I received from eBay about my account suspension:

> Hello greendog383,
> 
> 	After reviewing your eBay account, recent activity has raised serious security concerns. As a result, we've taken the following action on your account:
> 
> 	- Your eBay account has been suspended.
> 
> 	- Item listings have been removed. A list of removed items is available further down in this email.
> 
> 	
> 
> 	You won't be able to use eBay in any way. This includes using another existing account or registering a new account. Any outstanding selling fees are due immediately, and any amounts that you haven't previously disputed will be charged to the billing method currently on file.
> 
> 	
> 
> 	We've taken this precaution to protect our members while we make sure that the activity doesn't cause harm -- however unintentionally -- to the eBay community.
> 
> 	
> 
> 	We appreciate your understanding.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> 
> 
> eBay 
> 
> 
> 
> Please don't reply to this message. It was sent from an address that doesn't accept incoming email.

-- 
Mark J. Blair, NF6X <nf6x at nf6x.net>
http://www.nf6x.net/