doodtra...@gmail.com wrote:
> Why ebay is down? How far can they go? Depends on how much they stick
> it to their customers.

> Exhibit A:

> Buyer disputes: when you run into problems, they make you jump through
> hoops to get your money back. I purchased an item last year with an
> accessory that was to be "thrown in". The seller admitted (by not
> answering some questions) that he didn't send it. eBay made me get an
> appraisal (leg work and wasted time). In the end I didn't get anything
> because of a small, silly technicality.

> Exhibit B (fee structure):

> 1. A while back I tried selling some new hard drives for about $72
> ($18 below market). I had qty 20. I only sold two and had to pay over
> $6 in fees *each*. I gave up. And that was before the price hikes.

> 2. Due to the economy (people scraping for cash to pay their
> mortgage), I figured it would be easy to find a particular, high-
> dollar luxury item that used to sell one to two per month. In the last
> three months I haven't seen one. Why? Higher seller fees.

> If the economy suffers, then revenues will suffer. That's just life.
> Instead of reducing expenses or riding out the storm, eBay raises its
> fees drastically. Imagine GM raising the price of their SUVs because
> less people are buying?

> Exhibit C:

> 60 day searches on 'Completed Auctions' have been cut down to 30 days.
> If you want to view 60 days like before, THEY NOW CHARGE A FEE!
> Charging for incidental value in this day and age is plain evil. This
> is a foolish desperate measure IMO.

> Exhibit D:

> Paypal.com. To add insult to injury, paypal.com gouges and is forever
> changing their terms to put more money in their coffers, without
> adding any real value.

> Exhibit E:

> They've partnered with Buy.com. If you're a power seller selling
> anything from books, music, to computer peripherals I'd be pissed.
> This is a HUGE mistake if you ask me. So now they want to change their
> auction model to a shopping hub? Well, there are tons of players in
> this arena:

> www.froogle.com
> www.pricegrabber.com
> www.nexttag.com
> www.mysimon.com
> www.shopper.com
> www.amazon.com
> (...and lots, lots more)

> Exhibit F:

> I haven't purchased anything on ebay for about a year now. THERE ARE
> NO MORE DEALS.

> No wonder their stock is down.

> p.s.: notice how more and more sellers are starting to appear with <=
> $200 paypal insurance whereas before they used to cover "up to
> $2,000"? Exhibit G: MORE FRAUD. And guess who pays? Not ebay. Sad. I
> used to love this company.