Buyer vows I’m never going to use eBay again

[regic]

I’m never going to use eBay again.

Now this is no material issue to the billion dollar company, since I’ve only bought a couple of things on it over the life of the company.  The real eBayer in our family is our eldest daughter, a college student on a tight budget with a heightened interest in getting the best deal on everything. But even she agrees that something is rotten in Denmark. Especially with a “feature” called Second Chance, an official eBay method of bid shilling that might not be illegal, but it sure subverts the original promise of the company.

The real issue here is for shareholders. eBay looks like another Internet company—see this musing on Google—that has taken its eyes off a core business by buying Skype to satisfy Wall Street’s  demand for growth at all costs.  My evidence?  A tale of damaged expectations, misleading descriptions, manipulated bids, colluding sellers, meaningless “feedback ratings”, and financial shenanigans, all of which is part of a recent eBay experience.

...just another example of a customer-last attitude that augurs danger for the future of eBay.

It didn't have to be this way if eBay had kept focusing on its core product, instead of chasing the grail of growth at all costs.

full article: http://blogs.zdnet.com/Young/?p=18&tag=nl.e622

[xppman]

They can say that again. 

[Anita]

Very well written!! 

[stardust]

Why do you think he stated that paypal charged him, as a buyer, to withdraw funds from his bank account?  It's my understanding that buyers pay nothing to purchase.  That doesn't jive with me. 

[bargainbloodhound]

Why do you think he stated that paypal charged him, as a buyer, to withdraw funds from his bank account

I think he was talking about PayPal earning interest on the float.  His bank account was debited immediately but the money didn't clear into the seller's PayPal account for a few days.

The “feedback” ratings are meaningless.  My daughter explained to me that if you try to say something negative about a seller, they simply threaten to post nasty comments about you in return,

My feelings exactly on eBay's feedback system.  The fear of retaliatory feedback has made eBay's feedback ratings a joke.

...just another example of a customer-last attitude that augurs danger for the future of eBay.

Yep.

[landofsmiles]

My wife wanted me to buy her something on ebay today. I told her that if she wanted to buy on ebay then she'd have to open her own account because I don't want someone else accussing me of cussing out their 9-year-old. So she registers, buys something, and then has to go through PayPal, using an old account. Trying to pay with her credit card, they end up trying to take the money out of a now defunct bank account. So she goes to remove that account but only gets error messages. She's mumbling, "I hate this sh!t". Welcome to the club!! Now she wants me to call the bank to give them a heads up. I hate this sh!t, too, but they keep puuuulling me back in!!!!!  >

[landofsmiles]

Mission accomplished. Well, that's 2 hours out of my life that I'll never get back again! That may be one reason why ebay's sell-through rate is dropping like a rock.

[amy]

Another satisfied eBay/PayPal customer 

[misteroriginal]

I like eBay.

[Anita]

Hijack

Bob,
Even if I didn't "know" you, the feedback about you cussing out a 9 year old makes the one that left it look like the idiot... not you.