eBay
Reviews and Complaints

Recently, eBay sent an email soliciting to purchase used Apple iPhones. I had a 3GS 32GB that was in absolutely perfect condition and was considering upgrading to a 4S. Clicked their link in the email and was taken to a page where I answered some questions about my phone's condition and printed the FedEx shipping label to send the phone to eBay for a purchase price of $155.71.

Today, I received a response indicating that my phone was not in the condition I described and the reason specified was "Item shows multiple signs of heavy wear: Deep scratches, scuffs, pitting, or other cosmetic disfigurement. However none of said wear in any way inhibits normal function of the item.The housing of the unit has sustained significant visible wear or cracking."

The phone was in a case with a screen protector installed from the minute I purchased it. There was nothing wrong with the unit and certainly nothing as described in the previous quote. I sent the phone back in the original box, with all documentation, SIM card removal tool, charger cable, and even put the factory screen protector back on.

They did, however, make a counter offer of $75.17. INSULTING!

I called the 800 number and spoke with a rep from AllTech Wholesale who placed me on hold and then stated that she could raise their counter offer to $114. I promptly told her to send my phone back and that it had better be in the same condition it was when I shipped to them.

What a TOTAL scam! I never expected this type of behavior from eBay.

I recently attempted to list my Ford Taurus on cars.ebay.ca. Three calls to eBay support - taking up nearly two hours of my (and their) time - later and I'm still no closer to success.

Here's the problem. When I clicked on "sell" at cars.ebay.ca I was taken to what appeared to be a general start-listing page (I was told to "Enter a UPC, ISBN, or keywords that describe your item." - rather a strange question for someone selling a car). I was able to choose automobiles/ford/taurus and then fill out the "Create your listing" page, but when I clicked on "continue" at the bottom, the same page simply reloaded - but this time with a warning flag at the top and the message:

"We might have a product in our catalogue that matches the one you're selling. If you go back to find your product in our catalogue, we'll include product details in your listing. Using the catalogue helps buyers find your listing faster."

Nothing I did allowed me past that error to complete the listing.

The first call to support eventually saw me transferred one level higher, but that tech only told me to start a new listing and whatever had caused the problem would be overwritten. It wasn't. I was able to overwrite the Taurus listing by listing a DVD, but when I again tried to list my Taurus from cars.ebay.ca, I encountered the same problems.

The support person on the next call finally (after what seemed like 45 minutes or so of conversation and hold sessions) told me that he couldn't help me but would transfer me (I believe) to eBay Motors support. He transferred me. The phone rang once. I was disconnected.

The third call started off like the second (except that I'm getting better at moving things along and it only took a half an hour). This person, too, said that she would transfer me to eBay Motors support. However, the person who picked up the phone was on the same level as the first one (in fact, I believe she initially thought that she was the first person with whom I was speaking). Eventually, she too transferred me. The phone again rang once. I was again disconnected. This time, however, I had managed to salvage a service request reference number...although fat lot of good it would end up doing me!

In any case, my Taurus is still leaking oil on my driveway and I still can't properly access the listing features of cars.ebay.ca. I have no interest in spending more time with your telephone customer service dept.

So why on earth would eBay not allow me to send them a simple email detailing the problems so they could actually do something about it?

Several times now - I have purchased books off of Half.com (by eBay) to where I later found out - that the seller didn't actually have the book they listed up for sale - therefore they had to cancel their order, and refund my money...This is becoming a common occurrence on Half.com...And I am getting fed up with it...And when I complained to Half.com about it...They do NOTHING. There should be a STANDARD that sellers should have to meet - in order to keep selling on that site...Or else, that makes the site unprofessional.

Pickup items Beware! Ebay harvests scammers and provides the vehicle for scammers to collect money with no recourse for buyers to get money returned other than feedback against it. Sellers change usernames and ID and continue to post scams. Sellers can demand PayPal payment before providing pickup information, placing the buyer at risk.
I purchase furniture which was advertised as, "Furniture Sturdy", With a little tender loving care, it will once again be back to its former glory". [protected] Oct 04, 201112:21:11 PDT I paid $300. When I went to pickup, the furniture was in the rain and had lost all glue joints under peeling veneer. There was no chance to save the furniture. The owner agreed to return my money. I returned home to file a "not as described report immediately, PayPal Case # PP-[protected]. The seller did not return my money as promised.
ebay had no choice to favor the dispute towards the buyer as a pick-up item. All pick-up items cannot be protected. Scammer know this. ebay is aware of this also. eBay should place in bold letter that all pickup items are not covered with the eBay Buyers Protection. Ebay is providing the vehicle and momentum sales for active Scammers around the world as local sales. It is hard to understand how an A+ BBB member can provide such a pit fall. It is a vital mistake on eBay's business practices. It places sales above security. Individuals who browse through eBay's 3203 BBB complaints but see no reference to the complaints in the A+ ratings, have to wonder.
This move is deliberate on eBay's part to place more interest in establishing eBay stores. I bought local to avoid risk, however, this turned out to be just the opposite. eBay's pickup protection policy is a weak arm at best. My purchased item was stated covered by eBay Buyer Protection. I found out the protection was at ground zero. This protection rating should be clearly spelled out on all pickup items, as a warning of caution. Buyers at risk!

I have ripped off by eBay/PayPal twice now. The first time was when I "purchased" a Roland TD-8 machine from 321gotgoods (member Joseph Watt) for $425.00. eBay referred me to PayPal since my payment went through them and they opened a non-receipt complaint number with the "awaiting other party's response" which, obviously, never came. So, I was out my money even after reading how "eBay" is looking out for me to keep me and my transactions "safe" and secure, and from PayPal (who is eBay, in "bank form" entity - money changer). Never gotten my money back. Just recently, many years after this, I sold a box of items. I shipped the box (in which insurance was not offered nor requested on said box) and the shipper damaged the box (US Postal Service) and informed me of it. EBay refunded the "buyer" who still might have received the items because they had sent me a form citing that all merchandise found outside/without packaging is collected and sent to their recovery center in Arizona. I being stupid checked the box "ship to addressee" instead of "ship to sender" in case they had the items at their center. Now, I am out of the items and out the money if I accept this refund and agree to give eBay the right to collect and charge me the $25.00, but they told me that they had refunded the "buyer", Sean Murphy from CA, the amount of money. Way to back me up eBay/PayPal then charge me with being solely responsible for ensuring that my packages are delivered by the US Post Office!

eBay kept sending the same message that provided from Hong Kong seller who claimed they mailed this order. All the while Paypal transferred 79.99 to Hong Kong and item arrived in New York much later. eBay provides Buyer Protection Fraud in favor seller who keep pay eBay listing fees and PayPal transaction fees, but they rejected my refund request since buyer pay nothng to eBay. PayPal – www.paypal.com is an eBay company. I did not receive my order from a Hong Kong seller though eBay and made payment to Paypal. eBay so call Buyer Protection nothing but fraud in favor of seller who keep pay eBay listing fees and PayPal transaction fees. Never ever care buyer interest.

EBAY is allowing RACIST auctions & IGNORING user complaints!

Here are two examples

A ###-BROWN WIG!

http://cgi.ebay.com/womens-medium-hairstyle-curly-###-brown-wig-wa63-/250867837768?_trksid=p5197.m7&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D1%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D2093562610117571251

### BROWN SHOES!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ADDNICE-Mens-###-brownTrail-Hiking-Shoes-Size-40-44-/260833473650?pt=US_Men_s_Shoes&var=&hash=item826538d4ef

Get them off eBay!

I paid 100 GBP for a D&G watch on ebay that was sent to me with faulty parts- it did not work and the watchsmith explained it was not the battery but the mechanism that was faulty. I contacted the seller and they told me to go to a jewellers to get it fixed. They refused to refund me or fix the watch, and have been happy to scam me. I cannot open an ebay complaint because I was away and the the deadline had passed.

Treetopmerchandise1is the ultimate scam artist online. The owners are Renee Molda and Steven Seibert. This husband and wife team used to issue fraudulent mortgages from CountryWide to innocent home buyers. Because of it, they were jailed for five years. Now they are online selling fake merchandise. They hire their own family to post positive feedbacks on ebay for them. They are currently being investigated by the police. Any information leading to their arrest, please contact Des Plaines Police Dept at 1420 Miner St # 300, Des Plaines - [protected]

Beware of ebay seller: hyyyy_394823 which is a fraudulent seller on ebay. I purchased a prepaid AT&T gophone card from that seller and after when the seller recharged my account and i started to use the phone the balance recharged was gone! I had to call AT&T and instead found out that they discredited by recharge amount because the ebay seller had used someone else's credit card without authorization and the true owner reported it. So as a warning please beware before making your purchase with seller hyyyy_394823.
I have been a loyal ebay customer for years and have enjoyed absolutely great service from them however I was displeased with their 45 day policy to file complaints against an ebay seller otherwise they will do nothing about your purchase and you are basically left without recourse.

After selling a phone on eBay UK and sending the phone to the buyer via special delivery (tracked and insured) the buyer then filed an item not as described claim in PayPal. As most of you are already aware PayPal normally will rule in favour of the buyer 90% of the time. The buyer was then asked to return the phone for a complete refund. HERE'S THE LOOPHOLE The buyer returns an empty box recorded delivery and then once signed for has proof of returning the phone (even though you just got an empty box) the money is then refunded to the buyer case closed. NO PHONE & NO MONEY. I tried every avenue to recover either the phone or the money to no avail. Police say it's a civil matter. PayPal say you need a police headed report. (Which you can't get because of the above) eBay are not interested because (well, in their words it's got nothing to do with us). I used PayPal's appeals process but again hit a brick wall because they ask for a police headed report you just can't get. You are now left feeling very disregarded and abused by the lack of protection eBay & PayPal promised you but renege on after the event. I feel eBay & PayPal are criminals and should be held accountable for their lies and broken promises to protect its consumers. I also believe our laws should be updated to prosecute these renegade companies like PayPal & eBay and make them held accountable for their disregard of criminal activity though there online businesses.

First, good job to all those who speak out against ebay! It is always a good rule to remember that all companies will look out for their own interest. So it is not surprising that ebay customer service is not willing to be of help. ebay wants their profits, simple as that.

To be fair, ebay is a good medium to purchase things you would not normally see. However, through my experiences…good and bad…there are certain rules that you should use when purchasing on ebay. I hope these are of help:

1. The first rule is to put all the responsibility on the seller. If the seller does not take the time to give an accurate and detailed description of the item, just assume fraud and do not buy.

2. Communicate to the seller and ask many questions before you decide to buy. Many sellers are honest and will take the time to describe their items. BUT…there are too many sellers on ebay who want to scam you. Unfortunately, 9 times out of 10 ebay will side with the seller regardless if they are honest or not.

3. The language in an ebay listing does not matter! Example, if a seller lists an item as “original” and you discover the item is not original after you purchase it…too bad for you. ebay will not care because they got their money and the seller got their money. So ask the seller for proof if an item is original, never take their word unless you are very confident in the honesty of the seller.

4. Never buy anything without and money back guarantee! If the seller will not give you a money back guarantee, be safe and assume they are trying to scam you. Don’t buy without a guarantee!

5. (a 5-star rule and a rule ebay does not want you to know)
* * * * * If you purchase an item and you find out that it does not accurately match the description in the listing, never communicate to the seller first. Leave negative feedback at once and a detailed reason for the negative feedback.

The reasons is simple:
a) It is the seller’s responsibility to be honest.
b) If you say something innocent like, “You sold me a defective item. If you don’t exchange the item or refund my money, I will be forced to leave negative feedback.” In ebay world they can say you committed “feedback blackmail” and use this against you.
c) If the seller does rectify the situation, you can always change the feedback later.
d) If you leave negative feedback, ebay is a little more willing to help rectify the situation. Why?...
e) Negative feedback is just as bad for ebay as the seller. If more buyers left negative feedback about bad purchases, then the federal government’s consumer affairs division would monitor ebay more closely and ebay does not want this.

Ray Farzam is unethical and unreasonable when it comes to business. I learned the hard way that I can't trust him, and it was costly.

He also does business buying and/or selling dental supplies and other items on eBay as: "topcaliforniadentist" and "rfarzam". http://myworld.ebay.com/topcaliforniadentist

Ray Farzam, DDS Los Angeles Cosmetic Dentist
[protected]
2210 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90404

I purchased on eBay an antique barometer from Great Britain. I paid using PayPal in mid-March. As of June 3rd I have not received the item. I contacted the seller and was told of a shipping/customs problem but that everything had been settled and I should have the barometer by the end of May. I filed a request with eBay for help and I was just informed via email that a decision has been made in favor of the seller and that I will not get a refund; there was no additional information. I have no barometer and am out over $300. How is this legal. I will avoid eBay from now on and I encourage all shoppers on eBay to be careful.

They are scammers, items sold are not as described, claim the products are in working condition but item ships DOA. They will try to deceive you so you will not be able to return the products.

itlowprices/epartsonsale/BLUE STAR ELECTRONICS, LLC
http://shop.ebay.com/itlowprices/m.html
http://myworld.ebay.com/epartsonsale/

Ebay has a new scam. After changing the business model, raising fees, elimating listing fees and raising up the final value fee again, they are now looking for Paypal verified (you know, their sister company) ebay sellers to prove who they are. They are calling this a POI check. What they want is for you to give them a copy of your drivers license or passport (anybody else smell identity theft scamming here?) as well as copies of bank statements, utility bills, credit cards, etc. They will shut you down unless you put yourself at risk for identity theft with them. Now why does ebay need all this additional information when their sister company, PayPal, you know the one you use for a payment clearinghouse and the one that will automatically refund a complaining buyer their monies if you do not give them what they want, already has verified you and has your credit card information and your bank account information on file and has the same address and telephone number of your ebay account linked to it? There is a reason why ebay is slow to grow while Amazon is booming, and this is one of them. ebay does not care about sellers any longer and has no qualms about putting sellers at risk for identity theft. And they do not care. I have since had to close out accounts because they do not listen to reason and won't allow any other way to provide proof of identity. I'm certain that they will lose even more people once this new program gets rolled out mainstream.