eBay

Back in prehistoric times, bosses worried that workers were using the office Internet connection to look at pornography. After that it was Amazon.com. Now it's eBay and the other auction sites.

eBay The eBay Empire • eBay • PayPal • Bill Me later • StubHub --- News • eBay Buys Bill Me Later • eBay: Where Recalled Items Live Forever • eBay Ignores Scam Victim • Class Action Against eBay • Sunday Times Reports Widespread Shill Bidding on eBay • Boston Man Charged with Hacking eBay • Consumers Question eBay's Security • Recalled Products Routinely Listed on eBay • eBay Faces Shilling Suit --- More eBay Complaints • Merchandise Not Received • Misrepresentation • eBay Motors • Shilling • Miscellaneous Complaints • Sellers Complaints • Defenders

Walk through any office around 8:30 a.m. and everyone's logged on and ready for another day. Only thing is, instead of reading the CEO's latest rantings, they're buying antique waffle irons on eBay and selling some left-over parts from that old Studebaker out in the back yard.

The whole thing works more or less on the honor system, which is pretty much how speed limits work. Our suspicion has been that if you held up a radar gun, you'd find a lot of people speeding -- and a lot of others (or maybe the same ones) not coming through with the merch.

Here are a few of the more recent complaints we've received:

Thomas of Clinton, MI June 16, 2009

Ordered a part for my motorcycle. 10 days and three ignored e-mails later, seller sends me an e-mail complaining about my negative feedback. No answer to my questions. Now here I am 22 days later still no communication. He had my payment on the first day (05/25/09) so he can now commit fraud while I sit here waiting for the inane PayPal process to proceed. This will be my last e-bay purchase.

E-bay and the responsible sellers out there will suffer for this. Stress, frustration, can't buy part somewhere else till the paypal process concludes 5 days from now.

Elizabeth of Tacoma, WA June 16, 2009

I purchased a piece of furniture from Germany through Ebay. I asked for tracking information, and German seller eventually sent me a DHL tracking number that only showed that the package left Germany. After nearly 2 months, I asked about the whereabouts of the package. German seller reported that DHL delivered the package to the wrong continent (instead of the United States)!

German seller ceased communication, but DHL investigation reports that the package was lost. DHL said that they are awaiting a response from seller, but the seller has failed to respond to DHL. EBAY WAS NO HELP. I reported this a day or two after the 60 days time limit, so Ebay ignored me. I wasn't even allowed to leave feedback because of the random time limit. I never received the item, and I lost money.

Douglas of Beaverton, OR June 15, 2009

eBay refuses to take down auctions when presented with evidence that they themselves agree proves an item is being sold under false pretenses. By way of example, item 200350514865 is NOT an RTSlll let alone a Rare Gold Model. It's an RTS l with a poor gold paint job - it even has Yashica on the baseplate! eBay when shown an RTSlll agreed this as not one, and when shown a genuine gold model RTSl agreed this was not one of those either - yet let the sale stand. many many members of a specialist user group wrote them - still they let the auction continue. When asked if they were aware that if proof were given as to the falsity of provenance they were equally liable, they just hung up -0 they do this the moment the law is mentioned!

The item sold to some poor buyer for over 800 dollars - value? Nothing! The seller has past negatives for - guess what? Selling fakes! Motto: eBay wants you money and cares not what the sellers get up to. Their anonomizing of bidders just means you can't even mail a bidder to warn them.. that way ebay picks up a hefty fee, the seller defrauds you and you have no comeback! WONDERFUL!

Kali of Baltimore, MD June 10, 2009

I sold an item on Ebay and the buyer promptly paid me for it via paypal. I shipped the item, and ebay/paypal put a hold on the money for 21 days. They have given me no reason for imposing this hold in the first place, but insist that 24 hours after the buyer leaves positive feedback they will release the money to me. They also said I had a second option of showing the delivery status of the package.

After waiting an exceptional amount of time and having to call a second time and speak to a supervisor, I provided the Paypal customer service line with the dates of the end of auction, payment to me, and shipping again. I have all of the appropriate paperwork, and gave them the insurance tracking number from the US Postal Service to which they responded that the USPS website wasn't showing any information, but the buyer could still leave the feedback. So I have sent a product to a buyer who fulfilled their payment, which is really all they are obligated to do, and ebay is imposing the leisure of others on my account, and am now told to wait potentially 2 more weeks for my money.

Craig of Walnut Creek, CA June 10, 2009

I have had another fraudulent EBay charge on my credit card even though I closed my EBay account (which I didn't even Know I had). Ebay deliberately makes it impossible to contact them about fraud. There is no phone number and you can't even email them. Their website is designed to frustrate you. It's amazing that a big company can treat people so badly.

Dennis of Macon, GA June 10, 2009

I will never order anything again thru Ebay nor pay thru PayPal ever again. From now on, I will only order COD. I will pay for the product when I get it. Both Ebay and PayPal are part of the problem, not a solution to the problem. They allow crooks to operate under a ridiculous timeline. Crooks know this. I ordered a fuel pump kit from Global Automotive of Miami on April 1, 2009, paid 47 thru PayPal, and never received it. I've filed complaints with FTC, BBB. ic3.gov, consumer ripoff reports on the internet, all to no avail. Nobody seems to care about consumer rights. No one can be trusted nowadays with money.

angella of anaheim, CA June 2, 2009

Ebay is allowing the sale of drug and drug paraphernalia pieces right now #270382339969 after reporting the issue of prohibited item. Ebay claim the item is for hookah: the reason being the user has 1260 feedback. But the tube is for GLASS BONG. this is the title and the listing is in the category of medical supply. Downstem Down Stem Tube 3" Ground Glass 18.8mm/14.4mm.

The Seller accept paypal only meaning both Ebay and Paypal is allowing the sales of drug related like water pipe and bong in their site. Would somebody report this to the official DEA so they can randomly check on the keyword because the ebay security and paypal security is not stopping and reinforcing their own policy. Ebay took me for a fool and when I really work in drug rehabilitation to know what a tube for bong is.

Branden of Mancos, CO May 30, 2009

Purchased a product on Ebay. Seller would only accept check. Reassured me of the product since we are in the same field. Payed by wire transfer then received only part of the product. When confronted by email and phone it took another 3 months to get the product. I was away from the country during this time and had to have a freind go to the work and get the rest of the missing products parts. I still am missing parts for the machine (I had to fix the machine as well) 3 parts in all.

The seller refuses to send the items, as previously listed on ebay (violation) he not only refuses to send the items but will not reimburse me the money to purchase the items I am missing. I have emailed the seller many times with pictures of the missing parts and I was assured he had them. Economic Pacojet New 4300 with all parts. My cost 3000, missing 120 pacojet canisters with lids and 43 Pacojet black splash guard. I had to fix a part of the computer chip and have that mailed outside the country (121.63) and many conversations on the phone again outside the country 100+. All I want is to reimbursed for the Black Splash Guard, PAcojet containers and the Computer chip which had to be tested.

Mark of Livingston, NJ May 21, 2009

Some how I got signed up for a store on ebay. The charges are never ending. All I wanted was to sell a few items and be done. Instead I'm in an endless loop trying to cancel my account to stop the never ending charges. Ebay is misleading; complicated by design and near impossible to contact. Some links for account cancellation are broken. One link told me I couldn't cancel my account fro 30 days since I just made a payment! What!

precious of bronx, NY May 1, 2009

I Went on craigslist looking for a car. I found one contact the seller. we talked via phone and email. the seller suggest that we go thru ebay purchase protection program so we both could be safe. it sound good so I went along with it and gave her my address so she could contact ebay to set things up. she did. with I was to belive was an ebay agent contact me so she could set up the invoice and tell me where to wire the money.

I'm guessing ones the invoice was done she emailed it to me and told me that the car would be shipped asap and that the payment wouldn't get to the seller til I get the car and send the agent a comp # then she would send the money to the seller so we wouldn't get scam.

yea right I was scamed out of 4485.00. I have no car still and out of the cash to buy the car.

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