# New eBay seller rules



## georgeoj (Aug 21, 2008)

[>:] eBay has made new changes to the seller policy. Most are comming in October. I view many of the earlier changes (such as the no negative feed back policy) as an unfortunate move. One of the changes in October will be that sellers will no longer be able to accept checks or money orders for payment. I have made a decision that I will no longer be a seller on eBay after these new changes start. How do others feel about the changes?
 George


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## GuntherHess (Aug 21, 2008)

Where did you see this? Can you provide a source for this info?

 I know they were pushing the policy that sellers had to offer some sort of protected payment form but thats in addition to checks and money orders.


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## georgeoj (Aug 21, 2008)

The payment info that I mentioned is hidden about two levels deep in the new rules that they are mailing to sellers. I got mine today.  George


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## georgeoj (Aug 21, 2008)

Here is the info:


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## GuntherHess (Aug 21, 2008)

hmm , the class action law suit that arises out of this should be interesting.

 It appears I need to start doing more work on my bottle sales web site.

 This may be the final spur that gets some competitor auction site going. I know google has been eyeing that market.


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## Wilkie (Aug 21, 2008)

As a seller and a buyer, I personally prefer being able to use debit cards.  This is much more convenient.  It speeds up the whole process when you don't have to wait on the postal service for a check or money order to arive, then, if the check bounces, well, that's a whole different problem.  Electronic payments are the way to go.  As for "security", I have not had a single incident with my financial information getting out when using my debit card or credit card online.  People just have to be smart about it.


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## GuntherHess (Aug 21, 2008)

I think the problem is with ebay dictating the use of payment services (ones they make a profit on) and not allowing it up to the sellers' choice. The keep trying to squeeze every last penny out of the system under the guise of making it better.  Its funny they outlawed the use of google's electronic money transfer service.

 Here are the upcomming rules...
http://pages.ebay.com/sell/August2008Update/ConfidentBuyers/

 I just feel sorry for all the old folks trying to make a living on ebay and have no other choice.


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## baltbottles (Aug 21, 2008)

Matt like you I agree the class action lawsuit should be interesting. They lost their fight in Australia when trying to do away with paper-based transactions. I personally only accept Checks and Money orders and feel it has never affected my sales prices. And I have only had a few non paying bidders. I feel paypal is nothing more then a way for ebay to suck more money out of my pocket. I offer a very reasonable shipping rate that includes insurance on all my items. Sadly if ebay forces me to accept paypal I'll have to raise my shipping rates so the buyers pay for the fees in the form of a handling charge. Or i may just start selling from my website only. The good thing that may come from this will be the rise in attendence at bottle shows now that fewer sellers will be listing good bottles on ebay.

 Chris


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## morbious_fod (Aug 21, 2008)

I have been using money orders exclusively on eBay since I began buying on there back in 1999. I have rarely had a problem, now ebay want's to control how I pay for an item? Screw you ebay. I will most likely do as I do today, I'll contact the seller and ask if they will accept a money order and ebay can go take a flying leap.

 To be honest I think this will backfire on them and another smarter auction company will realize that this is a mistake and will grow due to the dissatisfied buyers like myself who will flee the bay in droves. Not because we can't adapt, but because they have no right to force us to do so. I may wind up back on Yahoo auctions where I started, due to ebay's varification policy when I didn't have a credit card.

 Does anyone know a way to contact ebay to levy a protest?


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## GuntherHess (Aug 21, 2008)

What I would like to see is a "central clearing house" list of all the individual bottle sites with sales pages. I know there are a couple of these lists out there but they can be frustrating because they dont get updated often and have a lot of dead links.
 A lot of bottle sellers honestly dont do a very good job on thier sites with things like photos, contact info, shipping info, etc etc.
 Something like bottleshow.com was a good idea where various dealers could sell bottles in a standard format. I wonder what luck people are having on there?


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## appliedlips (Aug 21, 2008)

This should be the end of their run.Is their someone in the world that thinks this is a good idea?


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## FloridaDigger (Aug 21, 2008)

The new changes are a bad move by eBay; ..you can still help buyers without alienating sellers,.. ebay needs to "cater" to both and be fair and even, ...dont give all the control to buyers, ..sellers will just stop selling, ..then nobody wins.


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## Jim (Aug 21, 2008)

I have bashed eBay over their other recent ridiculous policy changes, but this is the final straw. I am DONE with eBay as a seller. Buying will also be strictly limited to local items for my collection that I really want and cannot find elsewhere. I hope Greedbay gets slapped with a huge lawsuit, and I will dance in the street, shrieking with glee, should they ever go bankrupt. ~Jim


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## FloridaDigger (Aug 21, 2008)

I know how you feel JIM; ...I could not believe what I was reading when I got the email from ebay. The new policy will limit my sales _and _purchases; forcing everyone to use Payfiend, ..I mean Paypal,   ...its all about greed.


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## arthur (Aug 21, 2008)

Okay guys and gals SO lets put our heads together and come up with a way that all bottles collectors can deal with in  thier own type of sale/buy network.  This is a big family we have here with some brillant people.  THINK-THINK-THINK


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## digger mcdirt (Aug 21, 2008)

I think ebay could care less if any collectors list on there any more. Their plan to quote them from last year is ("to get out of the yard sale flea market market" ) they are thinking real estate automobiles cell phone etc not bottles war relics etc.  They have done soo much to discourage sellers in the last year it is fairly plain what they are doing. It is like the old Walmarting America plan on small town USA (it worked)  They have thought this through and they are simply doing what there plan calls for at this stage. I don't like it as I sell bottles etc on ebay. But unless another real site with the traffic ebay has pops up then the choice we have is go along (until they do away with us ) or just not sell or buy. I doubt in a market of 85 million worldwide we will be missed much really. I sold WW2 Relics for years then they did away with Nazi items as they became a World market and Nazi items could not be sold in some countries. We all the dealers fussed complained etc etc but it did no good we failed to realize how few people really cared about WW2 Nazi and Japanese relics out of the ebay members. This is bad from a dealer standpoint especially when you really read it all. Set postage prices (you can't increase them) must use paypal or be set up for other credit card (which they will charge a fee for if not in the front then later) they already get a cut from paypal so they get a listing fee a final value fee and a paypal fee on any sale.  And to top the Big Cake of **** off if you are a dealer you can get a big NEG and do nothing about it cause it is a one way street now anyone you sell to must be 100% pleased or your s****** . What a racket !!!!!!!!!!


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## morbious_fod (Aug 22, 2008)

Tis a sad state of affairs for an auction site born from a group of Pez collectors. When you forget your roots you stop being worthwhile.


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## cc6pack (Aug 22, 2008)

Ebay lost their law suit in Australia, it won't work here they offer Pro Pay which is a joke, you have to pay them a yearly fee plus a percentage, they lost because it was a monopoly.  Hopefully buyers will have enough savy to still use MO's and checks, they are not completly disallowed you just are not allowed to say you take them in your auctions.  My wife is selling my sons home school stuff now and when that's done I think I'll be completly done with them. It was fun while it lasted.


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## morbious_fod (Aug 22, 2008)

I was hoping to hear that. So I will keep doing as I have when someone has a paypal only listing, ask if they will take a money order, with my excellent feedback most say yes. Fight the power![]


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## glass man (Aug 22, 2008)

I only buy with postal money orders.Guess I am left out,of course as little as I spend ,it ain't a drop in the bucket any way.In every instance when I have contacted a dealer about the paypal only sell they have, I have been told they WILL accept my money order.EBAY is getting real good at foot shooting!Trouble is they are shooting the sellers and buyers feet ,as well as there own.


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## GuntherHess (Aug 22, 2008)

I have found that about 20% of the people I have dealt with on fleabay either use checks or money orders.
 Obviously ebay has made a calculation that the revenue from more people using paypal will excede the lost revenue from people who can not or will not use paypal. Thier #1 job is to increase the stock price of the company not to make everyone happy.
 Thier assumption is everyone is so addicted to ebay that enough people will stay no matter what kind of rules they impose.
 They may be right, many people now make thier living selling on the auction site.
 For me this appears to be the end of the line.


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## GuntherHess (Aug 22, 2008)

I make a web page with verified active bottle selling sites...
http://www.mattsoldhouse.com/MC/bottles/bottlelinks_sale.htm

 I will try to keep this up to date and make sure the sites are active.
 Its no fun wading through a bunch of dead links.

 If I dont have your site on here , let me know please.
 If I have represented your site incorrectly , let me know, I will fix it or remove it as you desire.


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## BittersMax (Aug 22, 2008)

I'm just as disgusted as most people are. What the antique hobby needs is a site similar to feeBay just for collectibles but so far nothing I've seen even comes close. You should also be aware that end of auction fees are going to 12% in addition to restrictions on shipping charges. By the end of the year the fees will be so high that it will be more cost effective to auction better items through a professional auction house.  There will also be a 21 day hold on certain electronic payments if you don't have all the funds in your Paypal account. If that's not enough their also going to do away with 3rd party picture hosting which means you'll have to pay for all your auction pictures. Their primary purpose for doing away with checks & money orders is so they can further take advantage of sellers to make more interest on all the millions of dollars that are funneled through their  electronic banking system. It's indeed sad that their greed has caused such a good thing to go sour as it's been a big boost for the collecting hobby. The good of it though is that it has prompted me to build my own website www.oldwestbottles.com where I can sell bottles with 0 fees. I now mainly only use my ebay site ebay user id (LEISALU) so lookers can find my website with the links I provide in my auctions. The message these morons are sending to the youth of America that sell on feeBay is criminal, teaching them how to be greedy  and screw people that support you, not good at all. It's  funny how animal like many people have become in the last 10 years in big corporations and cities.


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## NCdigger5 (Aug 23, 2008)

Im getting tired of feebay.  I use paypal and money orders to pay.  I use money orders when I have cash and don't wont to put anything on the credit card.  

 Hey Matt here is another good site like bottleshow.com

http://www.americanglassexchange.com/main/index.aspx


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## digger mcdirt (Aug 23, 2008)

I just opened a new account at e-bid . I am going to slowly get away from the bay. I will be listing tons of bottles collectibles etc  over time at the store I am going to open there . Ebay is just to different than what I signed up for 10 years ago. The greed has taken over the fees have went crazy and the feedback system s**** majorly. I will see how it works on this new site they will let you take paypal check mo etc. You are your own boss they don't have the traffic that ebay does but that too is getting thinner all the time on the bay. I think collectors can find a place there if they are loooking for a new ave to sell and buy at. I have a ton of regular customers on the bay and I am going to send them a link to check out e bid. bob


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## Wilkie (Aug 23, 2008)

> ORIGINAL: digger mcdirt
> 
> I just opened a new account at e-bid . I am going to slowly get away from the bay. I will be listing tons of bottles collectibles etc  over time at the store I am going to open there . Ebay is just to different than what I signed up for 10 years ago. The greed has taken over the fees have went crazy and the feedback system s**** majorly. I will see how it works on this new site they will let you take paypal check mo etc. You are your own boss they don't have the traffic that ebay does but that too is getting thinner all the time on the bay. I think collectors can find a place there if they are loooking for a new ave to sell and buy at. I have a ton of regular customers on the bay and I am going to send them a link to check out e bid. bob


 Digger, I just signed up on e-bid and I'm browsing the listings but an unable to find any antique bottles.  Am I missing something?


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## towhead (Aug 23, 2008)

Yup, a new selling/buying site is needed!


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## digger mcdirt (Aug 23, 2008)

I haven't started to load my stuff on yet I have a Corinth MS 10 OZ Coke I loaded just as a test. Go into search and try "CORINTH COKE" that will give you a idea how their listings will look. I did the $6.99 1 month which is a great deal to try and see what it's like. I have emailed my friends and reg customers and a couple of diggers who were listing on ebay. They are going to register and see what we can get going. I list about 300 bottles collectibles a month on the bay and have 275 in my store so I am slowly going to pull it down to this site. I just had to draw the line with this last screw the seller they pulled. I think e-bid has some promise if it doesn't work out over a couple of months I will just do my own web page. I list mainly bottles and have a large collection 3 rooms and a building full (dig and trade every week) so inventory is not a problem. Check the site out there's not much there now as far as bottles but it can be turned around I was on the bay up front and word of mouth etc build it to what it is now. BOB


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## poisons4me (Aug 23, 2008)

Geeze Matt,I don,t make the list?? I sell on my site with a feedback page. As for ebay,it gets worse by the month.


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## GuntherHess (Aug 23, 2008)

Your site was there. Either your sales link changed or the site wasnt working last time I checked it. It seems ok now. I will add it back in Rick.


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## GuntherHess (Aug 23, 2008)

Added a couple sites ...
http://www.mattsoldhouse.com/MC/bottles/bottlelinks_sale.htm


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## poisons4me (Aug 23, 2008)

Thanks Matt,I was probablly editing it that seems to be only time doesnt work. Thanks again. Rick.


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## NYCFlasks (Aug 25, 2008)

I had heard in the grapevine about all of this, and want to thank everyone for posting about it.
 While judging by the posts many of you sell, and some do both buying and selling, I am one of perhaps the few who really just buy, my over 500 feedbacks gathered over 10 years are for nearly all purchases, perhaps 5 or 6 sales in the lot.
 I am very disappointed with the new feedback system, the seller should be able to neg the buyer, this will only make nonpayment harder on the sellers I guess.  I do not blame any of you for wanting to leave.
 I am not a big money guy, my typical bottle buy is 20 or 30 dollars, but you can tell that I have bought quite a few...
 What do I think of the new payment system?  Not much really.  I agree with many who feel it is a way to boost the stock price, increase income to the company, which to be fair, is their reason for being, to make money.  I have had no trouble sending people a personal check, a USPS money order, or paying via PayPal, but I am honest, and it is a small world.
 Would I like a site to be able to hunt for my bottles?  You bet I would.  A portal to your bottle sale pages/sites would be wonderful, and if there was some way to search your sites/pages from a central location for my flasks, I would be there looking 5 or 6 nights a week, same I do on eBay.  Like so many of you, time is limited for me also, and for the moment, eBay allows me to search everyones sales with a click, looking for my wants, and if I do not have it, I want it!  Having to search each site or page one by one for me would not be conductive for frequent visits given the time constraints that so many of us have to live under.  
 I have visited Bottleshow.com, great glass and site, however have not seen anything in my collecting area yet.  I suspect given the low value and limited appeal of NYC/Brooklyn strap flasks it is really not worth the time or space to list on a site such as Bottleshow.
 I love the shows, ran the show for our club for a number of years, but, my line of work includes Sunday shifts, and wouldn't you know it, it seems half the time I end up on a Sunday when there is a show nearby.  This year I missed both the National and the old Millbrook show, had to work, but I really really wanted to go....nothing like a good bottle fix to make a memoriable day!
 Yahoo does not do auctions anymore, I looked a while ago, and all I received was a note telling me they closed it (the auction feature that is) down.  I did buy a few off of there over the years too.


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## madpaddla (Aug 27, 2008)

here is what happened in Australia.
eBay[/b] Australia[/b] ditches PayPal[/b] scheme


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## madpaddla (Aug 27, 2008)

And if I understand correctly, the populous won.  But things might be different here.  But its worth a try.


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## GuntherHess (Aug 27, 2008)

Sounds like in Australia, ebay notified ACCC they were going to do it, ACCC sent them a draft notice saying they dont like it, ebay decides to hold off implementing it to avoid going to court until ACCC makes a final decision. Nothing seems decided there yet... 

*"eBay* notified the ACCC of its decision to move to PayPal[/b]-only payments - this prevents the company being sued[/b] for that conduct while it is being checked by regulators.eBay's Australian boss Simon Smith said: "While we disagree with the ACCC's draft notice"


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## runvs56 (Aug 28, 2008)

Yep, I am Done With Ebay To... Its just fun anymore..


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## baltbottles (Sep 5, 2008)

Same here I've been selling on ebay for almost 10 years now and they have sucked the fun out of it. I have been looking at the other online auction sites and e-bid may be free but they don't offer much in the way of antique bottle catorgies. I like Epier the best so far they remind me of how ebay was about 6-7 years ago. I just registered an account and may list some bottles for sale there soon.

 Chris


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## GuntherHess (Sep 5, 2008)

> Epier


 
 I'll have to check it out.
 If it looks good I might post some there too.


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## GuntherHess (Sep 5, 2008)

Epier doesnt look bad. Not much for sale there yet but they at least have a decent catagory structure. Nice thing is no listing fee so there really isnt any risk listing stuff there as long as you start it at the min you want to sell for. Final auction fees seem resonable. Wonder if fleabay will lawyer them to death?
http://www.epier.com/L3.asp?catID=9985

 The latest fleabay new rule to screw me is they wont let you list many famous brand name products. I have a bunch of antique Tiffany open salts my mother wanted sold for her. Even though I have over 1200 feedback 100% positive they wont let me list these more than 1 every month and they randomly cancel my listings. What a joke,


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## Michdigger (Sep 9, 2008)

Yep...I wont buy or sell nothing on there anymore,and i see some guy is selling some common bottles on this site and its free listings. 
http://wensy.com/index.asp


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## RED Matthews (Sep 9, 2008)

Well it looks to me like we, as Americans need to get our reflexes organized and let eBay know where they can peddle their services.  This action of change does not tickle my good nature.  I have not been happy with their Pay Pal system at all.  
 I am new at this organization, but I like the compadre of it.  Even if I can't spell the word.
 RED Matthews


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## RED Matthews (Sep 10, 2008)

Hello again.  This business of putting little rules in the eBay policy plan seems to me, to be another way of controlling the public interest.  The next thing you know they will be linked with the government book-keeping and tabulate what we made above our asking price to establish a taxable gain they can tax.  I think we need to fight it someway.  

 I also noted that they changed my summary layout sheet.  I don't know what their aim is there, but I don't like changes like that.  It is almost as bad as the changes Microsoft made in the Internet Explorer up-date, that took me out of that program.

 Good luck and Fight Team - Fight.     RED Matthews


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## RED Matthews (Sep 11, 2008)

To GuntherHess and the rest of you:
 This didn't work because I covered what I am doing but it wouldn't cut and paste here;
 Anyway I sent the seller a mesage on eBays address mail and asked for an address.
 I got a reply back with the address. 
 And I will send the man the $s as a M/O tomorrow.  

 The only problem I have had with this method is that the seller has to acknowledge that the item was paid for or it stays on my payments due list.
 It is bad either way.  RED Matthews


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