I was recently suspended for "Seller Non Performance" even though I have issued several refunds very quickly several days before the suspension even occured. I called one of the people who refused to withdraw her dispute even after a full refund, she acted like a bitch, and this prompted me to send this letter to eBay and post on here...read on if you'd like a little bit of my piece of mind about what's wrong with eBay
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Note: links to the following examples, transactions, and issues are available at the very end of this document.
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To whom it may concern: this letter may seem as unnecessary but it is of utmost urgency that eBay as a corporation hear my complaints. I believe that I am the victim of a mass inequity which is propagated by the false sense of security, and in my case, insecurity, that the eBay feedback system creates. While in theory, it is a terrific ideal, and as far as technical concerns, it is brilliantly executed: I feel that the feedback system excludes smaller sellers such as me. More than anything, I believe there is a lack of balance in the powers that buyers and sellers have. I will state my concerns through the analysis of my account history, demonstrating through evidence as to why I believe that I am worthy of a higher feedback percentage and the additional protection that is often only granted to long time members and power sellers. While my overall experience on eBay has been rather successful in terms of profit, I will not deny that I have been at a loss several times throughout the history of my account. The double layer of security which is provided by joint Paypal and eBay endeavors is something that I do hold dear, however, I find that always harms me as a seller and a buyer while it seems to only help others. Take for example my recent dispute with David Schaefer of Oradell, New Jersey: almost a month ago he purchased a new Playstation 2 console from me. The console in question is rather hard to find [it is the older model, which is known to be more reliable and expandable by video game enthusiasts] and sells for a much higher amount than the actual retail value.
In my auction, I listed the contents of the Playstation 2 package and give the buyer the incentive that I would add a free game and a DVD remote controller to the bundle. As soon as the auction ended, I shipped out the Playstation 2 console and it was received rather quickly. I told the buyer his free gifts would come in a separate parcel in the near future. Throughout the course of my business, the package was lost and the buyer opened a dispute, nearly a month afterwards. I offered in resolution, a small refund [$15, the value of the free video game software] and to resend the remote controller as well as a few small trinkets. The buyer agreed that as soon as he received the second parcel, he would accept the partial refund and leave positive feedback. This, I believe, is the essence of a smooth [and successful] transaction. However, what I find terribly wrong about this is that he was able to hold $240 USD from my Paypal account over a mere $25 of value. And not only that, if he was dishonest or of malicious intent, he could deny the partial refund and reshipment, and force me to take back the console at a major loss, as the console in used condition [especially after nearly a month of use] is worth not even half of its new value. I find this to be obviously unequal: the buyer received the item as promised, he opened it and made use of it, and filed a dispute three weeks later, holding my funds and putting a stop to my business transactions: which also include the payment of eBay fees, refunds, and other additional expenses. If the buyer had purchased the console at a retail store, he could not receive a refund three weeks later over such trivial matters. The acquisition [and temporary hold] of these funds were unjustified and reduced my ability to resolve the customer and his complaint. Considering that as a seller on a small scale, I do not have the resources or contacts to have a return policy, this is a truly one sided affair.
This brings me to a second example, in which I find inequity as a buyer. I recently purchased an imported Minidisc player [a portable audio player which is hard to obtain in the US] from a seller in the United Kingdom. The auction stated that the portable was fully working and in excellent condition: he stated that it included a battery and a remote controller. However, besides a picture, he did not offer any additional information. When I received the player, several weeks later, I found I was not able to turn it on or use it at all. Through observation, I discovered the Minidisc player required either a separate battery charger or a charging dock that was originally included with the unit. The seller, if he ever used the device, must have known that either was required for operation of the device. However, he did not state this in his auction. Currently, I am not able to use it because the charger for the battery, much less the dock, can not be found in the United States. The items are available on eBay, but would cost me more than $30 to obtain. I requested the seller provide some sort of help or refund, but he did not help at all or even attempt to accommodate me as a buyer. Since it was an international delivery, I could have easily claimed to never have received the item and demanded a refund through Paypal: however, as an honest buyer and seller I decided to give him a chance to make things better. I will return to this specific incident in a later portion of this letter, as this related to yet another transaction.
The most glaring example of inequity on eBay is a recent transaction I had with a buyer from the Dominican Republic. In December, he bought two video game controllers from me. I quickly shipped them out as I ship most my items rather promptly. Several days passed and eventually I received a message stating he did not receive the controllers. I stated that I am a UNITED STATES based seller and that the United States Postal Service [which is officially supported by eBay and Paypal] does NOT provide delivery confirmation or tracking to foreign countries. I suggested he wait a little longer, that international mailing can take a little while. Several days later, he opened two disputes with Paypal and eBay, as well as leaving negative feedback for both items. He partially debited my Paypal account through “Buyer Protection” [if only there was seller protection] as a result locked my account. Up until this day, he continues to claim he did not receive his items, even though I have not received them as missent or lost. This is beside the FACT that the seller has harassed me with phone calls in the middle of the morning, due to location differences. He uses this as a defense for his claims, that he even spent money on phone calls, but what does it truly show? While he does have 100% feedback, it is only over 36 transactions. I have 87% feedback, but over more than a hundred transactions, 90 of my feedback being absolutely positive, and 3 of them being neutral. What does this mean? To the average eBay sleazebag, it means I’m a horrible person and an even more horrible eBayer, but to an objective source: it means that more than 93 people have satisfied with either my payment [as a buyer] or my delivery as a seller. His transactions continue to haunt my account and added two negatives to my account. This is a grave mistake on behalf of eBay, why should a buyer from a foreign country, with NO PROOF WHATSOEVER THAT I DID NOT SEND HIS ITEMS, be allowed to harm my account, make my reputation suffer, and make me lost money as a whole?
This returns me to the Minidisc transaction stated earlier: in the case of the minidisc player, I am stuck with a device that works but I will never be able to use and have no chance of being refunded or at least partially refunded so that I can obtain the items needed to use the device I purchased, and not only that, I did not receive positive feedback for payment or any sort of help from the seller. Why is this wrong? Because it is glaringly obvious that for some reason, people are able to immediately open disputes on me, suspend my account, leave negative feedback, debit monies from my Paypal account because of “buyer protection” and make me look like a bad seller, even worse, a dishonest person, [and forgive me for the lack of eloquence in the following statement] yet when I get shafted all I can do is sit and take it like a woman. I have been on eBay for a while and know the intricacies of the system, and the most I have ever gotten was a small final value fee on an unpaid item and the mutual withdrawal of one feedback. I make enough money and have enough money, and also, enough class, to not harass sellers over every little thing. I see everything from the point of view of someone trying to run a business, and for the sake of karma, seek to be as accommodating as possible when I am a buyer or even when a seller is unreasonable. This leads me to my next complaint, which is one that upsets me greatly, and leads me to a theory I came up with some time ago
“Ebay is dominated by 40 year old women who enjoy knitting and love vintage novelty items”
I recently sold an old digital camera to an aging teacher from North Carolina. I received payment for the camera [total payment was $20] on the 17th of February and sent the camera on the following Tuesday, as the post office is not open on weekends and was closed for President’s Day. As a result of reckless abandon, I forgot to send the camera with delivery confirmation, which strikes me as odd since I send all my items with delivery confirmation and even insurance sometimes. Fast forward several days later [to March 6] and I received the camera in the mail: it was lost and then returned to me. On the same day, the buyer opened a dispute and claim. I will add that as soon as I received the camera, I sent a refund. It was a mere coincidence that she opened the dispute the same day. THE FOLLOWING TEXT IS HER DISPUTE/CLAIM, as it was sent to me and eBay [for the sake of information, the buyer from what I presume is a 40 year old woman, she buys way more than she sells, has 100% feedback, but mostly from very small cheap trinkets and what not]
“Paid for this item on Feb. 17th and the digital camera should have arrived within a week of payment which would be Feb. 24th. I set emails asking for any information about shipment and I've received no response. Her rating was 88% and I should have been more diligent and not bidded on her item. I think EBAY and PAYPAL "powers to be" should look at her reviews and take her off of EBAY. Someone like this should not be able to sell. I also would appreciate receiving my money back. She obviously has no intention of mailing the item or maybe she has died. Her pics make her appear young on her personal info but who knows. This is the FIRST TIME in 3 years that I have been buying and selling on EBAY that I gave a NEGATIVE. I personally have a 100% rating and am not too tolerant of this kind of action on the part of a seller. I call it stealing. Thanks for anything you can do to take her off of EBAY as a seller and to return my money. Thank you”
Note the tone of her dispute: it is obvious that she has a reason to be angry, but objectively, can you not tell the smug pretentious attitude of the buyer? There a touch of sarcasm and cynicism as well. Of course, what scares me, is that a mere two days after her dispute, even though I gave a refund THE VERY SAME DAY, my account was suspended. I find this to be a text book case of David and Goliath, similar to when “mom and pop” stores have to compete with the power sellers of the retail world such as Wal-Mart, Target, etc. I quickly gave her all of her money back. I made sure Paypal and eBay knew this, yet my account was still suspended, even though I had some GREAT auctions going [I recently acquired two Xbox 360’s and several rare video games] and was even buying a few items, as well as planning to pay my seller fees. The buyer ACCUSES ME OF STEALING, to the point of wishing I be banned/suspended and yet does not close her dispute or withdraw her complaint, even though I quickly gave a refund. This is not the last of this story though: because I need the money, not only to pay fees, refund another buyer, and travel, I have been calling people and writing eBay/Paypal in order to get my business running again. I decided to call her today since she denied my appeal, even after her refund. This is what she told me, over the phone:
“I’m not going to remove my dispute because you either learn to do it right or you don’t do it at all”
“I’m not going to help you because I believe you are not an honest person”
“You kept my money, you stole my money”
I stated that I sent a prompt refund, suggested that perhaps I could send her more money, or even the camera. I also stated that I followed eBay policy, provided a refund without complaint, and remarked that a thief is not one who gives a refund without contest but one who runs away with the money. And what did she do? She hung up on me. I tried to call back thinking she might have been cut off, but no, as soon as the phone rang, she picked it up and slammed it down several times to cut me off. Of course, I can’t leave her negative feedback, she’d reply to it and all her little 40 year old friends would believe her. Even though she has no idea what it means to sell software, gaming products, consoles, electronics, etc. I have more than 90 individual positive feedbacks, lots of them on items worth several hundred dollars, on cell phones, on consoles, on DVD players, on other electronics, on rare video games. I even refunded her without complaint, but she still ran over me, won’t remove her dispute/claim, won’t remove her feedback, treated me like a piece of trash over the phone, and yet there’s nothing I can do to let people know that she’s a big example of the saying, “100% feedback DOES NOT EQUAL 100% class”.
This brings me to a greater concern, that even if I try my hardest to sell good products, to ship them quickly, people always find a way to bring me down. It’s true that I am in the minority. There aren’t many teenage girls selling video games or electronics on eBay. And I honestly doubt there are many long time sellers in my age group. I believe the way eBay is currently set up; members such as me are pushed to the side and have no power whatsoever. In a system which values feedback over truth, people like me are unable to show people the truth. People look at my rating percentage and they don’t bid as high, they don’t care about the product, they look at me like scum, completely ignoring that as we speak there’s people playing my video games, using my cell phones, watching my DVD’s, enjoying my electronics. And I know there is proof, that some of eBay’s BEST SELLERS are not sellers with 100% feedback, they’re people like me [even if they’re on a much larger scale. For example, take monoprice.com: they have been on eBay since the year 2000 and are one of the BEST providers of electronics and related items online. I have bought several products from them and in electronics/gaming/media circles on the Internet, the quality of their products and service is well known. But take a look at something: over the past month they have had 63 negative feedback, 60 neutral feedback, and they are still alive and well, not suspended or banned. Yet I am suspended because of false, baseless claims by people such as the man from the Dominican Republic or the woman from North Carolina. They have been around since 2000; they’ve made thousands of sales, and are certified power sellers. Tell me this, what are the chances in 5 years I might be like monoprice.com, or other power sellers? Quite high! If I averaged 100 transactions per year, in six years I would be at well over 600 sales, if I was able to continue eBaying without the hassle of reinstating my account, losing money to baseless claims, and my feedback accurately represented my business: perhaps I could raise profits, buy more inventory, sell more products, and work my way up on the eBay chain. Yet people like, and I’ll say her name this time, Jane Markert, who truly have no future on eBay other than buying beads and sewing patterns, can trample over a young girl who truly has a promising future on eBay?
As for the true point of this letter, I have a simple request. I ask that eBay look at the records of the refunds I have provided in response to all valid claims and remove them from my record so that I have a chance at becoming a better seller and showing people what Sara Usagi is really about. I ask that eBay consider removing the related negative feedbacks, or at least turn them into neutrals so that they do not affect my percentage. I also ask that eBay consider creating a plan for young sellers, perhaps allowing them additional protection from dishonest people who use their 100% feedback or seniority to hurt others. A good addition would be eBay university courses or online tutorials specifically for teenagers [18 and up] and young adults, especially college students who don’t have much time to work but certainly can fit eBay into their schedule as a means of making living in this fast paced life easier. I love eBay. I’ve bought many items, made a lot of money, and had a very good time. However, people like Ticio Vargas [Dominican Republic] and Jane Markert [North Carolina] make eBaying a very hard experience for me. If you look at my feedback, you will realize I provide refunds without complaint, that many of the negatives left have no basis for their existence, and that the plain truth is that I am a good seller with a good heart.
I will also add that eBay has many other problems it should tend to instead of pushing around the little guy. Such as the sale of illicit items, including bootleg DVD’s and steroids, or the sale of pictures of items or cheese puffs for hundreds, even thousands of dollars, or perhaps the rampant plague of Hong Kong based sellers who charge astronomical shipping rates but sell items at such a loss they make it impossible for United States based sellers to compete. Anyways, thank you for your time. I hope to be selling and buying again, very soon, and hope that perhaps my concerns and thoughts will find themselves making a change in the eBay community. Thank you, once again.
Sincerely,
Sara Usagi
Links to referenced cases
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http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8257750031
Playstation 2 transaction, also
03041560000325195815 [PS2 console delivery confirmation]
03041560000325221903 [reshipment of PS2 free gifts]
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7589570363
Jane Markert camera transaction
Refund (ID #7EC98361DT204621U)
In reference to:59578315A3625372B
Paypal refund for same transaction
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5856797327
Minidisc player auction
eBay Payment Sent (ID # 3VG12425CK174631W)
http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA...com&items=25&page=3&frompage=-1&iid=-1&de=off
Monoprice.com feedback profile
http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=sarausagi
Link to my own feedback profile
I believe everything else eBay can access by itself, thank you for reading this letter.
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Note: links to the following examples, transactions, and issues are available at the very end of this document.
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To whom it may concern: this letter may seem as unnecessary but it is of utmost urgency that eBay as a corporation hear my complaints. I believe that I am the victim of a mass inequity which is propagated by the false sense of security, and in my case, insecurity, that the eBay feedback system creates. While in theory, it is a terrific ideal, and as far as technical concerns, it is brilliantly executed: I feel that the feedback system excludes smaller sellers such as me. More than anything, I believe there is a lack of balance in the powers that buyers and sellers have. I will state my concerns through the analysis of my account history, demonstrating through evidence as to why I believe that I am worthy of a higher feedback percentage and the additional protection that is often only granted to long time members and power sellers. While my overall experience on eBay has been rather successful in terms of profit, I will not deny that I have been at a loss several times throughout the history of my account. The double layer of security which is provided by joint Paypal and eBay endeavors is something that I do hold dear, however, I find that always harms me as a seller and a buyer while it seems to only help others. Take for example my recent dispute with David Schaefer of Oradell, New Jersey: almost a month ago he purchased a new Playstation 2 console from me. The console in question is rather hard to find [it is the older model, which is known to be more reliable and expandable by video game enthusiasts] and sells for a much higher amount than the actual retail value.
In my auction, I listed the contents of the Playstation 2 package and give the buyer the incentive that I would add a free game and a DVD remote controller to the bundle. As soon as the auction ended, I shipped out the Playstation 2 console and it was received rather quickly. I told the buyer his free gifts would come in a separate parcel in the near future. Throughout the course of my business, the package was lost and the buyer opened a dispute, nearly a month afterwards. I offered in resolution, a small refund [$15, the value of the free video game software] and to resend the remote controller as well as a few small trinkets. The buyer agreed that as soon as he received the second parcel, he would accept the partial refund and leave positive feedback. This, I believe, is the essence of a smooth [and successful] transaction. However, what I find terribly wrong about this is that he was able to hold $240 USD from my Paypal account over a mere $25 of value. And not only that, if he was dishonest or of malicious intent, he could deny the partial refund and reshipment, and force me to take back the console at a major loss, as the console in used condition [especially after nearly a month of use] is worth not even half of its new value. I find this to be obviously unequal: the buyer received the item as promised, he opened it and made use of it, and filed a dispute three weeks later, holding my funds and putting a stop to my business transactions: which also include the payment of eBay fees, refunds, and other additional expenses. If the buyer had purchased the console at a retail store, he could not receive a refund three weeks later over such trivial matters. The acquisition [and temporary hold] of these funds were unjustified and reduced my ability to resolve the customer and his complaint. Considering that as a seller on a small scale, I do not have the resources or contacts to have a return policy, this is a truly one sided affair.
This brings me to a second example, in which I find inequity as a buyer. I recently purchased an imported Minidisc player [a portable audio player which is hard to obtain in the US] from a seller in the United Kingdom. The auction stated that the portable was fully working and in excellent condition: he stated that it included a battery and a remote controller. However, besides a picture, he did not offer any additional information. When I received the player, several weeks later, I found I was not able to turn it on or use it at all. Through observation, I discovered the Minidisc player required either a separate battery charger or a charging dock that was originally included with the unit. The seller, if he ever used the device, must have known that either was required for operation of the device. However, he did not state this in his auction. Currently, I am not able to use it because the charger for the battery, much less the dock, can not be found in the United States. The items are available on eBay, but would cost me more than $30 to obtain. I requested the seller provide some sort of help or refund, but he did not help at all or even attempt to accommodate me as a buyer. Since it was an international delivery, I could have easily claimed to never have received the item and demanded a refund through Paypal: however, as an honest buyer and seller I decided to give him a chance to make things better. I will return to this specific incident in a later portion of this letter, as this related to yet another transaction.
The most glaring example of inequity on eBay is a recent transaction I had with a buyer from the Dominican Republic. In December, he bought two video game controllers from me. I quickly shipped them out as I ship most my items rather promptly. Several days passed and eventually I received a message stating he did not receive the controllers. I stated that I am a UNITED STATES based seller and that the United States Postal Service [which is officially supported by eBay and Paypal] does NOT provide delivery confirmation or tracking to foreign countries. I suggested he wait a little longer, that international mailing can take a little while. Several days later, he opened two disputes with Paypal and eBay, as well as leaving negative feedback for both items. He partially debited my Paypal account through “Buyer Protection” [if only there was seller protection] as a result locked my account. Up until this day, he continues to claim he did not receive his items, even though I have not received them as missent or lost. This is beside the FACT that the seller has harassed me with phone calls in the middle of the morning, due to location differences. He uses this as a defense for his claims, that he even spent money on phone calls, but what does it truly show? While he does have 100% feedback, it is only over 36 transactions. I have 87% feedback, but over more than a hundred transactions, 90 of my feedback being absolutely positive, and 3 of them being neutral. What does this mean? To the average eBay sleazebag, it means I’m a horrible person and an even more horrible eBayer, but to an objective source: it means that more than 93 people have satisfied with either my payment [as a buyer] or my delivery as a seller. His transactions continue to haunt my account and added two negatives to my account. This is a grave mistake on behalf of eBay, why should a buyer from a foreign country, with NO PROOF WHATSOEVER THAT I DID NOT SEND HIS ITEMS, be allowed to harm my account, make my reputation suffer, and make me lost money as a whole?
This returns me to the Minidisc transaction stated earlier: in the case of the minidisc player, I am stuck with a device that works but I will never be able to use and have no chance of being refunded or at least partially refunded so that I can obtain the items needed to use the device I purchased, and not only that, I did not receive positive feedback for payment or any sort of help from the seller. Why is this wrong? Because it is glaringly obvious that for some reason, people are able to immediately open disputes on me, suspend my account, leave negative feedback, debit monies from my Paypal account because of “buyer protection” and make me look like a bad seller, even worse, a dishonest person, [and forgive me for the lack of eloquence in the following statement] yet when I get shafted all I can do is sit and take it like a woman. I have been on eBay for a while and know the intricacies of the system, and the most I have ever gotten was a small final value fee on an unpaid item and the mutual withdrawal of one feedback. I make enough money and have enough money, and also, enough class, to not harass sellers over every little thing. I see everything from the point of view of someone trying to run a business, and for the sake of karma, seek to be as accommodating as possible when I am a buyer or even when a seller is unreasonable. This leads me to my next complaint, which is one that upsets me greatly, and leads me to a theory I came up with some time ago
“Ebay is dominated by 40 year old women who enjoy knitting and love vintage novelty items”
I recently sold an old digital camera to an aging teacher from North Carolina. I received payment for the camera [total payment was $20] on the 17th of February and sent the camera on the following Tuesday, as the post office is not open on weekends and was closed for President’s Day. As a result of reckless abandon, I forgot to send the camera with delivery confirmation, which strikes me as odd since I send all my items with delivery confirmation and even insurance sometimes. Fast forward several days later [to March 6] and I received the camera in the mail: it was lost and then returned to me. On the same day, the buyer opened a dispute and claim. I will add that as soon as I received the camera, I sent a refund. It was a mere coincidence that she opened the dispute the same day. THE FOLLOWING TEXT IS HER DISPUTE/CLAIM, as it was sent to me and eBay [for the sake of information, the buyer from what I presume is a 40 year old woman, she buys way more than she sells, has 100% feedback, but mostly from very small cheap trinkets and what not]
“Paid for this item on Feb. 17th and the digital camera should have arrived within a week of payment which would be Feb. 24th. I set emails asking for any information about shipment and I've received no response. Her rating was 88% and I should have been more diligent and not bidded on her item. I think EBAY and PAYPAL "powers to be" should look at her reviews and take her off of EBAY. Someone like this should not be able to sell. I also would appreciate receiving my money back. She obviously has no intention of mailing the item or maybe she has died. Her pics make her appear young on her personal info but who knows. This is the FIRST TIME in 3 years that I have been buying and selling on EBAY that I gave a NEGATIVE. I personally have a 100% rating and am not too tolerant of this kind of action on the part of a seller. I call it stealing. Thanks for anything you can do to take her off of EBAY as a seller and to return my money. Thank you”
Note the tone of her dispute: it is obvious that she has a reason to be angry, but objectively, can you not tell the smug pretentious attitude of the buyer? There a touch of sarcasm and cynicism as well. Of course, what scares me, is that a mere two days after her dispute, even though I gave a refund THE VERY SAME DAY, my account was suspended. I find this to be a text book case of David and Goliath, similar to when “mom and pop” stores have to compete with the power sellers of the retail world such as Wal-Mart, Target, etc. I quickly gave her all of her money back. I made sure Paypal and eBay knew this, yet my account was still suspended, even though I had some GREAT auctions going [I recently acquired two Xbox 360’s and several rare video games] and was even buying a few items, as well as planning to pay my seller fees. The buyer ACCUSES ME OF STEALING, to the point of wishing I be banned/suspended and yet does not close her dispute or withdraw her complaint, even though I quickly gave a refund. This is not the last of this story though: because I need the money, not only to pay fees, refund another buyer, and travel, I have been calling people and writing eBay/Paypal in order to get my business running again. I decided to call her today since she denied my appeal, even after her refund. This is what she told me, over the phone:
“I’m not going to remove my dispute because you either learn to do it right or you don’t do it at all”
“I’m not going to help you because I believe you are not an honest person”
“You kept my money, you stole my money”
I stated that I sent a prompt refund, suggested that perhaps I could send her more money, or even the camera. I also stated that I followed eBay policy, provided a refund without complaint, and remarked that a thief is not one who gives a refund without contest but one who runs away with the money. And what did she do? She hung up on me. I tried to call back thinking she might have been cut off, but no, as soon as the phone rang, she picked it up and slammed it down several times to cut me off. Of course, I can’t leave her negative feedback, she’d reply to it and all her little 40 year old friends would believe her. Even though she has no idea what it means to sell software, gaming products, consoles, electronics, etc. I have more than 90 individual positive feedbacks, lots of them on items worth several hundred dollars, on cell phones, on consoles, on DVD players, on other electronics, on rare video games. I even refunded her without complaint, but she still ran over me, won’t remove her dispute/claim, won’t remove her feedback, treated me like a piece of trash over the phone, and yet there’s nothing I can do to let people know that she’s a big example of the saying, “100% feedback DOES NOT EQUAL 100% class”.
This brings me to a greater concern, that even if I try my hardest to sell good products, to ship them quickly, people always find a way to bring me down. It’s true that I am in the minority. There aren’t many teenage girls selling video games or electronics on eBay. And I honestly doubt there are many long time sellers in my age group. I believe the way eBay is currently set up; members such as me are pushed to the side and have no power whatsoever. In a system which values feedback over truth, people like me are unable to show people the truth. People look at my rating percentage and they don’t bid as high, they don’t care about the product, they look at me like scum, completely ignoring that as we speak there’s people playing my video games, using my cell phones, watching my DVD’s, enjoying my electronics. And I know there is proof, that some of eBay’s BEST SELLERS are not sellers with 100% feedback, they’re people like me [even if they’re on a much larger scale. For example, take monoprice.com: they have been on eBay since the year 2000 and are one of the BEST providers of electronics and related items online. I have bought several products from them and in electronics/gaming/media circles on the Internet, the quality of their products and service is well known. But take a look at something: over the past month they have had 63 negative feedback, 60 neutral feedback, and they are still alive and well, not suspended or banned. Yet I am suspended because of false, baseless claims by people such as the man from the Dominican Republic or the woman from North Carolina. They have been around since 2000; they’ve made thousands of sales, and are certified power sellers. Tell me this, what are the chances in 5 years I might be like monoprice.com, or other power sellers? Quite high! If I averaged 100 transactions per year, in six years I would be at well over 600 sales, if I was able to continue eBaying without the hassle of reinstating my account, losing money to baseless claims, and my feedback accurately represented my business: perhaps I could raise profits, buy more inventory, sell more products, and work my way up on the eBay chain. Yet people like, and I’ll say her name this time, Jane Markert, who truly have no future on eBay other than buying beads and sewing patterns, can trample over a young girl who truly has a promising future on eBay?
As for the true point of this letter, I have a simple request. I ask that eBay look at the records of the refunds I have provided in response to all valid claims and remove them from my record so that I have a chance at becoming a better seller and showing people what Sara Usagi is really about. I ask that eBay consider removing the related negative feedbacks, or at least turn them into neutrals so that they do not affect my percentage. I also ask that eBay consider creating a plan for young sellers, perhaps allowing them additional protection from dishonest people who use their 100% feedback or seniority to hurt others. A good addition would be eBay university courses or online tutorials specifically for teenagers [18 and up] and young adults, especially college students who don’t have much time to work but certainly can fit eBay into their schedule as a means of making living in this fast paced life easier. I love eBay. I’ve bought many items, made a lot of money, and had a very good time. However, people like Ticio Vargas [Dominican Republic] and Jane Markert [North Carolina] make eBaying a very hard experience for me. If you look at my feedback, you will realize I provide refunds without complaint, that many of the negatives left have no basis for their existence, and that the plain truth is that I am a good seller with a good heart.
I will also add that eBay has many other problems it should tend to instead of pushing around the little guy. Such as the sale of illicit items, including bootleg DVD’s and steroids, or the sale of pictures of items or cheese puffs for hundreds, even thousands of dollars, or perhaps the rampant plague of Hong Kong based sellers who charge astronomical shipping rates but sell items at such a loss they make it impossible for United States based sellers to compete. Anyways, thank you for your time. I hope to be selling and buying again, very soon, and hope that perhaps my concerns and thoughts will find themselves making a change in the eBay community. Thank you, once again.
Sincerely,
Sara Usagi
Links to referenced cases
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http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8257750031
Playstation 2 transaction, also
03041560000325195815 [PS2 console delivery confirmation]
03041560000325221903 [reshipment of PS2 free gifts]
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7589570363
Jane Markert camera transaction
Refund (ID #7EC98361DT204621U)
In reference to:59578315A3625372B
Paypal refund for same transaction
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5856797327
Minidisc player auction
eBay Payment Sent (ID # 3VG12425CK174631W)
http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA...com&items=25&page=3&frompage=-1&iid=-1&de=off
Monoprice.com feedback profile
http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=sarausagi
Link to my own feedback profile
I believe everything else eBay can access by itself, thank you for reading this letter.
ed me over yet again as a seller. I know nobody's going to read it, and it won't accomplish anything, but damn it felt good.
