Have i been buying from a different eBay?
No you're right, there are bad sellers too. I've been using eBay regularly since 2004-ish and I noticed that in the past, the sellers used to be the ones abusing the system more ... not leaving feedback for buyers until the buyer had left them a positive feedback, or otherwise blackmailing buyers to leave positives or else they would also leave a negative for an innocent buyer. I wish those sellers hadn't abused the system like that back then because then eBay wouldn't have reacted by making it impossible for sellers to ever leave a negative for a buyer if they ever have a bad one. People went too far and to rein the sellers in, they made it completely a buyer's market. I'm a big buyer of my art materials on eBay as well as a seller so I can see both sides of the equation. As a buyer I feel completely in control, nobody can ever leave me a negative no matter what I do... as a seller though, I feel oppressed. I can't even type certain words on my listings or eBay says my listing will be blocked. (I've had a spate of non payers lately, I always give them plenty of time to communicate if they have problems, and if they do I always accommodate to help them out because I'd rather have a sale than a non-sale... but now I can't even type things like "non-paying/non-communicating bidders will not be able to rebid on my items" because eBay blocks those words. All I can write is "serious bidders welcome" or something, or eBay sends me a warning message that I'm "ruining the buyer experience if I use certain language". Honestly, it's not rude or intimidating language, it's just trying to discourage problems that eBay themselves have helped to cause. -____-). Is it really unacceptable that a seller can't make it clear that people who fool about aren't welcome? Shops IRL have signs like that in them, and in a real shop you wouldn't go in, walk out with something and expect to pay for it a week later, or never, but eBay doesn't care. It only cares about making money for itself, not looking after the people who make *it* money.
I had a problem with a seller back in Nov-Dec. I couldn't get any response from the seller, she totally denied that she got the payment one minute, then the next she had it... then after xmas, she claimed she didn't receive it... it was really stress-worthy. She sent the item in the end, but it was the wrong one.
I don't think I've ever had anyone that awkward sell to me on there... but then I am *very* selective about who I buy from. I always check their feedback, and see whether the responses on their items seem realistic for what they're selling. (I almost never buy expensive electrical goods on eBay or expensive collector's items, it's too risky.) It's getting harder to tell though, because buyers can now leave negatives very easily, there's fantastic sellers getting left negatives for reasons that don't seem worth it. I got one myself the other day (first negative ever, in eight years) from a lady who thought the post stamp didn't match the P&P cost. (I explained politely to her that it also covers the cost of the cardboard envelopes as well, plus the inner polythene envelopes, and my fuel to the Bude Post Office... she had the option to retract the negative but I never heard a thing from her either before or after. If she was unhappy, she could have contacted me first to discuss it instead of just banging a negative on me). I think the worst seller I ever had I didn't leave a negative for because I didn't really have the heart to, she didn't speak English well and she let me keep the item that she sent that was wrong, so... I guess it didn't really matter. I've never left a negative ever, I don't think... even when the experience wasn't that great.
I send my payment off the next day, 1st class, proof of posting, take photos of it (the whole hog). And yet you still get the odd seller that is a pain... I'd use paypal, but i don't get how it works... (how you send payment.) Plus i'm pretty sure there's a charge for using it.(I'd especially love paypal to bid on one of your items Lexy that you had a couple of weeks ago.)
If I were you, I'd give Paypal a shot (I'll explain it to you if you like, it's quite an easy process). I used to send cheques and postal orders myself until Paypal became a compulsory option for sellers to offer (this was because eBay was having trouble getting their fees from sellers via cheque and postal order, but with Paypal being mandatory, the fees are taken from sellers automatically). Turns out it's much easier, as the seller can't argue ever that they never got the payment because you get a receipt right then and there for your payment the moment it goes through, and eBay records it as well. No chance anyone could dispute your payment then. There is a charge for using it - but it's only ever the seller, the person who is receiving the money who gets charged. Buyers pay no fees. The only time you might have to pay Paypal something as a buyer is when you set up an account for the first time, when to verify your bank account is really yours they take like, two small random amounts of money like 12p or something from it so that you can verify the amounts taken and the transaction code next to it on your statment with Paypal and prove you are the owner of that bank account, which gets refunded anyway. And that's it. It helps if you can access your bank account online to do that or else you have to wait till you get a monthly paper statment to see the two amounts. If you don't have internet banking you should definitely get it anyways by calling up your bank and having them set it up - I dunno where I'd be if I couldn't check my account online anytime.
Also, I didn't think it was possible to close your account if you were in a middle of a transaction?
You mean the seller did...? I have seen sellers up and go without finishing transactions once or twice - or I have seen their accounts shut down by eBay UK for selling prohibited items like swords. Probably in the middle of their sales. I do know that eBay introduced this policy where if someone gets enough bad feedback they lose their shop on there, or something. So I assume those sellers just shut up shop and try to start again with new accounts. eBay is a tricky place to get to know, there are bad sellers and bad buyers, and good ones, but it's getting harder and harder to be a small-time seller on eBay because it's so expensive, and intimidating.
This hasn't happened to me yet, but I do know fellow artists selling on there who have had some buyers (thankfully only one off cases) buy an item, and then refuse to pay unless the seller lowers the shipping price, which was a fair price. Things like that where the buyer is threatening the seller unfairly with the buyer's power to leave negatives. If they didn't like the shipping price why bid in the first place? Because, I guess, some buyers have cottoned on to the fact eBay makes them untouchable and some sellers give in for fear of getting negatives. When you make your living from eBay like me, you kind of live in fear of this all the time.
