Ebay recently made several changes that make it difficult on sellers:
1) Significantly Increased final value fees, especially for Ebay stores. They eliminated some listing fees but they were insignificant anyway. IF you sell out of an eBay store and accept Paypal you can pay up to 13% in fees! And you do all the work!
2) Revamped feedback. Sellers can now only leave positive or no feedback. Buyers can leave any feedback, positive, neutral or negative. Also % positive feedback is on a rolling 1 year basis.
Sellers do have difficulties navigating the system when there is a problem. eBay won't remove retaliatory feedback. Getting Paypal to help with charge backs is difficult. I think it is weird that when you go to say, Sears and buy something with a charge card if your card is scanned and accepted Sears can be pretty sure they have the money. Not so with Paypal. There have a myriad of rules to follow to assure you get payment. Like ship to a confirmed address and having proof of delivery. Then they don't really help much if a charge back occurs. I fought with them for months once over a charge back. Finally a supervisor just credited my account from Paypal funds.
eBay was losing income when deals were commenced outside the eBay system. To combat this communication outside the eBay message system is difficult. Visibility of eBay bidders on completed auctions was eliminated as sellers would contact 2nd place bidders offering the same item on a deal outside eBay. Masking who is bidding does help hide shill bidding.
Also some tidbits from eBay's past. Did you know that at one time it was allowed in eBay rules to bid once on your own item? Also at one time you could give any eBay user feedback even if you were not involved in their auction! I once bid on my own item back around 1996 and a fellow who wasn't even involved with my listing noticed it and gave me a negative feedback. I enlightened him on the rule and he then gave me a positive recanting his earlier comment! This is still part of my feedback in 2008!
Ken Drescher Greenville, SC USA
**************Biggest Grammy Award surprises of all time on AOL Music. (http://music.aol.com/grammys/pictures/never-won-a-grammy?NCID=aolcmp003000000025 48)