Comments on: PayPal: Two thumbs down!

By: Bob

Bob — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:20:58 +0000

Wow, that is pretty disturbing news Paul. I saw the recent change in the Terms of Service and did a quick scan but didn’t pick up on this account freezing crap. I sell very little on eBay but when I do it is often for higher prices (over $100) items. Like you, I also have a 100% positive rating and feel that should be the major criteria.

What a shame to see eBay/PayPal fall into this abyss. I used to sell lots on eBay back when they were still a growing community and we all seemed to know one another. Now, just another huge corporation that seems to have forgotten how they came to be in the first place.

I guess when I think it through I see SOME rationale for what they are doing as it CAN serve to protect buyers. But there must be a better way to do this.

If you don’t know eBay BPP (before PayPal) you must appreciate what a risk everyone took…particularly buyers. When we sold stuff, we waited for a check to arrive by snail mail. Deposited the check. Waited for it to clear. Then (and only then) we would ship the item. Sometimes this whole cycle could take a couple of weeks. PayPal, for all its issues, completely eliminated that. But now they are putting the uncertainty back in the picture. What a shame.

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:45:47 +0000

@Ove: That’s pretty funny! My interest in receiving the M6 has certainly eclipsed my PayPal woes; however, they are certainly tied together. One finances the other.

By: Ove

Ove — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 06:26:03 +0000

Oh, yeah, an M6!!!!! Screw PP, who’s interested in this when there are much more interesting stuff to speak about. Let’s hope you get it tomorrow. Wow!

(Seriously, it was good to learn about this with PP).

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:31:14 +0000

@Markus: Unfortunately, that’s all you’ll get from PP is a standard ‘sorry for the inconvenience, but …’ e-mail!

@Chris: M6 TTL 0.85 – I’m about as excited as a kid on Christmas Eve! As for the lens, a 50 mm, but I don’t remember what type (Shame on me!). I’ll get back to you with that detail.

By: Anita Jesse

Anita Jesse — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:27:18 +0000

Let’s hear it for competition! It sound as though in the near future folks may be saying, “Remember eBay?”

By: Chris Klug

Chris Klug — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:16:31 +0000

Paul, so what did you get? M6 TTL? M7? What lens do you have? I’m all excited. I captured some images with my Bessa and Biogon over the weekend. I was thinking of you.

By: Markus Spring

Markus Spring — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:10:25 +0000

Similar negative experience with paypal here – they held my money for over a week instead of paying it to the receiver. When complaining, I only got standard messages. Definitely not recommended, spoils ebay usability quite a lot.

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:58:19 +0000

@Anita: eBay used to be a great vehicle for selling, but they’ve gotten to big and ‘powerful’ and the exodus has started. In a way, it’s good for other businesses. Before, it was hard to compete with eBay, now with so many people becoming disgruntled with their policies, other start-ups are taking off.

Bonanzle, where I’m selling my items, has grown tremendously in the last year to the point where they are getting more than 500,000 visitors per month. Mind you, this is probably not close to what eBay gets in a day, but it’s a start! And, most of the people who are selling there are there because they wanted to escape from eBay, or fleabay, as it is called!

I don’t mind sharing. No need for all of us to step in the steaming heap! LOL!

By: Anita Jesse

Anita Jesse — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:52:35 +0000

Another of your instructive posts. I admit that I am one of the rare sticks-in-the-mud that has never sold anything on eBay. Now, I am convinced that I probably never will.

Please keep us posted on the resolution of this. Gracious, we don’t want you selling blood to pay for your new toy!

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:48:37 +0000

@Rob: Well, when you do sell, you’ll be waiting a little while for you $$$ if it’s over $100! You could remove the listing and put it on Craig’s List or somewhere else. Other than that, you’re stuck, Chuck!