eBay boss: 'not offering PayPal is like buying heroin'

News Type: Event — Seeded on Sat May 10, 2008 7:48 AM EDT

Article Source: apcmag.com

technology, australia, au-news, protest, ebay, stupidity, ignorance, dissent, victoria, auctions

eBay's Australian management held a public meeting for sellers in Melbourne tonight to justify its plans to make PayPal compulsory. Things got nasty. Very nasty.

It took only took four minutes before the booing and hissing began, and not much longer before eBay vice president Simon Smith was comparing people who didn't want to use PayPal to drug addicts. APC was there to give you a blow-by-blow account and pictures from the meeting that saw million-dollar sellers, specialist cake-tin vendors and proud pornography users united in their opposition to eBay's plans.

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Regions: Melbourne

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5.1

{"commentId":1788206,"authorDomain":"feorag"}

Feorag NicBhride

Smith has made himself look a right twat there.

{"commentId":1788206,"threadId":"262762","contentId":"1480014","authorDomain":"feorag"}

3 votes

#1 - Sun May 11, 2008 9:27 AM EDT

{"commentId":1788308,"authorDomain":"seward"}

Sandie Seward

Although I have had no problems with PayPal, I think that all buyers need to be given the option as to how they choose to pay for the goods.

{"commentId":1788308,"threadId":"262762","contentId":"1480014","authorDomain":"seward"}

1 vote

#2 - Sun May 11, 2008 10:36 AM EDT

{"commentId":1789994,"authorDomain":"legacyexchangecollectablesllc"}

lecllc1157

eBay is out to dominate any competitor they perceive as a threat to their way of thinking, even if that domination might break the law. eBay retains 24/7 legal council to deal with of any problems down the road.

The following was taken from a forum on eBay, and spelling errors were corrected:

For people who are new to the eBay boycott being supported internationally:

As per eBay's new "restructuring" policies and changes, if you want to sell on eBay, you must allow eBay to:

1. Steal your right to leave honest feedback

2. Force an unfair DSR system.

a) Punishing you for favorable ratings between "Good Transaction" & Excellent Transaction"

3. Hide your listings in "Best Matches", but not tell you how placings are calculated.

4. Force you to accept PayPal.

5. Put "WARNING" signs on your listings for not offering PayPal.

6. To refund YOUR money (via PayPal) to a customer at PayPal 's sole discretion.

7. Withhold your funds for 21+ days, via PayPal.

8. Hide your bidders' IDs.

9. Pad their listing numbers.

10. Lie to the media.

11. Give bad customers coupons, so they will continue to abuse sellers.

12. Increase your FVF by 67%, at their whim.

13. Withhold performance discounts from you.

14. Throw away your feedback percentages, except for the last 12 months.

15. Remove your auctions and not notify you why.

16. Censor your opinions and ban you for those opinions.

17. Red flag your auctions and put others listings on them.

18. Ruin their own reputation by protecting scammers.

19. Make you pay for their mistakes.

Boycott eBay, and the monopoly they've created!

UNITED WE STAND - DIVIDE WE FALL!

The International Boycott IS ALIVE & WELL!

Join the N.O.I.S.E. & Boycott Feebay / Rapepal.

Boycott May 1st and beyond.

JUSY SAY NO TO EBAY! BOYCOTT IN YOUR OWN WAY!!!!

If you are boycotting eBay, please add your name to the map at:

{"commentId":1789994,"threadId":"262762","contentId":"1480014","authorDomain":"legacyexchangecollectablesllc"}

2 votes

#3 - Sun May 11, 2008 11:46 PM EDT

{"commentId":1790296,"authorDomain":"redwolf"}

Red Wolf

Hide your bidders' IDs.

I didn't realise that worked both ways. As a buyer, it has it's favourable points in that it has stopped fake second chance emails when buying certain items. But it also means I have no idea if the seller is shill bidding on his own auction and I'd like to know if I'm bidding against a hard core collector or a shop.

I see no reason to hide this information from a seller. One particular seller I was dealing with had a complete arsehole winning all his auctions, refusing to pay and leaving nasty feedback. The seller should have the ability to spot that behaviour and block it immediately, not after the fact.

{"commentId":1790296,"threadId":"262762","contentId":"1480014","authorDomain":"redwolf"}

3 votes

#3.1 - Mon May 12, 2008 3:52 AM EDT

{"commentId":1790276,"authorDomain":"seward"}

Sandie Seward

Hide your bidders' IDs.

This rule has really annoyed me. I liked to see who I was bidding against. Although you did not know them, it somehow seemed to make the bidders "real people".

This one thing has annoyed me more than anything else.

{"commentId":1790276,"threadId":"262762","contentId":"1480014","authorDomain":"seward"}

4 votes

#4 - Mon May 12, 2008 3:21 AM EDT

{"canLink":false,"threadId":"262762","isPrivate":false}

EBay's PayPal rule in Australia draws fire	Associated Press	Fri May 9	0
EBay to Australia: Buy with PayPal only -	USA Today	Sat May 10	1
Watchdog awaits eBay's response over PayPal deal	zdnet.com.au	Mon May 12	0
EBay's PayPal rule in Australia draws fire	The New York Times	Fri May 9	3

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eBay boss: 'not offering PayPal is like buying heroin'

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