eBay ugh. How did they turn everyone paranoid?

[KurtNYC]

Suddenly my buyers are regularly requesting tracking numbers. This wouldn't be remarkable except that 1) they never have before, 2) they bought the item yesterday, 3)I have about 800 solid feedbacks and no negs, and 4) these are $10 items shipped as cheaply as possible with no real tracking number.

I sell 3 or 4 items a day and it just ain't worth the few pennies I net to jump through eBay's ever increasing number of hoops. eBay now sends Sellers warnings about getting your item ready to ship and reminds you "you promised to ship within one business day". They now charge their fees on your shipping costs also and practically demand that you use their wonky system to print shipping labels and pay the USPS through them. Half the "fun" of eBay was being your own boss but they have decided to micromanage the masses with their spam-like email system.

I prefer to take my stuff to the window at the post office these days to support my local postal workers and keep their numbers up. eBay stands to lose big if the post office is shut down (due to not funding their retirement accounts 78 years in advance).

[pipi_k]

1. I don't know about the rest

of it, but I think I might know what (part of) the problem is with #1...requesting tracking numbers.

I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon. Because we have Amazon Prime, shipping on a lot of items is free.

Plus it's possible to get tracking information, either on the computer, or via cell phone text messages.

I can even tell when my item has been dropped off at a neighbor's business in town (because the UPS guy won't come down my hill in the winter time and said neighbor passes my house on her way home each day).

So...people get spoiled.

As for the rest, I don't know...haven't sold anything on eBay in a long time. If they are indeed trying to micromanage, then they probably will suffer in the long run.

[onehandle]

2. I haven't used eBay in three years to buy or sell.

Even then, the complexity and traps were extremely bothersome.

A few months ago I was looking for a certain item and it came up in a web search on eBay. I looked at the listing, figured out where the seller had an independent web site, and ordered directly from them.

It was worth the extra clicks to avoid eBay.

[Baitball Blogger]

3. I don't know how rampant it is, but there was a report of people getting things stolen that were

delivered to their doors.

It is probably an effect of the tough times.

[KurtNYC]

4. hadn't heard about that but it makes sense.

My packages generally fit in the mailboxes.

[pipi_k]

5. another problem...

which maybe a majority of people don't experience, but we've been dealing with it here for about the past 7 years or so...

Our mail lady is a bit of a twit.

She constantly mis-delivers mail. It's not like we have a whole lot of people in this town or houses to deliver to. Especially on my road.

I've gotten mail for neighbors a mile or more away. Some of them no doubt have gotten my mail. Packages, as well.

The first ten years or so, there was another mail lady who didn't do that. Or if she did, it was so rare I can't remember. We could tell when she went on vacation because the one who covered for her is the one who took over after she retired.

It's a good thing the neighbors are mostly honest around here.