Quick but important announcement about eBay for members and any guests. I just got off the phone with Ebay after receiving a warning about off site sales. The reason I called, and why I am making this post; ebay is taking any potential off site sales seriously. Potential, not confirmed.
I had a guy message me about a card, negotiated out a price I would accept, he then asked to do it privately and sent his email. I literally responded “sorry I’d have to do it via eBay”. This was flagged. More specifically, the ebay representative, who couldn’t have been anymore pleasant, explained this is now a strict policy. With their new fee increase comes new harsher rules, rejoice!
If you sell anything on ebay, and someone messages you on ebay about selling privately, type up the most PC response you can muster. I thought about making my ebay signature, “all sales must be completed via ebay”.
However, if someone messages you here, social media, or anywhere off site, that is fine.
I just received this warning as well. I didn’t even respond to the individual* at all through ebay though, and I have also told several buyers I “don’t do sales outside of ebay”.
If you have any issues contact their corperate offices. Ebay representatives at the 1(866) number have a very limited ability to help.
(408) 376-4700
2025 Hamilton Ave, San Jose, CA 95125
I have gotten warnings on both my seller and buyer accounts in the past month or two. I got both of them simply when the other party offered a price through invoice directly and I didn’t even try to pursue it. I used to tell people to find me on e4 and we could talk, but I don’t even do that now. Too risky. I definitely agree that you need to be very direct and dismissive when anyone brings it up.
It is so frustrating as I have never been one to have issue with eBay’s fee structure. I sell a ton on there and don’t have issues paying my monthly 4 figure eBay bill as I know I couldn’t command the volume nor the pricing anywhere else, but people are jeopardizing my account trying to save a buck or two. I have sold tons of different things, coins, breweriana, video games and Pokemon is by and large the highest portion of people trying to avoid eBay’s fees to save a buck. Honestly it has been literally hundreds of times with Pokemon and maybe 5 times overall with all of my other types of item combined.
@gottaketchumall I feel the same way. I always touted ebays fees for what you get, but these recent changes are a bit overkill. Especially since there are much larger fish to fry: countless scam listings, shill bidding, spam listings. Yet this off ebay warning can potentially lead to a 7-30 day ban.
I had a conversation with a top poke seller last week who said they are reporting poke sellers for all kinds of stuff. He said he has some grudges and is only getting even.
Follow the rules to be safe if you depend on this to pay bills. At least for a while.
What’s the new fee increase?
I agree Scott putting a ton of manpower and resources into this while there are still tons of annoying as hell lucky dip shiny charizard listings. Smh
I have never been troubled by their stance on off eBay transactions when you take just that alone. I mean who can blame them. It is blatant theft of services, and people act like its no big deal since they see eBay as the big evil empire. They provide us all one helluva service, and I can’t imagine Pokemon nor other collectible markets would be a fraction of what they are without them. Not even just for old product, but the newer stuff as well.
What really grinds my gears is their measly effort put into stopping sales of fake items from all the Chinese sellers and the US “businessmen” who think buying bulk cards of alibaba and flipping them is honest money. It is a shame that they turn the other cheek to an extent since it lines their wallets.
Curious as to what the new fee structure is like, I haven’t been selling in eBay for about a year. I remember it being 10% plus PayPal, which I think is a lot more than before the two companies parted ways. Anyway, I’m certainly guilty of trying to buy through Facebook for eBay listings, just yesterday there was an auction, and it was a reputable Virbank seller, and I would have to pay 9% CA tax too, but I knew it was his eBay, and only contacted him on Facebook about finishing the transaction there, to save ~20% …
Anyway I’m a low volume seller, so what are the new fees? Seems like PWCC might have some appeal with their rates
Store Fees TodayChange overview starting on May 1st, small increase for stores (+0.15% mostly across the board) and no change for non store subscribers.
I got this message just like a hour ago on eBay (on my PSA10 Dragonite EX FA from Evolutions)
“I offer you €30 and can we meet up to handle this? I live nearby and I want to buy more of your eBay listings”
He’s free to make offer, I got best offer option available. But this is a direct message. I should just get back to him and tell him to do an eBay bid and ignore rest right?
Zero discussion was done about any sort of outside sales. We exchanged maybe 3 messages each.
Ebay’s reasoning was because the buyer asked me “Do you have an IG?”
My only response was “PokemonGymFreak”, nothing else lol. Didn’t use any slang, or terminology, or even slightly hint at the idea of trying to go outside of Ebay. Should I call to try and figure things out?
Edit: Actually the last message from the buyer was " I could do $650, do you have IG?", Guess that sorta screws me over
Had the same thing happen to me. I mentioned that I wouldn’t sell outside of ebay but at the end of the email said you can find me on IG. They hit me for that one, I didn’t try to fight it. In the end they lost out on me making sales and buying things during that week. Kind of a double edged sword they are swinging around with the new crackdown.
Any offer I receive in an ebay message, I always respond with “feel free to make that offer”. If they say “IG, facbeook, myspace, xanga”, I tell them it needs to be done via ebay. I think talking to a customer service member on the phone might help your situation.
I guess this is somehow worse than people selling fake signed cards, and counterfeit illustrators.
are they surprised people are trying to do it outside ebay with the amount of fees I understand they are a business and need to pay running costs but its not viable for alot of independant sellers to use them…and the worst thing…lube is extra…they could atleast buy us dinner first
Thats the price for convenience and huge market reach
Isn’t that your IG username though? You clearly answered with an affirmative “Yes I have an instagram, it is , contact me over there.” Just in fewer words. I mean they are offering a free service that you only pay for when successful via FVF. You are using their free advertising and then taking the actual sale elsewhere costing them their commission that they earned by matching you with a buyer.
I understand they are a business and need to pay running costs but its not viable for alot of independant sellers to use them…and the worst thing…lube is extra…they could atleast buy us dinner first 