Bad Boys

eBay, PayPal & related firms...WATCH OUT!

Posted by Don Breier - eWristwatch on December 20, 2004 at 05:05 - IP: 63.194.22.176
Email : don@ewristwatch.net

When I started and was building WatchNet in the early 90's...eBay requested links and I refused because of they were not able to control fraud even then. Every few years, I try them again and still find continual fraud. This coupled with their ineffectiveness in communicating with users provides a hotbed of deceit. High-value sellers and bidders soon learn that eBay requires much fortitude to use.
eBay is committing thousands of frauds...Federal Class Actions and lawsuits have been necessary...more are forthcoming too!

I just sent the following message to an eBay buyer requesting why I don't use eBay to sell...

You were the only real contact and buyer from my recent postings from more than a couple of hundred fraudulent buyer contacts.

There is way too much fraud on eBay...the majority on my high-value items were responded to only by crooks. The worst part is that nobody is available at eBay for contact and the form responses from eBay are generic and most of the time they don't even respond. Some of the other auctions companies have
phone numbers available and real people with real executive names with real people for almost instant contact.


I again reviewed eBay compliant postings and class action lawsuits by searching with Google and found tens of thousands of negative postings. Reading some of them should shock anyone. Information on various class actions against eBay were obtainable and PayPal was discussed too at www.nopaypal.com. eBay seems to be another example of a good idea turned into a criminal's paradise.

By allowing the fraudulent buyers...here's only one way that eBay actually benefits by allowing fraud...

eBay claims to have a policy that bidders above $15,000 need to be verified. eBay wouldn't even answer my e-mails regarding this. They collect up-front the fraudulent and unverified bidder auction fees, you must then wait a week to notify them that the buyer didn't pay, then another week to apply for a credit and then eBay claims that they'll take another week or two to process the credit for the fees erroneously collected. All of this time they are in control of collected phony high-bidder fees for their benefit at no interest. I wonder how many sellers are never credited because sellers just fail to follow up on their credits or because of eBay's unnecessary cash flow and hyperbole credit policies. Only eBay benefits from collecing
seller fees as the customers are nonexistent...this possibly is a direct policy method to retain funds and use them illegally as eBay knows that an extremely large percentage of high-value auctions (like most of them) are actually fraudulent...they're putting most of the fees in their piggy bank for a month or more and keeping whatever else! I don't know the extent of this
but it seems like another class action against them should be in the works.

eBay knows that the fees for these frauds are substantial, they collect the fees and they alone benefit from it!

On a Rolex 18k Daytona eBay test auction earlier this month, I received over a dozen bogus offers and one bogus bidder. eBay has already charged me several hundred in bogus sales fees. I notified eBay last Friday (sellers need to wait a week pursuant to eBay policy) that the bidder was not verified pursuant to eBay policy and it was a bogus buyer, this coming Friday I am allowed to file for a credit and then wait a couple of weeks or more to maybe receive eBay's credit to be issued because
of the bogus buyer. eBay on all high-value auctions should not earn or charge any fees until the buyer and seller actually notifies them of complete payment. If eBay continues to perform otherwise it will result in significant fraudulent cash flow to eBay. This coupled with everyone's knowledge about ALL high-value auctions reveals the transparent motivation of eBay!

I bought a software service a couple of years ago on eBay and used their PayPal service to pay. Never received anything, followed the endless procedures for delivery I filed a complaint with PayPal and after a couple of months was notified that my claim had been denied as the vendor claimed that I had received
internet delivery. I also filed a timely claim with my bank and when they reviewed everything they credited my card account and charged the item back to eBay. I'd suggest to you and everyone dealing with eBay or PayPal also file timely with their bank too.

BE VERY CAREFUL OUT THERE ON THE NET!

Don