Ebid not like some other selling platforms!

[billsstamps]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66201042 will scare you about using another selling platform

[Mandart]

Yes I saw that, I had some trouble some years back with Etsy and became very wary of them then. Sadly, this doesn't surprise me at all....

[BigKidsAttic]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66201042 will scare you about using another selling platform

Hmmmm, sounds like they are withholding funds so as to make a few extra pounds/dollars off of the interest that would acumulate from those funds.

[pastime]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66201042 will scare you about using another selling platform

Quite right, Bill - they are falling apart in every direction (latest development in to move all description to the bottom of the page, after reviews, after photos, leaving a large blank space until you scroll down to the bottom of the page) All sellers are incensed at the loss of sales due to lack of information plus items being returned because the buyer didn't see the listing info.
It just doesn't stop - I'm gradually transferring item from there to here in the hope that more sellers will also make the move and boost eBid's recognition.

[Policequilts]

I have been reading about this, too.
It's outrageous that they are holding 75% of the funds.

Here's a link to Etsy and the posting about this.
https://community.etsy.com/t5/All-Th...906448#M324040

Also read this article:
https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/29/2...aud-protection

[JanetB]

​wow

[theElench]

Yes I saw that, I had some trouble some years back with Etsy and became very wary of them then. Sadly, this doesn't surprise me at all....

I became wary the first time I looked at them while thinking about starting to sell on a second site. Obay had just introduced FVF on P&P and I'd just sold an item for £10 + P&P. Easy enough to work out exactly how much I would pay in fees on obay, but not on esty. I checked their boards and it wasn't just me. Loads of threads asking "why have I paid this much"..."How much will I pay to sell...". Put me right off, thinking if their fee structure was that opaque, they must be up to no good.

This latest move doesn't surprise me either. I've always thought of them as an obay mk.2. Where they've learnt the lessons from obay's mistakes, avoided them and are fleecing their sellers even more efficiently than obay does.

But I wonder if this time the giant sites' ever increasing greed will come back and bite not just esty but all of them. This latest cash grab has aroused some media interest and comment, inevitably comparisons will be made between their use of payment holds and use by the other two and even paypal could be looked at.

A wholesale review of the financial 'services' provided by the on-line giants, the lack of choice, competition, any appeal procedure and even finding out why money is being held in some cases, could all do with scrutiny IMO.

[BordersBargains]

Its desperation due to them losing revenue, they tried to make more with the hidden fee's on external advertising which they 'Forgot' to tell sellers they could turn off and this move was in place last year

Both Etsy and eBay are not actually doing well and both have implemented stupid moves like this but they keep their revenue numbers even by increasing fee's, stock buy backs and their vile Advertising scams but between them both eBay is in a very bad stage especially being 8%+ down this year on GMV. Etsy won't take long to drop its numbers also if they keep making stupid moves like this.

Greed eventually comes back to bite you and both sites are suffering because of it

The only sad thing is I doubt this sites owners will make a move to take advantage of this news

[theElench]

I agree, I stopped looking at esty when they decided to break-up the search results with strips of (presumably) sponsored listings for something totally different. I remember thinking while searching for Art Deco glass items, "If I wanted to see rows of diamond rings, I'd have written 'diamond rings' in the search box". Ebay has gone one better and now puts strips of "similar" items across my ads. So the double act continues.

I'm certain that some time ago, ebay slipped into one of its Seller Updates that "in some circumstances" ebay gave itself the power to hold Reserves of sales proceeds and IMO it's increasing use of Payment Holds is just softening up sellers for its introduction as a regular feature.

Apart from headlines like here, I don't know how esty's financials are doing, but obays (just released) 2nd quarter numbers are, as usual these days, all down. Except for PL - up 47% - Y on Y, which enabled them to show Revenue up 5%. All of which only shows that they're taking more fees from fewer sales.

My sales there are now so few and far between that I've (reluctantly) started using the same tactics that I adopted on ebid, when my sales were only 1 or 2 a year and have allowed my listing numbers to grow each month (something I'm sure to regret when inevitably some glitch means I'll have to edit every listing one at a time, using their God-awful listing form.

So far, after 3 months, it hasn't made any difference at all. Sales still stuck on 6 for this year, ebid now 15, as I start my quiet time during the holiday period. I'm concerned that despite listing and regular, but less and less frequent, sales for the past 10 years, there will soon be so long between sales that I'll be included as a "Returning or Infrequent Seller" and subject to Payment Holds. (What a sick joke that is!!)

Regardless of what The Management here does or doesn't do to take advantage of the news, I'm still putting my faith in GS (as it's the only source of buyers I can see apart from random browsers coming to ebid). I'm now pretty sure that to get mine and ebids name on the "Sites" sidebar is down to being the seller with most listings on ebid combined in some way with activity on GS.

ATM I'm wondering why GS.uk refuses to show me any of my "Walther & Sohne" items. I've tried '&', 'and' and 'walther sohne' but it tells me there are no matching returns. Not true as I've 20+ items listed on ebid, a few more on obay and if I search for "German Art Deco Glass" it will show me a few ads. with Walther in the title. Walther items are good sellers, being very collectable, if GS is returning zero results to everyone searching for their stuff, I'm losing out.

Any ideas??

[yellerbelly]

Hi Elench I cannot even find my own listings on Google shopping so gave up, more pressing things to do, I will just have to sit back and hope I gat a sale here and there. Must go now as washing to hang out and some gardening to do while the sun is shining, not to mention showing prospective buyers around. Hope every ones sales improve. Must go now only popped in while multi tasking, having brekkie and coffee.