Does anyone else have problems with this site? As a seller do you feel that paypal and ebay are biased in thier handling of disputes and claims? As a buyer do you think it's any easy way to make money by putting in claims for non received items?
As a seller do you ever dispair of ever getting a fair deal?

I will atempt to put into a nutshell the ways and wherefores of how this site works. By the way...my review ever hitting the airwaves of space are highly unlikely due to certain policies and restrictions on freedom of speech by you know who. Is this site based in America?

Nutshell:
(in the eyes of a buyer)
wonder what goodies I'll find today surfing around in this paradise they call ebay....dum dee dum dum...ahh here we go, found a nice little item that will do for my kid for just the sake of it. Oh good the auction closes in a couple of hours....Ye ha...I won the auction, my kid will love this hat...just have to pay for it. Yep, all I have to do is wait for the invoice...Yep paid for it, now just wait for the postman to deliver....Blimey the post is taking ages to come from New Zealand, I've waited 2 days and it still ain't arrived. This seller must be dodgy...I've paid and they ain't sent it...3 days now since I paid an I still ain't got the kids hat an they ain't replied to my e-mail...definately dodgy.
I'm gonna put in a claim for non reciept of item...yep, that's what I'm gonna do....here we go...put in claim....Oh look...it says i'll get a refund if I don't get the goods in 7 days...only 4 days left then....
7 days later...oh is that the postman?...here you go little sweet child of mine, dry your eyes, the mean postman has finally arrived with your hat from that horrible person in New Zealand...fancy making my baby cry by making her wait soooo long for her hat..........you've got mail....oh look I've got a refund for the non delivery of my item from that horrible NZ person. Serves them right for making you wait my precious. Let Paypal know I have the goods? Let the seller know I have the goods? NO WAY pal....just leave a negative feedback to let EVERYONE know this seller is dodgy...Hehe that will start the chickens panicking and sending an avalanche of problems to that horrible seller in NZ. This is fun! I can do this to loads of people on the site and get my stuff for free and no one can do a thing about it!!.....Thank you so much paypal for having such pathetic operating systems.Heheehe...I'm in the money...I'm in the money...should be called freebay not ebay.....hehehehehhee.....

Nutshell:
(in the eyes of a seller)
....Another hat sold...these are popular, but then again it is winter in Europe...Just send an invoice....2 days have passed since I sent my invoice, still I did state that they have 10 days to pay....I'm obligeing, I'm cool....
Payment has been recieved...OK...send out the hat, hope NZ post get thier act together, can be a bit slow...no, no....be fair they can be quick at times, tiz only occassionally that items are sent by boat instead of air...blame the government for.....no, no, itz not thier fault if they can't read. Go an wash your mouth out for saying such things....I'm cool.........
...oh, he's done what? he's in which hospital?....days later....you've got mail....a refund for non receipt of the hat?...but I sent it out...they must have it by now...wow! look at these threatening e-mails from this buyer....and negative feedback???...what's going on????.....another claim for non receipt of item...but I only posted it out 3 days ago...more negative feedback? but the buyer hasn't even contacted me about anything....what's going on? Oh jeez now my account has been blocked..just write a few e-mails to my customers, don't know what is going on, trying to fix problems...buyers abusive, won't listen. Now I can't add any funds to my account as paypal have blocked it. Try an electronic payment...yep, good idea...no it won't let me do that as I'm a NZ account holder...wonder if Dad will help out by sending a credit...nope that won't work as account is blocked an paypal won't lift block til I credit my account...try an electronic payment...erm...tried that but account is blocked...credit card?..nope, account is blocked. try an electronic payment...yeah right..thanks for the help..not.
...oh blimey, there's another one, a claim has been put in for non receipt of item. But I can't pay it as my account is erm..blocked.Electronic payment?..yeah yeah I know....
oh thank heveans for that! an e-mail to say sorry for putting in a claim for non receipt of item but it arrived today, 10 days after posting. what's this? customer has tried to retract claim but paypal have already issued refund 7 days after claim filed...customer can't let paypal know goods have been received as dispute closed by paypal....now what??
Customer has admitted she has item but paypal still demanding I send a refund as customer put in claim originally for non receipt. receiving item does not count for dispute retraction...what????
seller sobbing......I can't win can I?....my hands, feet and anything else flapping around has been tied well and truly.How do I possibly get my self out of this hole? Paypal and freebay have put me in a hole and put a lid on it for good measure. I can not move in any direction. All my work in getting my little bit of NZ out there to the world has been squashed. I'm not getting any constructive help from the site...they don't want to know and all my pleading and e-mails and rational thinking have fallen on deaf ears....there's no one there...the lights are on but no ones home...hello????
....a distant voice calls, you could try that squarehead thing that acts on your behalf in trying to get your money back for you, but wait!...they need your arm and your left leg first, but what about the pricipals?....'fraid my arm and left leg ain't worth the trouble pal....
...but you could try the electronic payment method...no thanks I'll stick to the withdrawal method...I can't afford the postage for the french letters.

So what is my verdict in this review?

I quite openly and honestly think that the powers that be on this site need to re-think and re-address their policies to include ALL users on these sites. It's a great place to trade and to meet people from all over the place, but the catch-nets they have in place sadly have HUGE and I mean HUGE holes in them that need to be patched up NOW and quickly. I don't know who the people are who set up the policies and how they came to have such BIG flaws in them, but the site is not user freindly when it comes to problems and how to resolve them. Oh sure, there's lots of pages dedicated to helping you around the sites and to try an get you to feel confident whilst using the site, but it's the important parts which are missing. It's like a surgeon going into theatre all suited up and coming out minus a glove.Who is taking responsability?? Pehaps the powers that be on these sites needs to loosen up the red tape a little and let someone in to really have a good shuffle around and see what can be improved on. There is always room for improvement whatever the size of the item. Perhaps not for Shakespeare, di Vinci and so forth but hey this is only a web site and itz success is down to the people who use it.

I ask this to everyone....if you have ideas or problems that still stick in your gullet, let them out and let ebay and paypal know. Itz the only way that they may possibly hear the sad cries of the people that are left inside the holes, with no hope of ever being found.

widg_et

Note: appologies for my spelling. I hope my passion is noted rather than the former.  :)