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ebay
ebay
Couple Faces $700 Tab For Listing Copy Of Rosetta Stone They Didn't Know Was Pirated
By Chris Morran on May 21, 2012 4:40 PM
146 Comments
A Washington state couple thought that when they found a copy of the pricey Rosetta Stone language-instruction software in their late nephew's belongings, they could sell it on eBay to help pay for his headstone. Instead, they are now being told they owe hundreds of dollars to the software company because the copy they listed is allegedly pirated. More »
Fraudulent eBay Buyer Leaves You Minus $1000 And A MacBook Pro
By Laura Northrup on May 21, 2012 9:30 AM
122 Comments
Earlier this month, Jacob sold a MacBook Pro on eBay. His buyer appeared to be in Australia, but contacted him after payment and asked to have the computer shipped to Indonesia. Since he's both a Consumerist reader and a person with a functioning brain, Jacob was wary of this change, suspecting some kind of fraud. He called up eBay to see what he should do. The customer service representative told him that he needed to mail the laptop, or it would negatively affect his seller account. So he sent it along, then heard from eBay less than 24 hours later that the buyer's account had been compromised. You don't say! Now Jacob is out both a laptop and the $1,023.74 payment. More »
Invoking eBay Buyer Protection? Don't Use Multiple Accounts
By Laura Northrup on May 10, 2012 10:30 AM
44 Comments
Maybe it wasn't such a great idea for De to purchase a diamond ring over eBay. But the site does have protections for buyers, and is notorious for siding with buyers in the case of a dispute. Just not in his case. Even though he got to deal with one of the rarest of beasts: an actual eBay employee over the phone, asking questions about the item using one eBay account and then using another to make the purchase was too much for eBay to understand. More »
(hvoltmer)
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Over eBay's Automatic Bidding System
By Chris Morran on May 9, 2012 1:30 PM
24 Comments
Back in January, we told you about the eBay seller who had filed a lawsuit alleging the auction website's automatic bidding system was preventing sellers from getting the maximum amount a bidder would have been willing to pay. But earlier this week, a judge dismissed the proposed class-action suit. More »
Where Do Smart People Sell Collectibles These Days?
By Laura Northrup on May 9, 2012 9:00 AM
102 Comments
When you have interesting collectibles in your house that you no longer have room for, what do you do with them? Reader pop top has acquired a collection of mint-condition Cabbage Patch Kids from the '80s. Okay, she won't be able to retire on them, but they must be worth at least a few bucks each. Years ago, the question of where to sell them was simple: eBay was the best and biggest marketplace for collectibles. But horror stories of frozen funds and scammy buyers now abound, and she wants to ask the Consumerist hive mind: where is the best place to unload some cuddly dolls? More »
Another Seller Swears Off eBay Forever
By Laura Northrup on May 2, 2012 11:30 AM
100 Comments
There was a time, around approximately 2001, when eBay was a global marketplace where you could easily and efficiently unload items with any market value that you wanted to get rid of. Now, it's more of a global flea market full of scams and villainy. eBay and its old accomplice, the U.S. Postal Service, worked together to make Keith's old iPhone disappear into the ether. More »
eBay Says Selling Download Codes Is Copyright Infringement
By Laura Northrup on April 18, 2012 10:30 AM
127 Comments
Stephen buys Blu-rays, but has no use for the free Ultraviolet download codes that come with the discs. So he turns around and sells them on eBay, because, hey, money! Only eBay shut down his last auction, claiming copyright infringement. Copyright infringement? In our brave new world, just because you purchased something and are holding it in your hand, that doesn't mean you can sell it. Apparently. More »
Worst Company In America Round 2: PayPal Vs. Charter
March 23, 2012 9:30 AM
30 Comments
It's the final day of competition in Round Two of Worst Company In America 2012, but there are still an awful lot of awful businesses still waiting to do battle. So let's get to it and do it, shall we? More »
Please Join Us In Welcoming Your Worst Company In America 2012 Sweet 16!
March 21, 2012 9:30 AM
61 Comments
The floor of the Worst Company In America BattleDome is stained with the blood of the vanquished. But only one company can earn the privilege of placing the WCIA Golden Poo in its trophy case, so the violence must continue. More »
EBay Dubs Booze "Incidental Contents" If You're Selling Collectible Containers
By Mary Beth Quirk on March 14, 2012 4:00 PM
35 Comments
Hello, officer! Why yes, this is a jug of moonshine, but that's not booze inside. It's "incidental contents." That's what eBay calls liquor if you're trying to sell it, but don't try auctioning off that pack of wine coolers you bought while drunk last week. There's an important disclaimer you've got to include if you're shilling booze — er, incidental contents. More »
Here It Is, Your Lineup For Worst Company In America 2012!
March 12, 2012 12:00 PM
120 Comments
Welcome to Consumerist's 7th Annual Worst Company In America tournament, where the businesses you nominated face off for a title that none of them will publicly admit to wanting — but which all of them try their hardest to earn. So it's time to fill in the brackets and start another office pool. That is, unless you work at one of the 32 companies competing in the tournament. More »
Should I Accept $10 From eBay Seller To Remove Negative Feedback?
By Chris Morran on March 8, 2012 3:15 PM
129 Comments
Consumerist reader Ed recently had a rather unpleasant experience with a merchant on eBay, so he did what many of us would do — he posted a negative review detailing his problems. But then the seller reached out to him with a proposition. More »
How I Lost $470 To A Vindictive, Abusive, Extortionist eBay Buyer
By Laura Northrup on February 9, 2012 8:00 AM
213 Comments
Justin used to sell on eBay until policy changes made it a more favorable marketplace for buyers than for sellers. But he still has his account and a good feedback rating, so he's helping a friend sell off some gold coins worth a few hundred bucks each. They're shipped UPS with signature confirmation and full insurance. The coin itself goes inside a plain envelope, placed inside a sealed cardboard UPS document mailer. This plan worked for 25 shipments, until the buyer from hell wandered into Justin's life. More »
(erikg)
Seller Sues eBay Because Bidders Don't Always Pay The Maximum
By Chris Morran on January 5, 2012 4:15 PM
112 Comments
We're sure that any number of you have set up automatic bidding on an eBay auction and ended up winning an item without getting anywhere near the maximum you'd have been willing to pay. But one seller on the auction site thinks eBay's automated bidding system is unfairly biased in favor of buyers and has filed a lawsuit. More »
Retail Websites Admit They Sort Of Encourage Drunk-Buying
By Chris Morran on December 28, 2011 12:31 PM
35 Comments
Alcohol doesn't make you do anything. But a few glasses of wine sure can quiet that voice in the back of your head that tries to tell you, "We don't actually need that Tim Tebow Fathead wall sticker," or whatever regrettable impulse buy you might be on the verge of making. And online retailers admit that those occasional after-work happy hours or the extra couple of drops of vodka in your homemade Bloody Mary that sometimes work out to their benefit. More »
PayPal Throwing Its Hat In The Online Daily Coupon Ring
By Mary Beth Quirk on December 14, 2011 11:00 AM
30 Comments
PayPal is planning its own daily deal program in the U.S., joining the already crowded online arena where Groupon and LivingSocial are currently duking it out to offer the best discount. It's all about options, these days. More »
PayPal Admits Regretsy "Donate Button" Fiasco Should Never Have Happened In The First Place
By Chris Morran on December 7, 2011 8:00 AM
50 Comments
As any regular reader of Consumerist knows, PayPal is a company that's not exactly known for admitting its many failings. But not only has it opted to release the Regretsy.com funds it had frozen because that site had used a "Donate" PayPal button without being a non-profit charity, it has also confessed that it should not have put that money on lock-down in the first place. More »
PayPal Bows To Internet Scorn, Agrees To Release Regretsy's Funds
By Chris Morran on December 6, 2011 12:56 PM
103 Comments
Anyone who has followed PayPal's not-exactly-customer-friendly behavior over the years is likely in for a shock. After previously telling the owner of Regretsy.com that all the money she collected for her Secret Santa campaign had to be refunded because she used a "Donate" button — oh, and freezing her personal PayPal account just for fun — the online payment service has done a complete 180 and now says it will release Regretsy's funds. More »
(CNNMoney)
Shoppers Buy Goods Online At Physical eBay Pop-Up Store In London
By Mary Beth Quirk on December 5, 2011 11:00 AM
11 Comments
Now that many us shop online for holiday presents, you might be feeling nostalgic for the feel of a physical store, or at least that's what eBay seemed to think when they put up a Christmas boutique pop-up store in London last week. More »
