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ebay
ebay
How I Lost $470 To A Vindictive, Abusive, Extortionist eBay Buyer
By Laura Northrup on February 9, 2012 8:00 AM
189 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
110 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 »
Senators Introduce Bill To Compel Amazon & Others To Collect Sales Tax
By Chris Morran on November 9, 2011 12:30 PM
213 Comments
As has been discussed here on numerous occasions, even though Amazon.com didn't charge you sales tax on that laptop you purchased, you still may owe it (though very few people ever pay). Thus, once again, a bipartisan group of Senators in D.C. have introduced legislation that would require online retailers to collect sales tax. More »
(Clemson)
Paypal Links Account Missing $2,000 To Yours, Demands You Pay
By Ben Popken on November 3, 2011 3:00 PM
65 Comments
Reader Ben awoke to a rude discovery. Somehow another account had been linked to his Paypal account, and the new account was $2,000 in the red. Paypal was knocking on Ben's door, telling him to pay up, or else. They locked up his account and froze his cash. When he protested, they treated him like a criminal. More »
Manufacturers Trying To Stop Sale Of Coupons On eBay
By Chris Morran on October 21, 2011 2:15 PM
84 Comments
If you go to eBay, there are plenty of coupon clippers out there willing to sell you hundreds of already-clipped coupons for only a few bucks. But according to a group representing dozens of the country's biggest food, pharmaceutical, tobacco and toy makers, it's a practice that eBay needs to put an end to. More »
$35 Missoni For Target Boots Listed On eBay For $31,000. Seller Thinks Someone Will Pay
By Chris Morran on September 23, 2011 1:15 PM
102 Comments
The hype surrounding the whole Missoni for Target phenomenon continues. First, the online demand was apparently so huge that it temporarily crashed Target's website (though some of us are not 100% convinced the "crash" wasn't a deliberate — and effective — PR stunt). Then after all but the tattered scraps had sold out, folks who missed the boat began hunting the items down at marked-up prices on eBay. Now comes a woman who thinks she will be able to pay for her child's college with her small stockpile of Missoni for Target items, including the pair of boots she's listed for $31,000. More »
Nike Auctions Back To The Future Air Mag Shoes
By Ben Popken on September 9, 2011 12:00 PM
31 Comments
After years of rumors, Nike is finally selling a run of Back to The Future shoes. These Nike Air Mags are like the ones that Marty McFly put on in the movie and they laced themselves up. The shoes are going for a few thousand on eBay and all the proceeds benefit Parkinson's research. Sadly, all they do is light up and look cool, they're not self-tying. Which is why this guy, who has a working prototype of a self-lacing shoe, should have gotten a production run instead. More »
(Ninja M.)
25 CEOs Who Made More Than Their Companies Paid In Income Taxes
By Chris Morran on August 31, 2011 2:00 PM
106 Comments
The Institute for Policy Studies has just released its 18th annual review of U.S. executive compensation and found that 25 out of the country's 100 highest-paid chief executives actually earned more in 2010 than their companies paid out in corporate income taxes. More »
(erikg)
eBay Asks New Seller To Shell Out For Shipping
By Laura Northrup on August 31, 2011 9:00 AM
81 Comments
Jamali is a longtime eBay seller, but his wife isn't. So he was shocked when his wife went to sell something on her account, and was asked to pay for the shipping ($21) out of pocket while PayPal held on to the money until the transaction was over. Normal auction practice has the buyer send money to the seller, and then the seller ships the item. The buyer can file a chargeback if the item is not as described, never arrives, or if the buyer is a jerk. More »
PayPal: You Owe Us $38.41 From 2004 Because We Say So
By Laura Northrup on August 26, 2011 3:01 PM
77 Comments
Did you know that there's a seven-year time limit on PayPal chargebacks? Yeah, neither did we, and neither did Dan. He still had to fork over $38.41 owed to PayPal from an an unknown account belonging to him, even though he didn't recognize it. What? More »
(brianc)
After 10 Years Of Selling, Why I Swore Off eBay
By Ben Popken on August 12, 2011 1:00 PM
233 Comments
After having used eBay for 10 years, Daniel has vowed to never do it again. "If I have something I know I can sell on eBay," he wrote in a letter to eBay executives, "I'll give it away before listing it." Why is Daniel so steamed? More »
EBay Won't Let Me Re-List My Item After Scammer Ordeal
By Mary Beth Quirk on May 23, 2011 11:15 AM
111 Comments
All Richard wanted to do was sign up for eBay and PayPal and auction off a few things. But when he was hit by a Nigerian scammer, he says he got into a complicated ordeal with eBay as he tried to get his money back, and was then unable to re-list his item. More »
Yep, Microsoft Bought Skype For $8.5 Billion
By Meg Marco on May 10, 2011 10:25 AM
47 Comments
The rumor was true, Microsoft has purchased Skype for $8.5 billion in cash. The Wall Street Journal says the deal will allow the company to integrate Skype into everything from its Bing search engine to Windows smartphones and its Xbox 360 video game system. More »
(erikg)
Debunking The Creation Myths Behind 5 Huge Companies
By Mary Beth Quirk on March 30, 2011 1:30 PM
39 Comments
It might be shocking to you to find out that some companies have lied about their own creation, but hey, who doesn't like a good story? From eBay to YouTube, tall tales have been spun to consumers for various reasons. Let's take a walk down liars' memory lane, shall we? More »
