It is very apparent why eBay is miles behind all other marketplaces, not just in US but all over the world.
So as a small individual seller, I was keen on expanding to the global eBay marketplace. A few of the items I am interested in selling do not really sell well here, which is why US. I have a Paypal account already.
So when I started initially, I got the Seller Vetting message -
Attention Sellers:
In order to maintain a safe trading environment, eBay places limits on sellers and you have reached your global trading limit. To increase your ability to list more items, please click here to submit Proof of Identity, Proof of Address and Business Plan.
The acceptable Proof of Identity (POI), Proof of Address (POA) and Business Plan format can be found here: http://ebay.in/help/sell/seller_vetting.html
Once received, we will verify the documents in 2-3 business days. If documents are acceptable we will contact you to understand about your current and future business plans.
I submitted the docs, got verified and everything. With some discussion with an individual at eBay who assured me if there was any issues with my account in future, I can reach him, eventually I was able to sell again in USA.
After a few days of successful selling, when I wanted to list again, I started getting the same message again. I, again uploaded the business plan and ID and stuff. Didn't get any response to the application.
Eventually, contacted Sumit again. He didn't recognize me at all (which is understandable when you are managing multiple sellers, no big deal). He asked for my account info, selling capacity etc. And then he totally snapped at me and said that "We cannot help you. We can only allow sellers who list over 500 items". Like seriously?
What was worse, he was rude in his tone, almost scolding as if I am a begger annoying him for a small pie. And when I tried enquiring further, he ended the call abruptly. A frustrated, unpaid employee I suppose??
It is very sad to see the plight of eBay, despite it being the first company to introduce the online marketplace model and entering global markets much earlier than others.
A marketplace is supposed to be all about giving everyone a fair chance. Same cannot be said about eBay though...
Your policies are beyond understanding. And your high demands are absolutely rubbish! Your employees....the lesser said the better. Take some lessons in customer relationship maybe?
