This is a general message from an avid & extremely loyal fan of eBay, to the management:
I am thoroughly and utterly disgusted with my experience with eBay India.
Before moving to India 2 years ago, I lived in the United States for 15 years. Most of that time I bought countless items on eBay and sold even more countless items. My loyalty to eBay stems from the basic fact that if it were not for eBay, I would not have been able to pay my bills as a student. My experience selling on eBay, dealing with customers and generally running a full scale business online awoke the entrepreneur in me. So suffice to say, I more than a passing fan of eBay and proactively defend its abysmal reputation with the general public here in India.
During this long span of being a seller on eBay in the US, I sold a vast array of items ranging from DVD players and laptops, to small interior decor & gift items based on every festive season that existed in the throughout the year. Out of a sample of every 100 items sold, I would maybe have trouble with around 5 transactions where either the buyer refused to pay or there was: a general disagreement about the terms of the auction/delivery of the item/ or a change of mind. Thats still a 95% success rate as a seller.
Which brings me to EBay India and the ridiculously classless buyers that exist in this country and what seems to be your refusal to do anything about it, despite so many sellers making their voices heard on your forums.
I have been trying to sell my MacBook here without a single positive result in 3 tries. Yes... thats THREE tries of trying to sell it. Every time, I have encountered buyers either changing their minds, not knowing they were signing a virtual contract to buy & pay when they bid, or just avoiding my phone calls and emails (which, I must add, gives a special flavour of cowardice on their part, don't you think?)
Let’s look at the statistics: Over the past 2 weeks, I've put up 3 items. One of those items I put up 3 times with no result. So that takes our total number of listings to 5 (with listing fees levied by eBay of course). I’ve only managed to collect payment on one of those listings. Which basically means that my success rate as a seller (due to buyers who have no sense of commitment) is currently sitting at 20%. If we look at the other side of the coin that means an 80% FAILURE RATE. Now I don’t know about you folks, but a business with an 80% rate of failure would be considered by any idiot to be a serious waste of time.
Now let’s make one thing clear: I am not attacking your business model in any way. Its worked handsomely well for me in the United States. But don’t you think when you change geographical locations and when you’re surrounded by a consumer culture, where your “word” is not enough to incite a sense of moral obligation to complete a transaction/promise to buy, you need to change your tactics? And I’m not the only one complaining. But Im sure you’re quite aware of that, since I am aware of eBay’s data mining technologies and the detailed attention you folks pay to the results. You know the problem exists.
Which begs the question: Are you deliberately not making changes to hold buyers more accountable because the failed listings rake in countless listing fees anyway?
Or does it indicate that you all are just lazy or haven’t really being paying attention to the complaints sellers are making?
My advice to you, again as a loyal fan: Pick one of the above and FIX the problem. Otherwise as avidly as I have defended and promoted eBay in India, I can in an instant turn against it, if I feel my rights as a seller are not being respected. That’s the power a customer has. The ability to make or break a business through sheer word of mouth. And as it stands right now, I’m seriously on the latter edge of my reasoning that defending eBay in India is proving to be futile, since the general public is probably right. eBay India is a serious fraud and an utter waste of time.
MY HUMBLE SUGGESTION: Levy a deposit against buyers, say 10% (I’ll leave it to your geniuses in the accounting department to figure out the exact percentage) when they bid for an item. That deposit will only be refunded if a buyer is not the highest bidder. And Voilà!! Instantly the buyers who have no respect for eBay and its sellers are eliminated.
Please do the right thing. The fact that I’ve wasted this much time outlining such a common-sense issue with your business is also a serious waste of my time. But I wouldn't be in love with eBay if I didn’t point out its flaws now would I?
Yours respectfully,
- elanscendindia
