eBay Exec Explains How Not Using PayPal Is Like Dealing Heroin...
from the work-on-those-analogies-a-bit dept
Down in Australia, eBay has apparently decided to require sellers to use eBay-owned PayPal for electronic transactions, blocking out a number of other solution providers in the space. Understandably, this has upset a bunch of eBay customers who, for whatever reason, prefer other payment solutions (often because they've had bad experiences with PayPal). eBay's Australian execs, to their credit, decided to hold a "town hall" meeting to discuss the changed proposal -- and it didn't go particularly well, from the sound of it (thanks to an anonymous reader for sending that in). Apparently, the booing and hissing started early (well, late, because the eBay team opened the doors quite late) and things just spiraled downhill from there. But the key point of ridiculousness was when regional VP Simon Smith explained the reasoning as follows: "We're not allowing people to offer unsafe choices, just like in this democracy you can't go out and buy heroin on the streets." Now, you can understand what he was saying... but, clearly, there's a bit of a difference between using a non-PayPal electronic payments solution and dealing heroin. And, of course, if this were really about "protecting" buyers and sellers, then shouldn't eBay at least offer a path for third party providers to become "certified" as being safe?Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: auctions, australia, paypal
Companies: ebay, paypal
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But....
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Re: But....
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I just use Amazon to buy and sell most all my stuff now.
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Ebay offers listing auctions. PayPal offers to payment handling. It's not unreasonable to pay for both services even though both are provided by the same company.
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A better example would be for you to come to a car dealer to buy a car and after paying to own the car, you'll also have to pay to drive it off the lot. To the same dealer, of course. And even though banks are able to provide financial services for both of those steps, the dealer won't allow it. And since you have no backbone to say otherwise, you will pay the extra, say "Thank you" and "Can you charge me some more?" Way to go.
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lol
so who is going to pay for the bandwidth, hosting, merchant fees, etc.
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Re: lol
Look it up. Its FAR from free.
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Re: lol
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There used to be a buzz around ebay, it was the place to find anything. Now the only buzz surrounding ebay is grumbling about how much it sucks. I think ebay is done, now we're just waiting for another company to rise up and undercut them with better user experience...come on already google, I know they probably paid you off not to compete. How about some good old-fashioned free market competition.
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Another misleading techdirt headline
it may seem like a minor distinction, but comparing someone to a drug dealer is much more inflamatory and outrageous than comparing him or her to someone who buys heroin on the streets.
But TechDirt always goes for the more inflamatory headline, even if it's misleading.
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Re: Another misleading techdirt headline
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Re: Another misleading techdirt headline
Well...I took the headline to mean that eBay (not the customers) not using PayPal was like dealing heroin. It's true that Smith mentioned buying heroin, not dealing it, but what I think he was saying is that if eBay allowed people to use forms of payment other than PayPal, then they'd be failing in their duty to provide a safe product to their customer, like a heroin dealer selling their product on the streets.
It's a rather stupid comparison, but I don't agree that the TD headline i misleading.
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eBay is going, going, gone! anyway...
Now, all you have left is a small quantity of consumers against massive wholesaler/reseller/drop shippers. Let them price themselves out and be done with it.
Craigslist is surprisingly successful with paired with it's limitations. I wonder what would happen if they ever decided to try an extra intercity feature.......
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"It's a small distinction, but the VP wasn't comparing "not using PayPal" to "dealing" heroin. He was comparing using other forms of payment to "buying" heroin. "
Umm... That's the same exact thing. What other choices do you have then to either A.) Use paypal and get double charged or B.) Meet the seller in person?
We purchase online so we can get the things sent to our doorsteps. Not so we can have a meet and greet.
If I want to purchase something using either my personal checks or through *gasp* a money order, I should be free to do so.
eBay should still charge you for hosting your auction... But when they start charging you to use paypal... Well, it's redundant.
Shoot, I wouldn't hate eBay for dropping the paypal charges, but hiking the auction listings a few cents.
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I avoid PayPal like the plague
http://paypaywarning.com is filled with horror stories.
PayPal isn't a bank, isn't subject to any of the protections that banks have to provide you with, and can basically screw whoever they want, and other than blocking them from dealing further damage to your account, there's nothing you can do about it.
A site that can't bother to get a real credit card merchant account, e-check service, or some other form of payment system that I can actually trust has to follow banking laws is a website I don't do business with. I don't care how big said site is.
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It Is Like Heroin
Now I may be stepping out on a limb to say that this is what Simon Smith was referring to but it works and quite well I feel.
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Re: Mature Audiences section
PayPal works just fine for purchasing items that are listed in the "Mature Audiences" section. My spouse and I do so frequently.
As a Credit Card processing service, PayPal is doing nothing different in charging a fee. If you own a business of any kind (provided it's not a huge business capable of negotiating the removal of say DISCOVER, like Wal-Mart) you are also charged a "processing" fee per transaction. My spouse and I run a Technical Consulting and Automation business, and we process credit card transactions. We pay a fee to do so, happily I might add. Our customers requested our change in payment acceptance, and we find that they seem less reluctant to call on our services knowing they don't need to have cash or check. I don't honestly know where my check book is.
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Good coverage here
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Get over it
If you don't like it, go else ware.
When enough people leave Ebay, the policy will change.
NUFF SAID!
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Re: Get over it
People are leaving Sprint like there is no tomorrow. Funny part is Sprint waited until they lost millions before getting upset and trying to do anything about it. Even then, their reaction to it is to fire the Unfortunately for them, you cannot patch a hole in a swimming pool without draining it first.
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Ah, yes, it IS unreasonable when it costs vendors who are already being charged to the point of having to give up their business to lose potential sales due to eBay's insistence on using their payment system.
It reminds me of the 1800's when immigrants were working for the railroad and then billed at the end of the week for various things like Picks, shovels, water, food and not allowed to buy elsewhere. The type of behavior that eBay engages in is exactly why the economy is going tits up. They're becoming so tight fisted (tools like yourself would call it "lean and mean") that the "trickle down" theory no longer woks. It then becomes squeezing people for all they have. While upper management pats each other on the back for once again eeking out a bit more revenue.
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Selling vs buying vs using
Though selling was mentioned the point there was that it would be irresponsible to allow the sale of something that when USED would be harmful.
Thus, for once Mike, I have to disagree with your assessment of the issue. "but, clearly, there's a bit of a difference between using a non-PayPal electronic payments solution and dealing heroin" While technically true this is irrelevant. "How much of a difference is there between using an unsafe payment system and using heroin" and "Is it really irresponsible to allow others to choose a potentially unsafe course of action" would be more reasonable lines of questioning.
The real questions to me, however, are "Is PayPal really safer than other options (what with their alleged propensity for seizing the money of honest sellers over unfounded claims)" and "Is it really a good move for a company such as ebay to restrict the options of their clients in a way many of them will find very troubling."
/2cent
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It's about choice
The spin that eBay is somehow saving the world from unscrupulous electronic payment services is pure bunk, used only to put some positive spin on an announcement that even a moron in a hurry could figure out would not be well received. Unfortunately, the people who now run eBay aren't as smart as that moron in a hurry.
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Re: eBay & PayPal
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It's better then getting Tax'ed
to avoid paying the Government's state tax fee of .10 cent
At least I know PayPal and eBay isn't spending my fees
to blow up 12 year-old Iraqis Kids.
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eBay may not get a choice
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It's to protect ebay reputation...
A huge percentage of online fraud is a result of "auction related fraud" which at one time didn't necessarily mean ebay, what with Yahoo! Auctions and numerous other online auction and dutch-auction websites that were around - most of which have dried up and gone away and now when you see "online auction" it's almost equivalent to "ebay". That means that when the annual reports come out showing breakdowns of online crime, there is a section that says "auction related fraud" and by association people think "ebay". Who can blame them for wanting to get people to think something else?
Mike is right in that ebay needs to make it some how possible for 3rd party processors to get approved/certified and if ebay refuses to do so, then it will be obvious to everyone that this isn't about protection, it's about keeping every possible cent of profit to themselves.
And for those of you badmouthing ebay, there are alternatives like Craig's List that are only effective if you live in a major city - those of us who live out in the boonies 2 hours away from a major city, those aren't an option for us - shopping on ebay is the alternative to driving 2 hours to visit a Best Buy, or other big store to shop and it's still just as important and useful to me as it was years ago when it first started - higher rates and all.
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Re: It's to protect ebay reputation...
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I recently sent eBay an email stating that I was disgusted with their attempts to force Australian users to use PayPal. I also stated that if they started requiring US users to use PayPal, I would close my account. I finished by saying that I would never use PayPal for anything.
They replied with a form letter listing the possible causes of problems with PayPal. Then I got an email from PayPal listing the possible causes of problems with my account.
I can't decide if someone there thought it would be funny to send me the form letters, or if they just didn't bother to read the email I sent.
They asked me to take a survey about how my support issue was handled. I told them that they failed miserably.
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ebay/paypal
It's just a rip-off, talking about protection is just a load of politics (please use similar sounding word, begins with B in the UK)
Anyone know of another online auction site - maybe ask Google to do one!!!
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eBay Exec Explains How Not Using PayPal Is Like Dealing Heroin...
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Only doing Ebay and Amazon to make enough
Don't think that Amazon is any better than Ebay and Paypal ect... As if google,jewtube,myspace(my profile is any different. It was fun while it lasted but soon the fun will end. IP address,SS number,routing number,DL number,CC numbers ect... You are no longer a free person but a number of the BEAST.
They are all fake jews controlling us through usery just as they always have.
This has been the plan since day one.
The same BEAST you use on a daily basis is the same Beast that will keep track of everyone.
The time is now short and the Beast has been released.
666 is it's number and you all wear it.
Fuck your evil system of control
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PayPal Dirty Tricks Holding Money
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paypal sux
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where else can you do payments besides paypal
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PAYPAL SUCKS
AM I MAD HELL YES I AM MAD AND SURE THERE ARE ALLOT OF ME"S OUT THERE
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paypal sucks
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Last Straw . . .
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paypal suckc but i may have a batter way
Tired of ebay? Can not dropeship aneymore becouse of paypal? EVEN PAIED $150 FOR A SOCALLED GOST ACCOUNT? I could make gost acounts all day and sell them. Thay will never last. Becouse people won,t to pay with paypal. All the other payment options hold your money to. Very few will trust a derict credit card payment. Not even with authorize.net. I use them to process my credit card payments. I done tried it.
Ever here of webid? Its a auction website you buld your self. Some of you may have even tried it. But this takes time and money To get it going. I found a good host site to get it started. But its still going to take a good bit of money to get it off the ground. I got to adverise it. Work all the bugs out. And much more.
It is time some one gave ebay a run for there money. I most likely will NEVER beat ebay. Ebay hes been here to long. And has tons of traders. But its like as soon as one starts to make some good money on ebay and amazon thay finds a way to stop you! There is a lot of auction sites out there. But you never get any sales from there. None are as popular as ebay and amazon!! So now what??
What i am working on is to build popler auction site thet every one can sell and buy things on with no one holding your money. Like (paypa)l! This means dropshipers are welcom. And we all can make some good money. But i got to make buyers feel safe buying from this website. Or it will never work. I will have to have a feedback system in place. And some kind of buyer protection plan. One that protects both the buyer and the seller from lies. The buyer is not allways right! Ebay has it setup where buyers can just steal your items. And paypal will just give them there money back. You are stuck with the selling fees. And out your product!
But i can not fund all this all by my self! I,m tring to make money just like every one else here.
I am just asking for a doller or two donetion. If you can. If you cant still send me any ideas you have. Or just pass this post on. Times are hard. Most can,t rely on a good job nowdays. We need to build a way to make some money. We have seen all the make money at home bull adds. All you are doing is reseling the same fales hope to some one else. Thats the whole business.
I tried the paid servays. And spend a lot of hours to just make penneys. There has got to be a better way? THERE IS. I did it a few years ago on ebay and amazon. Made over $10,000.00 in a littel over a month. And could have made a lot more. Thats when ebay shut me down. I was making to much money. Gueses thay just can,t let the average guy make thet kind of money. I did it dropeshipping. That was back when paypal did not hold your funds. You turn around and find the same product you advertized. And shop it right away. The buyer is happy and you made some money. Just like trading stock. Buy low------ Sell high.
Now ebay amd amazon has it set up where you can;t do droppshiping no more. Thay hold you funds for 21 days or till the product is deleverd.
I wont to build a trading place where we can do this again. And have plenty of buyers. Where thay fell safe buying your product. And you have your funds to buy and ship there product right away. What good is a store if you have no custmers? And a place where we can sell aney thing you like. LONG AS IT,S LEGEL. But i bet half the items on ebay are stolen. Come one how can you sell a $400 laptop for $200 and make money??
This auction site will not cost you money till you make money. Then all you will pay is 1% you can pay it every time you make a sale. Or you can let it build up for a month. I like to pay mine right away. So i don,t have a huge bill every month. Anyone who donates here first will sell for free. For 2 years. No fees. So if you do donate here make sure i have your name. Thare is no guerantee i will ever get this going. I,m sure you have tried the other auction sites. You get very few sales if any. This is what i got to overcome. But i do think there is enough poeple looking for somthing new. And to get away from ebay. This can work. So if you can. Please donete to help me get this going.
thank you email rastamike227@yahoo.com
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Methamphetamine
Yours
T D Lyon
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