Is eBay losing its shine?

For those of us that use eBay as a seller or buyer or have followed the recent issues in Australia with PayPal and the ACCC concerning the eBay proposal to mandate the use of PayPal for almost all transactions on the eBay site will find these latest 3 news stories interesting. I’m not surprised by any of these stories and what once seemed like a hip online company appears to be losing its shine in many ways.

The bigger picture is that if consumer confidence in such a big operator like eBay shifts away from buying online, it may spell doom for smaller operators or new businesses trying to enter the online marketplace. I buy many items online from both local and overseas suppliers on a regular basis and I found these companies through referrals from friends and trusted sources who’s opinions i trust.

I personally don’t ever buy big ticket items through eBay and I never just base a purchase on seller feedback. Also check what level of insurance may be available to cover you through PayPal or your chosen credit provider if the purchase goes bad.

View ACCC article - ACCC proposes to revoke immunity for eBay’s PayPal only policy

Hundreds out of pocket as eBay trader goes bust

One of the biggest Australian sellers on eBay has gone bust and its owner has fled to China, leaving hundreds of buyers out of pocket of hundreds of thousands of dollars, it is estimated.

The Queensland-based seller, known on eBay as ebusiness-supplies and registered in Australia as EBS International Pty Ltd, was wound up on Friday and is under external administration, according to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

Hundreds of eBay users around the country who bought exercise equipment, pocket bikes, quad bikes, electric guitars, furniture and other household items from EBS International before it went bust now have little chance of receiving their items or obtaining a refund from the seller.

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Source: The Age

Is eBay Bailing out of China?

It looks like a couple of factors may be leading eBay to leave the Chinese market completely. Shanghai Daily is reporting that eBay has agreed to sell eBay’s China division and its PayPal service to Tom.com , a company that already distributes eBay’s Skype service to the Chinese market.

Two reasons are cited. First, eBay, which had as much as 90% market share in China for C2C transactions, has lost significant market share to upstart (and free) rival Taobao . eBay is now left with just less than 30% market share for C2C transactions, even after moving to eliminate transaction fees in China a few months ago.

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Source: Techcrunch

Alleged eBay fraudster living in car

AN alleged eBay fraudster tracked down by his internet-savvy victims was living out of a car when he was arrested, a court has been told.

Police say Chun Fai “Timothy” Tsang is under investigation for a total of 90 online shopping frauds totalling $150,000.

Tsang, 26, of Chatswood, appeared in Hornsby Local Court yesterday charged with two counts of obtaining benefit by deception after allegedly being paid for goods he offered on eBay but failing to deliver them.

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Source: Australian IT

Posted by Mark Griffin July 2008

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