eBay Price Match Guarantee launched in the UK

32 Responses

1. I’m just wondering if the price match includes the postage as many sellers on amazon still charge postage whereas most on ebay are increasingly offering free postage.
   eg ebay price £20 free postage, amazon price 17.05 plus postage 2.95. so is the amazon item price classed as cheaper ??

2. This is an old retails bricks and mortar thing from the 00s we never hardly did this and advertised it everywhere. Think I seen it getting done like twice. From what I have seen on the deals page your asking ARGOS to match argos.
   Anyway anything to drive traffic to eBay these days just anything.

3. Many of the products we sell on Ebay are already available on Ebay a lot cheaper, but the customer still choose to buy from us.

4. I don’t want to start a slanging match but the points are made are valid and the issues I raised are clearly understood by and experienced by other sellers, including many that I know personally on a private forum.

   I would like to point out that we are not part time “spare bedroom sellers”, I have been on ebay for over 12 years and have a healthy and growing business. But it’s mostly no thanks to ebay who are stifling it more than growing it. We spent a long time updating listings earlier in the year to comply with their Active Content policy, only to find a few weeks later that we have to edit them all again as they have now decided we can’t have our phone number and email address on there. That’s time we will never get back, and never see any gain for.

   In fact most of eBay’s changes and policies have been detrimental to sales. Nobody at ebay seems to have realised that over the last decade Amazon has barely changed at all and they attract more and more buyers and sellers while eBay’s stock just keeps on falling. There’s a reason for that but the current management team will never see it. Price increase long overdue you said, Alan? There is no need to raise prices just for the sake of it, it’s simply greed. look at the work the average seller has to do to earn 10% profit by comparison.

   Yes of course it’s their site and they can do what they like, but there are many people who have built businesses, livelihoods on there and cannot simply walk away if they don’t like it. As John Ackton said, that’s a very narrow minded view of things that doesn’t consider the fact that it’s not the same for everybody as different categories have different needs, but again ebay will never work that one out.

   Free shipping and 30-day returns are a great example of how clueless ebay really are when it comes to understanding the needs of small business, you know, the majority of people who make up ebay sellers. A large corporation can absorb the cost of returns and won’t notice it anyway, the staff don’t care because they’re not their goods. The management don’t care because they are salaried anyway and they’re not their goods, but for the small business those losses that the policy creates come directly out of the seller’s earnings. No small business owner in their right mind would encourage returns under eBay’s terms and if ebay understood anything about small businesses they would realise that.

   Actually maybe they do, but don’t care – It’s clever by ebay, because it’s great for ebay – they get to offer the same as the likes of Tesco or Argos, but the cost of it is borne entirely by the seller, who gets no benefit whatsoever except for a large postage bill and shelves full of damaged of poorly looked after goods that you can’t claim a penny back of from the buyer who returned them. Ebay keep buyers happy, the buyer returns to ebay, but most likely not the same seller (unless that seller is selling a fairly unique or competitive item that the buyer is likely to buy on a regular basis).

   But really it’s desperation by ebay trying to hang on to disappearing buyers. One day they might realise that the buyers are leaving because the sellers are leaving. I too am doing well with my website, and frankly if it were not for the length of time I had to spend n ebay continually changing things I would probably have more to spend on my website and be doing even better with it (I’m working on it!).

   But again, maybe ebay realise that and do whatever they can to keep sellers tied to the site for as long as possible, but all the decent ones I knew years ago have long gone. Ebay are OK for learning how to sell online to a point, and getting your feet wet but that’s about all they’re worth these days.

5. I’m not trying to undermine anything Alan, but I have experienced most of the points Mark raised and they are valid concerns. Experience? I’ve been selling for over 30 years, back in the days when you sent in a cheque and “allow 28 days for delivery” and I have never made significant losses. I know what I’m talking about too, and if you knew what ebay used to be like compared with what it has become now you would understand.

   Nowadays it’s a complete shambles. Best Match does not work, and while there are many sellers that are doing OK there are also many who are experiencing crazy sales patterns. You could like one of the lucky ones who experiences constant sales but you clearly do not understand what a lot of sellers – experienced, longstanding sellers – are going through. We spent a five figure sum on goods a few months ago that were selling well, and then suddenly, with no warning they stop selling. No other seller undercutting, no reason for it whatsoever. It happens, it happens a lot, and it’s crucifying a lot of sellers. In fact like many others I could rely on ebay at one time. I couldn’t now.

   I could introduce you to a very successful businessman who will also tell you the exact same thing. One day you can have record sales for the year, the next day absolutely zero. I’ve had this from over 2,000 items listed. 3-figure sales one day, zero the next. Quiet for a few days, manic for a couple of days. Sometimes weekends, sometimes midweek. Sometimes an item sells like “hot cakes”, the next minute nothing. It’s completely screwed. amazon isn’t like this. The websites are not like this. Hope it continues to work for you but as I said, for many it isn’t. Don’t profess to understand everything about how to be successful on ebay because it might just happen to you next. There are many more experienced, more successful sellers who have discovered this the hard way.

   Oh and by the way, I don’t need to spend a single penny on advertising either of my sites (I do very occasionally use Adwords to get a new product moving). My only real bill is the hosting and together they cost less in a year than ebay costs me in a month.

6. Oh and incidentally ebay absolutely will not protect you from feedback left when you have an automated reply on, or even when you’re away and have holiday settings.

   I remember the last time I tried that the operator told me that all a seller would need to do in that scenario would simply leave on automated replies to avoid bad feedback. The truth about feedback is it’s luck of the draw, sometimes they will sometimes they won’t. It depends who you get.

   I’ve had bad feedbacks that I am adamant should be removed, even one left for the wrong item, but no matter how many times I tried they would not remove it. On the other hand I’ve had feedbacks I thought I had little chance of getting rid of and they have been removed easily at the first attempt. In fact in one case recently I rang up, and before I had even stated my case the operator said she was going to remove it! I think I only spoke to her to give her my name!

   But that’s how absurd ebay is these days.

7. Sorry but I had to laugh too – you spent a lot of time talking about your experience but didn’t know the Distance Selling Regs had been replaced by the Consumer Contracts Regs (replaced, it wasn’t a name change); and over three years ago too.

   No disrespect but there are experts and there are experts.

8. You’re missing the point Alan. Ebay clearly works for you but it is not working for a lot of experienced, established sellers whether you ant to accept it or not. I have it myself, all the time. I’m not just talking about products selling well then sales declining, or slumping or however you want to put it. This is about items that can be selling well one day then completely drop off a cliff for no apparent reason the next. and it happens frequently. And to many sellers. I’m not just talking about a couple of items now and then, or this happening a few times a year. Something is badly wrong with eBay’s algorhythms for this to happen.

   You don’t appear to want to accept the point but the reason so many sellers are complaining about things like this is because it’s true. I’ve had many conversations with customer services who have even admitted to me that they are aware that some sellers have a problem but they don’t know why.

   You have also mentioned various “improvements” over the years but the fact is that ebay have constantly tinkered several times a year to try to get sales moving and usually they have failed. It’s no secret that overall, in recent years their sales have dropped while amazon’s have increased. In fact there’s a semi-famous post which tells of eBay’s sales having dropped 94% overall, I can’t remember when or over what time span. That means that while a few sellers like yourself are experiencing a good return, many are not. It’s not inexperience or lack of understanding, it’s not because they are doing anything wrong, it’s because ebay and Best Match are NOT working for them.

   Somebody mentioned recently that they searched for their item in Best Match, a unique item that nobody else sold and their item came up second of two results. The first result had nothing to do whatsoever with the search term entered. I’ve experienced that too. I’ve seen sellers with poor listings, poor feedback, poor descriptions and photos sell more of the same product at the same price as us, or even at a higher price, while we’ve sold nothing. I’ve searched for brand name items in BM and come up with entirely different brands. I’ve searched for my own products and not found them at all. I’ve asked other people to search at the same time and they have come up with a completely different set of results. It just does not work.

   I’ll tell you now, with all the “improvements” they have come up with over the last decade, most have not worked and many have made things worse. I and many others are intelligent enough to understand what to do and how to do it but for many of us it won’t make any difference. I can see you’re not convinced but with respect there are a lot of people saying the same things as us with years of experience. We can’t all be wrong. But THAT is why you see so many complaints.

9. Nope, sorry – I speak with experience of 60,000+ feedback – ebay will remove a bad ‘un if they see fit but it’s the luck of the draw, nothing more, nothing less. One day you will get one that you are totally convinced is removable but they won’t remove it no matter what you do. I’ve fought with them for over three weeks in some cases. Trust me on this one, it will happen to you one day.

10. So you’re trying to tell me that after over 12 years on ebay I’m wrong about not getting certain feedbacks removed? It doesn’t matter what you say or what your experience is, what you need to accept is it’s not like that for everybody.

    Just seems that you’re convinced about how what happens for you in your world is how it is in general and I’m simply trying to tell you it just isn’t like that for everybody. Feedbacks, sales, Best Match, and so on, you think all those other people are idiots, don’t know what they are doing? You think they have nothing better to do than complain?

    If it works for you then that’s great but you have been lucky so far.

11. @ Alan. You say that you are not an expert Alan – what would you call yourself then?

    I have a word that described you.

12. Im not “lucky” Jon. If its not like that for everyone, they are just selling the wrong thing or saying the wrong thing or approaching it wrong. Luck has nothing to do with it.

    @ Ross – Hi Ross how are you. i noticed you hadnt posted again in the last couple of weeks. I am worried…….. lol what word would you use?

13. It’s obvious that you are completely in denial Alan. You’re somehow trying to tell us all that many long-time successful experienced businessmen, myself included, are all so dumb that we can’t see that we are selling the wrong things, saying the wrong things or unable to understand our businesses so badly that we don’t know how to operate on ebay? Even after a decade or more experience?

    Stick your head as deep in the sand as you like mate, but the reality is what many of us are experiencing and whether you choose to accept it or not, it is NOT because we’re doing everything wrong.

    And this from a guy folks who didn’t know the Distance Selling regs had been scrapped three years ago, something you NEED to know if you’re selling online. And no, it isn’t just a name change.

14. @ Jon , I really need to come in at this point. You are being a complete arse Jon – especially about the name change thing. The regulations are pretty much the same as before as Alan said above. I sell online full time and I wasn’t aware of the change.

    No , I met Alan online a few weeks ago under the thread “what happens on a visit from Ebay VP rob Hattrell” – look it up.

    Alan told me the same thing he was telling you : that I was doing things wrong.

    Then 2 weekends ago he drove a round trip of 400 miles to come see me to see if he could help. He took no fee. His only condition is I have him food and board for the weekend.

    Now, the man lacks social skills (sorry Alan) he is blunt to the point and the verge of being consistently rude (again sorry Alan) but the man knows his stuff about Ebay . Making the changes he suggested (more like instructed) my business is already increased to what it was selling back in 2008. And that is a lot more than before his visit.

    You are putting words in his mouth and you have been on the attack since his first post – which although direct was trying to assist.

    And at alan thank you for your assistance and for tolerating Julie’s cooking. I am humbled and I am grateful for the time you spent , I know you could have been working on your own business.

    At Jon, you are the one who is in denial jon. You are the one who has your head in the sand. You are a bully , your posts seem to be constantly on the attack and you seem focused on your business failing . I hope you prove alan correct and fail, that’s the way it’s going by the sounds of it.

    And the word I would use to describe is not expert, it’s bloody genius.

15. Sorry but Alan, if I’m being an idiot you are making yourself look like a complete fool. You profess to know the regulations but you didn’t even know they had been replaced over three years ago? Call it a name change if you prefer. I’m not trying to undermine anything, I don’t care if you’re aware of them or not, I’m simply making the point.

    I am not being aggressive, obnoxious, a bully or anything else you and your mate have decided I am, I am simply fighting my corner and trying to get it into your head that there ARE serious issues on ebay for MANY sellers, and there are many hundreds, probably thousands of posts on the internet outlining it. If you have found a way to make things work then fine, but stop trying to tell me that everybody else is getting it wrong. for what it’s worth I do still sell successfully on ebay, but that’s not the point.

    You seem to think it’s perfectly acceptable for you to tell the rest of the world we’re all wrong, just because it’s working for you. Well I don’t find it acceptable and if you and your mate don’t like that, then that’s your problem. If I have an attacking stance that’s because you get nowhere in life my running and hiding in a corner and accepting everything that everybody else says when your own experience and that of many others is completely different. I say again, if you can’t accept that it’s your problem. Just because you’re having some success on ebay doesn’t mean you’re right about everything and everything everybody else is saying is wrong, THAT is arrogant. I have a successful business too and I wasn’t the one turning over £15k a day and making a loss. Your original post to Mark was arrogant and condescending, dismissing just about everything he said and still not accepting it as anything but some sort of made up fantasy after I came in to confirm that my experiences were very similar so as I said earlier, YOU need to take a good look at yourself before having a pop at anybody else. Even your mate Ross admits you’re “blunt to the point and the verge of being consistently rude” – those are his words, not mine. I’m finding your posts boring and condescending too but you have made several insults despite the fact that I’m as entitled to make my case as you are. If you can’t take it don’t hand it out.

16. Ross, I’m not going to drag any other aspect of the conversation into this other than to say I did look at the Rob Hattrell thread and surprise surprise, very few people on there except Alan and yourself agreeing that everything is fine with ebay.

    Looking at what Clare and one or two others said – I didn’t read all the way to the bottom – there are clearly a number of people raising similar issues on there as have been mentioned here. Now if you will accept that I have never seen that thread before (I’m not a regular visitor to Tamebay) don’t you find it a little bit of a coincidence that many other people are saying the same things? Sales falling off a cliff and so on, experienced sellers finding this happening, not newbies or people who are not sure how to use ebay.

    Sales don’t just stop dead in an instant, it’s not natural. They will fall off over time then if you don’t do something to arrest the slide it’s your own fault, but that’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking about sales completely crashing overnight, search not working properly and so on. Don’t you accept that if other people on a page I have never seen before are saying exactly the same thing then we must have a point? Sure, you will always get winners and losers but we’re not all completely stupid that we wouldn’t have been able to work something out between us if we were all getting it wrong.

    Do you think we don’t research prices, competition, and everything else? We KNOW sales go down because traffic and conversion rates go down, it’s WHY they go down, WHY the traffic suddenly disappears that there doesn’t appear to be an explanation for much of the time. It doesn’t happen on the websites and it doesn’t happen on Amazon, over time yes, but not in the sudden and dramatic fashion so why does it happen on ebay? That’s not just about “bad” sellers, that’s a genuine issue that needs addressing.

17. What an idiot. This guy Alan apparently knows everything there is to know, but didn’t know anything about the one most important thing ANYBODY needs to know about if they’re selling online, that being the change from the Distance Selling regs to the current Consumer Contracts regs. That’s akin to saying you didn’t realise you needed a driving licence to drive a car. Then he tries to make like it doesn’t matter.

    Several valid points were made and this guy didn’t answer a single one of them. In fact I’ve looked at various posts on this website and he’s always singing the same tune. His whole argument seems to be based on he knows what he is doing and everybody else is getting it wrong. Many people have stated that they have been doing well and sales have suddenly just stopped and this clown’s answer is you’re selling the wrong things. Really? Funny how those things weren’t wrong a day or two before sales fell off a cliff. So what do you do, scrap all your current stock and start again? If you believe this and want to take advice from a guy who admits to taking £15k a day yet still losing money you’re as daft as he is.

18. well i’m currently succesful, despite being previously unsuccesful.
    this means i’m right about everything, and you’re all idiots.
    i will forever more be succesful because all my success is down to pure skill and personal genius, luck doesn’t factor into it. at all.
    (though my previous failures were completely down to bad luck and not incompetence).
    i know so much i don’t need to actually know anything, and when a glaring gap in my knowledge is revealed, well, what i don’t already know ain’t worth knowing.
    i can be an expert on something while clearly not having a clue about it, thus is the special nature of my expertise.
    i can outright refute someone’s verifiable facts based purely on my say-so, thus is the power of my awesomeness, i don’t need no facts, i just say words and they become facts merely from being uttered by myself.
    on the other hand, should anyone (or, as often is the case, Everyone) should refute a single thing that comes out my mouth, true or made up on the spot, then woe betide them.
    i’m also hilarious, quoting many topical (35 year old) yet obscure references, clearly those who don’t get it are “out of touch” and should google it, just so they realise how hilarous and awesome i am.