[OT] Ebay

[David]

What is your experience ?

A few times I have considered joining the Ebay community, but when I read the terms and conditions, especially those regarding personal data storage, I am rather put off.

The conditions state (or stated when I last looked), that personal data will be stored on servers where the laws regarding protection and security of personal data are weaker than those in the UK, and I don't think that the laws in the UK are tough enough either.

Ebay own PayPal now, I think, and my credit card details have been compromised more than once using PayPal to pay for goods on-line, in the UK too.

I have had bad experiences with PayPal, they do not seem to be interested in consumer rights as they are paid by vendors.

regards

David

[Clive George]

Never had a problem with security, etc from ebay or PP.

Very much caveat emptor when looking at what's on sale, but I've not done too badly. The place is now full of businesses who are generally quite reliable. Check feedback, even 100%, so you know what to expect. Eg a recent purchase took a couple more days to deliver than they said it would, but I'd checked the feedback beforehand, knew they were occasionally a bit slow, so expected that.

Wow, really? That's quite hard, since PP don't pass the CC details onto vendors AFAIK. What exactly happened?

(I've had my CC details compromised from an internet merchant, but that didn't involve paypal in any way, and the bank sorted it out without much hassle)

Never had anything like that go wrong, so don't know.

Sounds like you might be best off avoiding ebay if you're that worried.

[Andy Cap]

Used both many hundreds of times and been ripped off once and had a few rather cheap items, when I should have paid more in the first place, but have no concerns over Paypal security. In fact I would rather use it, if it's an available option on any merchant's site.

Andy C

[David]

OK, thanks

I'm not sure how, but the CC company have rang to ask what I had used the card for in the previous days. Someone had tried to buy Sky TV for around 5 people using my card details from the Midlands, which was kind of stupid.

Another time, someone tried to buy white goods on-line, and a couple of times scrotes from the far East have tried something too.

Nothing for the last 3 or 4 years though (fingers, eyes, knees, toes crossed).

David

[David]

OK thanks

David

[Clive George]

Sure the card details came from PP and not somewhere else?

[Mark]

On the rare occasion that something has gone wrong I've found paypal to be totally unhelpful. They've never replied to queries and I find it very annoying that they take their commission from refunds as well as payments[1].

[1] If the seller clicks the wrong button -- which they usually do.

[John Rumm]

In the couple of hundred transactions I have completed (buying and selling) I would say the overwhelming majority have resulted in positive experiences.

That seems odd since payment made via them should not disclose any details to the vendor. That does not mean to say that access to their website could not be compromised on the computer used to access their site however.

(I have also had fraudulent transactions made on a card that I use exclusively for online purchases. But that was nothing to do with PP. The card company also spotted them fairly quickly and queried them with me)

Not experienced any problems with them either. Most reports of difficulties I read about are from sellers rather than buyers.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Did you exhaust the automated system before making your query? The answers you want are usually there if you take the trouble to find them. I'd agree it could be easier, though.

Most Paypal transactions are for small amounts. It would be very costly to have real people available to answer things, given the huge number of transactions. Of which some are bound to have problems. But in my experience less so than making a mail order purchase by credit card.

[johnm01]

I totally agree with Andy. Have used both eBay and PP a number of times and never once felt cheated. If someone has had a genuine incident happen to them, it'd be nice to share here so we can be more cautious.

John.

[johnm01]

I agree with Andy. I've used ebay and PP to buy and sell stuff a number of times and have not had any issues till now. If someone has a bad experience, would be nice to share so we can bemore cautious going forward.

John.

[chris French]

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes

Yup, I've had a few 'iffy' transactions, but that applies to other ways of buying things as well, online, in a shop, down the market., but mostly the transactions have gone smoothly. And whilst a few sellers are arsey about sorting out a problem, most have sorted out any issues efficently.

[David]

It was a newly replaced (from being expired) card with new numbers not used elsewhere, before PP was owned by Ebay.

It was a couple of days after the first and only use of that card. I do not know how it happened, but I'm pretty sure that the CC details must have been compromised from that one transaction.

I did not intend to start an argument, and I apologise. Even so, I am sure that PP was responsible as it was the only transaction.

That card was destroyed and another new card issued.

regards

David

[David]

As others have said, but are you sure that their security is bulletproof ? It may be better now, but I'm sure it was PP that caused the compromise of my CC details as there was only one transaction on that card before the fraudulent payments were attempted.

PP requested me to link my CC to a bank account as you say, but I declined, so it has been 2 years or so since I used PP.

I'm not sure how one can get a better deal by linking a CC to a bank account, unless it affect commission in some way.

I found them to be totally unhelpful and obstructive when I had problems with some things I purchased that failed to perform / appear / have the quality as described, I cannot remember what they were now.

Probably, and also from whom purchased from.

Thanks

David

[charles]

I had a new card used without my knowledge - and I'd never got round to using it. I'm convinced the problem was with the bank (or its agent who made the cards). Certainlt the bank was very, very cagey about the whole thing.

[Newshound]

I also think you might be being a bit oversensitive.

There's two sides to eBay. Firstly the private sellers who want to trade something a bit obscure, or just want to shift something they don't use, and eBay is an easy way to check the market and to put people in touch. I've bought a good cheap second hand compressor, welder, and cement mixer that way. Caveat emptor applies here: I've only had a couple of less than good experiences.

Secondly, it's a very easy way to find things which might be hard to find in shops, or where the obvious shop is likely to charge a premium price. Things I've bought in the last few weeks include a replacement light cluster for wife's car, some unusual light bulbs, a couple of LED arrays, herbs and spices, a battery holder, a memory card, a phone battery, a nightshirt, slippers, a spare wheel, some long drills, a leisure battery, a car cigarette lighter socket, silicone insulated wire. Once or twice in perhaps a thousand trades something has got lost in the post, but 99.8% feedback sellers with tens of thousands of deals don't quibble, even if they are in China.

I had a paypal "glitch" years ago when I first started, but that was sorted in a couple of weeks. Since then it has been totally reliable.

[robgraham]

+1 - though I must admit that I haven't bought a nightshirt !!!

Without thinking too hard, I've had one dodgy purchase which was early on in my Ebay buying when I hadn't learnt to fully do my homework on an item.

And as for the hard to get items, I wasted my time recently scouring Livingston for track shoe laces - common things you would have thought but no and Ebay came up with a good price and choice.

Thumbs up for PP from me too. Rob

[David]

I remember there being a TV investigation about bank employees "leaking" customer information for money a while back.

regards

David

[Alan]

In message , David wrote

All your bank details are in India. It's a country noted for paying high wages and so the call centre employees don't need a second income from selling off your card details.

[Alan]

In message , Newshound wrote

I've purchased hundreds of items via Ebay. Only two have never arrived and the sellers have either sent a replacement of refunded with a problem.

The more frustrating problem I have with some Ebay traders is that they pose a UK traders with UK stock and claim first class UK posting but the item arrives two weeks later from China/Honk Kong. I've got no problem buying from China but I've often paid the premium to get the same item from UK stock because I wanted it quickly.