Some things were said, not all of them were printed…

Chris @ TameBayOn 05.09.2008 at 3:11 pm Said:

There are already moves (and some very good ones) why going PayPal only makes a lot of sense. In the UK all listings already have to offer PayPal as an option, as is the case in Australia as an interim measure until the full PayPal only kicks in next month (assuming the ACCC allow it).

Although “Categorical statements have a tendency to cause headaches down the road, particularly as we evaluate how to move forward in other markets”, most people tend to read that as “no plans at the moment but watch out for a few months/next year.

Personally I’d be very surprised if eBay.com don’t move to a “must offer PayPal” model in the near future and if other countries don’t do similar or move to a PayPal only model.

I’m betting eBay are kicking themselves for not introducing an eBay owned payment model from day one. Looking at Amazon or Play.com as examples they have their own inhouse payment platforms and third party sellers on those sites don’t complain (at least not *too* much!).

I bet it’s one of the few times eBay wish they weren’t “just a venue” but were “just a venue with integrated payments”

Patricia1On 05.09.2008 at 4:26 pm Said:

I’m hoping the ACCC does not allow it. I think everyone has had about enough of ebay throwing its weight around. I don’t happen to think Paypal is the end all in safety - far from it actually - and I don’t think many others believe it either. Sorry…but that’s how I see it. Should this become the norm, what do I do when my customer says they want to pay with a postal moneyorder…tell them the US post office can’t be trusted? Whatever are you people thinking?

Patricia1On 05.09.2008 at 4:28 pm Said:

“bet it’s one of the few times eBay wish they weren’t “just a venue” HUH?????

JJHOn 05.09.2008 at 4:42 pm Said:

I want to see ebay loose as well in Australia. Limiting freedom of choice is just plain wrong. My own personal opinion is I prefer to get paid through Paypal, but I do NOT want my choices limited. If users still want to send check & money order, that’s THEIR choice and ebay should not stick their nose in it. It’s really none of your business how I run my sales or how I choose to be paid or how my buyers choose to pay me.

Plus, you DO have an obvious conflict of interest going. I’m sorry, but you DO make more profits by forcing people to use paypal, and I’m sorry if I, or anybody else, doesn’t believe your “trust and safety” line. You’ve given nobody any reason to trust anything you say. Sorry, but you did it to yourselves.

Patricia1On 05.09.2008 at 4:46 pm Said:

Judging by my sales - I will probably lose a good 1/3 of them if ebay insists on Paypal only. Many small sellers will lose business because on small sales users simply like to pick up a moneyorder or send a check. Not everyone in this world trusts paypal Personally, I use it and have their shopping cart on my website - but that’s my choice and a customer can always write and ask if they can just send a check or moneyorder. For my customers, I prefer they have a choice. Bottom line…ebay wants those paypal fees - its probably still worth it for them even if we lose sales over it.

JJHOn 05.09.2008 at 5:12 pm Said:

Patricia1:

As a US seller, I have to say that 99% of my sales are paid through Paypal. It is very rare these days to get a buyer using a check or MO. However, I don’t want eBay to DEMAND I can only take Paypal, even though it would have little effect on me. They have no right, in my opinion, to limit freedom of choice. The trust and safety spin is just BS.

The problem is in Australia, they already have a payment infrastructure using bank-to-bank transfers that we really don’t have here, and a lot of people use it, and I guess it’s fee-free. This is a severe shock and limitation to their way of doing business down there, and I also feel it’s anti-competitive.

Patricia1On 05.09.2008 at 5:39 pm Said:

@ JJH - I hope they never are able to do that here!

AmberOn 05.09.2008 at 5:53 pm Said:

Thanks for clearing that up, Usher.

I just have to comment, though.

The Paypal only policy makes LESS sense in Australia than it would here.

Australians prefer bank deposit–both sellers AND buyers.

Australian sellers aren’t covered by Paypal protection when they offer combined shipping.

Many of my Aussie customers complain that Paypal echecks take 2-3 times longer than their bank transfer process.

I hope the ACCC sees this as the anti-competitive move it is.

As for in-house payment systems here in the US, Amazon offers their sellers MUCH better protection against fraud and chargebacks than Paypal does. Apples and Oranges. Again.

AmberOn 05.09.2008 at 5:56 pm Said:

As a follow-up, I haven’t seen any reliable data that suggests that Paymate, an Aussie online payment provider, is any less safe than Paypal.

I’d like to see some independent data on that, as we all know how unscientific ebay’s stats are.

AmberOn 05.09.2008 at 6:00 pm Said:

@JJH,

99% of my sales are via Paypal as well, but just last week a buyer paid via money order.

The simple fact is that there are still some people who don’t have bank accounts, credit cards etc. People who distrust online payment services–can’t really blame them there. Making eBay Paypal only effectively denies them access to the marketplace.

JJHOn 05.09.2008 at 6:19 pm Said:

“The simple fact is that there are still some people who don’t have bank accounts, credit cards etc. People who distrust online payment services–can’t really blame them there. Making eBay Paypal only effectively denies them access to the marketplace.”

Exactly!

MechelleOn 05.09.2008 at 6:52 pm Said:

Well, I don’t think eBay is going to have opportunity to test the con in Australia- the heavy hitters are out in force recognizing that eBay/PayPal’s intent is to limit competition resulting in a loss for their businesses. People don’t like getting kicked around or treated as though they are so simple minded as to not see exactly what eBay/PayPal is up to with this scam.

I am glad they started this plot in a country that has strong anti-trust laws, because they are exposing the eBay/PayPal tying behavior. This is going to have a global ripple effect and eBay is going to find itself in a lot of financial pain.

It’s all about setting the stage- once Australia puts eBay in its place the payment methods that are Banned in other markets won’t even have to put much effort into bringing eBay’s anti-competitive behavior to a stop.

This is a violation of consumer rights- the basic premise of capitalism is that individuals are rational enough to make their own decisions. As the ARB put it- if PayPal is the best option than consumers will choose it, and if it is so good the ban on other methods is not necessary, and paypal as the only method prevents any better payment service from entering the picture.

Also, anti-competitive behavior is well know to result in lazy businesses that neglect the improvements that would be necessary if competition where occurring. hmmm, what do you think? Would eBay be thumbing its nose at all the counterfeit products if there were competition? Would eBay continue to provide a system infrastructure that had so many defects? would eBay be treating its customers the way they do? All of these (and much more, but I’m not feeling very analytical right now)attributes are classic red flags to anti-competitive business practices. No business that has to compete for customers would ever behave the way they do toward us - ever.

Funny- all the things I have talked with my husband about concerning eBay and PayPal and my feeling they are acting as a monopoly - he said that what will bring eBay down is their tying activity with PayPal. Oh, I mention my husband because he is an economist. Looks like he was right!

JJHOn 05.09.2008 at 8:44 pm Said:

Well, Yogi Berra said “It ain’t over till it’s over”, so I really think this is going to be a fingernail biting exercise until the ACCC rules. What seems logical to the everyday citizen, isn’t always what happens. Funny things have a way of happening when money is involved. Being I’m not an Australian, I don’t know all the legal details. One can only hope this ACCC votes the “right” way.

I for one will be keeping my fingers crossed that ebay looses this push. It’s time they were “taken down a notch or two”.

CAMOn 05.09.2008 at 11:58 pm Said:

I actually happen to be a paypal fan. (I know..I know). When I first started on eBay, I would get mounds of checks in the mail and I kid you not..at least 1 out of 100 did not have an auction number or any reference to what a buyer purchased, it ws like a hidden object game. Find the match :). I was selling 200 items a day, so you can guess how many of those “unidentifiable” checks I got!! I spent so much time tracking these down and processing checks. Opening envelopes took an hour :)..

When I sell, I only accept paypal (which to be fair, I do not sell now because I do not want to invest my time only to have to change all my work, or policies over and over and over again when the latest annoucement comes out). Processing could not be easier and as a buyer (which I do now) I only buy when I can use paypal. So much safer than giving my cc to someone I don’t know and I’ve not written a check in 5 years for anything. I do feel that a consistant buyer experience is better, but as long as I can search for paypal, we can have it both ways (buyers who want paypal, buyers who do not :).

CAM

MechelleOn 05.10.2008 at 12:04 am Said:

I don’t know- it’s one thing for a bunch of “lowly” sellers to submit petitions to a gov’t institution - yes as you say we don’t have the funds to pay them off. However, with this situation there are bigger fish petitioning the ACCC- large banking and financial institutions tend to have their own flex in the government. I could of course be wrong.

However, I do find this little announcement interesting didn’t we already hash this out a couple weeks ago - at which time it was confirmed that eBay was using Australia as testing grounds and depending on results apply the same to other markets? I’m pretty sure we did, so it begs the questions of - where is this statement coming from? and why now?

Was there a lot of news coverage on the eBay meeting with Australian sellers? I would have enjoyed attending that scene

MechelleOn 05.10.2008 at 12:59 am Said:

I use paypal all the time too- and so far haven’t had any problems, but I come across 4 people in the past year that had their pp account hi-jacked- draining their personal bank accounts. Frankly if I was being as cautious as we all should be- I wouldn’t let PayPal near my banking information- if someone steals my credit card info and runs up the balance the credit card takes care of it- not the case with PayPal if your account is hi-jacked draining your bank account- then were is your money. Nothing, because any credit cards associated with the paypal account would be maxed as well.

The point is I know I am taking a risk with any online payment method- direct merchant, PayPal, or Google Check out- BUT IT IS MY RISK TO TAKE and it is the risk that my customer’s deserve the right to decide if they are willing to gamble as well. There is no guarantee of safety in online purchases, and some people are not comfortable with using any of these methods and do prefer to send a money order- I don’t accept checks- and they should have the right to purchase something without eBay forcing them to use its other product PayPal.

Essentially - eBay is telling both buyers and sellers that unless they buy this product they can’t use that one. You can’t sell on eBay if you don’t use our other product PayPal - you can’t buy on eBay if you don’t use our other product PayPal. Sorry, that’s not a security measure - that is exploitation to increase revenue.

I like PayPal and you like PayPal, but if I want to have a larger customer pool and using other service methods such as Google checkout would bring me more business I should be able to use it- it’s my business, my products, my customers and I should have the choice to allow my customers a choice and myself the choice if I want another service available- or if there is a service I want nothing to do with.

It is simply a matter of reaching beyond the boundaries of a service - infecting the business of people who don’t need to be baby sat- especially by those less competent.

I am curious - why is it that eBay is so concerned about protecting Australian members- that they are going to bat “for them”, but apparently are not willing to do the same for us. If you are so confident of PayPal’s superior security why don’t you want to protect every member globally. You specifically state that the laws in the US would not allow it, but you’re not even going to try for our sake- we’re not worth your protection?

Does eBay believe in the rules governing the market in the US? Does eBay believe our rules are fair to the consumers? Does eBay believe the rules protect - rather - they are designed with intent to protect the consumers?

I would actually appreciate a response

MechelleOn 05.10.2008 at 1:07 am Said:

Oh and I find this interesting

We were offered the chance by the AP to be categorical on this subject, and we declined to do so. We declined because there are no plans, but categorical statements have a tendency to cause headaches down the road, particularly as we evaluate how to move forward in other markets and

“as conditions could shift in the US.”

So, does this mean that eBay is hoping for a shift in the US so they can become PayPal only here? That kind of sound like a plan to me- your planning to do it if the conditions change to allow it. That is not “we have no plans” that is we need to get past this hurdle (step one of the plan) before we can put the remainder of the plan in play.

Do you see the difference? I sure do.

HenriettaOn 05.10.2008 at 3:32 am Said:

Hello Mr. Lieberman

Most of us posting here have been around eBay a LOT longer than you have. We may be noisy but we are not stupid. We can even spell Sherman Act!

Remember when PayPal was a start-up? At that time eBay owned BillPoint (of late unlamented memory) and PayPal was unsafe and prohibited on eBay.

Well gee gol-lee gosh! Right after eBay bought PayPal it became safe and secure. Very few changes in TOS or management but it became a whole lot safer once the fees were going to the right place.

Yes, I offer Paypal on my website too, but am having Google Checkout integrated because it is just as safe, in fact a LOT safer for a seller and it is clean and easy for buyers.

I like to credit my buyers with enough brainpower to decide for themselves which service they choose. For a retailer with a strong emphasis on customer service and satisfaction guaranteed, choice is good. Customers like choice and as we sellers all know; keeping the paying customers happy is the key to success.

In so far as the media ignoring you, maybe they placed greater weight on your boss’s statement to the NY Times when he stated . . . if the test was successful in Australia, the company would introduce it in other countries “in months, not years”, than to your spin.
Here is the link: http://tiny.cc/YZJWR

Are you going to have a little chat with Simon Smith about not comparing his customers & their buyers to heroin users?

Possibly the lesson eBay needs to apply to ALL its markets can be summarized in two things almost everyone’s mother must have said at least once. Sometimes it is good to remember what Mom said.

Don’t Push! It’s rude to push.

and

You can catch a whole lot more flies with honey than vinegar.

I hope your headache is feeling better and thank you for coming to play with us.

PSST. Mechelle, there is a link to on the spot reportage of that meeting on my blog, linked to my name above. eBay did make a video but obviously not for public consumption.

implogOn 05.10.2008 at 4:42 am Said:

Makes you wonder if former top dog Meg Whitman’s political activism with the McCain campaign has anything to do with matters such as these.

First “EBain” next “McBain 08″…?

AmberOn 05.10.2008 at 9:40 am Said:

“The River” accepts American Express, Diners Club, Discover, JCB, MasterCard, Eurocard, Visa, Visa Check Cards, payment from your bank account, Amazon.com gift cards, Amazon Store Card, Webcertificates, and checks, money orders, traveler’s checks, or cashier’s checks denominated in U.S. dollars and drawn on a U.S. bank.

Patricia1On 05.10.2008 at 9:47 am Said:

Yes, I use my Visa card on Amazon - I have it on file there and have had it for years now. I’m really pleased with their customer service too.

Broken eBayOn 05.10.2008 at 10:06 am Said:

I posted the paragraph below in another headline, and I’m still confused why eBay continues to require PayPal in certain countries and categories, when PayPal has such a bad reputation (180-day frozen funds, 21-day holds, bad customer service, numerous security issues, poor seller protection, etc.). I’m glad to hear eBay at the moment won’t require PayPal across all U.S. categories, but why can’t eBay setup a Half.com-like payment system on eBay–at least for fixed-priced listings? See my post below.
—
PayPal is the reason why eBay isn’t a more retail-like experience similar to Amazon.com, Buy.com, and the majority of e-commerce websites. When I buy an item from most retailers online, I just need a credit card–it’s just me, my credit card, and the retailer. But with eBay, its me, PayPal, my credit card (or bank account), and eBay (or eBay seller). This is why I don’t buy on eBay: I have to open a PayPal account and agree to its terms, conditions, and bad business practices just to use my credit card. This is really dumb–forcing buyers to open another financial account just to buy on one site. eBay had a more retail-like experience before it acquired PayPal–it was called eBay Payments (BillPoint). Buyers were not required to have a BillPoint account to pay for items on eBay. Until eBay brings back a similar system, I won’t be buying on eBay. eBay is too cumbersome and frustrating to deal with.
—

HenriettaOn 05.10.2008 at 10:45 am Said:

*Pouf*!

permacrisisOn 05.11.2008 at 8:44 pm Said:

I loved to be able to accept foreign currency via paypal and just go ahead and ship out the auction item. But then one day I had a listing pulled for requesting existing paypal funds only, since I had the freebie PayPal Personal version.

Well that did it. Cash only after that. I’d rather get a FAKE check and kite it, than deal with monopolistic Cabal jerks like that. Don’t tell me about protecting me from crooks– the biggest crook in this game is YOU guys.

And it’s this cross-enforcement of policies between supposedly independent companies, that makes you look so bad. Just like the railroad and telegraph thing they had going in the 1800’s. Originality- zero. And the same thing is going to happen to you guys.

Ebay is going to switch from the world’s biggest flea market to the world’s largest retail ‘junk table’. Best match, buy.com, 21 day holds, coupons for negs… its schizophrenic. Guys- what’re you doing???

HenriettaOn 05.12.2008 at 4:09 pm Said:

A question concerning payment methods.

Reading the accepted payments policy page I am unable to determine if ANY merchant credit card processors may be used. ie. Costco, First Data etc.

A query to live help returned a PayPal promo statement and did not answer the one sentence question.

“May I use any merchant credit card processor I choose to receive payments on eBay.”

Thanks

ParadimnOn 05.12.2008 at 11:02 pm Said:

Caveat Emptor, it is not up to Ebay to dictate to me how I will move my money around. Last time I looked Australian money still had the Queen on it not the Ebay logo. Companies need to learn to work with different systems not force their vision of the world on others. I choose not to use Ebay or PayPal beacuse of thier unethcal traatment of me in the past.

Stephen RansomOn 05.12.2008 at 11:49 pm Said:

EBay chose the wrong target.

Australia has strong anti-trust laws, a dedicated competition watchdog (ACCC) and a Reserve Bank which also overlooks anti-competitive moves in anything financial. Australia also has a robust and well frequented system for making cheap (free?) direct payments from (the buyer’s) bank account to (the seller’s) bank account.

So for most Australians a purchase involves bidding, getting accepted by email and transferring the money immediately while at the computer. Since the money appears in the seller’s bank account more or less immediately the item can be shipped immediately. Since the Post Office is mostly overnight delivery, the buyer usually has the item within 24 to 36 hours.

Using PayPal is just an inconvenience we have to put up with for overseas purchases.

The Reserve Bank has just lodged a document with the ACCC rejecting the whole idea so I can’t see how one government department could overrule another .. although stranger things have happened

MechelleOn 05.13.2008 at 1:39 am Said:

LOL- maybe that was your answer- PayPal only- maybe they are bringing us “safe payments”- the PayPal only system

AmberOn 05.13.2008 at 8:11 am Said:

Henrietta, you can use any merchant account on ebay.com, but Ebay Australia isn’t allowing anything but Paypal as of June.

People with their own merchant accounts Down Under may not use them for their ebay businesses. All CC purchases MUST be processed through Paypal.

That’s why it’s anti-competitive. All of the banks who issued the merchant accounts as well as the other established online payment services (Paymate, Moneybookers etc) are effectively cut out of the ebay marketplace.

As for Paypal only here, I fully expect it to change to Paypal or a Merchant Account…period. It won’t be Paypal only, but as most casual sellers won’t be able to obtain or afford their own merchant account, it will make this place effectively Paypal only. With no checks, MOs, etc allowed. It’s coming…you can see it with the Safe Payments policy. Certain categories already require Paypal or a merchant account ONLY. It’s just one small step to apply that sitewide.

MechelleOn 05.13.2008 at 9:32 am Said:

Even to “allow” a merchant account method is anti-competitive, because it is well known that many sellers won’t or can’t get a merchant account and eBay/PayPal are capitalizing on that knowledge and effectively forcing the customer to pay a higher fee than they would otherwise have to pay. Banning Google check-out is a blatant anti-competitive action forcing the customer to assume the cost of fees beyond what they would have to pay to use the other service. Classic picture of anti-competitive behavior.

“Allowing” money orders and checks does not negate their anti-competitive behavior, because again they are capitalizing on the knowledge that our customers and us prefer convenience (and of course the deliberate message that our customers and us should fear the use of these other methods), which undermine the use of these methods coupled with the banning of other methods of convenience forces the seller to use a more expensive service.

On top of all of that forcing the seller to accept credit card payments if they offer PayPal and then charging a higher fee than is charged when our customers do a direct bank payment or e-check through PayPal.

In essence, all of eBay’s actions eliminate consumer choice harming the consumer and naturally the market as a whole (I’m not referring to the eBay marketplace).

I am interested in hearing why eBay/PayPal fear competition. Are there any eBay “leaders” that care to explain why they feel they cannot compete?

It is early, so I may not be effectively explaining the concept - sorry if I am not making sense

AmberOn 05.13.2008 at 10:37 am Said:

OH I agree it’s anti-competitive. All of it.

That doesn’t mean ebay won’t try to implement those changes here.

Australian laws are actually equal to or stronger than our anti-trust laws here. That didn’t stop them.

No one believes these action have anything to do with safety in the marketplace. It’s all about the $. Always has been. There is, in the world of business, nothing really wrong with wanting more $. But to lie about the reasons and obfuscate the facts isn’t ethical.

MechelleOn 05.13.2008 at 10:54 am Said:

I have no doubt eBay will attempt to take that anti-trust practices to the next step. However, I don’t think it will fly here regardless if it does there, which I don’t think it will there either.

You know what surprises me about Australia is that eBay was able to apply and receive automatic immunity from their acknowledged anti-trust actions as though they are a utility or similar institution. Are we that lax here?

I think their big push for the “better buying experience” is related to the inevitable political party changes next January - I believe their is a supreme court assignment available, but I could be wrong. I am sure they have been benefiting from politicians running interference for them so far.

DagnyOn 05.13.2008 at 10:56 am Said:

Amber said…
“As for Paypal only here, I fully expect it to change to Paypal or a Merchant Account…period. It won’t be Paypal only, but as most casual sellers won’t be able to obtain or afford their own merchant account, it will make this place effectively Paypal only. With no checks, MOs, etc allowed. It’s coming…you can see it with the Safe Payments policy. Certain categories already require Paypal or a merchant account ONLY. It’s just one small step to apply that sitewide.”

I believe you are right. Eliminating mailed payments opens the door to all sorts of changes.

Perhaps something like —when you bid and the seller offers PayPal only you are authorizing a payment up to a certain amount. So when you win, the payment is made immediately. That would eliminate a lot of non-paying bidders.

Of course, they may just eliminate the auction format all together.

BIN’s. With no mailed payments—all BIN’s would be immediate payment.

The buying experience would be more streamline. One of the biggest problems with eBay verses say the river is payment on the river always immediate.
The more elements of the transaction that are viewable online (payment, shipping, package tracking) the more control eBay has over the “buying experience” which translates to –more control over eBay sellers. The market place becomes more uniform and not so unique anymore. ;(

StephenOn 05.13.2008 at 8:39 pm Said:

Michelle … my understanding is that eBay’s application triggered a process and any “immunity” is strictly temporary. It holds only for the time it takes the government agency (ACCC), whose sole job is to stop anti-competitive practices, to get public input and make a decision.

One of the inputs has been from our Reserve Bank (sort of like your Fed?) who have said that it is definitely a bad thing (I couldn’t resist so another was from me saying much the same thing that everyone here has said :-).

The decision has yet to be made but the clock is ticking so I’m guessing weeks .. probably shortly after the “must include PayPal” rule cuts in.

HenriettaOn 05.14.2008 at 12:02 am Said:

I love the way Usher Lieberman and Lorrie Norrington drop their little blog packets and run, never to be heard from again, leaving us to discuss by ourselves.

So far as communication value is concerned it is a bit less than one star. Communication is a two way street. If it is one sided then it is called an Announcement.

Might as well be on the discussion boards.

Where is Richard?

LurchOn 05.14.2008 at 1:14 am Said:

“Where is Richard?”

Yeah - I’ve been wondering that, too. 4 (or really, 5 at the time of this comment) days since the last post that I can find. Granted, two of those were weekend days, but still… Do you (Richard) have other job functions besides this blog? If not, I’ll take over for ya. Heck, I’ll even post while sick.

SandiOn 05.14.2008 at 1:38 am Said:

@Lurch, he had a death in the family, he will be back Wednesday. He posted on another thread.

implogOn 05.14.2008 at 6:03 am Said:

@Sandi

In which thread did Richard post about his absence?

Does anyone remember the thread in which eBay’s Colin Rule appeared briefly?

Is anyone else confused by the “SEARCH” feature on this blog? Any ideas what is searchable?

If you use SearchINK on the word “rule“, you get one thread, “Accountability: The Evolution of the eBay Feedback System” in which you find the word “rule” “rules” and one occurrence of “Colin Rule“. The search result DOES NOT show the thread where Colin Rule participated and responded to posts. It only shows one thread where a poster mentioned his name.

If you search on the word “Colin” you DO NOT get the same “Accountability: The Evolution of the eBay Feedback System” thread as a result even though the word “Colin” is in the thread. The posts made by Colin Rule do not appear in the eBay INK Search on the word “Colin” or “Rule“.

Is the eBay INK Search feature ready for one of those eBay “enhancements” we all know and love? :_|

SandiOn 05.14.2008 at 6:28 am Said:

@implog

Richard posted of the evolution of feedback

Colin Rule posted on the blog regarding Aust Paypal thread I believe

Yes the search is goofy, probably a best match

SandiOn 05.14.2008 at 6:31 am Said:

Yes, Colin Rule did post on the blog regarding Australia - his first post is on page 2 about mide way down.

Chuck AnthonyOn 05.14.2008 at 7:43 am Said:

Painting customers into a corner is what big business does. Why should eBay be any different? Whether it’s contemplating limiting payment options or some other corporate decision to defray costs — They are only beholden to shareholders; bottom line. Customers (buyers and sellers) ultimately take a back seat. Like it or not, the people will decide whether or not to go along for the ride.

CrunchyPostingGoodnessOn 05.14.2008 at 2:34 pm Said:

I’m curious. On 4.17.08 Kevin_T posted the following on the “eBay Australia Safe Payment Initiative” thread.

“On 17th of April the New York Times quotes Ebay CEO John Donahoe:
QUOTE: “Mr. Donahoe outlined some more coming changes to the site. In Australia, the company is testing a program that requires sellers to accept only PayPal payments. Mr. Donahoe said that if the test was successful, the company would introduce it in other countries “in months, not years.” Mr. Donahoe said the intent was to cut down on fraud on the site, but critics say the change will entitle eBay to a double helping of fees on each transaction.”

He also provided the following link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/technology/17ebay.html?_r=1&ex=1366084800&en=d998826a95ed9103&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

So my question: Is eBay planning to initiate PayPal only in all other countries, BUT the US? If so, why? What are the “US market-specific reasons” why PayPal only is not something eBay can in the US?

Also, that might have been a very good thing for Donahoe to have brought up in the interview too. Just for future reference.

David WombacherOn 05.21.2008 at 12:19 am Said:

I think this policy should be eliminated. Ebay needs to allow people to be a community again and transact in a way we are comfortable.

Where would Paypal be if ebay treated them this way?
(when they were getting started)

C’mon, where’s the entrepreneurial spirit gone? Let’s let anyone use anything they want and is available for use.
Thank you,

David Wombacher thecamerahunter and camerahunter

mjOn 05.22.2008 at 8:05 am Said:

Hi eBay PR People

Latest information meltdown — McDonald says sellers will get up to 10 listings returned per page, Griff is telling everyone 10 per search — which is it?

Sometimes it is not the news, or even how bad the news is….it is how it is delivered. We can’t even seem to get basic policy info released.

Think back to the FB — no one knew Neuts would count against Positive FB Scrore from the first announcments. Unless this was a policy shift, it seems like an information error.