The wooly answer to that question tells you more than the content of it, obvioulsy the long term intention is to compete. Pointless; PayPal can never compete with credit cards;
– My credit card doesn’t charge me fees.
– In fact, the opposite is true, my credit card gives me cashback when I buy things.
– My credit card protects me, unlike PayPal ‘protection’.
– The staff working for my credit card company are vetted.
– When I have a problem with my credit card, I can talk to someone about it.
– That person always sorts my problem.
– The last problem I had, my credit card advised me against using PayPal again.

Matt

I’m really sorry to hear what happened to you. I hope you got or are getting lots of media exposure about your situation, as that appears to be the only thing ebay responds to anymore. Their mindless “management by bot” has affected many of us, and it appears that ebay doesn’t give a rip. And you’re right, it is especially angering when they jump all over you about communicating better to customers, when they themselves are get no more than 1/2 a DSR star in that department.

You want an even better bot-inspired story? Look on the US site’s Community->Seller Central board and search on “Salvia.” See what a bot did to another seller who sold common cooking sage seeds.

Rest assured that due to treatment like yours, many of ebay’s sellers are not planning on expanding there but are instead fleeing. That’s why the need for ebay to bring in large catalog sellers and BUY, the only company I’ve ever dealt with that made ebay’s customer service look competent.

However, the 300+% increase in my shop fee, the 80% increase in listing fees (SIF/Fixed Price) has left me with no choice but to close the shop. My fees this month were 3 x that of my takings!

It seems sellers of low cost products that go for one or two pound have no chance of making a profit. Unless they sell absolute shed loads and have a product line that is extremely exclusive.

Without the money I once generated via my shop, I now have to do my best to refrain from buying from eBay too.

How many people like myself will be leaving eBay for the same reasons? Will these incredable price hikes damage eBay’s finances? Well, they’re so very high that they’ll serve to offset the losses incurred by people like myself closing shop.
I am certain, however, that eBay will change in a big way in the near future, as such items as collectables, Cheap DVDs & CDs, retro toys, second hand books, postcards, stamps and other small, used items become less available. That on the whole, will affect eBay’s profits. Without the shops that sell such goods, the customers who buy these items may go elsewhere.

I really IMHO feel that eBay have shot themselves in the foot. You never bite the hand that feeds you, which is what they’re doing.