Ebay lost the plot! Don't use the word 'style'.....

[Horace Debussy Jones]

I recently got whacked for a watch I sold to someone in Mexico. The money received plus postage was literally STOLEN from my paypal account! They claimed they never received it. Should have known better I know, but live and learn. "Buyers" are quickly turning into scammers now, as well as dishonest postal and customs persons who are likely taking advantage of the situation for all it's worth. It's a tragedy really. I will soon cease ALL shipments out of country because of this BS. Customs offices have too much power over international commerce now it seems. To the point of completely ruining said commerce completely! The more big government meddles in the affairs of everyone, the worse things get.

That Global Shipping Program they've kicked off recently is an absolute joke and bloody hopeless for those outside of the States buying items from there. All you hear about it are horror stories and horrific amounts of stuffing around.

And sorry to hear of your jacket, that is just sublimely ridiculous, but sadly ultimately sums up that balls up that they call the Global Shipping Program.

 

[Horace Debussy Jones]

I tried to sell a novelty lighter some years ago that I listed as being "zippo-like", or looking like a zippo,..something to that effect. So I get a nasty threatening email from some corporate wench complaining about how i'm violating their rights or some such nonsense and also a threat that they would be WATCHING to see if I'd relist the lighter! Insanity!

It sometimes will flag up when you are about to upload a listing if it breaks their many rules on brand and copyright. They used to have some system that picked up on brand names as they worked alongside those big corporations trying to stop fakes. I had a problem several years ago when trying to sell a Vietnam war Zippo which was genuine Zippo but they said it wasn't and I couldn't sell it. They certainly have no staff with specialist knowledge particularly with vintage items hence this incident, and from comments above, others too.

 

[Horace Debussy Jones]

Yes! I think the whole rotten outfit will collapse under the weight of their stupid greed. I'm migrating to Etsy. About to say *&^% ebay!

I firmly believe eBay are trying to get rid of the private small time buyers with these pathetic restrictions. I had a toy(Model) Mercedes 770K removed as it was a model of Hitlers Parade car, deemed an item of racial hatred, you cannot list things as 'nearly new' or 'As new' even. The returns policy is even worse in some cases allowing buyers to keep items they are not happy with and also get their money back.
I have had some great deals from eBay as a seller but I doubt it would worry me too much if the whole business went down the pan. In actual fact that may be a good idea

 

[Leacock]

I've had a recent ebay woe as well. I bought a mint condition old deerskin leather halfbelt jacket from the US. Ebay USA has the option of selling with the Global Shipping Program which uses the company Pitney Bowes to do the customs work which the seller was using. Anyway Pitney Bowes determined the jacket couldn't be sent to Australia and have permanently seized the item. I've been fully refunded by Ebay and the seller gets to keep the money I paid them but the jacket is now most likely going to be destroyed or suffer whatever fate seized customs items have.
I've got my money back but I really wanted that jacket!
I've bought many leather jackets from the USA before through ebay with no customs issues until ebays Pitney Bowes scheme took control. I can only think that the seller declared it as a deerskin jacket (it was tanned and looked like usual brown leather and was minty clean) rather than declaring it as a leather jacket.
I would advise any international ebay buyers to ask the seller not to use the Global Shipping Program or ask the seller to declare it as a leather jacket. Not deerskin, not horsehide, not bison etc.
Any info on the net that I found about Pitney Bowes has all been negative. From stories of people who work there to people who get things shipped through them.

What would Australia's problem with deer leather be?

 

[Azog]

What would Australia's problem with deer leather be?

Beats me. Maybe they thought it might upset Santa Claus.
Australia does have strict quarantine/import laws. Possibly they thought it might be uncured deerskin. But they could have opened the box and seen a clean as new leather jacket and let it through.

 

[Doctor Damage]

I will soon cease ALL shipments out of country because of this BS. Customs offices have too much power over international commerce now it seems. To the point of completely ruining said commerce completely! The more big government meddles in the affairs of everyone, the worse things get.

The thing about this world is that the small government people like big government too, they just pretend they don't while they're in opposition. Anyways, I think many Americans will stop shipping outside the U.S. at some point. In fact, as a non-American, it's clear to me that e-Bay has sent things up for Americans selling to Americans only, since setting up international shipping options is useless for non-Americans. USPS and Canada Post are now getting more anal about shipping internationally and now I only list things for my own country only, no international shipping.

I'm sure someone somewhere thinks all these used leather jackets being sent back and forth are some sort of terrorist plot that needs to be foiled...

 

[handymike]

^^ some of the ones coming out of Malaysia smell like they might be.....

 

[Edward]

I tried to sell a novelty lighter some years ago that I listed as being "zippo-like", or looking like a zippo,..something to that effect. So I get a nasty threatening email from some corporate wench complaining about how i'm violating their rights or some such nonsense and also a threat that they would be WATCHING to see if I'd relist the lighter! Insanity!

That "nonsense" is trade mark law. Using the word "Zippo", even in the context where you're saying the item is like one rather than trying to pass it off as the real thing is still infringement. [huh]