eBay, etc. General Question/Answer Thread

[ThisVNchick]

I know everyone is experiencing usps delays but when should I really worry? I had two packages scheduled for pick-up. They were picked up by our PO person (I have this on video recording). One package was scanned in at the PO, not during the time of pick up, and the other package is still pending a scan. The pick up happened Monday. If there’s no scan by next Monday, is it time to worry?

I know my buyer is understanding but at what point do you refund to keep the buyer happy? I’m all for supporting the usps but this disarray at all the various facilities is making it hard for me to stay loyal- especially if it means that I have to take a personal loss.

 

[BeenBurned]

I know everyone is experiencing usps delays but when should I really worry? I had two packages scheduled for pick-up. They were picked up by our PO person (I have this on video recording). One package was scanned in at the PO, not during the time of pick up, and the other package is still pending a scan. The pick up happened Monday. If there’s no scan by next Monday, is it time to worry?

I know my buyer is understanding but at what point do you refund to keep the buyer happy? I’m all for supporting the usps but this disarray at all the various facilities is making it hard for me to stay loyal- especially if it means that I have to take a personal loss.

I had a package that I sent to a friend. I handed it to the mailman on December 12.

It was scanned as "accepted" in my city (same city where I handed it to the mail carrier who put it into his truck) on December 28! Until December 28, tracking only showed that the label was created on Dec. 12.

It will get there but will take way longer than usual.

 

[ThisVNchick]

I had a package that I sent to a friend. I handed it to the mailman on December 12.

It was scanned as "accepted" in my city (same city where I handed it to the mail carrier who put it into his truck) on December 28! Until December 28, tracking only showed that the label was created on Dec. 12.

It will get there but will take way longer than usual.

I’m just not sure if it is feasible to tell the buyer that a scan is coming in two weeks!

 

[Roro]

I’m just not sure if it is feasible to tell the buyer that a scan is coming in two weeks!

Ebay is supposedly supporting sellers in encouraging buyers to wait to file an INR case or just requesting a refund. I had a similar situation to @BeenBurned. Package picked up 11/30, not scanned at all until 12/14--two full weeks. You shouldn't have to refund and ebay should not insist. Ask your buyer to be patient; tell you buyer you'll make it right but please wait for the scans.

You can also go online to the USPS website and open an inquiry. It will show up on your ebay tracking and may help the buyer be patient. Go to this page: https://www.usps.com/help/missing-mail.htm and complete the missing mail form. As the sender, only you can complete this anyway. Then tell the buyer what you've done and, again, request patience.

 

[BeenBurned]

I was lucky that my package wasn't for a ebay sale. As a friend, he understood and was considerably less bothered by this than I was.

Had it been an online sale, I really would have been stressed out.

As for the missing mail form, I did file but it was a waste of time in that case. If an item hasn't been scanned at all, they cannot use GPS to locate it. Nothing can be done unless and until an item receives its first scan showing that it's in USPS possession.

So not surprisingly, I heard nothing (beyond the automated reply to my submission immediately after I filed on December 22) until December 30.

On Dec. 30, 2 days after movement was shown, I received a "how did we do?" survey. (They didn't score well by me! I know they're bogged, but they really should be scanning arrivals.)

 

[Roro]

I was lucky that my package wasn't for a ebay sale. As a friend, he understood and was considerably less bothered by this than I was.

Had it been an online sale, I really would have been stressed out.

As for the missing mail form, I did file but it was a waste of time in that case. If an item hasn't been scanned at all, they cannot use GPS to locate it. Nothing can be done unless and until an item receives its first scan showing that it's in USPS possession.

So not surprisingly, I heard nothing (beyond the automated reply to my submission immediately after I filed on December 22) until December 30.

On Dec. 30, 2 days after movement was shown, I received a "how did we do?" survey. (They didn't score well by me! I know they're bogged, but they really should be scanning arrivals.)

I have to admit that I had the exact experience. My thought is that the initiation of the 'missing mail' search could hold the buyer off for a few days.

 

[Luvpurplepurses]

I talked to the people I trust at my PO today and they said they are processing packages from the 1st week of December. That is how far behind they are!!!

 

[whateve]

I was lucky that my package wasn't for a ebay sale. As a friend, he understood and was considerably less bothered by this than I was.

Had it been an online sale, I really would have been stressed out.

As for the missing mail form, I did file but it was a waste of time in that case. If an item hasn't been scanned at all, they cannot use GPS to locate it. Nothing can be done unless and until an item receives its first scan showing that it's in USPS possession.

So not surprisingly, I heard nothing (beyond the automated reply to my submission immediately after I filed on December 22) until December 30.

On Dec. 30, 2 days after movement was shown, I received a "how did we do?" survey. (They didn't score well by me! I know they're bogged, but they really should be scanning arrivals.)

Once I opened a missing mail case with USPS. After about a week, the package was delivered, complete with a scan. A few days later, I got a response from USPS - We're sorry, we can't find your package.

 

[nicole0612]

Once I opened a missing mail case with USPS. After about a week, the package was delivered, complete with a scan. A few days later, I got a response from USPS - We're sorry, we can't find your package.

The same thing happened to me!

 

[holiday123]

HInt, hint.

When one of my items sells on ebay, I put it on "reserve" on Bonanza. So even if it's 6 months later that someone uses my pictures, I've been known to resurrect a reserve listing and make it active on Bonz just for the amount of time it takes for ebay/VeRO to see it and take action on the picture thief's listing.

Ok response from vero is it's allowed. See attached. So I went into an old mercari listing from October that I deactivated, edited it to put in the photos in question, activated it, and sent another vero form. Hopefully this does the trick. Unbelievable! Why bother taking your own pictures when you can steal them from others!

 

[whateve]

Ok response from vero is it's allowed. See attached. So I went into an old mercari listing from October that I deactivated, edited it to put in the photos in question, activated it, and sent another vero form. Hopefully this does the trick. Unbelievable! Why bother taking your own pictures when you can steal them from others!View attachment 4943794

wow, so ebay says it is okay to steal pictures from another ebay seller?

 

[holiday123]

wow, so ebay says it is okay to steal pictures from another ebay seller?

Yes according to them it's not stealing and it's part of the user agreement that once we upload we no longer have the right to claim infringement. Crazy

 

[BeenBurned]

Ok response from vero is it's allowed. See attached. So I went into an old mercari listing from October that I deactivated, edited it to put in the photos in question, activated it, and sent another vero form. Hopefully this does the trick. Unbelievable! Why bother taking your own pictures when you can steal them from others!View attachment 4943794

wow, so ebay says it is okay to steal pictures from another ebay seller?

Yes according to them it's not stealing and it's part of the user agreement that once we upload we no longer have the right to claim infringement. Crazy

I had this same issue and argued with them both by email and over the phone with T&S several months ago and there's absolutely nothing in the user agreement that allows them to allow others to infringe on the intellectual property of others.

But rather than arguing, it's easier (and evidently more effective) to just reactivate an older listing on another site.

 

[BeenBurned]

For the record, this is the content of paragraphs 1 and 2:

9. Content
When you provide content using our Services (directly or indirectly), you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, sublicensable (through multiple tiers) right to exercise any and all Intellectual Property Rights you have in that content in connection with our provision, expansion, and promotion of our Services, in any media known now or developed in the future. To the fullest extent permitted under applicable law, you waive your right to enforce your Intellectual Property Rights in that content against eBay, our assignees, our sublicensees, and their assignees in connection with our, those assignees', and those sublicensees' use of that content in connection with our provision, expansion, and promotion of our Services.

You represent and warrant that, for all such content you provide, you own or otherwise control all necessary rights to do so and to meet your obligations under this User Agreement. You represent and warrant that such content is accurate. You represent and warrant that use of any such content (including derivative works) by us, our users, or others in contract with us, and in compliance with this User Agreement, does not and will not infringe any Intellectual Property Rights of any third party. eBay takes no responsibility and assumes no liability for any content provided by you or any third party.

This is a copy and paste of my reply:

Thank you for your response but you are incorrect and are referring to the wrong section of the user agreement.

It's section 10 that applies in this case and it is absolutely my right to enforce and protect my intellectual property. That's why VeRO and DMCA exist.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/member-behaviour-policies/user-agreement?id=4259#9. Content

And section 10:
10. Notice for Claims of Intellectual Property Violations and Copyright Infringement Pursuant to Section 512(c) of Title 17 of the United States Code
We respond to notices of alleged copyright infringement under the United States Digital Millennium Copyright Act. eBay's Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) program works to ensure that items and content using our Services do not infringe upon the copyright, trademark, or certain other intellectual property rights of third parties. If you believe that your intellectual property rights have been infringed, please notify our VeRO team and we will investigate. Learn how to submit a notice to eBay.

 

[Hyacinth]

Here are Ebay's current rules about using pics from other sellers' Ebay listings, based on their own use of those same photos without the seller's direct permission for their own Product catalog. The Rules used to be very different:

Security Measure

www.ebay.com

This is where they screw you:
" Keep in mind, when you create a listing or product page you give eBay and it's members permission, through our user agreement, to use your images and product details. Your content may be added to the eBay product catalog, at our discretion. Content added to the catalog may be used by other sellers in their eBay listings."

Apparently sellers are automatically Opted-In to agreeing to Ebay-sanctioned image theft because Ebay is doing the same thing.

I don't know if there's still a way to opt out, but I found this back in the Ebay Forums Archives from 2013, Ebay probably changed the Rules since then:

Retired Boards

community.ebay.com

"Be certain that you are not currently sharing your content with ebay in your preference settings inadvertently. I dont know when, but I just found that ebay opted me in to steal my content without my direct permission and I had opt out(or opt out again). I usually use ebays VERO department because they take down the images promptly without coddling the thief. I believe that they also apply a strike against the other seller for policy violation.(that doesnt likely occur when simply reporting the item as copied through the listing.)


Opting out or opting in

To opt out:
Click My eBay at the top of most eBay pages. You may be asked to sign in.
Click the Account tab.
Click the Site Preferences link on the left side of the page.
In the Selling Preferences section, click the Show link next to Share your content.
Click the Edit link next to Consider photos I upload in the listing process for inclusion in the eBay product catalog and other product offerings.
Select the If you'd like to opt-out of this program, please do so by checking this box and clicking the "submit" button below check box.
Click the Submit button."


The above procedure probably doesn't work any more. Regular sellers can give more details, like BeenBurned just did. The multiple User Agreements they've added in the last decade probably have the gory details. This is just what I found doing a quick Google search for "ebay rules on picture theft" since I don't sell on Fleabay. Every time they pull a stunt like this it makes me happy that I don't.