Honestly, what the **** is going on?

I’ve been looking for forks for a while, check all the usual places and, of course eBay is one of them. So given what I’m looking for is rather niche (1 1/8″ straight steerer, who knew?) I thought I’d refine it down. Except of course they removed that option. Then I decided to refine by manufacturer. Same again. How about dropouts? Nope. Okay just an anything but spare parts option? WTAF???

Then today I went to do my usual bike search by radius (never know what you might find), nope. Not a thing. I can only do a general search then sort by distance. Of course the distance indicator in the list view has been removed as well hasn’t it?

As a seller it’s just as bad, automatic relisting rules you can’t find options to turn off (which version of the page do they live in?)

Bah, I’m done. Bloody useless, why in the name of god would you gimp your site so badly?

Automatically adding Argos delivery options to your listings as a seller… even for items that Argos will just bin if you send to them. Fun.

Had similar selling experiences recently with automatically added and re-added best offer options summoning roughly one million **** to my inbox.

I knew a bunch of people with small ebay stores a decade ago, and between that kind of thing and the seller fees going up, they’ve all quit. One got better margins with less hassle by taking all her stock to a car boot sale.

I’ve heard Ebay get away with it all because any company that starts to look like a rival, they buy.

Automatically adding Argos delivery options to your listings as a seller… even for items that Argos will just bin if you send to them. Fun.

Ooh, what kind of things? Not had this problem with that yet…

Oh, yeah I had the best offers automatically added recently and the automatic relisting I can’t find a way to turn off. That was fun.

My personal bugbear is the current “Do you want to drop the price every five minutes until your bike sells or is listed at 87p? Yes / Definitely Yes / Ask me again every time I come on the site / Yes”

Just sold my car on eBay – gone within 3 days and all for 15 quid. Result!

I’d want more than that for a car, tbh

15 quid

Was this to do with the automatic price decreases? Starts car at £4k and it dropped £40 every 15 mins…
Might want to turn that setting off.

While we’re on the subject of eBay being shite…. does anyone know if there is there now a way to permanently set the all searches to UK only? Last time I checked there was still no option but to constantly click the UK only box on every new search.

Oh, yeah I had the best offers automatically added recently and the automatic relisting I can’t find a way to turn off. That was fun.

Don’t use the app. Automatically adds all that stuff. List via desktop, but be sure to select advanced listing tool (it defaults to the quick listing tool).

It’s a pain.

If we’re airing eBay gripes. Bring forced to use Paypal as payment option on items listed as collection only. Always fun.

LMAO, the app? Don’t even get me started on the piece of shit, that WAS using the desktop!

Don’t use the app. Automatically adds all that stuff. List via desktop, but be sure to select advanced listing tool (it defaults to the quick listing tool).

Yeah, even on desktop and with the advanced listing tool it was enabling best offer by default for me. I contacted support to complain and ask how to set it to always be off, just got a load of PR boilerplate back (“blah blah, best offer results in faster sales, blah”), but they might have done something because it seemed much better behaved for a recent batch of listings.

They have shareholders cracking the whip, which means up to a point they don’t care if users sell at a loss, because they still make money. I reckon it’s worth complaining, because if they hear it enough times for long enough and that gets escalated, it might get a bit less shit.

While we’re on the subject of eBay being shite…. does anyone know if there is there now a way to permanently set the all searches to UK only? Last time I checked there was still no option but to constantly click the UK only box on every new search.

Select UK, go back and you can tap the padlock (Android). I’ve just realised this in the last few months.

OP – I was looking for 1 1/8 straight recently and in the end bought some from Aliexpress, which have turned out to be grey market but otherwise fine. I was unable to find the particular type I was looking for anywhere else…

My current annoyance with the app is the tracking feature when I’ve posted something.

I send all items via Royal Mail 2nd class recorded and input the tracking number for the buyer to use. If you do this on a phone and click on the tracking number it then just puts that in as a google search i.e GB 12345678 QW, not linking it the Royal Mail- absolutely pointless.

Paypal seems to change its settings as it wants, sometimes direct from my account, other times my back up card.

Ebay was so much better in the early days. A proper auction site where you really could get a bargain.
What we need now are alternatives to give ebay some competition. It will happen one day.

It will happen one day.

The problem is the capital investment required for advertising etc.
I have to admit I did have dreams about the use of the web for democracy/commerce but I think it has not only lost out to vested interests but amplified their power.
Instead of allowing individuals/small businesses to compete ebay/airbnb have moved towards favouring those who just pretend to be individuals or failing that simply control the marketplace.
Last thing I brought of ebay was something for my car. Using ebay was the only easy way to get the part but it certainly wasnt an auction.

I don’t get any of the problems listed above (automatic best offer, Argos delivery etc,.).

I have been selling since 2001 so maybe I just know what I am doing.

I still find eBay the default place to look for stuff as can typically find items that are really hard to find elsewhere and they will be cheaper on eBay even if I do find them elsewhere.
Also a great place to sell as get good prices (even after charges) and the selling process is so easy.

You are Devin Wenig and I claim my £5.

I have been selling since 2001 so maybe I just know what I am doing.

And of none of us have or do of course. Still looking for the setting that turns off auto relisting despite not selecting it when listing.

Seller since 2002 here.