The Public Ulcer: nonsensical inconsistency between Ebay and Paypal

Ebay has owed Paypal for over ten years.  They're the same company.

And yet, gaps exist with potentially brutal consequences for sellers.  Here are two.

1. An Ebay buyer with an issue can choose to file a dispute with Ebay or file the dispute with paypal.  Why?  We don't know. Lack of competence or discipline within Ebay's software engineering seems the likely best answer.

It matters because:

• If seller wins the dispute, seller is protected from negative feedback.  But not if buyer filed the dispute with Paypal.
• If the transaction was over $750, buyer must have Signature Confirmation, a signed delivery, if buyer claims non-delivery.  Ebay explains that in Ebay rules to Ebay sellers. But if the dispute is filed with Paypal, the number drops to $250.  What a trap.  Set up an attractive zone, $250->;$750, and see if seller falls in.
• Disputes which are forcefully resolved by Ebay or Paypal are scored brutally against seller.  However, even cases which are WON on Paypal can result in the same brutal penalty, when they are won on appeal.

2. Ebay expects seller to ship within the stated shipping time, usually one day, because anything less than one day will cost seller Top Rated Seller status, and the loss of real money.  If seller fails to ship within one day, seller not only gets a "slow shipping strike", seller also loses seller protection from Item Not Received claims.  Pretty picky, but...

Occasionally something goes wrong with the Paypal payment, after the payment is made. Sometimes this is buyer fraud, usually unauthorized use of a credit card. Sometimes it is something as simple as buyer paid using a different computer than usual.  In such cases, Paypal puts a hold on the payment, and tells seller not to ship.   If seller ships during such a hold, seller loses seller protection, understandable.  Seller should wait until after the hold is lifted, and then ship.  Perhaps half are eventually lifted, after some number of days.

However, 

• if seller does NOT ship during such a hold, seller loses seller protection because they are observed by Ebay to be a "slow shipper". 
• Seller is scored with a "slow shipper strike", too many of those and seller losers TRS.
• Just nonsensical brutality: having unfairly, and unknowingly lost seller protection, a seller may reply to a non-receipt dispute by showing that the item was delivered. This results in buyer being denied the refund, but seller (who can't win because he lost protection) being charged as refusing to resolve the dispute!  The big whammy, the dreaded "case strike", from events almost completely beyond sellers control, and completely within Ebay's control.

You'd think this was the government we were discussing here, not some moderately hi tech company from Silicon Valley. 

You'd think "surely these are things a seller could just call up Ebay and get sorted out", but you would find that they fully know how it works, and Customer Service refuses to fix anything.

Think you will be protected if bidder never pays? Read this.

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/topic/Seller-Central/Non-Paying-Buyer/5200161850?ts=1372124016696#msg5102203019

I dealt with an eBay cyber terrorist for several weeks recently, and it all came to a head last week.   

He bought  multiple items from 8 different sellers.  And he sent them nasty, threatening letters (which is one of the reasons why I call him a cyber terrorist.)

I was in contact with all of the sellers ... most of which had really low feedback numbers, and didn't know how to deal with this kind of thing.

When we filed UPI's on the guy, he left an assortment of NEGs and POS, and POS+all low DSR scores. 

I THOUGHT that if the UPI's closed, eBay would remove al the feedback, but I was wrong.

On my account Ebay removed the NEG, and the POS.  But they left the POS with all low scores.

Since this threaten my TRS status for June, I called Customer Support, thinking that there was a glitch, and that they would surely remove the POS with all low scores since the guy hadn't paid.

I went round and round with several CS reps, I was told "I'm sorry, but NO.  Ebay has NO way to remove POS scores. PERIOD."

Finally I told the Rep all the shenanigans the guy had been playing with the 8 sellers.  They sent a report to Trust & Safety

The guy was finally NARUed.  And this was the only reason the eBay removed the Feedback.

Ebay will not remove a POS + all low scores even of the Buyer does not pay.