A traumatic story very well written up.

I have to confess however, a little surprise that you are now recommending your client go to yet another sole channel strategy (outside of the website you are building for them).

Whilst Bonanzle may be a good fit for them due to the SEO tools available for the site, which fit nicely alongside the SEO tools you’ll need for their website – but remember to use different Google accounts for each or their listings will not get indexed due to “duplication” – there are additional channels open to them too.

In particular I am thinking of eBid.net where they can pay a 1-time $50 registration and sell without fees for life, and receive 5 online store presences with their own individual names and product categorisations for store directories. Plus the in-store categories and sub-categories that sellers can set up give the same flexibility as eBay stores, whereas Bonanzle currently only has top-level client set store categories.

eBid’s five store system allows the seller to retain one or two for selling personal items and oddments, whilst developing distinct and branded “personalities” for their business stores. eBid has also been around 10 years, has a very large membership and 18 sites worldwide that work from a unified inventory base (no cross-border visibility restrictions) and sellers can select which individual countries they will or will not ship to. Additionally GoogleCheckout and MoneyBookers (plus NoChex, PayPal, cheques, moneyorders etc). In fact sellers can offer any payment system they want to – including jelly beans if they feel so inclined (I prefer Jaffa Cakes myself).

What I’m trying to say is that after the mono-channel experience that CornerStone have had with eBay, and the mono-processor experience of PayPal, they should be thinking about having parallel options open rather than going along the same path again.

Gaz

PayPal??? OMG I don’t trust them anymore at all.
I sold Gold Coins en masse and then -
one to a buyer in Russia ! Instant payment and even more than asked for !!!
After 3 weeks sold one to the SAME buyer – Instant payment!
After that I sold a 3rd one and had a feeling this is fishy and ALARMED PayPal that this looks VERY suspicious.
I ASKED them 3 !!! times if they approve of this payment.
NO answer.
But I stopped the shipping.
2 weeks later all 3 payments were taken out of my account without any notice.
(luckily I saved one coin)
I provided all papers, insurances, shipping confirmations, PayPal wouldn’t even answer.

I’m a happy camper on BONANZLE and welcome everybody over there!
Need help ? (everybody does at first) just contact me.
I’m on PC almost 24/7!!

Welcome CORNERSTONE… it’s easy here and lots of fun too!

http://www.toyanddolls4u.com

Very disturbing Article on how “Greed-Bay” and “PayUs-NotU” has in essence, ripped of another Honest Business Person.

As you know, I’m right down the Street from you and Richard’s Store, and I’ve had the pleasure of doing business with him while I was in the Carpet Cleaning business as a Chem-Dry Franchisee; and my brother still does business with him as an Independent Carpet Cleaner and he’s attended some of the Class / Certification Courses that Richard offers in his Store.

Bottom line, Richard’s a very nice and helpful person and it’s a damn shame eBay / PayPal and a dead-beat scam artist buyer… took any of Cornerstones Hard Earned Money!

Personally, I would NOT swallow a $1,200 Loss, I can’t afford it in by business… and if Richard can’t either… then he could spend a few extra hours pursuing his recovery of Funds from PayPal and the Deadbeat buyer.

But Scott, I am a bit surprised by your Article statement.

“I am inspired by the clients understanding that I could never have predicted all of the various changes and oddities that eBay has thrown at them in the last year.”

It’s NOT surprising . . . is it?
2008 was an Anti-Seller Campaign on eBay the entire Year!… with Ton’s of oddities and changes that could, would and did harm… many many Sellers.

Anyway, PayPals Seller Protection WILL protect Cornerstone on this Transaction.

PayPal failed to require Buyer to Return Merchandise, which is PayPals responsibility before they Void or Overturn an UnAuthorized Credit Card Transaction.

If Buyer does NOT return Merchandise, PayPal will have to Refund Sellers Account . . . and it’s then PayPals responsibility to work out Payment with Credit Card Company, who will then contact Deadbeat Buyer to either Return or ReCharge / Authorize the $1200 for the item in Scam Artist buyers possession.

Failing that, though I’ve not had to go further down this Route with PayPal… Filing a Police Report and contacting State Attorney of Bidders location… you’d go after him Criminally!

Bottom Line… Richard needs to pursue that Protection clause.

Persistence and Squeaky Wheel = JUSTICE !!!

Best of Luck,
Tom

Sure you can get burned there as in anywhere, but at least you have access to the buyers contact info and unrestricted emailing capabilities before, during and after the sale.

Also, I think you get a different type of buyer at eBay than at other venues.

Also…I just looked at Bonanzle for first time. I see they also accept paypal. What is safer about accepting paypal at bonanzle vs. ebay. Same risks?

Or is it just the ability to advertise that you also or only accept checks and mo’s as well.

Thanx for the help, M. Nahrgang

We have no explanation from PayPal as to why this transaction was not covered. And no explanation as to why the transaction was reversed or the investigation failed to see that the item was delivered to the PayPal confirmed address. They have not been very forthright at all.

I have not personally dealt with them but Connie Carpenter has and she says they will not return calls or reply to emails.

I did see the one response they did leave and it was simply – Paypal has investigated this case and decided in the buyers favor – Good Day. Case Closed, Sayanara – Don’t let the door hit you in the rear…

No real communication about why, what where or how they could come to this conclusion.

The item was shipped and received and the buyer has not returned it. Yet the payment has been reversed because the buyer says he did not authorize the charge. Thats fine, but it was PayPal’s job to verify the payment and the payer, not the seller.

Very poor communication from PayPal and really no reasoning behind the decision. Sorry, wish I could resolve it for my client, much less my readers.

I do not understand why the paypal seller protection did not cover the ebay sellers loss.

Please explain as some of us think that is what will save us in this situation. Myself included.

Thank you.