posted on January 3, 2001 12:57:31 AM
I tried to go through the 7 pages to find my answer on the other thread but didn't see what I was looking for.
Ebay's old policy stated that if you listed an item for auction, it was ok to sell an identical item off of ebay IF the price was higher than the starting price on ebay.
Many sellers have been doing this by linking web sites in the "about me" section of ebay. For 5 years this was ok. Now ebay is labeling this activity "fee avoidance."
I do think that getting rid of the bottom feeders is a good thing, but it seems like ebay is going WAY overboard on this one.
posted on January 3, 2001 06:29:27 AM
Kellyb1 wrote:
"Ebay's old policy stated that if you listed an item for auction, it was ok to sell an identical item off of ebay IF the price was higher than the starting price on ebay.
Many sellers have been doing this by linking web sites in the "about me" section of ebay. For 5 years this was ok. Now ebay is labeling this activity "fee avoidance."
Hi Kelly,
As far as I know, it is still O.K. to link to your own web page from within your auction listing AND sell identical auction items outside eBay as long as your website (or About Me page) price does not compete the your eBay auction price.
This practice DOES IMO contradict eBay's new fee avoidance policies. It would seem to me that eBay's policy "clarification" post on the announcement board (quote:"the use of eBay contact information to enable a transaction outside of eBay, is not condoned and is a violation of our User Agreement.") WOULD include enabling transactions from a website or About Me page since the use of eBay contact information WOULD be used to enable a transaction outside of eBay.
I don't know how eBay differentiates between buyers and sellers getting together after an auction closes to make an outside deal, versus buyers and sellers getting together as a result of a link to a web page or About Me page to make an outside deal.
It would seem that "the use of eBay contact information to enable a transaction outside of eBay" is either allowed, or it isn't.
I suspect that we will see some changes in policy regarding links to web pages (about Me pages) and selling items from those pages. Maybe eBay will start charging a fee for putting a web page link in our auction listings OR maybe eBay will disallow those links in the future. (just speculation)
posted on January 3, 2001 07:47:30 AM
"the use of eBay contact information to enable a transaction outside of eBay, is not condoned and is a violation of our User
Agreement."
Unless your name is Disney or some of the other big corporate sellers.
posted on January 3, 2001 02:11:54 PM
So true Mark!
RM - With the majority of powersellers using a link to a website, I can only see this new policy hurting ebay. One seller has already been warned about linking his website to his auctions.
I am not a powerseller, but it just seems like Ebay is going to shoot themselves in the foot with this one.
Their new policy is ambigous at best and confussing and muttled at its worst.
I too think we will see more clarifications in the future.
I too hate bottom feeders, but throwing the baby out with the bath water is not the solution.
