posted on October 16, 2005 05:24:13 AM
I got the following off my picture hosting company's website. I found it interesting, if not disturbing. DON'T mention PayPal's competition. Hey, eBay, who's paying fees to list? Me or you? The paragraph I've highlighted should provide some comic relief to those who have had nothing but trouble with PayPal.
Dont' Say Greenzap
It seems eBay does not like the Greenzap service. If you mention the word Greenzap in your listing the auction will not post and you will get the following error message:
"Members may not include content, images, or inappropriate links to 3rd party services in listings which may have the potential to cause poor member experiences or financial loss for other members."
We created a test listing where we only said the word Greenzap. No template, no html, nothing but the word Greenzap. Ebay denied the listing and gave us the error listed above.
We do not know why eBay will not let sellers mention the Greenzap service. When we questioned eBay Live Help we were told we would need to email in to eBay for assistance on this. We have not received a response from eBay at this time. If we are told the cause we will post an updated article here.
Cheryl
[ edited by cblev65252 on Oct 16, 2005 05:28 AM ]
posted on October 16, 2005 06:29:37 AM
Ok - now that I see the site I think I remember someone spamming this board way back with stuff about Greenzap. I also think it was revealed that the company was really smoke and mirrors and the founder was some nobody working out of a PO box or was that some other company? Perhaps THIS time ebay is really watching out for its users and not trying to kill competition?? Didn't Michael do something on this company in the radio show - like the nail the founder to the wall?? Dang my memory not working too well yet - does anyone else remember this?
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You may be right now that I think about it. However, eBay also discourages buyers from using Western Union. At this point it's hard to tell if eBay is looking out for the buyers or if they're looking out for themselves.
Edited to add: At least your memory is better than mine!!! I completely forgot about that thread. Now, where did I put that Gingko?
Cheryl
[ edited by cblev65252 on Oct 16, 2005 06:56 AM ]
FOR MONTHS, they tried to hide the fact that DAMON WESTMORELAND was the "genius" behind this scheme -- remember ALEX SORKIN'S interview on that AUCTION RADIO SHOW posted here?
NOW, he's listed as the CEO! Was bought by a company whose offices are an empty storefront!
THIS WHOLE LOAD OF POPO DOES NOT PASS THE RALPHIE SNIFF TEST!
"eBay wants to ensure that the marketplace offers an array of safe and convenient payment choices for its buyers. As described in our safe buying guide, eBay strongly encourages sellers to offer payments through PayPal – PayPal is not only convenient to use, but it also offers buyers and sellers industry leading protection against fraud, chargebacks and theft of financial data. Merchants with their own merchant credit card processing account, and those who use a third-party processor, may also offer their buyers the option of paying directly with a credit card online (including through third party checkout) or by phone.
From time to time, as new payment services arise, eBay will evaluate them to determine whether they may present trust and safety concerns and are appropriate for the marketplace. eBay will consider the following factors, among others, in making its determination:
Whether the payment model offers substantial financial, privacy and anti-fraud protection for buyers and sellers
Whether the payment model raises the potential for confusion among eBay users, or involves incentives that may present fraud concerns
Whether the payment model involves precious metals, or other non-cash (points, miles, minutes, coupons, discounts) as consideration
Whether the payment service has a substantial historical track record of providing safe and reliable financial and/or banking related services (new services without such a track record generally cannot be promoted on eBay)
The identity, background and other business interests of the payment service sponsor
The license/regulatory status of the payment provider in the countries where it provides payment services
Offline payment methods generally do not offer the same level of protection or convenience as online payments. Nonetheless, they may be appropriate for certain types of transactions, and sellers may use listings to offer acceptance of most valid financial instruments, including personal checks, cashier’s checks, money orders including BidPay, or COD.
Policy
Permitted on eBay.com: Sellers may offer to accept PayPal, credit cards including Mastercard/Visa /Amex/Discover, debit cards and bank electronic payments online for eBay purchases. Sellers may also offer to accept ban- to-bank transfers, often known as bank wire transfers or bank cash transfers, and the online money order service Bidpay. Sellers may accept COD (cash on delivery) or cash for in person transactions. Sellers may offer to accept personal checks, money orders (including Bidpay), cashier’s checks, certified checks and other negotiable instruments.
Not permitted on eBay.com: Sellers may not solicit buyers to mail cash. Sellers may not ask buyers to send cash through instant cash transfer services (non-bank, point-to-point cash transfers) such as Western Union or Moneygram. Finally, sellers may not request payment through online payment services not listed in this policy.
Violations of this policy may result in a range of actions including:
Listing cancellation
Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings
Listing cancellation
Limits on account privileges
Loss of PowerSeller status
Account suspension
This policy does not affect any payment method commonly offered on eBay today. However, there are some sellers who have listings offering to accept cash and Western Union instant cash transfer, and a few who offer other payment methods that are not permitted under this policy. To avoid disruption of these sellers’ business during the holiday shopping season, eBay will delay enforcement of this policy against existing payment methods until Jan 15, 2006. This policy will be localized for other eBay sites in the coming months."
Under "SOME EXAMPLES," is this:
"Under the above criteria, eBay does not permit sellers to solicit payment for eBay items through Greenzap.com or e-gold payments. Sellers may not solicit payment through “topping off” of a seller’s pre-paid credit or debit card."
posted on October 16, 2005 11:57:08 AM
Thanks Tom! I THOUGHT that's what I'd heard about the company...guess I am not QUITE as senile as I thought
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posted on October 16, 2005 01:09:39 PM
Cheryl; EBay is referring to direct payment through Western Union, not BidPay. There are crooks out there selling on eBay & ask to be paid through W/U. These crooks can be anywhere in the world & can go to any W/U office & get the money. There is no way to trace them & of course they never shipped the mdse.
posted on October 16, 2005 06:37:57 PM
Actually this isn't so much of an anti-GreenZap move by eBay but rather the first shot in eBay's battle against Google Money. By pre-emptively banning all payment services that compete with eBay's cash cow PayPal, eBay hope to keep the cash stream flowing. Google Money is expected to be up and running around January 2006...
Home of the best eBay auction fee & PayPal calculators: http://auctionfeecalculator.com
I'm not so sure...Afterall, they aren't banning BIDPAY...
There are a bunch of low-tier systems out there that cater to the MLM / ONLINE GAMBLING crowd that I think eBay is just trying to keep out, such as: e-Gold, StormPay, and GreenCrap!
posted on October 17, 2005 01:06:39 AM
Hi Everyone;
Yep, as mentioned above we covered GreenZap awhile back on the show.
A total fraud. The thread Tom refers on Scam.com covers the whole story exhaustively..at least I'm exhausted by it!
I christened the posters there "Web Rangers" for the incredible work they did revealing the true nature of this scam.
Sadly enough, quite a few were taken in by this latter day Ponzi scheme..and its still going.
Best,
Michael
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Internet Talk Radio
Everything eBay...and More. E-Auction-Air
I see a bright future for that boy in Turd Blossom's office (or cell?)
"GreenZap has recently made a number of people very angry, including me. However, as anger serves no function in a successful rebuttal, I will simply state objectively that GreenZap should put its own house in order before it tells others what to do. I assume you already know that if you spot a bumper sticker that reads, "One difference between GreenZap's secret police and other dark forces of anarchy and hatred is that the former intend to turn a deaf ear to need and suffering," you're probably looking at my car, but I have something more important to tell you. GreenZap believes that it is omnipotent. That's just wrong. It further believes that divine ichor flows through its veins. Wrong again!
Let's look at the facts. First, we are becoming a nation of cranky, villainous underachievers. Second, some day, GreenZap's hatred of all things pure and good will erupt like Mt. Vesuvius, scattering the ashes of larrikinism over everyone in its path. And finally, GreenZap is firmly convinced that "the norm" shouldn't have to worry about how the exceptions feel. Its belief is controverted, however, by the weight of the evidence indicating that Nature is a wonderful teacher. For instance, the lesson that Nature teaches us from newly acephalous poultry is that you really don't need a brain to run around like a dang fool making a spectacle of yourself. Nature also teaches us that if the human race is to survive on this planet, we will have to evaluate the tactics GreenZap has used against me. You might think this is all pretty funny now, but I doubt I'll hear you laughing if, sooner than you think, GreenZap is successfully able to undermine the current world order.
GreenZap's manuscripts are geared toward the continuation of social stratification under the rubric of "tradition". Funny, that was the same term that its compeers once used to formulate social policies and action programs based on the most fickle sorts of Marxism in existence. In retrospect, GreenZap has always been more uncompanionable than most fatuous quidnuncs. While some information provided by GreenZap's shock troops may be factual, other material is unsubstantiated rumor or purblind wheelings and dealings. GreenZap once said that it's okay for it to indulge its every whim and lust without regard for anyone else or for society as a whole. Oh, please. I'm just glad I hadn't eaten dinner right before I heard it say that. Otherwise, I'd probably still be vomiting too hard to tell you that to get even the simplest message into the consciousness of what I call ungrateful, litigious blowhards, it has to be repeated at least 50 times. Now, I don't want to insult your intelligence by telling you the following 50 times, but I unmistakably have a hard time trying to reason with people who remain calm when they see GreenZap go to great lengths to conceal its true aims and mislead the public. Let me close where I began: GreenZap seems to be fond of concocting new ways to deface a social fabric that was already deteriorating."
~Ralphie da Dog
