The bold text below is a letter posted on Ebay by the Ebay founder. If Ebay were to follow his recommendations as they were originally set out then it would be much fairer for sellers. At the moment everything is in favour of the buyer whether they are honest or not. I sold a light to some silly twat a few months ago. He bought the light off me using the Buy it Now facility and then decided to ask a question whilst it was in the post to him, not before he committed to buy. When he got the light he decided it wasn't what he wanted so he wanted a full refund, as a good will gesture i agreed but told him that i wouldn't refund the original postage charge and he would have to pay the return postage. Cheeky fucker didn't agree and said he wanted a full refund and wanted to keep the light. The way Ebay is set up i couldn't leave any neg feedback to warn other potential sellers so he knows he can do it again and again and again (and i know for a fact that he has as i contacted another seller who this prick bought an identical light from and he said he tried the same thing with him) so in the end i didn't leave any feedback at all. The sooner Ebay gets some real competition the better, everybody i know that sells on Ebay think they are treated like shit.

Letter from Our Founder

The following is a portion of a letter that eBay’s founder, Pierre Omidyar, posted on the Web site on February 26th, 1996. It reflects the founding values that continue to guide eBay today.



I launched eBay on Labor Day, 1995. Since then, this site has become more popular than I ever expected, and I began to realise that this was indeed a grand experiment in Internet commerce.

By creating an open market that encourages honest dealings, I hope to make it easier to conduct business with strangers over the Internet.

Most people are honest. And they mean well. Some people go out of their way to make things right. I've heard great stories about the honesty of people here. Occasionally you may meet people who are not honest. It's a fact of life.

Here, those people can't hide. We'll drive them away. Protect others from them. And this depends on your active participation. Become a registered member. Use eBay's Feedback Forum. Give praise where it's due — make complaints where appropriate. Let everyone know what a joy it was to deal with someone.

Above all, conduct yourself in a professional manner. Deal with others the way you would have them deal with you. And remember: at eBay, you're usually dealing with individuals, just like yourself. People sometimes make mistakes. That's just human. We can live with that. We can deal with that. We can still make deals with that.

Thanks for participating. Good luck and good business!

Regards,

Pierre