This is not what many seller ’signed up’ for.

I woke up last night with some ideas of how I might be able to put together a service that will help sellers better segment out bad buyers before they create damage – even if eBay doesn’t allow sellers to leave negative feedback. But before I go ahead and spend more nights and weekends on this, I wanted to ask the community a few questions that will help me determine whether I’m in tune with the rest of the seller community’s problems and needs.

Please take my survey here:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=gbe50ZLi6qn9D2ZfowXO7A_3d_3d

I have been reading a lot about e-bay sellers going on strike through out weeks of February. I believe that in addition to this, that e-bay sellers should also start instituting changes to the way they handle business.

For example: E-bay “encourages” buyers to contact sellers prior to purchase. This is not enforced and certainly all questions would be answered as the Seller would then perhaps actually put hands-on to the item in question to best answer. For myself, as a small seller, I would like to TURN AWAY customer’s who do not contact me first. Having them contact me first would ensure that if they were not satisfied with what they have received that they would also then contact me again prior to leaving any form of negative feedback for customer satisfaction resolution.

When a person writes to you, you are then able to click on their feedback to see if they have negative’s on THEIR feedback ratings; at which point in time you can also turn them away and / or add them to your blocked listings.

MONEY: Should PayPal deem that money is to be held for a certain amount of time for any buyers, that is when the transaction would go to dispute resolution by Seller in that if PayPal and E-bay feel this would be a risky transaction, I should also, with the transaction being STOPPED and the money refunded; which PayPal would have to do if the Transaction is no longer in play.

It would not be enough to boycott or strike at e-bay if we too, are not putting PayPal in their place. In the past six months I have had money held by PayPal for clients who have a PayPal account but do not have more than one back up resource such as a credit card to back up the money which is within their bank. When I contacted PayPal about holding these money’s they gave me the above definition. So a person who actually has money in their personal off-line bank makes a payment of cash which PayPal HOLDS for 7 days prior to releasing because that person does not have a credit card also on file. In these days of recessive economics; what person wants a credit card? Lets put PayPal to the same task that we are putting e-bay to and hold them accountable.

I believe that there are other ways we can unite to protect ourselves as sellers from the viscious attacks of buyers who know that if they can complain simply to get a partial refund or an additional item. In as much, the seller then becomes enslaved to the stroke of the Buyer’s whim.

I would like to see an open forum of suggestions towards this end, that would inspire Sellers to Unite in way’s that would follow as well as create POLICY & STANDARDS that better protect us within our online existence.