The state of eBay...

[Holyoak]

Been on it since 2003, mostly as a buyer, but also with about 40 sales.  100% feedback, with many folks saying how my descriptions are perfect/exactly what they received.  Have had a few less than stellar incidents with counterfeit goods, and obvious lying from a seller or two, and eBay back in those days was what seems a whole other animal.  Seemed more individuals with items up for bids, no Buy It Now, no percentage added to shipping, and more reasonable fees....  Now, Holy crap!  High fees, can't give neg feedback to crappy buyers, tack on a charge related to shipping costs, etc...

Also, I just had my first request for a return, in an all sales final/no returns allowed auction.  Item was in absolutely perfect working order at auction close, packed extremely well, and to top it off the buyer gave me positive feedback.  Now, out of the blue I receive a notice from eBay about this buyers return request, they take the sale amount out of my PayPal account, and nothing is done on my side to attempt to make the situation fair.  The seller says the item was received defective...  Bullshit., more like buyers remorse, or he damaged/miss-assembled the item after receipt, and now wants a refund + I pay return shipping.  He has said in emails that he had disassembled the item, and even after he issued a return request, says he is still fiddling with it???  WTF???  I googled my situation, and it seems absolutely rampant, and full of scam...  Folks getting back a different, well used item, a rock in a box, item returned with parts missing, same item returned beat to hell, and eBay telling the seller to pound sand.

Of course I ask him to send a video showing the malfunction - silence, and asked him how does someone leave positive feedback days after receipt of a defective/not working properly item...  Silence again.  Amazing how my only options offered by eBay, were related to how I was going to/at what amount I was going to compensate the buyer, with absolutely no investigation on their part to see if the buyer is being truthful.

I was going to sell some high dollar reloading equipment on eBay, but this situation has changed that.  So, what do you think of how eBay has changed over the years, and what alternatives have you used and like?  Thanks
 

[Bucksandreds]

I had one attempted return and ebay sides with me. I buy some. Certain items you can’t get cheaper anywhere. Can’t see you losing this battle, if you push it.

[DreamFIRE]

I've been an eBay user since the late 90's.  I didn't realize how bad it's gotten.   It looks like I've only bought one thing on eBay in the last year, and it's been many years since I sold anything on there.  I had one purchase not go through about 15 years ago, and I submitted something to eBay and got my money back.   About 18 years ago, I used to sell a lot more on there.  I do have some things I thought about listing on there to sell and have kept putting it off.  I've used ioffer.com to buy some stuff but never sold there, so I don't really have any recommendations for alternatives.  I figure that if you do a lot of business, you're bound to get screwed from time to time.

[englishteacheralex]

That's awful. I only use ebay as a buyer anymore. Only rarely for buying, too. Selling wasn't awesome because between fees and shipping I really just broke even or even lost money, and I had better luck just bartering, passing things on to friends, or selling on Craigslist (another crazy venue that doesn't always go according to plan).

[Michael in ABQ]

I sell some things on Amazon but I've sold a few items on eBay recently. It's worked ok but it's a hassle having to create your own listing for each item. I almost had an issue selling a large heavy item. I was offering free shipping because I figured UPS ground would be about $40 at most to anywhere in the US which would still leave me with about a $50 profit on a $200 item with free shipping. Unfortunately someone from Hawaii bought it and the cheapest shipping was going to be Priority Mail for $90, thus wiping out all profit. Luckily the buyer was cool with me cancelling the order and I then found that you can exclude shipping to Alaska/Hawaii as well as some other locations.

[SC93]

All of that is why I never got in to selling on Ebay/Amazon. I like having control of my business, not an internet site. I was really tempted many times but held myself back. Nowadays the local sites are much better if a person knows how to make a great ad and how to do things a little different then the others.

[swampwiz]

Except for the collectible that catches my eye, and my pinball hobby looking to scavenge a part, I only shop at eBay for stuff that I can't get at Amazon/Wal-Mart and/or can't get a small enough portion, or for something that I could get at Amazon or Wal-mart online, but the shipping cost is high (@ eBay the shipping cost is typically less).  One thing I've been buying a lot of is eyeglass frames, since they (at least the ones I want) are offered for $20 or so there, and the ones sold at regular online stores are either unattractive styles or ridiculously priced.

[RocketSurgeon]

I think it depends a lot on the kind of item, I have easily over 200 purchases/sales of miniature toy soldiers through eBay with 99% problem free. Although I did just get a counterfeit recast, which I suppose should have been obvious seeing it was 50% retail and coming from China. I'm not even mad, the quality was outstanding.

[aperture]

I sell on eBay and have made decent $s, but it is a numbers game when it comes to this sort of thing.  My return rate is around 1/20 and I have learned to just suck it up and be a team player because eBay continues to be a net income stream. 

With that said, I only sell things that are 100% perfect.  If I sell something and have to describe its imperfections, it is probable that someone on the receiving end is going to look at the same imperfection and think it is different then they pictured it.  I avoid selling very high dollar breakable items or valuable things that people might purchase for a single job then return.  eBay is the wrong venue because you it is trivial to scam someone selling that sort of stuff on eBay. I also try to avoid selling things that cost a lot to ship. 

eBay is working to be a 100% predictable experience for buyers and to the extent they are successful they drive business to my store.  There are pitfalls for sellers though and learning to sell there is trial and error.  The errors are only costly if you are selling very high value items.  I would encourage you to try selling things you place low value on that others may place high value on and avoid bulky difficult to ship stuff.  Best wishes, aperture.

[cchrissyy]

just last week i had a very similar situation.

t was a bra, new with tags, and the buyer complained on arrival that there was no tag. Paypal took back the funds and Ebay's system authorized the return and is charging me for postage both ways. 

My guess is the buyer just changed their mind or it didn't fit or something.

Now I'll have to resell it as "new without tags". But honestly I prob can't/won't resell it at all without the tags. Sigh.

[I'm a red panda]

I won't sell anything on ebay anymore. Postage and fees are just way too high. When I started selling there it was all individuals. Now it is all crap from China.

Way too many buyers scam you- it's easy to claim an item came without tags; just cut the tag off and take a photo.  I can't eat the losses, I'm not a business.

[inline five]

Welcome to the crappy world of retail. Now you know why everything in the store has a 200% markup.

There have been pretty well publicized events of people buying defective gaming system and then purchasing a new one in the store, swapping it, and returning it.

[SC93]

I won't sell anything on ebay anymore. Postage and fees are just way too high. When I started selling there it was all individuals. Now it is all crap from China.

Way too many buyers scam you- it's easy to claim an item came without tags; just cut the tag off and take a photo.  I can't eat the losses, I'm not a business.

I'm kind of confused when you say you are not a business. Was your goal to sell things and make a profit yet stay under the IRS radar as far as how much you can sell before ebay has to turn it over to the IRS? If so that is fine but realistically you was/are still a business. Maybe you meant you are not a big business such as Target. So I guess I'd have to ask this, have you ever taken anything back to a store in your life? If so you are the person you are complaining about. But don't feel bad if you are that person.... I discovered I was the person I was complaining about so I had to change how I treated businesses when I wasn't happy with them.

We used to buy the jewelry from China and sell the hell out of it. You would be surprised at the rich people that love cheap jewelry. My wife would take it to the museum and sell it to the girls in the office and some of the owners of the museum. There is a well-known film maker from NYC who still emails her and asks what type of things she has for sale. Buy at $3-$5, sell at $20-$250. Local, no shipping, no pay-pal, no hassle. She made an extra $20,000 the last year she did it. She had to stop because it got to be too much for her along with her new position at the museum but she really loves doing it.

[I'm a red panda]

I won't sell anything on ebay anymore. Postage and fees are just way too high. When I started selling there it was all individuals. Now it is all crap from China.

Way too many buyers scam you- it's easy to claim an item came without tags; just cut the tag off and take a photo.  I can't eat the losses, I'm not a business.

I'm kind of confused when you say you are not a business. Was your goal to sell things and make a profit yet stay under the IRS radar as far as how much you can sell before ebay has to turn it over to the IRS? If so that is fine but realistically you was/are still a business. Maybe you meant you are not a big business such as Target. So I guess I'd have to ask this, have you ever taken anything back to a store in your life? If so you are the person you are complaining about. But don't feel bad if you are that person.... I discovered I was the person I was complaining about so I had to change how I treated businesses when I wasn't happy with them.

No, I'm not a business means I'm not a business.
My goal was to get rid of excess stuff in my house. Not make a profit if when you take into account purchase price.  Usually used books, old video games, sometimes used kids clothes, on rare occasions ones that were new that were gifts my daughter didn't get around to wearing. I've never bought anything specifically to sell.  Last year I sold 14 things and made a profit of $40 after paypal fees and shipping.

I have no problem with valid returns; but when you sell something stating "no returns" and then they return it for a made up reason, it stings; especially when you have to pay shipping to get it back to you; often times the combined shipping costs more than the item; so they get to keep the item instead of return it, which is what shitty scammers want. 

Also, I've never cut a tag off an item at Target and tried to return it complaining it didn't have a tag, so I'm not sure how I could be the person I'm complaining about.  I don't like people who scam ebay sellers for free stuff or buyers remorse.

I used to sell a ton online when Ebay (and half.com) first started. It's not worth it now, not when local facebook sales have none of these issues. It's just harder to find the buyer.

[FiftyIsTheNewTwenty]

I used to sell extra stuff -- photo equipment, name-brand clothing, bicycle parts, etc. -- but it has become too big risk of getting negative feedback.  Mine's still at 100% but the peril is nigh.  Too many people out to scam, or just give others a hard time for fun.

Wouldn't it be interesting if credit bureaus figured eBay feedback into credit scores?

[Tobias]

I used to occasionally sell things here and there on eBay in the 2000s and never had an issue.  I tried to auction a laptop a year ago and had a bad time. It had been about ten years since I'd sold anything on eBay.

The first buyer didn't pay. I waited about a month and then relisted. The second buyer lied that the laptop's trackpad was broken and demanded a discount. I refused, and he mailed the laptop back. The laptop was in perfect working order, trackpad and all, when it was returned, but he'd opened the computer, as some of the screws were missing. I made sure he hadn't replaced any hardware. eBay refunded the buyer.

 I complained on Twitter that the computer had been tampered with and I no longer felt comfortable selling it. eBay refunded me. So, I still got paid and kept the laptop. I gave it to a family member who needed a computer. I got lucky I got to keep my payment and laptop.

I won't be selling anything on eBay anymore.

My brother was trying to sell an unlocked phone on eBay  and buyers kept winning and not paying. This is rampant and there is no accountability. Presumably buyers bid on everything and then don't pay if they didn't get the price they wanted or win multiple auctions.

[nick663]

Odd to see so many having issues.  Between my resale business and selling personal items (2 different accounts) I sold close to 200 items last year with 1 return request and 0 scams.

[Travis]

I sold a handful of used cell phones on E-Bay this last year. I got concerned when my buyers were all a shipping company in Florida.  The addresses all went something like John Doe, Box X, Member #Y, Street Address, Miami, FL.  It turns out this receiving/shipping location is used by third parties to move goods from the US to Caribbean islands for resale.  There were a number of forums discussing this because while the use of this company for shipping wasn't illegal, buyers using this service were known to try to defraud the sellers and E-Bay tends to side with the buyers no questions asked.  Apparently this company was used for this purpose often enough everyone on this forum instantly recognized the address.  Thankfully my transactions went through.

[hadabeardonce]

The state of eBay...

seems as good as ever. I've been a buying and selling member since Aug, 2000. 770+ positive experiences and counting.

New stuff below MSRP, used stuff below MSRP, limited/exclusive/promotional stuff, international stuff, vintage stuff, rare stuff, obscure stuff, bulk lots of stuff... bid, buy it now, best offer... saved searches, saved sellers... eBay bucks... I like it all.

[FiftyIsTheNewTwenty]

I've thought for a long time that eBay needs a competitor, or a niche alternative, with verified names and addresses.  Let people start with small sales, then raise their limit based on performance.  Ban them completely for flaking out, or failing to deliver.  Report to credit agencies*, or just create an API for them to access the records.

*Alternative/upstart credit reporting systems are cropping up all over.

[mustachemarine]

If you're buying/selling phones, check out Swappa. They beat eBay on fee's, and verify that phone isn't stolen or carrier-locked.

[CogentCap]

I had a comparable experience, but in my case the item was consumable (a one-time use type of item). Customer ordered ten, used them, then demanded money back. Couldn't even return any because he'd used them up. EBay sided with the buyer, forced the return, and docked me the money. So I was out of 10 of the product AND the cost of 10 of the product. Haven't been back.

[big_slacker]

I sell on eBay and have made decent $s, but it is a numbers game when it comes to this sort of thing.  My return rate is around 1/20 and I have learned to just suck it up and be a team player because eBay continues to be a net income stream. 

With that said, I only sell things that are 100% perfect.  If I sell something and have to describe its imperfections, it is probable that someone on the receiving end is going to look at the same imperfection and think it is different then they pictured it.  I avoid selling very high dollar breakable items or valuable things that people might purchase for a single job then return.  eBay is the wrong venue because you it is trivial to scam someone selling that sort of stuff on eBay. I also try to avoid selling things that cost a lot to ship. 

eBay is working to be a 100% predictable experience for buyers and to the extent they are successful they drive business to my store.  There are pitfalls for sellers though and learning to sell there is trial and error.  The errors are only costly if you are selling very high value items.  I would encourage you to try selling things you place low value on that others may place high value on and avoid bulky difficult to ship stuff.  Best wishes, aperture.

I've got over 800 transactions and I'm with you. Sell long enough and you're going to run into a few bad apples but I've had a pretty overwhelmingly normal, boring transactions. Just like with any business you're going to have an occasional unhappy or scammy customer and the goal is to get rid of them with the minimum amount of hassle/expense and get back to making $$.

[Radagast]

I will defend at least a few of the bad ebay buyers, or admit I am an Amazon version. A few months ago I bought one of those MMM multi grooming tools from an independent seller. I tore open the packing, charged it, and... it didn't turn on. I charged it over the next 24 hours and tried about a hundred times to turn it on and no luck so I ordered a different model from Amazon directly because I wanted to shave. I requested a return and as soon as the new shaver got there and worked I packed the old one. Just before I put it in the box I flicked the switch and it worked. I waited and tried it a few more times over the weekend and it continued to work. Well I didn't want to eat the cost of two of these things so I just returned it anyhow alongside all of the destroyed packaging. Seller probably thinks I'm an asshole but I don't care.

[SC93]

It's always been kind of a scammy site for me and here is an example of why. Ebay doesn't care if things are fake. When we first started buying jewelry the ad said it was .925. We got it, it wasn't, we told ebay and they did nothing. We told them a few times and they still did nothing. Seller blocked us when we complained. Now we didn't think it could be .925 since it was that cheap but when we found it was indeed not .925 and they did nothing..... it makes everyone on the site look bad.

Little story about PayPal.... 15 years ago one of my house cleaning customer's worked at PayPal. One time when I went to QC the home owner was home and we were talking about her daughter. She said her daughter just got a job at PayPal.... in the PORN department!!! I said hell, can she get me a job in the porn department??? I'll work for free!!! :) Their porn department makes sure no porn site has a PayPal button because they do not support porn so her daughter had to go through porn sites every day to make sure. :)

[Gondolin]

My goal was to get rid of excess stuff in my house

This is no longer the primary use case for eBay as it was 10 years ago. EBay is now focused on large "storefront" retail shops that do high volume business and can handle returns/losses. As a result the site's policies have become more buyer friendly (aka "no returns" is now meaningless and no redress for buyer misconduct).

EBay was great for me until about 2014. I still put something up occasionally but the high risk of returns usually makes the ROI not worth it.

[Holyoak]

Update. 

I called eBay, told them I do not believe a return is warranted and why, and they seemed to understand my frustration, especially because someone states the reason for return was defectiveness upon receipt, yet they left positive feedback.  Also, they did not like that the buyer keeps fiddling with the item, after he requested a return.  Have to wait until tomorrow to see what the situation is, and the rep said I may be forced a return, but I would not have to pay the shipping...  Can't wait to see my item all messed up, parts missing...

I was looking closely at the terms in which eBay allows for returns, even when the auction says no returns.  Not only does all it take for a buyer to say, lying through their teeth that the item is defective, thus allowing for a return with shipping paid by the seller, it even goes for items received as damaged, even if insurance was paid.  WTF, I thought that was an important component of exactly why you purchase insurance???  Damn, talk about screwing the seller for about any reason under the sun.

[nemesis]

eBay sucks, as a buyer and seller.  I use Amazon and Swappa way more than eBay now.

I purchased an item on eBay, realized it was from overseas and would take weeks to get here.  I clicked "cancel my purchase" within an hour of the purchase, and of course the seller didn't do squat and took their sweet time to send the item to me anyway.

eBay's policies are that  you're supposed to be able to cancel a buy within an hour, especially if the seller hadn't shipped.

I'm sticking with Amazon as I can cancel a purchase within a few hours or a day and have no worries. 

[I'm a red panda]

My goal was to get rid of excess stuff in my house

This is no longer the primary use case for eBay as it was 10 years ago. EBay is now focused on large "storefront" retail shops that do high volume business and can handle returns/losses. As a result the site's policies have become more buyer friendly (aka "no returns" is now meaningless and no redress for buyer misconduct).

EBay was great for me until about 2014. I still put something up occasionally but the high risk of returns usually makes the ROI not worth it.

I'm aware that most of ebay is giant storefronts.

The first part of the question posed by the OP was "So, what do you think of how eBay has changed over the years"
I'm annoyed by it- which is what I was conveying by complaining that since I'm not a business the site is basically useless now and it used to be great.

[GuitarStv]

Ebay was once kinda a cool place for individuals.  I sold and bought stuff kinda regularly on it up until about 2004.  The auctioning of old used items seems to have gone the wayside and it appeared to be a giant warehouse of Chinese knock-off stuff, and stores selling items for more money that it would cost to go to their website the last time I was looking at it.  As many thumbs down as I can give it.

[GuitarBrian]

I'll stick up for eBay. As a buyer, I have 500+ transactions. I can't remember returning anything. As a seller, I have about 100 sales. Had one return. The buyer was honest and said nothing was wrong, he just didn't want it. So he paid shipping both ways and I refunded his money. Sold the item again 2 days later and that was the end.

I also buy on Amazon. But, next time your buying something, check the price on both, 75% of the time I end up on eBay. (Same condition. Same item, ect)

Also you can't beat eBay for the range of items. As much as I like Amazon, once you go beyond the usual... It gets impossible to find that obscure part. I can't always say it isn't listed, but... I couldn't find it. This applies mostly to used parts.

And they have eBay bucks :)

[caseyzee]

I used to sell some stuff on Ebay, and generally found it fairly easy because I could list, pack, and ship on my schedule.  It seemed like a good way to declutter some of my better stuff.

Nowadays, I find it's just too much of a hassle, I had a couple crazy buyers, I'm not good at figuring out the cheapest shipping, etc. 

You might try Facebook garage sale groups.  Prices are lower, but there is no shipping, and it's local.

[Gondolin]

I'm annoyed by it- which is what I was conveying by complaining that since I'm not a business the site is basically useless now and it used to be great.

I was agreeing with you. Used to be great and now useless. The exegesis was for OP's benefit.

[jax8]

Back in 2007, I sold enough items on Ebay to earn $3,000 and cover our share of closing costs on our house. I sold our old childhood toys (I got $60-90 each for my used Jem dolls! they weren't even in great condition!) and anything else we had lying around that held any value.  I made ridiculous money.

It's not the same today.  The last time I listed items (maybe 6 months ago) I recieved a handful of bids, I didn't estimate the shipping correctly, and I barely broke even for the time and effort.  Half of my listings never received a bid, but people contacted me after the bid ended and wanted me to sell it to them for much less. I also had to wait around 3-5 days for people to pay, which drug the whole process out even more.

You have Ebay fees, Paypal frees, shipping, time and effort to box it all up and ship it out, crossing your fingers that the buyer won't be a weirdo and complain about the item and demand a refund...or that it gets lost in shipping and you're out everything...

Nope.  Unless it's an expensive item, I box everything up and drop it at Goodwill.

(I listed 3 items on Craig's List--a $50 elliptical, a free working stove, and $50 amusement park tickets.  I didn't like the rude texts, and I really didn't like the people who showed up at my house to look at the items.  Maybe I'd list again with a meeting place at Target or something, but I doubt it.)

[Roadrunner53]

I have been selling on ebay for years. Mostly stuff around the house and hubs tools. I have a bunch of books that are really nice and were never used. They are Culinary books from a famous culinary school. These books originally sold for minimum $35.00 each and more. I do a look up on what is for sale and sold and there are these book sellers that are ruining it for us normal people. They will have this same book as I am trying to sell and get this, they have it listed for $3.99 with free shipping! Media mail for an average book is around $2.66 and up. So by the time they pay ebay fees and Paypal fees what are they making? $0.50 per book? How could they obtain these books when the original price was $35. Yes, I know there are places to buy used books but with the numbers I listed above, they would have to buy these books for maybe 10 cents! Where on earth would you get the books that cheap? I do not understand this at all!

[nick663]

eBay sucks, as a buyer and seller.  I use Amazon and Swappa way more than eBay now.

I purchased an item on eBay, realized it was from overseas and would take weeks to get here.  I clicked "cancel my purchase" within an hour of the purchase, and of course the seller didn't do squat and took their sweet time to send the item to me anyway.

eBay's policies are that  you're supposed to be able to cancel a buy within an hour, especially if the seller hadn't shipped.

I'm sticking with Amazon as I can cancel a purchase within a few hours or a day and have no worries.

Protip:  Read the listing before buying and the order cancellation process doesn't matter.

My problem with Amazon is the shipping is so slow without prime.  eBay has metrics on how quick sellers ship (that roll into top rated/powerseller status) so if an item is same price at both and the ebay seller has good status, I'm buying from ebay.

I have been selling on ebay for years. Mostly stuff around the house and hubs tools. I have a bunch of books that are really nice and were never used. They are Culinary books from a famous culinary school. These books originally sold for minimum $35.00 each and more. I do a look up on what is for sale and sold and there are these book sellers that are ruining it for us normal people. They will have this same book as I am trying to sell and get this, they have it listed for $3.99 with free shipping! Media mail for an average book is around $2.66 and up. So by the time they pay ebay fees and Paypal fees what are they making? $0.50 per book? How could they obtain these books when the original price was $35. Yes, I know there are places to buy used books but with the numbers I listed above, they would have to buy these books for maybe 10 cents! Where on earth would you get the books that cheap? I do not understand this at all!

The big places are either buying in bulk (hoping for a few higher dollar books in the lot) or receiving donations.  They also have largely automated listings that are built off of ISBN.

Still doubt it's worth the time investment but I guess it's good that they're recycling the books instead of putting them in a landfill?

[Mtngrl]

I used to sell a lot of stuff on eBay (household items we no longer needed, the occasional thrift store bargain). But I've pretty much given up on it, for the reasons others have shared -- high fees and high postage costs mean very little profit for a big hassle. Last year I sold a pair of boots on eBay. The day after I shipped them I got a snotty message from the buyer, saying the boots were the wrong size, my ad was misleading, demanding a refund, etc. eBay took the money out of my Paypal. I filed a dispute, noting that the tracking number for shipping showed the boots hadn't even been delivered to the buyer yet. It took a few days, but eBay put the money back in my Paypal account. I never heard another word from the buyer.

[PhrugalPhan]

Figured I should chime in as I just packed two sales to ship out tomorrow.  I do ok selling on ebay, have had very little problems with buyers.  When I have, ebay has sided with me except once.  And then I filed an insurance claim and got my money anyway.  So far I am lucky I guess.

That said, I don't know how you can get rich on ebay, unless you are selling lots of new things you can get on the cheap.  Most of my things are collectables which are hard to undersell.  I have made around $2,000 each of the last three years, and I am over $500 already this year.  I have to say I am a terrible seller though.  If I had to survive by selling on ebay I would starve.  It takes me a long time to list things, and then packing can be quite an adventure too.  Thankfully I have gotten better finding free packing supplies in strangest places.  And by using the postage facility on ebay I usually get most of the sale fee back via the discount on shipping they give you.  Not always, maybe 50% of the time.  If nothing else, selling on ebay covers all my hobby expenses and my yearly vacation to Florida.

Reselling on ebay is an art, you learn over time.  That said, I hope to sell off the last of my excess around the house in the next year or two.  I could appreciate not having shipping supplies sitting about the house all the time.

[Shortbus]

Been on there since the late 90's and I agree with your assessment. The fees are what led me to stop selling on there awhile back and having to sort through pages of cheap junk just to find what I was looking for led me to stop buying. I had a few questionable experiences a few years back when I had to liquidate a ton of stuff before a move but it wasn't enough to stress over with everything else I had going on at the time. These days I don't think I'd be comfortable selling anything of much value on there with how stacked the claims process seems to be against the seller. I'll occasionally buy something maybe once or twice a year if I find a decent deal or some unique item I've been looking for but I generally avoid it altogether.

[acroy]

I was looking closely at the terms in which eBay allows for returns, even when the auction says no returns.  Not only does all it take for a buyer to say, lying through their teeth that the item is defective, thus allowing for a return with shipping paid by the seller, it even goes for items received as damaged, even if insurance was paid. 

I've been buying & selling a bit on Ebay since 2000 or so. I have heard they changed the Terms of Use in the last few years to be far more protective of the buyers at the (potential) expense of the sellers.
I'm sure for Ebay it's a business decision. They figure the platform is attractive enough, where else is a seller going to go. But they sure do not want to alienate potential buys by becoming known as a scammy site!

[BTDretire]

I ran across this guy that got scammed in a Paypal Chargeback scheme after selling an item, But, he turned it around.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gK_4eneQcQ

[Dicey]

I ran across this guy that got scammed in a Paypal Chargeback scheme after selling an item, But, he turned it around.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gK_4eneQcQ

OMG, hilarious! There's a twist in the story, so if you can stand the stress in his voice, watch the whole thing.