Danfrphils

eBay Buyer Incentives Are Not a Good Bargain

Dinah, I also noticed another fault in your logic (among others pointed out by others). You said:

"No matter what the reason for the Paypal 60 day hold, it's wrong, doesn't benefit consumers, and Paypal still earns money on the float. Paypal can claim that they're worried about chargebacks but this is nonsense because chargebacks are actually charged back to the seller."

Not sure why you think this is wrong.

For the seller, they get their money right away (unless they have bad feedback, in which case they get the 21 days hold, but that's self induced... all merchant accounts have similar restrictions).

For the buyer, I need to wait 60 days to get 25% of my purchase price back. That seems pretty decent to me. All I have to do is: 1) not return the item (imagine that), 2) not commit fraud like using stolen credit card to make purchase, and 3) actually request the cash back. None of this actually sounds that bad. I've done a lot of rebates offline... and trust me, this is MUCH, MUCH more reliable and easier.

PayPal makes no float on these funds since it pays out almost all of it to the seller anyways, except for their fees, as pointed out above.

On balance, it DEFINITELY benefits me as the buyer (i.e. cash back on my purchase). For seller, you are no worse off since you don't even know if the buyer is using cash back or not. In fact, I think sellers are better off because I see my items selling quicker and at higher price. So tell me (with logic and hard evidence this time), why this is so wrong.

I have issues with the site too, just like everyone else. I agree that rules do change too often, many times without adequate communication. But I also take issue when someone rips on a generous program with no logic or basis for the criticism.

eBay Buyer Incentives Are Not a Good Bargain

Wow, I can't believe someone is actually criticizing the Microsoft Cashback program. When Microsoft told me they would give me 30% off on my purchase on eBay, I jumped on it. My first thought was that it was a generous deal. I've received hundreds of dollars cash back from the program and I've withdrawn it into my bank account via my PayPal account. In addition, I notice that my items sell faster with Buy-it-Now and at a higher price.

Dinah, maybe if instead of being a "hater," if you actually try it out, you'll know how it actually works and maybe (just maybe) realize it's a pretty good deal. I agree that It's not for everyone because there are a number of hoops and steps to jump through, as well as the wait. But they are not difficult things to do. Here's what I think: make me do a few things and wait a few weeks if it means higher discounts. Heck, I'll do it all and more if I can get 30% (or 25% right now) cash back.

I honestly don't know how MS & eBay pay for this given that my Powerseller fees to eBay and PP fees don't come anywhere close to the 25% or 30% of transaction price that I've gotten back.