eBay and Paypal have an obvious monopoly (eBay owns Paypal) as demonstrated by the following:
- eBay encourages the use of Paypal and makes Paypal the easiest payment method without providing the same level of support for non-Paypal options
- eBay automatically freezes Paypal funds indiscriminantly based on a complaint by a buyer unlike standard credit card industry practice on billing/charging complaints
- eBay accesses your Paypal account without permission
- eBay continues to raise fees on sellers
- eBay has removed the ability to provide negative feedback on buyers
- eBay and Paypal "double dips" by collecting money from the Buyer/seller on the front-end and the back-end of the transaction - no bundled pricing given that they show incredible favoritism to using Paypal when selling on eBay

I have been an eBay member since 2000 with 100% positive feedback. I am not a store, not a business; just someone that wants to occasionally buy and sell things. In recent years eBay has made it increasing tougher on Sellers in their fee hikes, the way the handle feedback and they way they handle disputes. Recently I experienced my first complaint.

The Buyer complained 1 MONTH after the end of the auction claiming that the package came but had been opened (a hole in the package) and the item removed. Being a month after the fact it makes it really difficult to pursue anything with the shipping provider. I responded immediately to the buyer and despite the extreme lag between the sale and the report of a problem, I offered to resolve the problem. I tried to gather facts so that I could work within the system to research with the shipping company. He immediately starting threatening negative feedback and wanting a refund (within hours of the first notification of the complaint). I cancelled the transaction in eBay so that I could get the eBay fees back, and the buyer agreed to the cancellation. The buyer asked for a specific amount of a refund ($130 out of a $180 sale) so I viewed this as a compromise due to his lateness in reporting the problem so I refunded the money as requested. A week later the buyer demanded that I pay him more money - he wanted the full amount of the money refunded (basically asking for the shipping fees, Paypal fees, and the remaining difference (roughly $67 total). I explained that this was unfair especially since he took so long to report the problem AND because he asked for a specific amount to be refunded which I immediately honored in 24 hours from the request! The Buyer explained that the original refund request was a mistake and tried to say it was a typo but the amount wasn't off by any single digit being mistyped and was actually documented twice in two emails. He again threatened to leave negative feedback and that he would pursue within eBay and Paypal. So I continued researching with the shipping company and within eBay/Paypal on policies. But the Buyer declared me as unresponsive after 3 days, filed a complaint with eBay, put negative feedback on a canceled transaction (not sure how/why eBay would allow/permit this), and turned the matter over to the Resolution Center (a Hell hole for Sellers). So this is where the Big Brother Monopoly of eBay and Paypal wields their monstrous and totally thougtless heavy hand!

So despite the fact that I had already paid out $130, eBay reached into Paypal and put a hold on my account for the FULL amount of the original transaction - thrusting my Paypal account into the negative (overdrawn!) without notifying me, without calling me, and with total disregard of the relevant facts!!! So EBAY DOESN'T take the time to perform ANY commonsense thinking or analysis and apply it the situation (this is the thoughtless part) and expect me to be without my original item, without the shipping fees already paid, without the Paypal fees already paid, without the $130 already paid, and now are freezing 100% on an item that was delivered. The Buyer states he was traveling which is why it took him so long (1 month) to report a problem but with a month going by and a package sitting somewhere in his possession, who knows who might have had access to the package to steal the contents! So after talking to the buyer by the phone he started to see my point and was willing to compromise by asking that I pay a lesser amount (basically without the shipping and Paypal fees). But due to the Big Brother Monopoly with eBay and Paypal, I can't refund the money since eBay reached into my Paypal account and sucked out ALL my money and left me with a negative balance! I guess the Big Brother Monopoly of eBay and Paypal want me to fork over EVEN MORE money (I am already out the full value of the original item, out all the shipping fees already paid, all the Paypal fees already paid, out the $130 already refunded, out the 100% of the Paypal payment received for the dubiously disappearing product, and now they want me to shell out even more money!?!?!?!?!?! No company show have this much power and that basically goes unchecked!!!

Time to look at eBid and Webstore!

eBay and Paypal should be broke up and they need to be seriously fined. I will be seeking any and all class action lawsuits and encouraging more lawsuits not to get rich but to end their tyrannical practices!