Dear eBay Queen:

For years I have sent my customers an email reply to their PayPal payment in order to let them know that their package is on the way. (I know eBay has automated features for this, but I’ve always liked the more personal communication.) Now, all of a sudden, the emails are coming from service@paypal.com rather than from individual email addresses – so, I can’t reply. Is this something new? I also upgraded my store the other day (from Basic to Premium), and am curious if it had something to do with that, instead?

Dana,  Tampa, Florida

Dear Dana:

eBay has a new email policy when it comes to emailing our customers.  I don’t agree with it, and I believe it is hurting the site as a whole, but they have implemented it because a select few people are spamming our customers. Here’s a link to the email policy. http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/rfe-spam-ov.html

On a more positive note, if you use PayPal for your shipping, eBay will automatically put the tracking number in the listing and send it to your customer.  If you don’t use PayPal for your shipping, you can still enter it into the listing and eBay will let your buyer know.

Dear eBay Queen:

HELP! I purchased a beautiful punch bowl set on eBay 5 days ago.  The person only lived 20 miles away, so I asked if I could pick the item up.  This arrangement was ok with her, and I met her in the parking lot of Target, gave her the money, and received the item.

Today, I woke up to a complaint against me on eBay!  She just put a strike against me for non- payment!  How can she do this? I met, paid ($182.99) and picked up my punch bowl.  I’ve already left positive feedback for the transaction.  I emailed the following to her, but have not heard back:

“I am wondering why you filed for an un-paided item strike against me.  Don’t you remember that we met?  I gave you $183.00 in cash.  We joked about keeping the penny!  We talked about how much you loved the bow in my daughter’s hair, and I gave you a card to my Etsy business!  What exactly is going on?  Why are you trying to ruin my reputation on eBay?  Please contact me as soon as possible so we can get this straightened out.”
Do you have any suggestions for me?  What can I do next time so that this doesn’t happen?

Yvette, Edgerton, KS

Dear Yvette:

This is a really strange thing that your seller has done.  I would imagine they have made and error and they do not realize what they have done.  Maybe they had 2 different punch bowls and filed a strike for the wrong person?  My other thought is that eBay has a program in place that they (eBay) automatically file the strikes for sellers when it shows a person has not paid.  Maybe your seller did not mark your item paid, and eBay’s automatic system started the unpaid item strike process.  I can’t think of too many other reasons a seller would file an unpaid item strike.

You did the right thing by emailing the seller.  I would go a step further and look at their completed listings to see if they maybe sold another punch bowl or similar item and were confused if they themselves filed the strike.

If you don’t hear anything from your seller in the next few days, I would contact eBay and tell them what happened.  I’m pretty sure eBay would remove the strike and contact the seller on your behalf.

I’ve never picked anything up myself, but I’ve had plenty of things picked up.  I give the person a receipt with both our signatures on it.  If the item is over more than 200.00 I ask for the person’s drivers license, and I make a photo copy of mine and theirs on the same page.  This way, if there is ever a dispute with PayPal there is proof that both of us were there and the item was received.

Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item: 200691021974 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page.  Do you collect stamps? Do you like Girl Scouts? Check out this Red and Black omitted Girl Scout stamp set HERE SOLD $975.00

Suzie Eads is a nationally known eBay marketer and eBay trained Education Specialist. She lives in Rantoul, Kansas.