A large eBay seller that had been the subject of numerous buyer complaints in Australia pocketed thousands of dollars in unfulfilled orders before its owner skipped the country.
The people behind EBS International, an eBay seller known and likely now despised as ebusiness-supplies, ditched Australia for China, leaving behind plenty of questions and a demand for refunds.
Those who used PayPal, eBay’s payment service, should see refunds courtesy of a special fund set up by eBay to address the situation, the Sydney Morning Herald said. Over 650 negative comments about EBS International hit its eBay profile over the past month, which likely indicates plenty of claims for reimbursement from that fund.
Issues with EBS International started circulating as far back as 2006. The recent problems leading to the collapse of the business were attributed to an agent in China taking money from EBS International and not delivering the goods.
eBay buyers in Australia expressed skepticism of the company’s aims and its handling of the whole situation. One eBay forum commenter said the special reimbursement fund “will perpetuate the illusion that PayPal is safer. If it was genuinely safe and had real buyer protection, they wouldn’t need to set up a special fund.”
Another person blamed eBay’s fixation on large sellers, a change in the company’s focus since its early days as an online auctioneer for small sellers dealing goods in a variety of niches. Ebay made several changes to its policies over the past months that now favor volume selling over such one-off business.
The mess looks like it will consume a lot of investigative resources to resolve, with authorities in Australia anticipating months of inquiry. With many people citing concerns about EBS International in the past, eBay will find itself on the receiving end of some painful questioning too.
