eBay fights for right to sell luxury stuff in EU eBay has told European lawmakers that more than three quarters of a million people have signed an online petition demanding changes to regulations that let luxury brand makers limit who can sell their products online. The internet tat house is embroiled in a longstanding feud with luxury good firms like Tiffany & Co., Louis …
Do they mean slimy salespeople who don't even know what they stock, let-alone anything about the product? And who will swear blind something does not exist (nor could it possibly exist without a violation of the laws of the universe) rather than get off their arses and call the supplier to order one?
While I don't use eBay, I do strongly prefer to buy manufacturer-direct off the 'net as my experience is that is the only way to get what I want in reasonable time and for reasonable price.
The protection of so-called "Luxury Brands" is all a piece with the banning of grey imports and the restriction of DVD sales by area.
If governments were interested in helping the public, rather than their friends in business, such practices, instead of being supported, would be banned as a criminal activity.
Bring back the Tooting Popular Front to fight for Power to the People!
If eBay is simply a "buyer beware" marketplace then it has no business charging the high fees it does.
If it's a financial services provider then it needs to be regulated in the same way that our insurance companies, banks, brokers etc are.
We pay around 1% to purchase by credit card (the retailer usually takes the hit). eBay fees are over 10%, yet I have a considerable level of protection with the credit card, and next to none with eBay.
Pot. Kettle. Black. There ebay!
I can't see Ebay rushing to allow Google Checkout, but still enforces the requirement to use paypal. Seems they too like to avoid competition too. Paypal ... no thanks. Fees on top of fees on top of fees! No wonder I hardly use the online car-boot site any more!
Plus if I were to buy luxury items off the intarwebs, then I would be wanting to buy direct from a reputable dealer where I can go and bash on the door if there's a problem!
You haven't actually BEEN in an LV store, have you?
The matter is simple. Part of what they sell is the brand, the brand image and quality to go with it. In their shops they are (1) helpful and (2) knowledgeable about their products - they have to be to get the clientèle they want. That also means you would go to THEIR websites to buy the product, because it gives you the same protection and quality - they don't do middlemen very well because building a brand like that takes years.
Yes, eBay WILL devalue the brand impression. What's more, the moment eBay is allowed to sell the real thing, how are YOU going to tell the difference between a fake and the real thing?
As far as I can tell, eBay just wants to be able to put the real ones online because it makes it much harder for you to tell the difference between real and fake - they thus make money on both sides while leeching off someone else's brand. It just tells me they have a petition with 750k losers.
I cannot see a benign motive in this. Sure, those goods are expensive - those who can afford them know what they buy. If you can't afford them, find better prices alternatives, don't try to pretend something you're not. That's how credit card companies have managed to get everyone neck deep in debt.
As for another comment about grey import: decide with your wallet. If it's too expensive, don't buy it - same with region limiting although you could call that a product defect (there is never a warning on the wrapper "only plays in this part of the world" !).
Its eBay they don't like. You can get these goods at other places online (well most of them), but companys won't sell to people selling through eBay. They may say its about cheepening the brand, but what its realy about is not trusting companys with expensive stock that have no infrastructure.
Oh, and I suspect that people like LaeMi Qian have never been to buy something truly luxury, like expensive jewelery or a Rolex. I found they do know there stock and they will do anything to help you. There main customers are not just going to go down the road, but could easerly fly to Hong Kong or New York to find another shop.
Is absoloutely fine by me. Logged on yesterday thinking "I will sell some old DVD's I have had here for a while" to discover they have decided that users are obviously charging too much for postage, so they have removed the option to charge for postage on a low value item. A cute business move that removes low listing prices , forces up the initial listing price and thus generates a higher amount in the final sale price , increasing profits since theyve recently raised their final percentage.
I wonder how much of this online petition was existing customers, since sellers seem to be increasingly frustrated with the size of the pie that Ebay is taking from them nowadays.
Actually that one was foisted on them by Customs and Excise.
The reason's the number of things you can (presumably "could" now) buy from places like Hong Kong for 1.50 plus 24.99 p&p. The actual price is in the p&p (not subject to tax or duty) rather than in the charge (which is below the threshold where they can be arsed to raise the paperwork).
I'm going to miss being able to buy spare parts for games consoles, PDAs 'n such for next to sod-all from HK without the vultures (no offence) taking their cut....
I seem to remember that Tesco lost in a European court a few years ago, over the issue of selling branded jeans in the UK which they had purchased legitimately in China and Bulgaria. This was not about having physical stores but about the brand owners having the right to control where and how their goods were sold, according to the court.
The basic fact though is that for the majority of users who used to clear out their DVD cupboard on 99p auctions , that item will cost around £2 to post within the UK. Ebay chose the course of action that required the least cost to themselves, improved their margins the most, and was the most onerous to the seller.
The larger they become, the more unpleasant practices they seem to force upon their users. I personally pay through Paypal with my credit card purely because it provide me with some protection on purchases, despite Ebay constantly trying to persuade me not to (I suspect because it limits/removes their liability should the goods not be delivered), and was genuinely pleased to see their attempts to force Australian users to pay through only Paypal were shot down in flames. Its only a matter of time before the same tactics are adopted in other countries, and succeed
@ Kurashima - " I personally pay through Paypal with my credit card purely because it provide me with some protection on purchases"
I assume that you're thinking of the protection afforded by the UK Consumer Credit Act, if the value of the purchase is over £100. But I'm not entirely sure that it does apply, as you're not directly buying the item with the credit card.
(I've found what I think was probably the article that brought this to light - http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2007/feb/04/consumernews.observercashsection2 - and there are plenty of others.)
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