AI reviews summary
Recent feedback indicates a significant decline in user trust and platform reliability. Long-term users report that eBay has transitioned from a community-focused marketplace into a platform dominated by drop-shippers and automated systems. A primary recurring theme is the perceived failure of the "Money Back Guarantee," with many buyers left out of pocket for counterfeit, faulty, or non-delivered items due to strict 30-day windows that do not account for shipping delays or long-term warranties.
Pros
Cons
Verdict
eBay is currently described by many long-term users as a high-risk platform that prioritises automated efficiency and corporate profit over consumer protection. While it may still function for low-value, non-urgent purchases, the high prevalence of counterfeit goods and the lack of human intervention in disputes make it increasingly unreliable for high-ticket items or professional selling.
Ebay is letting poor quality sellers on their platform. I purchased a product which failed after 8 months - and seller has been unresponsive so far. Ebay refuses to do anything about the matter saying that it is outside their 30 day window. And this is after spending a lot of time just trying to figure out how to get in touch with someome on Ebay. Show details
I ordered items $71.25, had a tracking number through Auspost. Item did not arrive. Contacted seller and eBay who said give it till 11/5/26. Now they are saying 21st. I have rung Auspost 3 times. I was told the seller had not done the label correctly. eBay says it will come, however I rang Auspost again this morning and was told 100% I will NOT… Read more
receive the goods. I requested a refund which they say they guarantee. They keep putting me off. I have had to resort to contacting my Bank to investigate this seller/eBay and the Bank obtaining my money back. There’s another item I purchased and that also has not arrived with the seller saying it will. I also ordered 2 other items same day different sellers and they have arrived last week. Do better eBay as you are now being investigated.
They are engaging in misleading and deceptive conduct. Their current big ad campaign says that selling is now free with transaction fees gone. Huh? Then why was I charged $42 on my sale today? Oh now they say that's because the buyer was overseas! A fee is a fee and means selling is not free at all. Even worse,their ads say that sellers can now… Read more
request their sale funds to be paid out at any time. Really? Then why are my funds on hold and unavailable until the buyer receives the item? I have a flawless sales record of over 20 years and yet eBay treat me like some sort of scammer. Dept of Fair Trading will be notified tomorrow.
Reviews with attachments
I order a needoh I ordered the needoh nice cube and I didn’t get what I exactly wanted the needoh feels sticky and it’s not the needoh nice cube I would like a refund and then the packaging is destroy I’m not that happy thank you.
Got broken pram from eBays seller & no help from ebay .totally ripped off – Bought a pram from ( babyobay_ltd) from eBay. Got it on time with tracking details but after using it first time & tyres got stuck & after that it didn’t move , both tyres from back was not working . I complain to seller & he promised that he will send a new stroller but he didn’t sent me any tracking details & keep on lying that he send it but I… Read more
never got it . He was making me fool but complain about this to eBay & next day I received a message from eBay that seller has send u tracking detail but when I checked that tracking number was old stroller tracking number . That seller made eBay fool aswell by sending old tracking number. However I tried again to contact eBay but there was window or place wher I can message them or ask for help & I doubt they also deleted my purchase list , where no proof of buying that stroller . They cheated me
Unable to leave feedback eBay Australia – Purchased two faulty bags from eBay on 7 Sep 22, left negative feedback for the vendor imart-au, eBay removed my negative feedback for NOT reason. Show details
Very bad customer service – I recently sold a GPU on eBay the seller decided to return it claiming it's faulty I told eBay I took a video straight B4 sending it showing that it works and took another one after I received it and yet they charged me $66 between fees and postage and simply told me to relist it like I'm ever gonna use eBay again Show details
On 18th May I bought a DVD from Ebay. This DVD was supposed to be delivered between 26th May and 2nd June. Here it is now 3rd June and no delivery yet. The odd things is this DVD has no tracking information available. Yet the sender of this DVD says, He has a problem with Australia Post and he is waiting for tracking information to be updated on… Read more
his end. I've found from experience of buying 500 DVDs from Ebay in roughly 8 years, that Ebay basically don't ever take action against a seller who violates their policies. I'll include a screenshot of my purchase that clearly says, No Tracking Available.
I would give them 0 stars. I’m a seller and I sent two packages to Germany worth very big money. The items were taken out of the box in transit or from the buyer. They have not protected me. Do not do business with eBay. I will never sell here again. Absolutely disgusting service. I am am furious. Taking food off my plate and my family. I repeat… Read more
do not sell with eBay. I will take them to small claims court and the escalate it I have to. I have exhausted all avenues and I have been abused as a seller.
I am a long term and satisfied customer of eBay and I have seen many tricks some seller use. However, the latest trick is in so far the best. A seller zafbay advertises an item on eBay with photo and in reality the photo and the item is not sold but ordered by the seller on Amazon Australia. The eBay advertised price by zafbay is far higher than… Read more
advertised on Amazon and the eBay seller makes a good profit if the item is sold on eBay. There are no postage costs involved either as the seller is an Amazon Prime customer, so the dishonest seller makes on eBay a double profit, first with an inflated price and secondly there is no postage fee. For sure this is blatant fraud and I have reported the Chinese scammer to eBay and to Amazon. Result: Make sure that you always check the rating of a seller on eBay and do not purchase if you see the same item on Amazon or somewhere else. This is another scam one has to be aware about.
Purchased a Growatt 5kw hybrid inverter from PowerCore Solutions on eBay in 2025 https://www.ebay.com/str/anjonlinestore (Order number: 18-12778-30815) which failed after less than 1 year. They refuse to respond to my messages for support, totally ignoring my many messages. Buyer beware!!! Show details
- +1
A trustworthy melbourne based seller MZYGT-H7 I chose right sizing by 4 pairs mens..however after 4 weeks found them too soft esp soles/ heels with little firm support..& only good for housewear..laces need replacing too firm up fit..Easy payment processing with a contactable seller.Arrived promptly brisbane postage with ARAMEX COURIER Show details
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- +1
I had order a original rayban on Ebay aus on 27 april 2026.I had received it but sellers was thug sent me a copy one not genuine rayban.I had report that to Ebay help center about that issue till today They said that it will looking on it that is it. I had contact to seller plenty time asking a refund but no respond.Buy the stock on Ebay aus not good, people must be think carefully before pay for it Show details
eBay again... Purchased, paid for a laptop. A week gone but seen no postage - AWAITING POSTAGE - marked my purchase. Contacted seller and inquired about the planned day of postage. No response. Ten days gone, and I repeated my inquiry.... Nor response. Still no evidence of postage or tracking number. Contacted ebay to cancel my order since it was… Read more
not shipped yet, but ebay wanted to give another 2 days to the seller to respond. Then I've received the message from ebay: We were unable to cancel your order. The seller whom already derelicted it's duty to ship the paid item refused refund. So I am parking my money in a fraudulent seller's account, and he/she voting me down to give my money back and ebay assisting to it????? The villain cancels the investigation??? 14 days gone, and I am out of money, help and hope. SHAME ON YOU EBAY, SHAME ON YOU! Addition. 2 weeks gone, eBay refused to refund me - that is all about Buyer Protection. I thought it can not über this, but they did! They removed my warning Negative Feedback from this scammer! His user name is "sapphire_candy". I am speechless. Are they in it too???
I ordered a pair of MILWAUKEE 18v Pruning Shears on line and the price was cheaper than usual. It stated " Milwaukee " so I bought them. I later noticed that they were unbranded so I contacted the seller to cancel my order and EBay as well. After a bit of email "to- ing and fro- ing the seller assured they only sold genuine products and sent the… Read more
product anyway. They are NOT MILWAUKEE as they only had a MILWAUKEE sticker and not the brand name moulded into the casing. There was also NO serial number. They arrived in a plastic bag and not a cardboard box like the real thing. There was a piece of paper supposed to be a User Manual. On the last page was "THE WARRANTY"...what a joke. Item 5 states that the "WARRANTY" only applies to The Peoples Republic Of China! The EBay seller offered me a refund but I have now read some of their reviews and still decided to keep the pruners and cut my losses and hope that they last the distance.
The first pic shows their "warranty". The second pic shows a Genuine Milwaukee product. The third shows their product with a product sticker only. BE VERY WARY OF " BRAND NAME" FAKE PRODUCTS as they are out there. To EBay's credit they had started a return process but given the sellers reputation, I just could be bothered with the hassle and I will;l put it down to A LESSON LEARNED.
I had to cancel an order because the item was damaged before shipping. eBay had already sent me a payout of $89.32, but when I tried to issue the refund, the system asked me to pay $97.01 out of pocket. This doesn’t feel fair or transparent. Sellers shouldn’t be required to pay more than the original payout just to process a refund. Show details
- +7
To Ebays detrement, Ebay has become nothing more than a DROP SHIPPING PLATFORM for TEMU! In the trade, people who advertise goods, yet have no warehouses, or even have the goods in their possession at the time they place ad's, or even have them in the SAME COUNTRY, that collect your $$$ and have goods, YOUR GOODS delivered from another country… Read more
for which the advertiser only pays a fraction to OF WHAT YOU PAID, and have the gall to claim they shipped from Australia, are known as DROP SHIPPERS!
These "types" neglect to mention this in their profiles or product descriptions, and sadly, there are HUNDREDS of them on Ebay!
Ebay has literally "gone to the dogs".
Ebays arrogance will eventually lead to its undoing, its happening now! See below.
Too many, TEMU "Party" associate vendors have literally FLOODED ebay, i'll call a spade a spade here by stating a "FOREIGN MARKETING TAKEOVER" of Ebay, Even creating phoney reviews on the Ebay platform as they do on TEMU!
This country 's "Party" government has hundreds of people employed to do nothing more than to use email account generators to create email nic's to thrn go on and post fake five star reviews to support it's country's exports! Consumers really MUST wake up yo this!
We all remember a certain online only "bamboo underwear" retailer with fancy tacky Aussie ads flogging mens underwear made in this same country FLOODING review websites with fake 5 star reviews BY THE THOUSANDS!
Same country, SAME PRACTICE! How many people NORMALLY review mens underwear ON REVIEW WEBSITES? Certainly not THOUSANDS per week! All using email generator generated email addresses and nic names!
Too many sellers mainly from this same "certain country" with warehouses funded by this "certain country's" political "Party" in Australia, (Docklands Victoria mainly), using dozens of accounts to sell the same products, with just a few cents difference, with party subsided shipping as they do with TEMU, flooding Ebay's search engine results, thus depriving other private Aussie sellers a fair equal search engine result for consumers to make a BALANCED and FAIR choice.
Sellers selling the same merchandise but using different accounts and Nic's by offering a few cents off the advertised price, or adding postage on one account and lowering unit price on the item, then on another account having FREE POSTAGE but raising the cost by that postage on same item, both adding up to the same unit price, give or take a few cents depending on which account or username they use, deceiving buyers into thinking they are different sellers.
We all remember the baby formula fiasco, where "certain" people were so well orchestrated by a certain country clearing almost every supermarket shelf of baby formula and shipping it back to "this country".
The operation in its scale, its size, its logistics and the Australia wide mass execution of this invasive operation were phenomenal. This was a pre-planned organized r*pe of our food supply.
However, all that being said, my beef is NOT with this "unmentionable unspeakable country" it is with Ebay and how it is turning a blind eye to this country's deceptive, dishonest sales practices!
How Ebay allows sellers from this country to literally FLOOD Ebay and its search engine with hundreds of accounts some of which are TEMU sellers using THOUSANDS of usernames/accounts to literally deprive other sellers, including PRIVATE Aussie sellers a fair suck of the sauce bottle to compete, especially in search engine results!!
And Ebay does NOTHING to combat this because Ebay is making heaps of $$$.
Also the misleading product descriptions, especially with solar lighting, hence, luminacy being ip to 100 000 lumens is not only misleading but DECEPTIVE, the same people doing this on TEMU, and yes, the SAME COUNTRY which certain review platforms censor reviews for for simply naming country of manufacture manufacturing companies owned by the same "unspeakable country!
One has included screenshots of Solar lights advertised on Ebay, the same ones that appear on TEMU, the same deceptive dishonest misleading descriptive rip-offs that Ebay allows! There are sooooooo many more, not enough room on here to post them all, but when you search Ebay for solar lights, as with other items, you will see what I mean!
I think by now you will know which country one is referring to, the "Party" of this government that is flooding Ebay with its low grade low quality landfill "turnover", same "Party" that orchestrated the great baby formula fiasco.
Don't bother complaining to Ebay, they don't give a fig!
UPDATE:
Just searched online. Looks like Ebay is taking a nosedive!
Like so many other corporate style entities, greed will be their undoing.
This is what I found in Google search.
"Based on current reports as of late April 2026, eBay has not officially shut down, but users are experiencing significant, ongoing, and widespread issues with the platform, leading to reports of the site "crashing" or being "dead" in terms of functionality and sales.
Here is the current situation:
System Functionality:
While the main eBay site is online, many users are reporting that the site and app are glitchy, with significant issues related to search visibility and listing on mobile
Search/Sales Issues:
Numerous sellers are reporting that their listings are missing from search results, resulting in a dramatic, long-term decline in sales.
"Dead" Site Sentiment:
Sellers and users are describing the platform as a "dying" or "dead" platform, with some users stating it is no longer viable for private sellers.
Company Actions:
eBay has been reported to be restructuring, including laying off 6% of its global workforce (approx. 800 jobs) as of February 2026.
Outages:
While the site is not completely shut down, sporadic, partial disruptions have been reported where certain services (like login or search) fail for users"
UPDATE:
ANOTHER (DROP SHIPPER) seller claiming to dispatch his wares from Australia (Western Australia) and is actually an "drop shipper" taking the $$$ and getting his mates back home to ship it here from China!
See the first 3 pics below.
There are HEAPS of accounts like "DELTA PRIME"
(who probably has dozens of accounts names on Ebay")
that do this, some even toting Aussie flags etc!
One received no updates on dispatch etc for 8 days, so I attempted to cancel order to no avail, even though unbeknownst to me it was on the way from CHINA not W.A as stated in DELTA PRIME account details.
And when my lights did arrive, I only received ONE when they advertised TWO.
Purchased a brake cable from ebay seller, they said they were in Moorabbin, item came from QLD then they sent me a cheap off brand, not as advertised. I went to see if it would fit and it wouldn't so I initiated a return. I carefully read ebays return policy first where they stated that if an item is not as described or not fit for purpose the… Read more
seller must pay for postage returns. So when the drop down menu had, "item did not fit" as an option I selected it. You know what! ebay's st^pid system takes that selection as "I don't want it anymore" and I had to pay for postage. When I finally got to chat with an actual person at ebay, they said it was my fault for choosing, "did not fit". WTH! Not fit for purpose-did not fit, It was an freaking brake cable not a t-shirt. Anyway because the system had already decided I was at fault, ebay could not help, so for a nasty off brand item that cost me time, money and patience, it now cost me another $22 to send the trash back. I bet because I had to tear the sealed plastic packaging to open the piece of trash, that I will only get a partial refund as-well. As they say, "Poor Man pays twice!" I then went to buy some loctite Freeze and Release Lubricant spray, to only get a reply later that their shipper won't ship to my address, when I got free postage with the purchase. That's because they drop ship from Amazon and Amazon will not ship certain items to my address, one particular item was the loctite, because I went to buy it from amazon first at $6 cheaper than ebay. I've used ebay for 15 years, I have a 100% feedback rating, now its full of drop-shipping scammers, who half of them are not even in the country, yet 3 days ago I went to sell an item on ebay and had to go through the ringer wit I.D and License checks before I could post the item. WTH, and they can not sort out the trash from the ivory??? WTH You are going to love the ebay transcript they promise to send you a copy of for your records, it's attached. The thing is they left out the first 98% of the back and forth conversation, where I made a fair point and they agreed, but said their hands were tied! and then they just sent the, Thanks a lot bit, at the end of the transcript as a copy. LOL, Everyone carries on about TRUMP lying all the time, unfortunately the whole world has just become a cesspool of con-artists and scammers, and everyone thinks it's okay, because everyone else is doing it. What a joke we've all become.
Latest follow-ups
EBay is sending me ads for S#X Dolls when I have no interest in them at all. Lucky I'm not a child or someone that is easily offended! As far as I can tell it started the other day when I was looking at some Surface Mount Transistors. They come in… Read more
a package called SOT-23 (Small Outline Transistor), when I was browsing and was first offered a s#x doll as 'you may also like'. I noticed someone had made a typo in their ad and called it: 'SOD-23' DIODES' instead of 'SOT-23' DIODES. There actually is a package called SOD (Small Outline Diode), but not SOD-23, so I never typed that. The second image even shows the typo, where the datasheet has 'SOT-23', but the ad states 'SOD-23'.
Also the seller is called 'Happy Parts AU', so maybe an AI put 'SOD' and 'Happy Parts AU' together, and came up with S#x Dolls as a suggestion!
What a stupid site EBay has become, I look at someones ad with a typo and get S#X dolls * everytime * I go on their site!
Follow-up · Recently I went to purchase an expensive item from the UK, but decided not to as EBay: DOES NOT SHOW THE FINAL PRICE YOU PAY BEFORE YOU COMMIT TO PURCHASE IT! I think this is actually illegal in Australia, or at least it should be. Buying from the UK: * 1. Cost of item in UK GBP. * 2. Cost of Postage in GBP Quite a bit as heavy. * 3. Cost of… Read more
Last couple years evey items I purchased from eBay always delivered but now I have lost my money twice and money never refund back . In my opinions eBay is Operating for online Scammers. I will never ever purchased from eBay anymore . Show details
Follow-up · I paid by Bank Account.. Last two items that I lost was Seeds. I did not know buyer protection.
I ordered a knee brace large size & received a very small one that it did not fit. I gave the seller a negative review & he offered a refund if I… Read more
change the review. I advice that when I receive the refund I will change it. The seller keeps on making excuses & did not sent the refund. I advice EBay on report seller but it did not allow it to submitt, again I waisted my money
Follow-up · No it was ok. The size was labelled large but the brace we received was very small. We requested to return it but they offered a refund if we will change the bad review we gave them. They made so many offers for refund but never received. We will never again order from this seller
Follow-up · We will not use them again. Also we did not get any help from EBay. We tried EBay on help support but would not submit. Waist of money & time
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Positive reviews
I recently purchased a 100ml bottle of Christian Dior Eau Sauvage Elixir from this Ebay supplier. It was at a considerable discount to normal retail as one would expect. However having purchased an Armani fragrance thru Ebay I wasn't anxious about authenticity. Delivery was slow but it duly arrived intact and in packaging that looked genuine. … Read more
On opening and trying it, it was immediately obvious that it wasn't the real article, in other words it was fake or counterfeit. The initial notes were faint and faded to nothing after a few moments. Given that Elixir is supposed to be very strong and last for hours this is nothing short of fraud. Efforts to involve Ebay corporate have met with a dismissive nothing that violates their rules response. As for aimer.au-99 the actual supplier, there's no response at all. This is a salutary reminder that the Ebay money back guarantee is meaningless. Even feedback which on this supplier is supposedly 92% positive is no guide and unreliable. Beware of this vendor people.
One of the best ebay interactions I've ever had. Initially purchased the wrong item, sent them a message regarding this and no questions ask it was refunded without delay. Purchased the correct item, could not believe the speed in processing, very… Read more
fast delivery during Christmas new year. Follow up emails through out, and to top it all off was an unexpected $100 gift voucher for wine.... what the lol well done guys, this is how it's ment to be
Follow-up · The included gift voucher for wine claiming $100 dollars of free wine i found to be misleading. To obtain the $100 i needed to spend $86 in a bulk purchase, really didn't want the wine, but inlight of growers hardship over past months i completed the purchase. But the insta 360 pro 2 is still in my opinion at the top of the list for ease of use and quality build, the store and staff were amazing
I bought a router on eBay from Interstate with 10 day delivery. I later found Amazon could deliver it in three days. I asked eBay for a refund and they refunded my money within an hour ... unbelievable...Thank you so very much! Show details
Negative reviews
Automated system protects deceptive sellers over vulnerable buyers. I am incredibly disappointed with eBay’s buyer protection. I purchased a mobile phone from an Australian seller who explicitly assured me via eBay messages that the phone would work flawlessly on Australian networks. A few months later, the network provider (Optus) informed me… Read more
they are legally forcing a block on the phone because it cannot connect to Triple Zero (000) emergency services due to it being an unsafe overseas import. Even though the phone is under a 12-month warranty, eBay blindly closed my dispute because it fell outside their standard 30-day automated window. They completely ignored the seller's clear pre-purchase misrepresentation and breach of Australian Consumer Law. I am recovering from cancer surgeries and have been left without a safe, legal phone. Do not trust eBay’s guarantees.
ebay are promoting the Sale of Counterfeit Items globally ! After reporting counterfeit items advertised on ebay you get in 9 out of 10 ads reported an AI generated answer / reply within the hour usually, telling you there is nothing wrong with the ad you've just reported ... How good is that ? . Buyer be aware ! . Show details
BEWARE BUYING iPHONES ON EBAY. They are almost always iphones manufactured for sale in mainland China and include restrictions for use in Australia. You are unable to have/do the following: - no dual sim capability - unable to use an e-sim - different frequency bands - AI tools do not work - no satelite SOS - no facetime audio - no facetime group… Read more
chats - possible counterfeit iphones Always make sure they are NOT manufactured for sale in China. Ask for the model number and if it ends in CH/A don't buy. It's one of the above.
Recent reviews
Ebay suspended 95 of my listings due to KYC non-compliance. Even though I'm a seller since 2004 with 100% feedback. This was done with no warning or chance to "comply". Over the past month I've spoken to dozens of lacklustre off shore call centre workers. They lie and cannot solve the issue. No surprise ebay hasn't an Australian office you can call. Funny how they are quick to take their absurd commission when an item sells. Show details
I recently removed all my listings from eBay after ongoing frustration with the platform. The constant policy changes and automated removals make it incredibly difficult to sell consistently. Listings are often taken down without clear explanation, and the process to dispute and get them relisted is time-consuming and unreliable. What makes it… Read more
worse is the lack of accessible support. Trying to contact someone at eBay feels nearly impossible—there’s no obvious email address and you’re pushed through layers of self-service options. It gives the impression that direct support is intentionally hard to reach. On top of that, the fees significantly cut into margins. Between selling fees and other charges, it often doesn’t feel worth the effort, especially when combined with the risk of listings being removed without warning. Overall, the experience feels overly controlled, poorly supported, and increasingly unfriendly to sellers. For me, it’s no longer worth the time or cost.
Extra Information
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