Is eBay unfairly biased toward buyers, as some sellers would have it? Alternatively, is it letting sellers get away with fraudulent behavior while buyers have little or no recourse, as some buyers would have it? It's a classic argument that's become louder over the last couple of years as eBay has grown into an international sales juggernaut with membership measured in the hundreds of millions. A very decent percentage of what I hear about eBay from others comes in the form of complaints about a perceived lack of fairness on eBay as a matter of policy—whether this lack of fairness is seen to privilege buyers or sellers.

But which is it, in the end? Is it buyers that are unfairly duping sellers by taking advantage of eBay's structure and rules or is it the other way around? And what should eBay members do about it to try to mitigate the problem?

As it turns out, the answers are as old as business itself. Many won't like them, but for others it's just common sense. Read on to reflect more on eBay's sometimes increasing buyer-seller divide.

See Also

     •  Resolving Disputes with Sellers
     •  Dealing with Buyer Fraud