eBay Links in the Hot Deals Section

[HKZeroFive]

I never understood why there is a zero tolerance policy on eBay links in the Hot Deals section when there are plenty of good deals there from reputable retailers such as Newegg and others. By good deals, I mean $320 Zotac GTX 1070s, $250 R7 1700s and $300 i7 7700Ks... I'm not suggesting that people should be allowed to post links to shady sellers with suspect intentions... but instead of deleting every eBay link immediately, why isn't there a set criteria for posting eBay links so people get really good deals and they don't get screwed over in the process?

 

Even something like this would work (I copied /r/buildapcsales' posting rules):

 

-Must be buy it now - no auctions

-Must have an inventory of 10+

-Must be a eBay store - not a personal seller

-eBay store must have a feedback score of 95% or more w/ 100+ reviews

-Products must be new in box (NIB) or refurbished including full manufacture warranty

 

Moderation-wise, it shouldn't be hard to click on a eBay link and verify if it meets the criteria above... it'd take 10 seconds at most. And given how frequently people post there and how quick the mods usually are when it comes to deleting regular eBay links, it shouldn't hard to make sure no shady eBay links stay up for long...

[Droidbot]

Agreed. Especially considering that AU eBay has 20% off sales from reputable sellers quite often, and they're cheaper than the cheapest prices from retail stores. 

 

Hilariously enough, most of the time it's from Futu Online, who is owned by Shopping Express - one of the stores that PCPP has prices for. 

 

[ARikozuM]

I don't see why Newegg or other retailers can't have their Ebay pages listed.

[TAHIRMIA]

I agree with this, as long as it is a manufacturer eBay store it should be allowed. Personal stores should not be allowed

[Guest]

Not allowing private sellers or auctions, fair enough. Business sellers? Ridiculous. 

 

Even then, with private sellers (except auctions as that's obviously pointless as price will change) you receive just as much consumer protection as you do with the likes of Amazon. 

[RGProductions]

Just use BuildAPCSales?

[HKZeroFive]

2 hours ago, RGProductions said:

Just use BuildAPCSales?

Yes, while we're at it, why don't we just use "buildapc" as well and completely ignore the LTT forum? No, I'd rather stick to one forum thanks.

[HKZeroFive]

And just to add onto the OP, why is eBay banned but G2A allowed? They're literally one of the scummiest companies and are harmful to the gaming industry.

 

The rules literally make zero sense.

[Jade]

40 minutes ago, HKZeroFive said:

And just to add onto the OP, why is eBay banned but G2A allowed? They're literally one of the scummiest companies and are harmful to the gaming industry.

 

The rules literally make zero sense.

Last I checked, the reason G2A would be banned for? It's not the same as why eBay is banned. G2A is scummy? Absolutely, but being scummy isn't the reason eBay is banned in the first place.

[HKZeroFive]

13 minutes ago, Jade said:

Last I checked, the reason G2A would be banned for? It's not the same as why eBay is banned. G2A is scummy? Absolutely, but being scummy isn't the reason eBay is banned in the first place.

So why is eBay banned and G2A allowed? Please explain.

 

Considering the stunts that G2A have pulled which can be found all over the damn internet, and the fact that they knowingly sell stolen keys which can be especially harmful to indie game developers, I'm surprised that their links aren't even banned in the first place.

 

Like I said... "the rules literally make zero sense".

[ARikozuM]

1 minute ago, HKZeroFive said:

So why is eBay banned and G2A allowed? Please explain.

G2A is a marketplace for keys to be sold and nothing more. There are plenty of sellers who buy and sell keys legitimately. G2A keys are also against the rules as they could be seen as possibly personal accounts leading to profits, i.e. if I sold you a key under the guise of a G2A link.

 

Ebay links are deleted unless they meet the need of the thread. For example, if a user needs a server, Ebay servers (Dell, HP) from legitimate sellers can be linked. The Hot Deals has no addendum for Ebay links as it may be more difficult to track whether the store is actually is or not the same company.

[HKZeroFive]

8 hours ago, ARikozuM said:

G2A is a marketplace for keys to be sold and nothing more. There are plenty of sellers who buy and sell keys legitimately. G2A keys are also against the rules as they could be seen as possibly personal accounts leading to profits, i.e. if I sold you a key under the guise of a G2A link.

Ignoring the loss of millions for gaming companies through keys sold in G2A, let's talk about the company itself. Their verification is absolute rubbish, as people have already proved time and time again that they can immediately put a fake key on sale and get it to instantly activate. One bloke did it, posted about it and guess what? He got banned by G2A. There are also cases where they don't refund those who get scammed in the first place, even with G2A Shield. Speaking of Shield, there's a 12-step, 20 minute process just to unsubscribe from it. And this is just the tip of the iceberg: https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/wiki/keyresellers

 

Both eBay and G2A have legitimate sellers and sketchy ones as well. The main difference is that eBay actively fights against the latter while G2A actively facilitates them. Yet somehow eBay links are banned...

Quote

Ebay links are deleted unless they meet the need of the thread. For example, if a user needs a server, Ebay servers (Dell, HP) from legitimate sellers can be linked. The Hot Deals has no addendum for Ebay links as it may be more difficult to track whether the store is actually is or not the same company.

Which is why I proposed that each link meets the criteria above... it's easy to see whether it does or not with one click. If it does, then it's basically guaranteed to be legitimate.

[LogicalDrm]

Imo all all those, eBay, G2A and Kinguin, maybe softwareswap too, should be included in ban listing. Its not "Hot Deal" when something is sold 80% under retail price. Its pure robbery. And keep them in total ban because it really takes too much time to check each link, even if they would be just allowed in Hot Deals.