New eBay Policy

[Griking]

Item Location Misrepresentation

Recently we've seen an increase in reports from the Community about false or inaccurate information included in the item location field of the item page. To address this concern, we're implementing a new Item Location Misrepresentation policy which will be effective as of February 3, 2006.

The item location field on the item page is designed to inform buyers about where the item for sale is located. As eBay's global marketplace continues to grow, it's increasingly important for buyers to know where an item is located, so they can estimate the likely shipping costs and delivery times.

What is not allowed
For example, a problem listing might display something contradictory like "Hong Kong, United Kingdom" or "Worldwide, United States" in the item location field. Another type of listing problem would be an item location field that displays "USA" but the item description text says the item is actually shipping from some other country.

What is allowed
An appropriate use of the item location field would be, "Beijing, China" or "Sydney, Australia." Sellers may also continue to use more creative item locations such as "These United States" or "My mother’s attic."

Inaccurate item location representation can lead to higher shipping costs and longer shipping times than buyers expect. These are negative experiences that can ultimately undermine trust in the marketplace.

To learn more about the policy and view examples of what is and isn't permitted, please visit the Item Location Misrepresentation policy page.

Was this really a problem?

If they're still going to allow locations such as "My Mother's Attic" then how much teeth can the policy really have?

[scooby105]

It's been becoming a problem. Lots of stuff is listed with Australia or United Kingdom at the top, but then somewhere in the auction it states the item will ship from Hong Kong.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Yes, it was a huge problem!

I've tried to buy say, GBA stuff or DVDs, and I filter non-US/Canada locations out, but many asian sellers changed their location to read US so they would show up anyway. It's made game and DVD buying a real pain in the ass for me. It's nothing a quick read of the auction in question won't fix - it's them showing up on searches, cluttering the results and making filtering difficult, that's a bother.

[rik1138]

And then there's people like this guy:

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZtod...QQfsooZ1QQrdZ0

All of his item (and himself) are located in Canada, but lists his auctions in the United Kingdom. My personal opinion is that he lists that way so it will show up using GBP as currency. (In hopes that you will think '$119, that's not bad, I'll buy that' only to find out later that it was 119 Pounds with converts to $209. I know the value of most of what he's selling and most of them are worth about the value he listed, but in US dollars. (Like, he'll list a game worth about $100 for 100GBP in hopes that you won't notice the different currency...)

Unless someone else can think of another reason why someone in Canada would list EVERY item he's selling in GBP, and is willing to ship everywhere in the world.

I notice his auctions haven't changed yet, hopefully they'll force him to soon...

[PS1Expert]

And then there's people like this guy:

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZtod...QQfsooZ1QQrdZ0

All of his item (and himself) are located in Canada, but lists his auctions in the United Kingdom. My personal opinion is that he lists that way so it will show up using GBP as currency. (In hopes that you will think '$119, that's not bad, I'll buy that' only to find out later that it was 119 Pounds with converts to $209. I know the value of most of what he's selling and most of them are worth about the value he listed, but in US dollars. (Like, he'll list a game worth about $100 for 100GBP in hopes that you won't notice the different currency...)

Unless someone else can think of another reason why someone in Canada would list EVERY item he's selling in GBP, and is willing to ship everywhere in the world.

I notice his auctions haven't changed yet, hopefully they'll force him to soon...

But ebay will automatically convert the seller's currency to your local currency. For instance, I look at UK auctions all the time. They show up in British Pounds but next to it I see the US $ Value.

[Buyatari]

But ebay will automatically convert the seller's currency to your local currency. For instance, I look at UK auctions all the time. They show up in British Pounds but next to it I see the US $ Value.

Yes but when you bid its in pounds.

[kevin_psx]

Was this really a problem?

I bought GBA carts from United Kingdom but actually shipped from India. Was slightly annoyed cause I have no Paypal protection from India.


What if the Seller lists "Michigan" but actually ships from Indiana while visiting grandma's house? It'd be really dumb to get Punished for that!!!

[Zing]

Unless someone else can think of another reason why someone in Canada would list EVERY item he's selling in GBP, and is willing to ship everywhere in the world.

I had this exact situation myself. I moved to Canada from the US. My Ebay account was a US account for several months before I decided to switch it over. So for those months, my location was listed as the US, but I lived and shipped from Canada. Maybe this guy moved from London to Montreal? It may even be a temporary situation.