Question
So squaretrade claims that they can reduce 43% of negatives and increase your BINs on eBay sales, etc.
What is your experience in this? Is it worth it to spend the money on squaretrade?
What are other benefits if any?
Thanks
Answer
There have been a number of threads here and elsewhere explaining that Square Trade is another eBay "service" and frankly, profit center. Here is one description of what it is and is not:
Square trade is just an optional mediation service eBay provides by which buyers / sellers can hopefully resolve a transaction and get bad feedback removed. Nothing more. It's optional so if one party wants to participate and the other doesn't, nothing happens. Scammers [often] describe Square Trade as being something it's not. It doesn't collect money from anyone, it doesn't monitor transactions in progress, [and] it doesn't warehouse goods. " (Source: wholesale411.com)
Since unethical sellers often join Square Trade as part of their method of deceiving innocent buyers, I view any seller who uses the Square Trade id as a selling point to be suspect, a red flag if you will for a scam.
Many sellers here have had to deal with buyers who have used Square Trade as a method of pressuring them into settlements in order to remove negative feedback. I consider Square Trade a much abused, though occasionally useful, eBay service.
The main problem to me is that it is run by the same company that will not hesitate to close down all your listings because a computer picks up certain keywords in your description and a functionary barely gives the listing a glance before taking away your livelihood.
I do not believe that Square Trade is a real benefit, they (eBay) just says it is. And they make a lot of outlandish claims in efforts to seperate you from more of your "profits".
Others will no doubt be along to give you their endorsement of this service, but I have never read one from an experienced seller with high positive feedback to begin with.
Larry
Answer
I see, so it doesn't really reduce the amount of people leaving negatives?