Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: texasmom on January 29, 2009, 10:16:35 PM
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Bought my kid a drum set... I either didn't read between the lines or there was nothing written between the lines about the actual size of the set. So we pick the thing up, and it's kindergarten size. I think he probably scored a few points with his girlfriend by giving the set to her little sister... then we went & bought him a guitar instead at the local guitar shop.
Any other ebay blunders out there?
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Bought my kid a drum set... I either didn't read between the lines or there was nothing written between the lines about the actual size of the set. So we pick the thing up, and it's kindergarten size. I think he probably scored a few points with his girlfriend by giving the set to her little sister... then we went & bought him a guitar instead at the local guitar shop.
Any other ebay blunders out there?
Friend of mine bought a rifle in "mint condition" or something like that, he gets it, the stock is broken. The thing cost like 4000$$, so they I guess called the police (or whoever you call about this sort of thing) and they got their money back.
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Ebay is a sellers paradise TxMom.
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When did they start selling firearms on ebay? I know you can sell parts and accessories but not a working firearm.
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When did they start selling firearms on ebay? I know you can sell parts and accessories but not a working firearm.
I'd believe that he bought it on something like gunbroker.
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My sister bought a changing table at a ridiculously low price. When she got it she found out it was a miniature for a doll house. I have had literally hundreds of eBay transactions and none have gone bad. You just have to read the description carefully, know what you are bidding on, check the sellers feedback rating and don't bid more than you think the item is worth including shipping.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWqsS-7HFrU&feature=channel_page (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWqsS-7HFrU&feature=channel_page)
Here's my kid playing drums, we bought the set for $300 at guitar center, not bad.
edit: I might be worng but I recall ebay selling guns some time ago. They must have decided it was a hassle and stoped.
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Here are some blunders from my perspective. I'm a power seller on ebay, I mainly sell brand new items given to sponsored athletes by the sponsors. I need to have great feedback because I'm often selling items that are copied and sold on ebay. (knock off sunglasses are the perfect example). I've got to have good feedback so people know they are getting legit original items.
I sold a pair of ski boots to a guy in China. I clearly state in my auction that international shipments are sent using standard air mail and delivery times can vary drastically depending on their countries customs. This guys boots don't show up, so we track them. The tracking info clearly says that it has left the USA and is waiting in China to be delivered (in customs). We email back and forth many times and he finally threatens me with negative feedback unless I give him a refund. I have no power over something that is setting in customs in China, but before I could even reply to this last email I see that he has left me negative. Then THE VERY NEXT DAY he emailed me telling me he got the item. Of course there is no way to remove feedback unless I PAY ebay (through the seller resolution center). Ebay account #1 is ruined, time to start a new account.
I sold a vehicle, a 1970's jeep CJ-5. It had a new motor and new fiberglass body, but otherwise was a 30+ year old jeep. This local guy wants to bid on it, so he comes by and takes it on a 1+ hour test drive with his son. He bids and wins the auction, comes back and before paying takes it on another long test drive. He seems very happy and gives me cash. A full month passes by and this guy calls me saying there are all kinds of problems. He said he took it to a mechanic (first mistake) and the mechanic told him it needed a ton of work. Of course it does, its a 1970's jeep, its a 'project car'! This guy pays $100 to take me to ebay resolution center and then the resolution guy from ebay basically laughs at him on the phone, he test drove the car before he paid, the auction was accurate, so he had no case. He still left me negative feedback. Account #2 down the drain, next...
I sold a mountain bike that is in "excellent mechanical condition, normal signs from being used for over a year". The buyer emails me when he gets the bike saying its scratched. I tell him this normal, but ask what can I do to make the situation better. He says he wants a partial refund of $500 (bike sold for $2000). I tell him no way, I can give him a full refund if he sends the bike back. He says he doesn't want to deal with shipping it, and either wants a partial refund or he will leave neg. Again I say send it back for a full refund (I'll even pay for his return shipping). No reply, negative feedback left later that week. Account #3 done.
I sold a climbing "cam" for over $100. The person says they never got it and want a refund. I track the package and it shows that it was delivered. I email the buyer with the tracking info. The person then changes the story and says they got it, but nothing was inside the package. I tell them it was there responsibility to turn away a package if it looks like it was opened, and I can't do anything on my end, especially after they have changed their story and are obviously trying something. After another 5 emails asking for a partial refund and threatening with negative feedback, he finally negs me. Obviously he was scamming, but ebay has no way to protect the seller. Another account ruined.
Overall I've lost several accounts (over 10) to negative feedback that was not deserved. Ebay has taken away the ability to leave negative feedback as a seller. That means once the auction is over I as the seller have absolutely no leverage on the deal. The buyer can leave negative feedback for no reasons at all and with no worries about my retaliation. In order to get negative feedback even looked at by ebay I have to pay to open a dispute.
Combine that with the new fees, depending on the final price the seller will be paying 15% or more of the final price to ebay and paypal (both owned by the same company).
Anytime you feel like you got screwed over buying something on ebay, log into the ebay forums and look at the hundreds of complaints coming from sellers. Many of the largest powersellers that are selling more than anyone on ebay (and therefor giving ebay more money than anyone) are quitting ebay by the day. It's really sad the way things are going. It used to be a great place to garage sell all your junk or find some cool things to buy, now its turning into another internet cesspool thats full of scams and people getting screwed on both sides of the coin.
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One good recent addition is the "ask the seller a question", where the question and the answer are both shown on the page. Failure to answer the question, or being vague in the answer is a good clue as well.
ROX
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Dang, akhog, that sucks. I haven't used ebay in a while. I didn't know they had new fees like that. That destroys almost all that ebay is about.
I don't understand about having to create a new account over one negative rep, though. I always buy from power sellers and I usually look for 97-99% positive, depending on how many transactions they have. Any sensible person knows that there are idiots out there who give negative rep for no good reason, and stuff happens during shipping that is beyond the sellers control.
Good luck in your future endeavors.
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Personally I find ebay a mess to use - I only ever used it to get hard to use items outside of NZ. A few years back a couple of guys in NZ setup this: http://www.trademe.co.nz/ then sold it years later making them instant multimillionaires. And yes you can buy guns on it :D . But look how clean and easy it is to read compared to ebay.
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Here are some blunders from my perspective. I'm a power seller on ebay, I mainly sell brand new items given to sponsored athletes by the sponsors. I need to have great feedback because I'm often selling items that are copied and sold on ebay. (knock off sunglasses are the perfect example). I've got to have good feedback so people know they are getting legit original items.
I sold a pair of ski boots to a guy in China. I clearly state in my auction that international shipments are sent using standard air mail and delivery times can vary drastically depending on their countries customs. This guys boots don't show up, so we track them. The tracking info clearly says that it has left the USA and is waiting in China to be delivered (in customs). We email back and forth many times and he finally threatens me with negative feedback unless I give him a refund. I have no power over something that is setting in customs in China, but before I could even reply to this last email I see that he has left me negative. Then THE VERY NEXT DAY he emailed me telling me he got the item. Of course there is no way to remove feedback unless I PAY ebay (through the seller resolution center). Ebay account #1 is ruined, time to start a new account.
I sold a vehicle, a 1970's jeep CJ-5. It had a new motor and new fiberglass body, but otherwise was a 30+ year old jeep. This local guy wants to bid on it, so he comes by and takes it on a 1+ hour test drive with his son. He bids and wins the auction, comes back and before paying takes it on another long test drive. He seems very happy and gives me cash. A full month passes by and this guy calls me saying there are all kinds of problems. He said he took it to a mechanic (first mistake) and the mechanic told him it needed a ton of work. Of course it does, its a 1970's jeep, its a 'project car'! This guy pays $100 to take me to ebay resolution center and then the resolution guy from ebay basically laughs at him on the phone, he test drove the car before he paid, the auction was accurate, so he had no case. He still left me negative feedback. Account #2 down the drain, next...
I sold a mountain bike that is in "excellent mechanical condition, normal signs from being used for over a year". The buyer emails me when he gets the bike saying its scratched. I tell him this normal, but ask what can I do to make the situation better. He says he wants a partial refund of $500 (bike sold for $2000). I tell him no way, I can give him a full refund if he sends the bike back. He says he doesn't want to deal with shipping it, and either wants a partial refund or he will leave neg. Again I say send it back for a full refund (I'll even pay for his return shipping). No reply, negative feedback left later that week. Account #3 done.
I sold a climbing "cam" for over $100. The person says they never got it and want a refund. I track the package and it shows that it was delivered. I email the buyer with the tracking info. The person then changes the story and says they got it, but nothing was inside the package. I tell them it was there responsibility to turn away a package if it looks like it was opened, and I can't do anything on my end, especially after they have changed their story and are obviously trying something. After another 5 emails asking for a partial refund and threatening with negative feedback, he finally negs me. Obviously he was scamming, but ebay has no way to protect the seller. Another account ruined.
Overall I've lost several accounts (over 10) to negative feedback that was not deserved. Ebay has taken away the ability to leave negative feedback as a seller. That means once the auction is over I as the seller have absolutely no leverage on the deal. The buyer can leave negative feedback for no reasons at all and with no worries about my retaliation. In order to get negative feedback even looked at by ebay I have to pay to open a dispute.
Combine that with the new fees, depending on the final price the seller will be paying 15% or more of the final price to ebay and paypal (both owned by the same company).
Anytime you feel like you got screwed over buying something on ebay, log into the ebay forums and look at the hundreds of complaints coming from sellers. Many of the largest powersellers that are selling more than anyone on ebay (and therefor giving ebay more money than anyone) are quitting ebay by the day. It's really sad the way things are going. It used to be a great place to garage sell all your junk or find some cool things to buy, now its turning into another internet cesspool thats full of scams and people getting screwed on both sides of the coin.
i understand wanting to have excellent feedback......but one neg is no reason to cancel an account.
on that note.....a buddy of mine runs a computer business, and he used to sell boatloads of stuff on there. he got screwed by buyers too, and i think he stopped totally.
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i think ebay is kind of crap now. It was great in the beginning but with all the fees and hassle now i don't think it is worth it for me. Most of the time anything i want used i can find on craigslist locally and can go look and touch it before buying it thereby eliminating the crap of creative selling i.e. the dollhouse changing set or the tiny drums talked about earlier. As far as new stuff it seems like most of the new stuff is priced the same as i can buy it in a store locally and then if there is a problem i can talk to someone face to face. I also hate the crap some try where they set the price $30 less than local but then charge $30 for shipping. Does that fool anyone. Shipping is cheap. I just hate to see what has happened to ebay cause i used to use it alot in the begginin. Anyway rant over.
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Ebay is a sellers paradise TxMom.
Not any more. Sellers can no longer leave negative feedback for buyers. Sellers must now use PayPal (ebay owned) for almost every sale, or at least use another electronic payment option, or accept credit cards. All of those options expose the seller to having his or her money taken back by the buyer, for pretty much any reason, valid or not.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWqsS-7HFrU&feature=channel_page (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWqsS-7HFrU&feature=channel_page)
Here's my kid playing drums, we bought the set for $300 at guitar center, not bad.
edit: I might be worng but I recall ebay selling guns some time ago. They must have decided it was a hassle and stoped.
Ebay originally sold guns. It's not really a hassle, otherwise gunbroker and auctionarms wouldn't be doing it. Ebay and PayPal do not like guns.
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I sell a lot on ebay, and it is totally screwed now like how AKHog says.
Basically ebay caters to the bidder and will bend over backwards for them. The seller is screwed on anything and everything from outrageous fees and their crappy feedback policy now.
Then ebay says you cant pay with money orders anymore and it isnt allowed in the description. Thats cause their bed partner paypal cant rape you on outrageous fees also.
Wish there was a better site to sell on in the US.
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Craigslist :aok
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Ebay is a cheaters paradise. Stear clear of buying or selling there.
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Craigslist :aok
I find more scams and overpriced stuff on Craigslist than anywhere else. Mainly I browse computer parts and I'm amazed how many people are try and sell 5+ year old computer parts for 50-75% of their original value. But then again, Craigslist is free (is most areas) and is like the classifieds, so people aren't really competing to sell products.
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Buyer beware, its up to you to know what your buying, to know what it should be worth.
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
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I've bought my car, a cell phone and my wife's cat on Craigslist, and I've sold a PSP and another cell phone on it.
No problems.
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The reason I canceled accounts over one negative feedback is they were usually low feedback accounts at that point. -1 when you only have 100-500 feedback points is enough to lower auction prices. I list everything I sell at $.99, even thousand dollar camera setups and stuff like that. One negative could affect the final price by 5-10%.
Because of ebays new policies its fairly easy to set up a new account and become a 'power seller'.
100% feedback is not needed for a personal account, but for my business its crucial. Almost every item I sell with my 100% powerseller account is sold at a higher price than the ebay average for that item, sometimes significantly higher. This is partly a result of the $.99 listings, that leads to a lot of early on bidding and higher search results (becuase of ebays new fluffied up search system), and in turn generates more "watchers" and more interest, leading to last minute bidding wars. Its ridiculous, sometimes people will get in bidding frenzy at the end of auctions and pay 100% of full retail, or more! This is the reason my few customers pay me a good commission to sell $10,000's worth of their gear rather than doing it themselves.
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Wondering if Amazon Marketplace might end up being an alternative to eBay. Found an out of print book there -- but mint condition, never sold -- when I couldn't even track down a used copy (short of a ridiculous "I've got the only one" price). Ended up corresponding with the seller about how she managed that, and she waxed eloquent about how Amazon Marketplace made it easy...to the point of letting her list for free.
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I stopped selling things on eBay a few years ago and now my wife and mother in law only use it to browse for great jewelry deals. They have bought several watches, rings, bracelets, etc... with just one problem and that is on my wife's Rolex she bought on there. It was certified by the seller and once she got the watch she took it to the local Rolex dealer here who said she got a great deal. She paid $300 for a $1500 watch and got in a bidding war with a lady and the only reason it stayed under $400 was time ran out on the other bidder. She even had an email from the other bidder asking if she would take $900 for the watch AFTER we bought it. Anyway the problem was that inside of 30 days the watch stopped working and the seller agreed to pay to have it fixed here locally and that was the end of it since they had listed it as having a 1 year warranty when she bought it.
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i've bought and sold quite a bit on ebay. never had a problem selling, but then i describe things agonizingly accurate, and back up the description with boatloads of pics. if something i sold wasn't what was expected, then the person had the mentality of a houseplant. i only ever had one bad feedback, and that was an r/c airplane starter....that i forgot to pay for. it was my fault alone, and it was years ago.
i've bought r/c stuff and sold r/c stuff. sold the unsmashed parts off of my totaled gt, sold some of my archery stuff, bought some archery stuff......gonna buy some easton stalkers next week.
you just need to be careful.....read the description, check feedback.
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I've never checked out craigslist. Maybe I will. Thanks for the suggestion :)