e bay--thought???

[Slutzy]

I have come to the conclusion that ebay simply stinks. I suppose this is because it requires some degree of trust and credibility in your fellow man, which seems to be too much to ask. I've been sent pirated cd's that were advertised as new and electronic devices missing critical componants.

Has anyone ever had a good experience???? I'm really looking for someont to tell me not to give up!

[topane]

Ebay is better for selling than for buying. However, the one good thing about ebay is sometimes you can find obscure things which are impossible to find on the street.

[welfareloser]

i've never gotten screwed buying yet... if there is any chance that what i am buying could be a fake (like anything on a cd) or damaged (anything used) i email the seller and ask specific questions, and end it with something like "and is there ANYTHING else you need to tell me?" if i don't like the answer or i don't get an answer, i don't bid. so i've passed up a lot of stuff i was dying to have cuz i wasn't sure.

and my only problem selling is that about 5% of the time i have problems getting ppl to pay... out of maybe 80-90 things i've sold, i've had 3 or 4 ppl that just flat-out never paid... not too bad really; you're just out the listing fee. although i am annoyed right now because i have a $20 item that i am now having to relist for the THIRD friggin time because two buyers in a row dint pay up.

i think imma start being a feedback snob, tho... my rating is now 110, and everyone who has stiffed me has had a rating of 2 or lower... so imma specify that you must have a feedback of 5 or more to bid on my stuff.

[JPR]

No problems here buying or selling. I think they just don't like you!

:D

[Merlin]

I've used eBay a grand total of...drum roll :drums:

ONE (1) Time - to buy my cable modem. Went well and the guy
I bought it from was really cool. I'll use them again if appropriate.

Welfare - You do what you gotta do. But as someone with no feedback - we ain't all bad just not big users.

[WhiskeyPapa]

Originally posted by Slutzy
I have come to the conclusion that ebay simply stinks.
Did you check your seller's feedback? I mean read the actual comments, not just look at the number?

How many items have you purchased, and how many times have you been ripped off?

I've been using eBay since September 1995 (the month they started) and have completed over 1000 transactions on eBay (about 50% buying and 50% selling) and have never been screwed. Three times I've had buyers never send money, but I don't consider that getting "screwed", since I never sent the item. I just neg'd the bidder and relisted the item.

Just a few tips if you want to drastically reduce your chances of getting ripped off:

1. Don't bid on any electronic item sold "as-is". 75% of the time, that means it's broken.
2. Don't bid on anything where the seller has private feedback.
3. Don't bid on anything where the seller has feedback less than 100.
4. If a seller has any negative feedback comments, read all of them with a very critical eye.

Use this web site to see only the negative comments a seller has received: Feedback tools (http://www.vrane.com/ef.html)

If you're not too embarassed, share the links to the auctions you got screwed on, and I'll show you the subtle (or not so subtle) clues you should have looked for before you bid.

[WhiskeyPapa]

Originally posted by welfareloser
i've passed up a lot of stuff i was dying to have cuz i wasn't sure.
That's the key. You gotta be willing to walk on by. Unfortunately, too many people are "dying to have it" and ignore the warning signs.

I used to be very active on alt.marketing.online.ebay and we were all watching a brand new seller (zero feedback) who all of a sudden listed 10 "brand new" notebook computers. The seller was in Hong Kong, and would only accept payment by wire transfer. We all knew this was a scam a-brewin. Sure enough, two weeks after the auctions ended, the negative feedback comments started rolling in. The guy took everyone's money. He cleared at least $10,000, all from stupid U.S. buyers, all newbie eBay users.

[Cantacuzene]

I have 5 feedbacks, but I've sold at least 15 things. The only time I've been screwed you could say was when people failed to leave me feedback. I usually buy from respectable people.

I had one lady that bought my ps2 that claimed it arrived missing things which I said I'd send, but nothing was missing. I told her to stop emailing me and I'd send her the insurance slips. I did and haven't heard from her since, I assume she was either trying to screw me or the post office broke into my box and stole stuff.

[Nanotech9]

i have about 45 - 50 good feedbacks, and no negatives (yet :))

i've only gotta a BAD deal once, when i ordered a 19" monitor, and turns out, it was an older monochrome screen, for an SUN server or something. I was out $100... i shoulda figured it was too go to be true, and shoulda researched the monitor more.

i've bought 2 cars off ebay, pretty happy with one, and ok happy with the other. I always see the cars in person before i hand over the money though.

[WhiskeyPapa]

BTW, I didn't mean to insinuate in my previous post that any seller with less than 100 feedback will rip you off. It's only a guideline if you want to be *extremely* safe. You will miss out on a lot of deals.

[whitak24]

i've only used ebay once, and that was to buy an antique copy (early edition) of hemmingway's "the sun also rises" for my GF. excellent example of being able to get something that i couldn't find anywhere else on ebay. the transaction was great, and i got a good deal on the book too.

wait, i did use it one other time, and that kinda sucked: when they were running the "Auction for America" after 9/11, i paid $1 for a list that was supposedly going to be a bunch of "wholesale" places to buy stuff cheap. it was utter crap. but i didn't mind because all the money went to the relief fund, not the seller.

basically, it was a situation where the seller was trying to run up their feedback ratings by selling these lists for $1 in the auction for america, knowing that a lot of people would be suckered in and not mind if they didn't get that great of a value out of it. but i got the seller back by leaving a neutral rating rather than a positive.

[DoPeY5007]

I like half.com, and eBay company, they pay you direct, so I like listing things there