Besides identity theft, internet auctions were the number one consumer complaint.
Now, I'm not a huge ebayer, but I've done some buying and a little bit of selling. Fifty-four transactions so far.
Every one has been totally smooth and perfect. I've had no complaints about anything I've purchased and all of the things I sold were smooth transactions. I got paid, I sent the product, I got good feedback.
Am I too trusting though? Does anybody here have any EBay horror stories? I've been thinking about doing some more selling, quite frankly I've done well with what I've sold so far.
But with the high amount of complaints, I wonder if I'm just lucky so far.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Eighteen items purchased, here. All but one of the transactions went smoothly; with one, I got such a good deal that the guy dropped off the face of the earth rather than send me the camera and I had to call the cops on him.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
I've purchased several items from Ebay, without a single problem. I've been happy with every purchase.
I think if you consider the sheer volume of what transacts through there, it isn't surprising that there are a high number of complaints -- but still many, many satisfied customers.
And some people are just too stupid to check out a seller -- look at their feedback, e-mail them, etc. We're all smarter than that.
FG
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
I agree. I've had great experiences with e-bay. Even when something turned out not to work properly, I knew that I was taking a gamble and had no complaints (i.e., I paid a little bit to see if I might luck out -- and sometimes I did).
But there are some scumbags using e-bay to sell hot merchandise, or who fail to stand behind what they sell. Just like any other retail business, except more anonymous.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
I bought some electronic items, which made me nervous, but every one has been great. With one the deal seemed too good to be true, but darned if they didn't send exactly what they said new in the box and it works perfectly.
I've mostly sold craft items - patterns, books, etc that I have around the house and decided I'd never get around to using. I was going to sell some purses and totes that I made, but I wound up selling all the ones I made locally and didn't need to list them.
I have friends who sell regularly on Ebay. One sells recipe collections that she emails to the winner, and she makes hundreds of dollars a month for just managing her auctions and sending emails.
Another buys craft supplies at wholesale prices in large quantities, and repackges them in smaller quantities and lists them.
You all know me, and my tendency to jump into something and then abandon it later. (can you spell ADD?) Ebay works well for me, because there is no major commitment. You list what you have and if you want to move onto something else you can. So, I've been thinking about doing it some more.
Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
I've had no complaints on Ebay. I've made some really good deals. Just like you, Belle, I worried that some might be too good to be true, but they've all ended up just what I asked for.
Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
I've done both buying and selling on ebay, and have had nothing but good experiences. Twice we bought stuff that was held by people right in town, so we saved on shipping and got to meet interesting people. Got a *great* deal on one of those items.
Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :
Back a few years ago, when times were pretty tough financially, I sold off some of the Magic cards I had been collecting. Out of all the individual cards I sold, I think I only had one case where a buyer ducked paying for their purchase. In all, it was pretty good for me, and I made enough to cover a month's worth of bills, rent and groceries.
Posted by docmagik (Member # 1131) on :
I buy books and other such things on ebaby, and was only screwed once. Some guy with a user rating in the two-thousand some odd range fell off the face of the earth within half a day of me making my purchase. I don't think I'm the guy he screwed bad, though. It wasn't worth it in the case of my transaction . . .
Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
It seems like it would be hard to be screwed if you're the seller. I don't think I've been involved with any auctions where they would send me the item before they received payment.
I sold a few signed, first editions and didn't put them in the mail til I received payment through PayPal.
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
The user feedbacks are pretty foolproof. Usually, on a big-ticket item (things over $50), I would email the seller's previous customers and see if they are indeed happy with their purchase. So far everything has been fine.
Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
Zan, if you're an honest but stupid seller *points to self* you can get screwed on Ebay. My first sale on Ebay, I underestimated the shipping costs by a lot. I broke even on the deal, which means that the person who won the bid got the stuff for free and just paid shipping.
I haven't made that mistake since.
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
There is a one-way flow of stuff into my life. As such, I have only tried to sell something on eBay once. And I got NO BIDS! Arrghhhh...
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
And they were such lovely stove burners!
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
I was quite captivated by the hazy Vaselined-lens mood shot of the little cuties. Ba-bum-ba-bum!
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
jeniwren, I had the same thing happen to me on shipping once!
Also, once I listed an old pattern book and I gave its condition as "normal storage wear, but everything still intact."
Before I could get it packed up, one of the kids took it to "read it" and the thing tore right along the fold. Someone had already bid and paid for it!
I shipped it to her anyway, apologized, and returned her check.
She actually told me returning the check wasn't necessary, but I couldn't in good conscience take her money. So, I lost money on that deal. Other than those two, I've done pretty well.
Posted by Polly (Member # 6044) on :
I've always had good experiences on Ebay, although I've never tried to sell anything. I live in a remote enough area that it is frequently difficult to find certain merchandise. I've bought books, electronics equipment, jewelry, craft items, video games and hair accessories. I've always received the item as described and in a reasonable amount of time.
My husband does not approve of Ebay, and refuses to even consider looking for hard to find merchandise there. When I suggested he look for a specific item he was having trouble finding (I even got online and found it was available at Ebay) he said he'd rather go without than to "encourage that kind of thing". Apparently he thinks all the merchandise available on Ebay is either stolen, or "scalped". Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
That's kind of funny, Polly. One of the best deals we got on Ebay was for my husband, who in general isn't that thrilled with computers or the internet. He was looking for a $300 part for his Soloflex, and I found one for $60 from a seller right in our own town. Hubby was able to pick it up from the seller just down the street from our house. That changed his mind about Ebay.
Belle, that was so nice of you! I bought some stamps from a lady in Texas who accidentally sent me the wrong set. She realized her mistake, mailed the correct set along with a self addressed stamped envelope and a bunch of extras (some sponges and eyelets and other crafty things) to apologize for the inconvenience. That was pretty nice, I thought.
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Got a *great* deal on one of those items.
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