eBay B.S.

[tommystinson]

Now I have another issue with eBay listers to bitch about. What part of (N)EW (O)LD (S)TOCK is so !@#$ hard to understand?! A used and rusted gas tank listed as "NOS"?! And to add insult to injury, it's LISTED FOR $295!!! Idiots. Scammers. Or both.

[Pat Kelly]

Maybe they meant (N)ot (O)ffering (S)atisfaction?
(N)o (O)bligation (S)cam?
(N)icely (O)xidized (S)tuff?

Sorry if you got taken. I've had a couple of bad experiences on Ebay but mostly it's been good. About the same average (maybe better) than buying IRL.
Got a starter for an XS750 that was listed (and pictured) as clean and working. What arrived was greasy, disassembled, with missing parts.
Got a fairing that was missing parts.
Got some chaps that were the wrong size (my fault). Returned them for the correct size and the Ebay store disappeared.
Got money back on the starter and chaps. Still have the fairing.
Anyone want to buy a fairing with a few missing parts?

[rockjok]

I've gotten some great deals on ebay but I've also had a few people try and screw me.

I think the best way to go about it is to have a paypal account linked to a specially set up bank account. Keep a low balance and this way you have a confirmed address and a place to "dump" any funds that accumulate in your paypal account. This way paypal can't force you to pay from funds in your paypal account.

Next is a credit card from a reputable company with good customer service. Always pay for questionable ebay items with the credit card even if you end up paying a bit extra for the fees. In addition, always save a copy of the ebay auction, emails, and tracking numbers to your hard drive.

If something untoward occurs call the card company and put the transaction in dispute and send them a copy of the auction archive with your explanation. In the case of the above NOS problem you would get your money refunded regardless of what the seller, ebay, or paypal says.

The first time I used this technique the seller turned out to have scammed a dozen other people. After almost two months of emails to ebay and paypal I was informed there was nothing they could do about my payment (tho' ebay did suspend the scammer). I contacted my card company, despite threats from paypal, and had a credit within a week.

If anybody has other tips I'd love to hear them.

Rob

[Pat Kelly]

In the case of the chaps I made a claim with PayPal. The seller disappeared just after I returned the incorrect size chaps. PayPal refunded my purchase and initial shipping. I lost out on the return shipping to the seller.
The only not positive feedback I've received on Ebay was the fairing. My wife drove to the seller (a bike wrecking yard 100 miles from home) and paid cash. When I saw the missing parts I called them and they said the fairing was "as is". I left a neutral feedback and they did likewise, just because I did. Seems they should have left a posative because I paid them cash and kept the misrepesented part.
PayPal came thru for me on the chaps and starter. The chaps were $40 and actually good quality. The starter was $10.

[ccogswel]

I think ebay should make it to where if you are a ebay seller you have to leave feedback first. I don't think it's fair if you (the buyer) fulfill your side of the obligation and leave the appropriate feedback just so they go and do the same. That makes me mad every time I think about it. I can't help it. I hate liars and thieves that sell on ebay. I better stop before I say something I'll regret.

Thankfully I had only been taken twice. Still two to many. But wasn't that much. I also had some sellers say oh the part is worse then I thought so I don't feel comfortable selling it anymore. Sorry for your time. Just so after a couple weeks I see it listed again. At a higher starting price. Go figure.

[TomB]

NOS

Sorry to hear of your sad tales lads

I've seen quite a lot of new old stock through buying parts for my old Triumphs, but this was always at auto-jumbles, and some of it was not good, some pretty good and some ready for the scrap bin.

But it was all NOS, as its described, its new as in unused, and its old stock as in been kicking around a storeroom shelf or floor for bloody years.

For this reason I've always been wary of buying NOS and want to see detailed pictures and descriptions, or better yet, hold the thing in my sweaty oil ingrained hand before buying.

Tom

[tommystinson]

Thankfully my comment was not due to a (recent) purchase gone wrong, but simply seeing a rusted tank with scratches listed with "NOS" in the title. Ebay tried to hide behind the innocent party defense with thousands of counterfeit items sold as genuine. Gucci handbags, etc. I thought they had been given the smackdown, legal style, but I'm unsure. Ebay claims to be an on-line auction, but also denies accountability for fraudulent listings. Doesn't fly with me. Try to pull that one over on a guy who spent $27M for a Picasso on Christie's! PayPal sucks, always has and always will. I endured a "buyer protection" claim for a junk Special exhaust listed as having slight "surface rust". Apparently I misunderstood "surface" as it showed up with multiple perforations and three pounds of rust flakes inside. It took three months to get my money back, even with the sellers cooperation! I like how you can take hours to compose a listing, but detailing a complaint will "time out" before reaching the word limit. Add up all the BS and Ebay isn't all that it's cracked up to be. I just sold my old Jardine 4-1 to an acquaintance for $100 cash. No listing, no packaging, NO BS! Good deal for him, good deal for me. I suppose a fraudulent / mis representative listing complaint process would be nice. Some type of symbol or color highlighting that others have raised warning flags about an auction/item. Of course it could be abused, but punish the abusers. Oh well...

[TomB]

Add up all the BS and Ebay isn't all that it's cracked up to be.

Couldn't agree more.

If Ebay was used by only the genuine folk that you sometimes meet on there it would be fantastic, unfortunately just like most other things there's always scum around who abuse it and ruin it for the good guys.

What really erks me is the amount of money Ebay takes off us, if the service you get when there is a problem was great then I wouldn't mind but they are glad to charge a lot and give poor back up service.

All we can do is hope some other computer genius starts a new selling site that is better, ebay would soon buck up their ideas.



Ahh that feels better

Tom

[Crazcnuk]

I am afraid you are trying to blame ebay for human nature. It won't matter how many computer geeks start new sites, you will always have the same problem.

Ask anyone who has been in retail. Customers are a PITA. Not the majority, just enough to make life miserable.

Like any retail store, you have to pick and choose who you buy from. The seller has far less choice on who to sell to.

No matter how much explaining you do you will get twits who claim they were scammed. They were perfectly happy spending $50 until thier nosy freind told them they could have got it for $30 from some fictitous guy in the next county.

NOS does not mean 'new' or 'pristine' A lot of NOS has been in some grungy box on a grungy shelf, being shoved around for decades. If you luck out the item will be perfect, if not it can be in pretty much any shape. Like anything else you have to watch what you buy and from whom.

I have bought many items and sold even more on Ebay and have only had one idiot try to pull a fast one. Fortunately, he paid me first.

[TomB]

Nah, I blame humans for crappy human nature not ebay

What I blame ebay for is charging lots then providing rubbish back up service when crappy human nature screws us.

Please don't misunderstand me, I think the vast majority of ebay users are brilliant and have had some tremendous buys and sales from superb people, for this reason my faith in human nature is strong.

I agree that another new ebay style site will not solve the crappy human nature problem, what I was trying to say was that it would provide a bit of free market competition to make ebay think about how much it charged us for rubbish service.

Tom

[tommystinson]

Originally posted by Crazcnuk
I am afraid you are trying to blame ebay for human nature. It won't matter how many computer geeks start new sites, you will always have the same problem.

Ask anyone who has been in retail. Customers are a PITA. Not the majority, just enough to make life miserable.

Like any retail store, you have to pick and choose who you buy from. The seller has far less choice on who to sell to.

No matter how much explaining you do you will get twits who claim they were scammed. They were perfectly happy spending $50 until thier nosy freind told them they could have got it for $30 from some fictitous guy in the next county.

NOS does not mean 'new' or 'pristine' A lot of NOS has been in some grungy box on a grungy shelf, being shoved around for decades. If you luck out the item will be perfect, if not it can be in pretty much any shape. Like anything else you have to watch what you buy and from whom.

I have bought many items and sold even more on Ebay and have only had one idiot try to pull a fast one. Fortunately, he paid me first.

I'm a little confused on how New Old Stock doesn't actually mean new. LOL
Damaged packaging, dusty, etc. is different than used or deteriorated merchandise IMHO.

[goldcoastguy001]

Ebay use to have a list of "Enscower's" these are third party companies that you send your payment to and they contact the seller to advise that payment is recieved, the seller then sends you the item. When you have recieved the item and contact the enscower to let them know it is in order the on-send the payment to the seller. If you are not happy you send the item back and the enscower holds the funds until the seller recieves back the item before refunding you. there is a charge for this but it is minor compared to loosing out altogether....

I used an enscower for the first couple of times but have never really had a problem yet, so i just use paypal now.

Cheers

[Crazcnuk]

"I'm a little confused on how New Old Stock doesn't actually mean new. LOL
Damaged packaging, dusty, etc. is different than used or deteriorated merchandise IMHO."


If you consider something manufactured over 20 years ago as 'new' i can see your confusion.

(N)ew never installed (O)ld OLD self explanatory (S)tock, sitting around in a dusty dirty old warehouse somewhere.

[Pat Kelly]

I don't think he really wants to sell these

Ok, this does appear to be New Old Stock. But at that price it will be even older New Old Stock.
I paid $60 for a Lockhart "New In Box" off Ebay

Gold Plated Oil Cooler

[mro]

Gold plated Oil Cooler

Was expecting to see a Gold plated Oil Cooler

Ebay question:
Cancelled an order after waiting a week longer than the longest ship extimate was said it would take to ship a new item.

What is a resonanable amount of time to wait for a Paypal refund?


mro