Good Ebay story

[Big Shed]

We hear a lot about bad experiences on Ebay, and I must admit I have had one or 2 less successfull transactions on Ebay.

However, let me relate my latest Ebay purchase, mainly because it gives some balance to some of those negative stories.

Spotted a book on woodcarving that SWMBO was looking for on Ebay in the US, same book new on Amazon is $US31, this seller had it $US15 BuyItNow for a pristine s/h copy, or Best Offer. Sent an email for postage cost to Oz, he came back very quickly, $US11 US Priority Airmail.

So offered him $US12 for the book, he accepted. This was last week Friday pm. I paid via PayPal that afternoon, he came back Saturday morning to say thank you for payment and that the book had been posted Saturday am in Florida.

Book turned up yesterday here in Central Victoria, book is same as new.

So for a postage cost of $A12, it came all the way from the US in under a week!

SWMBO is happy (and that is priceless), if all Ebay sellers and transactions were like this it would be a good thing.

[DavidG]

So far I have not had a problem with EBay.

Some times a seller is a little slow but I have received every thing I have purchased.

Some deals have been excellent. Some just so so.

[pawnhead]

When things go smoothly, it's generally not mentioned, or it's forgotten about, but when you get stung it leaves a bad taste in your mouth and gets burnt into your memory.

A bit like some petitions. The vocal minority make a lot of noise and get heard, but there may be a satisfied majority who like things the way they are and have got no complaints to voice.

You could sort of take some advice from wheelin's latest thread.

[rrich]

Fortunately eBay has some rather honest sellers.
Unfortunately eBay has some of the others also.

[Big Shed]

Fortunately eBay has some rather honest sellers.
Unfortunately eBay has some of the others also.

I have used Ebay both for buying and selling. As you say there must be some dishonest Ebay sellers, I have been forunate perhaps never to experience one, so far. I must say some sellers are easier to deal with than others. I have heard stories of people not getting their goods they paid for, fortunately it hasn't happened to me (yet?), but it has happened to a friend of mine who bought a chainsaw (from a US seller as it happens) and it never turned up and the seller disappeared soon after the sale. He didn't report it to Ebay till after the 60 days, you have to allow some time for shipment from the US, and Ebay didn't want to know because it was longer than 60 days, catch22!

As a sometime seller on Ebay I have to say I have experienced a few dishonest buyers, they bid then never pay etc.

So I suppose it works both ways.

Anyway, my experience related above was put up to show there are some really good experiences to be had on Ebay as well.

[rsser]

True.

Last night I ordered a GPS from an ebay store in the US. Within 12 hours I had a shipping confirmation.

On the other hand I once got burned with a Qld seller flogging a PDA. He asked for a Money Order, didn't send the item, cashed the MO a day before its two-month expiry, and disappeared. The ebay buyer protection scheme ultimately coughed up most of what I lost but only after a heap of emails and pushing.

The seller had been adopting new identities so I'm now very wary of those with little buyer feedback. He was also stupid enough to relist 'vapour' items he'd supposedly sold. So when in doubt with buying see about COD.

Another wrinkle is PayPal's exchange rate. 86c US on the conversion last night when the published rate was around 90c. They claim published rates are for mega-million bank buys and so they allow a 2.5% margin. Ptui.

[Big Shed]

Ern, I doubt whether you would get a better rate on your Visa/Master Card, try and buy a bank draft and see how much they slug you for that.

[BobL]

Another wrinkle is PayPal's exchange rate. 86c US on the conversion last night when the published rate was around 90c. They claim published rates are for mega-million bank buys and so they allow a 2.5% margin. Ptui.

Hummmm . . . . . . 4 cents in 90 = 4.4% : looks like they can't even do basic sums?

[echnidna]

compare paypal to the banks and you'll find paypals still cheaper

[Tankstand]

My son asked if I could buy one of those cymbal clanging toy windup monkeys (This thing is old and in original box!). It was in the USA, I won the item, next thing she sends me a message apologising for the thing not working anymore, so she sends it to me free of charge and shipping! Son is ecstatic as he only wanted it as a (non working) prop in a film!

[robyn2839]

never had a problem with ebay 58 transactions so far.sold a set of state of origin collector cards to a couple in ipswich, got a message ,there was one card missing ,so i refunded the amount and told them to keep the cards for the trouble.made me feel good ,only thing the pr...k never left feedback. but i would never try and falsely describe the item.thats wrong.bob

[Rossluck]

SWMBO used my account, well I suppose it's ours, and bought a ring for one of our children for one dollar. You know the rest: it was in Hong Kong and the postage was $17.00 and the ring was like the ones you get for a dollar from a dispensing machine.

But the killer was that the seller would only accept payment through PayPal, and I had purposefully let my credit card connection to PayPal expire. I tried to explain this to the seller through emails and asked if there was another way of paying.

It was like sending emails to a brick wall, and in no time I was being threatened with "please pay now or else" emails. I had to reinitiate PayPal, but by the time I'd done so the seller had made an official complaint against me with Ebay. I paid, and they then sent me a ridiculous series of emails indicating that they had magnanimously decided to drop the complaint against me....

All over a one dollar ring that didn't fit my daughter anyway.

[Alastair]

Just had a good experience. Looking for Electric guitar for No. 1 son.

Local packages ~$550 for Fender clone beginner pack. Scored identical on ebay for $217. Private seller. Second bid, no others.

Unit collected by my cousin in Melb, and cash handed over. While he isn't an expert, as far as he can see is in mint condition. So Xmas for the boy taken care of.

(reminder, must go and give feedback)

[munruben]

I have had pretty good experience on ebay although I only purchase from someone who has 100% or close to 100% positive feedback. I make allowances if the person has been a member for a few years and has a lower positive rating, as long as its not too low I will still buy from them. For instance if they have been a member for 3 years and have sold hundreds of items in that time and the positive feedback is say 98.9% I think they are probably still okay because over that kind of period, you are bound to get someone complain, thats human nature and when you read some of the complaints, they are pretty minor.

[Buzza]

I sold a van stateing that it was to be via Paypal only. The jerk who puchased it sent me an email via Ebay saying he would come around to my place with the cash . . . so him an I went to war.

He tried to hide but funnily enough, when you are determined you can achieve wonders. I found that he was here from overseas and in a Uni in Adelaide. He somehow seemed to have swindled a way of using the Uni computers for an Ebay ID.

He never paid, and I gave the van away to someone who did need it.

Most ebayers are great people to deal with in my opinion though.