Quick eBay story

Baz · Baz's Garage

Not as exciting as some previously posted but I'll share as a data point anyway.

I have had hardly any problems with eBay. Been a member since 2000 mostly as a buyer but I did a lot of selling when I had the time. 100% with over 1200 transactions.

So during Hurricane Matthew of course we had a power outage and even though I had a generator, I still found the use of a transistor radio to be handy to keep up with some of the local updates.

The transistor radio I had purchased from eBay about a year or so ago just to keep for emergencies. So I decided to get another one for my Mom from eBay. I ended up buying one that was almost the exact same model as mine - a Realistic (Radio Shack) with AM/FM - "used but works fine" according to description. The radio came and with a brand new battery the reception and volume level was awful. Especially in a side to side comparison with mine.

I sent the seller a message letting him know and waited for a reply which never came. A week later I sent a second reply - again with no response. So finally I went through the eBay resolution process requesting to send back. That was Friday and today I got a full refund to my PP account and the radio doesn't have to be sent back.

Had the seller responded to my initial message he could have refunded me just for the cost of the radio - less shipping - which was my offer to him to resolve the situation.

What was the purchase price? $10.00 for the radio and $4.00 for shipping. It wasn't the $ it was the principle.

I guess the seller didn't check the radio's functionality out very well.

As an aside, I have purchased a second transistor radio (also on eBay) and it turned out to be fantastic condition and works very well, so that's the one Mom will get.

Evans, Marv · 07:56 PM

I used to buy parts off of eBay years ago (early 2000's). One of the things I bid on & got were some small plastic interior parts for a Porsche. Things like door lock pulls. The winning bid was something like $7 plus shipping. I sent off payment (money order) and waited. When I didn't receive anything, I emailed the seller, who said he had sent it off. After waiting some more and not receiving anything, I emailed again and got a reply that he had sent it & didn't want to be bothered again. Since it's the seller's responsibility to supply tracking info, I asked for it & didn't receive a response. Finally I filed a complaint with eBay that resulted in their mediation process which resulted in them saying the seller claimed to have sent it so the matter was closed. So I gave him a negative review, & he retaliated with a negative review for me. To top it off, he was a member of this BBS at the time. I ran into a couple of other weirdos and decided I didn't want to do eBay anymore.

HardDrive · 10-30-2016, 07:55 PM

The one time I got ripped off on E-bay, they were very responsive. I had money back in 21 days.

tabs · 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evans, Marv

I used to buy parts off of eBay years ago (early 2000's). One of the things I bid on & got were some small plastic interior parts for a Porsche. Things like door lock pulls. The winning bid was something like $7 plus shipping. I sent off payment (money order) and waited. When I didn't receive anything, I emailed the seller, who said he had sent it off. After waiting some more and not receiving anything, I emailed again and got a reply that he had sent it & didn't want to be bothered again. Since it's the seller's responsibility to supply tracking info, I asked for it & didn't receive a response. Finally I filed a complaint with eBay that resulted in their mediation process which resulted in them saying the seller claimed to have sent it so the matter was closed. So I gave him a negative review, & he retaliated with a negative review for me. To top it off, he was a member of this BBS at the time. I ran into a couple of other weirdos and decided I didn't want to do eBay anymore.

Current ebay policy is if the seller does not provide a tracking number he loses and has to refund total amount of monies paid. If tracking number is provided and shows delivery you lose.

If buyer says not as described more often than not the buyer prevails and the seller pays shipping both ways along with refund. if buyer says I changed my mind or not my size buyer pays shipping both ways and possibly a restocking fee deducted from the refund.

You should ask me how I know. I have literally gone to war with ebay over these issues. I would say I have changed corporate policy on some of these issues. I always get ahead of the issue with them and when in doubt I call them to find out their position on the matter. I take notes on what is said and by whom.

KFC911 · 10-31-2016, 03:00 AM

My last ebay purchase was years ago when a pro with 100% positive feedback tried to scam me with a cobbled together, hazardous, POS Carver amp. Paypal refunded me, but there isn't a salary large enough that would entice me to do that as my day job....maybe some dragon azz jeans would though...different strokes

Evans, Marv · 10-31-2016, 07:15 AM

Maybe eBay has changed policy to be more equitable, but in the early 2000's, their policies seemed to be pretty hands off. Most people were OK, but as with everything else a few soured the pot. I had two or three things go wrong, and their solutions were inadequate. I figured with more scammers operating as time went on, I was better off disengaged.