eBay ratings- don't want to be a jerk...

[RJBender]

😀

...You have a gripe with the seller over paying for priority mail and insurance. The seller is clearly wrong here. On the other hand, once you have packaged up twelve items in similar brown boxes, it becomes tough to keep them straight. The only way to do so is to index the name and address with the item and the agreed upon shipping method. It wouldn't be difficult to make a mistake here, so I agree with many of the people above that you should contact the seller first rather than going straight to the feedback approach....

...Fifth, packing materials are expensive. I checked out the cost of buying new materials thinking that it would be easier to work with those. We fortunately had saved enough materials to ship all of the items, if we hadn't we would have paid another couple bucks per item for shipping materials...

Tom, the USPS will send you all the Priority Mail boxes, tape, stickers and labels you want for FREE. Check it out:
http://shop.usps.com/cgi-bin/vsbv/p...ity+Mail&parentCat=undefined&subCat=undefined

I learned about it at eBay University. 😀

R.J.

 

[ch1]

😀

Tom, the USPS will send you all the Priority Mail boxes, tape, stickers and labels you want for FREE. Check it out:
http://shop.usps.com/cgi-bin/vsbv/p...ity+Mail&parentCat=undefined&subCat=undefined

I learned about it at eBay University. 😀

R.J.

Yes, eBay and the USPS are now partners and if you look at current "freebie" USPS Priority Mail boses - they show the eBay logo.

Sad news is, in the "old" days you could turn a "freebie" USPS Priority Mail carton "inside out" and use it for other services. Now they got "smart"and the inside is printed with "Priority Mail" all over it.

So much for "cheapo" use and re-use!

 

[RJBender]

...Sad news is, in the "old" days you could turn a "freebie" USPS Priority Mail carton "inside out" and use it for other services. Now they got "smart"and the inside is printed with "Priority Mail" all over it.

So much for "cheapo" use and re-use!...

George, you have to agree to use the supplies solely for Priority Mail shipments when you order online. The Postal Inspectors probably don't enforce it, though.

R.J.

 

[doubs43]

Frank. Firstly, "mint" is about as subjective a term as one sees of the bay.

Wrong answer! "Mint" means EXACTLY one thing: "the same as NEW". Look it up in the dictionary. Those who describe any condition other than "as new" as "mint" are abusing the buyer and the English language.

BTW, I do realize who supports ebay. Sellers AND buyers. Sellers pay squat if no one buys.

As for the feedback system, it can be improved and I still say the seller should provide positive feedback immediately upon payment with verified funds. At that point the buyer has met his/her obligation. I'm agreeable to NO negative feedback from anyone until an attempt to reach agreement between the parties has taken place. But retaliatory feedback from sellers is plain and simple crap when they've screwed the buyer.

Now, if anyone thinks I'm the buyer from Hell, the facts prove otherwise. I've made a sizeable number of purchases through ebay and have yet to leave even one negative feedback. Nor have I returned a single item. Have I been satisfied with all of my purchases? No. In those cases the items were NOT as described and I've left no feedback at all. The seller has gone on my list of buyers I won't ever buy from a second time. None of the items - so far - have been worth the hassle or expense of returning. I don't buy really expensive items from ebay as I insist on a personal inspection before any sizeable amount changes hands.

Anyway, ebay needs to find a way to weed out dishonest sellers AND buyers. I doubt that it happens so I do agree that it's "Caveat Emptor".

Walker

 

[nwcanonman]

Copake_ham,
First, I never said YOU were the one who brought up the Taxi Analogy.
Second - Why don't you give us your Ebay nickname so we don't buy from someone who doesn't care about ethics.
BTW - I don't go to anyone's church, I do have personal integrity though.

 

[Frank Granovski]

"...using crumpled newspaper and toiltepaper etc. can be an acceptable way of shipping - if the sender does it right."

He didn't do it right. And yes, mint means new or like new. :bang:

 

[dostacos]

snip
I'd like to see the rules REQUIRE the seller to post buyer feedback immediately upon receipt of verifiable payment. Ebay could arrange it so that the buyer couldn't post feedback at all until the seller posts first. After a certain time had elasped, the buyer could override the seller's feedback provision, post feedback and the seller would then have no option to reply. That would prevent sellers from using FB as a weapon to retaliate when the buyer is not pleased with the services or the item(s).

Just my opinion.

Walker

yes once my payment has cleared they should have to post feedback, it would keep the sellers alot more honest. It would also solve lots of the slow pay, no pay easier to hit with the neg. since a couple of no response requests for payment could get at least a neutral....

yeah like EBAY cares about the buyer HAHAHAHAAHAHA

 

[Poptart]

Sad news is, in the "old" days you could turn a "freebie" USPS Priority Mail carton "inside out" and use it for other services. Now they got "smart"and the inside is printed with "Priority Mail" all over it.

So much for "cheapo" use and re-use!

Not so fast! You just wrap brown paper over the inside-out box!

 

[Nick R.]

(. . . snip)

I'd like to see the rules REQUIRE the seller to post buyer feedback immediately upon receipt of verifiable payment. Ebay could arrange it so that the buyer couldn't post feedback at all until the seller posts first. After a certain time had elasped, the buyer could override the seller's feedback provision, post feedback and the seller would then have no option to reply. That would prevent sellers from using FB as a weapon to retaliate when the buyer is not pleased with the services or the item(s).

Just my opinion.

Walker

I agree. The buyer's responsibilty is to pay in a timely manner. Once done, the seller should leave feedback based on that and that alone.



Who pays for ebay? Come on, in any transaction "it takes two" so to speak. To say one is more responsible than the other is not realistic.

 

[RJBender]

I'd be curious what that figure was based on.

If that's the postage cost on the sticker, remember to figure packing materials, fuel to get to/from the post office, time, etc.

People forget about the hidden costs of shopping, such as mileage. The IRS standard mileage rate for 2005 is 40.5¢ per mile. If you drive 25 miles to make a purchase, that's $10 worth of expense that you don't see. I don't think $10 is unreasonable for shipping when it includes postage.

However, if the seller agreed to ship Insured Priority Mail you should demand a refund on the difference. It's possible the seller made a mistake and you should let him know you are unhappy. If you don't get a response, call the Postal Inspector's office (800) 275-8777 and file a complaint.

R.J.

 

[RJBender]

All I am saying is that eBay is NOT retail shopping in Mall America.

I think eBay would like us to believe that it's Mall America! Those TV commericals should include a shot of someone opening a box stuffed with toilet paper and camera parts! 😛

R.J.

 

[T_om]

But Tom,
You've got the buyer's money before you ship the item. .

Maybe, maybe not. Ever had a fraudulent chargeback? Ever had a customer outright LIE to PayPal to get a refund?

I have had both.

I got the fraudulent chargeback corrected and eBay removed the guy's account, but the woman that lied to PayPal was refunded her money regardless!

BUT, even if you HAVE the money, that is only one more step in the process. The process doesn't end when you have been paid.

Not all sellers abide by Ebay's rules or have integrity.

Correct. Neither do all buyers. Life is not fair and then you die. Doesn't seem right somehow, eh? 😉

That's why the seller can always give his side to a negative FB

No, the seller cannot. You have changed your position. You said the seller should leave positive feedback UPON PAYMENT. Now you are saying that if the deal goes sour after payment, the seller can leave negative feedback? Nope. Once left, it is unchangeable.

If a buyer unfairly gives me negative feedback (it happened one time with the woman that lied), damn right I'll return the negative favor. THAT'S where I'll tell MY side of the story.

Tom

 

[ch1]

Copake_ham,
First, I never said YOU were the one who brought up the Taxi Analogy.
Second - Why don't you give us your Ebay nickname so we don't buy from someone who doesn't care about ethics.
BTW - I don't go to anyone's church, I do have personal integrity though.

While I won't give you my seller's account ID - I will make a deal with you. Let me know your eBay buyer ID and I will gladly add it to my "Blocked Bidders" list.

It's not a matter of not caring about ethics - it's facing reality with eyes wide open. I didn't coin the phrase: Caveat Emptor

It's been around since at least Roman Empire times....

I am quite ethical (and certainly NOT a churchgoer) but I am realistic enough to know that not everyone I may deal with is and so conduct myself accordingly.

 

[RJBender]

I agree with Tom that you need to wait until the deal is over before you leave feedback for the buyer. A buyer who pays immediately after winning could be a real PITA to deal with after they receive the item. Wait until they have confirmed that they are satisfied with the transaction.

I agree with the other post that some sellers wait to leave feedback so they can leave retaliatory negative feedback for the buyer because they misrepresented the condition of the item.

I think an epinion type data base outside of eBay would be a great place to deal with dishonest buyers and sellers. How much can you really say when you're limited to 44 characters and spaces?

R.J.

 

[RJBender]

I just signed on to eBay for the first time in 2 days. They have their Christmas theme graphics up already!

R.J.

 

[ch1]

I just signed on to eBay for the first time in 2 days. They have their Christmas theme graphics up already!

R.J.

Not surprising. I read in the biz press a couple of weeks ago that merchants are very concerned about "soft" holiday sales due to consumer worries about high energy prices etc. together with hurricane aftermath etc.

As a result, many merchants are "advancing forward" their Christmas marketing plans. eBay is just joining the herd.

Similarly, WalMart "leaked" to the press yesterday its intention to offer highly popular items at very low "loss leader" prices to boost "Black Friday"* sales figures. (e.g. a HP digital camera for $98 and HP printer for $38). It was firing the first salvo in a "sales war" against its competitors.

*FYI - "Black Friday" is what retailers call the Friday after US Thanksgiving. It signals the start of the holiday sales season and is supposed to be the day retailers move "out of the red" and "into the black" for the year.

 

[derevaun]

Retaliatory feeback sucks, but it shouldn't dissuade a buyer from telling the truth about the transaction. It's not fair to potential future buyers. A couple negative buying feedbacks won't hurt anything, and you get a chance to respond.

And I totally agree that your experience with the buyer doesn't end with payment. I usually specify in the "you won" email that I'll leave feedback after I hear from them that they've received the item.

 

[Pherdinand]

If you want ethics and morality go to a place of worship not a marketplace!

that's wrong wrong wrong. i'm sorry but i really think it is.
think about a real marketplace. i go there and buy some really good watermelon. i go home, enjoy it and tell all my friends that they should buy with cvonfidence from that seller since his stuff is good. i'm happy to give a positive feedback.
say next time i go there and buy some watermelon from somebody else because my favourite seller was out of them. i go home and i find out that the melon is rotten inside. so i tell all my friends they should not buy from him.

Q; what's the difference between the two sellers; one is selling crap, the other one is selling good stuff, but they both get the same good old cash from me. the only way to keep it working is to tell everyone which one is the bad guy and eventually i can complain to the consumer protection that there's a crook selling crap. In the same time they both pay the marketplace to keep it up and running; shoudl then the marketplace allow both of them to sell there, are you suggesting, just because they pay to be allowed to sell there//

 

[ch1]

that's wrong wrong wrong. i'm sorry but i really think it is.
think about a real marketplace. i go there and buy some really good watermelon. i go home, enjoy it and tell all my friends that they should buy with cvonfidence from that seller since his stuff is good. i'm happy to give a positive feedback.
say next time i go there and buy some watermelon from somebody else because my favourite seller was out of them. i go home and i find out that the melon is rotten inside. so i tell all my friends they should not buy from him.

Q; what's the difference between the two sellers; one is selling crap, the other one is selling good stuff, but they both get the same good old cash from me. the only way to keep it working is to tell everyone which one is the bad guy and eventually i can complain to the consumer protection that there's a crook selling crap. In the same time they both pay the marketplace to keep it up and running; shoudl then the marketplace allow both of them to sell there, are you suggesting, just because they pay to be allowed to sell there//

When I use the word "marketplace" I am simply referring to a location (real or virtual) at which various sellers and buyers gather to engage in transactions. Think of a bourse or what we in the US call a "stock exchange". Or, to the case at issue - eBay.

In such an envrionment, where you as a buyer do not know the ethics of a particular seller - you are best advised to beware (Caveat Emptor).

That said, if you engage in a series of transactions with a given seller in a marketplace such that you come to trust her and believe her to be someone of high ethics then yes, you can deal in a more relaxed mode and indeed, recommend her to others should you choose to do so.

Would that there were only ethical sellers and buyers. But the reality is different. That is why I believe it wise to not expect ethics in a marketplace - not because it isn't desirable, but because it isn't possible to ensure.

 

[doubs43]

Would that there were only ethical sellers and buyers. But the reality is different. That is why I believe it wise to not expect ethics in a marketplace - not because it isn't desirable, but because it isn't possible to ensure.

That's a good explaination that still boils down to "caveat emptor" and that's always good advice.

There must be a better way of rating both seller and buyer that will satisfy MOST people. The one I have in mind would require ebay to have an active hand and more employees so I think that would kill the idea right there.

One thing I do know: ebay won't change or improve things until they begin losing money and I don't see that happening.

Walker