Ebay user ssearss aka gooeyduck aka marv and pat

D

dany_nyc

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This person or people has tons of stuff on auction at all times. Everything has the description "looks and works great." There is no way, with all the stuff he has for sale, that he actually knows if something works or not.

I "won" a light meter from these people, not an expensive item, in November. It took three weeks to arrive and didn't work at all. When I contacted ssearss I got no response. When I emailed gooeyduck, whose email address was on the package, Marv promised me a refund and "in the spirit of Christmas," a working light meter. Wow, nice huh? Except it has been 23 days and I haven't gotten either. I get no response from ssearss or gooeyduck now.

It's not a big deal, it wasn't a lot of money. But, looking at the feedback since the time I "won" the item, I have seen several complaints from people who have bought very expensive cameras or lenses, and never received them.

Despite their 99% positive rating, I think it's pretty risky to buy from these people. I think they have sloppy business practices and are dishonest.
 
Marv's been on Ebay for as long as I can remember - I've never bought anything from the guy but I have read his posts with a bit of laughter because of all the stuff he goes through. He was a staple when I owned a lot of Pentax gear and I was hunting for more.

Too bad about the meter Dan.. but at least it wasn't a whack of cash. Still, good to know the information you're providing us.

Dave
 
I have purchased from Marv a number of times, and I have been pleased.

I have to say that his items are often one notch below how he rates them, and I can understand how that would disappoint people. However, since I often get 'mint' things that turn out to have only been run over by a SMALL truck instead of a large one, I am usually pleased anyway. The prices are certainly good for the condition the item is in, even if not 100% as described. I'm not saying that people should overestimate the things they sell, but given the preponderance of 'mint' items on eBoy, I find him more honest than not.

Shipping from Marv usually DOES take awhile, I agree. But I'm seldom in a hurry, and it always gets here.

Anyway, sorry you had the experience, and I can understand your disappointment. Marv's a 'different' kinda guy, and one either finds that acceptable or one does not - I doubt he'll change either way. He's just retired and refuses to be rushed and that's pretty much that.

Camera people are often odd ducks - gooey and otherwise.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
eBay is like Lake Woebegone. All the lenses are mint, and all the accessories are above average. 🙄

I must say that I've had pretty good luck most of the time. But usually you have to take "grade inflation" into account. Unfortunately, if you look at what gets higher prices, it's often the stuff that's been hyped beyond all reason. If you're honest about minor defects, people assume that it's worse than it is.

And then there's ". . . This lens has a miniscule, insignificant, minor two inch-long deep gouge in the glass with jagged edges, which absolutely does not affect picture quality. . ."

--Peter
"Use Pirelli's miracle elixir, that's wot did the trick sir, you can too!" (Stephen Sondheim)
 
Peter Klein said:
And then there's ". . . This lens has a miniscule, insignificant, minor two inch-long deep gouge in the glass with jagged edges, which absolutely does not affect picture quality. . ."

--Peter
Click to expand...

Not to mention how that gouge improved the lens' bokeh! 😀
 
He has been selling on eBay for years. Lotsa Pentax stuff.
His descriptions are definitely entertaining. Caveat emptor!

Keep Chris in Christmas
-Chris-
 
My impression is that he's an honest fellow with a sense of humor. I occasionally have bid against him -- won some, lost some.
 
surprised

surprised

I was pleasantly surprised today when gooeyduck finally did send me a refund and another light meter. I guess he is more disorganized than dishonest.
 
Dany, I'm glad things turned out to your satisfaction.
Marv seems to be rather a nice guy, albeit a bit disorganized (which he'll be the first to admit, I guess 🙂).
I've never purchased anything from him - only exchanged a few emails - I asked him about his "stories" which he provides in his listings...
Don't get me wrong, I'm not endorsing anyone, and I would be sure to ask many questions before I buy anything from anyone on eBay. But, Marv is a bit of a "character", and usually provides a lot of entertainment 🙂

Denis
 
Not a pleasant tale, either. I'll second the advice to avoid them. I know that some sellers fake their ratings by selling to themselves. Open up a few names, sell yourself a few items, or your friends, etc. Easy to do, and they do it. Eb*ying is like doing business in some uneasy nation in West Africa. Don't buy it, sell it, even use Eb*y at all, unless you can afford to lose the item, the money, and sometimes your identity (through their predatory pa*pal service).

The brilliant glow of RFF is ever brightening. Come, warm your hands.
 
dany_nyc said:
I was pleasantly surprised today when gooeyduck finally did send me a refund and another light meter. I guess he is more disorganized than dishonest.
Click to expand...
This is probably a pretty accurate assessment. He's definitely a character and I had a problem with a Nikon purchase many years ago, but he made it right -- all aspects of the deal just took a little time.
 
I have not purchased from this group, but have heard positive stories from some who have. I enjoy reading the stories and seeing their snapshots; it all rings true and is set in places I'm familiar with. Indeed one reason I WOULD buy from them is that Spanaway WA is not a long drive and is one of those familiar places, so I could likely manage a face-to-face transaction.
 
I've bought from Marv under the SSearss name. He had a bit of trouble I believe with Paypal (haven't we all ?) so was selling under a friend's account. He's back to Gooeyduck now I see. Had no problems with the item but emails were a bit scarce and shipping was pretty slow. Still as long as I receive what I bought I'm pretty ok with that.
 
The guy is a joke. It takes forever to get your stuff, it is usually a little less in quaility than he describes, and he chalks everything up to this home-spun folksiness about why he has problems delivering the goods. If he spent as much time on describing his items accurately and delivering his goods in a timely manner as he does on his "stories" his customers would be much better off. I'm telling you, buyer beware. My wife sells camera equipment on ebay and some of it is high-dollar items. There is no way that she would try to "golly-gee-gosh" her away around an auction. Good luck to anyone who deals with this guy.
 
I've bought from Marv a couple years ago, very quick email and accomadating on shipping back then.
Then he had a 'friend' helping him for awhile and I'm surprised he's back doing it himself.
I'd have no problem buying from him, but he's only 30 minutes a 😀 way from me and I know how to 'SEE' him ~ ; - )
 
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