It's a mad, mad ebay world!

[btgc]

I believe it's 4% of the selling price, to be paid by the seller.

Thanks, in that case I can offer some euros if battery seems to be fresh (not dying after single flash as it happens). Well, deal is deal, but it's more symbolic than about money.

 

[hou baloo]

protection from "bad" sellers

protection from "bad" sellers

I am now a strong advocate of Paypal. I'm not big on having my personal finances laid out in too many places, but I have in the last year and a half been saved twice from unscrupulous sellers by the Paypal protection and advocacy arrangement. I will almost always seek deals that I can consummate with Paypal, unless it's with a commercial operation.

 

[FallisPhoto]

Ebay is a complete mystery to me.
Well, that's not quite true. It's the people who trade there. And that includes me!!

Just bid and apparently won a working Werra 1 and leather case for £3.65 + p&p of £4 - that's about US $8 !!! OK these cameras aren't exactly going for an arm and a leg but the price is a bit ridiculous. Tessar lens camera too.
Trouble now is that I feel a bit guilty about the price I am paying. I'm a bit sorry for the guy selling. So, he could have put on a reserve and this isn't his first trading on ebay. Nevertheless .......

I don't usually reckon to bid on items that end at the weekend, but put in a bid just on the chance that I could get something to use as a source of spare parts. As a rule items tend to fetch higher prices at the weekend but this 'is the exception to prove the rule'.

I guess I'll drop the seller an email.

j

I got one of my "evil SLRs" there for $1.50. After about an hour's worth of cleaning, it worked perfectly. ON the other hand, I saw a bidding war over a perfectly ordinary Diana go to over $2000 once.

 

[climbing_vine]

I am now a strong advocate of Paypal. I'm not big on having my personal finances laid out in too many places, but I have in the last year and a half been saved twice from unscrupulous sellers by the Paypal protection and advocacy arrangement. I will almost always seek deals that I can consummate with Paypal, unless it's with a commercial operation.

PayPal can be better than the alternatives (money order, personal check, etc), but don't for a second think they'll save you except as it pleases and profits them.

http://www.aboutpaypal.org/

They're owned by EBay, and basically exist to provide a layer of non-accountability, not subject to banking laws, that allows EBay to turn a blind eye to the pervasive fraud on its site. People are winning lawsuits against PayPal left and right; class action suits are next, and a number of state Attorneys General are investigating them. They've also attracted the attention of the SEC.

Edit to add: yes, the above link is by a group with a vested interest in competitive services. However, they're useful as a repository of sourced media and legal information about PayPal.