lxmike
M2 fan.
Well l have been a member of 'the Bay' since 1999', over 1763 feed backs, so l've been around seen it and have the T shirt, as excuses go l have heard them all, 'where are you going with this Mike', l hear you shout/type, well my time with this auction site may be coming to an end. The other night l got button excited and bid and bought off a seller with out checking his feedback, on checking his feedback later l thought if l ever get the camera l will be very lucky. So this morning as l sipped my first of many coffees, watching the cricket live from Sri Lanka, his excuse/message arrived, so sadly if the Holga l bid on ever arrives it will arrive late, thankfully l can always get a refund and its only a cheap transaction but once again the Bay leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Anyone else fed up with the Bay.
ruby.monkey
Veteran
Overall I've had one bad transaction (a Samsung phone that turned out to be faulty) out of almost 400, and in that one case eBay gave me a full refund within a week of me raising a complaint. There have been a few times when the courier company used by the seller turned out to be utter muppets, but overall my experience has been quite acceptable.
So - no. I'm not fed up with eBay, and for many things it'll probably be my first place to look.
So - no. I'm not fed up with eBay, and for many things it'll probably be my first place to look.
Papercut
Well-known
I'm a very infrequent eBay buyer (never sell there), with less than 130 purchases in 19 years. Only had one transaction that gave me any hiccups or anxiety, though it was an expensive item (Nikkor 35mm 1.8 LTM that had bad and undisclosed haze). Seller refunded quickly enough, so all was well. But, obviously from how few transactions I have on eBay, I'm what you might call "cautious" and (thus far) have never eBay-ed while intoxicated. 
I suspect I'll continue this level of eBay activity (5-10 purchases a year) as long as I continue to avoid serious problems.
I suspect I'll continue this level of eBay activity (5-10 purchases a year) as long as I continue to avoid serious problems.
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
For some 97% positive is bad feedback. And message for excuse due to long shipping is valid often.
I have items from Germany and Russia taking months to receive. Why it is so long I don't know. Or I pay same money for shipping from Japan and it is faster than from nearby USA.
I have items from Germany and Russia taking months to receive. Why it is so long I don't know. Or I pay same money for shipping from Japan and it is faster than from nearby USA.
retinax
Well-known
We always read how ebay sides with buyers. Not in my most recent experience: Seller agreed to take item back because it had a fault that wasn't in the description. Seller however went on long vacation. So I asked eBay to simply keep the case open for longer, until he'd be back. Ebay refused. Explained to them several times that the seller had agreed to refund me. They ruled that I had to keep the item and wasn't eligible for a refund. I kept it because I didn't want to take the risk of reversing the transaction without eBay involved, even though the seller would probably have agreed to that.
Larry Cloetta
Veteran
Sorry for purchasing difficulties in this particular instance, but my overall view of eBay is that it has opened up a world of opportunities to me that are not remotely available anywhere else. The occasional downside I have experienced, a couple of which have been significantly expensive, don’t change that.
Just the ability to acquire parts for long discontinued cars, dvd’s of long out of print movies, obscure cameras and lenses, etc., from all over the world, has been well worth the occasional hiccup, all things considered. Then add in the ability to offload said obscure camera, at not much of a loss, once you learn for yourself why it was obscure.
Regrettable transactions resulting from seller dishonesty and stupidity are with problems humanity, not eBay itself. It’s individual humans who lie, cheat, and steal, not eBay. eBay doesn’t sell me a lens with fungus while telling me it’s perfect, then ship it in a plastic sack. As Sartre said “Hell is other people.”, something one is tempted to agree with if one neglected to check the seller feedback before hitting the “buy now” button on that excellent deal.
Never buy from a seller with less than 100% positive feedback, just because the item is tempting. This, in keeping with the dictum “Never run for a bus, there will always be another.” And read the actual feedbacks, sometimes it is obvious that the one negative feedback is from an idiot.
eBay isn’t a friend, but it isn’t an enemy either. It’s just another big company. Dealing with “customer service” at eBay or Paypal can be a really bad, Kafkaesque experience, one which you will lose at, if you don’t quite understand all the arcane and changeable rules of how the buying or selling game is played, and played it poorly, but it’s not any worse or different than dealing with customer service at any huge, faceless corporation. Yes, it’s better to deal with friendly old Sam at the local camera shop because he’s nice and won’t lie to you, but he doesn’t have an original hood for a ltm Canon 50mm f1.2, never did, and if he did have one he wouldn’t deliver it to your door. Plus he’s been dead and gone for 20 years, and the shop as well.
As a seller these days, though, you are completely at the mercy of anyone who buys from you, there really are no “seller protections” any more. Them’s the rules, as long as you understand that, and are willing to live with it, you can offload a lot of what used to be thrown away as useless junk, because it is useful to somebody.
For what it is worth, my worst dealings, and one of the most expensive, with dishonest people have happened here, with long term members. And because it’s not eBay, there was no recourse. Small sample size, not saying that’s the norm, but the problem is individuals, not eBay. You pays your money and you takes your chances, but eBay is the world’s biggest open air bazaar, fun and exciting, if a bit dangerous.
Just the ability to acquire parts for long discontinued cars, dvd’s of long out of print movies, obscure cameras and lenses, etc., from all over the world, has been well worth the occasional hiccup, all things considered. Then add in the ability to offload said obscure camera, at not much of a loss, once you learn for yourself why it was obscure.
Regrettable transactions resulting from seller dishonesty and stupidity are with problems humanity, not eBay itself. It’s individual humans who lie, cheat, and steal, not eBay. eBay doesn’t sell me a lens with fungus while telling me it’s perfect, then ship it in a plastic sack. As Sartre said “Hell is other people.”, something one is tempted to agree with if one neglected to check the seller feedback before hitting the “buy now” button on that excellent deal.
Never buy from a seller with less than 100% positive feedback, just because the item is tempting. This, in keeping with the dictum “Never run for a bus, there will always be another.” And read the actual feedbacks, sometimes it is obvious that the one negative feedback is from an idiot.
eBay isn’t a friend, but it isn’t an enemy either. It’s just another big company. Dealing with “customer service” at eBay or Paypal can be a really bad, Kafkaesque experience, one which you will lose at, if you don’t quite understand all the arcane and changeable rules of how the buying or selling game is played, and played it poorly, but it’s not any worse or different than dealing with customer service at any huge, faceless corporation. Yes, it’s better to deal with friendly old Sam at the local camera shop because he’s nice and won’t lie to you, but he doesn’t have an original hood for a ltm Canon 50mm f1.2, never did, and if he did have one he wouldn’t deliver it to your door. Plus he’s been dead and gone for 20 years, and the shop as well.
As a seller these days, though, you are completely at the mercy of anyone who buys from you, there really are no “seller protections” any more. Them’s the rules, as long as you understand that, and are willing to live with it, you can offload a lot of what used to be thrown away as useless junk, because it is useful to somebody.
For what it is worth, my worst dealings, and one of the most expensive, with dishonest people have happened here, with long term members. And because it’s not eBay, there was no recourse. Small sample size, not saying that’s the norm, but the problem is individuals, not eBay. You pays your money and you takes your chances, but eBay is the world’s biggest open air bazaar, fun and exciting, if a bit dangerous.
seany65
Well-known
I've often bought from sellers with less than 100% feedback. It partly depends on how many sales they've had-100% from a member who's sold 5 items is no more reliable than a seller with 96% feedback that's sold 10 thousand itmes. the latter are more likely to run into bad customers.
Mr_Flibble
In Tabulas Argenteas Refero
A friend's sale of a early Leica I to II conversion left a foul taste in my mouth.
The buyer complained about internal corrosion.
Buyer whined about wanting a refund.
Friend finally agrees.
The camera that came back was a cheap plastic SLR, not the Leica I.
Took a week or two before Ebay/Paypal finally sided with my friend.
Sounds like too much hastle to deal with for me to ever want to sell anything on Ebay again.
I very rarely have come across fraudulant sellers though.
The buyer complained about internal corrosion.
Buyer whined about wanting a refund.
Friend finally agrees.
The camera that came back was a cheap plastic SLR, not the Leica I.
Took a week or two before Ebay/Paypal finally sided with my friend.
Sounds like too much hastle to deal with for me to ever want to sell anything on Ebay again.
I very rarely have come across fraudulant sellers though.
Paul T.
Veteran
I've been using eBay a lot again recently, for sales and purchases, and it's been great. Ive raised $2k from mostly random stuff - old jeans, CDs, and the nipper's old Warhammer figures.
In one case I sold a jacket, returns only if incorrectly described, and the buyer managed to return it anyway. A pain, but what did i lose? Only the outgoing postage, £4, which was worth it for my feedback rating.
The only negative would be that I'd have been better off selling my VC 28/3l5 here; I got bang on the classic price of $450 for it, as the hoped for bidding frenzy never happened. And of course eBay fees dwarf the classifieds here.
But last week I got $100 for a bunch of old King Crimson CDs. Tell me one other place where you can get that much money for a bunch of boring hippie noodling!
In one case I sold a jacket, returns only if incorrectly described, and the buyer managed to return it anyway. A pain, but what did i lose? Only the outgoing postage, £4, which was worth it for my feedback rating.
The only negative would be that I'd have been better off selling my VC 28/3l5 here; I got bang on the classic price of $450 for it, as the hoped for bidding frenzy never happened. And of course eBay fees dwarf the classifieds here.
But last week I got $100 for a bunch of old King Crimson CDs. Tell me one other place where you can get that much money for a bunch of boring hippie noodling!
mdarnton
Well-known
OP, just to clarify, you are saying that Ebay is trash because YOU failed to read the feedback report before buying? And this is THEIR fault?????
Corran
Well-known
The biggest problem with eBay is managing one's expectations when purchasing "grandpa's old DSLR."
I seem to only remember the good stories, despite the few bad ones over the years. Like the rare M6 variant I bought for $700 that seemed to have never been used, the prototype Canon RF lens in a pawn shop job-lot, the Pentax 6x7 with rare multi-exposure mod for $100, the complete, in-box Linhof III kit for $500 with a Leica III and 3 lenses thrown in for free, etc. etc.
I seem to only remember the good stories, despite the few bad ones over the years. Like the rare M6 variant I bought for $700 that seemed to have never been used, the prototype Canon RF lens in a pawn shop job-lot, the Pentax 6x7 with rare multi-exposure mod for $100, the complete, in-box Linhof III kit for $500 with a Leica III and 3 lenses thrown in for free, etc. etc.
Larry Cloetta
Veteran
Without eBay I would never have the opportunity to own this, something I have been looking for for years, at a good price from a reliable seller:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ZEISS-IKON...13-f-prewar-CONTAX-II-III-Rngfrs/223190802679
Now that I’ve finally found this, I have decided it is a bridge too far for me, as I would never use it enough, but am going to go with 4x5 dry plate instead as it is more “practical”, God help me.
But, this would be great for someone, and am posting it here in case it helps that someone. But it’s over in 3 hours. This is why eBay is great IMO, and not evil. Yes, I have seen this same set go at a Westlicht auction, but it was for four times this much.
(36x24 ready made dry plates are now available from J Lane, so using this back is more “practical” than it has been in decades)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ZEISS-IKON...13-f-prewar-CONTAX-II-III-Rngfrs/223190802679
Now that I’ve finally found this, I have decided it is a bridge too far for me, as I would never use it enough, but am going to go with 4x5 dry plate instead as it is more “practical”, God help me.
But, this would be great for someone, and am posting it here in case it helps that someone. But it’s over in 3 hours. This is why eBay is great IMO, and not evil. Yes, I have seen this same set go at a Westlicht auction, but it was for four times this much.
(36x24 ready made dry plates are now available from J Lane, so using this back is more “practical” than it has been in decades)
Huss
Veteran
I've had more problems buying/selling on RFF than I ever had on ebay.
Love ebay.
Love ebay.
Nolarf
Newbie
Have you all purchased pre-asph 35 Summiluxes on Ebay? Or any other vintage leica glass from Japan/Hong Kong? I am worried many of these may be refurbished by 3rd party vendors to uknown standards of quality. It looks like some of these were even repainted. Wondering as I'm in market for Ver II 35 Lux now. Thanks (new to forum).
lxmike
M2 fan.
I must admit l have had my ups and downs where ebay is concerned, l have had some good deals too, but sometimes l feel it may not be worth the hassle, thanks for all the replies in this thread by the way.
nukecoke
⚛Yashica
I've purchased some CANON RF lenses from Japan, as well as vintage PEN F lenses. Read the description carefully and examine the images careful, there should be no problem but import tax.
Japanese are famous for loving German cameras and many people collect/refurb/sell those gears in Japan so I don't think it is strange that the lenses are repainted. The same can be said to HKers.
bmattock
Veteran
Early adopter here. I opened my eBay account in 1996. 22 years, that's kind of a long time. You'd think they'd have sent me a card or something...oh well.
I've bought, I've sold. I have mostly had positive experiences.
I try not to sell anymore on eBay, and I put that down to the growing percentage of folks who like to do the 'not as described' dance to get a partial refund after the purchase. It used to be rare, now it's about one out of three sales in my experience. I finally quit selling old camera stuff. I give it to a thrift store (no doubt it ends up on eBay shortly after that) or I throw it in the trash can. I'd frankly rather give it away than listen to a whiny buyer go on and on about the dust in the viewfinder of a 40 year old camera that I described as "old, has dust in viewfinder." Enough was enough.
I'm not complaining, though. It is what it is. The world is an imperfect place. Overall, I have no issues; I continue as a buying member.
I've bought, I've sold. I have mostly had positive experiences.
I try not to sell anymore on eBay, and I put that down to the growing percentage of folks who like to do the 'not as described' dance to get a partial refund after the purchase. It used to be rare, now it's about one out of three sales in my experience. I finally quit selling old camera stuff. I give it to a thrift store (no doubt it ends up on eBay shortly after that) or I throw it in the trash can. I'd frankly rather give it away than listen to a whiny buyer go on and on about the dust in the viewfinder of a 40 year old camera that I described as "old, has dust in viewfinder." Enough was enough.
I'm not complaining, though. It is what it is. The world is an imperfect place. Overall, I have no issues; I continue as a buying member.
Attachments
mpaniagua
Newby photographer
Been on ebay since 2002 and about 300-400 transactions.
Bad transactions? umm about 2 or 3. All of them where fixed by ebay at one time or another.
So no complains here. Happy buyer and seller.
Best regards
Marcelo
Bad transactions? umm about 2 or 3. All of them where fixed by ebay at one time or another.
So no complains here. Happy buyer and seller.
Best regards
Marcelo
rfaspen
[insert pithy phrase here]
Guess I'm the outlier. I've had many transactions on ebay. About 33% have been unpleasant in one way or another. Of the most egregious, ebay was of no help whatsoever (and I was the buyer).
What's more, I noticed a trend in the negative experiences. When I first started with ebay transactions (around 2002), everything was good. The negative stuff started creeping in over time and reached its peak with my last ebay transactions (2? years ago). Enough to call it quits. With the trend in place, I expected all my ebay transactions to be negative experiences within a year or so. So, I've thrown in the hat. The last transactions cost me a few hundred $$. Not that it bankrupted me, but at my income level $3-400 is significant.
Exception: there are 2 to 3 "ebay sellers" that I would continue to buy from. ebay is their only storefront, so no option. One example is heavystar
What's more, I noticed a trend in the negative experiences. When I first started with ebay transactions (around 2002), everything was good. The negative stuff started creeping in over time and reached its peak with my last ebay transactions (2? years ago). Enough to call it quits. With the trend in place, I expected all my ebay transactions to be negative experiences within a year or so. So, I've thrown in the hat. The last transactions cost me a few hundred $$. Not that it bankrupted me, but at my income level $3-400 is significant.
Exception: there are 2 to 3 "ebay sellers" that I would continue to buy from. ebay is their only storefront, so no option. One example is heavystar
Beemermark
Veteran
You have (I think, check eBay) 30 days to file a complaint. If the item doesn't arrive in the allocated time just file a "not received" and your money will be refunded.
Simple.
Simple.