Okay ebay- I've had enough.

you didn't allow yourself to experience the burn alex; you made out well when others would've taken a loss.

to the op:

i was burned temporarily when i bought a gaming console for my son before christmas. but i was able to exchange it at a local best buy for one that worked. so my story is one of coming out even and saying "phew". never again with an item over one hundred loonies.

i will never buy camera bodies or lenses off of ebay, rather i'd buy from keh, popflash or the gandyman. it is called reliability, and ebay is low on it.

i'd just leave the account and NOT use it.
 
I only use ebay for inexpensive items. I usually get burned on items not matching claimed condition and there is not much you can do because it is a matter of opinion but I expect mint to be mint and LNIB to be LNIB. Now I buy from KEH.
 
I've sworn off eBay. I FINALLY resolved an ordeal after six months of wrangling with a seller who sold me a non-working camera and acted as if it was my fault. I was lucky, I carefully managed to get back most, but not all, of my money. I never once had to contact eBay or paypal but I had to bite my tongue (hard) many times when dealing with this seller. It really is buyer beware with eBay.

ibcrewin said:
That's pretty annoying. I like the money order angle.
Click to expand...

Make sure it's a Postal Money order. They're the safest. They're also a pain in the butt for high dollar items, because they have a $500 dollar limit, IIRC. Apparently, "regular" M.O. and cashier checks are easily forged (see the Craigslist scam warnings).


.
 
Hi Sepia,
The first thing I may advise is not to take any long term decision now, but concentrate on making the most with your actual problem, which I happen not to clearly understand. It seems you got 75% back.

I must say that besides being screwed some times, other 2 times I was fully refunded. Once upon informing the seller the device was not working, and the other time upon informing after 2 months the item did not arrived.,

So, like any public street there are many different people out there. From pro crooks up to very decent human beings. Out there my experience tought me I can safely walk on two streets. One is the Aussie street, the other the 100 percent feedback street, in which the seller will do whatever needed to have his shop there.

Now as for the alternatives. I depends where do you live. If you happen to live in Manhattan it will make very little sense to buy virtually. I live in Israel when every, EVERY, single used camera for sale is deffective, not to speak about the desertic selection. So for me eBay opened my world. It depends upon your situation.

Now, lastly, there is the issue of when I am tempted by a nice product at the Bay, sold besides those two safe streets I mentioned, and specially when the price begins to escalate. In such cases I have found the best tactics is to ask the seller specific questions about the item, through which you do not specially judge the item but the seller's knowledge and attachment to his goods. If the respnse is not absolutely clear, then I ask for a second time and after the second answer I cut it short.


But be it clearly stated, that I am no champ of good luck nor the opposite.


At this precise moment, my friend Sepia, make yourself a coffee.

Cheers,
Ruben
 
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Thanks for all the comiseration and insight. I do feel like I'm pretty careful, reading the feedback comments and asking questions. 100% feedback as buyer and seller. I got started with ebay after my local shops went out of business- there is one left, just over the river in New Hampshire, but the used market in small towns is pretty much non-existant, especially for cameras. (Been thinking this may give me another excuse for more regular trips to Montreal or NYC!).

I for a long while was working up a bit of a -'buy some exotic piece of gear, use it for 6 months then sell it' thing while I was shooting stock photos. Had some great lenses during that few years, and certainly made out for the better between the pictures made/sold and the few times I made money on the piece. Was thinking I'd slide back into this, now with M mount things- especially since RF stuff seems to hold value better, I was hoping to play some more. But that higher value stuff also seems to bring with it some greater risk? The last time I made a claim I don't remember it being so difficult (perhaps a deceased seller makes it a lot simpler, anyone interested? NO NO NO- just kidding!!!)

So, I'm waiting for my claim to get finished, and have that time to think about what to do, but yes the current mess is my main priority for now. A hijacked account would really su¢k if this small by comparison problem is such a PITN, so closing it might be worthwhile.

Thanks again folks.
-Bob
 
Well, I've not been burned and I do what others have - judge by feedback and history. I WILL but from someone "who doesn't know a lot about cameras" but I will only do so based on the photographs, whcih had better be beautiful, and cheaply.

Sorry you had a claim and I hope it gets resolved to your staisfaction. Here there isn't much available, and it is nice to buy for what *I* think it's worth - to me.
 
A friend of mine used to buy tools on eBay. A couple of times he had problems with a seller, posted negative feedback and was threatened with "I'll give you negative feedback unless you change that".
Has anyone encountered this? If this happens it seems to negate the whole "I only buy from sellers with 100% positive" argument.
 
Perhaps ebay has just gotten too big? Like most organized groups, there seems to be a point where there are too many people to keep it working easily or clearly anymore. The potential has just gotten too big for the crooks to pass up, and as there seems to be little chance of getting caught...

After my eventual response to Paypal yesterday they are still 'waiting for buyer's response' today. Go figure.
 
Sorry for your loss - and good luck with Paypal.

I've been using e-Bay since 2001 and have 100% positive feedback on over 450 sales. I've only be scammed once by a buyer, very early on when I sold a junker video camera for only a few UKP. He claimed it never arrived and I foolishly had assumed that Parcelforce tracked delivery (only if you ask them to). Since then everything I've sold has to be signed for.

I have stopped accepting Paypal. The main reason is the usurious rates they charge a seller. I insist on cheques (which have to clear before despatch) or cash on collection.

As a buyer I am very circumspect and touch-wood I have never been scammed, and that includes buying musical instruments that have cost several thousand dollars from the US, sent via USPS to the UK.

Common sense is the key. If it looks too good to be true (e.g. pricewise) and the seller has little or no feedback then I'll look elsewhere. A key test is the "if I win can I collect it and pay for it in cash", question. If the buyer says yes and even includes where they live then even if I win I may pay by paypal and still have it sent.

There are many trustworthy and diligent sellers on e-Bay. They generally present their products well and are willing to engage in polite discussion. If not, go elsewhere.

Hope my advice helps and I hope you get your refund

LouisB
 
Suddenly out of town for a month...

That's what I got- and this guy had excellent feedback. I really think that the lens didn't go for as much as he wanted it to and he decided he didn't want to part with it.
 
I have been an ebayer for years. I only had one bad experience and learned very fast from it. I only bid on items with sellers that have 98-100% feedback. Always use paypal but through your CC. If you have an issue, report it to your CC and paypal. CC's are very compliant to fraud. If your a seller, always mail with tracking and signature verification. If you use paypal, make sure the shipping address is confirmed. Last week I auctioned off a canon lens to a buyer who lives close by. Got paid by cash. He is also a camera collector and brought over a nickel leica with a nickel plated lens. Very rare indeed. Made a friend thanks to ebay.
 
S,

It can happen, life sends crap peoples way some times. In the past two months, I've totaled a car going 55 MPH, lowered a 11,549 lb tree house to the ground, had a death in the family (sisters father in-law), sister in-law with a brain aneurism all while trying to work 10 hours a day as an hourly hired gun for a company who has set an unrealistic expectation as to how fast other companies can respond. I've been wanting to sell stuff and just could not get it listed.

I’ve had some great transactions on ebay (free black F2 Photomic, 50/1.4 black Nikkor for my S2 for 1/3 the price I bid (front element was loose till it was tightened)) and some bad ones (28/2.8 AIs that had to be rebuilt, bad IRIS). In the end, it’s not too different from a flee market or a show.

Paypal is nothing but revenue generation for EvilBay. I used it only when I have to and agree, USPS money orders are low cost and bring you a higher level of protection.

Hang in there guy.

B2
 
I've been very fortunate with my ebay purchases, and have only had one minor problem with a seller. He erroneously listed a battery pack as being for camera "A", when in fact it was for camera"B". When I advised him of the error, he took it back immediately and when he listed the correct item, I won that auction as well.
I've never had a Paypal account and because of all the horror stories I hear about it, I likely never will.
I pay for anything I buy using Canada Post Money Orders, and regardless of the Sellers original requests for payment via this or that, have never been refused this option.
It is scandalous how much fraud occurs on ebay, and how little protection Buyers are given, but if one is very careful, the chances of a transaction going well are quite high.
 
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It's always amazed me how the online camera world has such a negative perception of eBay. Is it because it's harder to find cameras in quality condition? Is it because photogs tend to be older or traditionalists? Or just a case of perceptions propagating and continuing themselves?

I've been shopping on eBay for more years than I care to admit at this point, but I've never had a problem that couldn't be solved with a phone call. Either to the seller, or to my credit card to dispute the charge.
 
I must say I have been lucky so far. OK some items have a glossier description than I would give but the price was still OK. Only major problem has been a Russian 39mm LTM fit lens that turned out to be 42mm. Seller did offer a refund after a lot of prompting but I decided to re-auction it (and made 100% profit)

What surprises me about ebay is not the problems but that most people are fairly straight and the system does work most of the time.
 
PRO

As a buyer I have found some rare items on feebay. I use Buy It Now from niche/oddity Store owners who display large pix and show their phone numbers etc. Bert Furnari (id frendakfurnari) in Noo York has great for me.

In general I found the US prices can be half to two-thirds the Australian retail prices (after currency converting and shipping fees).

As a enthusiast I have looked over unusual models and accessories, its like a exhibition when its a item with big photos and I enjoy that. The viewing price is right too! I suspect a lot of feebay traffic is just looking in the window so to speak. And I suspect a lot of traffic is international as the "off-world" places like Australia rarely see such stuff.


Besides Fred Miranda etc, I have dealt with about 80 items on feebay and never lost an item. And only two or three description discrepancies. I do like the big pix as I said..... 2 cent PREDICTION: sooner or later (few years?) all the better camera sellers will have videos on U Tube where you can watch the operation of the devices and listen in.

NEG

Shipping prices mainly. They have risen steeply lately. Previously, the most I had paid was about US75 for a big fat bogen tripod by air mail -that was 2004. The 3236 model sells for a heck of a lot down here.

I avoid selling on feebay, but when I do its always Buy It Now to avoid snipers. And always confirmed Paypal.

SMILES

The best experience was selling a Kiron 105 in Oly mount lens I shipped to a Japanese buyer thru his 'ebay agent' in LA. I like using glass that has a psuedo-pedigree. And they hold their value. I found another Kiron 105 recently, in nikon mount.
 
Well it seems the claim had some effect. A package was shipped from Melbourne (AU) on July 17th (46 days from auction close & payment if my tired math is right) and arrived in LA (USA) today. Lets see what happens in the next few days.
 
matt fury said:
It's always amazed me how the online camera world has such a negative perception of eBay. Is it because it's harder to find cameras in quality condition? Is it because photogs tend to be older or traditionalists? Or just a case of perceptions propagating and continuing themselves?
Click to expand...

or, just read forum members get their fingers burned? needless to say, most of transactions work out just fine.
 
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