eBay-do you trust the sellers?

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Noplasticrobots

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I'm just now getting that "credit card shock" I've heard so much about after buying equipment. Since I'm still on the prowl for a mixer, I had to resort to eBay for either used or cheap stuff. I've always been very leary of any electronics sold on eBay so I'm wondering how other people read between the lines to look for the scams or defective products that are often sold on eBay. Anyone have any pointers?
 
I personally have never been screwed on an Ebay transaction, nor have I ever screwed anyone, and I have 53 purchases/sales.
 
80 transactions, I've only had 1 non-payer..... (I don't ship till I get paid)
If someone has good feedback, go for it.

Just this week, I bought a dualhead video card.... it was bad.... I communicated w/ the seller, and he shipped me a new one next day. This was a regular guy, not a dealer. Nice guy...
 
Few problems on this end with EBay. Look at feedback for any given seller/buyer for some keys to what to expect.

EBay is a great source for used gear at reasonable prices. As a general rule if you want one, someone has one for sale...

Ed
 
i didnt use ebay for a while and my last name died out so i have a new name and only 4 transactions but each one has been pretty good. i went with one guy that was selling the mxl 67g and it took a over a week for me to get it. aside from that one. i'm liking it. but i would say to read people's feedback scores to see what they buy and sell....we had one case here where some guy had sold nothing but children's books and children's clothes and then he pops up one day trying to sell a $1700 Mac with extras. it was a scam and ebay shut him down. well they shutdown who ever hacked that guy's account
 
Out of 14 transacations; 14 without any issues. Go eBay!
 
I've had about 200 transactions on ebay. Of those I've recieved 146 feedbacks and of those 142 were "unique".

I have never recieved nor have I ever given negative feeback on ebay. 100% positive feedback for me.

Ebay rocks.

Carl
 
over 300 transactions here, ive had a few run ins with attempted scams but theyre so obvious its unreal.

'Mac G5, dual 2.5ghz, 8gb Ram, 2 30" cinema displays! Plus a free 40gb iPod! only £1000 buy it now price!! pay me via western union and ill ship out the mac from thailand'

The thing that you have to be more wary about it is the scam emails you get. I get loads (especially after bidding on electrical items) with 'second chance offers' basically saying 'the guy who won didnt pay so im offering it you direct. As i dont want to have to pay the eBay fees, do you want to do the sale private and ill send you the item out?'

Aslong as you ALWAYS go through eBay, and pay via Paypal, then your sorted. If you do get any emails, dont reply via the email but log onto eBay and reply to the user in there. eBay is safe aslong as your careful....

................I just realised i sound kinda like an eBay rep... :eek:
 
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I bought some Sisters of Mercy Vinyls from ebay, i just pay with money orders, saves me using a credit card :)

- Idgeit
 
I have 100+ uniqute possitive feedback (mostly a buyer, some sells).

When I'm buying this is basically my guidelines:
1. If the item is what I consider "expensive" (anything over $30 pretty much) I won't buy from the person unless they have possitve feedback as a seller with very little to no negetive feedback.

2) I prefer a picture of the actual item, if the seller does not provide one in the auction by default- take the time to request one.

3) If you have ANY possible questions or thoughts about that particular item in auction ask the seller about what you have concerns with.

4) If the auction states the item comes with "everything that comes with it as if you bought it from the store brand new." Write the seller and make them list all those items- unless they are listed already clearly in the auction description- regardless of if you know what they should be.

5) When I win an auction I SAVE the product page with the original winning description and images. Incase there ever is a problem- I can reference the original page info incase the seller manages to somehow alter the page data to screw you. (has never happened to me)

6) PayPal or nothing at all (this is me being plain lazy though)

I've had very few problems on eBay- nothing that'd make me consider stop usage of it. And most the time if I have a problem the sellers re-fund me what makes me feel happy with my problem. Like "oh, there's a tiny scratch that wasn't listed in the auction but it's there." I've gotten $30 refunds for stuff like that- a lame little cosmetic scratch that you'll never see 'cause it's stuffed in the rack anyway.

*hugs ebay*
 
I got screwed once before (just once though, since then I've done many transactions). Too bad I got screwed on my biggest eBay purchase ($500 computer).
 
Yeah i nearly got screwed with a computer. Went up to pick the computer up from the guy. Got to his house with the money and he said 'oh man, sorry i totally forgot! its in for repair! if you leave the cash with me, ill send it down to you first class when it comes back from repair.'
My response? laughed at him, told him where he can go, and drove off. He has since been thrown off eBay for trying to scam a few other people. Theres some idiots out there, but you have to remember theres also (and the majority are) nice decent people. Just have to be cautious, especially when purchasing large expensive items, by going through eBay and Paypal if you can.
 
I have over two hundred unique positive feedbacks on eBay, but I have had some bad experiences. Even if you are very careful you will sooner or later recieve gear that is not as described. At least that has happened to me.

It's not necessarily that the seller is even trying to scam you, but there are some eBay "traders" that buy gear on eBay for cheap and then flip it for a fast profit. They haven't used the gear, don't know the gear, and probably haven't even tested it properly. And then there are some that just do pawn off bad gear.

One thing I do is check a sellers' last month of transactions. That way I can see if they recently bought the item they are now selling. It is not uncommon to indeed find that they just bought it and are turning it around quickly. That menas either that they discovered it is not working right, or they are just trying to make a fast profit.

The other main thing I do is communicate with the seller af the item. I ask questions about the condition of the gear, and if they are the original owner, how long have they used it, that sort of thing. I can tell a lot by their response to my questions, how quickly they respond, and if they even respond at all.

The suggestions by Nosferous are excellent, especially the part about the picture of the item for sale. However, you have to be careful about that. Make sure you look at other auction for the same item, especially ones that are over. Sometimes sellers "borrow" pictures from ended auctions and put them in their own auctions as if they are pictures of their item. I always take my own pictures, and have seen others use them in their auction, claiming they are pictures of the actual item. When I find that happening I always email and demand they remove the pictures.

All said, I have found my eBay suying and selling experiences to be generally very positive. The big thing is that I've been able to upgrade my studio for far less than I would have otherwise. I've been able to easily sell gear, and then put that money toward new gear. Also, There's some vintage pieces I've bought on eBay that I'm very glad to have, and that would have cost me *far* more in a used gear store. So overall, a good experience.
 
As for the african scams about sending you a bogus Money order to hold while it gets picked up...I always love to mess with em.

I got the predictable email about someone wanting my Rhodes thats for sale on ebay, so I sent em this response:


Great Sean! I look forward to selling it to you. Did
your client want the model w/ the Flux Capacitor? This
one does not, but it does have a 445 hemi trans tube
that was personally added by Mr. Grissom out in Las Vegas. Let me
know if youre still interested?

Matt

He emailed me back that the non Flux Capacitor was exactly the model he was lookin for. Pretty funny shit!
 
100+ purchases and haven't gotten burned by anybody.

If I'm spending more than $100 with someone that's non-retail, with relatively low feedback, I'll email them asking for a phone number and address before I bid. I've actualy called a few folks just to get a feel for them prior to bidding.

The only problem I have concerning ebay is some of these greedy bastards that unwittingly establish a higher market trend on something they'll never sell again. Example: Bobby Joe Budflocker figures his 2005 Mustang steering wheel is "ultra rare, cleanest you'll find! Buy it Now $28,000". So he lists it as such.

Then Rufus Oblivios comes along and buys the damn thing, forgetting that the whole damn car cost just $25k. Now every dickhead behind Bobby lists their 2005 Mustang steering wheel for $30,000 cause......well, it's just so damn rare! :D
 
Never had a bad transaction on eBay. Although, if I were going to buy electronic devices on eBay, I would suggest buying them "Brand New", if not from and eBay Store. Watch out for used electronics that say "Sold as is. No returns" To me, that just screams "you're screwed".
 
I've been on Ebay, as a buyer and a seller, since June of 1998. In other words, from just about the beginning. I have never been seriously burned, and I have never burned anybody. There have been minor problems of course, but no more than in any other type of business transaction (and probably less). Nothing major and they always got worked out. But I have never experienced any true burns. I love Ebay!
 
Nothing that hasnt been said already, but to further the cause, I have never had an ebay problem. Between my wife and myself we have made about 75 transactions. I bought my DR 770 off ebay about a month ago and it was a great experience. I am sure I will be buying more electronics from them soon.
 
if the price of a item is too good to be true stay away.

dont do western union from a strange country.

i need an actual photo of item i am bidding on.


135 positive feedbacks here and going strong.
 
Great advice. I have bought and sold my entire studio on Ebay. Some new, some used. Even a boat and motorcycle. I have been screwed by Buyers who don't pay, but never by a seller.

As MaskedMan said, get a photo if it is a used piece. Only use Paypal or Credit card. If the seller has no feedback, do not buy. Many of the sellers have a lot of feedback because this is what they do for a living.

Make sure to read through the feedback.
 
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