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hector.murray
03-17-2005, 11:13 PM
Anyone have issues with selling on ebay and having buyers try to screw with you after the sale?

Zilch
03-17-2005, 11:39 PM
I wrote a book on the subject:

http://cgi3.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=cheap_buyer_guide

Steve Gonzales
03-18-2005, 12:15 AM
Hummm.... interesting. Too bad I already paid my tuition to eBay's awful and terrible:

School of Hard Knocks!!!:banghead: , Where were you, when Bleu757 or Sachmot had me bent over?:blink:

aust-ted
03-18-2005, 02:42 AM
I have sold a few things on eBay and so has my son. Also bought a few.

I have found both friendly & helpful buyers as well as greedy unethical self centered sellers and buyers. You just have to be careful.

Feedback is important, and with sellers, the conditions put on sales is sometimes also important. I find sellers who only accept very limited forms of payment, charge hefty amounts for packaging and inflexible on means of shipping usually (but not always) self centered SOBs. Ultimately they are hurting themselves because buyers such as me bid less when buying from such sellers.

Reversely I have found the same with buyers. I once sold some tapes to a guy in Louisiana who quibbled on the shipping, and then paid by paypal with extreme packing requirements attached to the payment which had never been previously discussed. I sent them by insured airmail. Over 6 months later he claimed to not have got them and asked for more. I checked with the post office and it was past the date for checking for delivery receipt, so I informed him as such but held my ground and refused to send a replacement. Post between Australia and the US is very reliable and I was sure he would have objected much earlier if he had not received them promptly (usually takes about 10 days). I was sure he was trying to scam me for extra. Anyway never heard from him again.

Also been ripped off a couple of times but mostly have been able to sort it out.

Regards
Ted

yggdrasil
03-18-2005, 04:00 AM
I have bought a few items on eBay. All have ended ok.


Since shipping cost is a real issue to Norway I allways to contact the seller in advance querying about shipping cost. I follow a few simple rules.

1. Do not bid until response from seller.
2. If response does not give a good feeling, drop it.
3. Archive all responses.
4. You can not be too paranoid.:D

aust-ted
03-18-2005, 04:24 AM
Johnny

That is good advice

I always try to get items shipped from the US by USPS which I have found to be both reliable and reasonably priced. Obviously it does not work for large items like speaker boxes. You can estimate the postage at http://ircalc.usps.gov/ so you can easily work out if the seller is trying to load the shipping quote.

Regards
Ted

evans224
03-18-2005, 08:18 AM
I've had mostly positive experiences so far. I did "root out" (very difficult, right?) one scammer who wanted to buy some expensive gear COD and not through ebay. I've had a person win the auction, not pay and leave me a negative! I think it's OK as long as you don't buy/sell something really expensive that you can't check out in person.

Don C
03-18-2005, 08:34 AM
There are some people who will routinely buy an item on ebay, and then afterwards, complain about the item in an attempt to get a partial refund.
It is often justified, but if you do a good job of photographing and describing your items, and you pack them well, then this tactic becomes annoying fast. The only good defense against that is to offer a full refund after the item has been returned to you in the same packing materials that you sent. Most of the buyers never go through with that, they want to keep the item.
I dont take it personally, remember that ebay is kind of tough on buyers as well.

hector.murray
03-18-2005, 04:47 PM
Thanks Don, and all else who posted.

Triumph Don
03-19-2005, 06:50 PM
Before the auction ends, email the seller asking for a phone number. No number, NO BIDS!! Very easy to feel out a jerk or an audio guy over the phone. Works for me!

briang
03-19-2005, 07:31 PM
Anyone have issues with selling on ebay and having buyers try to screw with you after the sale?

Well, not yet.

I did have one guy who took almost four weeks to ship...but I did get my item.

I read the feedback, and look for patterns in the negative feedback. If I get a bad vibe I don't bid.

I also won't bid on items that place strict limits on payment methods and charge a high fees for shipping and packaging.

Also, I like the advice others have given here, especially the telephone number one...

DMMD
03-20-2005, 10:52 AM
Now most of the people here, who actually care about these products are going to fairly represent themselves and the things they are selling.... so keep this in mind for the rest of the post...


Generally:

It seems like the major issues almost always have to do with condition and conditional statements. Now if a seller has been accurate in communication and descriptions, then buyer beware- but too often with vintage audio, there is just a lack of disclosure. This lack of disclosure, intended or not, reeks of foul behavior. Honest lady's and chaps will listen and act ethically to mitigate one's concerns. Those who are hostile to justified complaints, or just ignore the issues presented are just wankers who need to be called out.

In today's JBL market- and the lack of truely "good" deals - the conditions of the components as stated, and the honesty of the seller in dealing with those issues, become very important. It is wrong to simply assume the worst condition and become resigned to dealing with "whatever" I get in the mail. That kind of attitude is just driving up prices. This forum is one of the most eduated groups of people about JBL Pro products in the world. It is also the one group around with the most access to parts and skills to fix issues. This should not mean that this group should ignore the sad reality of those sellers who pass off "conditonal" goods and then claim ignorance simply because they know most buyers will:

1) expect it
2) can fix it
3) won't challenge it

Not bidding, buying, etc is the best strategy- But when all else "looks right" in a listing, "feels right" in the gut, and "sounds right" in the cross-communication... what's the risk? In an ethical marketplace? Nothing. Often though.... it just doesn't pan out completely as expected.

eBay, like any other marketplace, involves a public display of one's ethics. Sellers must be held accountable for items that they represent:

"Good condition" surrounds that fall apart in transit; UNACCEPTABLE

"Clean. like-new cabinets" arriving with gauges NOTcaused by packing; UNACCEPTABLE

Corrosion on crossover leads in "perfect" monitors; UNACCEPTABLE...

No issue undisclosed is excusable. If issues are documented and presented honestly to the seller by the buyer, the final valuation of the transaction should be adjusted accordingly post-facto.

Now it would think differently if you knew that you were paying way under market value- or you knew that an issue was purely a semantic one, but it's just WRONG to let an issue centered around unethical behavior go unchallenged.

If you were not getting what you paid for in any other first-person situation you would challenge it accordingly wouldn't you? Those with the MOST influence on the market should set the standard for which products are represented.... that's you, JBL fanatics et all...! So when something doesn't pan out that otherwise "seemed" right at some point... it's your duty to make it right and complan accordingly.

JBLROCKS
03-27-2005, 07:47 PM
I have had good experience buying items from Ebay but have had too many "DOA due to shipper". My most recent purchase was an old pair of studio monitors that arrived NEAR DOA. The seller carefully packed them and FEDEX removed the box, slapped the address label on the side and sent them on their way. I thought FEDEX was better than the rest..........:blah: :banghead:

aust-ted
03-28-2005, 01:15 AM
It just amazes me why most sellers normally use shippers like UPS or Fedex. From what I have read they appear to commonly handle packages roughly and are difficult to get to pay claims.

I have bought quite a few, admitedly relatively small, items from the US and have always had the item shipped by USPS. Only had one minor breakage (and that was repairable) and that was caused by very poor packing. Overall I find USPS, just like the local post office service, very good. They are also much cheaper than private shippers for international parcels and cause less hassles with customs clearance.

On the other hand, I have had issues with domestic couriers in Australia although some are ok. You would think the private couriers would train their staff to treat packages with respect rather than footballs. Have noticed the same with airline baggage handlers. If I could find an airline that made a point of treating passenger's luggage with respect I would be more likely to fly with them.

I would encourage sellers to use the postal service more although I realise it won't work for large items like JBLrocks' speakers.

Regards
Ted

evans224
03-28-2005, 01:42 PM
I worked for UPS for about 9 months as a driver. If it was marked FRAGILE it tended to get thrown harder. My advice is you had better bulletproof the packaging. They process too many packages to deal with them gently!

Audiobeer
03-28-2005, 04:24 PM
Man that is the truth! The more I go out of the way to mark the box fragile the more chance it was of arriving broken.

sonofagun
03-29-2005, 08:20 AM
FAYI (for all your information) - I have it from reliable sources that the Post Office actually uses Fedex to ship their packages.

They're not part of the Govmint any more u know.

majick47
03-29-2005, 09:03 AM
Recently received a audio rack made of heavy guage steel. The seller did little to protect the contents and the cardboard box had a large hole in the side made by the contents shifting. Fortunatly their was no noticable damage but a generous amount of bubble wrap would of protected the contents. I purchased an identical rack from another seller and spent well over an hour unwrapping all the contents. From experience most sellers will do a very good job of packaging but it doesn't hurt to remind them to bubble wrap and double box for the trip with FedEx or UPS. I routinely check the feedback comments on Ebay sellers to see if they have had problems with packaging and make this a part of my decision to bid on an item.

sonofagun
03-29-2005, 09:16 AM
Yes, the Packing Methodological Protocols (PMP :o: :D )are pretty straightforward:

A. Box item in a close fitting cardboard box (double wall cardboard if available). I have made MANY custom-to-fit boxes myself - is really easy once you learn how to make them - just requires tape measure, staightedge, carton knife, philips screwdriver, some glue, and tape. Surplus refrigerator, washer/dryer boxes (appliance dealers throw them out all the time) are great for FREE material. Or contact a local box maker in your area - you can probably purchase new sheets of cardboard from them inexpensively.

B. Pack this box inside of a larger box (same or stonger wall) with at least 1-2" of space all around (more for heavier/larger items) - use sheet styrfoam or cardboard sheets for filler. Reinforce/extra protection at edges and corners.

Hey Zilch - I wanna read this book of yours - your link dinnit take me to where I cood! :blink: