Wow! eBay is ugly nowadays!

[PeterUK]

After a number of recent bad experiences with eBay, and despite maintaining a perfect feedback record of 100% after 215 receipts of feedback and a score of 198, I wish to declare that I'm no longer a fan of the corner of the the internet revolution.

The latest transcation concluded today with a full refund to me after buying a cheap SatNav system. My TomTom has died on me and I don't get my new car with integrated SatNav until July so I needed something to get me by.

It would seem that everyone seems to be passing their junk off on eBay these days, describing inaccurately, telling lies about the item and acting surprised when they are rumbled!

Some recent experiences include:

• A zero feedback bidder losing the parts to a brand new Bigsby he bought from me and accusing me of all sorts of things when I explained I couldn't replace the parts he lost.
  
• An overseas bidder messing me around over shipping, eventually receiving the item (tracked and signed for of course) and then filing a "goods not received dispute" SIX weeks later!
  
• Several computer games described as mint and working and when I received them they were so badly scratched they weren't even good enough for beer mats.
  
• And this recent experience. A guy who had installed counterfeit software on this SatNav device and claimed to be the injured party when I complained to him. FYI, I asked him before buying if the software was authentic, it came with the activation codes and the original CDs. It didn't of course!

With eBay fleecing me for - what is now - very expensive listing and selling fees - and PayPal digging the knife in even further, I can't see eBay surviving much longer without becoming a complete shambles. Recent changes to the feedback system just simply serves to hide the cracks of an institution which is showing serious cracks in its foundations.

I'll continue to use it as a price checker but buying from the ever increasing muppets joining eBay will become a thing of the past for me.

Peter

[Joe-Bob]

Originally Posted by PeterUK

I'll continue to use it as a price checker but buying from the ever increasing muppets joining eBay will become a thing of the past for me.

Actually, I don't think it's even, or has ever been, valid for setting prices because so many people don't use it to trade, and so many that used to, don't anymore.

Glad to see you have finally seen the light.

[casterway]

eBay is an anonymous dumping ground for peoples junk.

[mikespe]

Originally Posted by casterway

eBay is an anonymous dumping ground for peoples junk.

Craig's List and other auction sites are also "internet garage sales" and have their share of issues. I am not going to bail on eBay just yet. I still find good deals and with the exception of selling my Vox amp a few weeks ago, sell things at a decent price...even after the fees.

[Colo Springs E]

....used to buy and sell around 10-15 guitars a year. It's been months since I've used eBay, I'm done with it. Tired of their ever-increasing fee structure, ramming Paypal (which I can't stand) down our throats, sellers can't leave feedback anymore, etc.

Screw eBay.

-Eric

[casterway]

I have a friend that buys cameras and lenses on Ebay. After getting a lens that had been packed so poorly that it was basically a maraca when it arrived, he contacted the seller and was told. "Well, gee, better luck with future Ebay transactions." Nice.

[TDPRI]

When will a viable alternative arrive???

[neocaster]

Originally Posted by TDPRI

When will a viable alternative arrive???

"No market will tolerate an economy that produces an inferior product" -A. Greenspan.

The alternative will arrive when enough people are pissed enough with eBay to come up with something better. Everything exists in degrees and there is a degree upon which barely acceptable becomes unacceptable. I don't know when but I can almost assure you it is "when" not "if."

[Flat357]

I've only had 2 bad experiences on Ebay , and both were after buying from Canada ( nothing wrong with Canada BTW , just coincidence ) .
One was a guy who sold me pickups but had no intention of sending them and was already under Paypals legal team , and another was a pedal I bought where the seller suddenly wanted more money for shipping .
I managed to eventually come good on both and got my money back .

I think Ebay has good and bad , but mostly good .
The more you look for a bargain though , the more likely you are to get stung !

[RiverDog]

Kind of funny...I *just* came from Paypal where I was filing not one but two Item Not Received disputes. Both sellers had 100% positive feedback. I don't get it. I bid on, won and paid for 2 pedals and then nothing. No communication. No pedals. Aaargh!

[Nick JD]

They lost me when they made Paypal compulsory. I've bought and sold many things with bank account deposits and never had a problem.

I did fine without Paypal, but they saw it as a great way to increase their revenue at my expense. They lose.

[gtech]

I guess I've been lucky 'cause I never had a bad experience since I started buying from Ebay "stores" many years ago.

But I never resigned myself to sell something, mainly because of the shipping costs. The last time I checked, it was costing me $82.00 to ship a guitar to US from Canada.

So I think I will just keep on buying and hope for the best...

[teleman65]

Originally Posted by TDPRI

When will a viable alternative arrive???

There are already some alternatives to eBay but they are specific to niche markets and they are not auctions.
For example the TDPRI classifieds provide a place in which buyers and sellers of music gear can conduct a transaction. If somebody scams a TDPRI member you can be sure feedback will spread quickly. There are emporiums and classifieds on many of the music sites I visit and I rarely hear about the problems that eBay users are now running into.
I fully expect the next guitar item I sell will be on TDPRI and not eBay.

[Axis29]

I gotta say, I've had a lot of very good experiences and very few poor experiences.

I've sold a few guitars, bought a guitar or two... sold and bought a go-zillion motorcycle parts and some camera accessories... And guitar pedals...

I did get a bad pedal not too long ago... but it went bad on me after a half hour of playing it... It was too late, I had already exchanged positive feedback. Lesson learned. Next few items have been gone over something fierce before giving feedback!

Then I had a buyer from Japan who screwed me around (but eventually paid) and another from Italy who never paid, never answered emails... I guess I'm not bothered. Out of several hundred exchanges, only a couple of bad ones. I'm just careful about how much and how I bid with. Nothing's foolproof. Heck, I've even seen issues arising here on the TDPRI.

For what it is, I think eBay has done a pretty good job. The Anarchy of the Net working to better my quality of life.... and the quality of the equipment I play through!

[odiemann]

An unregulated market conducting business by distance with instant payments being preferred. If caveat emptor doesn't apply, I can't imagine when it would. I have bought and sold on Ebay. I am not above the issue.

But if your kid came home and said they were going to spend their college fund on an education system conducted like ebay does business, wouldn't you go nuts?

[Ringo]

I've done probably close to 1000 transactions on ebay, both as a buyer and a seller, 99.9% of them have been fine w no issues.
I try listing things on a lot of the various classifieds (including here) , Craiglist etc.. but it seems like most of the time I end up putting the items on eBay and they sell there , generally for more money.
So even with the eBay fees and Paypal fees, I get results and often times more money.
I wish there were some viable alternatives, if nothing else than to make eBay be more competitive, but for the time being I'll keep using them.

Compared to the alternative of listing in the local paper where a 4 day ad can cost $15 or more! and then getting very little exposure or results, eBay is a great deal IMO.

And remember, one mans junk is another mans treasure, not everything on eBay is junk, I've found a lot of good deals on items I needed.

Just another point of view, obviously some people have had problems with eBay / Paypal.

[Tarnisher]

I've only had one really bad experience, in which I bought a computer bag that fell apart after a month of use, despite the listing's claim that it was "guaranteed." The seller sold hundreds of these pieces of crap, and like me, everyone who bought them left positive feedback for him since they looked fine out of the box.

The problem with ebay's feedback system is that you only get to rate sellers based on transactions, not product quality. If you could write about experiences over the long term, as with ratings of products on amazon and MF, then guys like this wouldn't last long.

I think sellers should have the right to rate buyers, but only on the promptness of their payment. As it is, many sellers won't leave feedback first, and will retaliate for getting negative feedback. The best solution would be to require sellers to leave feedback before buyers. Ebay could also make feedback semi-anonymous. It could be set up so that they know who you are, but other members don't. That way if someone wrote something slanderous, you could dispute it and they could investigate, but no one could launch vendettas.

[Ringo]

Ebay recently did change their feedback system, sellers can now only leave positive feedback. It's still not a perfect system but they do seem to be trying to address some issues, buyers can now rate their overall experience with a seller based on communication, accurate description and shipping costs - one of my big gripes is sellers padding shipping costs.

[mellecaster]

Originally Posted by Ringo

I've done probably close to 1000 transactions on ebay, both as a buyer and a seller, 99.9% of them have been fine w no issues.
I try listing things on a lot of the various classifieds (including here) , Craiglist etc.. but it seems like most of the time I end up putting the items on eBay and they sell there , generally for more money.
So even with the eBay fees and Paypal fees, I get results and often times more money.
I wish there were some viable alternatives, if nothing else than to make eBay be more competitive, but for the time being I'll keep using them.

Compared to the alternative of listing in the local paper where a 4 day ad can cost $15 or more! and then getting very little exposure or results, eBay is a great deal IMO.

And remember, one mans junk is another mans treasure, not everything on eBay is junk, I've found a lot of good deals on items I needed.

Just another point of view, obviously some people have had problems with eBay / Paypal.

I tend to agree with the above...close to 850 Transactions...very few problems w/ E-Bay or Pay-Pal..still have my 100% Feedback...It's all in how you choose to play the Game ??

[e-merlin]

I have had only one bad experience as a result of an eBay ad, and it was an off-eBay transaction. I haven't dealt on eBay for a while, but I'm going to list a bunch of stuff pretty soon. Stuff that didn't sell on TDPRI Classifieds because it was mostly stuff that really didn't fit the general community, but I thought I'd try anyway.

The great thing about eBay is that there's usually someone out there that wants what you have. That's not easily replaced or replicated.

[RodeoTex]

The days of the 'great deal' on ebay are long over. Now it is just the mainstream market to sell your items.
With over 500 transactions I gotta say, the vast majority of difficult actions I've been involved in are with Florida. I don't know why that is but I really hesitate to bid on anything from there. I've also considered marking my auctions as 'no shipment to FL' but that probably wouldn't be allowed.
I'll still sell on ebay. I'll still buy there too, only with a little more research now. Some of the things that sell as used can be bought elsewhere new for less money.
Oh, I have seen no requirement to accept Paypal either.

[PeterUK]

Originally Posted by RodeoTex

The days of the 'great deal' on ebay are long over.

Not entirely sure I agree with this, particularly with the British Pound versus the US Dollar, and therein lies my dilemma.

Originally Posted by RodeoTex

With over 500 transactions I gotta say, the vast majority of difficult actions I've been involved in are with Florida. I don't know why that is but I really hesitate to bid on anything from there. I've also considered marking my auctions as 'no shipment to FL' but that probably wouldn't be allowed.

I've had similiar problems with Spain (sorry Nacho ) and these words are listed in every one of my ads.

However, I am reluctant to ship to Spain as the last two eBay deals have been a nightmare. If you are in Spain and wish to bid, contact me first. I will only accept wire transfer of funds which will require 30-days to clear and you must be able to prove your address for shipping purposes as proof of delivery will be required. No exceptions for Spanish buyers.

And would you believe I've had three bids from potential Spanish bidders WITHOUT contacting me first. I cancelled one guy's bids three times before I had to block him.

I also ask for bidders with less than 10 feedbacks to contact me first, but of course they don't.

I'm brutally honest with my descriptions, reply to all questions promptly and in great detail, leave feedback as soon as I've been paid, ship immediately and only charge the actual shipping costs plus packaging materials.

When I buy, I pay immediately and leave fedback once the item has been received and thoroughly inspected and tested.

I should be a model, satisfied eBayer, but it's just too much like hard work just lately.

Maybe a break by the sea will do me good - WITHOUT eBay!

Thanks for all your replies, comments and thoughts.

Peter