Forum vs. Ebay

rick_ovic · Post by **rick_ovic** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 4:15 pm

I've had over 200 eBay transactions with 180 positive feedbacks...both as a buyer and seller. I've purchased a number of guitars myself from the US, and sold guitars and other items to buyers in Ireland, Canada, Germany, Greece, UK, a US serviceman in Iraq (!) and shipped Rickenbackers back to the States from Oz (like selling ice to eskimos!). I've not yet experienced any of the issues described by some forum members.

My philosophy is to be completely honest throughout the course of the transaction and wait to leave feedback only after I've made contact with the buyer or seller, to ensure everyone is happy with the deal. There's been a couple of difficult transactions I've had, which might have resulted in negative feedback being left, if both parties had jumped the gun and not attempted to resolve things first.

I'm of the view that 98% postive feedback over 50 or more transactions ought to be enough evidence to show the eBayer is legitimate. Reading through the feedback history usually shows what the problem was and if it was resolved.

I guess you can keep most of the people happy most of the time!

wmthor · Post by **wmthor** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 8:38 am

I guess that I'm in the minority as I have never made a successful bid on the two, repeat two items that I've ever placed a bid on through eBay. One item was a left-handed 370v64 and the other was a left-handed 360 CW. Therefore, I presume that I have a zero feedback.

That said, if the time ever came that I was selling and/or buying, I would have no hesitation in dealing with a fellow Rickenbacker Forum member.

ozover50 · Post by **ozover50** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 11:32 am

I've only bid on books thus far and had no problems, either locally or overseas (apart from a mailing address mixup from the UK). Haven't made any major purchases or sold anything yet.

BTW, I'm assuming that sellers are not obliged to provide feedback on buyers, but is it considered poor form if they don't? I ask this because I made a purchase in the US, paid within 2 hours via the seller's preferred method and no feedback (the purchase was in mid May).

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 2:10 pm

The feedback you give a seller is a sign of trust, saying that you'd buy from him again or not. Potential purchasers rely on this to evaluate a stranger's credibility.

It's not foolproof, as it's abused from time to time, but it works most of the time. Generally, the seller should leave his for you immediately he receives payment. You should do the same right after you have received and evaluated the goods you paid for.

I don't know, Howard, if you mean he didn't leave feedback for you or you didn't leave it for him. Either way, a courtesy e-mail is in the offing, I think.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 3:16 pm

If you have negative feedback you can have it taken off through squaretrade, it's a PIA and costs 20 bucks but I did it for my wife once. Jeffrey if the guy is making good I wouldn't give him a neutral, he is rectifying the situation in good faith.

jps · Post by **jps** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 3:26 pm

I am going to wait till I see the refund show up before I do anything.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 3:53 pm

Yeah, that's what I'd do also. People with a 100% rating will do almost anything to maintain it especially if they have a lot of feedbacks.

ozover50 · Post by **ozover50** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 10:48 pm

I've left feedback for them all, Paul. Two out of three sellers have left some for me. I will send her (the seller) a courtesy email indeed! Can't get your rating up if they don't rate you, I guess!!

jps · Post by **jps** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 4:54 am

Here is the latest:

Im my e-mails back and forth with this seller we settled on a refund to my account. Instead of "refunding" the money he used the "Send Money" tab. My PayPal account is unverified using my credit card for payment instead of drawing the funds from a bank account, I don't like the idea of PP having access to my checking account, call me paranoid but...

So, when using the "Send Money" tab, where does this money actually go? Not back to my credit card as a refund I gather. I am going to call PP tomorrow and see whether this can be straightened out. I sent the seller an e-mail asking about this matter so we'll see how he responds. More and more I am considering a negative feedback as he did not refund my money as he stated he would in a couple of his e-mails to me. Sending money and refunding money seem to be two different concepts to PayPal.

jps · Post by **jps** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 4:56 am

This is why I try to avoid PayPal if I can! PP may be even more evil than ebay ( yes, I know they really are one and the same, right?)

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 5:26 am

It will stay in your paypal account and you have to withdraw it, I don't think Paypal will automatically send it anywhere, but they will automatically withdraw if you owe money from your checking account for ebay as they did to my wife, (they overdrew her account) so she eliminated it, haha! That is a good idea to not give them your checking account. But the only problem is is that you (I don't think) have anywhere to send the money now. You could always give them your checking account, put the money it it and then delete it again. Yes they work in concert with each other I think ebay owns paypal now. I don't know if there is a specific way to refund money like you want besides just sending it back, there may be though, I've never had the problem, I had one problem but it got resolved before it got to the refund point.

jps · Post by **jps** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 5:33 am

So my PayPal account has a place to "store" money in addition to my credit card that payments are drawn from? If I were to make a future ebay purchase using PP, do they first take the money from that "stored" money and then the balance comes out of the credit card?

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 5:39 am

Jeffrey, you are most definitely NOT paranoid!

I had two PP accounts from 1999 until last winter. They caused me a lot of grief initially, keeping my first sales' payment of $7200.00 frozen for 10 days while they collected interest on it. Then when it got rolling, it was tied to my bank account. I did not like this aspect and finally after hearing a lot of horror stories, I elected to pull the plug and sign up with a traditional credit card processor for sales and to handle purchases with cashier's checks. Much safer IMO. They did process several hundred sales and purchases for me with no problems until last winter. Then someone got into my account and caused me about $1400.00 worth of trouble.

For those of you with Paypal accounts, try http://www.aboutpaypal.org, for some insights into this scary topic. They are literally running a banking scheme outside the purview of the Federal regulators, and are quite unresponsive to their own customers' communications.

I still get spoof emails (about 5 a month) from crooks claiming to be Paypal, asking me to "update my information" or my account will be cancelled. When I don't have an account, these are obviously not on the up-and-up.

Proceed with caution! Or, get an account strictly for Paypal use, and empty it often.

jps · Post by **jps** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 6:34 am

Thanks for the info Paul!

I may not use PayPal ever again once this is resolved.

atomic_punk · Post by **atomic_punk** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 6:40 am

Jeffrey, if you have a Paypal balance, you can request a check be sent to you, takes about a week or so, and they will not have to have access to your checking account.