Sorta OT--are there ANY honest eBay sellers left?

MyVintageCocktail

MyVintageCocktail

VFG Member
Besides us, that is? I've been buying/selling on eBay for about 6 years, and have never, ever had problems till recently! Without going into detail the likes of which you'd rather not hear, I've spent half my work morning--I'm supposed to be doing listings--writing to sellers about poor product, poor service, etc. Out of 12 or so recent buying experiences on eBay, about half of them have been slightly bad to horrible! From a mannequin nightmare to an ice-skate horror. And only one seller has been truly sorry about her inadvertent misrepresentation and eager to fix the problem--the rest have been stubborn or I'm still awaiting resolution. And I am NOT a difficult person to deal with! But I expect items to be substantially as represented and what I paid for. These sellers hurt all of us, and it's no wonder I've seen a drop in prices over the last year or so. And I don't buy just vintage on eBay; this issue is happening in other areas, too! I wish I could find a better venue for selling, but it seems that eBay will have to be part of the mix for me, as it is for most everybody here. I've tried other auction venues, but they just don't get the traffic for vintage....

OK, end of rant. Anybody else have any horrors lately?
 
I totally hear you, Rita.

I buy on ebay periodically and I think about 70% of the time I'm very disappointed with my purchase.
Trying to look on the bright side... I think it makes me a better seller!
One thing I've noticed is that I'm often disappointed with the QUALITY of the item... the seller may have accurately described the condition of the item but said nothing about it being a dime store reject to begin with.

This common problem has lead me to using my own Quality Rating (QR) system to help determine the INITIAL quality of the item when new.

A vintage item that was originally CHEAP, isn't worth much today... whereas a vintage QUALITY item is always worthwhile (ok.. unless it's ugly)

Truthfully, I wish I could get all sellers to adopt my system!
 
I hear you! I often think I am too picky about detailing my items, much to my detriment, when I see what I receive from other sellers! I mention flaws, they don't, and my stuff is in far better condition. I'm always getting comments such as "perfect vintage," "better than expected," "mint condition" (on items I've rated excellent or near mint), etc., yet I don't get any better prices for my stuff than sellers who sell either lesser quality or items with flaws they don't bother to mention. It's a quandry for me--detail every flaw in an item, even if it "sounds" worse than it really is--and have delighted customers, or give only an accurate rating & not mention them--and risk having unhappy customers.... I sure don't want MY customers feeling the way about me that I end up feeling about some of my vendors!
 
That's how I feel, as well.
I do the exact same thing... I so WAY over-exaggerate all the flaws I can find and I really hate the fact the my condition statement is often soooo long because of my nit-picking.... but my mottos about that is "I'd rather have my customers be pleasantly surprised at the condition than unpleasantly so!"

So far it works pretty well... I sell for decent prices (most of the time...) and the majority of my feedback say things like "way better than described!"

I will keep buying out there, though... just to keep reminding myself why what I do is worthwhile to my customers!
 
I've only had a few truly bad buys on eBay. Most recently (several months ago) I bought a 1930s pattern booklet which turned out to be ripped in the middle and quite fragile. The damage was not visible in the pics and was NOT disclosed in the description. The seller claimed it was postal damage and refused to acknowledge his mistake.

I once bought an Edwardian lace dress that was described as excellent condition with a few specific, photographed holes. I was shocked to receive it and discover that it was stained and riddled with holes, some of them quite large. It took a lot of effort (emails and phone calls) to get the seller to refund my money.

I think experience has made me a pickier buyer. When it comes to vintage clothing, I generally won't buy from an inexperienced seller. I check the seller's other listings to see what kind of stuff he/she normally sells. When it comes to paper goods, which are the majority of my eBay purchases, I e-mail the seller to ask any condition questions that aren't covered in the description. I also tend to buy from the same sellers once they've proven themselves to me. I think it's a great opportunity for us (as sellers) to cultivate loyal, repeat buyers!

As long as I follow my rules, I generally don't have problems....But it has meant that I've passed by many, many things because the seller was uncooperative in answering questions or I wasn't satisfied that she knew what she was talking about.

Laura
 
I find Ebay sellers are getting worse and worse too. I absolutely dread buying things on Ebay now except from sellers that I am familiar with (and you guys!). I was buying Christmas presents on Ebay and it was like pulling teeth to even PAY sellers, sellers not answering my ASQ's, sending things late, no communication.

Nevermind misleading descriptions too!

I often think that my descriptions are long and verbose but at least I don't have any negatives for being "not as described" (my only neg is from a bidder, now naru'ed, who was a chronic negative giver). I tell it how it is and try to list all the faults, etc.
LOL, I get the "better than described" or "mint condition" feedbacks too :headbang:
I have one customer who will only buy from me and a few other sellers as she is so fed up with dealing with the crackpots out there. It's not only us that is feeling that way!

I blame Ebay's advertising campaign as people sign up to sell thinking that they are going to make millions selling on Ebay and then they can't handle the workload or have a clue about customer service or selling their item properly.

Lei
 
They just opened an Ebay drop-off store in my area. That can't be good for quality descriptions can it?

Deb
 
An Ebay drop off store? They actually have those? It makes sense now as I came across an auction (UK) for a sidesaddle a couple of weeks ago and the seller was plugging some shop they had where you could drop off stuff for him to sell. The sidesaddle auction was crap, no measurements, condition or anything.
I wonder what kind of service you get from these people when things go wrong as they don't actually own the item they are selling?

Lei
 
Reading all this negative eBay talk makes me think twice about selling on eBay. I was burned on my second purchase of deco earrings years back and I stayed away for a long time. It took a few years before all of this particular vendors feedback was negative and now he is no longer selling (unless under another name!!!). But the memory fades and most of my purchases of late (not vintage) I have been pleased with the outcome, save one who would not respond to my emails or request for feedback even though I paid within hours of the bid ending. Go figure.
I'm going to take your lead, Lei, and go for "long and verbose" - it's much better to have a customer pleasantly surprised than disgruntled.

Deborah
 
whoa folks......

Before this thread gets way too loaded up with negativity, let's just stop a minute here and think what we're doing!

To put forth the thoughts that most Ebay buying and/or selling is bad (and then trying to say, oh all but us) is grossly unfair to whole big lot of people. And it creates an atmosphere that is unprofessional and damaging even to the best of sellers. Earthly trueth: What goes around, comes around.

Yes - EVERYONE has had bad experiences. But back-track and re-think how and why you got there. Did you research enough? Did you inquire enough? Were you extra eager and riding in an un-earned comfort coach at the moment? Did you miss a warning sign somewhere?

We are living in a time where fear and blame seem to be the guides of the day. It is damning and it is dangerous to the well being of the masses. That spiral is not healthy!

Yes - there are unscrupulous scoundrels who don't give a damn and they need to be exposed. But please let's refrain from creating an Ebay-is-the-Pits Bashing because there are a whole lotta folks working very hard to make an honest living through it.

Vent if you must - but walk away from the box and give a scream outside, shake the cobwebs and then start over. You'll feel the better for it!

Create only positive energy - that is what you want to come back and surround you!
 
Well, since I started this thread, I'd like to weigh in again.... I don't think I said that most of my experiences on eBay have been bad; in fact, it is about half of the last few transactions that I've had trouble with. By and large, in my 6 years of selling & buying on eBay, I've had great, trouble-free transactions. However, I am positive that as eBay has grown larger & some people think they can get rich off eBay without putting in the time necessary, it is ripe for problems. In two of the instances I cited, I asked several questions of the sellers regarding their merchandise, because their descriptions & photos were barely there and horrid, respectively. I was very thorough and covered all the bases I needed in order to make an informed buying decision. Both times I got patently false information! One seller, after my specific questioning, represented an item as real leather, in "like new" condition; upon receiving it, it was clearly marked as man-made material, and was in nowhere near like-new condition. This after I told him I would NOT buy a non-leather skate. In the other, a seller again stated an item was real leather, and on receipt it wasn't.... I know this specific thing has happened to others on eBay! And in yet another incident, the item pictured was a seller's "stock" photo, not the actual item being sold, but there was no disclaimer to that effect; the item was in far worse shape than depicted in photo or in description. So, what is a buyer to do? You ask all the right questions, but get false answers. We aren't mind readers--we have to take the sellers' words at face value. So, when we get something that was blatantly misrepresented, how can we be held to account? As to selling issues, in 6 years I had 3 non-paying bidders until 2 months ago. In the last month and a half, I've had 2.

It's inevitable that when something like eBay becomes such a monstrous entity that these issues will occur. But rather than discounting them as "expected" and/or "atypical," I believe we have a duty to promote both awareness & prevention! I'm fairly sure that one of my recent NPBs didn't complete the transaction because she, a newbie, got burned on her first few purchases and was "scared off" my auction once she won it because of ongoing issues with other sellers. Had she completed the sale with me, I'm sure she would have found the dress exactly as described. But I suspect she got less-than-described from other sellers. So, these issues affect all of us, and we would be remiss in not addressing them.
 
>To put forth the thoughts that most Ebay buying and/or selling is bad (and then trying to say, oh all but us) is grossly unfair to whole big lot of people. And it creates an atmosphere that is unprofessional and damaging even to the best of sellers. Earthly trueth: What goes around, comes around.

This is true, not ALL Ebay sellers are bad but I think with Ebay advertising more, more and more people are getting in on the selling bandwagon and aren't prepared for the amount of work involved hence the poor descriptions, lack of answering ASQ's, poor packaging for fragile items, etc.

I am usually satisfied with the things that I buy from Ebay but I found that the bulk of my bad experiences were just before Christmas when everyone wanted to sell something to make money for Christmas. I was buying things from newish sellers or sellers that I hadn't dealt with before. I bought an collectible egg cup (made during the last few years) for my mother in law that was described as being in excellent condition only to get it with it having a big chip on the base (not caused from transit either, it was an old chip). I bought a bag as a xmas prezzie for my sis in law that was described as being in mint condition and that had dried lipstick stains on it!
Out of the all the transactions I had as a buyer during Christmas time, only a handful were good ones.

I'm not an inexperienced buyer either, I've been on Ebay since 1999 and know my subject when it comes to what I collect and sell but it just seemed weird that all these bad experiences seemd to come out of the woodwork all at one time. Everything I have bought since Christmas has been a wonderful transaction!

Lei
 
(That vomiting smiley face really bugs me)... ummm. Oh yes, My eBay experiences (since 1999) - buying and selling - basically get an A- grade. I've never had a real problem buying, other than slow shipping and poor communication. I go out of my way to make sure the customer is happy. A few times. as I was packing the item, I noticed a flaw I didn't see before and included a note, some refund money, and told them to e-mail me if they are unhappy.

I recently had one buyer who didn't pay, didn't answer any of my polite queries, etc... yet I notice they are still getting recent positive feedbacks. And I confess... I am afraid to leave a negative feedback because I'm sure one would come right back at me. So that's a huge problem on e-bay - retaliatory feedbacks ... and thus the lack of leaving deserved negs. Oh well - on the balance... :BAGUSE: I love eBay! Amanda
 
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