Whose gotten burned on e-bay?

[Penelope631]

I sell lego people on ebay and charge 5 bucks shipping unless it is a buy it now sale then it is 3 for shipping, and the people go from 5.99 starting with a 10$ buy it now. I do pretty good,it paid for my vacation this past summer:dance:

but if I sell something that cant fit in a bubble mailer I have the post office pick it up at my house, it is free..just print out the postage on my puter, they will only pickup priority mail . and you can use any kind of box. I had them send me priority mail stickers to stick on boxes that are not designated as priority from the post office, which I have them ship to me for free also.

the only thing I go to the post office for is to buy stamps every couple of months.

 

[dark_shadows]

I never had, but this man found something of his that was being sold on that site. How many other stolen goods are sold on that site???;

Respectfully,
dark_shadows


Click on link for article.

Police: Long Island man finds his stolen GPS device for sale on eBay

 

[kazzbar]

I never had, but this man found something of his that was being sold on that site. How many other stolen goods are sold on that site???;

Respectfully,
dark_shadows


Click on link for article.

Police: Long Island man finds his stolen GPS device for sale on eBay

Hi Dark Shadows, I think there are lots of stolen things on E_bay. I would avoid electrical goods(unless an importer) and mobile phones and I pod type things.Most problems on there are related to communication.

 

[Missouri Mule]

I'm a long time bidder and seller on ebay. One has to be careful. I once purchased a piece of exercise equipment that was obviously fenced but the police departments didn't want to become involved. I returned it to retrieve my money on the advice of the last police officer I spoke to.

My advice to everyone is to look carefully at the feedback and their ID. If they are changing their ID frequently there is probably a good reason for it and it isn't positive.

What burns me up are these absurd shipping fees and those who won't accept Paypal. They almost never get what the item is worth and it is very inconvenient to have to deal with personal checks and the delay. I refuse to send cashiers checks or money orders, which by the way, the latter can bounce. A lot of people don't know that and for that matter a cashier check can be stopped as well. There is really no good reason to decline a payment from Paypal (which is owned by ebay) if the payment comes directly out of a bank account. The only way it could be reversed is if ebay did it and the chances of that are slim and none.

Reputation, reputation, reputation.

 

[Missouri Mule]

i tried doing ebay a while back, and boy what a huge waste of time. they make the damn thing so friggin' COMPLICATED.... and by the time you sell something and pay for the hassle of shipping it (package or whatever, stand in line at the PO) and then make a few bucks.... it doesn't seem worth the trouble. unless,, you are in the business of selling highly collectible & sought after items that command a high price.

Actually, it isn't complicated once you get signed up properly. I can put in a bid and get it completed immediately and there are no problems whatsoever.

Another tip is to watch out for the "snipers". I have a solution for that problem. If you really want the item, put off your bid until the last 10-15 minutes and then put in your maximum bid amount. The chances are you will get it. If you try to put in the minimum you can be outbid on the literal last second. It's happened to me two or three times until I wised up. There are specialized programs that do this for the bidder who isn't watching the item ending. But I had the last laugh. No more snipers.

And don't be afraid to question the seller. If you get a bunch of flim-flam in response expect trouble. Most ebayers are quite honest but sometimes it is necessary to ask legitimate questions.

And watch out for blurry photos and "stock" photos. Ebay ought to outlaw those anyway; the stock photos. I regard that is blatant misrepresentation. If a person can't put a clear photograph there there is a reason and the chances are he or she doesn't want the real item to be shown. Avoid them.

 

[Missouri Mule]

One other tip. Watch out for those phishing scams for ebay and paypal. Only check your messages within those web sites. And have separate passwords for each and change them frequently.

These scammers are very, very good. My neighbor got hooked into this one time and I nearly did too. She bit and had to cancel all her credit cards and everything. Took weeks to straighten out. Ebay and Paypal will not send you e-mails asking for personal information. And that's another reason not to give out your e-mail to anyone you don't need to. I had to dump about 10 e-mail addresses permanently to fix my problem with spammers and phishing scams. No more of that. Fixed it.

 

[RUNDAWAY]

Does it take a study to reveal that eBay feedback is manipulated?

I think that's been pretty well documented elsewhere. I have to say that my 300-plus positives were all legitimate. Unfortunately, eBay banned me from selling items under obscurestore because I posted a Mike Diana comic fanzine. (Go figure -- line drawings get me booted after nearly a decade of eBaying!) (San Francisco Chronicle)

 

[BeeBee]

Ok, this would be funny if not so stupid. I watched Judge Judy a few days ago and a woman was auctioning two cell phones. She had the pictures up (naturally) and a woman and her daughter got the phones. Total for both was four hundred and something. They sent the money and received 2 pictures of the phones! The girl claimed they got what they paid for. But, when advertising she made the mistake of putting the weight of the phones. Judge Judy was pissed. The girl smirked all through the show. She still claimed they got what hey paid for. Pictures of the phone. Anyway, (and Judy hardly ever does this) instead of the four hundred and change the mother and daughter were asking for, Judge Judy gave them 5000.00 dollars. I'm telling ya, you gotta be careful on E Bay. Scams are really on the rise. This same girl was in trouble for doing this 3 times before this one.

 

[Missouri Mule]

Ok, this would be funny if not so stupid. I watched Judge Judy a few days ago and a woman was auctioning two cell phones. She had the pictures up (naturally) and a woman and her daughter got the phones. Total for both was four hundred and something. They sent the money and received 2 pictures of the phones! The girl claimed they got what they paid for. But, when advertising she made the mistake of putting the weight of the phones. Judge Judy was pissed. The girl smirked all through the show. She still claimed they got what hey paid for. Pictures of the phone. Anyway, (and Judy hardly ever does this) instead of the four hundred and change the mother and daughter were asking for, Judge Judy gave them 5000.00 dollars. I'm telling ya, you gotta be careful on E Bay. Scams are really on the rise. This same girl was in trouble for doing this 3 times before this one.

I've bought and sold a lot of stuff on ebay and to day not any problems. My biggest beef is with inflated shipping charges and ebay is clamping down on that. The way to deal with scam artists is to check their reputation and actually read what is said about them. Check their ID history to see if they aren't changing around as well. Stock photos and blurry photos are a dead giveaway they aren't being up front. I think I could look at a listing and tell immediately if the person is on the up and up. It just takes getting used to it. Assume nothing and check everything.

 

[dark_shadows]

I'm a long time bidder and seller on ebay. One has to be careful. I once purchased a piece of exercise equipment that was obviously fenced but the police departments didn't want to become involved. I returned it to retrieve my money on the advice of the last police officer I spoke to.

My advice to everyone is to look carefully at the feedback and their ID. If they are changing their ID frequently there is probably a good reason for it and it isn't positive.

Hi Missouri Mule,
Please understand that there is no ill intent at all in my reply to your post...
I really do have to ask this;

What were the indications that it was fenced?
How can you help us in spotting these items so that we are not taken?
My son has purchased autographed photos and I have wondered if the signatures were real or fake.

Thank-you for your help,
Respectfully,
dark_shadows

 

[Missouri Mule]

Hi Missouri Mule,
Please understand that there is no ill intent at all in my reply to your post...
I really do have to ask this;

What were the indications that it was fenced?
How can you help us in spotting these items so that we are not taken?
My son has purchased autographed photos and I have wondered if the signatures were real or fake.

Thank-you for your help,
Respectfully,
dark_shadows

The fact that the serial number was ground off was the first tip-off. I had driven 150 miles each way to pick it up and when I was unloading it I first noticed it. Although I contacted the police department three times they wouldn't even return my calls. I contacted the local police office and they said it was out of their jurisdiction. Ditto for the sheriff's department. Finally, I was told by the local police to return it for my money and forget it which I did. I got my money back and bought a new one from the dealer. I even went to the trouble of lifting the number off the backside of the stamped metal but couldn't interest the police.

I could have forgotten about it I suppose but I would never have felt right owning stolen goods. Of course the seller claimed he was without knowledge. I think that was bulloney but what could I do?

The only way you could be sure of the autographed photos is to take them to an expert on authenticating them. Offhand, I wouldn't know who that might be. I'm sure they are out there. Probably the only other way would have been to have actually seen the individual sign in person.

Generally speaking I think the reputation of the seller is what matters most. I spend a good deal of time researching that before I purchase something. But there is no certain way that I know of. Just know your seller.

 

[dark_shadows]

The fact that the serial number was ground off was the first tip-off. I had driven 150 miles each way to pick it up and when I was unloading it I first noticed it. Although I contacted the police department three times they wouldn't even return my calls. I contacted the local police office and they said it was out of their jurisdiction. Ditto for the sheriff's department. Finally, I was told by the local police to return it for my money and forget it which I did. I got my money back and bought a new one from the dealer. I even went to the trouble of lifting the number off the backside of the stamped metal but couldn't interest the police.

I could have forgotten about it I suppose but I would never have felt right owning stolen goods. Of course the seller claimed he was without knowledge. I think that was bulloney but what could I do?

The only way you could be sure of the autographed photos is to take them to an expert on authenticating them. Offhand, I wouldn't know who that might be. I'm sure they are out there. Probably the only other way would have been to have actually seen the individual sign in person.

Generally speaking I think the reputation of the seller is what matters most. I spend a good deal of time researching that before I purchase something. But there is no certain way that I know of. Just know your seller.

Dear Missouri Mule,
I really want to thank-you for your response. Also I did not know that exercise equipment had serial numbers. I will remember that if I purchase them from an add in the paper or from a lawn sale.
Respectfully,
dark_shadows

 

[nanandjim]

Dear Missouri Mule,
I really want to thank-you for your response. Also I did not know that exercise equipment had serial numbers. I will remember that if I purchase them from an add in the paper or from a lawn sale.
Respectfully,
dark_shadows

You have to give the serial number, model type and all sorts of info when calling the manufacturer about a problem. Plus, this is a way to identify the piece of equipment. I can think of no other reason for a serial number to be scratched out other than the merchandise was stolen.

 

[izzyB]

i have had so far excellent experience buying on e-bay, but got burned for the first time this week with a case of Girl Scout thin mint cookies. the person selling had 100% positive feedback at the time i placed the order. a few days later i was notified by PayPal that the payment was "unclaimed". i wrote an e-mail to the seller, asking if i had mis-understood about accepting PayPal. i heard back almost immediately that PayPal had messed up and that was causing some problems.

this did not sit right with me and i went to the seller's profile and lo and behold a negative rating had just been posted. someone had not received their merchandise, and guess what, Girl Scout cookies! I should have gone right then and gotten that unclaimed payment from PayPal, because when i tried to do it a few days later, they are showing it already paid. the seller in the mean time, now has 3 negative reviews (mine will be the 4th) and is no longer registered with e-bay. so i am filing my protest with PayPal and hope i get my money back on this one.

 

[cheko1]

My son sent a guy a cashiers check for 1495.00 for a motor. He sent it June 11, 2007. The guy got removed from ebay the followiing day for being a scam artist.

Now if ebay knew the guy was a crook & they knew they were going to remove this scam artist they should have notified my son. He is just livid.....The guy says he is sending a motor & yet it never arrives.

 

[Taximom]

My son sent a guy a cashiers check for 1495.00 for a motor. He sent it June 11, 2007. The guy got removed from ebay the followiing day for being a scam artist.

Now if ebay knew the guy was a crook & they knew they were going to remove this scam artist they should have notified my son. He is just livid.....The guy says he is sending a motor & yet it never arrives.

Oh, cheko1, that's awful. What are the chances of getting his money returned? That's SOOOO much money.

 

[Missouri Mule]

My son sent a guy a cashiers check for 1495.00 for a motor. He sent it June 11, 2007. The guy got removed from ebay the followiing day for being a scam artist.

Now if ebay knew the guy was a crook & they knew they were going to remove this scam artist they should have notified my son. He is just livid.....The guy says he is sending a motor & yet it never arrives.

Rule #1. On Ebay always pay by Paypal and pay it via a credit card so you can back it out if it doesn't materialize.

Rule #2. Follow rule #1.

Sorry to hear of your plight. I'd keep on ebay's case. They also own Paypal and that's how I buy all of my merchandise. Haven't had a problem to date.

 

[izzyB]

definitely follow e-bay's rules to report this fraud, but by paying with a cashier's check i do not know what recourse you have short of going to the guy's house and telling him you want what you paid for. i am assuming your son sent the $$ certified return receipt so he can show proof of delivery with a signature.

i have a top limit i will pay on e-bay and also always use my paypal. in the dispute i had, the $50.00 was returned to my account.

good luck!

 

[Missouri Mule]

I would also add for sellers that money orders can bounce and cashier's checks can be stopped. What I do in virtually all cases is to read the reputation and comments of the buyers and sellers. That's probably the most important thing anyone can do to keep from being ripped off.

 

[SadieMae]

If your son has the address information and name, try calling their local LE to do a police report. Don't know how far this person lived from you...but small claims court may be an option also.