improve ebay quality

That's certainly true, and with few exceptions, you can't *really* know whether or not you're going to be scammed. But while the system is far from perfect, someone who knows "how to eBay" can do reasonably well and protect themselves.

While the feedback system can be a farce (mostly because of retaliatory negatives and feeble positives given in fear of said retaliatory negs), it's still better than nothing, especially if you can see someone has made hundreds or thousands of transactions with a very low complaint rate. And stay away from most raw BU stuff unless you get a good picture, and unless you have learned to trust a seller enough to think he/she will honor a return.

Once you understand the marketplace on eBay, you don't have to *know* someone to think you won't be ripped. And while you may be wrong on rare occasion, you can usually tell to some degree.

Avoid Seated and Trade Dollars being sold in China. Watch out for new IDs selling expensive items with private bidders. Avoid sellers with private feedback. Know that the "MS-67" that many slabs is lucky to be MS-65.

Unfortunately, I think I'm preaching to the choir here; I suspect most of us know these things already. The problem is, a lot of folks apparently don't know that, and if you follow these and a few other common sense things, your chances of getting badly scammed fall to *almost* zero. Much of it comes down to the most important thing to remember to avoid being scammed, whether eBay or ANYWHERE else: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

 

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The problem is one of expectations. Ebay is what it is. It is an online way for a seller to find a buyer (or vice versa). Ebay is not the expert or judge or policeman. For extreme cases (illegal things) they will step in, but otherwise they are very much “hands off” unless really pushed to take action.

I have seen many changes in ebay over the past several years, yet the rip off artists still find a way to do their thing. This is unlikely to change. What ebay does is basically make it easier for a “fool and his money to be soon parted” as the old saying goes. Or, substitute “uneducated collector” for “fool”.

 

I have been defrauded on ebay buying 60 silver eagles from somebody called e-temptations with a feedback of 610 and only a few negatives for slow delivery ( with me he never delivered )
What I reproach ebay is threefold
1) They did not show this vendor only gave a PO Box number
I would never buy from somebody hiding behind a PO Box
2) Their insurance is a joke 230 euros but they want 28 euros for processing the complaint and you really understand this only after you were defrauded for 523 dolllars and bankcost and eurochange cost and postage cost
3) They hide behind the fact that they are only a facilitator but
e-temptations has been allegedly banned from ebay at least two times under different names and different PO Box numbers
They do not even try to check identity

Also read this link
Halfway down the page are the recent articles what ebay does not want you to know

http://www.blissmeister.com/fraud.html

This being said I still buy on ebay ; but only when the vendor is in driving distance so that I can drive to his local police station if necessary

 

speaking of feedback - I just concluded my first auction (got the coins in the mail yesterday, and I was fairly pleased), and I noticed that the gentleman has not yet left feedback for me... now I have to refuse to do it, out of principle, even though I was perfectly happy with the auction, but I sure could use the feedback, since I now have zero... - lost my old account a while back.

 

Not being familiar with Ebay, I have learned through this forum that some sellers wait to post a feedback until one is given them. If you are happy with the purchase, I would suggest that you go ahead and leave a good feedback. Set the standard for yourself, not by what is given in return.

 

You're absolutely right.



thanks!

 

GD,



Darn it is good too be back!

 

Improve the Quality of Ebay!

Good thread. Lots of good ideas.

I have been using ebay for quite some time and frankly, I enjoy it. I do not feel that I have been victimized or ripped-off. I do not feel that I have been overly cautious. I do not buy only from known people and I do not have a standard that requires x feedbacks before I buy. I guess that I've been lucky. I do avoid obvious problems.

I think that the best way to improve the quality of ebay is for each of us to take full responsibility for our ebay transactions, weither seller or buyer. It's that simple. We cannot control or take responsibility for newbies making mistakes or for fraudulant behavior on the part of others. Just enjoy the venue for what it is -- a big big world-wide marketplace.

 

I read through this thread, and I have to say that I always find this an interesting subject. I also appreciate the 'invisible hand' being brought up early on, because I find that to be a very relevant point. That said, I don't know if it will drive the online auctions to excellence - in fact, I think it will not. People want bargains, and with bargains comes a level of risk that excludes the possibility of excellence on a consitant level... in effect, those people that go to ebay for bargains, would, in that sort of environment, be pressed out by those people who are paying a premium for that assurance... eventually, they would seek alternative resources, and ebay would be in the same boat it seems to create for dealers, today.

It seems that ebay is a shining example of the relationship between risk and reward. In order to gain a better price structure, people seem accept a level of risk that is inherent in that process - I think they even expect it.

 

I don’t blame you for being turned off by the whole mess, but I just have a couple comments.

First, as for PO Box, it may not be an option for this person. For example, where my family has a cottage in Pennsylvania, it is PO or nothing – there is no delivery to the remote lake where the cottage is. Same for my family’s address in the US – they have used a PO Box forever, since it is safer, and if you are not set up for street delivery of mail, then a letter addressed to your street address will be returned to sender.

Lastly, this guy may prefer to use a PO box so customers’ payments do not get stolen from the mailbox.

As for you getting ripped off, was it a legitimate loss in the mail? I am sure that postal insurance or registered mail was an option, why didn’t you use it on an order that large? Ebay’s insurance is indeed a scam - I would never use it.

Just some thoughts

 

Thanks for your comments ; I did not know about the PO box situation
Belgium is build full of houses so some meadows have street names

The vendor sold silver eagles he did not possess and when silver shot up he defaulted on most of his sales
His original intention was selling them by the tube of 20 and buying them by the box of 500 with the money received from the auction and pocketing the margin gains

He sent a check that bounced to some other defrauded people with a postal street address so he does have a street address

Looking back there is one warning I missed since I am European
He insisted on Western Union money to his PO Box
And as I found out afterwards there was no reason for refusing all other kinds of payment

 

OK, then, he is an official sleazebag. He was shortselling silver and got burned. I have no sympathy for him. This alone should get him banned from ebay, in my opinion. Luckily for him he had enough poisitve feedbacks to make him look OK.

I have used WU money orders before, and I always keep my fingers crossed. I even wired $100 dollars to Russia on a couple of occasions. I actually receved the items!!! I wasn't quite sure until the box came in the mail, though, if I would be ripped off.

 

Yes but he got most of his positives with five dollar sales intermingled with selling silver eagles by the tube he delivered
He got banned on ebay allready two or three times with different names and PO boxes
About 24 of us filed IFCC fraud FBI fraud , me included, these got forwarded to Det Coco of the Pawcatuck Police CT who knows the vendor from previous encounters
There are about 600 messages exchanged between us defrauded people and he is starting to pay back the most troublesome like a Texan who toke him to court in Texas and won by default
http://goldismoney.info/forums/showthread.php?p=68278#post68278

 

I have been told repetedly that using a mayor credit card gives you the credit card company protection but that with WU there is no protection whatsoever
Before this unhappy encounter with the silver eagles the worst problem I had was customs keeping a package for 2 months july and august vacation period before even notifying me they had the package

 

Yes, the cc protection is only if you use it directly with the merchant. There is no protection with WU, since you are sort of buying cash. What you do with the MO is your business, but there is no recourse with WU if they issue and redeem it when cashed.

I say keep after this guy. Maybe you can make him nervous if you tell him you will get European authorities involved.

 

The guy is a greek legal alien living in Pawcatuck CT USA
The only way I could get him were with a home address in Greece and I am sure he is not going to tell me when and were in Greece he plans to spend his vacations
According to my info he is a pro and this is not his first scam that went wrong
No I will wait and see what Det Coco from the Pawcatuck police can do
after all he got about 24 legal complaints against this guy forwarded to him by the IFCC-FBI and a copy of one courtdecision against this guy from a defrauded person from Texas

 

I have been defrauded on ebay buying 60 silver eagles from somebody called e-temptations with a feedback of 610 and only a few negatives for slow delivery ( with me he never delivered )

He was condemned in Texas by a Texan for fraud and paid up ; several people filed with the IFCC which forwarded the case to a Det Coco of the Pawcatuck CT police

Somebody suggested I sell my rights to the 60 eagles on ebay to an American who should be able to have the thief condemned and be able to recuperate the money like the Texan did
They say I could get 25 cent on the dollar
Any suggestions ?

 

I can't honestly say that you can sell your "rights" to the eagles on ebay without having them in hand to deliver. Also, I don't believe that whoever you sold them to would have recourse against the original seller. How did you pay for the auction?