This was discussed a few years ago. I cannot recall the interviewer, etc, but that was apparently their plan at the time. Still possibly a goal? Who knows? It's hard to figure out where they are going, or why. Let alone why they're even still around. I have never accepted returns. My small dollar items are clearly described, clearly pictured, and interested persons are encouraged within item description to make any inquiries before bidding. Failure to excercise this option sits solely upon the shoulders of a bidder. It would not be worth my time to offer such a service for $1.99, 2.49 pieces- But nobody has ever even asked. I have 100% positive ratings in 12+ years, with many repeat buyers. Boxcab E50
On ebay AU, postage is about $5AU which usually includes the packaging. I have sent items bought from me and that is quite normal for us. I can send 3 freight cars for $5. Locos being heavier get charged a bit more. I haven't seen many sellers over here with high postage costs. I always avoid those sellers and don't bid on their auctions.
upguy has explained it best, there is a reason that they call it 'FeePay'. Every time that you turn around, there is Ol' Mr. E. Bay with his hand out for the money. If it ain't him, it is his Pal Mr. Pay. Unless you acquired the item for next-to-nothing, by the time that you are finished being nickled and dimed to death, you have made a few pennies. I always stated the costs up front, including the insurance and delivery confirmation, which I required. If you did not like the shipping costs, no one was holding a gun to your head and forcing you to bid. I did get a few complaints, but I would check the whiner's feedback. If there were similar complaints about him from other sellers, I simply blocked him. I did run across one or two crybabies who won the auction, then tried to dictate to the seller how much that they were going to pay on top of the item price for shipping, despite the seller's up-front statement about the shipping charges. While on that subject, since FeePay does not allow sellers to warn other sellers about problem buyers, the potential for sellers to harm buyers is too great. GF had two buyers leave her undeserved negative feedback and she had to go through a wringer to get it removed. She had all of the proof of shipping, reception and photographs of the items, to demonstrate that she had kept up her end, and they still balked at removing the unmerited negatives. Finally, they did. Eventually, she left FeePay. They sent her e-Mails asking her to start listing again and asking her why she had stopped. Finally, she answered one of them and told them just what she thought of them, their anti-seller policies, their micromanaging of the sellers' businesses, their asinine payment policies and their endless fees. She has not heard from them since. She has found success on other auction and selling sites. These sites do have some model railroad items, but the searching is not the easiest. One thing about model railroad items on FeePay is that it is very simple to narrow your search.
I just had this happen to me as a seller. (I am TS moderator.) Bryan9 wrote me a message on TrainStore three weeks ago and I just noticed it. It's my fault; I just never saw it on TS messages. I thought this might be a good chance to clarify some things or point out items of interest. If you want to buy something on TS, contact the seller in as many ways as you can. TS message, Private Message (PM) via TB, and email if the seller allows that. Repeat in a few days if no response. Rather than go through additional nuances about this issue, I will move this post to Support and start a new thread if there is interest in the subject - buyers and sellers contacting each other on TS.
Does anyone else wish that more people would put up their damaged goods up for auction at a really cheap price? For example, I would love to pick up a damaged loco that I want, obtain replacement parts (assuming they're available...like at Atlas), rebuild it and end up with a really good item at a great price in the end. It seems like nothing is hardly ever posted unless it's like new or brand new....often times at full price. Russ
Oh, there are many people who DO that. But the vast herd has picked them pretty well over to death, and if you see a lot of parts locos, the prices go scary quickly... I did get another bachmann Connie with a broken wiring harness [HO] for a good price, alas it is in Southern paint...more work!!
EBAY is now getting worse in my opinion Hi, i have sold a lot of my stuff on the bay, mostly by actual shipping costs. Sometimes i had a small s&h. I routinely gave shipping refunds if the calculator method was over priced(sometimes a better box was found with a lower weight made possible) Anyway - NOW they are demanding that all sellers STOP listing insurance optional, or insurance required, or insurance period! All in the name of better industry standard - yeah - poo on that! Now a seller has to decide to add-in the insurance cost to the shipping, which makes the shipping cost now even higher - oh i forgot to say - in their 'new' policy, it seems that the seller now will be responsible for the 'safe' delivery of the package - which means that the seller has to either charge more, to cover the insurance, or eat the insurance, along with all the other fees. As for shipping costs - sometimes the problem lies in trying to get an item sold, the debacle of listing it for a price cheap enough to encourage bidding, or go with a 'this is what i would like to get - fair price' to start with. The problem with the low starter is that many bidders don't bid until the last few hours of an item, and it sells for peanuts. Some people try to 'offset this loss' by having a ship rate with a S&H add-on. Some are fair (mine was usually $1, never more than $2), some are excessive, like $9 for a 3 ounce first class mailable item, like an N freight car. At any rate this new policy is just plain dumb and stupid, and makes absolutely no sense at all, other than to stick the seller. I plan to end my dealings with them very soon.
In addition to making sellers responsible for delivery, E Bay will ding you if your DSR's are to low. Like the DSR the buyer leaves about the seller's shipping and handling charge. Soon it will be only stores. No small sellers. Their policies will make whatever new auction site comes along very attractive to small sellers. Somebody with deep pockets and plenty of exposure will start a site and pattern it like E Bay used to be. It will be a winner. Then E Bay can compete with Amazon like they want.
There is a lot of evidence that this may be true. I don’t see many people just trying to get rid of their stuff, its pretty much all stores. I just want to sell some of my stuff that I have accumulated over the years and I don’t understand how it works. Every time I ask questions about eBay, I get censored.
Johnny... Have you tried the trainstore 'buy it now' or 'n scale auction' here at TB? I have used both to buy. Good deals can be found on both. Buyers can almost bet they are getting somethng good...as the sellers are modelers and not clearing houses for estate sales !! Plus bidding in the n scale auction is almost as exciting as bidding on the bay...LOL. One added benifit >>>> chances are your prized locos etc. will go to an n scaler who needs/wants and will care for them like you do...and not use em for doorstops !!! http://www.trainboard.com/trainstore/ ** As a PostScript....I see at least one item I am salivating over right now. Hopefully it will still be there when Uncle Sam pays my the first part of the month ! .
I just followed your link, and I have what may be a very stupid question. TB has N Scale buy it now section, and an N Scale auction section. Why in the world would you list an item in the auction area, and only give a "buy it now" option? There are several there now. Auctions, but "buy it now" only.
I lost two incoming packages by USPS this year. The lines at the windows in NYC are agonizingly slow. Here post offices close completely at 5:30 ... with no lobby service.....:thumbs_down:
Hi George, I don’t have anything to sell on TB. Eventually I will use Trainboard to sale my train stuff, but right now I don’t have any good stuff that I want to part with. The only train stuff I have right now is a couple of barely used Bachman train sets to sell, but I doubt that anybody on TB would be interested in them. There are a lot more people on eBay that are just starting out and don’t know what they want yet who would buy them. I have other stuff to sell right now like tools, lots of tools that I have been collecting a lot longer than trains. I also have expensive toy sets in mint condition and lots of other stuff that I need to get rid of before I retire. I’m afraid that if something happens to me, all that stuff will end up in the trash because my family does not know the value or do they care about any of this stuff. So anyway that’s the only reason I’m interested in eBay plus I don’t know of any place else. I will sale the large stuff like table saws, pool tables, etc on Craig’s List. My neighbor suddenly died a few years back and his wife set all his tools including his Radial Arm Saw out with the trash. :tb-err:
Johnny...then what would it hurt to try and sell em here on TB? Auction or buy now. I havent been here on TB that long...but I know there are guys on here who will buy/possess some of the strangest stuff...lol. I would bet your barfmann stuff would sell ok...just a hunch. Think of it this way...list what ya got on 'Buy It Now' with an "asking price" of what ya want. If a buyer is interested...they can always message/email you and you two can dicker the price. If the two of you cant come to an amicably deal...you still own the item...an can then try on DaBay (even though people are leaving DuhBay in droves like its the plague !). I dont work for TB...I just like the buying/selling options they offer... ;-) .
I've been screwed by ebay/PayPal too many times. I refuse to use them anymore. The opportunities to shop and sell on TB, some Yahoo model railroad discussion groups and N Scale Yard Sale are good sites to consider.
i just bought a con-cor U.P. turbine with tender of e-bay. The seller felt i paid to much so he added a extra gift in with it a... a first run but new in the box kato c44-9w in U.P. dress :thumbs_up::thumbs_up:
