More eBay Humor

OC Engineer JD Jan 16, 2009

  1. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks Shaun. I too was wondering why that URL was so lengthy when I posted it! o_O
     
  2. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    :LOL: pmpexpress' post on Search Manipulation was interesting. I'd now never trust a Seller who sets up such a deception. The Seller also wins the Most Crappy Photography award. Heck, he/she couldn't even get the heap on the tracks before taking lousy pictures. (n)
     
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2020
  3. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    That's VERY clever Maletrain. (y) A fine idea I think.
     
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  4. pmpexpress

    pmpexpress TrainBoard Member

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    Since around 2008, sellers have not been able to leave negative feedback for buyers.

    Buyers and sellers who leave a negative comment with a positive rating are violating eBay's Feedback Manipulation Policy.

    By either contacting eBay directly, or submitting a policy violation report, buyers and sellers can have what is called "false positive" feedback removed.

    The proper way to deal with a situation like the one that you have described is to open a case in eBay's Resolution Center, select "Item was not as described" as the return reason, and wait for the seller's response.

    If the seller refuses to respond, or will not forward a prepaid merchandise return label, simply have eBay step in once the proper period of time has elapsed, and a prepaid return label will be provided by the venue at the seller's expense.

    Once the return process has been completed and you have received a refund for the entire amount (i.e., including your original delivery cost) that was paid to the seller, leave negative or neutral feedback with either one or two star DSRs (Detailed seller ratings) for "Accurate description" and "Communication".

    The aforementioned actions will generate an automated response from eBay regarding your satisfaction with the transaction and there will be an automatically applied ding on the seller's account for a case closed without seller resolution.

    A high percentage of transaction defects, late shipments, and cases closed without seller resolution can trigger selling limits or create other policy consequences and/or seriously impact one's selling costs on eBay, as below average performance ratings can lead to an increase in the percentage rate for final value fees.
     
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  5. pmpexpress

    pmpexpress TrainBoard Member

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    It was buyer hesitation and a growing mistrust of venue sellers, along with ever increasing selling costs that caused me to downsize my eBay operations and establish an independently hosted ecommerce site that incorporated the best attributes of some of the other online stores that I frequent.

    With the implementation of eBay's managed payments initiative, I expect to discontinue all venue sales soon.

    Whether it be intentional, or due to a lack of product knowledge, presently, there are way too many eBay sellers exploiting potential buyers.

    As eBay generates a profit from the percentage fee that is charged on delivery costs, there is no incentive to punish sellers who levy absurd shipping charges.

    Like intellectual property theft (i.e., the stealing of original, non-public domain content e.g., photos, product reviews and descriptions), not thanking buyers for their purchases through positive feedback is both wrong and a case laziness on the part of sellers.

    Although it could be said that leaving feedback for sellers is something that is unique to venues and is typically not a component of non-venue based online sales, where only product reviews are left by buyers, I have observed that there are an awful lot of eBay users who never leave feedback for their purchases.

    Given the worsening state of affairs that has been ongoing for some time now, once it has been determined that a buyer leaves reciprocal feedback, I automatically leave positive feedback for eBay transactions as part of the merchandise shipment process.

    Along with the greatly diminished inventory of fairly priced items, there are far fewer longtime sellers left in eBay's N-Scale category.
     
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  6. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    I know that I give up additional revenue doing it, but I always describe my items to be in worse condition than they are. It makes it more difficult for a Buyer to complain and I've even received a number of positive feedbacks that read "item in much better condition than described". It's a shame that I have to do this so as to protect myself from Buyers that expect world-class items at bargain-basement prices.
     
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  7. pmpexpress

    pmpexpress TrainBoard Member

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    Rather than exaggerate an item's condition, like you, I tend to conservatively describe and grade my products as being a bit lower in quality than they actually are.

    Have always believed that sellers should impress their clients with unexpectedly superior products and service, lest customers be underwhelmed with their purchase(s) and buying experience.

    Happy customers tend to be repeat clients.

    While the trend may gradually change in light of Amazon's and Walmart's (i.e., two of the major players in the ever evolving venue based market) embracing of the 3P (third party) marketplace model and 3P sellers, many individuals continue to refer to and still consider eBay to be a"flea market", rather than a legitimate online B2B (business to business) and/or B2C (business to consumer) ecommerce operation.
     
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  8. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    That's a very good point and it certainly defines my impression of eBay. Some years ago my wife bought a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses from a mass eBay Seller and upon delivery, she could clearly tell that they were fakes. She contacted the Seller, who flatly and angrily denied that they were counterfeit. Right. We decided it wouldn't be worth our time to pursue a settlement and chalked it up to eBay's selling environment. Unfortunately, legitimate eBay Sellers become suspect when this sort of criminality is allowed to flourish.
     
  9. pmpexpress

    pmpexpress TrainBoard Member

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    In some categories, an ever growing group of Asian operations posing as American based businesses makes it extremely difficult to determine who the legitimate eBay sellers are.

    Far too often, buyers must review a seller's feedback history in order to determine where the goods are actually being shipped from.

    It is very common to find California and New York listed as a seller's location, when in reality, the seller is not located in the US at all.

    Although falsifying where your goods and business are located are violations of eBay policy, sellers continue to engage in this practice of intentionally misleading potential customers.

    Shopping on eBay can definitely be a caveat emptor experience.
     
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  10. brokemoto

    brokemoto TrainBoard Member

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    I always list the known flaws in an item. This way, the buyer can decide for himself the "condition" of the item. If the thing is pushing junquendicity, I will warn the prospective buyers that the item is being sold "AS-IS". After I list the flaws, I will remind them, farther along in the text, at least one more time that the item has flaws and that I am selling it "AS-IS". If the things is good only for parts, I make that statement more than once. Every once in a while, I will state that something is JUNK in BOLDFACE CAPSLOCK. I use that once only, but, still, remind them at least one more time in plain font that the item is JUNK.

    I have had a few disputes over flawed items, FeePay always has ruled in my favour. The arbitrator always has cited my informing the buyer more than once that the item was flawed; that I had listed the flaws at least once and that I had informed the buyer more than once that it was an "AS-IS" sale.

    I have had one or two disputes over items that were not flawed but the buyer complained anyhow in order to hustle me. I settled those myself, as the complaints were subjective, thus, it was likely that FeePay would rule in the buyer's favour. Of course, I blocked the hustl-ER-uh-BUYER once he had sent me a message that the dispute was resolved to his satisfaction.

    I did have one of those come back on me, though. This guy hustled me. I sent him a message that I would give a partial refund if he would acknowledge in a message to me that he considered the dispute settled and that he had no other complaints with the item. Finally, he was to agree not to leave negative or neutral feedback. No feedback or positive would be acceptable. He sent back his agreement. I gave him his partial refund, he sent back his acknowledgment that he considered the dispute settled and that there was no other complaint with the item. He actually left positive, although I was expecting no feedback. He then tried to bid on another one of my auctions and discovered that he was blocked. He used some other account to ask me why I had blocked him. I guess that it was one of his friends pr a sock puppet account. I wanted to tell him that this is what I do to hustlers, but, I knew how that would fly with FeePay, so I simply responded that blocking bidders is at my discretion and not a subject for discussion. I then blocked that ID, as well. The hustler filed a complaint with FeePay about the item; the same complaint that he had made to me and that I had resolved. I sent back to FeePay his message that he considered the complaint resolved. FeePay ruled in my favour, but did ask me to let him bid. At that point, I did reply that he had hustled me and that I had no desire to give him the opportunity to hustle me once more.
     
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  11. umtrr-author

    umtrr-author TrainBoard Member

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    The keyword spamming Neville (PMPExpress) mentions is new from the seller mentioned, but it's hardly new to eBay.

    There was one, ahem, individual, who thought it would be useful to jam as many railroad initials as possible into a listing title, i.e. "PRR NYC CR ATSF UP SP CNW DRGW BN NP."

    That seller was added to my "do not display" list.
     
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  12. pastoolio

    pastoolio TrainBoard Member

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  13. pmpexpress

    pmpexpress TrainBoard Member

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    Given the US Postal Service's current state of affairs (e.g., extremely late and/or missing packages), a very prudent move on the part of the seller.

    Unlike First-Class Package Service, USPS tracking is not offered for standard First Class Mail.

    If a buyer opens a case for non-delivery, eBay uses the online tracking information that has been uploaded by the seller to make a determination as to whether or not a complete refund of the purchase price and shipping cost must be issued.

    The $4.90 for shipping is in line with the cost of First Class Package Service rates.

    In order to ship via First Class Package, a parcel must be at least 1/4-inches thick and weigh no more than 13 ounces.
     
  14. MK

    MK TrainBoard Member

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  15. jtomstarr

    jtomstarr TrainBoard Member

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  16. brokemoto

    brokemoto TrainBoard Member

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  17. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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  18. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett TrainBoard Member

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    Thank you for posting link, I just saved Bachmann Consolation 2-8-0 locomotive drawing to my phone. It's going to help when installing DCC decoder.

    That's a awesome link, it has everything.

    Joe
     
  19. OC Engineer JD

    OC Engineer JD Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    This just amazed me!
     

    Attached Files:

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  20. pastoolio

    pastoolio TrainBoard Member

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    I'm glad you have chimed in with all your posts here, giving us insight on how ebay has gone downhill. I used to sell a bunch on there as well, but with all the fees now, I post stuff at other places, mainly on FB.

    As to what is going on with the P.O. right now, most of the public is ill informed, but that's just typical government. Myself, I am a Rural Carrier and my wife is a POOM, basically she oversees 52 Postmasters. We both are under these new "rules" from the PMG. I could go on about the PO, UPS, FedEx and how ALL the delivery companies have their problems, but I won't get into that here. This thread is called ebay humor, where we get a kick out of what people post for sale, and it should be left as such.

    -Mike
     
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