Stupid Fecking eBay!!

[southall-1998]

Received a call this afternoon from an eBay representative. Informing me, that sharing contact numbers through the messaging system, is not allowed etc. If it happens again, you'll lose your account.....Blah. Blah, Blah!!

The phone call annoyed me, and resulted a abrasive response from myself.

To cut it very short. Towards the end of the call....I simply said Feck off, and leave me alone. God, I felt soooo good after that :D

S.

[Macca]

Ebay don't like it that you are making money and not letting them wet their beak a little. Or a lot. I'm sure our collective hearts bleed for them.

[tapid]

Sharing numbers to them means doing deals outside of ebay, but there cut seems a bit steep to me so they must realise that peeps
will bend the rules on occasions ?.

[Macca]

Exactly - if you gouge too much people will start making the effort to avoid it and you end up gouging nothing. If they have got to the point of using real people to call the offenders it must be really hurting them.

[walpurgis]

Ebay used to be a good place to sell, but I've not sold anything there for ages. The ever evolving intrusiveness and over-complex rules put me off.

Typical American company, the accountants constantly auditing operations to find ways of squeezing every last penny out of everything they do. Any semblance of human normality disappeared years ago.

If you've ever worked for a big US company, you'll know exactly what I mean. They even want to know how long you take to shake the drops off yer dick after a piss.

[Macca]

Squeezing every penny and mining every morsel of data too.

That's the thing that they never seem to get - the point at which the spread-sheet ends and the human factor begins. IME Accountants are fine for doing accounts but never let them anywhere near a business decision.

[bosa]

I got the same this week, so may be they are trying to crack down on deals outside their revenue streams. In my case the buyer was local and wanted to see the item before purchase and me sending him my address to enable him to do this broke their rules apparently. So the seller gets the threatening email and it is the buyer who begins the comms. If you look in the user agreement this is not covered so EBay haven't got a right to be so threatening. It is frustrating because I actually asked the buyer to put his offer in, but he didn't want to. I was trying to be the right side of their 'law' and still got the verbals. They really are a bunch of sheitsters masquerading as a business, using bots and algorithms to police their kingdom and not having the intelligence to check messages and facts.

Another rant over. I have had some success with eBay and am happy to pay their fees but they don't help themselves when it comes to sellers.

[struth]

dont use them selling wise. rary buy there now either. ive an unblemished record and quite a high count considering i never sold a lot. its more been buying but they have been turning to a sall business server for some time.. been a member for any moons

[Len Co]

I always make sure there's a phone number discreetly displayed somewhere on one of the pics. ��

[Minstrel SE]

Yep I had one light warning in the past and it wasnt really my fault

I dont agree to anything off site by ebay message as I risk my account which I need. Plenty of people do and seem to get away with it.

I can understand it when I get a message from a seller directing me to their own website. I warn them sometimes but dont want to attract too much messaging traffic for ebay to see. Obviously that seller will do it until warned.

Every sale off site is obviously one less reason for the seller to use ebay. I think ebay have some leeway but dont want to see stuff thats too blatant.

To be fair to ebay its excellent for collectables and I would never have known about some of these sellers if it wasnt for ebay. If they have their own sites I certainly didnt come across them until they used ebay

[Len Co]

Now of course they claim 10% of the postage in FEES. How on earth is that fair. Apparently it is to combat the (old) practice of making the postage artificially high and the selling price artificially low prevalent when there was no fee levied against postage. All in all a very quick, easy and profitable solution for them.

[Macca]

To be fair to ebay its excellent for collectables and I would never have known about some of these sellers if it wasnt for ebay. If they have their own sites I certainly didnt come across them until they used ebay

I agree it is an excellent idea in principle, it's just badly managed and greedy in practice.

[The Black Adder]

Just don't use it as of this week... I have done some selling recently and found that several buyers have been trying to rip me off by asking for partial refunds... So it was a mistake to go back on as I told myself the last time that I've done selling through ebay...

I'm going to delete my account this week, not that they would care because I'm insignificant. I'd rather take stuff to the charity shop now.

People are just getting greedy and using ebay as a 'price knock down' shop through the partial refund rules.

The charges are extortionate too, I might have well just given some stuff away from the prices I got charged from ebay.

Crap, Crap, Crap.

Crap.

[struth]

as I said, I dont now sell anything because of it. Only occasionally buy and its usually ok as i filter out any seller I dont have full or near full confidence in their policy; unless its just cheap crap Im buying

[TazSob]

Still use eBay to buy things as it's usually got what I'm looking for but I've cancelled my PayPal, don't see the need for it when I can transfer funds over to the buyer's PayPal account just as easily. Not sold anything on there for about a year now.

What I find really annoying is some of the sellers and their visions of grandeur towards what they're selling... This one guy got these kef's for sale that he's had advertised every week for the last 2 months, made him an offer £10 below his asking price, didn't hear back from him so I asked him again a week and another listing later to which I get this lengthy email about how valuable the kefs are and how he is disappointed in them not selling.
He remembers them selling for twice what he is asking for apparently and he believes they will go up in value :doh:.
I reminded him it's costing him a relisting fee of at least £3 every time he does and if the market was there he would have no doubt sold them...
He replied with a polite "go away and let me be" message so thought carry on mate lol

[Macca]

For a tenner it hardly seems worth the bother on either side. If I'd wanted them and he said no to my offer I'd have just put the extra tenner in.

I know what you mean though. Some folk are delusional as to the size of the market for their kit and what it is worth. Especially big speakers. No-one wants them unless they are serious enthusiasts, no matter how good they are, or cheap they are, because they don't fit in with the lifestyle look of their homes. Or they worry, often without good reason, that they will be 'too big for the room'.

Plus serious enthusiasts are likely to have something as good or better already.

[Minstrel SE]

Its easy to bash ebay and yes the charges have been rising. However we have to accept the biggest listing site I use isnt free of charge and isnt a charity.

I have found some amazing things over 10 years...... Collectables from my childhood to brand new sealed box items of hi fi at bargain prices. Ive spoken to people who met Joe Ackroyd and Ive bought from the actual artist who designed my Dr Who weetabix collectables in 1975.

Ive actually saved money compared with direct dealer sites who used to charge the earth and pretend things were exclusive. Gone are the days when they would scratch their heads and pretend they were doing me a favour on "rare" items The listings on ebay prove the items are not exclusive and are in better condition

For the stuff im interested in no other site comes close. Even the hi fi forums cant match the range of equipment I see on ebay.

Im not on commision to defend them I can assure you :) It was always a profit making orginisation and I dont think they realised how big it was going to get. Its easy to remember a "loving community" through rose tinted glasses.

I dont sell using auctions anymore and I dont sell lower value items that need careful packaging as its not worth my time. I do sell from time to time and Im always buying on there.

So all in all ebay has been a bonus but I suppose it depends what you want to get out of it

[TazSob]

For a tenner it hardly seems worth the bother on either side. If I'd wanted them and he said no to my offer I'd have just put the extra tenner

It's not the tenner Martin (Macca), I would have paid that. They were first in Worcester then his mate took them to Gloucester from where he wants them to be collected now, I have to factor in fuel costs too and that tenner would make a difference.

Hi Martin (Minstrel SE), I have to agree with you on that eBay helps us find items we would have had to really search for back in the day. Met some great people through some purchases and have made some friends too, it's the dodgy users they mess it all up for everyone else.
eBay should try and eliminate that problem first and ensure it is a safe and secure trading environment for both parties before penalising the honest guys with partial refunds and other scams people get away with

[Conan]

EBay is a business and has its rules like any other business. When we open an account on eBay we agree to comply with their rules.
As Shane has put it on his hifi Facebook page "Fail to agree, with the group's description and purpose. This will result a permanent banning from the group. "

[Minstrel SE]

Hi Martin (Minstrel SE), I have to agree with you on that eBay helps us find items we would have had to really search for back in the day. Met some great people through some purchases and have made some friends too, it's the dodgy users they mess it all up for everyone else.
eBay should try and eliminate that problem first and ensure it is a safe and secure trading environment for both parties before penalising the honest guys with partial refunds and other scams people get away with

Hi Taz
Yes Ive had 1700 transactions now and Ive only really dealt with about 50 real bad uns. Some of those were real nasty individuals making threats but its mostly a case of things not in the condition they were advertised. I was quite naive in the earlier days but I learnt fast. Im covered by paypal and the decision has always gone in my favour which is reassuring. Unfortunately you do tend to remember the bad ones but I dont let it spoil the experience of dealing with many great people

I know my limits and Im not the sort of person to send big money for expensive or rare items...I always go and collect even if that adds to the cost....or I simply dont buy certain things online. If any of my transactions online went belly up it wouldn't be the end of the world. I keep it sensible with an upper spending limit on distance buying

I can't stress enough that before ebay, collecting items like Brooke Bond cards for example was many times more difficult and more expensive

I suppose ebay only amplifies the scammers because they feel they can hide a behind a computer screen. I reported a recent scam of someone with zero feedback copying a picture of Royd Minstrels and advertising them at £26.58 buy it now :) Obviously something wrong there so I reported the listing and ebay took it down. The seller put it back up, I reported it again and ebay took it down again.

With our wits about us ebay is a safe place to shop. There is general naughtiness going on like Chinese sellers advertising as based in the UK but overall I have had a very positive experience

[walpurgis]

50 bad transactions sounds rather a lot. Never had any major problems on ebay myself. I've had the odd issue, but generally ebay have sorted things. You do need to be a bit canny though.

[montesquieu]

The word 'collectibles' always makes me think of some saddo with a room full of useless shite ...

you know what I mean, star wars toys from 1978 complete in their packaging, plates with pictures of dogs on ('limited edition' of course), concert tickets for gigs the owner wasn't personally at, etc etc.

I guess ebay is brilliant for that sort of thing, I haven't sold anything there in years.

[jandl100]

I still think eBay is fab.
It's a massive global marketplace. Quite unequaled.

You would pay higher fees at a proper auction house so why whinge about eBay?
Yes, it hurts to see 13.4% knocked off the sale price - but it's not a charity for your benefit, although a lot of you seem to think it should be, it's a business.
And talking of charities, they allow special rates for charities, and have the excellent facility for % of sales going to a charity of your choice. Great stuff.

Buyer/seller problems? Occasionally. Some people are delusional (see above about fees) and some are arseholes.
A very small % though, in my experience.

eBay is great. :)

Wot a load of whingers you lot are! :ner:

[Barry]

I still think eBay is fab.
It's a massive global marketplace. Quite unequaled.

You would pay higher fees at a proper auction house so why whinge about eBay?
Yes, it hurts to see 13.4% knocked off the sale price - but it's not a charity for your benefit, although a lot of you seem to think it should be, it's a business.
And talking of charities, they allow special rates for charities, and have the excellent facility for % of sales going to a charity of your choice. Great stuff.

Buyer/seller problems? Occasionally. Some people are delusional (see above about fees) and some are arseholes.
A very small % though, in my experience.

eBay is great. :)

Wot a load of whingers you lot are! :ner:

Have I complained? No, like you I think eBay is a very useful way of tracking down hard to locate items, worldwide. True, some of the prices asked may be high, but you are not obliged to buy.

These days I tend to go for the BIN or 'Make an offer' sales, as my luck with the auctions has waned, whereas I used to be very successful 'sniping'. Although only a moderate user (I think only about 150 transactions), I have only had three problems: two were sorted by contacting the seller, and the third was effected by reporting the seller to eBay (by phone) who were able to give me the seller's telephone number and e-mail details. When I received no reply from the seller, eBay removed his name and 'blacklisted' him. Fortunately no money had changed hands.

[Minstrel SE]

The word 'collectibles' always makes me think of some saddo with a room full of useless shite ...

you know what I mean, star wars toys from 1978 complete in their packaging, plates with pictures of dogs on ('limited edition' of course), concert tickets for gigs the owner wasn't personally at, etc etc.

I guess ebay is brilliant for that sort of thing, I haven't sold anything there in years.

I know what you mean and Im not that obsessive but its nice to collect something. Im a bit wary of mentioning collectables because they have that overtone. I just collected in a few areas that I first had as a child. Its mainly a nostalgia thing and its all gone up in value when chosen well

I think I put a sensible limit on it and there are many areas Im not interested in at all. I dont fill houses full of stuff.

I dont collect Star wars at all...never been interested. I dont collect stamps or coins. I think there is a point where collecting goes too far. I like to think Im not a hoarder but others might disagree. My father for example sees no reason why I would want a few matchbox cars but I see the joy in having them again

Anyway back on topic ebay is great for that sort of stuff. I sold a model Porsche. I paid £22 and it went for well over £100 so I dont really begrudge a 10% fee to attract that sort of bidding interest from all over the world.

[struth]

i used to collect pocket-watches from America.. not sure it was sad, although it was time consuming:D still got quite a few that i need to sell really. im too old and poor to keep them the way i should

[Spectral Morn]

I find Ebay useful, for all sorts of things but I have never sold on it just bought. Mostly been fine over the years with a few issues, very small % of issues, so overall its been a good experience.

[Minstrel SE]

50 bad transactions sounds rather a lot. Never had any major problems on ebay myself. I've had the odd issue, but generally ebay have sorted things. You do need to be a bit canny though.

Yes but most of those will be on the less serious side with a few nasty humdingers in there. When I was auctioning I had at least 25 names on a blocked list after some admitted they just liked to wreck auctions.

I have had a lot of transactions so thats not too bad. I dont do auctions any more and Im buying half the amount I used to per year so I havent had a problem in ages now

Other examples include a rarish record that never arrived then the seller is just listing it again. I couldnt prove he had more than one copy but I naturally questioned it to be met with a tirade of threats that he was a big guy and was going to sort me out. These people know your address and I dont know if he is going to falsely order me pizzas for the next three years so it has to be played carefully. Sometimes its not worth saying anything

I always try and be polite and treat others as I would expect to be treated

After bidding one person didnt pay for three weeks and only paid to avoid a strike from ebay as he knew I would have to immediately refund him. I had long since relisted it again and sold it elsewhere. I was playing a calm casual game as I learnt not to get wound up about non payers I got told he went on holiday after bidding and "I do what I like mate" amongst a tirade of abuse. It left me shellshocked because these people can leave bad feedback and you have to play these things carefully. Out of curiosity I google mapped his house and it was covered in grafitti surrounded by junk and boarded up houses. I dont want to make all the judgements based on that but there are clearly people out there that I wouldnt know I was dealing with until its too late.

Other times boxes of broken and missing bits have arrived when it was advertised as good and complete. It takes time to sort out and there is often bad blood as these people get indignant and upset for various reasons. Some of them dont care but they dont like being caught out as lazy and careless sellers so it creates a bad atmosphere. Im not perfect and I have enough leeway but dealing with some people is like pulling teeth.

[montesquieu]

Yes but most of those will be on the less serious side with a few nasty humdingers in there. When I was auctioning I had at least 25 names on a blocked list after some admitted they just liked to wreck auctions.

I have had a lot of transactions so thats not too bad. I dont do auctions any more and Im buying half the amount I used to per year so I havent had a problem in ages now

Other examples include a rarish record that never arrived then the seller is just listing it again. I couldnt prove he had more than one copy but I naturally questioned it to be met with a tirade of threats that he was a big guy and was going to sort me out. These people know your address and I dont know if he is going to falsely order me pizzas for the next three years so it has to be played carefully. Sometimes its not worth saying anything

I always try and be polite and treat others as I would expect to be treated

After bidding one person didnt pay for three weeks and only paid to avoid a strike from ebay as he knew I would have to immediately refund him. I had long since relisted it again and sold it elsewhere. I was playing a calm casual game as I learnt not to get wound up about non payers I got told he went on holiday after bidding and "I do what I like mate" amongst a tirade of abuse. It left me shellshocked because these people can leave bad feedback and you have to play these things carefully. Out of curiosity I google mapped his house and it was covered in grafitti surrounded by junk and boarded up houses. I dont want to make all the judgements based on that but there are clearly people out there that I wouldnt know I was dealing with until its too late.

Other times boxes of broken and missing bits have arrived when it was advertised as good and complete. It takes time to sort out and there is often bad blood as these people get indignant and upset for various reasons. Some of them dont care but they dont like being caught out as lazy and careless sellers so it creates a bad atmosphere. Im not perfect and I have enough leeway but dealing with some people is like pulling teeth.

My experience chimes with yours - a fair amount of mis-described or broken rubbish in with the decent stuff, or aggressive/idiotic sellers unable to comprehend that the description should match the goods.

I'm on 1100 feedback since 1999 so about 1000 a year but much of those (buying and selling) in the first five years, much fewer in recent times and then it's for cheap bits and bobs. It can be useful to identify traders with websites or for buying from (say) Germany or Japan. Some countries I just won't touch - Italy surprisingly among them.

Don't think I've sold anything there in 4-5 years. Life's too short for the aggravation.

[jandl100]

I'm on 6800 or so feedback, buying and selling, and I have never had an obviously extreme deliberate 'not as described ' item delivered or threats or even nasty language, in thousands of transactions.
Weird!

[walpurgis]

I'm on 6800 or so feedback, buying and selling, and I have never had an obviously extreme deliberate 'not as described ' item delivered or threats or even nasty language, in thousands of transactions.
Weird!

Same here. I'm at over 2500 transactions since 2004.

[montesquieu]

I'm on 6800 or so feedback, buying and selling, and I have never had an obviously extreme deliberate 'not as described ' item delivered or threats or even nasty language, in thousands of transactions.
Weird!

A recent example - I bought a GL75 which looked in decent order. I asked the guy to pack it carefully. It arrived in a flimsy box, the TT wrapped in one thin layer of bubble wrap. Not even the platter removed, let alone the tonearm weights or even the lid. Needless to say the lid was wrecked, the tonearm stay broken off, the arm bouncing around, the cartridge trashed. What kind of fuckwittery is that? Getting a refund took an age as the guy refused to co-operate and stopped answering email.

One one of my last sales, must be 4 years ago, a set of of Tannoy Gold crossovers, they guy claimed a partial refund because one 'wasn't working' and he would have to have it repaired. I knew this was bollocks as I had only recently taken them off my GRF cabinets, so I said send them back I'll refund in full. In the end he refused to send them back (as he got them cheap) but left feedback saying they weren't as described - needless to say they were perfect, the guy was just taking revenge because I wouldn't play the partial refund game.

Of course 95% of transactions go well. But I don't sell any more and buy less and less. As a company I don't like them, perhaps even less than I like Amazon. (Though I don't hate either as much as I hate Google).

[walpurgis]

A recent example - I bought a GL75 which looked in decent order. I asked the guy to pack it carefully. It arrived in a flimsy box, the TT wrapped in one thin layer of bubble wrap. Not even the platter removed, let alone the tonearm weights or even the lid. Needless to say the lid was wrecked, the tonearm stay broken off, the arm bouncing around, the cartridge trashed. What kind of fuckwittery is that?

I had exactly the same with a GL75.

I'd outlined the necessary packing precautions via message to the guy and he ingnored them. It arrived packed as you describe and was also smashed. I got a £50 part refund, which covered half of what I'd paid and I had enough spares to sort it out, so I was not out of pocket in the end. But why do people have no bloody common sense?

[Len Co]

I had exactly the same with a GL75.

I'd outlined the necessary packing precautions via message to the guy and he ingnored them. It arrived packed as you describe and was also smashed. I got a £50 part refund, which covered half of what I'd paid and I had enough spares to sort it out, so I was not out of pocket in the end. But why do people have no bloody common sense?

In many cases they are selling things that they know are worth something but do not understand how to handle - and yes they have no common sense. Turntables are probably one of the most difficult things to pack properly, I would be very reluctant to send or receive one unless the seller was obviously capable and responsible. Though I did send a GL78 to Hong Kong once, that was risking it a bit!

[Macca]

I had about 50 transactions on ebay before I closed my account, was ripped off 5 times, including on my first ever transaction. Not enough money involved to be bothered with taking it further after the first bullshit e-mail responses from the sellers. Personally I wouldn't dream of trying to sell anything there. By contrast I've bought and sold a ton of stuff on here and never any issues.

[Minstrel SE]

I'm on 6800 or so feedback, buying and selling, and I have never had an obviously extreme deliberate 'not as described ' item delivered or threats or even nasty language, in thousands of transactions.
Weird!

well yes it could go like that depending on what you are generally buying and selling. I am slightly surprised though as there are the careless buyers and sellers out there. Im not saying they are mailicious...just inexperienced and misleading...some are just plain lazy and everything is "mint" Some people are just having a stressful week and it gets out of hand for no reason. I had someone buy a remote control from me when I had clearly listed the exact model it was for. He said his girlfriend has just seen Teac and bought it....I dont need niggles like that...He said he would keep it and sell it on so its gets sorted but I wonder how careless people are

Ive never been completely scammed but dealing with some people does leave a sour taste in the mouth. Ive been threatened and Ive been called sad lonely and nasty personal comments for even daring to message people about the item :) I can laugh about it now but there are some shocking people out there

The problems develop when that guy clearly didnt like the price the record sold for so wasnt playing by any known rules of sending it.

I put many things down to experience though and it was a particular phase where I was more naive and buying collectables that rely on grading.

When half! a coax plug arrived from China (thought it was a UK seller) I begin to question what Im doing on there...this was followed by some sort of Monty Python dirty fork sketch....It took ages to get a refund which ebay thankfully sorted. No action from the seller other then getting messages "we will help you to be happy":) and that someones customer services job and family could be on the line if I complained...well learn how to send a quick refund then...I dont leave negative feedback unless I really have been scammed.

[walpurgis]

When half! a coax plug arrived from China (thought it was a Uk seller) I begin to question what Im doing on there...this was followed by some sort of Monty Python dirty fork sketch....It took ages to get a refund through ebay. No action from the seller other getting messages that someones job and family could be on the line if I complained :D

Dealing with oriental sellers is a whole different ball game. They do seem very willing to help with problems though and are extremely polite (in my experience).

[jandl100]

I've bought small items from China on eBay for 99p delivered.
How do they do that? :scratch:
Surely postal costs must exceed that price by a fair margin.

(And the goods arrived AOK! :) )

[The Black Adder]

I'm going to close my ebay account today... Been a member since 2000. Not that they would care, it's just a shitty place, expensive... sorry, extortionate and my mums dog have more training than the representatives.

Bye bye ebay... bye bye. No loss... don't care.

[walpurgis]

I have no qualms about using ebay. I bought a camera yesterday which I am expecting Friday and I am also expecting it to be just fine.

I have stuff to sell. That will go on ebay too (some may end up offered on here though :)).

[Minstrel SE]

Dealing with oriental sellers is a whole different ball game. They do seem very willing to help with problems though and are extremely polite (in my experience).

Yes very polite and plenty of messages with good enough english ....no refund though but Im sure paypal refunds work on their keyboards. I wouldnt be confident that the guarantees are solid and delivery times can be three weeks

I have bought things direct from China and have been very happy and amazed at the price. I dont tend to do it with other options available though as I like the quick delivery times and more guarantee peace of mind from UK sellers.

They do seem to be helpful in that knock you up a quality suit while you wait even if I dont really want one. Just a different culture with a lot of bartering down the price.

Too much advertising as UK sellers even though the handle is registered in China which has caught me out a couple of times. I triple check now. I dont normally need to order direct from China but things crop up when its a good deal that cant be matched elsewhere. I dont mind paying a western mark up if its reasonable

[Oddball]

People who post stuff on their phone , with precious little information and hardly the time or courtesey to reply to questions in a manner that a gentleman/woman ,would expect .

To be fair ,you can usually spot the type by their spelling grammar , but not always foolproof.
Had some great transactions on E Bay over the yrs and met some truely lovely people (and some scanks ,only a couple , mind!! )
Minstrel SE ,makes some lovely points and sums up my true thoughts about the place , although ,sometimes when I am in a bad mood about the way an item has progressed ,makes me hate the Bay of Pigs and their corporate greed !! I am sure the feeling is not uncommon ?

[southall-1998]

People who post stuff on their phone , with precious little information and hardly the time or courtesey to reply to questions in a manner that a gentleman/woman ,would expect .

To be fair ,you can usually spot the type by their spelling grammar , but not always foolproof.
Had some great transactions on E Bay over the yrs and met some truely lovely people (and some scanks ,only a couple , mind!! )
Minstrel SE ,makes some lovely points and sums up my true thoughts about the place , although ,sometimes when I am in a bad mood about the way an item has progressed ,makes me hate the Bay of Pigs and their corporate greed !! I am sure the feeling is not uncommon ?


Sorry to be blunt. Those particular type are better known as ''white trash''. unfortunately, I have a very low tolerance for those kind of people.

S.

[Minstrel SE]

People who post stuff on their phone , with precious little information and hardly the time or courtesey to reply to questions in a manner that a gentleman/woman ,would expect .

To be fair ,you can usually spot the type by their spelling grammar , but not always foolproof.
Had some great transactions on E Bay over the yrs and met some truely lovely people (and some scanks ,only a couple , mind!! )
Minstrel SE ,makes some lovely points and sums up my true thoughts about the place , although ,sometimes when I am in a bad mood about the way an item has progressed ,makes me hate the Bay of Pigs and their corporate greed !! I am sure the feeling is not uncommon ?

Yes thats an important point about the sellers who make little or no effort to describe what is on offer. They dont seem to realise that distance selling benefits from a reasonable description of whats on offer. Im not asking for an essay. They are not stood behind a tressle table at a car boot sale. I would like to know a little bit to wet my whistle :)

Its becoming all to common with items like computer games where no description is offered. Im looking at one at the moment which has art cards with it and I would generally like to know if they are fine and the disc is barely marked. I know it takes time to list things but this game isnt cheap and Im still being offered no useful grading without having to ask

My golden rule is that if they are not going to describe it I move on to the person that will make some effort. This can be quite time consuming scrolling down the pages Yes I can ask questions but with multiple listings of the same game, I find a seller that looks as though they take some interest in what they are selling. I will pay more to deal with a good seller. If the seller doesnt answer the question well or gets shirty I move on.

Oh and its sods law that if Im looking for rare speaker cabinets they always seem to turn up with the worse sellers or house clearance sharks.

I accentuate the downside but its mostly great people and useful transactions on ebay