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Ebay hits new low
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    Sellers are liable for fees arising out of all sales made using some or all eBay Services, even if sales terms are finalized or payment is made outside of eBay.

    Sellers are also liable for final value fees if they offer or reference their contact information, or ask for a buyer’s contact information, in the context of buying or selling outside of eBay, even if the item does not sell.

    And you asked where they need AI? :-)

    Always contact small and medium legit sellers and try to buy outside ebay.

  • 11 Replies sorted by
  • robertGLrobertGL

    I like how fickle buyers can now claim item not as described, and you're forced to pay for the return shipping on top of the original shipping .. just had to do that on a zero feedback jackass

  • brianlbrianl

    I stopped ebaying. Last few sellers tried to scam me or sold things with missing parts. Buyers lowball or are just flakes.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    @brianl

    Still lot of legit sellers and sometime you can get good deals.

    For example considering cameras and audio some of big sellers make fake "open box" items to avoid price tracking.

  • joetheprojoethepro

    I've stopped selling random things on Ebay. Just no longer worth it. Such a shame.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    @joethepro

    If you ask me, ebay actually don't want to see you much as seller. As small sellers of random stuff who are not pros now are only small amount of income, but require most support.

  • joetheprojoethepro

    I'm sure that is true. But those people were the heart of Ebay when it started!

  • CFreakCFreak

    I've been selling on eBay casually since 1999. This summer I got a great package deal (auction) on a used A6500, MC-11, 9 batteries, Sarmonic CaMixer, U3 memory cards, Small Rig cage, all stuff I would have considered for the camera anyway. It was from a private seller with 100% feedback. There are still a few of us out there. Anytime I have sold something and the seller looks fraudulent, I have called eBay or PayPal, depending when it was, and they have handled the fraudulent schemers and I have come out of it unharmed, except for the hassle. It's still a good marketplace but the rising fees are getting high.

    I heard last week form a guy working at Reverb, a site for musical instrument sales, that they are thinking about starting a platform for AV/camera gear. They're fees are only 3.5% but are they still a start-up and not profitable yet (after 3 years), but still, a space to watch. Maybe someone will fill the void eBay is creating.

  • robertGLrobertGL

    I'd like a service that takes the sellers' goods, inspects them for functionality, condition accuracy, and authenticity, then sends them on to the buyer. All payments are protected, so chargeback scammers, etc can't hurt the seller.

  • eatstoomuchjameatstoomuchjam

    @robertGl Those services more or less exist - in the camera world, they go by names like "Adorama," "B&H," and "KEH." :)

  • AzoAzo

    @robertGL That really sucks!

    I have been buying and selling stuff from Ebay for about 8 years. In terms of purchasing I must say that I have had some bad experiences as well as good experiences. I have purchased lenses that were described as mint condition yet they have fungus, scratches etc etc this has happened on multiple occasions with sellers that have ratings of 99% or higher. I do not purchase anything from a seller with a rating of 98% and lower.

    So IMO this comes down to percentages and pricing. What??? You may say.... well let me explain a little further. Lets say you purchase a super cheap lens for $50.00 and it turns out to have scratches on the lens. I don't know but IMO it's not worth your time and effort to return the damn thing. So for the volume sellers that sell a whole bunch of items on eBay this is probably their mind set. Sure they will get burned but only by a small percentage buyers that are really particular or know what to look for on lenses and such.

    Amazon does the same thing but worse. I have purchased new items (Camera Gear) from Amazon at full retail price and yet received USED items. This is very disconcerting to say the least but for the vast majority of items from Amazon I decided just to keep it because it is not worth my time in returning the items. Especially if it is $50.00 and below.

    In regards to selling things on Ebay I have not experienced anything bad yet but I think that is just the luck of the draw. I think it really sucks that legit sellers have no recourse as described by @robertGL. I am not sure on the solution because as I have mentioned above I have purchased items that were not as described. I guess this is the negative thing about purchasing and selling on Ebay and if one is to consider buying or selling on Ebay they just have to except that this is how it is.

    All that being said it is easier then ever to sell used camera gear and the like on Ebay. Although there is no true solution to some of the problems when buying and selling on Ebay at least we have a larger market place to buy and sell our gear. I say this because depending on your location you may not have the demographic to sell to in the first place. So all in all we still need to keep this in mind as well.

    Overall I am happy to have Ebay at my disposal. I still prefer to sell locally through Craigslist but with bigger ticket items $1000.00 + some people just do not have the cash so ultimately they will go to Ebay so that they can use their credit card to make the purchase. When it comes to buying and selling stuff and until something better comes along I think that Ebay is good as it will get.

  • CFreakCFreak

    UK based BBList was always good when I lived in Europe and the gear is more on a pro ENG level. I did have a dispute on a Sachtler tripod that was damaged in shipping due to poor packing and poor seller communication and they helped me get it repaired and paid for the repair. The policy was to hold the money in escrow until the great arrives and there's a short inspection window in case it's not as described. They use Skype for calls and you can actually get the owner right away on the phone to sort things out (at least you could in the 2000's). I highly recommend: http://www.bblist.co.uk

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