jdm56 Posted September 30, 2005 Share Posted September 30, 2005 ...I am, I am! And the more money on the line, the more nervous I get. I just bought another subwoofer, this time from a guy in Oregon, and I'm not getting much communication out of the guy -that makes me nervous! I paid as soon as the auction was over via PayPal, and I've got my PayPal receipt but as of tonight, it's been three days and I've heard zip about a ship date or anything else for that matter. I don't know why people do this. When someone has just paid their hard-earned bucks to a total stranger half-way across the country, they like a little communication. "Yes, I've received the payment, I'll ship tomorrow"; "Yes, the item went out this afternoon", SOMETHING, for cryin' out loud! The last sub I bought (this one on the east coast) was the same deal. After I paid, I never heard squat from the seller. I was about to come unglued when the thing just showed up at my front door. So, I'm trying to stay cool. Don't ya just love Ebay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunburnwilly Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Before you purchase or even bid on an item you need to research the selller ! I have found through my experiences that clicking on the feedback the seller has left for others is as , if not more important than the feedback they have received . Sometimes you can get caught up in the moment and bid on an item from a less than reputable seller . It's happened to me ... I even enlisted the help of the local police and the Charleston division of the FBI in one paticular case . By the way that case involved a pair of Klipsch speakers ! Be carefull out there folks ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Just another situation that would be avoided if www.escrow.com was utilized! I wish you luck! Without using the above service, you'll need it! [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Yeh, I wonder what it is about so many Ebay sellers (my experience) who just ignore e-mails requesting status on shipping. I have often had an item show up the same day I was ready to make a complaint with PayPal. You should be able to get the Ebay member's phone number on Ebay. I can't tell you how to find the link on Ebay, it is buried under layers of menus. I have on occasion contacted a seller by phone when they were unresponsive to emails. Hope this works out in a good way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Agreed! Why a seller's contact information is difficult for a buyer to retrieve is beyond my thinking!Quite frankly, I am rather surprised that EBay has not either implemented their own escrow service or simply bought www.escrow.com! Their single biggest problem is the reality as well as the perception of fraud, and the escrow system removes that possibility, protecting both buyer and seller equally and making sure that both receive what they are wanting with equal; protection - thus removing all risk, and EBay would have the stigma of fraud removed completely!And it would get them out of the complaint mitigation game as well, as the users themselves would be the ones to either declare the deal acceptable or not according to the parties own standards and they are the ones that either subsequently authorize the release of funds or, if not, the result is a return of all moneys upon verified return of the merchandise! And EBay would effectively be removed from the process!There is no down side!Go figure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddvj Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Dragonfyr, do you work for escrow.com? Everytime there is a topic about ebay, you bring it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Dragonfyr, do you work for escrow.com? Everytime there is a topic about ebay, you bring it up. NO. But I will continue to mention it hoping that it may help just one person!. And everytime there is a topic regarding EBay it seems that the same tired complaint is brought up! One that could easily have been avoided! ...Sorry for presenting an viable alternative that will completely solve the problem! But its interesting to note that you seem to object to a viable solution being proposed rather then the course of action that repeatedly results in people being ripped off! The crab mentality at work... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Keep in mind that there are fake escrow companies. Escrow means another entity gets an additional percentage. eBay already gets you coming and going, and then PayPal which they own, and then once eBay buys escrow.com, more percentage, and pretty soon eBay is going to run the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEC Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Here is a link you may want to bookmark. Bob http://cgi1.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?UserInformationRequest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Keep in mind that there are fake escrow companies. Escrow means another entity gets an additional percentage. eBay already gets you coming and going, and then PayPal which they own, and then once eBay buys escrow.com, more percentage, and pretty soon eBay is going to run the world. Absolutely! There has been a problem with fraudulent escrow companies!! It ALWAYS pays to do your homework! Thanks for mentioning this Paul! Very Good point! That is why I have recommended www.escrow.com by name, as they are a legit firm who has been doing business for a long time! And i suspect there are other legit firms which I have not used. Please exercise due diligence! And yes, while I am very surprised that PayPal has not moved into the escrow market as a solution to their fraud problem, I would personally still tend to opt to use an independent company. ...If for no other reason then competition is good for the market! And now that EBay has bought Skype, it is interesting to look at their long range vision! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Thanks for reminding me about Skype. I think eBay's long range vision is--world domination! They'll be putting in an offer for buying the US Postal Service next, giving a discount if it is an eBay transaction, and they'll buy GM, because you have to have a car to drive to the post office to mail your eBay packages. Why not drive there in an eBaymobile? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Thanks for reminding me about Skype. I think eBay's long range vision is--world domination! They'll be putting in an offer for buying the US Postal Service next, giving a discount if it is an eBay transaction, and they'll buy GM, because you have to have a car to drive to the post office to mail your eBay packages. Why not drive there in an eBaymobile? I 'm rather expecting them to make a play for UPS![] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev313 Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Buying escrow.com would be great. I would be willing to fork up an additional fee if it guaranteed the safety of the transaction. I've been burned a couple of times, and I suspect that money lost due to those sales is greater than the total of escrow fees which would have been paid on all of my eBay activity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Buying escrow.com would be great. I would be willing to fork up an additional fee if it guaranteed the safety of the transaction. I've been burned a couple of times, and I suspect that money lost due to those sales is greater than the total of escrow fees which would have been paid on all of my eBay activity. Kev, It allows you to actually receive and examine the merchandise for suitability and condition prior to your authorizing the release of the funds. (Typically one week, but you can negotiate just about any terms that are mutually agreeable to both parties.) And if it does not meet your requirements, you simply return it via a certified trackable carrier (such as UPS or FedEx) and the moneys are returned to you after the carrier verifies delivery. (Of course please check out the site for specifics...) Typically, depending upon whether credit cards or cashier's check, etc. are used the fees typically run between ~$50 to $100 for a $1000-$2000 transaction - and typically these are split between buyer and seller as both are protected. I have gone to this method exclusively for high dollar &/or fragile items such as electronics and audio and computer gear that requires examination, as I have never begrudged the $25-$50 fee for the complete elimination of the potential for fraud! At worst you return the goods and the transaction is canceled. A small price to pay to cover your rear! And its 'win-win' for buyer and seller! If it sounds too good to be true, PLEASE check it out! The first time may be a bit confusing until you get the hang of it, but I think you will quickly come to find it easy and an exceptionally elegant way to do business! The only down side is that if every one used it we would cease to have a source of tragic transaction stories here on the forum![] ...oh, and if some of you think that I have some vested interest in this - I will gladly accept any renumeration you would like to provide![][][][6][A] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 It's not just the SELLER's you have to watch out for.... Here's good one, it just occured this morning. I currently have several items on ebay, and just had a potential bidder request if he could make a wire transfer to my account for an item. I told no, and that there were 3 reasons. 1.) It cost me money in bank fee's. Fee's that are significantly higher than Paypal. Certainly for this particular auction. 2.) I would have to provided someone I don't know with ALL my personal bank account information, including routing number. 3.) His paying me via bank wire transfer would cost him an additional $20 or $30 in bank fee's. I posted my response to his question on the auction, and made sure I showed his NAME, and Ebay user name. Damn scamers, there more of them than there are coachroaches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted October 1, 2005 Author Share Posted October 1, 2005 It's just the sad state of of the human condition: for every good thing in the world there is also a dark side, a way to pervert the good thing into something bad. Dragonfyr encourages the use of an escrow service. I checked into this after (of course) the jitters started setting in about this transaction. All his points are spot-on, but I do see a down-side, and that being the cost of the service. A $25 minimum is a bit steep to be practical on most ebay deals. Even ebay only recommends the use of an escrow service (and they only recommend one - escrow.com) on items priced at or above $500. And most sellers are already protected if they only accept PayPal or money orders before shipment. Unless I'm missing something (I usually am), there's no way they can lose. Personally, I think Ebay's $500 minimum recommendation, concerning escrow, is a bit high. Looking back, I think I would be glad to split the fee over say, a $200 deal. I heard from my seller this morning. Apparently he was "out of town" for a few days. He promises to ship Monday morning and even pay for insurance! So my faith in humanity is restored...for the time being![] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerohm Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 ...I am, I am! And the more money on the line, the more nervous I get. I just bought another subwoofer, this time from a guy in Oregon, and I'm not getting much communication out of the guy -that makes me nervous! I paid as soon as the auction was over via PayPal, and I've got my PayPal receipt but as of tonight, it's been three days and I've heard zip about a ship date or anything else for that matter. ... I started a NEW policy a few months back, that instead of immediately paying with PayPal, I shoot off an email saying I will pay as soon as the seller responds to the email. It isn't a sure thing, but at least you know you are dealing with a valid email address. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted October 1, 2005 Author Share Posted October 1, 2005 Yeah, I think that is a good idea. In fact, I think I may try that next time. Of course, if the seller's intent is to screw you, you're still vulnerable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 It's just the sad state of of the human condition: for every good thing in the world there is also a dark side, a way to pervert the good thing into something bad. Dragonfyr encourages the use of an escrow service. I checked into this after (of course) the jitters started setting in about this transaction. All his points are spot-on, but I do see a down-side, and that being the cost of the service. A $25 minimum is a bit steep to be practical on most ebay deals. Even ebay only recommends the use of an escrow service (and they only recommend one - escrow.com) on items priced at or above $500. And most sellers are already protected if they only accept PayPal or money orders before shipment. Unless I'm missing something (I usually am), there's no way they can lose. Personally, I think Ebay's $500 minimum recommendation, concerning escrow, is a bit high. Looking back, I think I would be glad to split the fee over say, a $200 deal. I heard from my seller this morning. Apparently he was "out of town" for a few days. He promises to ship Monday morning and even pay for insurance! So my faith in humanity is restored...for the time being![] In an attempt to address any lingering doubts... First, the PayPal protection is not as exhaustive and all encompassing as this service! And this covers everyone equally and completely! If I may make a suggestion, FORGET PayPal in this process! If this doesn't make sense, PM me and I will be glad to try to explain further! And besides, this aspect is a further incentive for the seller to use escrow, as they can ignore the % taken by PayPal! The cost where it is appropriate is the level where YOU decide that the cost of being burned is not worth the risk. If the item is subject to a history of problems you may decide that risking $100 is worth a $25 charge to guarantee its suitability. But the choice is entirely yours! That is the nice thing! YOU DECIDE your comfort level! And I personally think your $200 point is a very practical point! And for more expensive electronics or speakers, etc., I would definitely use it! (and do!) But that's part of the beauty of this system! You design the nature and conditions of the transaction as YOU want them!!! You are limited ONLY by what you want! My suggestion is to solicit the seller prior to the close of an auction - and be prepared to explain what the service is as many don't yet know! But its usually a very easy 'sell' as soon as they realize that it is covering their rear too! And I would also simply ignore the use of PayPal! PayPal adds nothing positive to this mix except additional fees! You are already covered completely by the process. So there is NO reason for PayPal to even be mentioned, if you understand what I mean.[] And is $25 an exorbitant fee to assure a satisfactory transaction, complete with the opportunity to check out the gear before officially accepting it? Does PayPal offer that??? They just offer you the opportunity to enter into a protracted mess with NO guarantee of a satisfactory resolution! Escrow guarantees the process as nothing moves to the next step except by your authorization or the terms that YOU defined! I suggest you poll any of the folks who have encountered a shipping or transaction nightmare and ask them if $25-$50 is exorbitant to totally resolve the issue! And look at it this way, you have the time and opportunity to have the gear checked out by a professional before accepting the transaction !!! What more do you want? But give it a shot. And if you need any advice or help, please don't be shy in asking! There are a lot of ways to structure a transaction to insure that you are completely satisfied with it. And I hope I haven't beat this horse to death! But with the repeated posts of horror stories we read here, it sure would be nice to eliminate this type of post and the eliminate the hassles associated with them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Yeah, I think that is a good idea. In fact, I think I may try that next time. Of course, if the seller's intent is to screw you, you're still vulnerable. NOPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you haven't understood this point, I have failed![] The money goes to the escrow company who holds it as a neutral 3rd party! If you do not receive the goods, or if they do not meet the conditions of your agreement, you simply return them via trackable service and the moneys are refunded to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.