posted on November 27, 2000 10:09:51 PM
Alot of anti-PowerSeller sentiment here tonight!
Being a PS, I can attest that we are not all creeps. In fact, those of you wishing to improve your ebay transactions (as opposed to just trashing PS's) would be well-served to seek out the quality, honest sellers among the PS ranks -- and there are many! I guarantee that when you do, you will enjoy efficient, fast transactions that few hobbyist/newbies can match.
(Commercial over.)
Here's another suggestion. Do you bid on the omnipresent "as-is, all sales final" auctions? More telling of a seller's character than feedback is their return policy. A satisfaction guarantee on an auction listing tells me that the seller has his act together and doesn't pretend to be robotically accurate (who is?). More important is the fact that he doesn't expect you to bear the brunt of his mistakes.
The "as-is, all sales final" sellers are telling you in advance that you will likely eat their mistakes and/or intentional inaccuracies.
Yet they have lots of bidders (many of whom later complain about being "burned." ) Go figure.
errant smiley
[ edited by fountainhouse on Nov 27, 2000 10:11 PM ]
posted on November 27, 2000 10:40:53 PMKatyD ...... If you pay via Billpoint, or "any" CC, you have 120 days to dispute the charges. It doesn't much matter what the seller uses an excuse, the buyer will win 99% of the time.
Sorry to hear you're going to quit buying on eBay.
Hello NOBS! And yes, I am shouting, I'm excited to see you here.
I've bought clothing (men's and women's), books, software, a zip drive, kitchen collectibles & glassware, auto accessories and lots of other stuff.
Maybe I haven't been "ripped off" by a deadbeat seller because I do my research before I place a bid. I ALWAYS check their feedback, I read all of the seller's terms (what payments they accept, when they ship), I check to see what kind of feedback THEY leave, what kind of return policy they have, etc.
Not only have I never had a problem, I've never even had a complaint about anything. Never even had to ask for a refund/exchange.
I am a power seller with over 4,000 feedbacks and have a 99.9% positive feedback rating. But I do plenty of buying also. Maybe if more buyers did research before buying they wouldn't get ripped off.
posted on November 27, 2000 11:01:25 PM
Well obviously you have not had too many problems with buyers if your feedback is 99.9% positive,I would figure with all the CRYBABY buyers(not to mention the deadbeats )that your feedback would take a lot of hits,unless you do not "neg" these problem buyers for fear of reprisal.
posted on November 27, 2000 11:10:37 PM
Doc ......687 positives here, which should be close to 1000 by now. I've left a neg for every dickhead buyer/seller that warranted one, and I'm still neg free. So what?
As far as ..... "never having a problem"
I know 2 Power Buyers on eBay, who both collect antiques & collectibles, who have approx 750 feedback between them, and have spent over $250,000 [yes, thousand] on eBay in the past 4 years.
Neither one of them has ever had a problem with getting screwed by sellers.
Both of them are also AW members, and have posted those stats [and their eBay ID's] in the recent past here on AW.
posted on November 27, 2000 11:20:04 PM
The first tip-off re dishonesty is no mention of the condition of the piece. There is only one reason not to mention condition: the darn thing is flawed and seller is hoping you will purchase without asking, thinking that they're no flaws. "Na na na na na, you didn't ask questions and I clearly told you to do so." Yeah right.
posted on November 27, 2000 11:23:05 PM
Oh, I should add, one of those Power Buyers just sent $3,000+ to a (0) feedback seller in Canada, and he emailed me last week that the item arrived, & he is thrilled with it.
I leave negatives for ALL deadbeat bidders. That is, when I CAN. Most of the times it seems like they are NARU'd before I file for my FVF.
With over 4,000 feedbacks, I can still have 30 negatives and my feedback rating would still be 99.9% positive. (I DON'T have that many, but I'm making a point here).
Yes, I have my share of retaliatory negs and I just state that they are retaliatory in my responses. You don't pay me, you get Neg'd. Plain and simple.
On average, I have to file about 30 NPB alerts every week. I give them 10 days to make good. At the end of 10 days most of them have paid, but there are ALWAYS the few who don't and get neg'd. I have left over 130 negative feedbacks. Tonight I had to file for 3 FVF's and 2 of them were NARU'd.
posted on November 27, 2000 11:48:47 PM
ExecutiveGirl,obviously you are having a problem with buyers.How many Auctions do you average a week,and what do you generally sell?
posted on November 27, 2000 11:54:19 PM
I have auctions ending every day and I list items every day. My average amount of items I have up for sale daily is between 250-300 items. My items usually fall under the "everything else" category.
posted on November 27, 2000 11:54:32 PM
Not to get too down on your math EG but for a 99.9% positive rating you have to get no more than 1 neg per thousand feedback (or 4 for 4000). But I am not really concerned about that,just stating it.
posted on November 28, 2000 12:26:02 AM
This is sad. We have a small antique shop in Pa. and also are sellers on eBay. I CALL EVERYTHING, even the tiniest details, manufacture flaws...it all. Sometimes I think I overdo it but I want the people to be able to visualize it just as if they were standing in our shop with it in their own hands. I can see right now from what I'm reading here that this is going to present a REAL problem for us honest sellers...but I can also see that the problem cant be helped. I agree I would quit buying too if it were me getting all the damaged goods. I agree that there are alot of people out there looking for a fast buck and I know that there are a lot of want to be antique dealers going to our local auctions who are driving prices unbelievably HIGH because they think it will make money for them on eBay. In the end these people will learn a valuable lesson...that you cant be a dealer overnight!
posted on November 28, 2000 01:19:29 AM
Same here Thisoldbarn2. Sometimes, I think, I shoot my self in the foot. Maybe I describe too much. I have never had anything returned. I did give one newby a partial refund on a book when I first started selling a couple of years ago. I didn't know anything about books, but put in 3 pictures and a very good description, but she wanted it to look "almost new". This for a 60 year old children's book she paid 6.00 for. Needless to say, I stopped selling very many books.
KatyD, Where do you live? Come to my house---err the one that looks like a warehouse for Cracker Barrel. The 6 year old grandson has done his shopping at Tattoonana's House. He has put everthing in Priority boxes, tied them up with a bow and they are going under the tree just like that. We are having a Blue, Red and White Christmas.
RawBunzel, I have a Chenielle bathmat somewhere. Oh---It's way past my bedtime. It's almost time to get up.
Goodnight---Tattoonana
Darn, I can't type this late or early, Whatever.
[ edited by tattoonana on Nov 28, 2000 01:22 AM ]
posted on November 28, 2000 02:17:00 AM
Shoshanah has always been my hero. She helped me on my first visit to AW.
I sell books on eBay and have since early in 1998. Books I ship are wrapped carefully and completely. I ship when I receive payment. I describe every little flaw. I have also bought a few books recently and I have had many problems. I receive books stuffed in the new Priority Shipping boxes--the ones which cave in and arrive crushed. No packing whatsoever to protect them. I have dealt with sellers with all sorts of problems in getting the books shipped. I have all but begged and pleaded to get my books from them after payment was sent, usually by PayPal. Their e-mail is nice and polite but loaded with excuses. I am disgusted and will not buy again unless I know the seller well. I am amazed by the lack of information in the descriptions and understand why it is getting harder to sell books on eBay.
posted on November 28, 2000 03:01:44 AM
I'm sorry thay you have had such horrible results all in such a short span of time.
I recently inherited an estate and have been selling mainly china and am now moving in to glass. I try to check everything before I photograph it, when it gets listed and again before it's shipped.
Yes, I've goofed.In the one case I sent the check back with a stamp and explained that we had found a nick that we hadn't noticed and it would be relisted if he was still interested. In the other case, a buyer complained about a set of books tho they were 100 years old leather and I showed pics of the leather crumbling and had only described them as fair to good. My response?send them back and get a full refund, no questions asked.
I know by describing every flake or defect that I am saving on returns as well as making my customers happy even tho I may be lowering the sales price.
My reward? Feedback that says "even better than described" "more beautiful than picture could show" and of course repeat buyers.
I'm very leery of one sentence descriptions, which I see often. I try to age it if I can and if I can't, I admit it could be a later gift and not part of the "old" estate.
posted on November 28, 2000 04:24:02 AM
Hi Guys! I Have Alot To Say About Both Ends Here- I Buy & Sell Alot On Ebay, & I've Really Been Through It All, Both The Best & The Worst On Ebay. Most Of My Transactions Go Well, But I Have Been Ripped Off Both As A Buyer & A Seller And Quite Honestly, Often There Is Little A Seller Or Buyer Can Do To Prevent A Problem When The Person You Are Dealing With Is Greedy, Dishonest Or Unintelligent. (And Yes BUYERS Are Often Greedy ,Dishonest & Unintelligent Too ). Being That I Do Both Almost Equally, I Hate To See Seller Or Buyer Bashing. I Also Hate What I'm Seeing On Ebay Lately & I Do Miss When Ebay Was Alittle Smaller & People Were Nicer. As A Buyer I Hate Feeling Scammed, & As A Seller I Truly Resent Buyers Who Feel They Can Waste My Time & Money- Yet The Problem Seems Impossible To Stop & Guess What? It Effects All Of Us. Ebay Is Not Going To Continue To Flourish If Sellers Don't Deliever The Promised Merchandise In A Professional Mannor & If Buyers Don't Start Using Ebay More Responsibly. Ebay Was More Of A Win/Win Situation Even Just A Year Ago... We Are All Going To Lose If We ALL Don't Start Keeping To Our Membership Aggreement & Treating Each Other Better. I'm Just One Person, But I've NEVER Not Paid A Winning Bid, & I've Truly Done The Best I Can As A Seller (I've Shipped 6 Days A Week, Through My Dad's Death, 2 Kids & 1 Adult In My Family Battling Cancers & Caring For Our Parents)... I'm Literally At This Computer EVERY Day Even Through Tears, Ilness Ect & I Truly Am Angered When I've Delt With Scam Artist Buyers & Sellers. I Have Also Been Warmed By The Honesty & Caring Of Others Though. All In All The Proportions Are Still Good & I Have More Pleasant Experiences Than Bad, But As A Seller The Financials Have Gotton Bad & I'm Also Seeing More Resentment & Suspicion Between Buyers & Sellers. Without Good Relationships between Buyers & Sellers Ebay Is Doomed. We All Have To Start Doing Our Part To Be As FAir & Honest As We Can For Ebay To Stay A Fun Place.
posted on November 28, 2000 04:41:24 AM
I've had one bad experience as a buyer. I now am the proud owner of a rather expensive ring that, a. cannot be sized and b. is so worn I woulden't wear it any way. On the other hand, (no pun intended) I have had so many positive experiences they more than make up for the one bad deal. A few things have gotten a little mixed up at times, but the seller always made it right. Even though I check feedback, I've bought from people with none or just 1 or 2 and it's been fine. Hey, everyone has to start someplace. As a seller I haven't had any trouble, but I do offer to replace or refund if the buyer isn't happy. I also describe things very carefully. I'd rather lose a sale than make a bad one.
posted on November 28, 2000 05:31:41 AMFountainhouse says to buy from Powesellers, as if once a seller gets that badge on their auctions, they are instantly great...or something.
I see Powersellers that have as-is on their sales, but they are supposed to offer some sort of return policy, right?
I have to say that Powesellers as a whole are not any better than other sellers. An emblem to show off on the auction does not a great seller make, it's the other things that do--the things you should be doing already. That's about the only difference I see, that schmaltzy emblem.
And yes, I think I qualify to be a Powerseller, at least on the bronze level, if not higher. They've never asked me and I've never asked them.
Edited to add: I qualify on the Bronze level only. There's no way at this time that I could consistently sell 10K per month.
[ edited by loosecannon on Nov 28, 2000 05:54 AM ]
posted on November 28, 2000 06:44:04 AM
I am a Seller only, I don't buy once a year - and this is my opinion on shipping charges.
Well - this is a two way problem - IF BUYERS would take a little time to educate themselves about shipping costs, then dishonest sellers couldn't get away with ridiculous shipping fees. If you over pay for an item or for shipping whose fault is it?
For experienced BUYERS this is particularly true - accept responsibility for your own actions - stop paying ridiculous fees - I tell my buyers whether we are shipping USPS or UPS - and they have my zip. Anyone wishing to can check the cost of shipping. In some cases when shipping seems high to me, I tell the buyer the weight and size of the item so that they can check for themselves on the cost of shipping, and I give them the link to the USPS or UPS site.
YES, there are people who over charge, but as a BUYER it is your responsibility to know shipping costs, and to refuse to pay if the cost is outrageous.
Stop paying inflated costs and these dishonest sellers will fade away. The BUYER is as responsible as the Seller - ask questions, including the seller's zip, and weight of the item.
When you paid $15 for shipping of 6 tumblers you only propagated the problem!
posted on November 28, 2000 06:47:14 AMloosecannon:
The requirements to be a power seller are:
Minimum Monthly Sales $2,000 Minimum Feedback Rating 100 Maintain a 98% Positive Feedback Average Keep Account in Good Standing*
When they first started one of the terms was that all powersellers had to offer a satisfaction guarantee on their items. But hardly no one signed up to be a powerseller so they shortly deleted that requirement.
posted on November 28, 2000 06:54:44 AM
When they first started one of the terms was that all powersellers had to offer a satisfaction guarantee on their items. But
hardly no one signed up to be a powerseller so they shortly deleted that requirement.
