posted on May 10, 2001 11:33:53 AM
Just want to vent a moment - Received the June print issue of Yahoo Internet Life magazine yesterday (it might also be at www.yil.com) One "e-venger" topic was an Ebay auction gone awry - item no and seller name given. This is a "help type" column. But in the answer they gave "warning signs" that the complaintant was dealing with an amateur at best and a con man at worst. While 0 feedback and sunglasses were named...so was not letting the buyer pick up the item - "most sellers are happy to avoid a trip to the post office", the absence in the listing of a return policy - "reputable sellers on Ebay specify such terms", and another red flag was acceptance of only money order and cashier's checks - "that's why God created escrow and credit cards".
Although the item in question was approx $1000 - and as a potential bidder I would have been extremely leery of the auction in question, I think the answer was really a kick in the behind to a lot of reputable sellers that have no interest whatsoever in having people pick up items at their homes for a myriad of reasons, acceptance of escrow, etc., not to mention a turn off to prospective bidders who might think "amateur at best and, at worst, a con man" if sellers don't offer these things!!
edited to fix typo
[ edited by fraidykat on May 10, 2001 11:37 AM ]
posted on May 10, 2001 11:53:28 AM
The person who wrote the article is obviously not an online auction seller. It's unfortunate that such inaccuracies are spread that way.
