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 Replies: 16 / Views: 3,427 |
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Valued Member
United States
257 Posts |
In the course of a recent bizarre dispute with an ebay seller (please see my post in the Discouraged Sellers thread), this seller put up a shill "buyer" named myleftgolfnut, who went after my wife on ebay. My wife has bought and sold a total of 90 items in over 3 years. Her feedback rating was 100%. He made an offer that was accepted on one of my coins that she posted. He then refused to pay. An unpaid item claim was filed. He continued to refuse to pay, and ebay put an Unpaid Item Strike on him. No other sellers get to see this strike, or be warned in feedback against the "buyer," and nothing happens to the buyer. Then, he turns around and leaves negative feedback for my wife, who, with all of 90 feedbacks, had her rating drop from 100% to 96.9%, which as we all know is a death knell for a seller. ebay has basically just shrugged and said they can't remove it without a court order. Pure BS. I am done with that place. There is no protection from people like this, only from good and honest sellers. Thanks for letting me vent. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10045 Posts |
I couldn't help but notice your comment on the discouraged sellers thread: Quote:
"I had entered into a contract by stating my purchasing intentions in an email, and that I better get an attorney who will travel to Texas" He said an email amounts to a contract? How amusing...I hope you had a laugh w/ your lawyer over a beer.  There are sure some nutty people out there...thanks for the warning on this one.  Edited by DVCollector
10/04/2009 12:49 am
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Valued Member
 United States
257 Posts |
I didn't bother to get a lawyer or waste a good beer. What I am kicking myself for is my failure to follow my own advice, as stated in my signature line. Trying to reason with the irrational is useless and silly, and I allowed myself to get sucked in.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10045 Posts |
I know from my experience that I don't always recognize these types until halfway into a transaction. I've had a few threaten to sue on ebay, but nobody ever carried through with that level on vindictiveness. We have a buy/sell/trade section on the forums, where I've had nothing but good experience--buying and selling. |
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Valued Member
United States
257 Posts |
My main beef in this thread is with ebay policies that permit a shill bidder to renege on a contractual agreement without meaningful consequences, then permit him to leave negative feedback even though he is not even a 'buyer,' since he was the one that never completed the transaction necessary to make himself a buyer. He didn't buy. This was done to my wife, because of a beef another seller had with me. There was no need to go after her. I have no tolerance for that kind of cowardice. I do plan to offer the few coins, here on the forum,that I need to sell. I am concerned only that potential buyer pool won't be large enough to draw an interest. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
14454 Posts |
Quote:
I am concerned only that potential buyer pool won't be large enough to draw an interest that is the one reason everyone puts up with ebay's stuff, if there were any other venue that could compete with ebays traffic they would go under very fast because they have made it to where you have to jump through hoops to sell anything on there |
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Valued Member
United States
257 Posts |
On the other hand, instead of a large, broad buyer pool, we do have a population with a far greater concentration of interest in coins. If, for the sake of discussion, one were to find that 1 in 10,000 eBayers had some interest in numismatics, it would likely be true that 1 in 1 has the same interest here. You gotta love this place.
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Valued Member
United States
183 Posts |
You know what gets me? Nobody has even tried to compete with ebay. It seems and has seemed for whaile that the "coin" milieu (if you will) is a bit different than other areas of ebay, more specialized. Why hasnt anyone tried to do a site like ebay just for coins? Forget teletrade, their fees make ebay look like a discount store lol. There is cheap and free software to do just this. I wish I'd had (or have!) the energy to undertake such an epic thing. Isn't there someone out there more motivated than me (OMG I hope so !! ) |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
14454 Posts |
Quote:
Nobody has even tried to compete with Ebay there has been plenty of competition in the past but they all went under. Tahoo used to be the biggest competitor that I can remember and they had auctions for a few years but they also came to the same fate because ebay was just so popular. As a matter of fact it was after Yahoo auctions closed that ebay really started putting the screws to the rules. Google has had talk about starting an auction site but I haven't heard anything about that for some time now, they may have just decided against it |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
610 Posts |
I'm with you! Just closed my ebay & paypal. Any future coins I need I'll buy off forum members  |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1082 Posts |
Ebay's been crap since they went to paypal. I have no interest whatsoever to do business where they charge me to use my money, although I did run across a merchant who said they'd "reluctantly take" paypal, but preferred other methods of payment.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10045 Posts |
Quote:
Ebay's been crap since they went to paypal. I really dislike having PP foisted on me as "the only option", when a simple CC gateway would be far less painful--and probably more cost-effective for sellers?  Cool how the Aussies forced ebay to provide more payment options. We should do the same. |
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Valued Member
United States
106 Posts |
This is yet another egregious example of ebay's stupidity. If you've got a "no pay" strike against you, you shouldn't be able to make bids. Without looking for the source of the original fracas, I'm guessing that "myleftgolfnut" was a shill bidder on some other auction and now the puppet master used him to give bad feedback. |
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Valued Member
United States
436 Posts |
I've used ebay a total of twice in my life. It is just too much of a pain, and with all the Chinese fakes that wind up there, it just can't be trusted. I'd much rather buy my coins locally (1st choice), from my local coin club, or from a trusted mail order or web dealer. I've also noticed that while there were some deals to be had in the past, they are now few and far between (I do check ebay just to see what coins are selling for). Also, idiots like the one described are a major reason I will never sell anything on ebay, never mind the rediculouse fees that place charges! |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
14454 Posts |
we have some people that without ebay they would not have a business at all so it does have its place. Its just all the policies they have in place that really harm everyone like the one mentioned above where you have to offer paypal and cant accept checks, most people would offer to take paypal anyway just because of the ease of use but to force them to do so in my opinion is just wrong |
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Valued Member
United States
183 Posts |
The idea of paypal and ebay being one and the same was bound to happen. I envy the PP guys who cashed out to ebay, lol. But offereing it as the only option - they actually tell you that when you list, in an ominous way - has its ups and downs. The down side is --- you have to use paypal . The up side - there was SO much fraud with checks and wire transfers and money luandering and STOLEN goods, they had to rein it in somehow, and that's how I guess. Security, as any of you computer geeks know, is NOT cheap.  I still use ebay to sell, just not as often. And most recently I purchased some SWEET stuff there as well. So it has its place, it's just not a great place is all. Bruce |
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Replies: 16 / Views: 3,427 |
Posted 10/03/2009 11:34 pm
