Caveat emptor- buyer beware!
Written: Jan 15 '03 (Updated Jan 15 '03)
| Search and Navigation: |
 |
|
| Sense of Community: |
 |
|
| Trustworthiness of Sellers: |
|
|
| Cost of Selling: |
 |
|
| Trustworthiness of Buyers: |
|
|
|
| Full Review |
I'm sorry to say that my esteem of the Ebay experience has dropped somewhat over recent months. The proportion of scams to deals seems to have risen, at least in my experience, and there has been more of a lag in response times.
While the service is still pretty good overall, fees have risen, and confusing checkouts have made it difficult for buyers and sellers to communicate. Large "power sellers" often deal in volumes so high it makes communication difficult, and I have had several false 'non-paying bidder warnings' due to the automated systems these sellers use. All were resolved fairly quickly, but it is a hassle I would rather do without.
Another peeve I have is with sellers of junk product- cd-roms filled with everything from clipart to recipes to private detective 'programs' are cluttering some listings so badly that it is just impossible to browse. (I wish Ebay would crack down on this practice, or at least restrict them to their own category to free up more legitimate listings.)
Finally, my biggest complaint- serious lag in dealing with fraud complaints. A year ago, it was a simple matter to file a complaint against a scammer or a dishonest seller, and Ebay was very quick to respond. Sadly, this is no longer the case. I was one of several buyers who filed fraud copmplaints against a seller who accepted payment but never delivered items. This seller was racking up complaints and negative feedback, and was non-responsive to emails. The address and phone number they provided ebay were bogus. I waited the required amount of time, and then filed a detailed fraud complaint. Ebay never responded, and to my knowledge, never investigated. As they only allow a complaint to be open for sixty days, my complaint expired without resolution. The seller in question has not been penalized, even though at least three other buyers filed similar complaints.
Overall, Ebay is still very useful, it is better than any flea market or antique mall in terms of the sheer quantity of items available. However, the scam artists are there, and there is no safety net- so be very, very careful before bidding.
Read feedback carefully, and remember that many people do not complain for fear of receiving retaliatory feedback themselves. If a seller has more than one or two negative feedback complaints, there are likely many more who did not complain, and you may have a hassle ahead of you.
Read listings very carefully before bidding! Often, sellers offer new items in antique listings, charge exorbitant and unrealistic shipping and 'handling' charges, or make it next to impossible to pay for an item. For example, if you purchase a two dollar item with a twenty dollar shipping charge, YOU will be penalized if you refuse to pay it- Ebay does not restrict these charges. Seller may only accept one form of payment- if you don't feel like driving to the bank for a cashier's check, or signing up for a web payment service, don't bid.
Use a credit card for large purchases so that you can make a chargeback if you are deceived. Pay the extra dollar or so for insurance, and if you are feeling a bit queasy, trust your intuition! If you see negative feedback, inquire of the person who wrote it- most will be more than happy to explain any troubles they encountered.
Finally, don't hesitate to complain if you have been defrauded- you might spare someone else some grief in the future.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
ouroboros
|
|
Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 2 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.