Why cant ebay sellers be honest?

Like ebay or not, I sell a lot of (non car) stuff on there as my part time income, to fund car parts, and I am always really honest about what Im offering, no matter how it will affect the price.

This guy lists these appletons:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Appl...001QQitemZ110085423055QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

He states they are a matched pair. He tried selling them about 3-4 months ago, and I emailed him to tell him that they wernt matched, one was a blunt end 112, and one was a pointed end 112, and if they were both in fact 112's (and not an unmarked pointed body and/or a blunt end 552), they had the wrong era handles. he never replied. So if he never noticed before, he did at that point.

Now, this time, under a new ebay name, he has the same pair for sale, same missrepresentation. If I were selling a pair of 112's, Id definately put a nice big pic of the stampings so people see the 112 marking that makes them worth $$$. I have a feeling these arnt really both 112's, on ie likely a 552. I email him, ask him if both are marked, 112, he ignores me. I would assume at that point, they arnt marked 112.


At any rate, false representation is wrong, at $1025, its really sucks.

 

yeah, thats pretty shitty, ive had some not so good experiences on ebay but nothing too serious.

 

They do look slightly different when you really stare at them.

I just gotta ask, why are Appletons worth a grand for a pair when Unity's bring $20 apiece? I realize that Appletons were popular at one time but Unity's have been around a long time too. Is it just because people want to say they have "Appletons" on their car?

 

It looks like this guy just joined EBay last month, so if your sure that these are the same spots, you might want to contact EBay, he may have been baned for bad sales and has managed to fall through the cracks and came back under a differant ID.

36RRC

 

There was a guy on there a couple of years ago who was trying to sell handmade Indian motorcycle poster prints as being old and authentic. I think Ebay offers a valuable avenue for artists to sell their wares....but trying to say somethings authentic (clearly his art didn't fool anybody, it was pretty obvious)is a scam. I sent an email telling him to stop it or Id report it-and he did. Sometimes I too come across items which the seller is unsure of its vintage and I try to help. One time a guy had what he listed as an antique ratchet, turned out to be like the one I had with my 93 suburban jack kit. Most are honest enough when they say they cant know everything about what they sell ...who could?

 

what do you expect. Ebay is the world biggest pawn shop.

 

Ebay ain't no different than any big old swap meet except you can't look the fucker in the eye when he tries to bullshit you.

 

There is a huge difference in the shape of an appleton 112/552 when compared to any unity ever made. If you just want regular old spots, unitys are fine but for the real classy, deep bucket spot, appleton 112/552 is the only way to go.

In the pic below, the middle spot is a standard appleton 451 style, which is very close in shape to your average Unity S5 or S6 (or just abuut any spot Unity has ever made), between a blunt, and pointed style appleton 112's. There is no denying there is a big difference.

 

No its not, you cannot pin down the quality of items available on ebay as a whole, like its some store. The quality is 100% dependant on the seller you are dealing with, so of course the quality will range from junk, to top quality. There are many many honest sellers, and there are bad apples, like the seller of the above auction.

While its very dissapointing to see dishonest sellers, it is up to the buyer to know what he is buying, and judge the situation, if he wants to be a successful ebay buyer. I have never been dissapointed (and Im pretty picky) with a transaction I made with a seller that had tons of great feedback (which = reputation), and had a good, detailed discription, and lots of good pictures. Someone without the above is a seller who either doesnt care, or is dishonest, either of which means to stay away from the item.

I have no intentions of dogging ebay, in fact, I like ebay a lot. there are a lot of GREAT deals I have gotten, and there are also items that I did pay top dollar for, but would have never found them otherwise.

Times are changing, the internet is where "swap meets" may be heading. Sad, but true. I buy/sell used audio equipment on ebay. The biggest swap meet in maryland for that material has become 2/3 the size it was. A guy figures, why store stuff all year, then hours to sit outside with a table, and have guys bargain with him, when he can sell to the highest bidder year round from his living room. I buy from the guys who still do show, and then sell for 2-3 times what I paid on ebay.

It is time that buyers learn to trade safely in this new way of trading, that way, jerks like that guy selling those spotlights wont be able to make sales. You think that guy who won those spots knows they arnt matched? The guy who pushed the bid up to $1025 didnt know either. I bet he wont know till he gets them. He will either get angry at ebay (like many people here seem to be), or take it as a lesson, and not purchase from someone who takes crappy pictures and has little or no feedback.

 

Hey Chad,
Straightpipes got it just right. The honest guys like yourself are what helps to make stuff fun. Those shitheads are out there but, we still got 'em out numbered. Keep up the good work and have fun,Smokey

 

Notice the NO refunds ,,no paypal so no one can get there $$ back,,but if someone pays by Post office money order,can't they get him for something?? Also thats a dangerous way to do business

 

Im not sure that a misresented item is concidered Postal Fraud, but if it isnt, it should be. It would be hard to explain to the fed's that you want them to go after a guy for selling you a 50 year old "chrome thing" where the pair isnt matched. Now if the goods are never delivered, im sure thats a different story. Paypal is a whole nother story (in regards to their questionable business practices), but Im sure they are more efficent with handling "small time" fraud tat the government is.

 

Yeah Mail Fraud.... serious shit, and they are taking it serious these days.

 

I've just about had with Ebay douchebags anyway. I'm still waiting for a replacement part for a defective seat I bought before Christmas, and the weather stripping I bought a month ago.

I also had several deadbeat bidders over the holidays who bought shit and never paid.

It is a great way to make a few bucks, but it's getting to be more and more of a hassle.

 

I like selling antique car parts on Ebay. It's easy to keep my customers happy. I stand behind what I sell. If they don't like it, I give them their money back. I get it back in repeat business. It all averages out. You just have to do a better job than the next guy. If you are a buyer, try to buy from a Power Seller rather than some guy who is cleaning out his garage twice a year.

 

Huh? I guess out of the millions of items listed, there is nothing there for YOU. Thats fine (although Im not sure its possible, there IS something for everyone). You talk as if everything on ebay is junk. I buy lightly used and even new Snap On tools on ebay for a TON less than they cost new. I guess Snap On tools are junk too? I just grabbed a 49 Lincoln steering wheel that just happened to have a 49-51 mercury accessory wheel center cap I need, for $102. That junk too? The guy's auction title was terrible, got no attention. The wheel was in pretty nice shape too. I'll take the center I need, and resell the rest for more than I paid for it.

Ebay is what you make it. Its not something that can be described by globalising it with one description. Trade smart, and you may love it. Dont learn how to trade safely, and you WILL hate it.

It sounds like you may have had a bad experience. If so, chalk it up to experience, and learn to ask the right questions, judge the seller by his feedback and sales tactics (description, pictures, friendlyness, policies, etc). When in doubt, ask someone who is an experienced buyer. After 9 years on ebay, I can spot a bad deal pretty quickly. I have avoided being screwed for many years now, and I buy anywhere between 3-10 items a month.

 

They do not have to be honest because egay doesn't give a fuck. Plus they do not have to face you.........nutless wonders.

 

I should be staying out of this one. LOL... I've made my living on Ebay for the last 7 years. I'm proud to say an honest living. However the scammers are out there, and luckily I've only been burned once by a seller. A lot of these peopel are just grabbing up anything they can find to list on auction, whether they're educated on it or not. What I hate is the ones that list a small item with BUY it Now for $2.00 with $25 shipping. I'd rather pay $18 for the item and pay $9 shipping.

 

But they will eventualy rack up bad feedback. Thats why you dont spend money with someone that doesnt have a lot of great feedback. Why would a guy with say 500+ positives, no negatives, screw someone and risk his reputation on ebay over one item? Well, 99.9% chance he wont. Its never happened to me.

If I sell someone something, and they dont like it, I refund their money, and move on. My feedback reflects my level of respect for the buyer.

 

This guys trying to sell soemthing that doesn't exist- period. He's even placed them and positioned them so the shapes look as close as possible to each other. Look how he showed the side by side shot and twisted one about 20 degrees more than the other to give the illusion of the same shape and length...

Yoo can't do anything about dishonest people except steer clear of 'em. An extra step would be to warn anyone who bid on the items...

 

Yea, and then they ship it by Parcel post for $3. I pass on a LOT of things because of inflated shipping prices. Thats another thing, unless the price is stated, ALWAYS ask for a shipping quote.

 

Ebay is no worse than any other medium. What about classified ads where alot of losers call and promise to come and look at your car for sale so you wait at home all day and they never show? What about swap meet bargains that are bought up before the event opens to the public and are resold by savy vendors for double or triple the price. Is that better?

 

The reason they do that is because you pay a final value fee and listing fee for buy it now items based on the SALE price and not shipping.

It adds up.

Plus if you did ask for a refund you'd get your $2 back, and no refund for shipping.

 

Amen Burny

 

Chad,Something looks odd in the auction you mention, seller has a feedback rating of (1), every bidder bid in even money bids, VERY odd. I wouldn't worry about an auction or seller I wasn't doing business with, 99.9% of the deals I've had on eBay were fine. It's the only place I'll find the parts I need. But most important the only place to sell the stuff I don't need.

 

Yeah, some people do like to fuck you on the shipping. If shipping isn't stated in the auction, and they don't respond to my request for a shipping quote, I won't bid on shit, I don't want to get fucked in the end because some guy figures he can profit an extra $20 in "handling" costs.

I've been buying and selling on eBay for about 5 years and I have learned a lot in that time. I've only been fucked over a couple times, once Paypal awarded me a refund, and the other was for $3 so I let it slide. This spotlight auction had bad vibes written all over it.

Bottom line is smart eBay buyers get good deals and know how to avoid a scam. Smart eBay sellers know what they're selling and are honest and up-front about it.

 

Well, the ain point here is, if sellers like this guy selling the spotlights didnt exist, there wouldnt be so much anger towards ebay.

Look, people sometimes get screwed here. The volume of sales here in the classifieds is tiny compared to ebay. The number scams that go on here can probably be counted on your hands and feet, but the ratio of good vs. bad deals could be very similar on the HAMB as it is on ebay (ebay is probably a bit higher, but I doubt by much, remember, ebay has millions of items moving a week).

Would you buy frm a guy who has a few posts, and joined last week? I wouldnt. A guy who has no foundation on the hamb (as in someone who is not here to become part of a traditional car community, and not just sell shit) may not care if he gets thrown off the hamb or never comes back after he screws someone. Its exactly the same as the ebay seller with little feedback.

New rule here is that Ryan wont involve himself in a transaction between non-aliance members. The hambs is getting bigger, and everything cant be policed as easily as it was before. Imagine with ebay, its freaking huge. I do think they should spend some of their billions of income on more fraud department people and policies, but that may not happen. So the responsibility is now on the buyer to make the right judgement on wether or not to bid. You can either hate it, or educate yourself, and make the best of it.