# EBAY IS GOOD!! TOO MUCH NEGATIVITY



## afbrianh

THIS IS MY FIRST POST AND JUST WANTED TO ADD MY 2 CENTS!! I FOUND THIS FORUM LIKE MANY OTHERS TRYING TO FIND NEW WAYS TO INCREASE PROFIT SOME HOW, BUT TO BE HONEST IM A LITTLE DISCOURAGED NOW LOL... MY EXPERIENCE WITH EBAY IS MOSTLY POSITIVE WITH THE OBVIOUS NEGATIVE WHICH IS RUNNING IN TO SCAMMERS AND HAVING YOUR MONEY HELD BY PAYPAL FOR UP TO A MONTH IF YOU FILE A CLAIM.....NOW WHEN I BUY ON EBAY I UTILIZE THE REBATES(SURE ITS NOT PROFIT RIGHT AWAY, BUT ITS STILL PROFIT THAT IS ALSO TAX FREE SINCE ITS A REBATE!!)..NOW FROM ALL MY PURCHASES I BUY AROUND %88 OF MELT I WOULD SAY, BUT I ALSO CLICK THROUGH ALL THE REBATE SITES FIRST...BING %8, MRREBATES %3, BIG CRUMBS %2, COUPON CACTUS % 1, AND EBAY BUCKS %2....SO EVENTHOUGH MY INITIAL PROFIT IS AROUND %5 IM REALLY GET IT-----8+3+2+1+2=%16 CHEAPER THAN THAT!!!(%21)

ANY OTHER IDEAS ON PURCHASING SCRAP GOLD CHEAP???


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## Anonymous

Yea loose the caps lock on your keyboard.


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## goldsilverpro

afbrianh,

Welcome to the forum.

You're right. We do tend to focus on the negative aspects of EBay. However, these are real and they should be brought out. Although Ebay, itself, has several rotten aspects to it, it's usually the scammer listings that are discussed. This serves a purpose to help prevent the unititiated from getting conned out of their money.

We have a rule on this forum that we don't post using all capital letters. It's very annoying to read. So, if you would turn the Caps Lock off and write normally, it would be greatly appreciated.


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## afbrianh

Sorry now that i know that i can enforce this rule to!!!!!! I was also wondering if anyone has ventured into lease a space for the gold purchases...if so, did you bring enough revenue to make it worth the while? Also a good scrap gold buying story would be uplifting! I came to this forum to start learning how to refine and my dreams were crushed!! With that being said I dont mean to criticize the feedback, because honestly it did save me the time and money of getting into refining. I feel stupid for even saying this but I purchased the Ishor system on ebay. Luckily gldman let me cancel.


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## Noxx

When I was still a kid (that means 4 years ago lol) I used to buy gold on eBay for under spot.

But that does not happen now.

I like ebay in the buyer's perspective.


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## silversaddle1

Welcome aboard. 

I too love E-Bay. I like to sell my ceramic CPU's and backplanes over there. It's crazy sometimes what stuff will bring, sometimes not. I always take good photos and describe my items exactly as they are. Never a bad feedback for gold stuff other than the guy who gave me bad feedback for not taking paypal. That was before you had to take it. What a tool.


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## Harold_V

silversaddle1 said:


> Welcome aboard.
> 
> I too love E-Bay. I like to sell my ceramic CPU's and backplanes over there. It's crazy sometimes what stuff will bring, sometimes not. I always take good photos and describe my items exactly as they are. Never a bad feedback for gold stuff other than the guy who gave me bad feedback for not taking paypal. That was before you had to take it. What a tool.


That ebay has forced sellers to use paypal isn't the smartest thing they've ever done. My wife and I have no interest in paypal and choose not to use the service. We're not alone. There are many that don't get a warm and fuzzy feeling by doing business with an entity that demands far too much personal information and access to one's wealth, such as it may be. 

We either ask for alternate payment options, or we simply won't (and don't) bid on anything that demands payment by paypal. Do keep that in mind when you allow them to bully you in to using the service. Many sellers have abandoned ebay for that very reason, while others are getting much lower selling prices because competition from bidders is reduced. 

All in all, the greed that has been shown by ebay is likely to result in their collapse. 

Harold


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## Anonymous

Right again Harold, corporate greed has cost us the sellers a fair price for our goods, lastly it's investors have even turned bullish.

I've been selling on ebay since June of 1998 back in the early days it was a fun place to sell your goods, these days I pass up treasures that once would have made me a tidy profit and filled someones void.

I have sold everything from dryer lint for a couple of bucks to a KT-450 Cummings diesel engine for $15,000.00 plus several cars. Now we only uses the auction to fill the gaps in our DVD collection.

ttys
Gill


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## silversaddle1

Well I agree it has it's problems, but what the hell, I can't sell it local for what it will bring on E-Bay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260634001065&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:1123


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## Palladium

gustavus said:


> I have sold everything from dryer lint for a couple of bucks.



Do i even dare ask ? :lol:


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## Barren Realms 007

Palladium said:


> gustavus said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have sold everything from dryer lint for a couple of bucks.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Do i even dare ask ? :lol:
Click to expand...


Fire strater kit!! :roll:


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## Palladium

:idea: Bic lighter


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## Barren Realms 007

Palladium said:


> :idea: Bic lighter



Steel and flint!


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## butcher

magnesium from a lawnmower or voltswagon and a piece of hacksaw blade, they wont have to worry if the woods wet or not.


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## Anonymous

Barren Realms 007 said:


> Palladium said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> gustavus said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have sold everything from dryer lint for a couple of bucks.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Do i even dare ask ? :lol:
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Fire strater kit!! :roll:
Click to expand...


Sure some people use dryer lint for making fancy paper for personal use or that of special greeting and birthday cards.

ttys
Gill


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## Anonymous

butcher said:


> magnesium from a lawnmower or voltswagon and a piece of hacksaw blade, they wont have to worry if the woods wet or not.




When ever someone new learn that I sell on eBay the second question usually I'm asked is what do you sell. Good one butcher.

Lawnboy all have magnesium decks, some old chainsaws as well your Volkswagen. Lot of mag showing up in newer auto castings that used to be cast from aluminum.

ttys
G


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## teabone

From a buyers perspective , I wouldn't buy anything off ebay without using paypal. There have been several times , I received items that were not as described or in some instances not received at all. Paypal always came through for me by either refunding my money or resolving issues with the seller. I always use paypal for all transactions and will continue to do so.


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## Harold_V

teabone said:


> From a buyers perspective , I wouldn't buy anything off ebay without using paypal. There have been several times , I received items that were not as described or in some instances not received at all. Paypal always came through for me by either refunding my money or resolving issues with the seller. I always use paypal for all transactions and will continue to do so.


In fairness, I must say, Susan, my wife, received a piece of art glass that had been damaged and repaired, without disclosure. The seller refused to accept the return, and, in spite of ebay finding in our favor, at the time, the maximum they would refund was $200, less $25 fee for handling. Susan lost $1,000 on that deal. This is a case where paypal would likely have been of value to us. 

Art glass that has been damaged generally sustains a huge loss of value, often 95%. There are exceptions, such as pieces that are known to be one-of-a-kind, and made by a well known artist. Some of those pieces are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, even when broken. One of them had been in process for four years when it was broken by the artist. 

Harold


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## silversaddle1

While I agree that PayPal is good for both buyer and sellers, the neg feedback I got over it was BS. At that time I had been a seller for about 5 years. 100% positive feedback, no negs, ever. Look at my auction I have running now. Good, clear photos, good discription, willing to answer any questions. No mystery of what your are bidding on. Well at the time I got the negs, you did not have to take PayPal. The buyer insisted that I take it, I told him no, so the jerk gives me two negs and says I'm trying to rip him off. And here's the best part. The guy had already bought some computer boards from me before then, not a single problem with those transactions.

So here are his two negs,

Seller allows no protection for sales, like add charges to shipping ! ! Buyer:
Member id istari9 ( Feedback Score Of 645Purple star icon for feedback score in between 500 to 999)
Apr-05-07 17:58


*
Reply by brandytard (Apr-06-07 03:16):
Auction clearly says NO PAY-PAL. Shipping according to E-bay calculator. 

Nice HP Server Board For Scrap Gold Bullion Refining !! (#260081386067)	US $31.00 Negative feedback rating

Seller offers no protection for purchase Not worth dealing with!! Buyer:
Member id istari9 ( Feedback Score Of 645Purple star icon for feedback score in between 500 to 999)
Apr-05-07 17:56


*
Reply by brandytard (Apr-06-07 03:20):
Auction clearly says NO PAYPAL. Nonpaying bidder. Ignore this negitive feed back

Gold Plated Server Board Scrap Gold Refining!! GOLD!!! (#260081384618)	US $31.00

And here is a positive he had left before.

Very Very Nice Tanks So Much!! AAA++++ Buyer:
Member id istari9 ( Feedback Score Of 645Purple star icon for feedback score in between 500 to 999)
Mar-02-06 16:38
-- (#8762035435)	--


This guy is the reason I rarely sell any gold stuff on E-Bay anymore.


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## goldenchild

silversaddle1 said:


> While I agree that PayPal is good for both buyer and sellers, the neg feedback I got over it was BS. At that time I had been a seller for about 5 years. 100% positive feedback, no negs, ever. Look at my auction I have running now. Good, clear photos, good discription, willing to answer any questions. No mystery of what your are bidding on. Well at the time I got the negs, you did not have to take PayPal. The buyer insisted that I take it, I told him no, so the jerk gives me two negs and says I'm trying to rip him off.



That would really aggrevate me too. Also with ratings, and this has been happening to me alot lately is... I hate when people take forever to leave feedback. You can see that they are going onto ebay regularly because they are buying and selling items, people are leaving feedback for the transactions but the person cant take a few minutes to leave feedback for the people that are putting money into his/her pocket and providing needed goods :x If you let it go long enough the ability to recieve feedback for the transaction disappears! That really makes me angry. Does this happen to anyone else?


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## Chumbawamba

As far as I'm concerned eBay is like KMart was in the early 2000s--still there but no one knew why. They'll be gone within a few years, replaced by boutique type auction sites that cater to a specific clientel, rather than trying to be a super-auction site for all and everything.

The worst part about this is that Meg Whitman, the moron who made eBay what it is today (i.e. unusable) is running for governor of California. If she does to California what she did to eBay then we'll only be able to do transactions in MegBucks, every citizen will have positive/negative feedback profiles, and government workers will speak in prefabricated sentences and won't actually be of any use or help.

Why don't we create an auction site for PM scrap right here on the GRF? It would be the start of a nice money-making enterprise for Noxx. I've run my own auction site before and it is challenging and time-consuming but well worth it, especially the feedback you get for building a great community that facilitates transactions rather than trying to be in the middle of everything collecting fees.


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## afbrianh

Yes I agree!!!!!!!! That would be awesome I was actually debating starting an auction for precious metals in the twin cities.


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## Noxx

Such auctions website already exist but I don't mind making one if people are interested...


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## rewalston

I wouldn't mind it at all....just remember us poor folks that are just beginning :lol:


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## silversaddle1

Here's the deal from a seller's standpoint. If Noxx was to start a auction site here for gold and such, how many people would sell here? let's face it, we all know there is stupid money over on E-bay. Why sell here at spot or less when the sky is the limit over there? I sold some old boards a while back and the guy who bought them paid a huge amount of money for them. When I asked him if he thought he could make money on them he told me "not right now, but in the future I'll do fine." So I'm guessing he's speculating on gold futures. So by him doing that, I was able to sell a real nice high grade backplane that weighed 4 pounds for $145.00. My point being, no one here would pay that price so why try to sell it here. I think most people on this site are very savvy on values and content in scrap (I think this guy was too).

Not that I'm happy some guy is paying more than the item is worth, but it seems that maybe these guys know something we don't.

Comments?


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## glorycloud

I could see people here that don't want to deal with ebay and Paypal fees
determining a value that they want to get out of something and offering it
for sale here. If it sells fine, if they get offers by PM, fine.

In the old days, we all did business with verbal orders and trusting the guy
we were doing business with. I miss those days.


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## Barren Realms 007

glorycloud said:


> In the old days, we all did business with verbal orders and trusting the guy
> we were doing business with. I miss those days.



Some still try to operate that way.


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## metatp

If I tried to sell some solver I refined to about 99% purity, I would rather sell it on this board for 97% spot or the powder at 95% spot (if anyone wanted to buy it) instead of selling it on ebay for 110% spot. I would make about the same, but someone wouldn't be paying way to much for the silver. I think it would be easier to sell to a smaller group of buyer at 97% than millions of buyer with a price of 110%. I could be wrong. I will have to try it some day. maybe people on ebay really will pay 110% of what it is really worth today.


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## user 12009

goldenchild said:


> I hate when people take forever to leave feedback. Does this happen to anyone else?


People are just lazy or uninformed. Right now I have a feedback of 148 I know I have had over 300 sales. So 50% of my customers don't bother to leave anything.

I never leave feedback first. If I don't get it they don't either. :evil: 

I once email a lady with FB of 0. I asked her if she would send me some positive feedback on her transaction. She emailed me back and said she really liked what she bought. :mrgreen: (never got anything on feebay)


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## user 12009

Chumbawamba said:


> The worst part about this is that Meg Whitman, the moron who made eBay what it is today (i.e. unusable) is running for governor of California.


Yea, but look who she is running against a 72 year old hippie who ruined CA the first time he was gov.

I vote for none of the above. :x


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## Anonymous

cyberdan said:


> goldenchild said:
> 
> 
> 
> I hate when people take forever to leave feedback. Does this happen to anyone else?
> 
> 
> 
> People are just lazy or uninformed. Right now I have a feedback of 148 I know I have had over 300 sales. So 50% of my customers don't bother to leave anything.
> 
> I never leave feedback first.
Click to expand...


Its only good manners that the shop keeper bid you a good day as you leave his establishment with your purchase, not slam the door on your ass as your leaving his shop.

Feedback is a JOKE, ebay has everyone begging for 5 star ratings with a positive remark, this is not the original concept of the feedback format. It was simply a way of telling others how your transaction went to help build confidence in using an online auction - remember ebay was the first.


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## g_axelsson

cyberdan said:


> People are just lazy or uninformed. Right now I have a feedback of 148 I know I have had over 300 sales. So 50% of my customers don't bother to leave anything.
> 
> I never leave feedback first. If I don't get it they don't either. :evil:



Then I would never leave you feedback if I bought something from you.
As a seller I always leave feedback after I have shipped the goods. At that point the job is over for me.
As a buyer I always leave feedback when I receive the goods *IF* the seller have left me feedback first.

I hate sellers that isn't secure enough in the service they leave that they have to keep the feedback hostage.

But I agree that ePay have grown worse over the years. The fact that they also own paypal and enforces payment through paypal is just wrong. That's called monopoly. And being a foreign seller on the US eBay is also a big problem as some categories have a maximum postage level which is impossible to keep living here.

/Göran


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## metatp

g_axelsson said:


> Then I would never leave you feedback if I bought something from you.
> As a seller I always leave feedback after I have shipped the goods. At that point the job is over for me.
> As a buyer I always leave feedback when I receive the goods *IF* the seller have left me feedback first.
> 
> I hate sellers that isn't secure enough in the service they leave that they have to keep the feedback hostage.


I guess you would never leave feedback for me either. Ebay now does not allow negative feedback for a buyer, whether they even pay you ar not. I usually wait about a week or two after shipping the item to make sure the buyer is satisfied with the purchase. Then I will leave positive feedback. The only time I leave positive feedback for the buyer before then is if they have left me positive feedback before the week. There are many crooks on ebay that will threaten to play their negative feedback card if they don't get a partial refund, and it is just frustrating when you already left positive feedback for them. My ebay feedback is 1906 with no negative feedback.


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## Anonymous

HTPatch said:


> g_axelsson said:
> 
> 
> 
> Then I would never leave you feedback if I bought something from you.
> As a seller I always leave feedback after I have shipped the goods. At that point the job is over for me.
> As a buyer I always leave feedback when I receive the goods *IF* the seller have left me feedback first.
> 
> I hate sellers that isn't secure enough in the service they leave that they have to keep the feedback hostage.
> 
> 
> 
> I guess you would never leave feedback for me either.
Click to expand...


Right again, neither would I another International seller who sees the other side of the eBay coin.

Ebay has made baggers of it's US sellers always requesting the buyer to leave positive feedback with a 5 star ratings for their DSR.

DSR's can only humanly be maintained as the full 5 if you live and sell within the US exclusively, which is asinine when 40% of your sales are going to Canada and other foreign countries.

The DSR system is prejudiced is keeping the US merchant at home or become a beggar with his international customer, because those of us that sell from outside the US do not get the same treatment when it comes to the very flawed DSR's we tend not to leave feedback for the seller.

Americans will blindly make a purchase from me because I'm offering something of interest but neglect to read the cost of postage, nor the fact that the item is coming from Canada. Two things I have no control over, it saddens me when I consistently get low DSR's on shipping time when the Post Office is at the end of my driveway.


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## metatp

gustavus said:


> Americans will blindly make a purchase from me because I'm offering something of interest but neglect to read the cost of postage, nor the fact that the item is coming from Canada. Two things I have no control over, it saddens me when I consistently get low DSR's on shipping time when the Post Office is at the end of my driveway.


So true. Even though I am in US, I try not to sell large items for the same reason. I sold something that cost me $38 to ship. I believe I only charged $25 shipping, but got dinged on the stars because the buyer does not like what the post office charge. I hate that we have to play these games just to protect ourselves on Ebay.


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## user 12009

gustavus said:


> Its only good manners that the shop keeper bid you a good day as you leave his establishment with your purchase, not slam the door on your ass as your leaving his shop.



You would love shop keepers in Japan (it gets tireing after a while) When you enter a store every worker that sees you will greet you at the same time. It seems very well rehearsed, you hear the greeting from all angles in perfect unison and then the same thing when you leave.

What I really like are the gas stations I have been to. You drive your car in and go into a lobby, you can sit down and read the paper and have some coffee while your car is filled and windows cleaned. And when you leave, the station attendent goes out and stops traffic so you can enter the street.


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## joem

Noxx said:


> Such auctions website already exist but I don't mind making one if people are interested...


I would like to be part of that, an auction site where people can discuss the items and see the process of recovery before buying, as well as see what other member from this forum think of them to weed out the frauds.
joe


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## goldsilverpro

joem said:


> Noxx said:
> 
> 
> 
> Such auctions website already exist but I don't mind making one if people are interested...
> 
> 
> 
> I would like to be part of that, an auction site where people can discuss the items and see the process of recovery before buying, as well as see what other member from this forum think of them to weed out the frauds.
> joe
Click to expand...


What about just adding an Auction category to the forum index? There would have to be some rules but it could still be kept fairly informal and the items could be discussed. The actual bids could be by PM and the seller would be responsible for keeping the most current bid (and the winning bid) up to date on the original listing (1st post of the thread). Before starting this, suggestions for the rules and format could be discussed by all members, on a thread, and then the final set of rules could be written by the moderators. Maybe there could be 2 stickys: (1) a set of rules and (2) a simple form that could be copied, pasted to the listing post, and filled out by the seller.


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## lazersteve

Great idea GSP!

Steve


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## macfixer01

Like any tool Ebay has it's good and bad uses, and users. It's not the gun you need to worry about but the person holding it that may or may not fire it? I got tired of selling on Ebay before the changes in feedback were introduced and haven't sold there in a few years now although I still buy a fair share. I have accumulated a couple things I'd like to sell now though. I suppose today I'd just create a second user ID for selling only, as I see many others have. 

macfixer01


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