On 30 Jan 2003 at 1:08, Moose wrote:
> Comments on the list indicate that this is a very common problem with
> the 28/2....
[SNIP!]
I don't know if I'd agree that it's a "common" occurance on e-Bay,
but it *does* happen. I've done 230+ e-Bay transactions, not sure
how many were "buys" but probably close to half, and while I've had
a handful go off the rails, I've only had three go south and not come
back.
One was from a guy who sent me an obviously dropped-and-
damaged Yashica TLR and then claimed that I purposely damaged
it to get a refund of my purchase prise LESS shipping fees. Yeah,
right! Anyone who can rationally explain the logic of THAT
argument wins a free Olympus 49mm lens cap! :-)
Two other items (both insured and with tracking number, or at least
that's what I paid for) never showed up and I got the "too bad, so
sad" routine from the seller. One I suspect was never sent, and the
other "felt" like a case of the seller saying, "I got *my* money, so
who cares!" Fortunately, in both cases not a lot of money was
involved, so I absorbed the loss. Anyway...
IMHO, that's *not* a too bad track record. Having said that, Here's
the Zuikohobbyist's "Five Rules" for mitigating (NOT elimating!) the
risk of getting caught in a bad e-Bay transaction:
1. Read the description (including shipping costs, refund policy,
etc.) and look at the pictures *very* carefully.
2. Carefully checking the seller's feedback rating. If there's
significant neutral or negative feedback (you be the judge of what's
"significant"), then bid with *extreme* caution!
3. If in doubt... Ask questions, ask questions, ask questions!
4. Remembering that if it "feels" too good to be true, then it
probably is.
5. Also remembering that if it "feels" iffy, it probably is.
Sorry if anyone feels this is off-topic or redundant. Just thought I'd
mention it again for the newbies. :-)
Be careful out there, folks.... It's a "buyer beware!" world both on
AND off e-Bay!
Regards,
Chris
-------------------------------------------------
Chris O'Neill (chris@xxxxxxxxx)
Joinco Enterprises Inc., Edmonton, AB Canada
Web: http://www.joinco.ca
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