Another eBay horror story...

[mrs.oroblanco]

IronPatch,

What you are saying doesn't completely make sense to me. Everything I buy, if I want tracking, or insurance, or whatever, I pay for it, not the seller.

Good thing, too. UPS once delivered a $3000 item to someone else.

Beth

 

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[Michigan Badger]

I used to be a coin seller but got out of it because my type of coins went down in value so it was no longer worth the trouble and also I got out because of lost coins.

I lost several valuable Spanish cobs and others old rare coins due to the new automated mail machinery the post office uses now. In the past I thought the buyer was just trying to get free coins but a friend who works in our area mail sorting facility (he's the postmaster) tipped me off to the problem. Every day lots of items are broken or separated from their mailing containers due to the post office's need to automate and speed up shipments.

Mail travels mock speed and any slight bump in an envelope can catch in the machine and get ripped to pieces.

Also the post office literally dumps packages from a large front loader type of machine and many items of glass get broken with each load. One day my friend told me they lost many packages due to someone mailing a bowling ball without proper packing.

The U.S. postal system is going down the tubes. They have tons of internal problems. Expect to see ½ to 1/3 the post offices within the next decade.

Your friend probably did mail your coins and he probably thinks you're trying to rip him off. But the bottom line is, with ebay the buyer is always right. If he doesn't refund your money including postage charges file a complaint with PayPal. Last year I won all cases I turned in (3 I think).

Badger

 

[TheHarleyMan2]

Glad to read you got your money back. The thing about when I buy or sell something on e-bay. I always tell the seller or buyer to give me their physical address and I verify it prior to shipping item or payment. I ALWAYS use Postal Money Orders. Yes, it is cheaper to dispute a stolen money order than it is to file a dispute with paypal @$25.00 and another $25.00 for ebay to investigate it. That's right, I had to pay $50 to dispute a seller misrepresenting an item I bought from his auction, on top of which another fee I had to pay to ship the item back to the seller. The item was not fully functional as the seller claimed it was fully functional in new condition.

I had an issue about 2 years ago where I purchased a guitar. The seller and I made contact with each other up until I told him I sent the money order out. After that he avoided letting me know he received the payment and quit all communications with me.

I waited about 5 days giving adequate time for him to receive payment. Still not hearing anything from him I had posed as a legitimate buyer on e-bay who also worked for a law enforcement agency and would investigate if he was committing internet/mail fraud.

Still I had not heard from him in 2 weeks after I sent the money order out. I reported the money order stolen. a month later what do I get? The envelope unopened that I sent the payment in with "Return to Sender", "No such address"!

The seller never did contact me. I got my money back and after that is when I started verifying seller addresses for payment prior to sending any payment out. So far after that incident I had no problems.

I use delivery confirmation for payments when I send out/mail a payment. E-bay doesn't care how many negative feedbacks a seller has, they just want their fees for the seller selling items and could care less about any issues with a seller. They will however investigate a dispute but they also charge the buyer in doing so in most cases.

Anyone selling or buying on e-bay, regardless of how you do it. Communication between the seller and buyer is very important and ALWAYS take that extra step in using delivery confirmation if dealing with the postal service or shipping an item. This also helps in protecting you as a buyer or seller and avoids any issues. If a signature is required, the delivery service HAS to hand carry the item to the consignee and it gets litterally handed over to certain people in transit!

 

[Iron Patch]

I used to be a coin seller but got out of it because my type of coins went down in value

I hear ya there! Some things I'd sell have gone down, resources dried up somewhat, more competition, and the Ebay changes over the past few years making the environment more like a shopping mall than an auction house with so many more fixed prices auctions steals are harder to come by. I think many sellers are forced to adapt and either you do and hang on, or figure it's not worth it and drop out.

 

[Michigan Badger]

Glad to read you got your money back. The thing about when I buy or sell something on e-bay. I always tell the seller or buyer to give me their physical address and I verify it prior to shipping item or payment. I ALWAYS use Postal Money Orders. Yes, it is cheaper to dispute a stolen money order than it is to file a dispute with paypal @$25.00 and another $25.00 for ebay to investigate it. That's right, I had to pay $50 to dispute a seller misrepresenting an item I bought from his auction, on top of which another fee I had to pay to ship the item back to the seller. The item was not fully functional as the seller claimed it was fully functional in new condition.

I had an issue about 2 years ago where I purchased a guitar. The seller and I made contact with each other up until I told him I sent the money order out. After that he avoided letting me know he received the payment and quit all communications with me.

I waited about 5 days giving adequate time for him to receive payment. Still not hearing anything from him I had posed as a legitimate buyer on e-bay who also worked for a law enforcement agency and would investigate if he was committing internet/mail fraud.

Still I had not heard from him in 2 weeks after I sent the money order out. I reported the money order stolen. a month later what do I get? The envelope unopened that I sent the payment in with "Return to Sender", "No such address"!

The seller never did contact me. I got my money back and after that is when I started verifying seller addresses for payment prior to sending any payment out. So far after that incident I had no problems.

I use delivery confirmation for payments when I send out/mail a payment. E-bay doesn't care how many negative feedbacks a seller has, they just want their fees for the seller selling items and could care less about any issues with a seller. They will however investigate a dispute but they also charge the buyer in doing so in most cases.

Anyone selling or buying on e-bay, regardless of how you do it. Communication between the seller and buyer is very important and ALWAYS take that extra step in using delivery confirmation if dealing with the postal service or shipping an item. This also helps in protecting you as a buyer or seller and avoids any issues. If a signature is required, the delivery service HAS to hand carry the item to the consignee and it gets litterally handed over to certain people in transit!

I have never had to pay Paypal anything when I filed a complaint or through the entire process. The last deal for me was last fall when a guy tried to sell me a junk PI unit. I filed a claim, mailed it back, and got a refund including shipping. The whole process took 2 weeks. I did have to pay the return shipping cost which sucks but that's business. Paypal can't legally get that money from the seller without a lawsuit action. They can only refund what was originally paid (counting shipping from the seller).

In the past 6 years I've filed and won 7 or 8 cases. The biggest was for $300 worth of ancient uncleaned coins. A fellow in Florida sold these to a lot of people and decided to keep the money and skip town. Paypal found him and within 8 working days I got my $300 plus shipping. The people who sent personal checks or cash got screwed.

 

[DineraW]

I always either get tracking info or insurance for any packages I send out. I know there are a lot of unscrupulous buyers and sellers and it's a good idea to keep records. I do hate having to deal with the unscrupulous as sometimes ebay or Paypal can freeze your account until it is resolved.

 

[gadigger81]

Thats why I don't deal with E-Bay....

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

It's a sad fact that - no matter what the company - what the product - or what the deal, someone, somewhere, will be able to screw someone out of something. Apparently, it is easier than working.

Beth

 

[gord]

Actually, if you analyze most of the situations, there is as much or more 'work' involved in the 'screwing'.

 

[Iron Patch]

Actually, if you analyze most of the situations, there is as much or more 'work' involved in the 'screwing'.

Absolutely right. And there's a big difference between being taken for $5 or $10 compared to a grand+. Most people who lose big played a part in getting taken and could have prevented it.

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

Actually, if you analyze most of the situations, there is as much or more 'work' involved in the 'screwing'

I think so too - but, apparently, there are some who think that's the way to go.

Of course, you have another point there, too - to analyze a situation, the "screwer" must have a certain degree of intelligence. (over and above the art of 'screwing').

Beth