Be Careful New Ebayers...Read Feedback Avidly!!!
Written: Aug 10 '01
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The Bottom Line
Ebay is a good way to buy products for a good price, but you can get ripped off if you aren't careful. Pay close attention to a seller's feedback.
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I recently bid on a laptop and the closing bid was $1400.00. I have been having doubts about whether or not I will ever see the laptop. I bought it from a seller that has a 0 rating. I didn't want to send my money to a person who has no opinions written about him so I asked him to use and escrow service called Tradenable. We talked on the telephone and he agreed to use Tradenable.
Tradenable is a company that you send your money to. They notify the seller that you have sent your money, and then the seller ships the product to your house. You, the buyer, then has a time to look over the product to make sure it is a good product. When you decide that the product is good, then you notify Tradenable and they send the seller your money. If you say that the product is bad, you ship it back to the seller. Here is where I think the whole process gets murky.
When the seller gets his item back, he notifies Tradenable that he recieved the item and that it is in the same condition it was in when he shipped it at the start. If the seller is not honest, he can say that there is something wrong with the product. Basically, a dispute is on the horizon. Tradenable will not release the money until the dispute is resolved. They have a long legal sheet you must agree to when you initiate the transaction. I feel as if I should have taken it to a lawyer to tell me what my rights would be under the contract I had to accept in order to do the escrow service.
When you talk to the seller you must agree upon a set amount of time that you will be able to look over the item. You must also agree upon who will pay the shipping costs to and possibly from your house. These are things that you must discuss with the other party before you accept the contract that Tradenable sets forth. In the contract Tradenable says it is not liable for any legal fees that may incur during a dispute. It says it will hold the money, and the company can't be sued for holding the money. So, if the deal goes bad using Tradenable it goes real bad. You could have large legal fees, no product, and the money you used to pay for the product will be tied up in some lock box in California.
Personally, I think buying an expensive product from an Ebayer with no or little feedback from other Ebayers is a big risk. Sometimes the dream product comes along at the dream price, and we don't care that the product comes from someone with no feedback. Then, we send our money and we get duped. Don't let yourself fall into that trap. Always check the feedback a person has. The feedback can tell you a lot about the way a person does business. Sometimes you will come across an item that is being sold by a person with 1,000 or more feedbacks. Don't let that stop you from reading what others say about that person. Sometimes you can notice patterns within the feedback. For instance: Does the person get negative feedback around holidays? If he or she does then you shouldn't buy from that person near a holiday if you want a smooth and trouble free transaction. Does the person respond to negative feedback on his feedback page with a bad attitude and a general air of disdain for the customer. If he does than watch out. If you have a problem you will probably get nothing but attitude from a person like that.
If you look closely at the patterns of positive, negative, and neutral in the feedback then you will have less of a chance of getting ripped off on Ebay. Be careful there are people out there who will rip you off. Ebay will not insure you over $200.00, so you are on your own if you get ripped off. Ebay says to use Tradenable if you are buying a product over that amount, but the escrow process is a big pain in the neck. Items that cost a lot should be bought from users that have at least 50 or more feedbacks. Also, the feedback should be mostly positive. If negatives do occur look at how the seller responds. Ebay can be a safe experience, but you can also have a bad experience. This article was meant for new Ebayers. Just a little advice to Ebay by.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
lghtseeker
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Location: Oviedo, FL
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
Graduate student getting a masters in elementary education at the University of Central Florida.
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