Book Dealers-eBay sellers-dt.org buyers/sellers/ to Avoid like the Corona Virus

[Randall Flagg]

Trust...but verify.

Always charge-and if burned dispute.

[Patrick]

Trust...but verify.

Seconded.

[tippy4]

I'm going to side with the seller. Unless you message before you win to make arrangements, he could send in greeting card. It's up to him. It's also in your power to leave him a negative feedback and get your money back, eBay would side with you 100%. I think this is the second time you're posting about messaging the seller about your shipping requirements after you've won the auction. Maybe he just forgot about the message exchange?

Yes, I have bitched about this many times in the past (isn't that what the internet was created for?). Poorly packed items piss me off for two reasons. First, I don't want to see collectables damaged, and second, if they are damaged, I don't want to spend my time packing it up and sending it back. An ounch of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Some dick from Norway demanded extra cardboard when I was sending him a record that was already in a record mailer. Extra cardboard cost ME $13 extra because it put in the different weight bracket. I'm afraid to ask for him to pay for it because a) he didn't want to pay for registered which means b) if I asked for him to pay the difference because of demands he made, he could out of spite say I never mailed the record... and walk away with a free record, his money back and my $13.

Calling the guy a dick because he asked for extra cardboard seems a bit harsh. You should definitely ask for the $13, because it was his request that created the cost. If he decides not to pay it, that will most likely be the end of it. Your concern that he will claim he never received it seems a little paranoid. And besides, I assume you have a tracking number, which would prove that you shipped it.

So yeah, your seller should have packaged it in a box because he said he would and I'm not making excuses for that but it was your responsibility to make arrangements prior to bidding. A casual inquiry about his shipping practices would've sufficed.

So I made the inquiry AFTER the auction ended. I offered him $5 to ship my item in a box, and he accepted. As far as I was concerned, that was adequate. Frankly, I doubt the outcome would have been any different if I had contacted him prior to the auction's end.

I'm sick of buyers dictating the rules, I'm siding with the seller. .

Buyers dictating the rules???? What are you talking about???? The seller has all of the power on ebay.

You ever hear a seller crying about the fact that they shipped an item, and then never got paid?

You ever hear a seller complain that the money they received was not in the condition they hoped it would be?

Like I said, sellers have all the power.

[thegreattim]

Buyers dictating the rules???? What are you talking about???? The seller has all of the power on ebay.

You ever hear a seller crying about the fact that they shipped an item, and then never got paid?

You ever hear a seller complain that the money they received was not in the condition they hoped it would be?

Like I said, sellers have all the power.

I''m not taking side on this argument one way or another, but I absolutely disagree with the above statement. As a seller, you have NO ability to leave negative feedback (at least without a long and arduous process) about a buyer. After completing a transaction, when you go to leave feedback, there is either a positive button, or a file a dispute button. That's it. This even if the buyer delays over a week without paying for a winning bid. On the other hand, a buyer can leave negative feedback about a seller, out of freaking spite if they feel like it. I know exactly what WeDealInLead means when he says he is afraid to ask the buyer to pay more... Some people are there solely to manipulate the system.

So, not taking sides again, I just feel your statement was a bit one-sided.

[tippy4]

Back in the old days, you could leave positive, neutral, or negative beedfback for a buyer. Then, ebay changed the rules, and like you said, they limited your options to leaving positive feedback, no feedback, or file a dispute.

At first, I did not like this, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the truth of the matter, is that there is no reason to leave feedback for a buyer at all. The point of feedback is to let other potential buyers know about your experience with that seller.

[WeDealInLead]

An update from that buyer who didn't pay: NYA NYA !

That's the exact quote.

Tippy, I don't have the tracking number. The seller didn't want it because it's extra. So yeah, he can say he never got the record and I'd be out of money, record and extra shipping money. That's BS. You can't just say if decides not to pay that'll be the end of it. Where is the fairness in that? I don't even want to leave a negative but having an option to leave even a neutral if he refuses to pay would be FAIR, no more, no less.

Sellers don't have an option of leaving a negative. The guy who won my auction is mocking me, refusing to pay and there will be no consequences for him. He might get a non-paying bidder alert but any potential sellers won't be able to see that. All I get is wasted time and a failed sale.

[WeDealInLead]

Back in the old days, you could leave positive, neutral, or negative beedfback for a buyer. Then, ebay changed the rules, and made it so you could not leave negative feedback for a buyer.

At first, I did not like this, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the truth of the matter, is that there is no reason to leave feedback for a buyer at all. The point of feedback is to let other potential buyers know about your experience with that seller.

I registered close to 10 years ago. Having the option to leave a negative/neutral was nice because sellers could delete bids from sellers with a few negs... or leaving a negative for deadbeats as a warning to other sellers. Ever see pictures of thieves in corner stores? Something like that on eBay would be nice. It would say that this person might pay for an item... or he might bolt through the store so keep an eye out.

None of this even matters, eBay doesn't give a F what I/we think so whatever.

[tippy4]

None of this even matters, eBay doesn't give a F what I/we think so whatever.

I have to agree with you there. I prefer the ebay from ten years back myself. A lot fewer rules and restrictions.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, they are really the only game in town right now, so we are stuck with them...which makes taking the bad with the good something we just have to live with.

But, we then get to come here to bitch about the boneheads we must deal with.

[Jimimck]

I don't sell on ebay, and so didn't realise sellers couldn't leave negative feedback. I don't agree with that, as many buyers out there can be idiots and need deserved feedback as a warning for others.
In New Zealand, we have trademe.co.nz, a very similar auction site to ebay, but obviously on a much smaller scale. You can still leave any feedback as a seller, but the good thing here is you can leave a comment after receiving feedback, to at least try and put your point of view across. Anyone who takes the time to read through feedback and the comments can usually make up their own mind, so even if negative feedback has been left in spite, the true story usually becomes apparent.

[pixiedark76]

I'm going to side with the seller. Unless you message before you win to make arrangements, he could send in greeting card. It's up to him. It's also in your power to leave him a negative feedback and get your money back, eBay would side with you 100%. I think this is the second time you're posting about messaging the seller about your shipping requirements after you've won the auction. Maybe he just forgot about the message exchange?

Yes, I have bitched about this many times in the past (isn't that what the internet was created for?). Poorly packed items piss me off for two reasons. First, I don't want to see collectables damaged, and second, if they are damaged, I don't want to spend my time packing it up and sending it back. An ounch of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Some dick from Norway demanded extra cardboard when I was sending him a record that was already in a record mailer. Extra cardboard cost ME $13 extra because it put in the different weight bracket. I'm afraid to ask for him to pay for it because a) he didn't want to pay for registered which means b) if I asked for him to pay the difference because of demands he made, he could out of spite say I never mailed the record... and walk away with a free record, his money back and my $13.

Calling the guy a dick because he asked for extra cardboard seems a bit harsh. You should definitely ask for the $13, because it was his request that created the cost. If he decides not to pay it, that will most likely be the end of it. Your concern that he will claim he never received it seems a little paranoid. And besides, I assume you have a tracking number, which would prove that you shipped it.

So yeah, your seller should have packaged it in a box because he said he would and I'm not making excuses for that but it was your responsibility to make arrangements prior to bidding. A casual inquiry about his shipping practices would've sufficed.

So I made the inquiry AFTER the auction ended. I offered him $5 to ship my item in a box, and he accepted. As far as I was concerned, that was adequate. Frankly, I doubt the outcome would have been any different if I had contacted him prior to the auction's end.

I'm sick of buyers dictating the rules, I'm siding with the seller. .

Buyers dictating the rules???? What are you talking about???? The seller has all of the power on ebay.

You ever hear a seller crying about the fact that they shipped an item, and then never got paid?

You ever hear a seller complain that the money they received was not in the condition they hoped it would be?

Like I said, sellers have all the power.

AMEN!!!

[BigCoffinHunter]

The eBay feedback issue sort of goes both ways. I used to do a fair amount of selling on eBay, so I can attest to the fact that it was always nice to have the option to slam a buyer who was difficult with either neutral or negative feedback.

On the other hand, as a much more frequent buyer, I used to hate the fact that you could have a major issue with a seller but that it was difficult to leave a negative feedback because the seller had the option of leaving you a negative feedback in retaliation. To me, that is completely ridiculous. Seller sends the book in a padded envelope and it arrives all dinged-up? (Happened once or twice). Pay for Priority but the seller ships via Media Mail two weeks later? (Happened once). Book comes in reeking of smoke even though it was listed as coming from a smoke-free home? (Happened once). Copy of a S/L Firestarter comes with, and I'm not joking here, an oily orange thumbprint on the signature page? (I'm not going to name the asshole (pardon the expression, but that's exactly what he is, as you will see below) who claimed not to notice this one before he shipped the book to me, but he owns his own bookstore and it's not Bett's)? All situations I experienced where I could not leave a negative feedback because the seller had not yet left feedback for my payment and thus had the option to retaliate by leaving a negative for me even though I had done nothing wrong. I couldn't even leave a neutral because of this. In all of the cases above, whether the seller attempted to remedy the situation or not, each is an instance of carelessness that at the very least deserves a neutral feedback. However, because of the fear of retaliation, I was forced to leave a positive feedback once the problem had been remedied (i.e. discount, money-back, etc.), after which they left me a positive. Hell, as a seller I myself had a policy of "Please remember to leave positive feedback and I will do the same" so that I could try to take care of any issues that may have arisen before receiving a negative feedback. And let's be realistic here... There are tons of situations in which a seller deserves a negative feedback, whereas generally the only situations in which a buyer deserves a negative is if they 1.) Refuse/Fail to pay for the item or 2.) Pay for the item only to falsely dispute the charge.

I agree that it's ridiculous that you can no longer leave a negative feedback for a buyer under any circumstances, which in turn opens the system up to abuse. Similarly, there are those buyers who leave sellers negative feedback for little or no reason, and eBay should certainly have a system in place to remedy such abuses. However, I do feel that the feedbacks are more accurate now than they were when a seller could hold a buyer hostage no matter how poor the experience was. Case in point, today the greasy thumb-print situation would result in a neutral feedback (as opposed to negative given that he refunded my money) and a full description of the issue rather than the bullshit positive feedback I was forced to post under a direct threat that anything less than a glowing review would result in a retaliatory negative.

[Randall Flagg]

The eBay feedback issue sort of goes both ways. I used to do a fair amount of selling on eBay, so I can attest to the fact that it was always nice to have the option to slam a buyer who was difficult with either neutral or negative feedback.



While it's ridiculous that you can no longer leave a negative feedback for a buyer under any circumstances, which in turn opens the system up to abuse, I do feel that the feedbacks are more accurate now than they were when a seller could hold a buyer hostage no matter how poor the experience was. Case in point, today the greasy thumb-print would result in a neutral feedback (given that he refunded my money) and a full description of the issue rather than the bullshit positive feedback I was forced to post under a direct threat that anything less than positive would result in a retaliatory negative.

As a person who is more often a buyer than a seller I agree with you 100%.

[Rahfa]

I've always prided myself as a seller leaving feedback immediately upon payment, both before the changes and now...

Actually, in the "bad buyer" category, I just sold some things that are listed as "United States only" and got a bid from somebody in London...well, the book is only $79 and shipping to the UK is $30 more, which makes little sense to me...so I emailed that to the buyer, and haven't heard back at all...so I've started to cancel the transacation - not punitively, but just as 'don't ship to buyer's location.' But, I haven't heard anything yet...I mean, I guess if he disagrees, then he'd have to pay the shipping costs and I'd have to ship the book....still seems silly, though. I guess there's a way to block bids from overseas bidders - at least so they ask first - but I forgot to do that.

[thegreattim]

Yeah, I always do the same, the little I sell on eBay. The day the payment clears, I post positive feedback. They did their job, not much else one can complain about in that department.

[tippy4]

I would say that over the years, my buying to selling ratio has been about 50/50 (as of today, 579 as a seller and 529 as a buyer). As such, I feel I have a good perspective on both sides of the transaction.

It seems that quite a few of you see value in being able to leave feedback for a buyer, but like I said above, there is no reason to leave feedback for a buyer (positive or negative). Let me explain.

Let's say you are a seller, and a buyer tells you that he is going to send you payment, and he never does. Sure, you are going to be upset. But what good does leaving him negative feedback do (other than satisfying your need for revenge)? Do you think that if future sellers see that negative feedback they are going to cancel his bids on their auction or if he does win an auction, refuse his payment? No way.

Likewise, leaving positive feedback for a buyer is pointless as well. As a seller, how does it help me if I see that my buyer has a lot of positive feedback as a buyer? I am not going to ship his item until he pays me, so why do I care if his feedback score is 50% or 100%? That being said...yes I personally do leave positive feedback for my buyers....mostly because it is expected, and I know buyers like it.

I think ebay should eliminate feedback for buyers completely. If you have a problem (and the only problem a seller should have with a buyer is non-payment), file a dispute. If a buyer has enough disputes filed against him, ebay kicks him off.

Again, the point of feedback is for past buyers to share their experiences with a seller to allow potential future buyers to make a more informed decision.

[Rahfa]

I pretty much agree with that...I leave feedback for buyers because within the system it's the right thing do...but you're right that there's not actually a point.

Although, I like seeing that somebody with 75 or whatever positive feedback bid on my item...I can be confident that the person will pay, probably won't complain, and will be done without controversey...if I see somebody with really low feedback I know to make sure I get a confirmed shipping address, etc....so it has a purpose.

[Merlin1958]

I pretty much agree with that...I leave feedback for buyers because within the system it's the right thing do...but you're right that there's not actually a point.

Although, I like seeing that somebody with 75 or whatever positive feedback bid on my item...I can be confident that the person will pay, probably won't complain, and will be done without controversey...if I see somebody with really low feedback I know to make sure I get a confirmed shipping address, etc....so it has a purpose.

I agree. It does have some limited value.

[Stockerlone]

Don´t wanna tell details, I STILL have HOPE !!! But i think my MONEY is....

Last year NOVEMBER an tdt member offered some sig lim books. We emaild a lot, inkl pics....
I ordered 2 signed limited books for a nice price, inkl inshured delivery from USA to Germany.
The only Small thing... he want/need the full amount before delivery. I think a little time about that, in more then 20 years collecting books wordwide NOTHING bad happend to me, WHY with an tdt member
The seller reduced the price a little bit, i pay pal him the money and i offered him, when the books arrive, an extra payment....
Then i wait.... 2 weeks Dezember.. snow.... 4 weeks i ask him, hi says it´s on the way 6 weeks ....8 weeks
i asked him again again, and then he answered that he THINK that he don´t send the parcle inshured...
I asked him the again again again about all delivery details but... now 10 1/2 weeks ... NO answer....
In the last time, he was not aktive at tdt, and 2 1/2 weeks no answer to my mails.....

I STILL HAVE HOPE..... But 10 1/2 weeks delivery between USA and Germany. ???
Horse-drawn carriage in the USA, then sailing ship and Horse-drawn carriage accross Europe ???

[Pasiuk57]

I mail a TON of stuff to friends in Germany
believe me, EVERYTHING now goes only one way to Germany and that is by air and air alone.
Books now cost more to ship to UK, Europe, even Canada as you can only ship them by air.
If you don;t get it in 10 days, that is weird. I mail a bunch of stuff to Wuppertal and they get it super fast.
Trouble....

[Stockerlone]

Yes, i become a lot of -- BOOKS-- from the USA... Del. time is always arround 2 weeks.
But this one....

Think the post have SOME problems... 2 other books from the usa, the bookdealer send them, regarding of
the delivery cost´s in TWO parcels- same sice , same day, same minute... and the delivery time was 2 WEEKS apart !!!

An other ´stupid´ parcel from the UK is since 12 in an other city... It´s tracked and i can see, it is NOT comming....

I WANT MY BOOKS.... Or .... for my 10 1/2 week books -Books OR MONEY !!!

[Randall Flagg]

I ordered two Calendars from Poland in December, 2010 and they never came. At least the seller kindly refunded my money.

[goathunter]

I've heard lots of people complain about slow delivery times in the U.S. from overseas lately. I'm waiting for an Amazon UK order that shipped a month ago. They normally take about a week, but I've read that things are very slow making their way through U.S. Customs for the past month or two. I also have some books from France that haven't arrived yet, two weeks after they were shipped. And I chose the faster Airmail for those....

Hunter

[WeDealInLead]

Stockerlone,

Spill the beans so no one else gets burned.

[Clacke]

I wouldn't give up hope yet, Stockerlone. I think the dreadful weather throughout December in Europe has caused serious problems to the postal service everywhere. My mother sent a box full of Christmas presents from Ireland to my brother in Germany for his two children. It was posted in the first week of December, it arrived.......yesterday!

[Room 217 Caretaker]

I'm still waiting on a box from the UK that was shipped December 1st.

Mulleins
Cumberland VA