Hey Frank, thanks for your advice on growing up. I'll take it especially serious since it comes from the most mature and manliest member of this forum.



Oh, wait! Now I remember something strange ... weren't you the guy who sold himself a "Lost Tamoachan" worth around 800 € in an eBay auction not even a year ago? Acting as a buyer with one of your fake eBay user names you sold it to another of your fake ebay user IDs for the princely sum of 5 US$. This happened 17 seconds after the start of the auction with the "buy it now" button. After this cunning deed, you posted to the NG to see what would happen. Yeah, Frank the Man you're a real grown-up!



Now let's see, how you "admitted your mistake when it was explained to you that it was wrong". On Jul 31 you wrote: "Yup, it's against eBay policy. OK, I change my vote. It is wrong to shill bid."



WOW!!! Now after reading that again, I instantly feel how deeply you were convinced that what you did was wrong. It becomes clear how much you wished to be able to undo the evil things you have done. Especially when you added two days later: "The speculation about my older accounts is amusing, and I think I will let it stand as is without clarification."



Frankie-boy, who's ever gonna trust a person who changes his opinions and eBay IDs as quickly as other people their underwear? The only thing you've got is your knowledge on collecting and your collection. As for character, you're a complete failure.

Whoaaa - get away from me!

Hey Phrank,



you may be dreaming about it, but I'm really not into men.

>Besides, probably 70% of payments now are through Paypal, and unless >the seller provides a traceable method of shipping (delivery confirmation, >insurance slip over $50, etc) then for 30 days he's on the hook for the >entire amount whether it arrived or not. I learned this the hard way after a >buyer got his item, decided it wasn't what he wanted, then cancelled the >Paypal transaction (instead of asking for a refund or credit, of course)...and >since the package had no DC or insurance I had no recourse, even though >he had sent me an email saying he recieved the item.



Isn't this another reason for the seller not to leave feedback until after the buyer does (or until after the 30 days has passed!)?

lawrenson wrote:In our business, we do get the occasional lost item, but only 1 or 2 a year.



Cheers,

Malcolm

Yes, and replacing/refunding those occasional lost items should be figured in as a cost of doing business...



Paul

tec-9-7 wrote:Yes, and replacing/refunding those occasional lost items should be figured in as a cost of doing business...

Yes, it is.  Although we send almost every package tracked, we dont always take out the extra insurance (the UK standard is £28) for items in the 30 - 70 range, but that loss is ours.



Cheers,

Malcolm

>No, it isn't. What some of you seem not to realize is that buyers take a huge >risk by sending their money for a product sight-unseen, based on nothing >more than the feedback a seller has. If a seller holds feedback 'hostage' >waiting for a positive, it dilutes the entire system.



But, if a buyer can rescind paypal payment for 30 days after the auction, isn't the seller taking a risk sending his merchandise? What recourse does he have if the buyer rescinds payment, unless he can leave negative feedback?

Wouldn't the thread of negative payment make a buyer less likely to rescind payment?



Now, I haven't sold anything on ebay in six months or so, so I might not be thinking about this clearly. Also, I tend to think the process is different for large scale sellers, and low scale sellers (like me) who are just selling used household items. I don't think I would refund payment to some one who wasn't happy with the item description - I list item descriptions with loads of detail, and I feel it's the buyer's responsibility to email the seller if they have any questions. I would only give a refund if the buyer shipped the item back to me (at their cost). At the volume and price of the items I sold at (very low), it's not worth it to me to give a refund where I have to eat shipping costs. That said, I've had very few problems with people. I had one buyer who emailed me after the auction ended and said "this item better be in good shape". I had listed the item quality carefully in the description, and he could have emailed me if concerned. So of course, I didn't leave him positive feedback until he left feedback for me first. I don't worry about offending repeat buyers because the number of items I sell is so low that chances are I'll never have another repeat buyer anyway.  Also, I usually charge $1.00 for handling costs. I feel this is reasonable for the amount of time it takes me to package the item (I package very carefully). BUT, I always list this in the auction. The buyer should just deduct $1.00 from the amount they are willing to bid.

zhowar1 wrote:But, if a buyer can rescind paypal payment for 30 days after the auction, isn't the seller taking a risk sending his merchandise? What recourse does he have if the buyer rescinds payment, unless he can leave negative feedback?

Wouldn't the thread of negative payment make a buyer less likely to rescind payment?

The buyer takes the first risk and is therefore entitled to good feedback if he/she pays promptly.  You can leave follow-up feedback if the buyer does something shady.



Like you, I don't sell much on ebay, but I still leave feedback as soon as I've been paid.  I maintain that it's the least I can do if someone blindly sends me money.



Paul

Youve convinced me, from now on I will leave +ve feedback on receipt of payment.