Done with Ebay knife buying

L

longbow

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I know you can get some good bargains and for the most part people are pretty cool when dealing with them. But I have wanted a bowie for a while and a classic looking one at that. Well last week took delivery of a Sheffield bowie. Paid a decent buck for it but when I rec. it it just wasn't up to snuff. Uneven clip grind with one side longer than the other, a rounded ball of steel on the point that wasn't sharp and lastly the buffalo horn handle that overran with material up by the guard. Definetly not even what I would consider worth what I paid for it.

So I contact the seller and explain it to him and he says cool send it back. SO the next day I send it back via USPS with tracking# etc. etc. He rec.'s it Sat. and says that he will send back funds on Mon. Well don't hear from him so I email him Mon., Tue., and Wed. Nothing from him not an acknowledgement he has rec. my emails or credit for the knife to me nothing. SO I email him again this a.m. to no avail. In my last email I told him I was gonna go through the complaint process with paypal too. So screw it I says and off to paypal I go and put a complaint against him. All of sudden a couple of emails from him stating I want a $600 knife for $175 etc. etc. I have a couple of more emails from him too that aren't so nice. Now I have to tell ya I can be an ******* and not a nice kind of guy when the need arises. Thankfully 99.9% of the time I am a pretty laid back. In this case I have been nothing but professional with a very calm demeanor and not trading insults with him etc. I even have the emails to prove it.

At this point I want my dough back and don't get how I in a couple of minutes I can paypal someone the funds and they can't do it back. Just don't understand it. I have been around cutlery long enough to know what is a good knife and what ain't. Anyone on this forum would have sent the knife back as it just wasn't up to snuff. I am also waiting on another refund from a forumite here and haven't rec. that as of yet either. Won't mention any names as he assures me my check is in the mail. I don't know just kind of bummed I have all these funds tied up and nothing to show for it. End of rant. Done with ebay buying and will stick with the forums. Much better for the most part and the people are honest to a fault here. keepem sharp
 
One thing to consider before buying on eBay, post the auction here and have others look at it for an opinion. Bernard Levine even offers this is a service on his website. I know it's too late now, but it might be something to keep in mind.

Maybe if you posted the auction # here, someone can give you some real info on the knife you bought and returned. Maybe some authenticity problems with the knife that you could use when you file an eBay complaint or communicate with the seller next time.

Best Luck,
Bob
 
i have never gotten anything from ebay and i guess i wont be anytime soon i just dont trust people for all i know they could be sending me a brick, and i can imagine all the hassles getting that money back. :barf:
 
This was a prod. bowie from I belive James Sheffield and sons. Not a big deal but a very trad. looking bowie. Just what I wanted til I rec. it. Should have went with an OVB by Camillus. Live and learn. keepem sharp
 
I usually have pretty good experience with the people I buy from on eBay, but I only buy expensive pieces from makers I've used before.
 
Sounds like you got a stinker of a knife, and a stinker of a seller.

I've bought most of my knives from ebay. AFCK, SOG Bowies, a couple of Fisk OVB's, CUDA Maxx, CRKT KFF's (all 6 of them), CS Vaquero Grande, CS Trailmaster, CS XL Voyager, a RANDALL Bear Bowie (a Randall for cryin' out loud)....

All of these knives are still in my collection, see regular use, and I haven't had a problem with any of them or the sellers I bought them from.

Here's what I do:

1) I generally buy PRODUCTION pieces on ebay.

2) If I'm buying a semi-custom, I really talk to the seller a LOT. This shows me how knowledgeable he is of the VALUE of what he's selling, so I'm not getting a knock-off. I did this with the Randall, and this guy knew his Randalls.

But I also do this to develop trust with a seller, so that I know that I won't get screwed. So far it's worked.

3) I only buy from people with 99% ratings and up, with NO complaints against them. If I buy from someone with a complaint, I examine the nature of the complaint, and go from there.

I'm sorry to hear about your hassles, and it's unfortunate that this has happened to you. Sometimes these things just can't be avoided, despite what cautionary measures we take. However, I hope you find my suggestions helpful for the future.
 
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First, all the seller has to do is click on a refund button on his account on paypal, and the money returns to you, and paypal charges no fee, so you lose nothing. If he sends you a refund as a payment to you, you lose a paypal fee.
Second, always pay on paypal with your credit card. If it all goes bad, you can always charge back via the credit card.

Sorry for you misery, as it is a royal pain in the behind when some one acts in a manner unlike you do.

Best of luck,
Rich
 
Supposedly he told someone via email, I was cc'd on it to pay me. That was early this p.m. Like around 1230 hours. Haven't had a hit yet on my paypal acct. It is kind of funny the stuff he wrote. I know I was pissing him off by being so cordial. Don't want anything to queer the deal with my refund. I have his home phone and address too. I will reveal the vendor when the refund goes through. Its only a 175 bucks but it is my money and I want it. Don't see anything wrong with that. Haven't rec. my refund from another deal yet either. That was for a knife I never got. Been going on almost 3 wks now. Still waiting but hopefully the check is in the mail. This fella has a pretty good rep on the forums too so I will wait and see. If nothing happens because I paid through paypal like an ******* well I'll do something just don't know what. keepem sharp
 
I have had pretty good luck with fixed blades from eBay. Only one problem - a khukuri whose length was misrepresented (He measures "length" by measuring the distance around the curve rather than in a staright line. :confused: )

When it comes to old slipjoints, there were a number of problems - enough that I gave up. For example, a knife represented as having no cracks in the scales had serious cracks that had been sloppily "repaired" - sorta. A knife said to have "no rust" was a pitted mess -- photographed with back-lighting to hide the deep pitting. An "excellent" early locking knife with locks said to work "perfectly" had both locks broken and the blades rusted closed. ETC.
And these guys had 99% feedback records, so go figure.
 
Well got my refund. The dealer goes by the name of Capt. Chuck. He is one Chuck Bills. I still don't get it. It had to take him all of a few seconds to do the refund. He sells a ton of knives it seems. He has neg. feedback but for the number of transactions he does although the feedback number may be high as a number it is not high as a percentage. Hey got my dough back and I am a happy camper. Now waiting on the other. I should add I picked up a D.R. Goode damascus bowie period correct camp knife that is a work of art. Even has a rounded spine. The thing is superb. Paid slightly more than i did for the Sheffield Bowie and truthfully no comparison at all. Amazing what a skilled smith can do. I just like looking at it. keepem sharp
 
Yes, Captain Chuck... He was running an auction for a Mission knife w/ A2 tool steel blade a few months ago. His ad was for a titanium knife as we went on and on about corrosion resistance. Anyway, I sent an e-mail saying his auction was misleading, and back came this nasty response. LOL!! I'll never deal with him.

whitie
 
Have you considered giving Chuck negative feedback? Of course, he is going to return the favor but it would give future buyers a clue, though sadly a lot of them don't read seller's feedback before they get screwed in one or more of the many ways a seller can rip off a buyer. Don't get a warm fuzzy feeling when ebay tells you they are looking into the situation. Also, send his nasty e-mails to ebay and tell them you don't appreciate this sort of response to your situation.

BTDT,
Carl HK
 
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