Public Service Announcement - eBay complaints

[Wulf]

Someone has to say this.

When selling your knives on the internet, one way to avoid eBay problems is by not selling them on eBay.

If you do choose to sell them on eBay, and you get screwed, then complain about it there. You know the risks. You had the choice.

I for one don't have much sympathy for people who use eBay to sell, and Bladeforums to complain about it. We like to think of ourselves as a community, which is why problems of the nature often heard described by those who use eBay seldom occur here. If you want the benefits of dealing with a tight-knit community of good people, then confine your dealings to that tight-knit community of good people.

There. I said it. That is all...

 

[Architect]

Originally posted by Wulf
Someone has to say this.

When selling your knives on the internet, one way to avoid eBay problems is by not selling them on eBay.

If you do choose to sell them on eBay, and you get screwed, then complain about it there. You know the risks. You had the choice.

I for one don't have much sympathy for people who use eBay to sell, and Bladeforums to complain about it. We like to think of ourselves as a community, which is why problems of the nature often heard described by those who use eBay seldom occur here. If you want the benefits of dealing with a tight-knit community of good people, then confine your dealings to that tight-knit community of good people.

There. I said it. That is all...

Well, one Forumite's opinion.

I for one have bought and sold literally hundreds of knives over the past four years on Ebay, here and on other internet-based forums.

Of the very few problems I have encountered, I have had more of them on Bladeforums than anywhere else. These problems were ones of interpretation, not outright theft. My total number of unresolved (to my satisfaction) problems looks something like this.

Ebay = 1
BF = 3
USN = 0
KF = 0

I don't think it is a waste of bandwidth to provide general alerts here to other members that use Ebay, if that is your point.

It is not unreasonable to infer from your post that you would also like to exclude purchases from dealers from GB&U as well, since most (some have paid "dealer" dues here) of them are not part of this "tight knit community".

 

[Wulf]

eBay is a vast and impersonal market. Dishonest and flaky characters register anonymous usernames more frequently than any of us can keep up with them. The feedback system is inherently flawed, problems go unresolved, and those defrauded often find themselves with limited or no recourse.

These are risks we all assume when we venture over to that site.

Here, however, we recognize eachothers' names. We build relationships and reputations through our daily interactions - not just through commerce, but through discussion and a sharing of common interests.

However, complaining about a non-paying bidder in the GB&U strikes me as being in poor taste, particularly when the knife in question was never even offered in this forum's for sale area.

I find it both surprising and unfortunate that you have had such bad experiences on Bladeforums but not eBay. I have to ask, though - when you did have those bad experiences here, did you go to eBay to voice your complaints?

 

[j.h]

...good things about this particular forum is that its a great venue for all of us collectors and hobbyists to buy, sell, trade, and learn.

I, for one, value the GB&U warnings of bad dealings. I personally posted about a bad Ebay seller, and hope that it may help someone else from being ripped off by this individual.

There are bad folks in every arena. Here, Ebay and elsewhere.

Gee, if there was a GB&U forum on Ebay, I'd have certainly posted my problem there. I would also have posted here.

If someone like Architect has a bad dealing with someone on Ebay, I hope he would post a warning here.

This IS a community, but many of us play this game in the bigger picture, which includes other forums AND Ebay.

I'm not looking for your sympathy or anyone elses. Its like this, there are those who can learn from the pitfalls of others, and those who have to pee on the electric fence themselves. I'd just as soon not keep my head in the sand.

I'll continue to view Ebay at my leisure. You are perfectly in your right to never go there again...

 

[Keith Montgomery]

Personally, I want to be warned about dishonest people selling and purchasing knives, wherever they may be. Whining about problems with how ebay does things is another matter altogether. Everyone should go into dealings on ebay with their eyes wide open and the knowledge that there is a chance that they will be screwed and the knowledge that ebay will not be very helpful in resolving any problems that arise.

Tell me about problems with dishonest ebayers, but don't whine about how bad ebay is. When you decide to sell there you should do so knowing that ebay will be next to useless in helping you resolve whatever problems you may run into.