I see a lot of eBay slamming and this really bothers me.
PLEASE, don't be so quick to judge all eBayers by the actions of a few bad ones. Most of them are good people and some have no other options, for one reason or another. Some I've talked to over my years of buying/selling have had health problems which keep them in, or they are disabled and sitting at their computer. Selling on eBay is the only way they have to make a living. Others are just good folks trying to sell a few things they don't need, anymore, or using eBay to help them start up a solid internet business.
Due to my heart attacks in 2005, our business had to shift from local to online ONLY. We needed the income to help pay the medical bills and had to do what we could to bring in the extra. We had also just bought a new home, so we had extra bills there, too. Before my heart attacks, our old home was paid for and we had no medical bills. Afterward, the only way we could make ends meet was to start selling Gene's cues on eBay, because he had to stay home with me so much, that he was not able to be out selling cues on a regular basis. For the past 2 years, my health has been up and down, but we have managed. When there was going to be a delay in shipping, due to my inability to get to the post office, I always explained and everyone was very understanding. Most of our customers are repeat customers, which says something for our product and our service. We have had wonderful customers and great experiences with all of them. We've had only 2 or 3 bad situations come up and they were all settled quite easily.
Some advice on having a good experience on eBay...
1-- Check on the seller's feedback rating. Just because it's 100% doesn't mean he is always good. He may be one of those who shames his buyers into giving him good feedback, when he really didn't fulfill his end of the bargain. Sometimes, they "hold their feedback as ransom," so to speak, and a buyer wants good feedback, so he might be encouraged to leave good feedback for fear of receiving bad feedback. And, some people are just glad to give good feedback, because they FINALLY received their item, or something satisfactory.
2-- Look for repeat buyers. This is a fairly good sign that the seller is at least making a sincere effort to keep his customers happy and probably describes his/her product fairly accurately. Otherwise, buyers wouldn't be so likely to return.
3-- If you are hesitant about a seller, you may be having bad vibes for a good reason. Check with recent buyers (found on the feedback pages - click on their usernames) and ask what their experiences were and if they had any trouble with shipping or packaging, or dishonesty, etc..
4-- For the most part, you should only buy eBay items through eBay. eBay will protect you, to some extent. If a seller offers to close an auction to sell the item to you direct, there is nothing wrong with asking for a Buy It Now auction at the agreed on price, to protect both you and the seller. If the seller balks at this, there's always a chance it's because of the fees he'll have to pay, but it's worth it, if you're spending very much money.
Also, keep in mind that everyone can have a bad day and a bad situation... even sellers. You may (unfortunately) be on the receiving end of one of those. It may be the first time a seller has had a tough situation, which can be very scary to a seller who wants to keep a good reputation, but isn't sure how to treat the situation.
Some folks work very hard to build a good reputation, only to have it torn down by someone who is upset and doesn't think before he/she goes around spreading the news. This can be devastating to someone who has put their lives into their work. Please think before you slam someone. What if it was you? How would you feel? Yeah, you might do it differently, but under the pressure of the situation, it's not always as easy to make some decisions.
eBay isn't a bad place. It has many more good people than bad ones. Do what you can to protect your own transactions and you'll have a much more pleasant experience. Buying pool cues and supplies can be expensive and it is always wise to be cautious with so much money, unless you just don't care. (If that's the case, PLEASE send some my way!
)
Renee' (Gene's wife)
PLEASE, don't be so quick to judge all eBayers by the actions of a few bad ones. Most of them are good people and some have no other options, for one reason or another. Some I've talked to over my years of buying/selling have had health problems which keep them in, or they are disabled and sitting at their computer. Selling on eBay is the only way they have to make a living. Others are just good folks trying to sell a few things they don't need, anymore, or using eBay to help them start up a solid internet business.
Due to my heart attacks in 2005, our business had to shift from local to online ONLY. We needed the income to help pay the medical bills and had to do what we could to bring in the extra. We had also just bought a new home, so we had extra bills there, too. Before my heart attacks, our old home was paid for and we had no medical bills. Afterward, the only way we could make ends meet was to start selling Gene's cues on eBay, because he had to stay home with me so much, that he was not able to be out selling cues on a regular basis. For the past 2 years, my health has been up and down, but we have managed. When there was going to be a delay in shipping, due to my inability to get to the post office, I always explained and everyone was very understanding. Most of our customers are repeat customers, which says something for our product and our service. We have had wonderful customers and great experiences with all of them. We've had only 2 or 3 bad situations come up and they were all settled quite easily.
Some advice on having a good experience on eBay...
1-- Check on the seller's feedback rating. Just because it's 100% doesn't mean he is always good. He may be one of those who shames his buyers into giving him good feedback, when he really didn't fulfill his end of the bargain. Sometimes, they "hold their feedback as ransom," so to speak, and a buyer wants good feedback, so he might be encouraged to leave good feedback for fear of receiving bad feedback. And, some people are just glad to give good feedback, because they FINALLY received their item, or something satisfactory.
2-- Look for repeat buyers. This is a fairly good sign that the seller is at least making a sincere effort to keep his customers happy and probably describes his/her product fairly accurately. Otherwise, buyers wouldn't be so likely to return.
3-- If you are hesitant about a seller, you may be having bad vibes for a good reason. Check with recent buyers (found on the feedback pages - click on their usernames) and ask what their experiences were and if they had any trouble with shipping or packaging, or dishonesty, etc..
4-- For the most part, you should only buy eBay items through eBay. eBay will protect you, to some extent. If a seller offers to close an auction to sell the item to you direct, there is nothing wrong with asking for a Buy It Now auction at the agreed on price, to protect both you and the seller. If the seller balks at this, there's always a chance it's because of the fees he'll have to pay, but it's worth it, if you're spending very much money.
Also, keep in mind that everyone can have a bad day and a bad situation... even sellers. You may (unfortunately) be on the receiving end of one of those. It may be the first time a seller has had a tough situation, which can be very scary to a seller who wants to keep a good reputation, but isn't sure how to treat the situation.
Some folks work very hard to build a good reputation, only to have it torn down by someone who is upset and doesn't think before he/she goes around spreading the news. This can be devastating to someone who has put their lives into their work. Please think before you slam someone. What if it was you? How would you feel? Yeah, you might do it differently, but under the pressure of the situation, it's not always as easy to make some decisions.
eBay isn't a bad place. It has many more good people than bad ones. Do what you can to protect your own transactions and you'll have a much more pleasant experience. Buying pool cues and supplies can be expensive and it is always wise to be cautious with so much money, unless you just don't care. (If that's the case, PLEASE send some my way!
)Renee' (Gene's wife)
