New e-bay subject

I have never used e-bay to buy or sell and had considered doing so.
Having read the varius threads on the message boards I am now
convinced that I should NEVER even consider it!! How does a beginner
ever even start to find his way through the minefield that is out
there in e-bayland without having his foot ( or wallet)blown off?

My son has just purchased a large radio controlled model boat on e-Bay
( nothing to do with stamps! ) and he was able to collect it and pay
the man cash and see what he was paying for.If the item had not been
as described he could have refused to pay. Doing business by
mail,especially intercontinental, you can't do that, so it is caveat
emptor with a vengeance.

Am I being unnecessarily pessimistic.

Regards

Malcolm

PS To cheer myself and everyone else up my son got a brilliant deal -
and it was his first time too!

" ...Am I being unnecessaroly pessimistic ? ... "
..
Yes you are.
..
I have bought many stamps, reference books and catalogs on eBay and only
had one problem which was in the method of shipping and not the ite
..
Start slowly and with a couple of small purchases. Check the feedback..
Read the terms and conditions. Be wary of people with lots of feedback
problems. Be wary of sellers who have long detailed lists of conditions
and caveats. Do not overbid.
..
Use some common sense.\.\
..
Charlie Jensen
..
By all means remember what your mother told you. If it looks too good to
be true, it most likely is and more importantly the P.T.Barnum dictum, "
...You can't cheat an honest man. ... ".


m.


Live right,
Eat right,
Exercise ... ... ... Die anyway !

I have sold a few items on eBay, as has my wife. I have bought many stamps,
covers and postcards.

The only "problem" I had was when I bought a set of Italian stamps that was
not described accurately. More accurately, the description was brief. The
single adjective was "used". And the stamps *were* used. Many of them were
in pretty bad shape, and I threw them away (sorry about that, crafters!).
However, I was able to complete the used set I was working on. Not bad for a
buck plus postage. And I don't think the seller was being dishonest. He
owned an antique store, and just happened to come across the stamps. He
obviously didn't know much about philately, and I bid on the stamps knowing
that I might not be completely happy with the purchase.

Anyway, my experience with eBay has been almost wholly positive. Sellers
have been honest and for the most part very easy to deal with. It is frankly
much more difficult to deal with the indifferent customer service I find in
most walk-in, brick-and-mortar stores, and that includes some stamp shops.
Paypal, for my money, is a wonderful way to pay for purchases; I don't sell
enough to warrant signing up as a seller.

Bob Ingraham

From: (malcolm hirst)
Organization: http://groups.google.com/
Newsgroups: rec.collecting.stamps.discuss
Date: 6 Jul 2003 01:06:14 -0700
Subject: New e-bay subject

I have never used e-bay to buy or sell and had considered doing so.
Having read the varius threads on the message boards I am now
convinced that I should NEVER even consider it!! How does a beginner
ever even start to find his way through the minefield that is out
there in e-bayland without having his foot ( or wallet)blown off?

My son has just purchased a large radio controlled model boat on e-Bay
( nothing to do with stamps! ) and he was able to collect it and pay
the man cash and see what he was paying for.If the item had not been
as described he could have refused to pay. Doing business by
mail,especially intercontinental, you can't do that, so it is caveat
emptor with a vengeance.

Am I being unnecessarily pessimistic.

Regards

Malcolm

PS To cheer myself and everyone else up my son got a brilliant deal -
and it was his first time too!

"malcolm hirst" wrote in message
om...


Am I being unnecessarily pessimistic.

Regards

Malcolm

I've had great success with my ebay purchases. Just take time to do a
little research---like checking feedback; know something about the item(s)
you want to bid on---like the real value for its condition, so you can judge
whether the opening bid is out of line or not; and above all, ask questions
of the seller about the condition of the item(s), payment options, etc.
Most will reply fairly quickly and it establishes a good line of
communication that usually is greatly appreciated. Based on these factors,
you will be armed with enough information that you can make an intelligent
decision on bidding. Then, set (in your mind) a maximum bidding level and
stick to it. If you are smart (and a little lucky sometimes) you can get a
tremendous bargain. Be sure to give feedback to the seller after the
transaction has been completed and you have the item(s) in hand.

Mike

Hi Malcolm:

I have been on both sides of the fence and I think that most sellers
will bend over backwards to satisfy the customer. The advice about
reading the previous feedback for a seller is good advice! I have
personally had many flawless transactions...

Best Wishes,
John

John C. Knudsen
Quick and Easy Stamp Auctions
"Exclusively Philatelic"
http://www.quickandeasystampauctions.com

(malcolm hirst) wrote in message . com...
I have never used e-bay to buy or sell and had considered doing so.
Having read the varius threads on the message boards I am now
convinced that I should NEVER even consider it!! How does a beginner
ever even start to find his way through the minefield that is out
there in e-bayland without having his foot ( or wallet)blown off?

My son has just purchased a large radio controlled model boat on e-Bay
( nothing to do with stamps! ) and he was able to collect it and pay
the man cash and see what he was paying for.If the item had not been
as described he could have refused to pay. Doing business by
mail,especially intercontinental, you can't do that, so it is caveat
emptor with a vengeance.

Am I being unnecessarily pessimistic.

Regards

Malcolm

PS To cheer myself and everyone else up my son got a brilliant deal -
and it was his first time too!