[ForSale-Swap] Re: PayPal

[Jim Shorney]

On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 17:21:19 -0400, A10382 wrote:

>A very BIG difference is that at in-person auction, there is usually a 
>pre-auction examination time period to see and touch the item. 

True. Our State auctions have an inspection period the day before, and also
on the auction date before the starting time. This is both good and bad. I've
seen many instances of people removing computer parts and pocketing them
before the auction, so what was a complete and probably working system when
first inspected is rendered DOA before you buy it. They don't allow you to
open a computer to inspect it here anymore unless you are a regular and they
know you. But if you aren't a regular and they catch you, all you get is a
chewing out. And whoever bought the computer and didn't get what was
originally there just got ripped off.


>Farm 
>machinery and other vehicles are usually started and run for the potential 
>buyers so that they can see that the hay bailer will bail and the truck will 
>truck....


That's a good point. Vehicle auctions also usually require proof of purchase
before you can get off the lot with it.


>An e-Auction is generally an out-of-sight auction - unless you live or work 
>close enough tot he buyer to go see the item before bidding.

Another good point. All I'm saying is that, in my experience, I've gotten way
more bad stuff at in-person auctions than through eBay.  But in either case,
it pays to be a cautious buyer.


>Both of the major e-Auction sites do a fair job of weeding out sellers who 
>shill their own auctions with dummy bids, but it's not foolproof.  Like 
>every other enforcement venue, as the enforcer get smarter the cretin get 
>more devious.


And this is a lot more protection than you get at your run-of-the-mill
country auction.  Sotheby's (SP?) is another story, but I don't have the
budget to buy things that they auction....


>eBay and Yahoo are quick to point out they are an international company and 
>not just limited to US laws and regs.

So at that point, they are following the law, and it becomes a moral
decision. How to improve this situation?  I don't know.


>I've really tried to limit buying to hamfests (where you can always see and 
>fiddle with the item) .. I bring a 7AH 12V battery and an assortment of 
>cables if I'm looking for a specific radio as well as a long wire antenna 
>and a headset.

I've bought "works great" items at hamfests that hve issues, as I am sure
most of us have. IMO, that's something that goes with the territory. You have
to be prepered to spend only as much as you want (or can afford) to lose, and
allow for possible problems.


>For the most part, I've limited my on-line e-auction buying to relatively 
>low cost items that are otherwise not available and avoid things that can 
>still bought new in the retail marketplace.  I don't think I would ever buy 
>a $600+ used rig (boatanchor or solid-state) without first seeing and 
>testing it.. so I limit those sort of purchases to items that are within and 
>hour or 2 from me.  The only exception might be a seller on this list who 
>I've successfully dealt with in the past...


Agreed. Most of my eBay purchased tend to be parts (both computer and radio).


>What truly amazes me are the buyers who bid (for a used & unseen item) more 
>the current retail price for something that can still be purchased NEW at 
>retail.   This tells me the buyer has not taken the time to research the 
>item.


If there's only a few bucks difference, I buy retail to support local
businesses.


>Checking the closed auctions will tell you what these items are really 
>selling for (and not selling for if the buyer starts with a sale price 
>that's too high).


That is an excellent technique, and one that a lot of people aren't aware of.
 Thanks for pointing it out, Frank.


>I've also avoided sellers whose written terms and conditions are longer than 
>last year's Medicare Prescription Drug Act !  I'm looking for an individual 
>seller (and a ham), at a good & fair price, with reasonable shipping costs, 
>without having to hire an attorney to read the 2000 word 'contract' terms 
>that some sellers embed in their listing !


We're on the same page there. I also tend to avoid pages with annoying fancy
graphics and boilerplate listings, and so-called "power sellers" unless they
have stellar feedback. ALWAYS check the seller's feedback!

Here's a handy web site to check a user's negative feedbacks without having
to wade through all the feedbacks to find them:

http://www.toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs

73

-Jim


-- 
Jim Shorney      -->.<--Put complaints in this box
jshorney (at) inebraska.com
Ham Radio NU0C
Lincoln, NE, USA
EN10ps
http://incolor.inetnebr.com/jshorney/