I believe I am done with on line auctions

[Byte 2.0]

Second bad experience in just a couple months if this one ends up going sour.

Recently I placed 2 bids on ebay and won both.
Both had good feed back.
I have received 1 item and been trying to follow up on the other one. I won it on the 22th of Feb and the seller told me on the 24th it would be shipped that week. I had paid him with paypal.

Well I have been trying to get a hold of him for a couple days now and no replies to my emails. I then noticed in the past couples days he had gotten 2 Negative feed backs.

Then on my item page, noticed a link that it or an item like it had been re listed. clicked on it and found another guy that won same item or one like it 3 days after myself. His auction was started a few hours after mine ended on the 22nd and ended on the 25th.

So now i am left wondering if he is just listing and collecting the cash and not shipping.

I know this, in the future if I bid on anything else, I am going to insist on payment though US mail and money orders so that I have the persons mailing address.

If I dont' have contact with him or my item by tomorrow I will be reporting to paypal and ebay but I dont' expect much to happen.

[Panama Red]

Your experiences just reinforce my decision to never get involved with online auctions or pay pal.

[LawyerRon]

The good deals are few and far between on Ebay nowadays; most auctions are inflated by "shill" bidders anyway. Sure, you can get lucky and find a good deal here and there if you've got the time, but for my money, and especially when it comes to computer parts, ebay is a waste of time.

[lil Jimmie]

I feel the same way about online auctions as Red does and I don't need to go through what Byte has been through

[morriswindgate]

I have never understodd people buying so called new computer parts on E_Bay. The prices are not that good and from what I have seen from what other people have bought, many times the stuff looks like it was stored in a outside shed with a leaky roof.
The only thing I ever bought off of E-Bay was a used HP Laserjet 4+ which I did not bid on, but instead went to the listers homepage and purchased.

[HAL9000]

I've never once thought about buying on e-bay.... done a very small amount of online shopping... I still prefer to walk into a place and see what I'm getting for my money.

[Xayd]

Forums >>> Ebay

There is no credibility in E-Bay, since they do not police their own feedback system.

Forum traders are policed by themselves to an extent. Hell the Anandtech forums even have a postal inspector on there that will slap those punks with mail fraud if they rip people off.

[Byte 2.0]

I would not have considered buying computer parts from ebay. What I had bid on was a set of DVDs.

[oddjob]

I've had 2 bad purchases on ebay.

The first one was a wristwatch that ended up not being in "mint condition" as described; cost me another $35 to get a new strap from the manufacturer in Hong Kong. I wasn't willing to get a generic replacement from wherever. Definitely not impressed there.

The second one, I filed a complaint for non-delivery of goods and to Paypal for a refund. The seller never responded to the complaint, I got my money back, and then got the items (which were junk and not as pictured, and broke in 2 days) two weeks later.

I'd have to say though, my experiences have been worse with buyers. I think ebay is just a big internet garage sale, but they have a feedback system for a reason. How can one establish their reputation as a seller when the buyers don't leave feedback? I now tell buyers that I will leave positive feedback after the transaction has been completed, and I know they've received the item in good order and have left feedback for me. I'll keep selling until I've reduced my stockpile of old electronics, but I'll be done with selling too, once I've cleared the clutter.

[dldz]

I had a problem last year with a seller and used payPals mediation service and got my $$$$ back within 24 hrs.
Good luck !
Don

[tomster2300]

Never buy pc parts off ebay. You never know what you're getting. I was afraid at first of buying off newegg.com, but have found they have exceptional service. Ebay is for trash.

[mattg2k4]

I've never bought PC parts, but I have had great success buying hundreds of dollars worth of electronic components, such as big capacitors, SCRs, and magnet wire, that would have cost much more had I purchased them new. It could be though that there are fewer scams in that category, simply because not many people are interested in that kind of stuff.

[james8547]

Well, it looks like I am one of the lucky few. I buy a handful of stuff from eBay for myself and supplies for the company I work for. I usually buy toners, & anime dvds.

The only bad experience I had so far was 3 ink ribbons were no-good plus some vendors don't leave feedback. I don't care about the ribbons since the other 5 were good. Retail price of the ribbons were $20 each plus S&H. I got the ribbons from eBay for $2.50 each so I still got a good deal.

[Clover]

I love ebay. I get alot of books from there.

[beckx020]

I'm very careful on what I buy on ebay. The only time I've been ripped off was buy vacume cleaner bags for a very old one that I couldn't get them anywhere else.

I've also had the seller CHANGE what I was bidding on in the middle of the auction. If you put in a bid make sure they don't change before the end.

Mean as it sounds, I always ask a question before bidding. If the seller doesn't respond quickly, I do not bid.

[Byte 2.0]

Well, I finally got the item from an outstanding ebayer. in the mean time I brought it from another person and received the second one and totally watch it a few days ago..

[doctorgonzo]

I haven't had any problems buying anything on Ebay. Selling is another matter.

Perhaps it is based on what I choose to buy. I almost never buy computer parts (although I just bought a laptop, which is an exception). For the most part, no computer parts on Ebay are cheaper than what you can get at newegg, so there is no point in taking the risk. However, when I have bought books, auto parts, tools, and similar items, I have never had any problems.

Deadbeat bidders are a far larger problem in my experience.

[Parangles]

Do not buy new stuff- " such a deal " from 'vendors'. Buy from
people who are selling odds and ends that they own or have bought at garage sales, or inherited from relatives etc.
Look at what other stuff they are selling. If its only stuff similar to what you are interested in, forget it.
There is buyer remorse and there is also seller remorse-
" darn- I should have put a reserve ! " Neither should be tolerated.
Overall my experience has been good.
Buy from Parangles (35) positive feedacks ! with confidence !
Ebay is a great resourse- but- it needs some competition .

[RobH]

I am guilty of buying a set of Ping golf clubs on ebay-and yes I got a good deal,but when it comes to computer components-I have gotten it down to a very select few places. I on occasion will buy off of forums small items for my self,but when building for others I generally go to Newegg or Mwave.
But the golf clubs rock!