Is Ebay fair or not?

[SoCalIra]

Has anyone recently had trouble buying or selling on Ebay? I've noticed alot of flaky stuff going on with Ebay and was wondering if anyone else has horror stories about Ebay?

[Rick (NorCal)]

I've recently heard about a scam that's going on where a buyer wins an item, the item is shipped from the seller, and then the buyer immediately claims they didn't receive it... The seller loses the item and the buyer is refunded their payment.

I don't know the details, but it sounds like this is one of the Ebay gaps (hope they fix it). Maybe someone else in the forum has more details...

Rick

[esteponapj]

I have been selling and buying on e-bay for at least 4 years. My wife is an "e-bay queen" with 500 feedbacks. She has had some trouble with people not paying, but nothing big. I have never, knock on wood, had a bit of trouble. I have just under 100 feedbacks. I've sold a motorcycle and a metal detector to someone in London, among other items, on e-bay.
Hint - just be careful. Look at the feedback. Buyer beware.
It's a jungle out there, but if you keep your wits about you, you can score some great items and, if you want to sell stuff, make some money too.
Peter

[LodiTom]

Go with what Peter said check the seller/buyer's feedback.I just recently bought some coin's through a guy in Oregon,I e-mailed him after I didn't receive my purchase in a week.Know the one thing is I had delt with this guy before and when you purchase from him he has it to you with in 2-3 day's.He e-mailed me promply with a reply,I wasn't the only one that didn't receive there's.He checked with the postal service and they had lost them.He had tracking code's on them,so that way he would be able to check and see if they were received or not.HH,Tom

[mayumi1]

To protect yourself,

1) When selling, do not ship without the cash in your hands, always with tracking, and youll never get stiffed. Non-paying bidders are a minor hassle, Ebay will refund its fees if you file a complaint.

2) When buying, there are always risks. Look at the feedback of the seller. Never buy big ticket items without escrow. For small items, never buy something for 10 to 20% savings. Its not worth it. Return shipping will eat your savings should you opt for a return and sometimes you can't. Use Paypal for small items and use a credit card for big items.

Rgds, bing

[gerber]

I've been buying and selling on eBay for several years and am just shy of 400 on my feedback. All in all, I think eBay is a tremendous commercial forum. Yes, I've had a couple minor problems--a couple things never arrived and I've lately run into a couple non-paying (or late-paying) folks. However, with something like 550 total transactions, I'm actually pretty impressed by how smoothly everything works. As some have indicated, other problems may actually be with the post office, etc. I highly recommend eBay, but if you want a guaranteed, 100% problem-free purchasing environment, it's probably best to shop in person.

HH,

Dan

[TominSalinasCA]

I've bought and sold a few things on ebay, and never had a problem. If there are problems, it's no more than the few dolts who shoplift if you're at a flea market. I mean, sure, there's probably been some prob's in some people's transactions, but no different than the economy at-large. If you concentrate on all the "what if's" in life, you'll stay all day inside, and never leave the house

[sjbrian]

i have bought close to 100 items off of ebay. only had 1 that never arrived. i use German ebay sometimes, and have never had problems with overseas transactions. i've bought from dealers in england,spain,australia,peru and germany.