Originally Posted by
Paul Kinzer
I feel a bit hesitant to write this, but I find it odd that folks are commenting on an entire nation's selling habits. Would we say, 'What do you think of USA sellers on eBay?' Cultures do differ, but this just seems odd to me.
I've bought and sold thousands of things on eBay, and have had -- at a guess -- 98% positive experiences. I definitely recall the negative experiences more than the positive ones, and most of them happened early in my eBay experience. I've become, I think, far better at noticing and avoiding poor sellers (some of them crooked; most just ignorant). There are lots of 'tells' that show whom to stay away from. I reported an ad just yesterday, and it was pretty quickly removed. I've often written to folks who had mistakes in their ads, and pretty much all of them responded with thanks.
I've also become more knowledgeable about the things that I am searching for, so can tell, most of the time, if something is what I actually want. Or, if I'm not quite sure, I ask lots of questions. Then, if I still miss something, and the item -- typically a camera or lens -- arrives with issues, sellers are almost always willing to give me a partial refund. I find this especially true of sellers overseas, since return shipping costs are often not worth the effort. Sellers know, or quickly find out, that eBay pretty much always sides with buyers, so getting something is better than getting nothing. Since I repair old cameras, it's usually acceptable to get one that ends up as a parts body. I know that's not true for most buyers.
My biggest problem has not been with sellers, but with buyers. My own ads are way more descriptive and complete than most on eBay because I've learned that this is the best way to avoid buyers who expect perfection and complain when they don't get it. But even this has not been that big a problem. One reason I buy and sell on eBay is that I meet lots of great folks. The few jerks do grate on my faith in people, but they're made up for by the enthusiastic folks who are glad to deal with someone honest and interested in the same things they are.
Of course, this is all just my own thoughts and experiences. If I had seen a post like this at another time, I wouldn't have been so positive.
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