New EBay conditions

[swmcl]

Ebay has changed for me - an Australian. A very reliable buyer too I might add.

It used to be the case that I could still contact a seller who listed their stuff as 'US only'. Now I cant even contact them. I think the new policy is that when a seller says, 'US only' it also means you have to be in the US to be able to contact them.

What this means is I can't "encourage" someone who is a bit frail on the issue of overseas buyers.

What it also means is that the product will sell for less than it should've if left to an open market. Sometimes the difference can be more than 50% on a lot of LF gear. The decision to sell to the US only is amost invariably a financial decision. "Should I get half the money I could?"

Needless to say there are some who like it that way !! (You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink...)

[Ari]

Steve,
If you have a friend in the US, ask if you can use their address, but not for actually shipping anything. Once you have that address, go to your preferences in eBay, and make that US address your primary address.
You can then send a question to the US-only people; when you're done charming them into free shipping to Australia, just revert back to your regular address.

[eddie]

Actually the seller has the choice I just surfed by this setting the other day as I was updating my preferences. The option was "....allow buyers to contact you that are on your do not ship to setting"....or something like that

So basically I said it is okay to have a "contact seller" button for those on my shipping exclusion list.

[swmcl]

Well ... well ... thanks Ari

I need a friendly US contact !!

I wonder if the primary address is the shipping address ... ?

I think I'd rather pay someone to buy for me. Doesn't matter I'll get over it. Its just annoying that the issue arises. I guess its the same over here. I wouldn't think many Aussies would ship only to Australian addresses for any other reason than the fact that the shipping to anywhere else would be extortionate.

BTW, I'll certainly act as a go between for any LF guy the other way round.

[Michael W]

Good old ebay, always improving things.

[domaz]

This sounds like a great feature for buyers in the US. No foreign competition on LF items almost always ends up being a great deal. Of course it's supposed to be a seller feature not a buyer feature I suppose.

[rguinter]

Good old ebay, always improving things.

My sentiments and I sent them a couple of messages several years ago that they should fire all of their programmers and MBAs who keep on fixing things that "ain't broke."

But I'm in a stage now where I rarely use ebay for anything other than browsing. My last ebay purchase (of about a thousand) was sometime last year. I've bought a few LF things here from sellers both in the US and foreign.

But my philosophy with ebay has become mostly avoidance. They have evolved to the point where they are simply no longer the business model I want to do business with.

Bob G.

[Ari]

But my philosophy with ebay has become mostly avoidance. They have evolved to the point where they are simply no longer the business model I want to do business with.

Bob G.

I agree, Bob; but when you just gotta have Possum Sauce, where else you gonna go?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...#ht_500wt_1413

[rguinter]

I agree, Bob; but when you just gotta have Possum Sauce, where else you gonna go?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...#ht_500wt_1413

Never acquired a taste for it.

And I've always been proud of my avoidance abilities on things that many find addictive. To me anyway, there is little on ebay that I can't find elsewhere or simply do without. My LF kit is reasonably complete and my other hobbies wax and wane.

I'm now having fun with my 1997 Mustang GT 5-speed that I bought from a local dealer... must have been in a garage for years because it's showroom condition and 14,200 miles when I bought it.

Bob G.

[photobymike]

Steve,
If you have a friend in the US, ask if you can use their address, but not for actually shipping anything. Once you have that address, go to your preferences in eBay, and make that US address your primary address.
You can then send a question to the US-only people; when you're done charming them into free shipping to Australia, just revert back to your regular address.

As a experienced ebay seller i only send only to confirmed addresses in paypal. Your idea would raise flags with ebay paypal and sellers. By the way i have bought and sold to our friends down under:-) with no problems whatsoever. There is a large list of countries i don't send to however..... My favorite question i get when selling a laptop is: I am going to school in the Philippines but my ebay address is in New Jersey. Will you send to me at my school in Philippines? LOL LOL LOL ... If you are stupid enough to believe this, paypal will not cover your lose.

http://www.mikepic.com