on 10-4-04 9:42 PM, Kathi Anderson at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > I've been using ebay for the last several months
snip > And you can easily check the record of the sellers to avoid being ripped off. Um, that's partially true at best... The problem with eBay is that there is nothing to stop people from leaving you "retaliatory" feedback if you decide to "neg" them. For me, this means that I don't dare leave negative feedback for a seller no matter *how* bad they are or how much "in the right" I might be. I just don't do business with them again. My feedback is immaculate (I've had more than 500 transactions) and I daren't do anything to jeopardize that. I'm sure I'm not the only person who feels this way. Likewise, for a seller, a buyer can "neg" you _even if they don't pay for the item_. It's incredible that eBay does nothing to change this. There's also the danger of someone's reputable eBay account being hacked (it's been done), or a bogus account being set up to sell a few high-end items before fleeing cyberspace. There are also people who set up "shill" accounts to either bid their own items up, or simply to "trade" favorable feedback with other people. The last time I looked, eBay did not require a credit card to establish an account with them, or take any meaningful security measures to keep naughty people from abusing accounts. >From my experience, eBay rarely cares about what goes on on their "trading platform," so long as they get their money. Read the eBay forums (click on the "site map" link) and check out some of the bitching; you'll be there awhile. But, being the 500-pound gorilla of the Internet auction business, eBay can do what it pretty much wants to and people will still do business there. Your best bet for Mac-related items would be the LEM Swap List. Yes, there might be a dork or two conducting business there, but from what I've seen, your chances of dealing with a fair-minded fellow/fellowette are better than dealing with the Jungle Known as eBay. And Swap listas are *not* afraid to put the smack down on naughty people. Word. My .005 cent, James Fraser -- G-List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- We have Apple Refurbished Monitors in stock! | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-List list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
