Second question: Did you examine the headers of the email to be sure they came from ebay?
IL Bill On Wednesday, January 14, 2004, at 04:00 PM, Paul Stenquist wrote:
I'm the seller. And I'm scrupulous :-). My complaint is that ebay accepted a "buy it
now" bid, and this was not a buy it now auction.
"Rothman, Aric" wrote:
If you get no satisfaction, would you share the eBay ID of the seller? It's good to know from who to say away.
There is a serious flaw in the feedback system at eBay. Unscrupulous
sellers can hold you as a feedback "hostage." That is to say, they will
not supply feedback to a completed transaction until you do. That way,
they can retaliate with negative feedback if they swindle you and you
leave negative feedback for them.
One eBay seller (and sizeable brick and mortar dealer) is Zeff Photo. Last time
I checked, they have 100% positive feedback. They shouldn't. I purchased
a Bronica EC with lens from them, and paid immediately using a method they would
accept. That should equate to immediate positive feedback for me. I held
up my end of the transaction. The camera and lens has several immediately obvious
defects not disclosed, and it locked up after a few shutter triggers.
I obtained return authorization and had it shipped back via FedEx. I was
contacted a few days later and was informed the damage was due to RETURN trip
to Zeff, and I would have to make a claim. Since I am not aware of any temporal
anomalies in the vicinity which would cause damage manifest a few days earlier
to have a cause several days later, I was skeptical, to say the least.
Long story short, I got a refund, but not for the significant shipping charges
accumulated during the whole ordeal. Their eBay guy told me I was "lucky" and he
was "doing me a favor." Some favor, to the tune of $45 lost to unnecessary shipping
expense
Zeff Photo has a good reputation, but the guy
who managed the eBay department did not give me a square deal, and he engages in
this feedback withholding strategy I describe. I am in feedback limbo with them.
Aric
-----Original Message----- From: Paul Stenquist [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2004 3:45 PM To: pentax discuss Subject: OT: A bizarre ebay experience.
I'm very POed at ebay. Among other items, I listed a Spotmatic Motor
Drive camera and 50mm lens on ebay the other night. I set a
first bid of
$375 and did not specifiy a buy it now price or a reserve.
Last night I
received a notice that the camera had been purchased on a buy
it now bid
by someone in Japan. I have tried replying to the ebay message to
indicate that there is some kind of mistake. I've filed a report with
their mediation service, and I've written the purported
buyer. All to no
avail. I've heard from no one, and my auction has been down for almost
20 hours. What's more, a list member had hoped to purchase the camera
and had planned to bid on the last day. I don't know how to resolve
this.
