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Ebay annoyances


Butler Henderson
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Two aspects of Ebay listings and transactions are becoming increasingly annoying. In terms of listings the amount of Chinese based sellers that are showing when UK only has been selected, especially on electrical items. In terms of transactions sellers marking an item as being despatched when it has not. This came to a head the other week when after getting notified a live frog Peco Point had been despatched I then got a message from the seller that he actually had no stock. Offered a dead frog one instead which I rejected so I did get an immediate refund, Of course as Ebay thought the item had been despatched I eventually (as you cannot do it straight away) left neutral feedback. That resulted in an annoyed message from the seller - now wish I had left negative feedback.

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I think the only Chinese based sellers I've come across when UK only has been selected, are ones where they have stock in the UK. I'm a bit dubious about whether they're marked as despatched when the stock has actually been posted, or when they've told the warehouse to send it. I had one recently when I chased it after two weeks, only to receive a reply saying I need to allow up to 2 weeks, and to wait a bit longer. Two days later the item arrived, labelled Royal Mail 24! I've got another Chinese seller with UK stock delivery due tomorrow or Saturday, so I'm interested to see if it arrives on time.

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This is becoming common with companies claiming they are UK based and their Ebay listing seeming to confirm it yet the stock is actually in China and dispatched from there. The giveaway is the expected delivery time although I've had a couple recently that only said 2-3 days and they were marked as dispatched straight away only to turn up from foreign climes a couple of weeks later. Ebay won't chase straight away so your stuffed until feedback time.

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If someone is listed as being a member on China or has a business address in funny writing I just look elsewhere.

But they often have the best prices! Quite often the UK held stock is only a bit more than Chinese stock, and a fair bit less than UK sellers. I've bought a fair bit of electronics stuff from Chinese sellers, and even when things go wrong I've got my money back without too much hassle. It just takes a bit of time and persistence!

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But they often have the best prices! Quite often the UK held stock is only a bit more than Chinese stock, and a fair bit less than UK sellers. I've bought a fair bit of electronics stuff from Chinese sellers, and even when things go wrong I've got my money back without too much hassle. It just takes a bit of time and persistence!

They also have plenty of fake goods.

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I have good reason, indeed several good reasons, to be grateful to Far East traders with UK identities. Several of my Nikons and associated lenses have arrived via that route. The one that came marked DHL Hong Kong was a bit of a giveaway, though. 

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What annoys me mostr about ebay is their ability to duplicate offers.

 

You chose a sunbect - 7000 items listed,

So you set a sub-category to weed out (you hope) the rubbish) - 4500 items listed

So you set a sub-sub-category - 1050 items listed

no further sub-categories to refine the search, so you plough through.

 

And when you go through you find a whole raft you find a number of notable offers (and probably a whole lot more of less notable offers) turn up several times over the pages - indeed sometimes twice on the same page.

 

AS to Chinese offers, only once have I had to resort to such a purchase and this for Tamiya paints - I now no longer have a reliable shop within a 200 mile round trip.  Delivery was within a week, shipping costs were minimal and the paint is to the quality I would expect.

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Two aspects of Ebay listings and transactions are becoming increasingly annoying. In terms of listings the amount of Chinese based sellers that are showing when UK only has been selected, especially on electrical items. In terms of transactions sellers marking an item as being despatched when it has not. This came to a head the other week when after getting notified a live frog Peco Point had been despatched I then got a message from the seller that he actually had no stock. Offered a dead frog one instead which I rejected so I did get an immediate refund, Of course as Ebay thought the item had been despatched I eventually (as you cannot do it straight away) left neutral feedback. That resulted in an annoyed message from the seller - now wish I had left negative feedback.

 

As a seller I can answer part of your concern.

During the process of getting the buyers address details, I purchase through ebay, the postage and that automatically prints me a pre paid stamp and address label.

It then automatically updates my list of items I have despatched. (I assume the thought is that you need to wrap the item and box it up, so that you know the parcel weight and dimensions to get the correct postage) I then have up to the end of the next business day to get it to the post office before the stamp I've bought becomes invalid. 

Edited by beaumoc
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The original statement did refer to quality - illegal and fake don't qualify.

 

Ebay rules do allow as default non-UK sellers. Unfortunately it is not possible to make 'UK  only' a permanent setting and it has to be selected every time. (Putting (-XXX)* in the search may help.

 

* Where XXX is things not required e.g. 'Hornby (-Bachmann)' should weed out all those annoying multiple make headings.

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I never made reference to anything illegal or fake, but my interpretation of Crosland’s post may have been trying to suggest, claim or insinuate a slur about me, to which I am asking him to confirm if that’s what he was intending to do... as such a claim would need evidence in which to defend it.

 

His silence is deafening, but unsurprising.

 

I don’t really care but as the goal was open I thought i’d Challenge it any way :-)

time to move on.

 

Note smily.

Edited by adb968008
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I once bought a pair of high end Sony headphones via one of those UK fronts for an Asian seller. They were almost half the price of any UK or EU seller, were genuine and the sellers service was excellent. I'm cautious and there is some risk but a lot of the Chinese ad other Asian sellers offer excellent service providing genuine articles at very good prices.

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Ebay annoyance of the week - Buyers who seem utterly incapable of getting their own postal address right and/or never heard of correct capitalisation!!!!

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I don't care where it comes from as long as quality, price and delivery time meet my requirements.

 

I certainly agree with you providing it is not pretending to be something its not.

 

30 plus years ago we used to buy fake copies (especially when abroad) of something knowing they were fake copies just for a laugh. Trouble is that the world has moved on, least of all we now know more about copyrights, but most of all a lot of these activities are connected with criminal gangs, people trafficking etc 

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Happy to buy fake items or illegal copies then?

Was that a statement your trying to make ?

 

 

The question mark would tend to indicate that it's a question.

 

I never made reference to anything illegal or fake, but my interpretation of Crosland’s post may have been trying to suggest, claim or insinuate a slur about me, to which I am asking him to confirm if that’s what he was intending to do... as such a claim would need evidence in which to defend it.

 

His silence is deafening, but unsurprising.

 

Your silence in answer to my question is equally deafening :)

 

Is it surprising I have a life and do not check every forum, every day?

 

No intention to slur, just asking a simple question.

 

Fakes can be surprisingly good quality, even made in the same factories using the same components as the genuine article. The factory just happens to produce a few extra. Maybe they shouldn't be called fakes but they are sold through the grey market.

 

If you don't care where items come from, that's fine, but be prepared to be challenged as to what you may (albeit unwittingly) be buying.

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adb968008 can answer for himself, but I don't think people use Asian sellers because they want fake goods but rather because you can get some good buys. Are some of them selling fakes or additional product leaking from factories? No doubt yes, but a lot of them are perfectly legitimate sellers and the goods they sell are entirely legitimate. If I can buy a genuine item for an attractive price via an Asian seller then I certainly feel no guilt. If it arrived and was fake then one of the good things about EBay is the buyer protection, you can just send it back and raise it with EBay. I certainly wouldn't assume that all Asian sellers are dodgy types selling knock offs.

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Tried to buy an item from a completely different seller whom I have bought numerous items from without problem and found I have been blocked - seemingly leaving the neutral feedback has done the rounds of some ebay sellers - turkeys voting for Christmas, I simply took my custom elsewhere.

 

I have been blocked from buying from a Sheffield seller's large Ebay store because I left bad feedback, the item was appallingly packed, loose in a large carton, badly damaged, without  padding, etc, and I declined to leave good feedback after they suggested they give me a £10 discount on my next purchase in return.  Pity, because I might have spent many hundreds of pounds with them. I give good feedback when a seller takes ordinary care and fair precautions, like bubble wrap or a good carton, or both, even if there IS damage. 

 

I put it down to one employee or possibly a cynical culture. This was three years ago, and they may have changed. But I'm still 'blacked' by them, they refuse to accept a any bid from me.  

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I have been blocked from buying from a Sheffield seller's large Ebay store because I left bad feedback, the item was appallingly packed, loose in a large carton, badly damaged, without padding, etc, and I declined to leave good feedback after they suggested they give me a £10 discount on my next purchase in return. Pity, because I might have spent many hundreds of pounds with them. I give good feedback when a seller takes ordinary care and fair precautions, like bubble wrap or a good carton, or both, even if there IS damage.

 

I put it down to one employee or possibly a cynical culture. This was three years ago, and they may have changed. But I'm still 'blacked' by them, they refuse to accept a any bid from me.

 

It’s a tough one that.

I’ve experienced both sides, I always block anyone who returns an item to me, without hesitation if the return is no fault of my own (inc postal damage that wasn’t due to me), no exceptions.

It sounds harsh, but a return costs me postage two ways and I end up with an item often in worse condition than I sent it.

I do however offer a return without hesitation or question.. it’s not worth arguing it.

However I just don’t want the risk of a fussy customer trying it again. (I’ve kissed a few frogs to reach this decision and had a few horror stories with grubby customers to get to my hardline).

 

But conversely I have had two sellers block me, one for my questioning their refusal to combine postage, two locos, two auctions, both under £50 and within small parcel dimensions and weight, but wanted £8 each for p&p. The other cancelled the sale as they felt it was too cheap what they sold it to me for but left me waiting a week before refunding it, blocked me, relisted it for £30 more.

 

You could always ask someone else to buy it on their account, I think ebay allows anonymous guests to buy now too.. just log out and then try.

Edited by adb968008
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