Ebay annoyances

[hayfield]

14 hours ago, Bucoops said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325592373192

 

Ok, it's Falcon so potentially unbuildable. No tender etches. And HOW MUCH?!

 

These etches only can be of great use, but then it depends on both what you get and more importantly how much they cost, for £90 you can nearly buy a new kit !!! and etch only kits have been on sale at decent prices, but some are not complete !!  In this case it is very much over priced in my opinion

 

I first became aware of combining both etched and whitemetal kits when I bought a Wills Terrier with both the Branchlines etched chassis kit and body improvement kit. These two kits along with the old K's kit do combine very well into a hybrid kit and sadly not very well publicised.

 

First I bought two 42xx//52xx/72xx etches when they stopped fetching silly prices (I was given an incomplete K's kit)

I then bought three Falcon brass etches (at decent prices) Terrier, Bulldog & 44xx. These all will be built using either spares in my spares box and or redundant K's kits

As you say Falcon kits can prove problematical in building them, I am hoping mix and matching will prove better  

[mezzoman253]

On 31/03/2023 at 11:32, mezzoman253 said:

Odd occurence this morning. I go to my saved searches, the 1st of which is Bachmann class 158. I'm getting all sorts of DMU's in that search instead of just the 158's. Next one is Bachmann class 37, and get variuos diesels including 37's. Same for class 47, but the other searches are OK. See grab of the 158 pages.

 

Are they changing the searches gradually, or is it a glitch?

 

 

All seems back to normal this morning?????????????

 

 

Edited April 2, 2023 by mezzoman253
Content missing

[Michael Hodgson]

I find these days that searches on ebay and amazon are increasingly returning things that I didn't ask about and putting less relevant items higher up the list of what they do tell me.  I suspect these big organisations are using AI to second-guess what they might want to sell me instead of what I actually want.  Google searches are also increasingly poor at giving me the info I specified in my search criteria.

[hayfield]

On 31/03/2023 at 19:14, Bucoops said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325592373192

 

Ok, it's Falcon so potentially unbuildable. No tender etches. And HOW MUCH?!

 

 

This is more like what they are worth  £15 + postage

 

  

 

An added detail kit for a Wills Star loco, jury's out on the chassis, however the footplate and cab hopefully will be an improvement on the Wills castings. As for shelling out £100 as you say madness

[pH]

While most comments about e-bay sellers are complaints, this has to do with good service. I’ve just bid on an item, but it took some effort on the part of the seller for that to happen.

 

First I had to check that the seller would post to Canada if I won it - he’d only shown USA as an option on the listing. He confirmed he would, and also looked up and quoted the cost. 
 

Then, when I tried to bid, I was told that since I was in Canada, I wasn’t allowed to bid. I asked the seller to change the auction to allow me to bid. He did, and explained that he didn’t normally deal outside the US.

 

That was all done very quickly, with good communications. Now, unless I win the item and get to leave feedback, there’s no way I know of to ‘publicize’ this good service and give credit to the seller for providing it. I can think of drawbacks to allowing feedback without an actual purchase, but I feel that it could be possible.

[hayfield]

14 hours ago, pH said:

While most comments about e-bay sellers are complaints, this has to do with good service. I’ve just bid on an item, but it took some effort on the part of the seller for that to happen.

 

First I had to check that the seller would post to Canada if I won it - he’d only shown USA as an option on the listing. He confirmed he would, and also looked up and quoted the cost. 
 

Then, when I tried to bid, I was told that since I was in Canada, I wasn’t allowed to bid. I asked the seller to change the auction to allow me to bid. He did, and explained that he didn’t normally deal outside the US.

 

That was all done very quickly, with good communications. Now, unless I win the item and get to leave feedback, there’s no way I know of to ‘publicize’ this good service and give credit to the seller for providing it. I can think of drawbacks to allowing feedback without an actual purchase, but I feel that it could be possible.

 

I would say the only reason you see negative comments about eBay sellers is that folk are venting their frustration.

 

I can only speak about those who deal in kits, kit built or parts. As I am not interested in RTR. The community I deal with are a truly helpful and honest bunch, there is the odd exception but thankfully a rarity. 

 

I get the most irritation from the non model railway sellers who come across the odd model railway item, but due to their ignorance the items they sell seldom sell for their true value, so its worth putting up with poor service. 

[Re6/6]

2 hours ago, hayfield said:

I get the most irritation from the non model railway sellers who come across the odd model railway item, but due to their ignorance the items they sell seldom sell for their true value, so its worth putting up with poor service. 

 

Indeed, 'Junk dealers' who happen upon any 'toy railway' stuff to sell seem to think that all of it is valuable. Pure ignorance.

[hayfield]

29 minutes ago, Re6/6 said:

 

Indeed, 'Junk dealers' who happen upon any 'toy railway' stuff to sell seem to think that all of it is valuable. Pure ignorance.

 

 

Agreed some do, but do they end up selling the item(s)

 

I tend to go for lots which start at low to reasonable prices. I just ignore anything I think is overpriced, or goes past my own valuation.

[Rich_F]

Anyone else noticing this trend recently? 

 

Small ebay sellers (say 20-30 items) with lots of positive feedback & good reputation. After you purchase an item they may mark it as dispatched & that's the end I ever hear of the item. Never even gets to Royal Mail/Evri etc.

 

Having to message them directly or get ebay involved after 10-14 days of zero updates. Despite that they never reply back, sometimes the item is updated as dispatched but it still never appears! 

 

3 of the last 4 items I've had to get ebay in to deal with the sellers who have 100% feedback 🤔

 

Have I just been unlucky & or is this increasing?

Edited May 2, 2023 by Weeny Works

[hayfield]

3 hours ago, Weeny Works said:

Anyone else noticing this trend recently? 

 

Small ebay sellers (say 20-30 items) with lots of positive feedback & good reputation. After you purchase an item they may mark it as dispatched & that's the end I ever hear of the item. Never even gets to Royal Mail/Evri etc.

 

Having to message them directly or get ebay involved after 10-14 days of zero updates. Despite that they never reply back, sometimes the item is updated as dispatched but it still never appears! 

 

3 of the last 4 items I've had to get ebay in to deal with the sellers who have 100% feedback 🤔

 

Have I just been unlucky & or is this increasing?

 

 

No quite the opposite, I bought something on Thursday night, it was posted Friday second class, despite yesterday being a bank holiday it arrived this morning.

 

I bought a second and third item from the same seller on Saturday & Sunday and received a very generous postage discount 

[Bucoops]

53 minutes ago, hayfield said:

 

 

No quite the opposite, I bought something on Thursday night, it was posted Friday second class, despite yesterday being a bank holiday it arrived this morning.

 

I bought a second and third item from the same seller on Saturday & Sunday and received a very generous postage discount 

 

Same here - very pleasantly surprised to receive it so quickly considering ordered at 9pm Thursday, in my hands by 9am today.

[hayfield]

13 hours ago, Bucoops said:

 

Same here - very pleasantly surprised to receive it so quickly considering ordered at 9pm Thursday, in my hands by 9am today.

 

Am I correct in thinking that Royal Mail are putting more effort or making packages a priority over letters. Plus are they sorting parcels/letters on Saturdays rather than just collecting items?

 

Whilst hoards will be upset postal deliveries are coming into the 21st century, but I guess the Royal Mail must complete with other providers to survive. For me both the company and staff are stepping up to the plate and setting standards others have to match

[Bucoops]

12 minutes ago, hayfield said:

 

Am I correct in thinking that Royal Mail are putting more effort or making packages a priority over letters. Plus are they sorting parcels/letters on Saturdays rather than just collecting items?

 

Whilst hoards will be upset postal deliveries are coming into the 21st century, but I guess the Royal Mail must complete with other providers to survive. For me both the company and staff are stepping up to the plate and setting standards others have to match

 

They deny it as I think it's something in their rules that they have to prioritise letters but it certainly seems so.

 

Even with the strikes, my preference is RM over couriers.

[hayfield]

5 minutes ago, Bucoops said:

 

They deny it as I think it's something in their rules that they have to prioritise letters but it certainly seems so.

 

Even with the strikes, my preference is RM over couriers.

 

Totally agree, I never stopped using them. Last night on the local village Facebook group another complaint about Evri,

 

I had some strange new company eBay are offering (final delivery by Yodel I think) deliver a book, a very confusing tracking system so I duly gave a low rating on Trust Pilot (don't ask for feedback until you get your service standards up to speed), though I think no one ever uses Trust Pilot until something goes wrong !!  

[ruggedpeak]

25 minutes ago, hayfield said:

 

Am I correct in thinking that Royal Mail are putting more effort or making packages a priority over letters. Plus are they sorting parcels/letters on Saturdays rather than just collecting items?

 

Whilst hoards will be upset postal deliveries are coming into the 21st century, but I guess the Royal Mail must complete with other providers to survive. For me both the company and staff are stepping up to the plate and setting standards others have to match

Letter volumes are declining rapidly as people no longer write to each other, don't send paper greetings and Xmas cards and more and more credit card, utility bills and other volume correspondence are moving online. So it is a rapidly shrinking market that makes no business sense to invest in. Parcels are of course the complete opposite.

 

"Letter volumes have decreased from more than 20 billion letters a year in 2004/5, to approximately eight billion letters per year now, while the number of addresses has risen by four million in the same period." From a website that Malwareguard says is dodgy so not posting link but facts are correct.

[hayfield]

7 minutes ago, ruggedpeak said:

Letter volumes are declining rapidly as people no longer write to each other, don't send paper greetings and Xmas cards and more and more credit card, utility bills and other volume correspondence are moving online. So it is a rapidly shrinking market that makes no business sense to invest in. Parcels are of course the complete opposite.

 

"Letter volumes have decreased from more than 20 billion letters a year in 2004/5, to approximately eight billion letters per year now, while the number of addresses has risen by four million in the same period." From a website that Malwareguard says is dodgy so not posting link but facts are correct.

 

 

Interesting to see the number of addresses increasing by 4 million when groups claim we are not building enough houses !!

 

As you say if the Royal Mail had to depend on letters they would be bankrupt !!

[woodenhead]

9 minutes ago, hayfield said:

 

 

Interesting to see the number of addresses increasing by 4 million when groups claim we are not building enough houses !!

 

As you say if the Royal Mail had to depend on letters they would be bankrupt !!

Thats just over 200,000 per annum, it's short on what is needed hence a growing shortage of affordable homes for younger people made worse by the buy to let boom pushing up prices and then being reflected in rents.

[hayfield]

5 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

Thats just over 200,000 per annum, it's short on what is needed hence a growing shortage of affordable homes for younger people made worse by the buy to let boom pushing up prices and then being reflected in rents.

 

But taken as a whole its a big number, equal to about 4% of our population of our population.

 

 

 

[Bucoops]

1 hour ago, hayfield said:

 

Totally agree, I never stopped using them. Last night on the local village Facebook group another complaint about Evri,

 

I had some strange new company eBay are offering (final delivery by Yodel I think) deliver a book, a very confusing tracking system so I duly gave a low rating on Trust Pilot (don't ask for feedback until you get your service standards up to speed), though I think no one ever uses Trust Pilot until something goes wrong !!  

 

There's been a load on the Hatfield Peverel one - the driver's current method is to take a photo of someone else's parcel in a doorway and use it against other parcels that haven't been delivered. Best bit - someone who claims the driver works for them has piped up asking for addresses and he will send the driver round. Yeah, don't think so!

[MrWolf]

I may be making a wild assumption here, but I have the feeling that the schill bidder is still alive and well on eBay.

A couple of weeks ago I bid up to £18 for an item that I wanted which doesn't come up very often, what I bid was about the going rate.

I lost out to a bid of £19 (or more, you don't if course get to find out) so that was that.

The item appeared again two days later, so the assumption is that the buyer didn't pay.

 

I put in a bid of £20 this time and won the item for.... (Cue drum roll.) £18.

 

The item arrived today and I thought to check out the bids on the previous listing.

 

The non paying winner on that occasion has a feedback rating of 1.

 

That looks suspicious to me. Maybe someone was expecting a stampede for a reasonably rare item, maybe it's just a coincidence?

 

Not that it matters, I got what I was after for the price I was prepared to pay, even so, I wondered if anyone else has been schilled?

[Michael Hodgson]

25 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

I may be making a wild assumption here, but I have the feeling that the schill bidder is still alive and well on eBay.

A couple of weeks ago I bid up to £18 for an item that I wanted which doesn't come up very often, what I bid was about the going rate.

I lost out to a bid of £19 (or more, you don't if course get to find out) so that was that.

The item appeared again two days later, so the assumption is that the buyer didn't pay.

 

I put in a bid of £20 this time and won the item for.... (Cue drum roll.) £18.

 

The item arrived today and I thought to check out the bids on the previous listing.

 

The non paying winner on that occasion has a feedback rating of 1.

 

That looks suspicious to me. Maybe someone was expecting a stampede for a reasonably rare item, maybe it's just a coincidence?

 

Not that it matters, I got what I was after for the price I was prepared to pay, even so, I wondered if anyone else has been schilled?

I suspect it is far more widespread that ebay would have us believe.

 

Ebay are better placed than you to detect the practice if they wish to investigate but It isn't in their interest to stop people getting away with this as they get more in fees if something sells for more than it should.  However it is of course difficult to prove, especially  if a schill bidder takes some simple steps to hide his connection with the seller.  To be fair to ebay, it's the sellers rather than ebay who are responsible for this dishonest bidding practice.

 

Sniping software is perhaps the best option open to you if you think a seller indulges in schill bidding, since he doesn't get time to react if you leave it to the last minute to submit your bid

[petethemole]

I use RM to post several items a week.  Recently I have had some delivered next day, despite sending them 2nd Class, which is impressive.  In five years I have had three go missing.  Recently SWMBO was notified that two items had been delivered here when there was no sign of them.  Next day she mentioned this to the post woman and the day after she turned up with them having enquired at houses on the estate with the same number.  Curiously we had a misdelivered letter for that address only about a month ago, which I took round.

[Sjcm]

On 02/05/2023 at 13:05, Re6/6 said:

 

Indeed, 'Junk dealers' who happen upon any 'toy railway' stuff to sell seem to think that all of it is valuable. Pure ignorance.

Funny but the junk dealers are probably my favourite type of sellers on Ebay. For one you know they have no real knowledge of the stuff so non-runners are unlikely to have even been tested properly while the knowledgeable sellers could be trying to palm off a load of non running wrecks. The other thing is they just want to move the stuff on asap as long as they make their profit.

 

I got a joblot the last week for 60 pounds for 7 locos. Now individually at the bare minimum, they were worth 90 pounds, if the auction went to the end probably over a 100 given the mental prices things are going for, but he just wanted them shifted at a profit so a best offer secured them.👍

[hayfield]

On 03/05/2023 at 08:25, Bucoops said:

 

They deny it as I think it's something in their rules that they have to prioritise letters but it certainly seems so.

 

Even with the strikes, my preference is RM over couriers.

 

 

I bought two items over the weekend ( Sat & Sunday) from the same seller, items sent 2nd class and we had a bank holiday, they arrived yesterday (Wednesday). I would have been pleased with first class arriving that quickly. I recon the chap who sold me these items and the other one I mentioned earlier in the thread must be a postie and sneaking them into the system early !!!

[Tofufi]

I've just had a buyer complain to me (with neutral feedback - thanks...) that they didn't feel the item they bought was worth what they paid.

 

It was on an auction, with clear photos and described as playworn with scuffs (but no physical damage), and corrosion to couplings - so hardly described as being brand new.

 

They didn't argue the description, just seemed unhappy at how much they had chosen to bid.

 

I can't control what he chose to bid... 🙄 and got a neutral feedback despite offering a full refund. Wonderful.

Edited May 5, 2023 by Tofufi