OT: Ebay scam?



"broken toy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:m2K%[email protected]...
>
> "Slack" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:eek:p.snx919pgqwdip2@slacker...
> On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 10:07:32 -0800, routebeer <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> >> For your protection, please be aware that eBay discourages all
> >> transactions, which are initiated by parties other than the seller

> > and
> >> the winning buyer in a completed eBay listing. Sales that take place
> >> outside of eBay carry a potential fraud risk and are not eligible for
> >> eBay services, including feedback, contact information requests, and

> > the
> >> eBay Fraud Protection Program.

> >
> > Yeah, well, I can assure you that transactions taking place INSIDE of
> > eBay also carry a potential fraud risk, and I'm sure eBay doesn't give
> > a **** about it. They just don't want to miss their cut of the action.
> >

>
> I'm already soured on the whole ebay experience, not that I was exited
> about it before. Between the scammers, crappy goods and shady/poorly
> written ads, there isn't much hope I hold out for them.


Ebay was great when it was mostly people trying to sell individual goodies
they didn't need. It's still a good place to unload stuff like that but the
whole thing has been taken over by the regular "dealers" selling stuff at or
above regular retail. Where there used to be maybe a dozen entries to judge
when you type in "Deore XT" now there are page after page, mostly from
liquidators.

A year or so ago I put in a bid for a XXL Specialized Team jersey. I
wondered where it came from since they didn't sell anything larger than XL
as long as I'd known them. Turned out these either didn't exist or where
illegal knock-offs. I'll never know, as Ebay killed the auction after the
folks at Specialized complained.
 
> I'm already soured on the whole ebay experience, not that I was
exited
> about it before. Between the scammers, crappy goods and shady/poorly


> written ads, there isn't much hope I hold out for them.


How about those shipping & handling rates? I think sellers with high
shipping rates are using this as a way to dissuade buyers from
returning products or filing fraud claims. The reason is that
Paypal/eBay will only allow claims against the auction end price
WITHOUT the shipping. So if you buy something for $3 and pay $30
shipping and it turns out to be a misrepresented broken piece of ****
then the most you can hope for is $3 back and the seller gets to keep
the $30.