Originally Posted by
AirColorado
Seems that like everywhere else in life issues have layers. It's a very good thing to be able to steer people away from the cons on fleabay - but in doing so, one could cause more trouble than any potential loss from a dishonest seller. You are all correct in your points made. But I'm sure there has to be a way to be fair, but also to be direct enough to pass on that this or that seller is to be avoided. Maybe the answer lies in a simple post that contains the auction link and a simple, factual, unemotional description of what was received and how the seller responded. Maybe even a link and a cut and paste of the ebay messages that were passed back and forth (if you were able to get a response at all).
Today was the very first dispute I've filed with ebay or paypal since I got my ebay account in 1998. I THOUGHT I had been ripped off a few times in the past but just as I was about to start a complaint, the seller wrote or called and we worked it out. In one instance he'd been away for a week and that week just happened to be when I was trying to contact him. So yes, one can indeed cause problems by publicly trashing a seller when in a reality they were simply not available - I can also see the possibility that one seller may try to tarnish the reputation of the competition. The list goes on as you think about it all.
No suggestions from me about this now, but I'd love for us to be able to come up with something where you, I, or anyone else can scan something to see if the $200 you're about to bid is with a seller that is NOT dishonest - or who thus far has not made the "List of Problem Sellers". A seller version of the Wiki "Razors to Avoid" article would be nice.