Thread: Oh my word! Part Deux

I know we (in the USA) live in a capitalistic society but isn't the starting bid and shipping ($7.95 for UPS Ground?) a little dishonest. I mean there are laws about price gouging. lol

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ADME:B:SS:US:1

Oh yeah don't forget the opitional $1.00 insurance.

I agree with you. But SOME would say "if you're stupid enough to buy it you don't deserve protection" and "survival of the fittest". I wouldn't get TOO worked up over a bad deal on e-bay as long as I don't buy it.

when buying on ebay my standard of happiness usually is just getting the damn thing I bought while it being reasonably similar to the state it was depicted/described in.
(on each sale I mentally add $20 for shipping, so I quit caring when it's less)

I find ebay sorely lacking in buyers protection and way too much geared towards dishonest sellers. Something which is nonexistant in brick-and-mortar auctionhouses AFAIK.

I still don't understand how it's dishonest? Worthless, yes. And you'll notice, there are no bids. People have sold all sorts of crap on ebay, and this is no different.

As far as brick and mortar auctions go, they expect you to examine what you're bidding on, and then it's buyer beware.

Here's a similar one. This seller provides full disclosure with no fluff that I can see. Simply states what's printed on the razor, that the hand is bakelite, the length and that the blade has some rust and is chipped and the box also has damage. Is there any use for a razor like this?

http://cgi.ebay.es/Navaja-de-afeitar...QQcmdZViewItem

Originally Posted by b0000urns

Here's a similar one. This seller provides full disclosure with no fluff that I can see. Simply states what's printed on the razor, that the hand is bakelite, the length and that the blade has some rust and is chipped and the box also has damage. Is there any use for a razor like this?

http://cgi.ebay.es/Navaja-de-afeitar...QQcmdZViewItem

In a word, no. Well, that's not true - if you are a restorer, you could probably salvage the scales. The blade, however, is ruined, and cannot be repaired. It would, perhaps, be worth scrap value.

The only place those razors need to be "shipped" is out to sea

Originally Posted by JerseyLawyer

I still don't understand how it's dishonest? Worthless, yes. And you'll notice, there are no bids. People have sold all sorts of crap on ebay, and this is no different.

As far as brick and mortar auctions go, they expect you to examine what you're bidding on, and then it's buyer beware.

because in a real auction house the item is already there or assured shipment by the house itself with the seller tied to this agreement. Ebay really should put up some kind of escrow system with signed delivery to alleviate this problem, until they do dishonest sellers can profit from it. (I already bought a few x-hundred $ items from sellers with double digit positive feedback, items which never showed up, seller dissappears and suddenly it's not ebay's problem anymore.)

And the feedback system is totally bogus: sellers can give you a bad comment while you paid on time and were responsive, while they ship a totally defective or different product in totally inadequate packaging. (I admit buyers can lie on it as well but what's the incentive? the seller already has your money, if the product was as promised why badmouth someone?) Thus, in this sense the comment system isn't justly used.

(not saying this auction is dishonest, though for ebay it probably is, since charging more for delivery, something they get no commission on, to get more profit does seem like using a loophole in a system?)

My 0,02€

Harold

PS. I'm surprised the seller here didn't add "For another $20 we can create you your own custom 'mole-hop' in the blade or you can utilize the already functional existing one. If taking this option, please send mole measurements to...."