Negative eBay Trend?

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Negative eBay Trend?

Post by WIStful » April 16th 2024, 8:54pm

I have been selling stuff on eBay since 1999.

The bulk of it has been vintage bicycle parts, vintage or high end woodworking hand tools, musical instruments (mostly nice acoustic guitars) and of course watches.

Stuff that most buyers are very interested in condition, and on these categories, something not easy to make a completely objective assessment.

Understanding this, I followed some strict practices, and unsatisfactory sales have been vanishingly small, like well under ten, really only 4 or 5 that I can remember and really only one that I thought the guy was an ass and then blocked him.


Until recently when I came out of a several yesr hiatus. Like 3 out of 10 sales the buyer turned out to be a whiny bitch dreaming up imaginary issues, some even hinting that I may be an unscrupulous ripoff artist.


Very very negative experience that makes me think I may want to discontinue selling stuff there. Which is sad, my previous long experience had me convinced that most buyers were acting in good faith/reasonable people.


Just wondering if anyone else has noticed a trend. If so, why? Post covid? It is very striking and I have several decades of activity for basis of comparison

Thanks!
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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by smellody » April 16th 2024, 9:01pm

I've had multiple successful transactions. 1000+. The only annoying thing recently was ordering a rocker assembly for my range rover. Four days later they refund me telling me they can't fin the assembly in the warehouse.

I've picked up many deals in the last year. Also just ordered two pairs of sneakers directly from addidas for dad and myself at more than. 75% off retail with their 50% off coupon.
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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by WIStful » April 16th 2024, 9:30pm

Here is an example.

Sold a watch. Guy gets it, says it is defective because he can hear rotor noise and that means it has some serious defect that can be an expensive fix.

Me: Dafuck?

I refund the guy but did some research. Found two categories of discourse. The first was from eBay watch sellers saying they are getting complaints about rotor noise that never happened in the past. This was attributed to noobs buying mechanical watches and in lives filled with electronic devices, they hear few mechanical noises other than clicking a pen.

A lit of them dont even hear hard drives these days.

The second were threads with rolex mook types authoritatively proclaiming that any audible rotor noise ever is a serious defect etc, and not being challenged.

Found evidence of this back to 2021, not much before.

So I have taken to adding a disclaimer to mechanical watch listings that this is a mechanical watch, sometimes you may hear the rotor, this is normal etc.

But I don't want to have to do this, and who knows what the next internet mind virus is going to be.

This is just one example. I chose it because it is something for you guys selling mech watched on eBay might be news you can use.

Other egregious stuff as well.
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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by WIStful » April 16th 2024, 9:53pm

jason_recliner wrote:
April 16th 2024, 9:37pm
I haven't bought or sold on Ebay in something like 10 years. Never been happier.
It has been positive for me for a very long time, my go to for selling stuff. Craiglist in Eugene Oregon is too small a market, hit or miss, some stuff can languish until ad expires. That never happened in Wash DC. Pretty much you sell stuff in 24 hours if it is going to sell at all.
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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by WIStful » April 16th 2024, 10:02pm

Another example. Selling a leigh dovetail jig unused in opened box. Lotsa pics and I know this is true.

Guy buys it, I am getting ready to go ups to ship it. Guy asks for more pics. Starts going on about how it has signs of use (it didnt), Then goes all Foghorn Leghorn about “Here in the south, unused means unused”, jackass on a high horse lecturing a yankee I guess.

I am a graduate of both University of Ga and Alabama at Birmingham for background.

Only good part was catching this before I shipped.
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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by jason_recliner » April 16th 2024, 10:05pm

WIStful wrote:
April 16th 2024, 9:53pm
jason_recliner wrote:
April 16th 2024, 9:37pm
I haven't bought or sold on Ebay in something like 10 years. Never been happier.
It has been positive for me for a very long time, my go to for selling stuff. Craiglist in Eugene Oregon is too small a market, hit or miss, some stuff can languish until ad expires. That never happened in Wash DC. Pretty much you sell stuff in 24 hours if it is going to sell at all.
Fair enough. I just don't want to spend my time buying and selling stuff online any more.
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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by WIStful » April 16th 2024, 10:18pm

jason_recliner wrote:
April 16th 2024, 10:05pm
WIStful wrote:
April 16th 2024, 9:53pm
jason_recliner wrote:
April 16th 2024, 9:37pm
I haven't bought or sold on Ebay in something like 10 years. Never been happier.
It has been positive for me for a very long time, my go to for selling stuff. Craiglist in Eugene Oregon is too small a market, hit or miss, some stuff can languish until ad expires. That never happened in Wash DC. Pretty much you sell stuff in 24 hours if it is going to sell at all.
Fair enough. I just don't want to spend my time buying and selling stuff online any more.
I think I may be at that point. Been a negative experience lately. Fortunately, I am at the end of empty nest downsizing and sold off the bulk of stuff I have wanted to sell.
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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by conjurer » April 16th 2024, 10:35pm

My last exercise in ebay douchery was probably eight to ten years ago. Mrs. C received a small parcel of watches that her grandfather had collected, including a very nice Lord Elgin wristwatch he got from an employer as a 25 year award (remember those?) This was the only watch that had any significance, the rest being mainly yard sale finds. We decided to sell off the dross, and use the funds to get the Lord Elgin restored.

Everything went fine until I sold a non-working Heuer stopwatch, which I advertised as such, for parts only. Some dumb bitch bought it, then complained to me that it didn't work. She wanted a refund, or she would fuck me up with her rating. Since she only paid about $30 for it--which should tell you something, a Heuer stopwatch for thirty bucks?--I refunded the money.

After that, I decided that I'd only do private sales. Ebay and its fucking sellers can go fuck themselves in the fucking ear. And since then, I've never had a single issue. AFAIK, all my buyers have been perfectly satisfied.
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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by WIStful » April 16th 2024, 10:59pm

And I am thinking I am in the middle of another bad experience.

Sold a Seiko SARK005 yesterday. Today I get a message ostensibly from buyer saying please ship to this address. I try to reply back ok sure but you gotta pay first.

Message fails to send on two tries. I see that it is a similar user name to buyer but different with zero feedback.

Original buyer still hasn't paid or contacted me which is unusual. Most buyers now pay instantly or within a few hours depending on time zone. But this guy is now over 24 hours so some weird scam looks like, I guess trying to see if I would ship without being paid by accident.


Nice watch, I just decided my aging eyes were no longer chrono-worthy without glasses, maybe I will keep it anyhow

Kinda thick though. It may interest a Lord though
Last edited by WIStful on April 16th 2024, 11:37pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by WIStful » April 16th 2024, 11:30pm

My only previous pattern of eBay stupidity was 20+ years ago.

I was doing a lot with classic bicycles, had a well attended blog (remember those) and doing builds on classic lugged frames with mostly new/nos parts etc.

So you get a lot of components to sell. Freewheels were a very hot item because there were tons if freewheel hubs still in use and for a period there, there was not a single maker of new ones anywhere in the world, everyone had gone over to cassettes.

Anyhow, a couple of times I sold a freewheel that I knew was in good condition by both visual inspection and testing by riding. But I would get a complaint hey this freewheel is skipping, so refund.

I finally figured it out and stopped selling freewheels as a standalone part unless new in box. You can make any freewheel skip with wrong chain and/or poor adjustment of derailleur, or incompatible indexed shifters. And I was running into that.

But that was over 20 years ago and an understandable hazard. Now it seems like general nonspecific douchery
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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by conjurer » April 16th 2024, 11:42pm

WIStful wrote:
April 16th 2024, 10:59pm
And I am thinking I am in the middle of another bad experience.

Sold a Seiko SARK005 yesterday. Today I get a message ostensibly from buyer saying please ship to this address. I try to reply back ok sure but you gotta pay first.

Message fails to send on two tries. I see that it is a similar user name to buyer but different with zero feedback.

Original buyer still hasn't paid or contacted me which is unusual. Most buyers now pay instantly or within a few hours depending on time zone. But this guy is now over 24 hours so some weird scam looks like, I guess trying to see if I would ship without being paid by accident.


Nice watch, I just decided my aging eyes were no longer chrono-worthy without glasses, maybe I will keep it anyhow

Kinda thick though. It may interest a Lord though
What price are you asking, my man?
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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by Tartan1 » April 17th 2024, 12:04am

I have had a similar experience selling on the EBay, yours also sounds like a scam to me. I do like to help people…. But when a request comes to deliver for a different address to the one linked with the buyers account… that is a big alarm bell for me.
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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by WIStful » April 17th 2024, 12:11am

conjurer wrote:
April 16th 2024, 11:42pm
WIStful wrote:
April 16th 2024, 10:59pm
And I am thinking I am in the middle of another bad experience.

Sold a Seiko SARK005 yesterday. Today I get a message ostensibly from buyer saying please ship to this address. I try to reply back ok sure but you gotta pay first.

Message fails to send on two tries. I see that it is a similar user name to buyer but different with zero feedback.

Original buyer still hasn't paid or contacted me which is unusual. Most buyers now pay instantly or within a few hours depending on time zone. But this guy is now over 24 hours so some weird scam looks like, I guess trying to see if I would ship without being paid by accident.


Nice watch, I just decided my aging eyes were no longer chrono-worthy without glasses, maybe I will keep it anyhow

Kinda thick though. It may interest a Lord though
What price are you asking, my man?
The auction closed at 866 USD. I was hoping/expecting 1k, so I was ok with sale falling through and keeping it. But it would be remiss of me to try to soak a lord for more, esp a dear leader.

If sale falls through and I do sell it, 866 USD would be the Lords price seems like.
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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by WIStful » April 17th 2024, 12:13am

Tartan1 wrote:
April 17th 2024, 12:04am
I have had a similar experience selling on the EBay, yours also sounds like a scam to me. I do like to help people…. But when a request comes to deliver for a different address to the one linked with the buyers account… that is a big alarm bell for me.
Actually the message was just “confirming” the address. As a matter of policy I wont ship to a different address. I think they were just trying to get me to ship without paying. It was weird.
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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by WIStful » April 17th 2024, 12:20am

Interestingly, same buyer bought a 200 USD watch from me several days ago with immediate payment. Member since 2005 with 391 feedback 100% positive. Located in USA.
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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by Tartan1 » April 17th 2024, 1:38am

WIStful wrote:
April 17th 2024, 12:20am
Interestingly, same buyer bought a 200 USD watch from me several days ago with immediate payment. Member since 2005 with 391 feedback 100% positive. Located in USA.
Given what you have now said above I am puzzled by the buyers request. Maybe they genuinely thought it was a reasonable request.
For the very little I sell on Ebay, I offer a click & collect option for my sales. I personally find the click & collect a real plus when I am buying online it gives me flexibility for receiving my delivery. Don't know if this is available on the other side of the pond, but I would be surprised if not. Gives any buyer an option to pick up at an approved store, shop or business that is convenient for the buyer. I know that I prefer this option when I am buying, saves me waiting in for days on end only for a parcel to arrive days later when you are out with a card from the delivery agent stating "Delivery Failure" .. . lol :roll: . Additionally if purchaser's are on the move it could be a good option.
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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by WIStful » April 17th 2024, 2:03am

The weird part was the request came from a user with a similar name, zero feedback, but in reference to the sold item. I tried sending a reply twice saying you gotta pay first and both times the message would not transmit.

So that is when I dug in and saw discrepancy.

I buy all my shipping through ebay, so whatever the user has as his registered address is where it goes.

Local pickup hasnt been a thing for me, neverhad anyine ask for it. The chances of a buyer even being in the same state is roughly 80 to 1 and even then can entail hours of driving. Sold a Moto Guzzi some years ago local pickup.

Getting ready to move a 78 Alfa Romeo Spider. Doubt I will sell that on eBay, more likely Bring A Trailer where I would offer local pickup but I think I will try craigslist first.
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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by MAX » April 17th 2024, 4:32am

I have had good luck buying on Ebay, mostly items I cant find elsewhere. I dont sell there. I have sold many watches on the Forums, some to people here and have had no major complaints and the minor ones were easily taken care of. Havent been active lately but shipping and insurance fees have gone through the roof like everything else compared to how it used to be.
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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by DocKlock » April 17th 2024, 6:25am

"Just wondering if anyone else has noticed a trend. If so, why? Post covid? It is very striking and I have several decades of activity for basis of comparison"

I only buy items on eBay that I can't find local/or it's a great price. Mostly I HATE going to stores, moping around looking for an item, dragging out to car and home.

I have noticed an alarming trend of sellers who have ZERO or a 2 sales that are selling items way below market value. Very often these 'sellers' have several sites with different names. Using their Feedback reviews -- they have negative reviews from the same buyers on their sites.

I've also bought a couple of higher value items that have "been shipped" and tracking numbers supplied. Even to the point of "the item has been delivered" with USPS verification of delivery. It was NEVER delivered however. To be honest tho, eBay has always refunded my money although it takes a lot of convincing that item was NOT delivered and seller is a scammer.

I mostly only buy from sellers that have many (at least a hundred or more sales) that are positive. I disregard 1 or 2 negative sales, cause there are always jerk buyers that aren't happy with anything.

I always avoid sellers that have outrageous shipping costs. Many times their excuses are "eBay sets the shipping cost". But often times, the seller does. Returning an item to them is almost impossible because of the cost of shipping. Those sellers I just don't purchase from.

Some of the red flags I go by are: pictures of items that are dark, bleary or out of focus; descriptions that are very vague; measurements that are very hard to see and my favorite one is, when asking a question -- the seller either doesn't respond or answers very vaguely.
Bottom line for me is: BE AWARE!!

Shopping eBay is sometimes educational, informative and, at least for me, entertaining.

But that's just my opinion -- which with $1.50 will buy you a cup of coffee.
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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by MAX » April 17th 2024, 9:36am

Wait....................where do you get coffee for $1.50 ?
NRPI and Shitheel here.

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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by Nuvolari » April 17th 2024, 1:09pm

I can’t get over the jackass bitching about the rotor because there was a time where I was that guy but nobody knew it because I wasn’t a complete ass about it.

That’s the thing with a lot of buyers - or people - in general: they are often wrong, though never in doubt. It’s exhausting!

So, instead of digging deeper or contacting someone who knows more than you to determine what is really going on… you just instantly conclude the watch is defective and the seller is a liar, and he lied on purpose, probably.

Dafuq, indeed.

In my case I had bought an Omega DeVille and it was my first chronometer-grade automatic ‘dress’ watch and was fairly thin. And while I had heard rotors working in a few Seiko, Orient, and Shanghai-Watch Co.-based impulse-buy whatever’s…. But that damn Omega rattled like an idling dry-clutch Ducati and it worried me. I had NEVER hear any sound beyond a tick from any Rolex… what the hell kinda cobbled together franken-movement had that guy suckered me into buying…?

I mean… the case, condition, hands, dial - everything was perfect…. But it was probably a shit movement, b cause THAT’S how they get you, those thieving bastards!

I had my watchmaker open it up… “…holy shit, what a beautifully finished movement! A LOT more detailed finishing work than on any Rolex… what a shame it doesn’t have a transparent caseback!”

But, nah. The movement was just a little noisier. The case was a little thinner. There was no separate muffling or sound proofing layer in the much-thinner-than-a-Datejust case…. It was perfect. But it was different than what I thought I knew or what I had expected.

I’m glad a didn’t mention it because I felt dumb even in front of only my watchmaker.

Now the world gleefully lays claim to ostentatious ignorance…

And that shit’s lame.
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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by WIStful » April 17th 2024, 1:49pm

“Often wrong though never in doubt’

Great line. Reminiscent of what was said of French Bourbon dynasty:

“Remembered everything but learned nothing”
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Re: Negative eBay Trend?

Post by DocKlock » April 18th 2024, 6:08am

MAX wrote:
April 17th 2024, 9:36am
Wait....................where do you get coffee for $1.50 ?
I'm 79, and back in the day, coffee used to be about a quarter (I think) or was always free with a meal. Yeah, in re-thinking a buck and a half -- probably should be at least $2.50 for a small cup at a Mickey D drivethru.
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