What is everyone's problem with eBay

[Rocco22]

I have boughten and sold over 20 Rolex watches on eBay and many other watches and never had a single problem.i also see a lot of guys who are on here selling on eBay as well so idont see the bad impression you guys have about eBay.paypal covers everything so no real issues.

[MP5]

Agree, most of us have, but it only takes once to really hurt

[Mickey®]

Been on since March 14 1998 and buying watches mainly Rolex for the last 10 years....

As here BUY THE SELLER,,,,,

[FeelingTheBlues]

Originally Posted by Mickey®

As here BUY THE SELLER,,,,,

Absolutely, I must admit I was weary when I first started to lurk on Ebay because of all those horror stories but I found out that this piece of advice could save you a lot of stress! Since I started to really look after good buyers I've bought three watches online (one here and two on Ebay) and couldn't be happier!

[threemonkeys]

I spent a lot of time on eBay and bought my wife a brand new DJ without a hitch. The seller (Highline Time) had 100% perfect feedback and only dealt in high end watches.

[77T]

What is everyone's problem with eBay
dont see the bad impression you guys have about eBay
paypal covers everything so no real issues.

Just picking those points to discuss...

Frist it's not everyone...just the people who have had a problem.
We have 50,000+ members on TRF so that provides a wide set of experiences.
Those who have a problem post it here to help other members.
If you feel there's an inordinate level of negative experiences then consider the sample size is large.

Glad you've never had a problem - and hope you never do. The overall problem % is prolly small - but when one happens to you on a multi $thousand deal then thats when it gets big to you.

PayPal does not cover everything - sellers can get scammed and so can buyers. Once all the hoops are jumped through, and "I's" dotted and "T's" crossed then they will transfer funds back to the wronged party. But if the funds have already disappeared from the scammers account, you get nothing.

So in over 200 transactions I was scammed by one seller and 2 buyers since 2004. That is a 1.5% scam rate and not too huge. The financial side was about the same, about 2% of revenue. This included 2 attempted Rolex scams I stopped without a loss and 1 racecar scam where I lost a bit of money.

But if that 1 racecar scam had worked fully, I stood to lose $thousands - and the scammers account had already been siphoned.

So in perspective, you're just seeing the tip of the eBay/PayPal scam iceberg and be glad you have not hit it yet. Peace

[beshannon]

Right here on this forum is a section for fake/problem watch sales. There are 40 threads on the fist page, I looked at each and 17 of them (at the time of this post) were watches on EBAY likely to be fake or containing swapped parts. What is wrong indeed.

Aside from the problems I have personally had with both EBAY and Paypal, I stand by my post to avoid EBAY for purchasing a Rolex. To those that have had success, I wish you continued good luck.

[jolimont]

I do about 90% of my purchases online and mostly on eBay. You need to be smart about what you buy online.

I generally steer away from eBay with expensive items like Rolex- generally because I don't want to take the risk but also because of customs surchages as well

I have bought a Rolex from eBay before though, but that's because it was from a well respected brick and mortar store just down the road from me ( they were having an auction online and I just went down to inspect and pick it up after I had won).

As always, buy the seller first

[InTime]

some guy sold a 45.5mm and the auction said 42mm... that was one of the complaints i saw on this forum a whilez back. GL

[Mickey®]

Originally Posted by InTime

some guy sold a 45.5mm and the auction said 42mm... that was one of the complaints i saw on this forum a whilez back. GL

Buy your seller....Smart ones!!!!

[Ebruner]

Ebay is to many the place to dump crap you would never want to sell face to face. It is where problem coins and watch are made to 'go away'.

Just my 2c and experience.

-Eddie

[sea-dweller]

The fact that sellers can no longer leave a negative for a buyer (even if fraudulent). eBay was excellent when it first started (in the 90's and early 2000's). It is now a complete JOKE.

[InTime]

^ +1...

the joke is on the investors!

[Frogman4me]

It's a mine field for newbies! I agree if you know what to look for and you trust the seller than eBay is no different then any other forum vendor but again there is so much junk on eBay it can tiring trying to filter through all of it.

[InTime]

u can make serious $ selling gold/silver coins to newbs

[tattooedfagin]

eBay may well have it's fair share of crooks but that shouldn't be too much of an issue if you're smart. I certainly wouldn't count it out based on the actions of a few.

[Mosco]

some folks here tend to think that ebay is an evil ominous being I don't understand the beef either. Other than being expensive for the seller, there are very few downsides IF you're dealing with an honest counterpart. I know that once I hit 'submit ad', it will be in front of MILLIONS of people for a very nominal cost. Of course there are crooks, as anywhere. Use logic and avoid them. We only hear about deals gone sour, but for every one of those, there is a thousand that went smooth. If it wasn't for eBay, my business would be nowhere close to where it is now.

[floater156]

Have you seen the Watch Out subforum on TRF?

[tattooedfagin]

Originally Posted by Mosco

some folks here tend to think that ebay is an evil ominous being I don't understand the beef either. Other than being expensive for the seller, there are very few downsides IF you're dealing with an honest counterpart. I know that once I hit 'submit ad', it will be in front of MILLIONS of people for a very nominal cost. Of course there are crooks, as anywhere. Use logic and avoid them. We only hear about deals gone sour, but for every one of those, there is a thousand that went smooth. If it wasn't for eBay, my business would be nowhere close to where it is now.

x2 - although not watches, there are items in my store that would sit there for weeks on end until the right person walked through the door, putting it on eBay gives me a wider audience & a much quicker sale...wish they would stop trying to be Amazon & revert back to the old days though

[MoBe]

It seems that the rules are easy for scam artists to exploit,especially for buyers who make false claims and return an empty box instead of the item that was shipped,to name but one of the many tricks employed by thieves.

The Watch Out section of this forum is packed with stories of trickery by Ebay buyers and sellers,it`s easier just to avoid Ebay completely,why take the risk?

[Mosco]

everybody keeps defaulting to the 'watch out' section - duh... It is there to underline the bad apples, of which there are a few, no doubt. But if we had a section underlining all the stellar deals, it would be much busier. People tend to talk about the negative, but don't mention the other side of the coin. Be objective, folks.

[Rolexwidow]

My ebay experience 95% positive.

[cajunron]

Originally Posted by Mosco

everybody keeps defaulting to the 'watch out' section - duh... It is there to underline the bad apples, of which there are a few, no doubt. But if we had a section underlining all the stellar deals, it would be much busier. People tend to talk about the negative, but don't mention the other side of the coin. Be objective, folks.

Well said Greg. It's all about educating yourself, trusting your instincts and knowing when to walk away. As per the TRF Golden Rule of buying, "buy the seller". If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. But I would NOT trust Ebay OR Paypal as a guarantee of the safety of my money on ANY transaction. IMO.

[Jim M]

Here's my pet peeve as it just happened to me again. Not so much on watches but moreso on bracelets/rubber straps/tangs although it has happened on watches. I have had a collection of few dozen vintage Seiko chronographs and divers, Omega Seamasters and Constellations and more recently Rolex 1601 and 1675.

I put a max bid in for a 1977 rivet for my GMT Master. I set max at what I am willing to pay and do not increase it. I bid on 1000 plus transaction with 100% feedback sellers so I know the product should be acceptable.

It just burns me that I am high bidder for days and within last hours of auction am outbid by a buyer with 1 feedback. Days or weeks later I will get a second chance offer or email from seller asking if I want the bracelet because the winner did not pay. I always decline after asking for link to seller's feedback on non paying winner and receiving not. I just tell them to relist and expect a bid from me and then enter my max at $100 less than prior auction max bid and can wind up with bracelet/strap sometimes. Pattern tells me something is up but there is no hardcore evidence to prove so.

[MoBe]

I think shill bidding is rampant all over Ebay.

[z32turbo]

I really enjoy eBay however I have not ever purchased a Rolex off of the site. if you use the same practice as buying here or anywhere else online and research the seller you should end up a very happy buyer.

[joe100]

I only buy from my AD, or trusted dealers/members here. It's not worth the hassle.

[Boopie]

I find it interesting that something can be listed, not sold, relisted on ebay, etc., but when I bid on something that has been around for a while, suddenly there is a bidding war that drives up the price...I do not know if shill bidding goes on that frequently. Maybe I am a trendsetter, and once I become interested in a purchase, others follow suit...I once purchased an item (not a watch) after a multi-party bidding war that drove up the price. I returned it because the item was not as described...when it was relisted, it languished and was never sold. Where did the other bidders go?

That being said, in the areas of antiques that I like, there will be items for sale that never come up for sale in my local antiques store. One must shop around and stick to one's original "maximum" price.

[Mosco]

shill bidding, by definition, would have to be initiated by the selling party. Hate to sound like a broken record, but if the seller looks/feels dodgy - avoid him/her. Plus, if you suspect shilling, you can always have ebay investigate. They have a convenient 'report' feature that gives one a way to report suspected shill-bidding. Ebay can't possibly keep an eye on everything - but it is a community, and it takes its members' input to clean it up.

[wantonebad]

My problem with e-bay and the pp monopoly is that they are just that, a monopoly, they charge too much, no justification for their prices. Their decisions up to this point have made them both aloof to fraud AND hostile to sellers. I used to profit $500 a month selling PC's and accessories via e-bay, I don't anymore and I'll never do business with them again. JMHO

As for watches, there are plenty of reputable sellers all over the web, you can get a good deal on e-bay and you can get scammed, that's just as true here as it is there so there is nothing specific about e-bay that makes them better or worse for watches IMHO.