I find it amusing...and disturbing how everyone has some sort of deranged and slavish devotion to eBay, but hear this from a "day one" eBay veteran...it aint no picnic! My cautionary tale is backed up with facts and figures that would keep any sane person awake and sleepless for weeks. It goes like this; Basically, if you are a bidder, and dont pay...then you are off free as a bird. eBay, has NEVER in their history intervened against a non payer. Never. But, if you have been ripped off by an alleged "power seller", then you will be YOURSELF suspended! I bought some items froma company allegedly operating from LA...called "angeleyelister". Turns out, thats just a drop-box firm, operating as a cover for Chinese mafia in Shanghai! Oh yeah...they pad the invoices with outrageous postage rates, and when you inquire (in their atrocious 'Engrish') they keep dragging you along so that you cannot post a feedback! Yep, the LA District attorneys office is supposedly looking into it all. But, when I complained to eBay...you guiessed it.. SUSPENDED" Oh yeah!! And it gets better...basically, as a seller, you are "thrown to the dogs", with no back up whatsoever. But God help you if you take a 4 day buying trip, and dont answer your (frantic and panicky) emails by childish bidders...yes, this too will without warning, or a trial of your peers, get you suspended. In this last instance, under one of our names we are now PERMANENTLY suspended. So, the thing to do is basically this. Set up shot, and fleece people for thousands of dollars ina 30 day period. You will be rich, and eBay does nothing.
News from Europe: I was ripped off by a guy in Berlin on a WW1 German Cavalry officers helmet. The item successfully sold for 5500.Euros. The bidder insisted on coming all the way down to S. Germany where my store was. After a short intro, he started in on the helmet. "This is not right, thats not right" and on and on it went. Depite having 30+ collector years under my belt, and owning one of >Europe´s most well known Militaria businesses, I knew (from his reputation) that this was his attempt to beat me down on the price of the Helmet. Well, I wasnt having it. I wanted the auction price plus fees. He refused. Then I said, no problem, then at LEAST the fees and a positive. I got neither. I asked him nicely to correct this, he refused. I was now out of a Sunday afternoon that he wasted, in which he insulted my iintelligence and reputation, the fees, and the listing costs. I then placed a negative in his account. (he had already 4 in the last 6 months listed.) I was (of course) given a "reprisal" negative. (Here comes the good part...) I called eBay Berlin, and asked them what was the deal..why was this guy allowed to operate online with so many mounting negatives...and I was amzed to see, that 3 days later, he had NONE! They had vanished! It was then, that I becaome veeeery curious. I then " buttonholed" an eBay ex employee at the European Electronics Messe, and know what he did? he smiled, and said "Didnt you know? You can buy off all negatives...going rate is 50euros per negative feedback". I was shocked! So you see...all is not well in eBay land. Rip offs and psychos can make a big career there...honesty? Especially in Militaria does NOT pay off...especially when you fall afoul of their idiotic and dubious listing rules, as per what is, and what is not allowed. It boggles the mind. Not to mention their "evil stepchild" paypal! They kept 2300 US dollars frozen, allowing us NO access to it for 4 months...all the time alienating me with my clients, and earning illegal interests! (see:
www.paypalsucks.com for details!) It was ONLY after I called ina favor with a Washington based US Attorney that I served in the Army with did I get the money released! They were just going to keep it, and hope that I would give up!!!I could go on and on and on...its happened so many times... anyway..I hope this helps ONE person..then I have done my job here.
Good luck, and lets pray that something comes along that is FAR better than the VERY broken eBay platform. I am convinced, eBay is the anti-christ!
Edited by MakTheYak to remove racist references
