Forum Etiquette

[alanint]

Originally Posted by remerus

I hope that we are not tared with the same brush as I assure you we are not all like that down under.

Of course not, Peg. It is just curious that a number of incidents, which have occured to a community of traders I am privi to have dealings with, show that Australia, for some reason, has a high incidence of these type of events, (never received the package). Perhaps unscrupulous purchasers there feel that the distance gives them immunity and it will be difficult for US sellers to seek redress.

[NoncomRetired]

Originally Posted by alanint

Of course not, Peg. It is just curious that a number of incidents, which have occured to a community of traders I am privi to have dealings with, show that Australia, for some reason, has a high incidence of these type of events, (never received the package). Perhaps unscrupulous purchasers there feel that the distance gives them immunity and it will be difficult for US sellers to seek redress.

I always send things that are traceable even if I've know the person or sold to the buyer before, not that I mistrust the receiver but I don't always trust the people in-between, especially if it travels overseas where the contents have to be declared and that goes for me receiving the item. I insist that it be sent registered and sometimes insured and I send registered overseas, stateside, I send UPS registered whenever possible. It's a shame that our society has changed so much that ya have visions of the people today working in the mail room/sorting office. I can't blame myself for having those visions.

I don't like sending overseas because of all the damn customs forms that have to be filled out too.

I only got burned once buying off EBAY, I was years ago in Ireland and the seller was in Northern Ireland, he was eventually banned as a seller on EBAY.

[alanint]

Originally Posted by NoncomRetired

I insist that it be sent registered and sometimes insured and I send registered overseas, stateside, I send UPS registered whenever possible. I don't like sending overseas because of all the damn customs forms that have to be filled out too.

The problem with the evil Ebay/PayPal axis is that they will immediately side with the buyer and even presenting video of the UPS driver personally handing the seller the package won't get you your money back if the seller claims he did not receive it.
My contacts presented SIGNED receipts, with the buyers signature clearly on the slip and the buyers claimed it was not their signature. (How often have we all just scrawled gibberish on the driver's pad when we received something? And still got the package? The security is a joke and buyers know this).

It is even worse for our military/gun related hobby, which Ebay/PayPal has made clear they are not sympathetic to.
A US buyer is someone you can still reach out and touch through the law, if necessary. Are you really going to go after someone in a distant place like Australia for a couple of hundred bucks?
Crooked buyers there know this and actively troll ebay for stuff they would like to receive for free.

I too will no longer ship to Australia unless the buyer is vouched for.

[NoncomRetired]

Originally Posted by alanint

The problem with the evil Ebay/PayPal axis is that they will immediately side with the buyer .

One thing I won't do is...PayPal, even though I have an account, it's never used.

[alanint]

Originally Posted by NoncomRetired

One thing I won't do is...PayPal, even though I have an account, it's never used.

It is often a necesary evil, as many buyers will not purchase unless they have PayPal's "protection", but I agree.

The idea that they can go in and simply take from your bank account or credit card is abhorrent in so many ways.

[Zorba]

Several random thoughts:

1) I've been an eBay member since about 1998 - but I won't sell there anymore. Their insistence on sellers accepting PayPal is the major reason. Although I do use PP for payments, I will NOT attach my bank account to them, thus I cannot accept payments.

2) Ebay has just deteriorated in general. Idiot buyers who bid things up to OVER the price of new. Idiot sellers who list a $25 item for $200 over, and over, and over, and over again - clogging the system. The only winner is eBay. Cheap Chinese junk everywhere, blah, blah, blah...

3) The in-ability to leave buyers anything but positive feedback. I understand why eBay did this - I had my perfect eBay feedback score blemished from retaliatory feedback from a bad seller. Fine - but this isn't the way to fix it - feedback should be "double-blind".

4) Most importantly - as a buyer I'm starting to shop there less and less. Their STUPID, IDIOTIC crippling of their search engine by no longer accepting wildcard searches is unacceptable.

5) Like someone else who posted here, I'm a compu-geek - I live by email. If I'm doing business online, I *EXPECT* and *DEMAND* an email response within 24 hours. Otherwise, the seller shouldn't be doing business online. Now I do agree that "stuff happens" and there are excusable reasons for non-responsiveness. But non-responsiveness as a general practice is unacceptable. Unfortunately, there are TONS of businesses out there who put up a website - often a very nice website - and then proceed to ignore it. Some of them are Fortune 500 companies!

6) Gunbroker is a lot like eBay was 15 years ago - its very nice and refreshing. I hope it stays that way.

7) As for shipping stuff to Australia - I think its a high risk shipping route. I ordered an LED 3rd brakelite for my car - there were only two places I could find this made in Australia item for sale - the official American importer, who turned out to be a "Chump", and an online store in Australia. I ordered it from the Australian outfit. It never showed up. Really. They re-shipped, I received the second shipment. The second shipment was not only tracked, but had "signature required". I don't blame them - I was just glad that they stood behind their sale, even though the loss wasn't their fault.

8) Cell phone pictures are unacceptable. Go back and read that again. At least 99.99999999999999% of the time...