Is this Correct?

j.e.j.

I very frequently see: "I ALWAYS obtain proof of postage" or "I cannot be held responsible for items that go missing in the post" on EBay listings. I just assumed that the seller is trying to put off would-be scammers who claim not to have received the item and then ask for a refund. I have (touch wood) never had a problem with a seller who has written things like this on their listings. Most of them seem happy enough to send by normal second class mail, though if I were a seller I think I would at least send it recorded. I've not dared to venture into selling on EBay myself (yet!!).

soolin

j.e.j. wrote: »

I very frequently see: "I ALWAYS obtain proof of postage" or "I cannot be held responsible for items that go missing in the post" on EBay listings. I just assumed that the seller is trying to put off would-be scammers who claim not to have received the item and then ask for a refund. I have (touch wood) never had a problem with a seller who has written things like this on their listings. Most of them seem happy enough to send by normal second class mail, though if I were a seller I think I would at least send it recorded. I've not dared to venture into selling on EBay myself (yet!!).

Selling is probably for those people who accept that the vast majority of buyers are good honest people who will not scam them. Recorded will kill a business very quickly as it is an expensive service and does not work and anecdotally results in very poor stars.

I've sent well over a thousand items so far this year and everything under £46 has gone with no tracking.

Avoriaz

Crowqueen wrote: »

anyone who does bid is more likely to win at a lower price

May end up being a false economy -

Maybe, but so far I haven't had any problems with such sellers.

Maybe I've been lucky or maybe most of those sellers are good sellers despite their daft Ts and Cs.

Avoriaz

Crowqueen wrote: »

I've also had enough of eBay 'bargains' which turn out to be anything but myself, particularly electronics (either knock-offs or on their last legs).

Again I can only speak from personal experience but I have bought many electrical and electronics items with few problems.

I've bought a new double oven, a new microwave oven, a used laptop, various new and used computer disks and memory etc, used guitars and guitar amps, a few new and used DVD and CD players, a used TV and many other items and I have been pleased with most purchases. The few problems I had were quickly sorted out to my satisfaction.

Ebay is the first and often only place I look for most things these days. I have saved very substantial money over the last few years compared to buying new from shops. For example, our near top of the range Panasonic 42 inch flat screen TV, cost me £360 last year. It was six months old, in perfect condition and still about £700+ new. The seller had decided to upgrade to 3D. His loss, my gain.

I did collect the TV so I was able to see and check it before paying cash but everything else was delivered.

I bought another TV for our spare room today. I collect on Wednesday so hopefully that will be ok too.

I think that, if you are sensible and careful, you will rarely have a problem on Ebay.

Crowqueen

Well - I guess I don't have much money and may have been looking for 'bargains'.

I'd still really prefer to get some things from other sites, particularly those with control over their own merchandise and very stringent vetting standards like Play, Amazon and so on. For example I can get genuine 8 GB USB sticks for £3-4 apiece and not have to worry about fakes because I know the people Amazon allow to sell have been properly vetted.

I guess it takes all sorts, though. I don't see any advantage to having a 'one-stop shop' - there is enough choice out there that I can pick and choose what I want and don't have to rely on something I find a bit dodgy. I know there are people who get everything from eBay but personally I don't and I'm happy to recommend other sites as well.

In fact, to be frank, I'd normally choose Amazon over eBay when it comes to consumer items. When it comes to collectable items, however, eBay is second to none and the free-for-all nature of selling there means you can list interesting and OOAK things. I started off looking for Soviet propaganda postcards, stamps and posters, and that is not something you can buy elsewhere.

However, I also sell on Amazon and find it a bit more lucrative than eBay has been recently.