awesome14 Loc: UK

Any time I see anything about all the hassle getting money back for defective merchandise purchased on eBay.com, I know it's made up. When a thing doesn't work, you check a box, 'return this item'. You are shown a list of 15-20 reasons for the return, asked to check one, and to elaborate in short prose.

Then, you click, 'send message'. If the buyer checks the box that the item is defective, he is sent a shipping label to print, and he packs the item and ships it back. When the seller receives the return, the buyer gets a refund. The seller has nothing to do with it. Ebay handles all payments to sellers, AND all refunds. The refund comes directly from eBay.

So, there is less hassle with returning items on eBay--because of the free shipping labels--than almost any other marketplace. If the buyer chooses a reason like, 'found the item cheaper elsewhere', he pays the cost of the shipping label. But the rest works the same!

Even if an item says,

No returns, all sales final, as-is, no refunds',

if the item is listed as 'used' vs. 'For parts, not working', it is a statement that the item works as intended, regardless of what else is stipulated.

If it doesn't work, the buyer can return it for a full refund, including shipping both ways. Ebay has been around for 25 years, or so. I have ~5,300 transactions since 1998. I have never lost out on a purchase. It is safer than Amazon, because the feedback comments carry so much more weight.

In this day and age, not using a market the size of eBay for buying and selling photo gear is bull-headed intentional ignorance, or 'counterfeit elitism'!

I've become aware of ne'er-do-wells, such as Ken Rockwell, lying about purchasing on eBay. If fact, almost every used piece of camera gear on eBay is a steal of a deal. If it's not, don't buy it! B&H, Adorama, and the other NYC exchanges hate eBay with a passion, because it cuts so deep into their profits.

They will do anything, even resort to dishonesty--through third-party websites--to draw people away from eBay. Truth be told, if left to the truth, no one would buy of sell used equipment anywhere 'but' eBay! And, or course, all the NYC dealers sell on eBay, sometimes under assumed names, because the market is just so huge!

The seller gets the highest price, and the buyer gets the lowest price on eBay.com. Most items are listed as 'buy it now, or best offer'. That means no bidding, and if the buyer wants if for less than the asking price, he can make a 'best offer', which expires after 24 hours. If the seller excepts the best offer, the buyer is obligated to make the purchase.

In any event, if both buyer and seller agree to cancel a transaction, the seller can cancel it. I have never found an eBay seller who wanted to stick a buying with something the buyer didn't want. There are some items for auction, but only a few in high-end camera gear.

You just have to watch the seller feedback rating. Less than 99% is bad. Don't buy from them, unless the seller has a small number of transactions, with one negative feedback something like, "I got my item a day late!" That's just bad luck to get a buyer who leaves negative feedback for that!

And check the 'sold items' list for your search. That tells what similar items are selling for. A quick estimate of what I've saved buying on eBay.com yields at least $35,000.00, in camera gear alone. I'm not an eBay.com evangelist, but the truth is the truth! It bothers me when people keep getting ripped off by liars! Ebay is a $2.5 billion per year company. It can afford to refund the cost of your 600mm f4.

I had a transaction overseas. It was a big mess. To have the buyer send the item back and receive it again would double the customs duties. So, eBay refunded the buyer, and didn't charge me--the seller--anything. Problem solved. The buyer got his item for free, and I got paid! You just won't find that level of service and support anywhere but eBay.com. If anyone does, and shows me, I'll eat my shorts!

Bill_de Loc: US

Chit Chat

No photographic value to this thread.

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MDI Mainer

As if GAS was not endemic amongst us.

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Thank you awesome14 for taking the time/effort to formalize your considerable experience with eBay.
It mirrors my somewhat limited experience also. Especially of merit is your recommendation to place much credence on a Sellers feedback.

btw, many of the best lenses in my kit were purchased from Japanese eBay sellers and were in absolute pristine condition. However as you noted the major sellers of Previously Owned Kit (i.e. KEH; Robers; etc. and even my local camera shop) are also currently heavily marketing on eBay. It is indeed an optimum Buy/Sell paradigm provided you take the time to carefully study the fine art of winnowing out the most reputable vendors.

Again many thanks for your synopsis awesome14 it is deeply appreciated.
Wishing you much continued success on your journey.
Cheers! Thomas

Orphoto Loc: Oregon

A bit of a sugar coated diatribe. The experience for sellers is far worse than it was 15-20 years ago as the platform attempts to extract as many fees as possible and tilts toward the buyers in protection policies. I agree with Thomas that Japanese sellers tend to be superb.

Red6

Different experiences for different people. It may be a good market for an individual to sell used items they no longer want and receive a reasonable price for them. However, for someone trying to make a living at selling items, the fees have become excessive. So, I closed down the ebay store and found other markets.

As far as buying items on eBay, I stopped that several years ago when I received a box of scrap metal instead of the items advertised. eBay refused to do anything and neither refunded my money nor stopped the seller from continuing to sell. He had a lot of good feedback but also had a few bad comments. I suspect that since he had enough good feedback to offset a few bad comments, that he sent out just enough "junk merchandise" to make a little extra profit but not enough to cause eBay to come down on him.

I have never had B&H, KEH or any of the other sellers send me a box of scrap.

nikon_jon Loc: Northeast Arkansas

In Chit Chat does there have to be photographic value?

Why the ultra sensitivity about content. There was no immoral sexual content, no political rants, and the grammar was pretty good. Maybe someone just likes to complain.

MikeG Loc: Northern Wisconsin

This section is for general chit-chat, non-photography topics. You'll read humor, music suggestions...any topic is fair game. The section header is pretty clear.

roaddogie

Do you prefer mustard mayo?

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

This is the "Chit Chat" section. Everything except politics and lunatic raving is ok here.

rustfarmer

My experience (although several years ago) is quite different. I bought an engine/transmission from a seller in Canada. When it arrived it was not the same unit as shown and had several major issues. The seller agreed to refund the basic purchase price, but I would be required to pay the return shipping, PLUS hire an import/export company to handle the cross border hassles so total loss would have been over $600.00 US. I kept the defective and wrong unit and would up having to totally rebuild the engine; source the proper flywheel and complete clutch because the unit was supposed to be an assembled standard shift but came with an automatic trans flywheel; find a proper wiring harness and ECU; plus other issues to many to list. Ebay refused to help since the seller agreed to refund the base purchase price.

capmike Loc: New Bern, NC

Wow, Sounds like an ad. My experience over at least 20 years, used to buy and sell. Selling became ridiculous with fee after fee. Buying was a crap shoot, never got a refund for false descriptions. Now never ever use that service. BUYER AND SELLERS: BEWARE

bigalw Loc: Essex - UK

I completely agree with awesome 14, (this IS the general discussion area) my iPad recently went tits up, so I ordered another pad from a person on eBay, it arrived with a flat battery, long story short, there were various other faults, £220.00 😳 so I got in touch with eBay, no problem, they sent me a (free) return label, in the post, but I’m still awaiting the refund, but eBay assure me it’s coming, eBay has changed, for the better !!

Stan Gould Loc: La Crosse, Wisconsin

Disagree. Good info for someone who want to buy/sell cameras and related gear.

PhotogHobbyist Loc: Bradford, PA

I gave up on eBay because of the increasing fees and charges by them and PayPal. Besides, I did not buy or sell enough to make it worth my time and effort.