Check out Commercial and Industrial Photography section of our forum.
Buying and selling on eBay.com
Jan 8, 2022 14:12:48 #
I have purchased 2 lenses from Japan on eBay. Both were in mint condition, perfectly functional and much cheaper than elsewhere. Both arrived very quickly, with no shipping costs.
Jan 8, 2022 14:27:48 #
Jan 8, 2022 14:49:45 #
awesome14 wrote:
Any time I see anything about all the hassle getti... (show quote)
I've had the same great experience on Amazon and Aliexpress! And pay using PayPal and you'll get much the same experience on almost all online sales sites.
bwa
Jan 8, 2022 15:41:43 #
I've found more problems with buyers. I sold a tent, listed as "used by an outfitter as a rental, no returns". The buyer broke the zipper, demanded a return, and ebay sent him a refund, deducted my account, and "closed" the case.
I had no recourse. On another buyer said "wrong size" for a tool. Photos had a ruler in them for sizing. I said sorry, no refund. That was that. So i guess I'm one and one.
I had no recourse. On another buyer said "wrong size" for a tool. Photos had a ruler in them for sizing. I said sorry, no refund. That was that. So i guess I'm one and one.
Jan 8, 2022 17:34:32 #
Stan Gould wrote:
Disagree. Good info for someone who want to buy/sell cameras and related gear.
Jan 8, 2022 18:26:22 #
I sell calendars on eBay and since Covid a lot of postal deliveries are taking a lot longer than the estimated times set by eBay. If a buyer complains eBay refunds them even though we have sent them another calendar along with a receipt and photo taken at the post office. The purchaser ends up with two calendars without paying and we end up out of pocket. According to the local Post Office I not the only one.
Jan 8, 2022 19:01:19 #
awesome14 wrote:
Any time I see anything about all the hassle getti... (show quote)
Totally agree. In my more limited EBay experience of three years I have no complaints or issues. Just one return of a defective camera and the shipping label and the following refund was processed immediately.
Check out Black and White Photography section of our forum.
Jan 9, 2022 10:50:18 #
wrangler5
Loc: Missouri
I bought and sold LOTS of photo equipment on ebay over the years, up to and including Leica and Hasselblad cameras and lenses. Almost always had a great experience going both directions (675 positive feedbacks, 100%). Always sold with no returns box checked, and never had a question from a buyer. But a few years ago I ran into the new automatic-return policy, and have not been back there since. The right to return for a full refund appears to be absolute, for any reason or no reason.
My last sale was a current version Nikon 50mm/1.4 lens that was like new and functioned perfectly on my DX and FX bodies. It was returned (at my expense, after a week) for "does not meet description" with the explanation that the "aperture ring won't turn." It would in fact turn, but not if you had it locked in the Auto position, a feature of Nikon lenses for decades. There was no way to communicate this to the buyer and possibly fix the dissatisfaction - he clicked the return box and that was it.
The lens did come back in the same condition I sent it. The buyer just got to use it for a week and decide he didn't want it any more, all at my expense. But if it had come back beaten up or even broken or missing parts, I saw no place where I could have objected to a full and immediate refund.
The mailing label you are required to authorize for the return (or else, as the ebay communication makes clear, they will authorize it for you and charge your payment method) notifies ebay when the item is delivered back to you. At that point you get another message from ebay with a box to check authorizing a refund, and a notice that if you don't do it within 3 days they will do it for you and charge your payment method. (So I'm surprised at the comment above that they were still waiting for the refund to arrive - it should have been near instantaneous, from my one experience from the seller side.) Again, no way to say "hey, wait a minute, they sent back an empty box."
So ebay is no longer the way to clean out an attic or basement. I still look at it for things I might want to buy, and sometimes it's the only outlet that a vendor uses. But I no longer even think about using it to sell anything. The Nikon lens I was selling was part of clearing out my DSLR equipment after I went to micro 4/3. After the ebay return experience, I took the few remaining lenses to my local camera store and just accepted what they offered. The one they didn't want, a manual focus film era zoom that still worked but was clearly not in any demand, I just threw in the trash to be rid of it.
My last sale was a current version Nikon 50mm/1.4 lens that was like new and functioned perfectly on my DX and FX bodies. It was returned (at my expense, after a week) for "does not meet description" with the explanation that the "aperture ring won't turn." It would in fact turn, but not if you had it locked in the Auto position, a feature of Nikon lenses for decades. There was no way to communicate this to the buyer and possibly fix the dissatisfaction - he clicked the return box and that was it.
The lens did come back in the same condition I sent it. The buyer just got to use it for a week and decide he didn't want it any more, all at my expense. But if it had come back beaten up or even broken or missing parts, I saw no place where I could have objected to a full and immediate refund.
The mailing label you are required to authorize for the return (or else, as the ebay communication makes clear, they will authorize it for you and charge your payment method) notifies ebay when the item is delivered back to you. At that point you get another message from ebay with a box to check authorizing a refund, and a notice that if you don't do it within 3 days they will do it for you and charge your payment method. (So I'm surprised at the comment above that they were still waiting for the refund to arrive - it should have been near instantaneous, from my one experience from the seller side.) Again, no way to say "hey, wait a minute, they sent back an empty box."
So ebay is no longer the way to clean out an attic or basement. I still look at it for things I might want to buy, and sometimes it's the only outlet that a vendor uses. But I no longer even think about using it to sell anything. The Nikon lens I was selling was part of clearing out my DSLR equipment after I went to micro 4/3. After the ebay return experience, I took the few remaining lenses to my local camera store and just accepted what they offered. The one they didn't want, a manual focus film era zoom that still worked but was clearly not in any demand, I just threw in the trash to be rid of it.
Jan 13, 2022 21:51:24 #
awesome14
Loc: UK
I think you mean: item was rough and in such poor working condition, that for you it should be thrown out. But you might mean actual scrap metal, no glass, complete fraud. But I doubt it. I think there's something missing.
if you're' willing to toss out all the good points, eBay must be even that much worse!
Here is a true parable. I have a cousin who was ranting over Thanksgiving dinner how bad PayPal's security is.
PayPal has never been hacked to the loss of it's customers. They run a bug-bounty program that pays hackers to break PayPal's security, and then Paypal purchases the hacks, for anywhere between a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars.
But she lost all her money! She was through with Paypal! Well, there was more to the story! She gave her username and password to Paypal security, who called her, and informed her that the caller ID might not say Paypal, because they're having trouble with their phones. OH, the caller was in room 271 at Paypal security.
She figured it was legit, so she gave her user name and password to the guy. As instructed, she didn't try to log in for an hour or so. Then, her balance dropped to a few cents. She said, "It's not 'my' fault! They won't give me my money back! I'm through with them!"
if you're' willing to toss out all the good points, eBay must be even that much worse!
Here is a true parable. I have a cousin who was ranting over Thanksgiving dinner how bad PayPal's security is.
PayPal has never been hacked to the loss of it's customers. They run a bug-bounty program that pays hackers to break PayPal's security, and then Paypal purchases the hacks, for anywhere between a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars.
But she lost all her money! She was through with Paypal! Well, there was more to the story! She gave her username and password to Paypal security, who called her, and informed her that the caller ID might not say Paypal, because they're having trouble with their phones. OH, the caller was in room 271 at Paypal security.
She figured it was legit, so she gave her user name and password to the guy. As instructed, she didn't try to log in for an hour or so. Then, her balance dropped to a few cents. She said, "It's not 'my' fault! They won't give me my money back! I'm through with them!"
Jan 13, 2022 21:59:18 #
awesome14
Loc: UK
And the very first reply was from one I warned about. Enjoy your 30 pieces of silver. It has as much to do with photography as a post on where to get the best ingredients pertains to cooking!
Jan 13, 2022 22:06:00 #
Check out Travel Photography - Tips and More section of our forum.
Jan 13, 2022 22:07:36 #
Jan 13, 2022 22:12:23 #
awesome14
Loc: UK
rustfarmer wrote:
My experience (although several years ago) is quit... (show quote)
EBay automotive is quite risky unless you see the item in person, which is recommended. Sorry for your poor experience!
Jan 13, 2022 22:21:35 #
awesome14
Loc: UK
capmike wrote:
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
If the seller can make more selling elsewhere, he should sell elsewhere. But most people can't. If I could find a market like eBay with lower fees, I would use it. Amazon is even higher fees. Etsy is kind of a joke. In the end it doesn't matter how much you pay in fees, as long as you keep more of the sale price vs some other market.
Selling price - expenses = profit. If you get 20% less at a dealer that has no fees, but eBay charges 13%, you're making 7% more with eBay.
Jan 13, 2022 22:31:28 #
awesome14
Loc: UK
You won't make money if you buy it on eBay and turn around and list the same item. You have to get your supply somewhere else. If a dealer spends 8 hours a day finding bargains, he'll make about 40,000.00/year, about what that type of work, investment and risk is worth.
In fact, it is almost impossible to make more money on eBay than some other job. I wouldn't bother with anything I couldn't list at a 100% markup, and get it! Otherwise, you'll get nickled and dimed to death, get negative feedback and fail.
In fact, it is almost impossible to make more money on eBay than some other job. I wouldn't bother with anything I couldn't list at a 100% markup, and get it! Otherwise, you'll get nickled and dimed to death, get negative feedback and fail.
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.
Check out Advice from the Pros section of our forum.