[LargeFormat] Request for opinion

[tripspud]

Hi Uncle Dick!

      I've been using eBay as the primary device to put together my large
format camera system and darkroom.  I have over 100 rating.  Generally
ok.  I just bought two lenses and a finder from Russia and the deal went
down smooth.

     If I'm interested in an item, I frequently e-mail them during the auction,
particularly if it is a private seller and not a store.   If the individual does
not
answer, forget it.  Stores with large ratings are generally reliable and you can
check their feedback.  I've sold some too, though not recently, and all went
smooth.  Generally, only photo items.

     Recently, I won a Jobo from GB (I'm in the US).  The store never responded.
I didn't leave a feedback, forget it.  I think they did not want to ship
internationally,
or there was some problem with the tank not being available, because the item came

up again in a week, without the tank.  Still, I would have appreciated an
explanation.

     Another time, I bought a Russian lens and then discovered that it the mount
was
not screwmount but M42 or something.  I  was able to communicate with the seller
and he let me slide.

     Another story: a friend of mine bought a cell phone, supposedly new, and the
seller mistakenly sent his wife's used phone that had already been activated.
Some
people are morons.  The seller could not figure how to correct the deal and my
friend
treatened legal action.  The deal evaporated  with a refund, so success, but some
folks are moron.

Cheers,

Rich Lahrson
Berkeley, California
tripspud@transbay.net

Clive Warren wrote:

> At 10:04 am +0800 1/2/03, rstein wrote:
> >Dear Friends,
> >
> >      I need some advice. You may wish to give it discretely via direct email
> >or openly on this list. The request is genuine.
> snip
> >
> >      The reason I ask is family experience using the eBay here in
> >Australia. My daughter sold off a bunch of old clothing on it and I was able
> snip
>
> Dear Uncle Dick,
>
> The whole process of buying on EBay is a risk - EBay have made
> transactions as safe as possible but there are limits.
>
> The good, the bad and the ugly...... Generally my experience with
> EBay transactions is that they usually work out ok on average. I have
> had some experience with ex Eastern block countries but it is
> limited. The transaction went well. On the other hand I have had
> transactions in the US where the item arriving here in the UK was
> struggling to match the EBay description and a transaction in the UK
> where I was totally burned!
>
> Overall, the US transactions have been the best - I have had good and
> bad experiences on ebay.de so the German connection is ok but as with
> all EBay transactions, caveat emptor.
>
> When dealing with a seller who has a different mother tongue to your
> own and one that you cannot speak fluently, the communication
> difficulties should not be underestimated.
>
> The feedback mechanisms on EBay are useful in assessing sellers, but
> most people do not give negative feedback when it is deserved simply
> because they want to keep their own feedback ratings "clean". The
> usual response from a seller to whom you give negative feedback is to
> retaliate by giving the buyer a spurious negative feedback. So to be
> able to warn other people about a seller you usually end up suffering
> a little yourself!
>
> So the advice I would give is to bid only as much as you are prepared
> to lose should it all go pear shaped!
>
> Cheers,
>         Clive
>
> --
> All the best,
>
>                Clive     http://www.f32.net
>
> _______________________________________________
> LargeFormat mailing list
> LargeFormat@f32.net
> http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/largeformat