I will only sell items on eBay, with the exception of a select few listers.
I have only had one bad experience, with a buyer not paying upon the
completion of the auction... but he did email me within hours of the
auctions end and made me aware of his intentions to withdraw. His story was
questionable - his friend had decided he no longer wanted the part and said
purchaser was just bidding on it for friend... I left neutral feedback with
a warning.
Why only sell via eBay? Once a bid is placed it is a contract between the
buyer and seller that the auction transaction will be completed upon auction
end. Ideally, if the seller is trueful and the buyer isn't a prick all goes
well... and in all but that one case has it gone well for me. Selling via
classifieds is exactly the opposite, you have to deal with deadbeats who are
never willing to pay what something is worth or just want to waste your
time. It became such a hassle selling things that way, I instituted my eBay
only policy one night. And with a early Corvette hardtop, a Mercedes 230SL
hardtop, and a TR6 hardtop all going on eBay this week... I have no reason
to doubt that I will not have successful and satisfactory auctions with each
of them (it's hardtop clearance week!).
Maximum price for the minimum effort. Which is the reason I love eBay, as a
seller.
As a buyer, well I rarely buy anything on eBay. This is mostly due to my
access to typically anything I want for my cars to begin with. There are
some nice things once in a while, and not everything is over priced. Oddly
enough, the items that in the retail market have the largest profit margins
(soft items such as trim, carpet sets and convertible tops) make the least
money on eBay. I haven't figured that out... accessories, performance and
flashy items such as luggage racks, grilles, and similar items typically
make quite a bit of money.
Fraud? Well we all know what happened with the so called MGC Sebring car.
There is little you can do about eBay fraud, especially if you're not a
participant in the auction and just trying to do the right thing. eBay's
LACK of interest in the matter was seriously disuading, as was the typically
bueracratic state agencies I contacted. None wished to have any involvement
with fraud, especially once eBay and the internet were mentioned. eBay has
even made it impossible for anyone to contact bidders to make them aware of
such infractions. Although, I see why they did this... I don't agree with
how they went about it. eBay should not regulate the flow of information,
the bidder or seller I am contacting is capable of determining whether they
think my note is worthwhile or not.
If ever someone had wished to create the ultimate autojumble, eBay is it.
No muddy fields to walk through in the rainy Pennsylvania autumn, no
cumbersome backpacks filled with heavy parts, nor any carts to push or pull
with your new found treasures... then again the atmosphere and triumph of
finding what you're looking for at an actual autojumble is a unique and
satisfying experience, something I don't get from hitting the search button
on eBay.
I like eBay overall. I especially like the lack of mud.
Kai
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