A neat link presented by OldGriz in another forum has prompted me to use it to warn of some dubious sellers I've encountered recently on Ebay. One is gizzmotango, from whom I bought a pearl Vac with the nib "a little loose." Upon receipt, I found it was missing the feed. Not knowing what other internal damage might be lurking, and given the shipping charges, I negotiated a one-third rebate, figuring I could use it as a parts pen. A few days later I won another gizzmotango auction, this time for an "uninked" pearl Vac. After sending a check, I idly re-checked the auction page a day or to later, and, upon scrolling down, saw that two hours before the auction end, gizzmotango had added text stating the pen was in fact inked, which I didn't see in time because I use a snipe service. At this, I stopped payment on the check and notified gizzmotango. Unfortunately, by this time a third auction had closed, this one for a 61. I notified gizzmotango I would not be completing payment on the 61 because I could not rely on her item descriptions. Gizzmotango has started an eBay non-payment process on me, don't know how this will work out. Here are the gizzmotango neutral and negative feedbacks as ferreted out by Griz's neat web site:

http://tinyurl.com/yjagqw

Gizzmotango sell a lot of pens, so please be aware of what may be in store for you should you decide to bid on her auctions.

A second problem has been with a Canadian seller, beaudow, who does not accept PayPal but who indicates he will accept US cash. I sent US currency wrapped in opaque paper inside the white paper auction page print I sent, and received nothing, certainly not a return mis-addressed envelope. I wrote beaudow six emails, directly and through eBay, and all a week apart, before I got one non-commital reply. I then wrote a final email asking why I shouldn't leave a negative feedback. I got no reply, and so I left such a feedback. Of course, I got a retaliatory neg. I have been contacted by another buyer who is having a similar problem with beaudow. Beaudow doesn't sell many pens, but has a very high volume, low dollar business. Here's beaudow's neutral and negative feedbacks:

http://tinyurl.com/yzhw9r

Like BillTheEditor, I usually deal only with sellers having over 99% positive feedback. Both of these sellers have such a positive feedback score, yet problems still ensued. Oh, well. Anyway, thanks to Griz for identifying the neat web site for checking neutral/neg eBay feedbacks!

Sorry to hear about the problems, Nihontochicken. I always wondered what would happen if a seller revised the item description after I placed a bid. Could I retract the bid without any repercussions from the seller or Ebay? I am assuming my retraction would be listed under my "Bid Retractions" (in my Member Profile), but what if it was a valid retraction? (eg. if the seller added info about damage where previously the item was listed as having no damage)

I've never had this come up in real life, just a hypothetical question...

As for sending cash....I never send more than I am willing to burn, which is about $5 USD

I've had problems with Gizmotango (Her real name is jodetta maddox). I've had similar experiences with her. Items not as described and more. I'll never buy from her again.

EBay will never help you. Ever since that blonde “person” took over so much of eBay their only concern has become the bottom line.

Good special on the tube last week, all about eBay and her and how it has changed.
It seems that the only way you can get any satisfaction from being ripped off is to take the offending seller to court yourself. EBay is too busy finding ways to increase profits.

Have you noticed the trend towards outrageous S/H charges? Bubba, these ain’t taxed by eBay. I had one seller admit that he used S/H charges to make up the cost of the item. This is against eBay’s rules, clearly stated. A complaint was lodged with eBay and all that happened was I got a negative feedback. The seller is still there.

When I was selling I was bombarded with planted fake bids and I knew where they were coming from. Again a complaint was lodged and eBay did nothing.

It is not just sellers, it is also the bidders. When all is said and done it boils down to eBay’s total lack of commitment to enforcing their own rules. If they could make a nickel doing it, it would be a different story.

I'm very glad I know of that toolhaus site. Comments like below can be easily found now and are a clear sign not to deal with someone because you can be sure that if you run into a problem communications won't be friendly.

There was a time when that kind of language would have been removed by eBay, and the person who left it suspended.

Thanks for the info, Nihontochicken. I've noted both sellers names, and won't be bidding/buying anything they list on eBay.

I've had relatively good luck with eBay (knock on wood). My one bad experience was buying one of the fake Parker Sonnets. I realized it was fake when I read the post about it here on FPN. I contacted the seller right away, and he gave me a refund without asking for the pen back. I returned the pen anyway -- better to be safe than sorry. The seller is no longer a registered user because either enough people complained or he realized the risk of selling fake goods just wasn't worth it. Or, he may be using a new ID on eBay. One never knows.

I don't know if there's a separate section for these kinds of warnings. Bill recently posted a question about another eBay seller with the ID "sccsales" and it got plenty of informative responses.

On the other hand, after reading several FPN posts about good experiences with eBay sellers (speerbob and engeika come to mind), I've purchased items from them with no hesitation.

P.S. Thanks to OldGriz for the link to the negative feedback tool! I've used it every single time before I place a bid.

Edited: Added the P.S.

Hello, just a note on this subject to which I do know quite allot about. I’m new here so Hello as well

First, a seller cannot revise their listing once a bid has been made. eBay has an internal program which stops sellers from revising it.

As for feedback: What one see's is not necessarily what one gets in regards to the legitimacy of feedback ratings. You must actually read the feedback to get an idea of the seller and often a seller with what appears to be a less desirable feedback number may in fact be quite trustworthy. Life situations CAN happen effecting a sellers shipping. Also, the amount of feedback, when you are dealing with a seller with a high feedback score, like in the thousands, it is rare for there not to be a neutral or negative somewhere. The numbers listed as a feedback score do not reflect the total of sales made by the seller. A feedback score of say 2000 reflects in fact over 5600 positives. And who knows how they calculate.

One just needs to remember that no one is perfect. Sellers or buyers, and that yes, eBay has proven to be a place for these scam artists to thrive. Yah just gotta be careful. And in regards to overseas or international purchases, I ONLY use those who have proven reliable, after a SMALL purchase or whom my husband has said worked out well for him.

Hope some of this helps.

Why do you know quite a lot? Do you work for Ebay?

I actually make it a point to read the feedback comments received by buyers who left negative feedback for sellers. It's sometimes a feeble attempt to really understand what went wrong with the transaction, but it does provide a little bit more info than just the 1-line of negative comment. There are some buyers who leave negative feedbacks at the drop of a hat, and their own feedback scores/comments will reveal that something else is going on, unrelated to their experience with one particular seller.

Also, I focus not just on the percentage score and number of negative feedbacks. Sometimes what's more significant is the "type" of negative feedback a seller consistently receives. For instance, if different buyers have consistently complained that the seller has lost items in the mail or items were broken in transit or did not describe the item accurately, then one can be sure that it wasn't just a one-time thing.

I expect eBay sellers to exercise the same commercially reasonable business practices that I expect from a local shop or a large online retailer. It is afterall a Marketplace, is it not?

I have sent cash to Canadian and British sellers on perhaps half a dozen instances without problem. But with this one sting, it's now PayPal or pass.



Thanks for this info, may help if something comes to pass from her "non-payment" complaint to eBay.



You've got that spot on. Ebay serves only the sellers, and does as little as possible in that. If a buyer receives anything remotely resembling what was described on the auction page, then eBay is satisfied with the transaction. Ebay will only take some action to support the buyer if payment was made and nothing at all was received. Ebay cares not one whit if items are misrepresented, just more $$$ in their pocket.

Hi,

Did he say he wanted cash? I see money order or cashier's check. The USPS money orders will not work in other countries...

Dillon

on the other hand, I just received my Sheaffer Autograph FP and pencil set today in mail from Gizmotango. For only $51, I got the set for a song, and the shipping was pretty timely. I'm not saying you guys are wrong, not by any stretch, but for what it is worth my experience with her is pretty good.



Doug

Thanks for the info (I should have figured there would be a safeguard like that :doh: )...and WELCOME TO FPN, shalley!

I have to agree with Doug...
I have bought quite a few pens from Gitzmotango and have never had a problem... in fact in one case I emailed back that the pen was not exactly as described and was offered a 50% refund or full return with postage if I wanted.... I tool the refund and it was paid within hours...
Of course if the rest of you want to not buy from them, I won't complain

No, I do not work for eBay, and wouldn’t. I have been a seller for several years now, and have experienced this as both a seller AND buyer. When I first started on eBay I also was taken for quite a sum of money by a seller who is no longer registered. Not for a pen but a collectable sword. They did not have the paypal buyers protection then, and as seller and buyer I highly recommend that one should never pay for an item unless it is possible to do so by them.

Paypal IS an eBay company, but...it offers compensation within 30 days if a complaint is listed with them within 30 days of your purchase. They will enforce a refund regardless of what a seller says, IF you apply for it.

NEVER send cash in any form.

girlieg33k is right also to assume that newer members to eBay will leave feedback way too fast at times. Actually I always wince with new buyers because generally they will, and expect their items next day even if you don’t offer that option. Not always the case, but often.

eBay has been both a Blessing & Curse for me as a seller. It is an easy venue in which to market one of a kind items, but it can be very VERY costly, especially when one has a storefront. You get charged ebay listing & final sales value fees, on top of the monthly ~item~ charges on your store. Plus you will get charged per transaction amount by paypal when it is used.

As a buyer, I love it. I only use paypal for payments, and I check when I am bidding to make sure that a seller accepts it. I have had to use paypal's buyer protection on occasion so I know it works. A lil hint here: IF you choose to complain about a transaction do start with eBay, but when you fill out that form make sure you list any paypal purchases as credit card purchases first so that you are able to lodge an actual eBay complaint. Otherwise they will send you straight to paypal, and their buyer protection form. You should do BOTH. I cannot stress this enough.

If I can help answer any more questions I would be happy to do so, and thank you for the welcome

THIS is an absolute Fact!

Well, well...I just happened to look at this thread and noticed that the seller being discussed is the very one that I purchased from a couple of days ago. :doh: I'll let you know how things go...

I have a slightly different take on the hazards of buying pens on eBay. I assume (unless I know differently) that people who are selling pens on eBay are NOT experienced pen people. So when I hear that a pen is in "excellent" condition, or that it appears to be "uninked", or that whatever, I take it with the proverbial grain of salt. A good number of sellers on Ebay are just genuinely clueless. Thus, I rarely buy high-ticket items on the 'Bay. If you are looking to buy a higher-end pen, it's just a lot safer to buy it on FPN, the Green Board, or from a pensellers website. Just my 2 cents...

TMann

Tmann;

I've never had a problem with gizzmotango and have bought four of five things from her - some of which were incredible bargains. The only thing I don't like about her is that she doesn't leave feedback. Look at it this way, her feedback is what I call in the comfortable zone 99%+. Can she have stiffed a couple of people here? Sure. But she is not a regular crook or her feedback would be a lot lower. As a buyer you have to know what you are buying and what the problems might be - all of this has to be factored in on an Ebay purchase.

Roger W.

Yup, I agree. Clueless as in not always knowing what they have. But, you CAN find genuine sellers who do sell high end items at really good prices. I bought a vintage black forest fox and grapes cuckoo clock on ebay several years ago, from Germany, and it was well over that $700 mark. Not a single problem, in paying, in recieving it in good time, and it was exactly as described. Sometimes you just luck out

Yes, a marketplace, but no, it really is geared more to 'home' sellers rather then actual retail marketplace sellers such as walk-in stores. Home sellers often don’t have a business license, it isn’t required by eBay, this may be the first time they have ever sold an item, and they more often than not handle their shipping schedule based upon convenience. Because they perhaps have children, husbands, are a 1 car family or even disabled, and depend upon outside influences to help them in this area. I have known several really wonderful folks, all elderly, who left eBay because they were slower at the shipping thing than what was expected of them and the feedback was so cruel they just could not deal with it. That is the shame in this because these people were simply trying to suppliment their social security and got hung on feedback.

They had good intentions, just slower to get things done. I have learned to be greatly patient with shipping because of this.

I would still report this seller to E-Bay. regardless of the circumstances these kinds of language should not be tolerated.

David

Here's from the item listing (beaudow seller):


Re gizzmotango, remember her "nib is a little loose" statement was in fact describing a completely missing feed, not visible in the pic as it was taken from directly over the nib. Everyone gets to set his/her own risk tolerance level, of course. Maybe just my bad luck to get burned twice in rapid succession, but I'd rather not tempt fate anymore with this seller.

Hi,

Interesting...

Dillon

Greetings all,

I've been on e-bay since October 31, 1998 and I have to say- it is definitely not the place it was. It was a better place to do business before Whitman took over with her money grubbing practices. I think they're current fee structure is way out of line in relation to the service(s) they provide.

I've had my share of "great deals" and "total rip-offs" on e-bay, and the long and short of it is: I rely on it less and less. If you're buying vintage or out of production items- I recommend shopping through collectors forums such as this one; although as far as selection, e-bay probably is still the best game in town. Furthermore, if you are buying new items, I believe better and more trustworthy venues are available than e-bay.

(Although, I must admit, there is a short list of pen sellers on e-bay that I will buy from without worrying about it).

Best wishes,

Sean

Couldn't you report her for mail fraud? This is a federal offense and even though its small the FBI might contact the Canadian police..

I think we are seeing why that an official FPN blacklist or whitelist for ebay sellers or even sellers all around would not work. That is different people have different experiences with a seller/ buyer and someone could easily drift from one list ot het other


K

I recently got an item that was fake even though the seller had 600+ score and 99+% This was a nicely done fake but the material used was obviously cheap.
I though the item was a bit cheap when i got it but a few peoples had already won similar items from the same seller without putting negative feedback.
I guess they were just scared of getting a negative feedback themself from the seller.

I've been using a splendid Waterman's Commando that I won from Gizzmotango. They shipped the wrong pen and I sent it back. They sent me the right pen with returned postage of $1.00.

The pen was a little better than described. I'm happy.

Hi Shalley-

Neither a gripe nor an eBay remark- just wanted to know just how deeply involved with Norse literature you are- part of my doctoral dissertation touched upon the Havamal, et.alii-

Tony

Well, I am somewhat involved being half German and 1/4 Swedish., and an admitted research addict. I am a traditional skills artisan by trade and being such I guess I felt I ought to know more about where I came from and the people behind my genetics‘, which includes literature & especially folklore. So I did research, allot actually, and applied what I learned to not only my work but also my costume and painting methods. I have been involved in traditional history & skills reenacting for around 20 years. Not so much in the last 3-4 however. A part of this reenacting involves the teaching of traditional history, orally and in the skills you are demonstrating. Even something as simple as a pair of ‘Viking Combs’ which are used for combing sheep’s wool before it is spun has a folkloric history & story in Nordic literature. Plus it is always fun to put a spin on your demonstration by telling a special tale to draw the imagination of those who watch.

I have a very dear friend in Germany who is a Rune Slinger, and she found that quote and felt it applied to me...lol, and my rather unusual life. I liked it. Were you looking for something specific, literature-wise, that I might help you with? What was your dissertation about? Sounds quite interesting.

And Hello by the way


Hávamál ... The Words of Odin the High One

Wisdom for Wanderers and Counsel to Guests: Wise in measure let each man be; but let him not wax too wise; for never the happiest of men is he who knows much of many things.

While I don't think a white/black list would work. I don't see a problem with an archive of sellers we have some concerns over. I know there is one I am wondering about whether or not some of the Sonnets they sell are fakes.

-Bruce