Ebay

[Inkysloth]

Too many fakes, misrepresentations, and garage sale junk finds.

 

It's the garage sale stuff that is interesting!

 

After a couple of silly purchases I learned to CAREFULLY examine all photographs, and ask questions of the seller if I needed anything clarified.

 

I've bought some great pens including several Vacumatics with great nibs, a couple of nice Parker 45s with gold nibs, and some general third tier pens that were good to practice sac replacement on.

 

I love looking for things that are badly listed, it's almost as good as rummaging in a flea market (which, since Ebay, have been on the decline anyway).

[vibeinfinite]

I'll give you a good example.

Several years ago, when I lived in the city of Bloomington, MN, they had a program where you could put your junk out on the street and it would be collected for free. While it was out there, anyone could pick up what you were discarding.

So I had a nice Pioneer tape deck that got fried by lightning. I pulled out what was still useful and put it out in my from yard. It got pick up by someone - I know not whom.

 

A week or so later I check eBay, and OMG, the tape deck was there. Yes, it was the same one as they showed the serial number.

 

It sold. Somebody got screwed.

 

 

Hah! What're the chances of that happening...

 

Our opinions can sometimes be tainted by one or two bad experiences. Don't let that scare you from Ebay

[Nihontochicken]

I think I've been using eBay for various acquisitions for about fifteen years or so. It's an adult Easter egg hunt! I've been significantly burned only once, a $130 misrepresented pocket watch that I returned but for which I received no refund, over ten years ago. Too bad, so sad, eBay would do nothing about it, it protected solely the sellers in those days. It appears now that buyers have somewhat more assistance. In any event, I've learned to avoid items that are very complicated, like pocket watches, as well as items that really need hands-on review, where even good photographs are insufficient, like Japanese swords. Fine silver is a class that lends itself well to the eBay process, given reasonably good auction descriptions and photos. Likewise, pens are generally small and not very complicated, and so decent photos and verbal descriptions can be sufficient to pull the lever, just make sure the seller appears reputable with multiple feedbacks and 0.5% or less negs. Unfortunately, there do appear to be relatively fewer bargains nowadays as opposed to many years ago, seems the number of prospective buyers is increasing faster than the available stock, and the prices of pens and silver are on the rise, not to mention the outrageously high start prices and reserves on far too many items. I guess the days of $15 Parker 45 Flighters and nice sterling/coin flatware at or under melt value have gone the way of the Dodo bird.

 

Edit: Forgot to mention that sometimes phuzzy fotos can work in the buyer's favor, such as my Parker 61 that unexpectedly came with a Legacy cap and my 51 Flighter that sported an unanticipated factory broad nib!

Edited April 16, 2014 by Nihontochicken

[Crazyorange]

Thanks for the input. Very helpful and encouraging.

[Charles Rice]

As an aside, I was in an antique shop last week and spotted a nice Waterman.

 

Considering its condition, I figured it was worth about $75.00. It was priced at $150, and the seller wouldn't budge.

 

I asked her about her pricing. She told mw that she set it by what she saw items going for on eBay.

 

Swell!

[JonSzanto]

That's only one person. Antique stores are as hit-and-miss on pricing as anywhere. Besides, it is still sitting there, because it is probably priced too high.

[LostArk]

I've been an eBayer for over a decade, as both a buyer and seller; at one point I was a PowerSeller, in the days when sellers could still leave negative feedback for buyers. I've probably bought and sold thousands of items, and I've never gotten screwed as a buyer. Sure, I've received misrepresented or fake items, but the seller (or eBay) has always made things right. As a seller I have been screwed a fair bit. Around the time PayPal was acquired by eBay, PayPal stopped siding with sellers in disputes 99% of the time. I've have a few instances of flagrant buyer fraud, but even more so on Amazon. These days I try not to put anything for sale on eBay or Amazon I wouldn't be able to swallow the loss of. But as a buyer I find eBay to be endless fun, and I know from my experience as a seller that I can make purchases with impunity.

Edited April 16, 2014 by LostArk

[Barzi]

I am an eBayer since 2003. Mostly as a buyer. My overall experience is very good. Especially in later years, where they have the eBayer protection plan.

I have bought some pens over there as well. New and used. Up to date no faults.

Indeed, in the past, I was cheated, more than once but I can only think of one event where my money was not returned to me and that was a very small amount (3-4 bucks). I consider this as a learning fee...

I can see why Mr. Rice is a bit suspicious and reluctant to buy there.

As a thumb-rule, I would not buy from sellers with less than 99.4% positive feedback and always prefer the higher ones even if slightly more expensive. It is usually significantly cheaper than one can find in "real" life. One needs to research and compare before bidding or buying

I did see people pay exaggerated prices for pens ($243 for Lamy Persona titanium black) and many more bargains that were worth the "risk".

After all - most sellers would allow you to return your purchase and get refunded.

[Aysedasi]

I've been an eBayer for over a decade, as both a buyer and seller; at one point I was a PowerSeller, in the days when sellers could still leave negative feedback for buyers. I've probably bought and sold thousands of items, and I've never gotten screwed as a buyer. Sure, I've received misrepresented or fake items, but the seller (or eBay) has always made things right. As a seller I have been screwed a fair bit. Around the time PayPal was acquired by eBay, PayPal stopped siding with sellers in disputes 99% of the time. I've have a few instances of flagrant buyer fraud, but even more so on Amazon. These days I try not to put anything for sale on eBay or Amazon I wouldn't be able to swallow the loss of. But as a buyer I find eBay to be endless fun, and I know from my experience as a seller that I can make purchases with impunity.

 

I agree 100%. I firmly believe eBay is a goldmine for those who want to search out bargains and if you don't get sucked in by obvious garbage and you're careful about checking feedback of buyers, 99% of the time you'll do just fine. But sellers - and I tend to mean genuine non-business occasional sellers have to be very careful indeed as the whole process is loaded against them. If I sell a pen, I describe any imperfection absolutely and completely as I have 100% feedback and want to keep it......

[OcalaFlGuy]

If I had written off eBay as a lost cause early on, I would have missed out on many of my best purchases. If you know what you are looking for, are careful, ask questions and know the pen, the market, and obvious problem areas, you can avoid most problems. Will you occasionally get a dud? Sure. Just don't overpay for it.

 

I figure I have maybe about 2-3% bad experiences, which equates out to about 2-3 pens. The amazing things I've found, the diamonds in the rough, the sumgais - they completely dwarf the couple of bad experiences.

 

YMMV

 

^^^^ That there, what he said.

 

People who consistently have bad luck on Das Bay have that because they Manufactured that bad luck all by themselves. They aren't willing to take the time to learn the problem areas on the pen(s) they want and what those problem areas Look like and Then, they'll bid completely uninformed amounts on listings with fuzzy pics and descriptions for a toaster instead of the pen shaped thing in the pics. Then when they come up snake eyes on their Braille bid "Win" it's Fleabay's and that mangy seller's fault, not their's. (This of course, is Completely in tune with the Universal Mantra of the World Today of, "Everything in my life that is PERFECT is My doing while everything in it that Stinks is Someone Else's fault." )

Fleabay ISN'T a snake pit full of evil Seller serpents laying in wait, ready to strike on the first poor unsuspecting victim. It is FULL of sellers who are Just as ignorant about what they are selling as the Braille bidders are about what they are "buying". The seller's just want as much money as they can get from some item they know squatolla about and the Braille bidders just want to pay the Least for it *with the least amount of effort* required on their part. Each party has only created their Own problem.

 

While I'll echo JS's 2-3% figure, I'd call Mine of those, transactions where issues cropped up rather than Bad Experiences. ALL of mine were concluded to the agreement of Both parties and most often to My favor. Of course, you have to Ask for that proper resolution, it's not just gonna to flop into your lap (usually) without you Asking for it. Out of over 150 Fleabay purchases, I have left exactly ONE negative rating. In all that Ebaying, I've also had exactly ONE item that was lost in "the mail". (Full no quibble refund)

 

There's really only One thing about Fleabay as a Bidder that bothers me and it REALLY Does but it happens so rarely, maybe twice, as to not really be an issue. That is whackadoodle sellers who banned me from bidding from asking a couple simple short questions necessitated by their complete POS quality listing. That only affected Me for that one seller. That kind of stupidity is Stuck on that Seller For Good. That's good enough for me.

 

CrazyOrange, the ARE actually FPNers who will Gladly help Fleabay virgins on their first forays into this alleged snake pit, all you have to do again, is Ask. I enjoy helping Other People spend Their money on nice pens At Least as much as I like spending My Own money on them.

 

So far as Ebay prices rising go, Fleabay is just a mirror of the current economy. When the economy is Good, it's more the Seller's market and prices tend to rise some, when it's Bad, it's more a Buyers market and prices tend to decrease or hold steady. Yes, in the past few months I'd agree Fleabay prices have edged upwards but that IMO will last Only until the next downturn in the overall economy.

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[pajaro]

Plus one to the well stated post by Bruce in Ocala, FL.

 

I have bought and sold hundreds of pens, model trains and other stuff on ebay. I rarely get burned, and if I do I have realized I missed something I should have noticed.

 

To burned twice and never again, I say I am feeling in awe of such colossal ???

[JotterAddict62]

I buy & sell on the Bay. As a buyer I ask questions when I am in need of and answer. I try to help the seller buy keeping the

questions simple. Knowing that they are probably not knowledgeable in the pens that they are selling. There are sellers that I keep in my favorite folder. Some of the ebay sellers have their own websites so you know that you will not get burned. There is one seller on the bay that I have bought from and I have actually bid against him at live auctions in Janesville WI. I buy Parkers for the most part and what I see with Parker Vacs on the bay for one that needs restoring I would not pay more that $40 for a 3rd gen. $50 -$75 for a 1st or 2nd gen. That is what the pens go for in the Janesville WI area at a local auction. What I do buy when I see an advertising Parker Jotter. [ Love the advertising Jotters ].

 

This is what I do before I buy on Ebay : Research, Research, Ask Questions, Check feedback & More Research.

 

As A seller I describe the item the best that I can.Do the research on what I want to sell. I look to see what the trends are for an item and see how many of that item is out for sale. Now if there is a boat load of the item for sale I will not not list it. Now if the item I want to sell and there is let's say less that 5 I will list the item.For me if I sell and item that is mine or that was in the family, I will state that in the listing. For an example: my Grandparents had a pencil sharpener collection. I have sold about 1/2 to 2/3rds of them. For me there is no cost for me except my time so the price is on the low side.

 

You can ask me questions I will add photos to the listing or send you photos.

 

Honesty is the key for me. I won't jerk your chain or blow smoke up [ you know where ] .

All in all I have not too many problems. Maybe 1 in 250 buying & selling Overall .

 

Ken

 

AKA JotterAddict62

[OcalaFlGuy]

Ebay is a confirmed occurrence for the Theory of Universal Stupidity, which states, There is more than enough of it to go around.

 

For every Braille bidder who bids $15 on the Brown cap, Black Barrel Estie SJ with 2 broken jewels, there is a Seller who accepted a $40 offer for an Estie Tranny And a Visumaster.

 

Caveat Emptor ISN'T Just for the Buyer...

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[Federalist Pens]

I have been buying and selling on the bay for a few years now- with good success, and burned too few times to worry!

(Never mind the one with the fake MB pen that bought a converter, then stated that it did not fit!)

 

If you watch what you are looking for (looking AT), and stay with known members, you will have pleasant experiences as well!

 

Regards,

Frank

[JonSzanto]

I don't give this a great chance, but I HOPE that the OP will read some of this and reconsider. I'm not suggesting it, as I don't want to accept any blowback (indeed, I *won't*) for problems. What people have offered, however, is the point that a well-informed buyer can pretty much avoid all the bogus sales and if they are willing to forego that "better than it appears to be" item, the one that got away, they'll find themselves with some very fine purchases *over time*.

[Lou Erickson]

It's up to the OP; if they're not comfortable with ebay, they won't be comfortable, and are right to stay away.

 

I've bought stuff on ebay and never been completely ripped off. I've bought things that weren't quite what I needed, but that wasn't the seller's fault.

 

I've had more rip-off attempts in the few times I tried to sell things.

 

Mind you, I haven't bought pens; I keep looking at the prices and comparing the pictures and finding things that smell funny about the offer to me, so have stayed away... but that's been my choice.

 

For now, I've been most comfortable with relatively well known restorers and local folks for vintage, and trusted names (Goulet, Mottishaw, Binder, etc.) for new stuff. Doesn't mean it will always be the case, but that's where I am today.

[JonSzanto]

Comfort can be altered with an application of knowledge. Not always, but an open mind is a wonderful thing.

[Alex2014]

I bought some cheap FP's on eBay and I had no problems: Jinhao, Platinum, or Sailor's (from verified Chinese and Japanese sellers). However, I'd never buy a MB149 on eBay. The rate of the seller is a criteria for me. There are some reputable sellers (with their own shop on line) who offer their items also on eBay. I had a single problem with an Aurora Ipsilanti that was not new, as it was written. Ebay helped me and I got a good partial refund, keeping however the FP that was in an acceptable condition. If a seller has a long activity, good rates and a wide offer of FP's he surely would not want to get a negative feed-back.

[amk]

If I want to buy a 'grail pen' in perfect condition then with the exception of a very few buyers I won't go to the Bay.

 

On the other hand, I'm willing to risk a few pounds or euros on a murky picture of what's possibly quite a nice pen, and am not infrequently rewarded. I've quite often got vintage pens for less than the price of the (identifiable) nib.

 

I also love the way eBay throws up surprises in wicked celluloids from time to time.

 

But I have noticed a lot of rather crazy pricing recently - though I've also noticed a lot of items ending their auctions without a bid. I think a lot of sellers now are adopting the strategy of starting with a high price and gradually reducing it till it sells. On ebay.fr, which has much less traffic than the UK or US sites, I see the same items coming up again and again and never selling, and every time, a few of them will have their prices cut.

[Aysedasi]

I bought some cheap FP's on eBay and I had no problems: Jinhao, Platinum, or Sailor's (from verified Chinese and Japanese sellers). However, I'd never buy a MB149 on eBay. The rate of the seller is a criteria for me. There are some reputable sellers (with their own shop on line) who offer their items also on eBay. I had a single problem with an Aurora Ipsilanti that was not new, as it was written. Ebay helped me and I got a good partial refund, keeping however the FP that was in an acceptable condition. If a seller has a long activity, good rates and a wide offer of FP's he surely would not want to get a negative feed-back.

I've bought TWO 149s on Ebay. Both were excellent and if anything, were understated in their quality by the seller.