E-bay
 

After several told me to try E-Bay to find some parts I did just that. I purchased a switch from 'ammuscle'. He had my money for 3 weeks. But I never received the switch. I called & I was informed that they are out of stock; BUT they are still selling the part on E-Bay.
I noted in the review; that this guy is selling it on E-Bay but doesn't have it in stock.
Well somehow he got my e-mail & said if I would change my review he would send me $10 bucks cash thru paypal. I declined & he called me some names.... He was joking he states.
I have already purchased the switch from another vendor.
Now a week later he is sending me the switch!
I am sure you have had better experiences than this. Just thought you might want to know about this guy.
Joanne

Re: E-bay
 

I'm sure it happens, but luckily I have always had good luck with ebay, in fact much better than most places. You do have to watch what you are buying. The prices tend to be high especially if you have to add shipping. Use ebay a lot, but most of my purchases are for items I can not find anywhere else. Think you found out first hand how hard most sellers try to protect there ratings, and ebay will back you up on most disputes, but there are always exceptions.

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Fail a complete against him thru e-bay, I always pay using PayPal. I had to file 2 complaints so far and e-bay and PayPal took care of it .

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Good point on PayPal, I use it a lot both on and off ebay. I have used it buying parts here and on HAMB. Never had an issue with PayPal.

Re: E-bay
 

Buy NOS or NORS if they are available from reputable people like Fred at SSO, Ray Helgers, in RI, Tracy in Arlington TX, Ron at Dennis Carpenter NOS. If it's new. chances are it was made in China.

Re: E-bay
 

Agree with russcc on that one also. Almost all of my auto ebay purchases are original parts, not repros. Ebay can be a good source for original parts, but I would steer away from parts supplies. Just got a great deal on an F1 steering box, good price and it was in great shape.

Re: E-bay
 

Same here. I have had very good luck with eBay. Most people are honest.

Re: E-bay
 

Whenever you use ebay, always check the seller's feedback before you purchase. If they have alot of negtive feedback stay away from them. Even if you make a purchase from a deadbeat seller, paypal and a report to ebay will usually take care of the problem.

Re: E-bay
 

FWIW - I use old FleaBay quite a bit. Mostly for guitar and amplifier related items, but for many other things as well. 99+% of the folks - no issues. Buying or selling.

Even bought a car through a contact I got on Ebay.

As someone else stated, check feedback. If someone has hundreds of transactions and 100% feedback, they are probably OK.

I've only been burned once. Guy was obviously looking for something for nothing.

You pretty much are forced to use PayPal these days.

Re: E-bay
 

I tend to stay away from ads that have several of the same items for sale. I always use paypal

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I have had good luck with eBay until recently I sold an item and never herd from buyer. I resisted but Same old story checked his feedback and he had only two transactions. Not sure why you buy something and never complete transaction.

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I did check, but when the guy bribes people to change comments, it is a little tough to really believe what people say. :( :confused:

Re: E-bay
 

Good idea! I will do that in the future.

Re: E-bay
 

Joanne--same ebay dude advertises a repro PU box shipped direct from manufacturer. He never sees the item, but marks it up hundreds of dollars. I happen to know the manufacturer who is currently behind about 12 weeks. Too bad the ebay dude doesn't mention this 3 month delay in his "Buy It Now" but I'll bet he'll take your money right now, then pass the buck about manufacturer being swamped with orders, nothing he can do, blah, blah, blah. Yeh, sure!

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MMMMM.... Why am I not surprised!

Re: E-bay
 

Bought my 51 f1 on ebay usa as a buy now ,the ad said "drive anywhere" ...except off the trailer this end ,put the brakes on ,to the floor ,handbrake ...no handbrake working,seized solid ,steering all over the place , well 5 grand (English pounds )later and 15 months hard graft and its at its first old car bash this weekend ,now looks good and drives great and I love it ....no regrets but an honest description would have been nice ,the rest of my ebay experience has been good both buying and selling , how did we do without it for all those years ? cheers Jim.

Re: E-bay
 

I bought my '31 pickup on eBay. The guy was a jerk and among other things tried to "amend" the payment terms after the sale. I prevailed! The mechanicals weren't quite up to the standards as advertised, but I was able to get the sale price low enough to take care of some of that.

Re: E-bay
 

It's amazing how low some people will go. EBAY isn't immune to the problem. I watched the guy from Yorba Linda for a long time on EBAY.He used to collect Calif sales tax,handling charges, etc. It turns out the State of California never heard from him or received any payments. Now he has a larger problem looming.

Re: E-bay
 

In June I placed an order for window cranks (and other stuff) from Mac's. They gladly handled the order and took my money. The box arrived without the cranks, with a notation on the slip that they were backordered. I called Mac's and asked the estimated delivery date-- the answer was 6-8 weeks.

Now how does this differ from the OP's ebay story? So the guy was out of stock and backordered. It doesn't make him the best seller, but it doesn't make him a bad guy either.

Re: E-bay
 

The difference is the auction format. When you are bidding on the item it is assumed/implied the seller actually has the item.

If you don't have the item you shouldn't be running auctions on it, unless you specifically word the ad to let the buyer know they are bidding on a special order item that may take weeks to receive.

With a parts house / catalog store a reasonable person could understand how they would occasionally be out of stock on some items.

Re: E-bay
 

I've bought/sold on eBay for years, had mixed results with buying, and the time it takes after winning & paying until I received the item(s). I NEVER sold anything that I didn't have in my possession at the time.

I've bought from Amazon too and after paying for a few pieces found out they are being shipped from overseas! Recently I special ordered an item from Home Depot, at time of order the estimated date of receipt to my door was 6 days. But when I checked tracking status several days later, it showed a revised delivery date of mid-October!!!

Point is, it happens. I don't care so much where it's coming from, but really do like to know WHEN to expect it.

Re: E-bay
 

Sorry I still don't see how auction makes it any different. I agree that sellers of both types should have inventory in hand or at least be able to procure inventory in a reasonable time.

What burns me is when they fail to tell you it's backordered until after you place the order, they take your money, they deliver some stuff, and it's virtually too late to buy somewhere else.

Re: E-bay
 

I prefer to buy stuff from friends and do a bit of networking with like minded people. Ebay is a great source for old and hard to find old parts. Occasionally some re-pop stuff someone bought and didn't use.. Otherwise I prefer to get re-pop type stuff from reputable dealers with catalogs and try to stay away from guys selling the same thing on eBay for 150%. As always "Buyer beware."

One thing I always think about is that when you win an item on an eBay auction.. You have just paid more for something than anyone else in the world was willing to pay .. Ummmmmmmmmm

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I guess my experience differs. Most everything I've purchased there was a lot less than retail price, then again, I've "lost" (actually won dollar-wise) many auctions because I quit when prices rise too much.

Auctions work well for buyers when the audience is small. You pay more than anyone else was willing at that very moment in time.

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In my opinion, ebay can be a great marketplace for buyers and sellers. I have sold many items on ebay for a whopping penny. That is the fun of it. But I agree that no seller should offer something they dont stock, unless it was a simple inventory mistake.

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I have had that happen 3 times in the last year. Be sure to report the buyer and wait a week to close the case and recoop your fees. Also can relist for free when that happens. When a bier does not pay within 3 days I open the case as I don't have time to waste waiting on a deadbeat. Rod

Re: E-bay
 

BEST ADVISE ! Check the feedback , I Won a book on a "buy it now" Ron Hallerans,Building a Flathead 12.00 bucks ,,paid for it with PP . buyer left positive feedback ,,,Allset ! A week later I get a refund for the book buyer says its no longer in stock ,,,BUT HE HAS IT LISTED FOR SALE FOR 22 bucks . ebay did nothing he is a power seller so they don,t care ,,,I got my money back so whats my problem ???? is the way they hit me . I looked at his feedback ,sure enough ,all kinds of negative . I have been on since 02 buyin an sellin that guy was the first time I ever left negative feedback ,,just on principal:mad: I will say this If it wasn,t for eby and this great site here I would not be where I am on my restoration of my truck

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Don't accept EBay E-checks either. Takes forever to get your $$.JMO.

Re: E-bay
 

Yeah, ebay is a love hate thing. Sometimes it's the only place to get the stuff you need. As said, be guarded and use PayPal. I find contacting the seller and threatening with a bad review means a lot and gets them doing everything they can to help after they have screwed up. If that doesn't work give a bad review and file a complaint.

Re: E-bay
 

E-bay 4/09. I bought a pair of cut `32 spring perches from Ron Kevern of Muskegon, MI I paid $ 47.78, not a whole lot of money. But I never got them. two weeks later I started sending him messages thru E-bay asking what happened. he just ignored me.
I filled a complaint with E-bay after a month, pointing out that he was still advertising other stuff on E-bay. I asked E-bay why they wouldn't pull his ads? they told me they would fine him. So, the end result is E-bay makes money off the crook and I get NOTHING ! never got any kind of follow up from E-bay. but I did get an email from another buyer who also got stiffed by this crook - RON KEVERN, Muskegon, Mi

Re: E-bay
 

You should have filed a case against him.. Then he would have to provide a tracking number. IF he doesnt they will automatically refund you your money.