" Hasn't been tested" and other ebay lies

[nyncompute]

Doesn't that just burn you when you read something in a auction discription and the seller claims he hasn't had the time to see if it works or some other b.s. It seems to me that the item woud bring alot more money if they took the time to test it. I'm suspicious of stuff like that when they seem to have tons of other auctions.

[67ChevyRedneck]

I bought a tailgate that was described as "very good condition" and "one of the nicest original tailgates I have seen." He must have seen some pretty crappy tailgates becuase I got a rusted banged all to hell tailgate. And this was a california seller, land of the nice sheetmetal. I even specifically asked if it was dented. Seller said it wasn't. It looked like it came off a farm truck. I ended up getting a little over half my money back and I now have a useless tailgate

[Putter]

Right....
"I have no way to test this, but it looks like it is fine".
or
"I found this in a box under the seat when I bought the truck and I haven't had time to test it"

I just assume it is non-functional and move on.

I personally test everything I sell, so I don't have to bother with a refund.

[1LoC10]

Or what about selling a car that doesnt run, and they say all it needs is a battery
kinda off topic, but i really hate when i go to swap meets and they are selling stuff full of dust and dirt and look like crap......lol, maybe im a little crazy, but i always wash and wax stuff and get it looking its absolute best before I sell it

[1Ton]

Originally Posted by 1LoC10

i always wash and wax stuff and get it looking its absolute best before I sell it

I try to do this too.

[PICKMUP]

"Should clean up real easy"---then clean it up so we can see.

"Real good condition, for it's age"---what does that mean? It's NOT in real good condition.

"No cracks or damage"---consoles are the worst. They are always cracked.

"Came off a 72 Chev PU"---means it is not correct, but someone put it on.

"Truck tilt"---enough said?

"67-72 bucket seats"---about half of them are not.

"Never been installed or run or used"---I have seen some rough junk with this one.

"These normally sell for $3 zillion dollars other places"---sure.

"There's nothing wrong with it, I just don't need it anymore"---means there is something wrong with it and it is being dumped on someone else.

"It just doesn't fit my truck"---see nothing wrong above.

"I was told it fits a 67-72"---means it doesn't, but should get more bids.

"Real easy to fix"---means I can't fix it, too much work.

"I am losing money on this"---means he can't get rid of it or is making money.

"I really hate to let this go"---see losing money above.

"I would trade this for..."---usually some real expensive, hard to get part that is worth two or three times the item offered.

"Well, what did you expect for a part this old?"---usually offered up as an excuse after you receive the part.

[nyncompute]

And lest we forget the always popular "I'm selling this for a friend"

[boraxman]

Buyer beware..its a crap shoot. Personally I make it a habit not to sell junk.

[GMCPerson]

I am thinking of putting my truck for sale on EBay. I bought it with no carb so I am not sure it will run (it "looks like it should though"). I realize I will get less for it as a nonrunner but it will take time and money I do not have to get it running and I am willing to take the price difference.

If I buy something untested I expect it not to work and bid accordingly. If it ends up working - I got a great deal. If it does not work - am not that disappointed.

P.S. I am also considering buying a carb and seeing if the truck runs!

[70c10]

Originally Posted by PICKMUP

"Should clean up real easy"---then clean it up so we can see.

"Real good condition, for it's age"---what does that mean? It's NOT in real good condition.

"No cracks or damage"---consoles are the worst. They are always cracked.

"Came off a 72 Chev PU"---means it is not correct, but someone put it on.

"Truck tilt"---enough said?

"67-72 bucket seats"---about half of them are not.

"Never been installed or run or used"---I have seen some rough junk with this one.

"These normally sell for $3 zillion dollars other places"---sure.

"There's nothing wrong with it, I just don't need it anymore"---means there is something wrong with it and it is being dumped on someone else.

"It just doesn't fit my truck"---see nothing wrong above.

"I was told it fits a 67-72"---means it doesn't, but should get more bids.

"Real easy to fix"---means I can't fix it, too much work.

"I am losing money on this"---means he can't get rid of it or is making money.

"I really hate to let this go"---see losing money above.

"I would trade this for..."---usually some real expensive, hard to get part that is worth two or three times the item offered.

"Well, what did you expect for a part this old?"---usually offered up as an excuse after you receive the part.

Those are great Frank!
I must admit, there have been times when I have sold electrical items that I have not tested but always state that truthfully in my ad. I'm usually willing to take whatever it brings if not tested. Alot of people are just downright dishonest as stated though.

[72armyswbtruck]

I got one for you,
Sorry wrong forum for that.
Don't forget about those who never include shipping prices on purpose so they can recover the cost of Ebay and PayPal fees. I hate it when a part that can be shipped in a $4.10 flat rate envelope or $8.75 flat rate box and I get charged $25 shipping, that's

[Tynee]

Originally Posted by 72armyswbtruck

I got one for you,
Sorry wrong forum for that.
Don't forget about those who never include shipping prices on purpose so they can recover the cost of Ebay and PayPal fees. I hate it when a part that can be shipped in a $4.10 flat rate envelope or $8.75 flat rate box and I get charged $25 shipping, that's

There's a reason people call it shipping "AND HANDLING."


The last thing I sold on ebay, I got an estimate ahead of time. I didn't know where it was going, so I got a quote to Seattle, the farthest place from me in the continetal U.S. When the buyer in N.Y. asked me why shipping was so much, I refunded part of their shipping price. I felt like it was the right hting to do.

[LUV2XCLR8]

There is a reason that in every post I make on these types of subject related
to anything doing with them that I call the Evil Bay and not their proper name

[Mike76251]

Originally Posted by 72armyswbtruck

I got one for you,
Sorry wrong forum for that.
Don't forget about those who never include shipping prices on purpose so they can recover the cost of Ebay and PayPal fees. I hate it when a part that can be shipped in a $4.10 flat rate envelope or $8.75 flat rate box and I get charged $25 shipping, that's

Crazy it is!!
Something I have started doing about it lately,
When leaving feedback I put how much they charge me for "handling" in the feedback line I leave for them.

[Brainchild]

Originally Posted by 72armyswbtruck

I got one for you,
Sorry wrong forum for that.
Don't forget about those who never include shipping prices on purpose so they can recover the cost of Ebay and PayPal fees. I hate it when a part that can be shipped in a $4.10 flat rate envelope or $8.75 flat rate box and I get charged $25 shipping, that's

That's the way to cheat Ebay out of thier fees.You don't have to pay comission on shipping or handling fees.It's wrong,but it seems like the "IN" thing to do.

I guess it doesn't matter to me,as long as I know up front what the end price will be if I win the auction.I always post a shipping calc,and charge only actual or close to actual charges.

Haven't had time to check it,or selling for a friend means "I used this thing till it quit,now you can have it" Move along,nothing to see here.

I have scored some really good deals on Ebay,and have been taken also.It's the chance you take when you agree to the terms.Take nothing for granted.

[luisduran]

FRAME OFF RESTORATION, and you can see in the pictures how they paint the out side of the coil springs, the bottom half of the drive shaft and even the mufflers with a spray can, and some times you can see the spray can in the background.

[Jim85IROC]

It's always a crap shoot when you're buying used stuff. I use a person's feedback to help me judge whether he's telling a story or telling the truth. Most of the time I've had very good luck, sometimes not.

I bought an ash try for the camaro in "like new" used condition. Apparently "like new" to him meant to spray bomb a rusty ash tray with rustoleum.

Recently I bought some interior panels in "good shape" that had gouges, scratches, and overspray! This was an item that I paid $11 for, plus $16 for shipping, but that was noted in the auction and the shipping tag verified it. But... his feedback was very good, so when I complained to him that they were junk and not the least bit useful, after I poked and prodded a little bit, I got a full refund including shipping. Of course he didn't want them back because it would have cost him another $16 to get them back, so they're sitting in my living room until I figure out what to do with them.

But... sometimes poorly described, dirty items can be gems. Too many people are hesitant to bid, or miss them because the description is wrong or inadequate. I'll often take a chance on things like this, and wind up getting a hell of a deal.

I just bought a shift knob for $16/shipped that will go on the camaro/firebird forums for $30+ship as soon as I get it in the mail.

[al's71gmc]

Another good one is when they list a jar of coins or old buttons or something and say" I don't know what's in here" Especially when that's what they sell all the time.
On the "should clean up nicely" , I used to use that alot, cause me and a buddy were parting out a whole junkyard. Often we would be listing 100-150 items at a time, and unless we knew it had a hi value, we wouldn't put out the effort to buff and shine a $20 part. But if it had gouges and peeling chrome I always said so and showed pics. I still have 100% feedback, and he has 99.9 out of about 1200.
It pays to do your homework. Feedback will tell the story. Even when someone has only a few negs, often they have a bunch of positives that read like a neg. Alot of folks won't leave a neg, cause they don't want to get one back. Stuff like" took 4 weeks to recieve" or "wouldn't answer emails" are BIG red flags for me, even if left under a positive. On the other hand a few negs might be just be jerks trying to get a dicounted part. Again, you can usually tell if you take the time to read a few pages of their feedback.

[Brainchild]

Yeah a comment on a communication breakdown is a big sign to move on to me.I have been trying to resolve an issue on an item with this guy for 3 weeks.Finally he refunded my cash last night,but I only reveived 4 emails in 3 weeks time after having sent 10 trying to get him to respond.

[modifiedGMC]

Originally Posted by nyncompute

Doesn't that just burn you when you read something in a auction discription and the seller claims he hasn't had the time to see if it works or some other b.s. It seems to me that the item woud bring alot more money if they took the time to test it. I'm suspicious of stuff like that when they seem to have tons of other auctions.

I had an old nintendo video game console that I "TESTED" & it worked fine because I played it for about an hour. (I always test stuff before I list it there or anywhere) I put it on e-bay and after the person bought it, I got neutral feedback saying "console wouldn't work probably my cord" so I respond back with "you should check YOUR cord before leaving feedback". Another complete system I sold said didn't work when they got it turned out to be the power cord, but funny how you can "test" something & it it works fine for hours until somebody gets and suddenly it doesn't work. It's NOT e-bay it's the buyer/seller that is dishonest.
A few weeks ago I busted the face on my cell phone. The place I got it said I couln't replace just the face that I'd have to get a new phone. So I looked on ebay found dozens of faces with all kinds of designs for my phone. Auctions started at 1 cent and buy it now for 98 cents. the kicker....shipping was $7.95!! for a maybe 2 ounce piece of plastic that could be shipped first class for maybe at the most 50 cents. So I go to a local fleamarket and get one for $8 which was about the same price but it was the principal of it to not pay some doofus $8 shipping.

[byrd]

Originally Posted by nyncompute

Doesn't that just burn you when you read something in a auction discription and the seller claims he hasn't had the time to see if it works or some other b.s. It seems to me that the item woud bring alot more money if they took the time to test it. I'm suspicious of stuff like that when they seem to have tons of other auctions.

There is a board member who does just that with bad tach dashes, all say untested,but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Meanwhile he has got 2-5 of these trucks to test it on and has, knows it's bad and that's why he put's them on e bay.I made the mistake of buying one, never again. It takes all of about 10 minutes to check a tach, and if the seller hasn't or won't then YOU shouldn't bid on it, because it is a piece of crap.

My biggest peve(sp) on e bay is the sellers who start the auction @.01 for a $10 part and then the shipping ang handling is $17.50 or something.
Car parts wholesale is the biggest one I have seen lately. People like that are scum, and prey on new users as well as some who fail to read the full description(your own fault there). I have been selling parts and restored dashes on e bay for over 2.5 years now, with over 900 feedbacks all positive it isn't hard to be HONEST, but most people on ebay want something for nothing, prime example

Got an email from a user stating they could get a part that I had for sale cheaper somewhere else,


what would be the less you take for it.i can buy this item from ccp for 94.00 with shipping.

Well my response was, if you can get it somewhere cheaper than do it!! I have set my price and it is what it is.


This is what he said about my response:

that is fine see if you sell it.not when someone can buy it new for 94.00 with shipping.don't like to deal with smart asses anyway Why am I the smart a$$ here anyway. I am not trying to get over on anyone,
I have the price listed with shipping in the description, and by the way I have sold 8-10 of this particuliar part in the last three months!!!!


If you go into a gas station and say that gas is cheaper across town, do you expect them to price match? NO they will say well go accross town and get it, The nerve of some people really

I really love when have a restored tach/vac dash for sale, and I get questions like how much is the reserve? or why is it soo expensive?
I sell them for around $425-450 depending on who's bidding.When the regular JOE has to pay $330 plus a high s/h from a big parts dealer,
without a new bezel, or the overlays, or the sandblasting, custom paint work,
used dash for parts, and more importantly the time it takes to do it RIGHT and make the dash work, and last , as good as it looks. I always tell them they can buy a brand new after market tach/vac dash for $600 that is not white if they prefer


Sorry for the rant, but the real a holes on e bay get to me sometimes.

[Tynee]

Originally Posted by byrd

Got an email from a user stating they could get a part that I had for sale cheaper somewhere else,


what would be the less you take for it.i can buy this item from ccp for 94.00 with shipping.
.

I can actually kinda see asking this question. He was trying to see if he could get the part for less than he thought he could get a new one for. People get confused and think that e-bay is a flea market or a yard sale or something. What they don't understand is that they are 2 opposite methods of selling stuff. At the flea market, the seller sets his price for more than its worth, and takes the best he can get out of the buyer for it. If you DON"T try to talk a seller down at a flea market, you're a sucker.

On Ebay, the seller starts the auction below what he feels the item is worth, then just waits to see how much he can get for it. That's why its an auction.

[55454]

"Just needs freon" is my favorite. In other words the A/C doesnt work, why ride around in the heat when you can just add freon.

[Fred T]

I've always liked the old "It ran when I parked it". Even saw one truck with that recently, the trees growing through the truck must have been 30 years old.

[Slonaker]

Originally Posted by 55454

"Just needs freon" is my favorite. In other words the A/C doesnt work, why ride around in the heat when you can just add freon.

I always hear "it just needs a belt." Yeah, right...

If it needs freon, it has a leak. If it has a leak, it is broken.

My personal policy on buying "untested" stuff is to assume it is broken (because it probably is!). If it is still a good deal, even if it turns out to be broken, I buy it.

Likewise, if I sell something, and I don't know if it works, I give the buyer an honest answer. I tell them I don't know if it works, and they should buy it assuming it does not. Being honest is more important than making a few extra dollars.

Some stuff I sell really is untested. My Dad died a couple of years ago, and I am still selling off his stuff for my mom. He had several hobbies I know nothing about. That can make it difficult to know if an item is working properly.

Slonaker