Horrible E-bay experience. First time that this has happened.

[guitarbob123]

iansmitchell: is that a picture from the big foot diner in memphis

they had a burger that size and it looks the same inside aswell???

we didn't go in thats a big whopper way bigger than mcds lol

 

unlucky on ur ebay

i almost brought a epiles paul custom but saw a fake guide bout 30 mins before i was going to buy it

i realised it was fake

thats £220 saved :- :D/

[brad1]

brad wrote:

 

 

 

That would most likely be Iggy Pop' date=' wouldn't it?[/quote']

Much better stooge!

I think it was Iggy Pop and the Stooges. So I don't know if he was officially a stooge or not.

But I like your thinking anyway.

[bluelake07]

Distance is now a big factor as to whether or not I bid. I won a 60's amp that arrived with broken baffle (it was particle board anyway) from being dropped during shipping. I also got a stereo tube preamp that the seller had forgotten to tighten the screws on and a circuit board got loose from the mounts. I had to resolder those wires and buy a new output transformer. Now, I'll only bid on things that are a few states away if fragile.

 

That said, thanks to Ebay I was able to acquire my new 2003 MIK Casino a couple of years ago. Being a lefty, I wasn't gonna find one in a local store so mail-order was the the only way. The seller was also a brick-and-mortar store in NY so that gave me more confidence.

[The_Sentry]

 

Has anybody else had similar bad experiences buying on e-bay?

 

To be honest I didn't enjoy ordering from Musician's Friend. (Yeah, call it the old dog in me trying to learn new tricks....but anyways...)

 

As far as EBay goes? Nah, don't trust it at all.....especially for guitar stuff.

[Ron G]

To be honest I didn't enjoy ordering from Musician's Friend. (Yeah' date=' call it the old dog in me trying to learn new tricks....but anyways...)[/quote']

 

Try Sweetwater. And you can try them for anything because there's no minimum

purchase required for free shipping. Musician's Friend does the minimum, while

Sweetwater does the maximum - and for the same good prices. I guess it's a shame

that these big online retailers don't have used guitar departments.

 

Edit: I just ordered one set of strings from Sweetwater, and got a nice friendly call

from their rep confirming the order and thanking me for the business.

[charlie brown]

Yeah, I was really reluctant to buy this last Japanese Epi SG, but Jeff had good luck with the guy,

and was quite pleased with his purchase, and the guy had great "feedback," so...against my normal

"rule," I decided to take a chance. It worked out well, Thankfully. But there were a couple of tense

moments, when I wasn't getting any response, from the seller! He was "on holiday," and once back...

did contact me, twice, with all the answers to my questions, and tracking numbers for the package!

But, I'm with you all...unless I've dealt with them previously, or they've been highly recommended,

I'll (most likely) pass.

 

CB

[L1Picker]

If the seller accepted money for insurance and it was not purchased, shame on the seller. Return the guitar and get your money back. If there was insurance, UPS wouldn't pay to fix it, they'd just collect the guitar and pay out the insurance amount. The seller could very well be telling the truth and the guitar sustained the damage while in transit. UPS just damaged 2 amps that I purchased new and had drop shipped from the manufacturer. The second one was a replacement for the first one they damaged. I truly despise shipping UPS.

 

And as a seller on Ebay, you're screwed if something goes wrong...

 

The buyer can leave negative feedback...the seller cannot.

 

The buyer can gripe and cause a hold to be put on the seller's checking account that is tied to PayPal...the seller cannot when a buyer doesn't pay.

 

The buyer doesn't pay any fees for all of these headaches...the seller does, first to place the ad, then even more if it sells, then again if paid through PayPal.

 

I've come to detest the Ebay experience...something I enjoyed for several years.

[brad1]

And as a seller on Ebay' date=' you're screwed if something goes wrong...

 

The buyer can leave negative feedback...the seller cannot.

 

The buyer can gripe and cause a hold to be put on the seller's checking account that is tied to PayPal...the seller cannot when a buyer doesn't pay.

 

The buyer doesn't pay any fees for all of these headaches...the seller does, first to place the ad, then even more if it sells, then again if paid through PayPal.

 

I've come to detest the Ebay experience...something I enjoyed for several years.

[/quote']

You make a very good argument/endorsement for those wanting to buy on ebay however. And that's what most folks have been talking about here.

I guess you were a seller and a buyer left bad FB or something huh. Yeah they recently changed that rule, and now sellers can't leave bad FB. I agree with you. That's not right.

[GlennW]

If it was me I'd call PayPal and ask for a supervisor (cut the grass while you wait) and tell him that you paid for insurance. They can confirm that. Since you did pay for it, it's the seller's responsibility to provide it. Since he didn't it's his responsibility to refund you what you paid. Be cool, but firm.

 

Forget about UPS. Their deal is with the seller, and he didn't buy insurance so they won't pay anything over $100.

 

PayPal might want you to return it to the seller and provide them with proof so they can escalate your claim. If they do, MAKE SURE you get the return address from them in an e-mail, and save it. CYA and good luck.

[Suicidehummer]

I bought a PS2 (with a credit card) over Ebay. After a week longer than the estimate, I Emailed the guy w/ no response. Once I gave up with Ebay and trying to contact him, I called the Champagne, Illinois Police and they said he fled the state and there was nothing they could do.

 

So I'm done with that place.

[L1Picker]

I guess you were a seller and a buyer left bad FB or something huh. Yeah they recently changed that rule' date=' and now sellers can't leave bad FB. I agree with you. That's not right.[/quote']

 

I got negative feedback one time, about 4.5 years ago. The guy bought a couple books from me, the total with shipping was about $12. He let me know after the auction ended that he wouldn't be able to pay until he got his tax return.

 

I told him I was moving out of state and if the books weren't paid for before I left, they were getting boxed up and would have to be shipped out when I got to Florida. Mind you, I hadn't left any negative feedback for the guy, although I was irritated. After all though, it was only 12 bucks. So over a month goes by with no payment, I move to Florida, and by the time I get to my new place and get internet service again and log onto my Ebay account, this guy has left me negative feedback saying he paid for the books and never received them. About 4 days later, his payment was delivered to me with a forwarding sticker on it from my place in PA. A letter that he mailed to my old address after the date I told him I would no longer be living there.

 

So, this guy bid on an item he couldn't pay for ($12), waited over a month to send the money, knew I was moving, and then flips out and leaves negative feedback within 3 days of sending his $12 and not getting the books in return. Makes sense.

 

Yeah, I got burned. And I never did leave negative feedback in return. I never have in fact, although I did leave neutral one time.

[brad1]

I bought a PS2 (with a credit card) over Ebay. After a week longer than the estimate' date=' I Emailed the guy w/ no response. Once I gave up with Ebay and trying to contact him, I called the Champagne, Illinois Police and they said he fled the state and there was nothing they could do.

 

So I'm done with that place.[/quote']

I think you'd be more prudent being done with credit cards.

[Suicidehummer]

I think you'd be more prudent being done with credit cards.

 

Oh no, I forgot to say that the credit card co. gave me my money back, lol. But the guy still got away with like $120 or something.

[brad1]

 

Oh no' date=' I forgot to say that the credit card co. gave me my money back, lol. But the guy still got away with like $120 or something.[/quote']

Awesome! For you I mean.

Did the guy accept pay pal? I would assume he didn't. That would have made me decide to not buy the product.

I don't like it when they only accept credit cards.

[Suicidehummer]

Awesome! For you I mean.

Did the guy accept pay pal? I would assume he didn't. That would have made me decide to not buy the product.

I don't like it when they only accept credit cards.

 

Eh, I don't really remember. I didn't have PayPal anyway, so it didn't matter to me.

[Bill V]

rpach10115, I may be wrong about this, but I think if your credit card (hopefully not your debit card) was tied to the paypal account, then you should be able to also dispute this with your credit card company and get some satisfaction. It may be worth checking into.

[Suicidehummer]

rpach10115' date=' I may be wrong about this, but I think if your credit card (hopefully not your debit card) was tied to the paypal account, then you should be able to also dispute this with your credit card company and get some satisfaction. It may be worth checking into.[/quote']

 

Nice avatar!

 

Sorry, I couldn't help it...

[Bill V]

Thanks. I almost changed it a couple of minutes ago.

[Suicidehummer]

Thanks. I almost changed it a couple of minutes ago.

 

Why?

[Bill V]

 

Why?

 

Dunno. Seemed like the thing to do at the time, but I'm alright now. Really.

[The_Sentry]

 

Try Sweetwater. And you can try them for anything because there's no minimum

purchase required for free shipping. Musician's Friend does the minimum' date=' while

Sweetwater does the maximum - and for the same good prices. I guess it's a shame

that these big online retailers don't have used guitar departments.

 

Edit: I just ordered [b']one set of strings[/b] from Sweetwater, and got a nice friendly call

from their rep confirming the order and thanking me for the business.

 

Thanks for the tip, Ron. I know they're trying, that the stuff is legit, but man, and they'll back it up BUT....I still miss the good 'ol days of going into a mom and pop store. (But, if it's any consolation....at least I can find left handed guitars now! I can't remember even SEEING one up close for the first 3 or 4 years of playing...)

[Ron G]

I still miss the good 'ol days of going into a mom and pop store

 

I do, too, but the "no questions asked" return policy of the big online guys is quite

an "insurance" policy, especially if you decide you just don't like what you bought.

[Just Strum]

My last eBay/PayPal experience.

 

I purchased two guitars, one with a 10% discount coupon and the other straight up.

 

1) Never received a 10% discount from PayPal

 

2) when I purchased the second guitar, the seller had shipping at $30. I told him he could ship it for $15 and it was an overcharge. He agreed to put a check in the mail, never received it. Sent a copy of all the e-mails to eBay and PayPal and was told they would put a hold on the sellers activity. Well that never happened and two weeks later they tell me I would have to reactivate my claim (I dropped my membership, so there was no way in doing that).

 

3) Through PayPal someone made unauthorized withdrawals from two seperate bank accounts. PayPal is the only company that had both accounts, but they refuse to accept responsiblity. I had to close out both accounts.

 

I now get periodic email from eBay advising that I owe $48 as a fee for guitars I sold. I just respond back with a kiss my --- and a $15 charge every time eBay or PayPal contacts me. They owed me $30 from items 1 and 2, plus now I've sent them charges totaling $160 for processing responses to their stupid e-mails.

 

What's funny is I had to close the bank accounts because of them and now they are pissed because they can't access the accounts to get their money.

[JefferySmith]

PayPal sucks. I bought a piece of download software using PayPal. The vendor refused to give me the unlock key, stating that they hadn't "authorized the purchase", whatever that means. In short, they kept the money and told me to bug off. I tried to get PayPal to intervene on my behalf. I put in an appeal, and they did nothing. Said I could not go forward until I visited a certain screen. That screen gave me exactly one option...to state that I was dropping the appeal. Neat, huh?

[Bill V]

My last eBay/PayPal experience.

 

I purchased two guitars' date=' one with a 10% discount coupon and the other straight up.

 

1) Never received a 10% discount from PayPal

 

2) when I purchased the second guitar, the seller had shipping at $30. I told him he could ship it for $15 and it was an overcharge. He agreed to put a check in the mail, never received it. Sent a copy of all the e-mails to eBay and PayPal and was told they would put a hold on the sellers activity. Well that never happened and two weeks later they tell me I would have to reactivate my claim (I dropped my membership, so there was no way in doing that).

 

3) Through PayPal someone made unauthorized withdrawals from two seperate bank accounts. PayPal is the only company that had both accounts, but they refuse to accept responsiblity. I had to close out both accounts.

 

I now get periodic email from eBay advising that I owe $48 as a fee for guitars I sold. I just respond back with a kiss my --- and a $15 charge every time eBay or PayPal contacts me. They owed me $30 from items 1 and 2, plus now I've sent them charges totaling $160 for processing responses to their stupid e-mails.

 

What's funny is I had to close the bank accounts because of them and now they are pissed because they can't access the accounts to get their money.[/quote']

 

Sorry about your bad luck. Screw 'em.

 

A bit of advice, in case you don't already know, never link your bank info, account number or debit card to Paypal or anything else of that nature. Typically, in a case like yours, you have limited recourse with the bank. You are basically screwed. It's worse than paying in cash. Instead, use a credit card. You're afforded certain protections this way, especially unauthorized charges.

 

This is a tough lesson to learn, believe me, I know how you feel. The same thing happened to my oldest son a few years ago, except he was out a couple hundred dollars. Ouch!

 

Here's an excerp from the Federal trade Commision's site regarding this. For the full text go here.

 

ATM or Debit Card Loss or Fraudulent Transfers (EFTA). Your liability under federal law for unauthorized use of your ATM or debit card depends on how quickly you report the loss. If you report an ATM or debit card missing before it's used without your permission, the EFTA says the card issuer cannot hold you responsible for any unauthorized transfers. If unauthorized use occurs before you report it, your liability under federal law depends on how quickly you report the loss.

 

For example, if you report the loss within two business days after you realize your card is missing, you will not be responsible for more than $50 for unauthorized use. However, if you don't report the loss within two business days after you discover the loss, you could lose up to $500 because of an unauthorized transfer. You also risk unlimited loss if you fail to report an unauthorized transfer within 60 days after your bank statement containing unauthorized use is mailed to you. That means you could lose all the money in your bank account and the unused portion of your line of credit established for overdrafts. However, for unauthorized transfers involving only your debit card number (not the loss of the card), you are liable only for transfers that occur after 60 days following the mailing of your bank statement containing the unauthorized use and before you report the loss.

 

If unauthorized transfers show up on your bank statement, report them to the card issuer as quickly as possible. Once you've reported the loss of your ATM or debit card, you cannot be held liable for additional unauthorized transfers that occur after that time.