ebay Shopping
My husband and I have done a lot of shopping on ebay over the years. My purchases are usually small – video games, books, jewelry supplies, etc.; but my husband, he likes to spend big. He has been burned more than once however, twice the seller sent him something different than what was pictured. This last time, when he notified the seller, my husband was accused of swapping the unit (a CRT picture tube) and trying to get a return on an old unit. The seller has no conscience – he knows the truth. We’re going through Paypal to get our money back but I’m pretty sure the seller has played this game before.
When purchasing from a new seller, always check out their feedback from customers. Not just the numbers, but what the people are actually saying. If lots of people say shipping is slow, then it’s probably going to be slow. If everyone comments on the quick shipping, great communication, and wonderful product and packaging, then YAY, this is someone you want to deal with.
Rather than page through page after page looking to read the negatives, there is a simple online tool to filter them out at toolhaus.org. Make toolhaus your best friend.
With regards to shopping online, a few phrases come to mind:
If it looks too good to be true, it probably is
Ask questions before you buy. There are no guarantees that you will get exactly what you want, but asking questions can eliminate a lot of confusion.
A picture is worth a thousand words
Being a big fan of photography, I adore this phrase. However, when shopping online, it is only true if the seller is selling you the exact item in the picture. Often this is not the case.
Once bitten, Twice Shy?
One would think that after losing money to dishonest sellers over the years, perhaps we should shy away from online shopping. Unfortunately, I can’t. I have acquired so many unique items that can’t be found anywhere else and the convenience of shopping online when you live way out in the country just can’t be beat!
update: February 25, 2009:
After filing a claim with paypal, we were required to return the unit to the seller via courier with a tracking number. After the package was delivered, we were refunded the purchase price of the tube. Original shipping was not refunded and the courier fee came out of our pocket. We were reimbursed $201 and paid just over $80 in shipping. ah well!