Kevin Bresnahan Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 I just received my first negative from an eBay seller. I won an auction for a rare CD that he listed as 'near mint'. I get the thing in and I find a torn and creased booklet. He wouldn't even discuss a refund. I had to use Paypal (and our own Stereo Jack's appraisal) to get a refund. Now today, the last day he could, he leaves ME a negative. The seller is cruisetunes Avoid this seller like the plague. He even tried to file a police report. I can't begin to describe how bad this guy is. Any others out there we should know about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stereojack Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 I just received my first negative from an eBay seller. I won an auction for a rare CD that he listed as 'near mint'. I get the thing in and I find a torn and creased booklet. He wouldn't even discuss a refund. I had to use Paypal (and our own Stereo Jack's appraisal) to get a refund. Now today, the last day he could, he leaves ME a negative. The seller is cruisetunes Avoid this seller like the plague. He even tried to file a police report. I can't begin to describe how bad this guy is. Any others out there we should know about? Kevin, it's probably an uphill battle, but I believe you can appeal the negative with Ebay, and if they side with you they may remove the negative. You can also respond to his negative, calling him out for the deceipt in the transaction. And, you can leave him "revenge" feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Bresnahan Posted May 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 (edited) I believe you can appeal the negative with Ebay, and if they side with you they may remove the negative. You can also respond to his negative, calling him out for the deceipt in the transaction. And, you can leave him "revenge" feedback. Nope. eBay has already told me there's nothing they can do. They're absolutely useless. Worse than useless because they allow crappy sellers like this get away with smearing good buyers who've done nothing wrong. I am seriously thinking about my eBay purchases. I keep reading about people getting stiffed like this and I guess it was only a matter of time for me. I really don't need these headaches. BTW, I did leave a negative for this guy. At this point, it's really all eBay left for me to do. They actually think this loser will ask me for mutual retraction. Ha! This seller is nasty. He really did report to the deputy sheriff. I called the Waynesville deputy office and explained the situation. They asked if I wanted to file a harassment case against him for unwarranted police involvement. This guy successfully petitioned eBay for my personal info too so I am now expecting the harassment to continue. I'll probably start getting 2 AM calls now. eBay sucks. Edited May 28, 2006 by Kevin Bresnahan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 whats all the hullabualoo? what was it a cd of anyway, Lindsay Lohan's unreleased party album Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Son-of-a-Weizen Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 I am seriously thinking about my eBay purchases. Unless it's a sealed or is being sold by someone I know through the various boards, I limit most of my eBay purchases these days to sellers in Japan because I know for a fact that any cd that I buy -- be it labelled NM, excellent, very good, fell into aquarium and was attacked by koi carp, etc -- will be in perfect, or close to perfect, condition. Sure, it does limit your options a bit, but I never have to go through this kind of BS that this goober is pulling on you. That said, a couple of weeks ago I bought a used 1986 Japanese copy of Evans 'Green Dolphin Street' (VDJ-1576E) from an Amazon seller who described it as "perfect." If it didn't carry a $5.49 price tag I wouldn't have given it a 2nd look -- but I did......and it was/is "perfect". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinuta Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 I am seriously thinking about my eBay purchases. Unless it's a sealed or is being sold by someone I know through the various boards, I limit most of my eBay purchases these days to sellers in Japan because I know for a fact that any cd that I buy -- be it labelled NM, excellent, very good, fell into aquarium and was attacked by koi carp, etc -- will be in perfect, or close to perfect, condition. Sure, it does limit your options a bit, but I never have to go through this kind of BS that this goober is pulling on you. That said, a couple of weeks ago I bought a used 1986 Japanese copy of Evans 'Green Dolphin Street' (VDJ-1576E) from an Amazon seller who described it as "perfect." If it didn't carry a $5.49 price tag I wouldn't have given it a 2nd look -- but I did......and it was/is "perfect". Although I never buy things from the likes of eBay, I can confirm Mr Weizen's comments that Japanese used cds are 99.5% in mint or near mint condition as a matter of course. Of the countless used cds I've picked up in Tokyo not a single one has been anything less than pristine or near pristine. It would seem that cd shop staffs just don't buy anything that is substandard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stereojack Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 As an Ebay seller myself, I feel I must defend the majority of us who are honest and who respect the buyer. This asshole Cruisetunes has 11 negatives - I'm surprised that Ebay allows him to continue doing business, but I guess it's all about the volume of business he's done. I've only received one negative in the years I've been doing business, and it was from a jerk who didn't even give me the opportunity to make things right. I've never had to appeal a negative feedback, but a high volume seller I know told me that he did petition an unfair feedback to Ebay and they did rescind it, even though it took a few months. Maybe they've changed their policy, I don't know. Others have told me that Ebay usually sides with the seller in a dispute - which certainly sucks for the buyer who's been cheated. Maybe it's not worth the trouble, Kevin, but this asshole has accused you of theft, and perhaps you should file a complaint with the police if that's your only option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kulu se mama Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 (edited) i find that many sellers have no idea what mint means. i list quite a few cd's on ebay, but i always list the condition as exellent. if it is mint i would rather underestimate the condition, and have the buyer be positively surprised. if anyone is overly concerned about the condition of an item, i always tell them that satisfaction is guaranteed. it is not typically worth arguing about. i have never had a cd returned, but i have been burned as a buyer quite a few times. i remember buying a stan getz box for something close to $100 that was supposed to be mint inside and out. the bot was torn, banged up, and had a big chunk missing where a price tag had been removed. the seller gave me $10 back, but i still felt ripped off. kevin - your only option on the feedback is to get the sellers personal information. you can do that on the site map page using the item number. if the personal information is not correct, then ebay must remove the negative. if the personal information is correct then you are unfortunately stuck with it. i recieved my 2 negatives from sellers in retrubution also. i have learned to live with them, although they drove me nutty at the time. Edited May 28, 2006 by kulu se mama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 Kevin, if it's any consolation, anyone who's been selling for any length of time is going to read that "internet fraud charges" thing and just roll their eyes, so I wouldn't worry about that aspect of it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Bresnahan Posted May 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 Kevin, if it's any consolation, anyone who's been selling for any length of time is going to read that "internet fraud charges" thing and just roll their eyes, so I wouldn't worry about that aspect of it... Unfortunately, there are many sellers who automatically cancel bids from any buyer with negative feedback. It's another aspect of eBay's broken feedback system that they refuse to acknowledge. FWIW, I filed a complaint with eBay over the negative with respect to the claim that there are "fraud charges" pending. If I read their feedback policy right, referring to an "investigation" is grounds for removal. I do hope I get lucky with this. I really don't understand why this seller left me a negative on the eve of the listing expiration. Did he think that he could leave me a negative and that I'd be unable to repsond? Once feedback is left by either party, the window for feedback on the other side gets extended by another 60 days. He thought he could leave this zinger and leave me no ability to zing him back? Duh. Know the policies buddy. Instead, I have to deal with this weirdo for another 60 days. He should have just let it die. Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stereojack Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 I really don't understand why this seller left me a negative on the eve of the listing expiration. Did he think that he could leave me a negative and that I'd be unable to repsond? Once feedback is left by either party, the window for feedback on the other side gets extended by another 60 days. He thought he could leave this zinger and leave me no ability to zing him back? Duh. Know the policies buddy. Instead, I have to deal with this weirdo for another 60 days. He should have just let it die. Obviously he's pissed that you "won" (got your money back). Most honorable sellers would have just moved on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalupa Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 Because of sellers like cruisetunes I ALWAYS check feedback scores before bidding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 One thing that irks me about ebay's feedback system is that most sellers wait until you have left feedback before leaving any for you as the buyer. If I'm the buyer, my only obligation is to pay via the agreed upon terms in a timely manner, no? So as soon as that is done, the seller should leave me positive feedback. Instead, they wait until you leave feedback and if your feedback to them happens to be neutral or negative, they retaliate. For instance, I recently purchased a tool on ebay that I need to finish this kitchen remodel. I need to have this kitchen DONE by June 6th. I bought this tool on May 24th, paid via Paypal instantly. The seller is in Iowa. I've emailed him twice asking about when it will be shipped. He claims he shipped it the same day (May 24th), but that it will take 10-14 days to get there. I paid this guy $50 for shipping a medium weight, medium sized tool and it's going to take two weeks for it to get to me from Iowa?! That seems bogus to me. When the tool arrives, I'd like to give him a neutral for poor shipping (assuming the damn thing works in the first place!) but I know he'll then turn around and give me the same or worse, even though I upheld my end of the bargain to perfection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 (edited) Because of sellers like cruisetunes I ALWAYS check feedback scores before bidding. Me too - I even check out the mechandise they have been selling (or buying) recently (i.e. on the feedback details section) to get a feel for whether or not they know what they are doing. I will also check out "view seller's other auctions" to help complete the picture. Even then, I am more often than not surprised about the poor (relative to advertised) quality of items. It is pretty clear to me that there a bunch of fairly half-a$$ed sellers out there. Edited May 30, 2006 by Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stereojack Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 One thing that irks me about ebay's feedback system is that most sellers wait until you have left feedback before leaving any for you as the buyer. If I'm the buyer, my only obligation is to pay via the agreed upon terms in a timely manner, no? There's more than one way to look at this, Jim. The transaction isn't complete until both parties are happy. When the buyer pays in a timely manner, the seller is happy, but this is only the first half of the transaction. When the buyer receives the merchandise and is satisfied, then he is happy, and the transaction is complete. When the buyer gives his feedback, then the seller knows that a successful transaction has been completed. It has been my experience that only about 60% of buyers leave feedback, anyway. As a seller who used to leave feedback as soon as I received payment, I found on more than one occasion that certain people turned out to be ballbusters, after I had already left them positive feedback. I'm not talking about legitimate claims like disagreements over condition grading. I usually offer a refund if the item is not in the condition I claimed it was in. I'm talking about people who were completely unreasonable. As a seller, I've never left negative feedback. If somebody stiffs me, I report them to Ebay. If somebody busts my balls, I block them from bidding with me in the future. In regards to shipping delays, I've had customers give me grief over late deliveries that were not my fault. When you receive the item, check the shipping date. If it was shipped on the date that the seller claims to have shipped it, blame the post office. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Bresnahan Posted May 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 While I think the "ballbusters" that Jack refers are part of the problem, I agree with Jim that a seller should leave feedback once he receives payment. The buyer's end of the agreement is done. Because sellers like the one Jim has are holding feedback "hostage", Jim will likely NOT leave a deserved negative to this seller. Who does this benefit? Not future buyers, that's for sure! I also think seller's should be able to show eBay when a buyer leaves a negative for no reason and get it removed. The thing is, eBay wants nothing to do with policing their feedback. BTW, I just heard back from eBay. They will not remove any feedback from this lunatic cruisetunes. So, I do nothing wrong and yet I have some asshole telling people I'm under investigation for Internet fraud. I'm just glad he writes in all caps with a "foaming at the mouth" intensity. Most people will read his comments and say, "What a jerk". I'm still worried about the sellers who cancel any bids from someone with a negative. Of course, eBay doesn't worry about that either. All they really care about is that they get their money. FWIW, before I bid on this CD, I did research cruisetunes. He had a few negs, but they were years ago... probably right about when he stopped leaving feedback first. Once he started holding feedback hostage, his negatives stopped. The system is protecting him. The only reason he left me a nagtive is because he knew the listing was expiring. The doofus didn't know that once he leaves feedback, the window gets extended another 30 days. He should have just let it die and his "great" reputation would have remained intact. Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcy62 Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 Mostly I buy vinyls on eBay, and the grading it's obviously crucial. I tend to buy from sellers I already know, even if this means that you pay usually more. An immaculate reputation is cost for a buyer and a value for the seller, but it's a sort of insurance. That's the reason because people like Ron Rambach gets the highest price for Blue Note. Anyway I had bad and good suprise, both with reliable and unknown sellers. The difference is that with a reliable seller I have a civil relationship and a refund. In sone cases the refund it didn't worth the cost of shipping back, so I laid off, without leaving feedback. What piss me off is the fact that negative feedback is hardly reachable. I think ebay should keep it reachable with a dedicated link even they are years old . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Bresnahan Posted May 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 What piss me off is the fact that negative feedback is hardly reachable. I think ebay should keep it reachable with a dedicated link even they are years old . http://www.toolhaus.org/ All the negatives in one spot, even if they get retracted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man with the Golden Arm Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 (edited) ditto to much above ... i've been staying away from ebay lately as it has just become one big mall. has anyone else donned a second identity on ebay so as to only sell from one moniker on buy via another? seems that as i now have over 600 positives for both selling and buying, taking my goodstanding ID and using it exclusively for sales might be wise. then i can have at the sellers i don't like at will. and aside with agreements to weizen... i sure wish my kids would be more Japanese with the handling of their CDs ... we even eat sushi fer god's sake! and anyone jetisoning classic lyricism like "put me in coach ... i'm ready to play today" must be on meth. Edited May 31, 2006 by Man with the Golden Arm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcy62 Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 All the negatives in one spot, even if they get retracted. Great! Better then my NSA secret files. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Son-of-a-Weizen Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 I really don't understand why this seller left me a negative on the eve of the listing expiration. Did he think that he could leave me a negative and that I'd be unable to repsond? Most definitely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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