# Yet another eBay rant **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 11, 2003, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393 "2003-02-11T18:15:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393/61 "2003-02-13T11:37:23Z")
Drat! You’re right, I completely forgot about the 2 for 1 deal! :o I still think it’s a bit silly to be mad about a ‘neutral’ feedback, but that’s just IMHO, it need not be IYHO. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393/62 "2003-02-13T18:20:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cheesesteak \* > I still think it’s a bit silly to be mad about a ‘neutral’ feedback, but that’s just IMHO, it need not be IYHO. \*\* Sure. I understand what you’re saying (and Esprix). It’s just not how _I_ would have done it. And for what it’s worth, I agree that the guy WAY overreacted to the neutral feedback. ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393/63 "2003-02-13T18:38:23Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by **blowero** _ > > If a store said they had Mickey Mouse figurines in stock, and it turned out they were out of them, but they offered me 2 Donald Ducks for the price of one Mickey Mouse, I _would_ consider it generous, and certainly not merely necessary to “avoid committing a crime.” Um, that would be a crime; namely, fraud, in the guise of “bait and switch,” which is, last time I checked, an illegal business practice. Innocent accident or not, the seller committed fraud and breached the contract we had both willingly entered into. Esprix ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393/64 "2003-02-13T20:27:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Esprix \* > \*\*Um, that would be a crime; namely, fraud, in the guise of “bait and switch,” which is, last time I checked, an illegal business practice. Innocent accident or not, the seller committed fraud and breached the contract we had both willingly entered into. > > Esprix \*\* Wrong. The legal definition of fraud requires intent. I don’t recall you saying that he double-listed the auction on purpose; he appears to have done it accidentally. That is not fraud. And please read my post again - I said it would not be necessary for a store to **offer 2 items for the price of 1** in order to avoid fraud charges. A simple refund would be sufficient. If you think otherwise, then that’s quite an interesting interpretation of the law. ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393/65 "2003-02-13T22:17:04Z")
Intent aside, it’s still breech of contract. If the guy’s selling so many items online that he can’t keep track of them, that’s his problem. Esprix ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393/66 "2003-02-13T22:44:38Z")
I’m with Esprix on this one. The guy screwed up, but no harm was done. For all we know, this was an honest mistake. For all we know, he just decided not to sell it because he didn’t get what he wanted out of it. If enough people would really report honestly, you can get a better idea which one it was. I’ve bought a few things on e-bay, including something just today. Never had a problem (knock on wood) and always followed up with good feedback. I did leave one neutral, however. The item was a collection of music videos from a band I like which were recorded (using a VCR) directly from MTV. No problem. Not expecting first quality but I sure wasn’t expecting the hack job I got. You could barely see the picture and he didn’t edit it. So the tape kept rolling even though they had moved on to another song. Then halfway through that song, it stopped. So, I gave him a neutral rating. Because while technically he didn’t LIE about what it was, it sure wasn’t anywhere close to being something I would have paid for. ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393/67 "2003-02-14T05:09:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PunditLisa \* > \*\*Not expecting first quality but I sure wasn’t expecting the hack job I got. > … > Because while technically he didn’t LIE about what it was, it sure wasn’t anywhere close to being something I would have paid for. \*\* Can you link to the auction or paste the description here ? It’s upto the buyer to confirm and clarify **before** bidding. If the items don’t contradict the description, the seller’s neutral is undeserved. How does the seller know what each potential bidder expects ? All the seller can do is put up a description. Any implicit assumptions that a bidder takes for granted, should be confirmed with the seller beforehand. For all you know, there might have been 5 other winners perfectly happy with the same product and 5 others who wouldn’t be happy unless it was professionally edited. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393/68 "2003-02-14T07:19:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PunditLisa \* > I’ve bought a few things on e-bay, including something just today. Never had a problem (knock on wood) and always followed up with good feedback. I did leave one neutral, however. The item was a collection of music videos from a band I like which were recorded (using a VCR) directly from MTV. No problem. Not expecting first quality but I sure wasn’t expecting the hack job I got. You could barely see the picture and he didn’t edit it. So the tape kept rolling even though they had moved on to another song. Then halfway through that song, it stopped. I hope you contacted the seller first and allowed him a chance to rectify the situation. When I look at people’s rebuttals on the feedback profiles, the most common complaint is that the buyer posted negative (or neutral) feedback without talking to the seller about the problem first. If you informed him of the poor quality, and he still didn’t take care of the problem, _then_ negative feedback would be justified. By the way, is it legal to sell bootlegged videos taped from the television? ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393/69 "2003-02-14T07:24:47Z")
So…when _should_ you use “neutral” feedback? I think that I would have used it in **Esprix** ’s case, but then again, I haven’t used eBay for a while. I mean, if you really wanted to leave a black mark on the guy’s record, you’d leave a negative feedback, right? Yet, it seems that people treat the neutral feedbacks as black marks, too, rather than just information about an auction that is neither damning nor praising. So, why even have “neutral” at all? What’s it for? ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393/70 "2003-02-14T07:46:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PunditLisa \* > For all we know, he just decided not to sell it because he didn’t get what he wanted out of it. I doubt that. If you search the items that he has sold, you will see that the item was in fact listed twice. Here’s the other listing, which ended 5 minutes before the auction in question: [http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=35855&item=2156718214](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=35855&item=2156718214) And here is the auction in question: [http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=35855&item=2156720390](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=35855&item=2156720390) Do a search on the seller and you will see that he sold several figurines from that series, and only listed one of each. He obviously only had one of each figurine, and the double-listing was a mistake, as he stated to Esprix. ---
**Author:** ![AmbushBug](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ambushbug/32/4600_2.png) [@AmbushBug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmbushBug)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393/71 "2003-02-14T08:47:48Z")
Anybody want to buy a [pair](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20418&item=2307666137) of [blankets](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20418&item=2307666159) and start again? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393/72 "2003-02-14T18:27:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AmbushBug \* > \*\*Anybody want to buy a [pair](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20418&item=2307666137) of [blankets](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20418&item=2307666159) and start again? > > 😃 \*\* Oh, geez. O.K., if this guy is double-posting auctions all the time, he _does_ deserve to get dinged on his record. I could forgive one time, but after that, you’d think the guy would be more careful. Well, it’s not the first time I’ve been wrong.:o ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393/73 "2003-02-14T18:53:45Z")
OMG! :eek: That’s funny. HAW! HAW! 😃 Esprix ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393/74 "2003-02-14T21:45:09Z")
> [@](#): > > I hope you contacted the seller first and allowed him a chance to rectify the situation. The videos were taped back in the 80’s. (I know this because one of the v.j.'s was Mark Goodman. Another had a clip of the band wishing us Happy New Year…1982!!) It’s not like he can go back and re-record them with a better recording device. I bought this over a year ago, but IIRC the posting said it was a video collection of the band and then it listed the songs. Like I said, I wasn’t expecting professional quality. I was, however, expecting the picture to not look all snowy. I also expected them to be edited so it was just the videos. I have no interest in hearing the Music News from 1981. In any event, I gave a neutral rating and I stand by it. If I have to contact the seller and TELL him not to include footage of extraneous material or that he should be upfront that the picture is all snowy, then he doesn’t deserve a positive rating. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393/75 "2003-02-14T22:09:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PunditLisa \* > It’s not like he can go back and re-record them with a better recording device. He could give you a refund, though. Most of the sellers I’ve dealt with are more than happy to refund the money if the item isn’t what they promised. Most would prefer to make the buyer happy rather than get negative or neutral feedback. At least that’s been my experience. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393/76 "2003-02-14T23:55:54Z")
Well, I guess I define a ‘positive’ buying experience differently. To me, a positive experience is: winning the auction, paying the money, getting the product promptly, being satisfied with the product. Not getting the product, or being dissatisfied with the product does not strike me as a positive experience. As Esprix noted, every purchase should generate some feeling about the experience, positive or otherwise, and one should be comfortable providing feedback on any purchase. This person sold a crappy tape to PunditLisa, other Ebay buyers should be aware that he sells crappy merchandise. Even if he offered a refund, why should this incident be hidden? Before putting in a bid, I should know that he has sold lousy tapes before. A negative experience would entail the feeling of being ripped off, or defrauded, etc. Negative says to me “don’t buy from this person”. I’m a bit confused, blowero, as to whether or not you think Neutral is a valid feedback at all. Both of these incidents seemed decidedly neutral, no fraud, no ripoff, but a dissatisfied customer. If you don’t mind my asking, when would you use the various feedback types? ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393/77 "2003-03-06T17:07:39Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by **AmbushBug** _ > > Anybody want to buy a [pair](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20418&item=2307666137) of [blankets](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20418&item=2307666159) and start again? DRAT! According to the seller’s feedback, they were, indeed, two seperate blankets, and both winners posted positively. Thought I had him. Ah, well. Esprix ---
**Author:** ![Kyrn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@Kyrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393/78 "2003-03-06T18:44:41Z")
Stop whining. S&H cannot cost as much as the sticker on the package. Boxes, envelopeds, bubble wrap, extra padding and tape cost the seller as does all the time it takes to pack something fragile well and safely, not to mention time and gas to take everything to the post office. I’ve had it with people who don’t pay. If you can’t answer your email in a week, 2 week, a MONTH you damn well deserve negetive feedback. Do not bid if you have no money. Don’t come whining to me a month later after you haven’t answered 5 emails and then tell me you have no money. Don’t wait 2 weeks to send your money order without contacting the seller. By this point they’ve assumed you’re not going to pay. ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393/79 "2003-03-06T19:14:51Z")
Obviously you’re a seller, but if you’d read the thread, you’d see we’d have covered all of this already. Ever listed the same item twice? Ever get neutral feedback and spaz out over it? Whatever. Esprix ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393/80 "2003-03-06T22:03:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Esprix \* > \*\*DRAT! According to the seller’s feedback, they were, indeed, two seperate blankets, and both winners posted positively. > > Thought I had him. Ah, well. > > Esprix \*\* OMG!:eek: That’s funny. HAW! HAW!😃 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-ebay-rant/154393.md?page=5)