Author Topic: EBAY SCARE!!!!!!!!!! (Read 173 times)

grynchin · « **on:** January 29, 2006, 08:13:55 PM »

Another thread about ebay compelled me to post this. I recently purchased an SWR 350 to go with my Hartke 15 and 2 8's cabinet. It is absolutely amazing.
Anyway, that was the calm after the storm. Here is the storm. I purchased this on Jan. 4. Seller e-mailed me and stated, if you pay for auction tonite, I can ship first thing in the morning. I thought, cool, and paid for it via Paypal immediately.
January 15 rolls around. Still no head. I e-mailed seller and stated, I have not received head yet, could you tell me how you shipped it, and if there may be a tracking number? No response.
January 20th. Still no response. I e-mail seller this, I e-mailed you several days ago and no response. If you have shipped the bass head let me know, if you are ripping me off, let me know that too. Communication is the key here.
January 22nd. Seller e-mails me. I'm very sorry, I have been on vacation and just got your e-mail. You should receive item any day now.
January 26th. I received bass head. I looked at date on shipping label. January 20th was the date!!!!! I do in fact believe that this seller was going to rip me off, because it wasn't until I sent that cut and dry e-mail that he shipped it the very same day.
Now, by the grace of God, I have the head, and I did not get ripped off for $475.00. But he practiced some bad business. He stated if I payed the same night he would ship first thing in the morning. He shipped 16 days later. After an encouragable e-mail. I have every right to leave him negative feedback, but I am not. Because he will most likely give it to me if I give it to him. And my paltry 73 feedback rating cannot handle an unwarranted negative.
Everything about the seller and item looked legit. It was legit, just a bad transaction. It has really made me shy about auctions now.
I have done many transactions on Ebay including high end items like Les Pauls, Mesa Boogie, Alembic, etc. and I have never had an instance such as this. I hope that is the last time, and I'm still thankful I didn't get ripped off in the end.

bsee · « **Reply #1 on:** January 29, 2006, 11:28:24 PM »

I don't know - just sounds like a lazy seller to me. If he were going to rip you off, then no amount of annoying email would have gotten you your head.

I wouldn't run and hide yet, just be wary. One would be a fool not to pay attention to sellers' feedback ratings and payment terms.

I would also say that I would feel comfortable leaving a neutral, or maybe a positive with a note about very slow delivery in the text. I think negatives should be reserved for truely broken transactions. Glad that this one worked out for you in the end!

-bob

grynchin · « **Reply #2 on:** January 30, 2006, 05:57:25 PM »

Hey, I think you mis-pronounced lazy seller. It's typical musician. Ha Ha. ;}+

bigredbass · « **Reply #3 on:** January 30, 2006, 06:35:47 PM »

Here's an original idea . . . buy your stuff from a real, by God, right-down-the-street, Mom and Pop MUSIC STORE. To hell with eBay. If you MUST buy stuff over the net, buy from a real business (and lots of music stores have their own websites). IF we don't, before long, your choices are going to boil down to Slam Ash, Guitar Splinter, etc., or eBay. That's no future I'm looking forward to.

Otherwise, do eBay just like any other kind of gambling . . . if you can't afford to lose your bet, get away from the table!

J o e y

brainiac · « **Reply #4 on:** January 31, 2006, 09:20:35 AM »

Joey-
Well put. eBay is essentially the same as gambling. It's hard to imagine anyone sending thousands of dollars as payment for an expensive instrument to an unknown person, (instrument) sight unseen. Boggles the mind. And for every person who will now come on and talk about how many easy as pie transactions they have made, there only have to be a few to throw the fear into potential buyers. eBay is nothing but a crap shoot with more and more rip-off stories every day. Buyer Beware has never been a more appropriate warning.

lbpesq · « **Reply #5 on:** January 31, 2006, 10:34:43 AM »

I've gambled a bit. I've eBayed a bit. If gambling paid off like eBay, I'd own a lot more Alembics, heck, I'd be the 6 string Rami! LOL

Bill, tgo

jalevinemd · « **Reply #6 on:** January 31, 2006, 10:59:46 AM »

I definitely believe there's an element of truth to ebay becoming more and more risky with each passing year. Like everything else, the longer it's around, the more chance there is for corruption. The last few times I've bid and lost on big ticket items, I got so many bogus second chance offers it made my head spin. That never used to happen. And reading some of the horror stories on this site has me doubting that I will ever buy something as expensive as an Alembic on ebay again. I've sent some pretty big checks to people I've never met and haven't been burned yet. I'm just afraid that my time is due. Too bad, too, as there are a lot of great things out there.

musikdept · « **Reply #7 on:** February 06, 2006, 05:37:09 AM »

I have to agree about purchasing instruments through ebay (I have to admit, I HAVE sold items there). I bought a Precision, from an individiual, which took 4 weeks to receive. A Hofner copy, from an ebay MUSIC STORE, which had 1 bad pickup and 2 tuning pegs which needed to be replaced. BUT I bought my first Alembic from a local Mom and Pops music store and was completely happy with the transaction. The only other place I would buy another used Alembic is HERE. I'm anxiously awaiting a Persuader I purchased here last Friday. Although there are many honest people out there, too many times I've heard of Ebay transactions going bad.

lowave · « **Reply #8 on:** February 10, 2006, 10:11:39 AM »

without Ebay I would not have my Essence5. Even in a large city like Portland Or there's no way to find Alembics for sale. I have used Ebay since it first started and have not had a bad experience. Im not saying Ebay is risk free, but loud screaming from a few people does not mean the entire population is in pain. No offense intended to anyone.

orion23 · « **Reply #9 on:** February 13, 2006, 10:10:01 PM »

yea i have alot of ebay buys and sells..... several cars from different states.... my recent alembic.... when i just bought my hartke 810XL from a seller in florida... he said NEW CONDT.... UNUSED.......well it showed up all beat from UPS,poorly packed... uninsured..... then it also looked like it had been used too....wear on casters?

? wear on scuff plates.....

? come on! i did not blast him with negative either.... just not worth getting a neg ontop of my perfect track record from a jerk.....still for paying $380 on a $800 cab,,,, it does ROCK! LOL!!!

57basstra · « **Reply #10 on:** February 14, 2006, 04:18:40 PM »

I just posted my situation so others could benefit. No loud screaming, just facts.