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4 Comments

  1. Regarding selling on ebay, it is one of my favorite shopping places. I signed up for ebay in the mid 90’s when they had only 5 million sellers. I used my knowledge of collecting at live auctions, to sell things to pay vet bills for cat rescue. Where I was living – retired early – spay/neuter was not a big thing but DUMPING cats and dogs was everywhere! Anything I could lift, and pack, I would buy at live auctions, list and sell. Local Walmart in the small town had free collapsed boxes of all sizes, and someone invented bubble wrap. Postage rates were much lower. Then ebay went international and I sold overseas. Met some really interesting and nice customers on line. I guaranteed $$$ back if not satisfied, minus the shipping cost. The ebay platform was primitive, but much improved for listing. I ran my “store” like a real store, and my feedback was 100% perfect. Now I buy, and always leave feedback which is very important to a seller. I only buy from someone with perfect or close to perfect feedback. Ebay put many dealers with real stores out of business, and the more rare items have become more common because people realize that Aunt Tilly, or Uncle Joe had one of “those” in their attic. So, keeping up with what is “hot” is part of maximizing return on your effort. When I shop, I compare on ebay and amazon and see who has the best deal. It is about 50:50 for what I want. Great places to find those unusual Christmas gifts. Uncle Joe may not want another tie or sweater, etc. It is FUN, and beats sitting and looking at some mindless show on the boob tube!

    1. I, too, started my eBay account twenty years ago, back when it made sense to do so. I even had a second account for a few years to accommodate my online business. Unfortunately, this was mostly under the “Meg Whitman” golden era. When she stepped down as CEO to pursue her candidacy for California Governor, her successor completely changed eBay’s fee schedule and business model, and ran it into the ground. I was one of those many former sellers who transferred my activities elsewhere and closed my business account. I now have only my original account to buy a personal item from time to time, or sell a widget every once in a blue moon.

    2. HL,
      Thank you for helping our feline friends.

      As a 14-year eBay seller, I try to be a little more understanding when it comes to the feedback ratings anymore. Reason: there are trolls who love to destroy years of hard work by leaving bad feedback. In addition, Amazon has created an entire generation of so-called “adults” who want nothing to do with personal accountability for their errant purchases. The ability to purchase and return items on a whim, then leave negative ratings has become a sport for some. One seller I just spoke with had an unhappy customer, refunded the money, AND let them keep the item. Buyer still left negative feedback.

      I am dealing with a buyer now that purchased an item from me that was very incompatible with, shall we say, their girth. Instead of taking two minutes to message me about fit and size, they are returning an item with over fifty 5-star ratings, due to what they call “poor quality”. I would have happily told them it was not the right choice and sent them elsewhere. I allowed the return, I will refund their money, but they could still leave bad feedback because their disgust with themselves must find a home other than where it belongs. Fortunately, those people have been rare for me throughout my years on eBay, but it is getting worse.

  2. Dear D.D. I am sorry that you are having this experience with an ebay customer, but I am NOT totally surprised. I am 76, grew up in a different time in the NE, with parents born in the early 1900’s. It was the Golden Rule, that a “man’s word is his bond”, and there was NO coddling back on our large farm. In the little 2 room school house, with 3 grades in each room, there was no misbehavior, just high spirits on the dirt play ground. Children were polite to adults for the most part, and most adults were well behaved. If they were not, it was usually behind closed doors. Now I see and hear how PC we have become, and divided unlike even before the Civil Rights Act of 1964. People are apt to sue first, post something nasty on one of the many Social Media sites. The dislike for one side against the other seems to have totally forgotten MANNERS. Parents allow their children to talk back to them, to be rude to them, and they grow up to be rude and nasty all too often. In college we enjoyed a spirited and POLITE discussion in the dorm about EVERYTHING. If something derogatory was said about one of us, it was said behind closed doors. I wish you well, and I will be more cognizant when I shop on ebay of what the % negative rating actually might mean. Sometimes when I see that someone has hundreds or more listings a week, I think perhaps they have “bitten off more than they can chew”, or perhaps they have help – if this is a family run endeavor. It is a sad day when the anonymity of buying an item turns against the seller, and sometimes the buyer. I love on line shopping, because I am not really able to get out much, but miss shopping in smaller stores and the malls from the 60’s and 70’s. Progress can be a double edge sword.

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