If you buy a used car or motorcycle on-line from an out of state seller, you should always be prepared for a screwing. But for decades, I’ve been rebuilding old cars and motorcycles and have purchased used parts without over being cheated. Most of those purchases were thru classified ads within club newsletters & websites, such as those affiliated with the BMW Motorcycle Owners Club or the Porsche Club of America. Since 2002, I’ve bought and sold numerous cars, motorcycles and their assorted parts thru eBay. eBay relies on buyer and seller feedback to keep things honest and for years it’s seemed like an effective tool. With over 100 transactions, I’ve never given or received negative or neutral feedback……..until this year.
This year, I purchased a 1987 325is from an eBay high volume seller of muscle cars who operates out of Miami. He described the car as “turnkey perfect”. I communicated with the seller for some time before making the purchase and was assured that I would be pleased the car. The seller had good feedback, which sealed the deal.
When the car arrived on a tractor trailer, the driver complained that the car had leaked oil on the cars underneath. It didn’t run on all cylinders and wouldn’t shift into gear. I managed to get it into my shop and discovered that the car needed thousands of dollars in repairs.
I contacted the seller in an effort to obtain some adjustment, but got nowhere. I finally left negative feedback and the seller asked me thru eBay email what I wanted to be satisfied. I suggested a price and he went to eBay and had my negative feedback scrubbed on the grounds that I was using negative feedback to "extort" money from the seller.
When you leave negative feedback on eBay, eBay will discourage it by recommending negotiation with the other party. But be warned, that if you make a monetary demand or even suggest an amount to open negotiations, you may lose your chance to leave feedback.
Later this year, I purchased a used Blaupunkt car stereo thru another high volume eBay seller. This German audio seller out of Southern California advertised itself as an active member of the BMW auto community that was committed to customer satisfaction. They promised “super fast shipping” and tech support for every purchase. This high volume eBay seller also had positive feedback. I purchased a Blaupunkt CD43 stereo.
After two weeks, the seller had yet to ship the radio. I sent inquiries and received no response. After 3 weeks and a few additional attempts to reach the seller, I formally requested a refund thru eBay on the grounds that the vendor had failed to ship. The seller shipped the next day. Within one hour of the arrival of my package, the seller appealed my refund request and eBay rejected my request on the grounds that the package had been received. Unfortunately, the seller only sent me a partial shipment and eBay never gave me the opportunity to appeal their decision. It took me another two weeks to obtain the balance of my shipment and I found that the seller had no tech support whatsoever.
In this case, I left neutral feedback on the seller. eBay once again scrubbed my less than positive feedback. They asserted that because I had lost my appeal for a refund, I couldn’t leave anything but positive feedback.
A few weeks ago, I read an article on Bloomberg News about high end wrist watches. The writer warned about buying watches thru eBay because some sellers were dishonest. The author expressed bewilderment as to the fact that many of these dishonest sellers had very positive feedback.
In the end, I’ve put about 100 hours of restoration and $7K into my new E30. I really like the car and would never have found such a rust free car in Upstate New York. Next year, the car will be finished after I install a new main rear seal and a timing belt.
Most eBay sellers are honest, but high volume sellers are more important to eBay than lower volume buyers. So don't be too surprised if one of them screws you and you are left with nowhere to turn for help.
This year, I purchased a 1987 325is from an eBay high volume seller of muscle cars who operates out of Miami. He described the car as “turnkey perfect”. I communicated with the seller for some time before making the purchase and was assured that I would be pleased the car. The seller had good feedback, which sealed the deal.
When the car arrived on a tractor trailer, the driver complained that the car had leaked oil on the cars underneath. It didn’t run on all cylinders and wouldn’t shift into gear. I managed to get it into my shop and discovered that the car needed thousands of dollars in repairs.
I contacted the seller in an effort to obtain some adjustment, but got nowhere. I finally left negative feedback and the seller asked me thru eBay email what I wanted to be satisfied. I suggested a price and he went to eBay and had my negative feedback scrubbed on the grounds that I was using negative feedback to "extort" money from the seller.
When you leave negative feedback on eBay, eBay will discourage it by recommending negotiation with the other party. But be warned, that if you make a monetary demand or even suggest an amount to open negotiations, you may lose your chance to leave feedback.
Later this year, I purchased a used Blaupunkt car stereo thru another high volume eBay seller. This German audio seller out of Southern California advertised itself as an active member of the BMW auto community that was committed to customer satisfaction. They promised “super fast shipping” and tech support for every purchase. This high volume eBay seller also had positive feedback. I purchased a Blaupunkt CD43 stereo.
After two weeks, the seller had yet to ship the radio. I sent inquiries and received no response. After 3 weeks and a few additional attempts to reach the seller, I formally requested a refund thru eBay on the grounds that the vendor had failed to ship. The seller shipped the next day. Within one hour of the arrival of my package, the seller appealed my refund request and eBay rejected my request on the grounds that the package had been received. Unfortunately, the seller only sent me a partial shipment and eBay never gave me the opportunity to appeal their decision. It took me another two weeks to obtain the balance of my shipment and I found that the seller had no tech support whatsoever.
In this case, I left neutral feedback on the seller. eBay once again scrubbed my less than positive feedback. They asserted that because I had lost my appeal for a refund, I couldn’t leave anything but positive feedback.
A few weeks ago, I read an article on Bloomberg News about high end wrist watches. The writer warned about buying watches thru eBay because some sellers were dishonest. The author expressed bewilderment as to the fact that many of these dishonest sellers had very positive feedback.
In the end, I’ve put about 100 hours of restoration and $7K into my new E30. I really like the car and would never have found such a rust free car in Upstate New York. Next year, the car will be finished after I install a new main rear seal and a timing belt.
Most eBay sellers are honest, but high volume sellers are more important to eBay than lower volume buyers. So don't be too surprised if one of them screws you and you are left with nowhere to turn for help.
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