Starting to really hate fleabay

[JoJo35]

For the most part over the past ten years or so, I've been a buyer on the bay, and I've had mostly good luck having found a couple really rare pieces for a steal. However, recently it looks like my luck on the bay may have changed. Either that, or there's just more scumbags lurking around out there.

Anyway, I had found a beautiful underline tt op a couple years ago that was absolutely mint. I had it serviced by RG, and for the most part after that it sat in my watch box since I was still looking for a correct rivet tt bracelet for it. I had just about given up when I found a whole watch with the bracelet on the bay. I sniped it and won, but in return I received an empty box in the mail with newspaper shoved in it. Round and round I went, and in the end I lost a considerable amount of $$$.

Ok, one bad experience, I thought to myself it's probably just the law of averages since after all I had some pretty good luck up til then.

Round number two: I go to sell a rather beat bezel insert for a whole ten bucks starting price, and the winner ends up another scammer and pp deletes my funds directly from my account because he used a fake id or stolen credit card. PP never told me the real reason, although I had shipped the item immediately after confirmed payment. The only silver lining was that the buyers address was incorrect, and I got my gen insert returned to sender.

Round number three: Ok, this is really starting to suck at this point. I sold some collectible car stuff I had that was still in the original boxes. Scumbag number three bids on my item and wins it, only to email me the next day and try to renegotiate the shipping cost to near nothing while threatening feedback retaliation if I didn't do it. So, I took the time to report him to the bay for policy violation of feedback extortion, while setting up my automatic 4 day unpaid item assistant through fleabay preferences.

I'm just wondering if anyone else has similar experiences? It's starting to look like the scammers have really taken over fleabay.

[Ephry73]

Mam that sucks. I'm fighting three refunds right now with sellers claiming they never receive the items back after I returned them for sending me completely different or non-working items. What sucks is that in order for both fleabay and fudgepal to operate, they are not doing or performing the correct customer service. Sucks to live in a litigious society where a company would rather give you the run around until you get tired than actually provide the service you signed an agreement for.

[Ronin]

I have taken to video documenting everything, and using tamper proof tape. One continuous shot, etc. Signature confirmation. And USPS proof of acceptance, and a photo of it at the PO. That way if the buyer accuses me of not sending the item, I have more than the average proof. Excessive and paranoid on my part...yes.

Based on you receiving empty box, sounds like it is time to start video documenting the receipt of items.

I would hope, PP would consider such evidence in a claim.

[subbiesrock]

I have taken to video documenting everything, and using tamper proof tape. One continuous shot, etc. Signature confirmation. And USPS proof of acceptance, and a photo of it at the PO. That way if the buyer accuses me of not sending the item, I have more than the average proof. Excessive and paranoid on my part...yes.

Based on you receiving empty box, sounds like it is time to start video documenting the receipt of items.

I would hope, PP would consider such evidence in a claim.

I do that for all Items I sell here. Snap a pic of the outgoing envelope at the post office just as it is sent. It's very simple and a nice courtesy, plus it provides fairly solid proof of sending.

[JoJo35]

Thanks for your input guys, it certainly is appreciated.

Here's a little tidbit of info regarding scumbag #3 from my above scenario: Four days had passed, and I initiated an unpaid item dispute. So, idiot #3 retaliates with some very nasty negative feedback. I quickly got on the phone and explained the situation to a fleabay rep, and luckily I had the feedback removed.

[subbiesrock]

Thanks for your input guys, it certainly is appreciated.

Here's a little tidbit of info regarding scumbag #3 from my above scenario: Four days had passed, and I initiated an unpaid item dispute. So, idiot #3 retaliates with some very nasty negative feedback. I quickly got on the phone and explained the situation to a fleabay rep, and luckily I had the feedback removed.

The biggest problem with fleabay is that the onus is on the seller to appease the buyer, with negative consequences if they don't. Many buyers take advantage of this.

I just sold an item, and was informed almost a week after auction end that the buyer would be checking out in a further two weeks time, AND asked to renegotiate a fixed postage price at the same time.

I firmly asked for payment within three days, plus the fixed postage price which he agreed upon when purchasing in the terms o the auction.

He replied that if any of his terms were not to my liking that we could 'mutually decide' to cancel the transaction. I have no particular issue with doing so, but he really has me by the balls in terms of negative feedback if I decide to continue.

The issue with feedback being linked to the percentage sellers pay is absolutely ridiculous. The charges to post listings, pay a percentage on the final price, then PP fees (because it's a commercial transaction), it constitutes a significant proportion of any profit made. In fact, I'm not surprised to see a lot of counterfeit goods being peddled on there, it's the only way to make a decent return... Honest, upstanding sellers are getting reamed on fleabay.

To this, they will of course say that if you don't like it, you can sell elsewhere. Luckily, Gumtree is doing a roaring trade and I've been able to pick up and sell a few nice household items very smoothly and quickly, with free listings and no sales fees etc.

[JoJo35]

I firmly asked for payment within three days, plus the fixed postage price which he agreed upon when purchasing in the terms o the auction.

He replied that if any of his terms were not to my liking that we could 'mutually decide' to cancel the transaction. I have no particular issue with doing so, but he really has me by the balls in terms of negative feedback if I decide to continue.

The one thing you can do, and IMO your best option, is to set up your account preferences over there so the automatic assistant will initiate a UPI dispute after four days with no payment. The good part about letting the process start through the assistant is that a buyer cannot give negative feedback while the process is ongoing. You just have to hope that he doesn't pay for it.

I've learned that if you start the UPI dispute manually, the buyer could still neg feedback you immediately.

[subbiesrock]

The one thing you can do, and IMO your best option, is to set up your account preferences over there so the automatic assistant will initiate a UPI dispute after four days with no payment. The good part about letting the process start through the assistant is that a buyer cannot give negative feedback while the process is ongoing. You just have to hope that he doesn't pay for it.

I've learned that if you start the UPI dispute manually, the buyer could still neg feedback you immediately.

That's some good advice, I'll look into that.