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Is (ebay dealer) "The Favorite Spot" a Reliable Dealer?

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Posted by rrebell on Friday, August 20, 2010 9:39 AM

steveb

 I have purchased over 100 On30 items from The Favorite Spot.  Never a problem.  On the other hand, when I have sold items, I sometimes get a bad deal from the buyer.  Case in point-I sold a MDC HO shay on Ebay.  It was packed well.  After a week after the buyer received the item, he sent an e-mail to me saying there was damage because of faulty packing.  I accepted the return of the item, refunded his payment as well as his return sshipping costs.  Upon receipt of the shay, I was shocked to see its condition.  It had obviously been dropped on a hard floor.  It was in such bad shape, I threw it in the garbage.  I had little recourse because I did not want an unfavorable rating to blemish my 100% favorable rating on over 600 transactions.  Not only should buyer beware, seller should also beware.

Steve B.

You did more than you had to and you should have taken the ding. Only time I had to fight for a refund is when a seller had the nerve to sell me an item as new that someone had doctored and they had to know because they refused return, even though I was paying return shipping.
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Posted by mobilman44 on Friday, August 20, 2010 9:44 AM

Hi!

I'm a long term Ebay buyer and seller, and can attest that the feedback numbers AND comments are the best indicator of the seller's performance.  Click on the feedback number and it will get you to the recent comments.  Also, check to see what items were bought and sold.

As the vast majority of Ebay sales go thru their PayPal, you will have some protection from them as well. 

ENJOY,

Mobilman44 

 

ENJOY  !

 

Mobilman44

 

Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central 

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Posted by last mountain & eastern hogger on Friday, August 20, 2010 10:56 AM

Whistling

Just want to add my support for The Favorite Spot.  I have purchased there over E-bay and was

very pleased and satisfied.

GO FOR IT...

Johnboy out.................................................

from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North.. 

We have met the enemy,  and he is us............ (Pogo)

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Posted by rrebell on Friday, August 20, 2010 11:27 AM

mobilman44

Hi!

I'm a long term Ebay buyer and seller, and can attest that the feedback numbers AND comments are the best indicator of the seller's performance.  Click on the feedback number and it will get you to the recent comments.  Also, check to see what items were bought and sold.

As the vast majority of Ebay sales go thru their PayPal, you will have some protection from them as well. 

ENJOY,

Mobilman44 

 

Check out the negative as part of your feedback search, sometimes you will find 10 items all for the same person at the same time and they were all unwarranted, like shipping took too long or they did not do combined shipping (postings said they didn't).
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Posted by HaroldA on Saturday, August 21, 2010 5:41 AM

They are on summer break through the end of August and don't have anything listed on EBay right now.

Thank you for your interest in TheFavoriteSpot. We're on summer break until the end of August. Please sign up for our eBay newsletter through the link on the top right side of this page. When we start up again you will be certain to know. Thank you again for all of your business and for making TheFavoriteSpot a stop for your model railroad layout!

There's never time to do it right, but always time to do it over.....

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Posted by jwhitten on Saturday, August 21, 2010 9:04 AM

Capt. Grimek
They get a good ebay rating so I presume they're fine, but has anyone ordered from them? They're located in Denton, TX. Thanks.

 

 

Are we doing this one again? This was just done a month or so ago.

 

Anyway, yup, they're good. I buy from 'em all the time and have for a number of years now.No problems, and they've gone out of their way to help out several times. They have my business.

 

John

Modeling the South Pennsylvania Railroad ("The Hilltop Route") in the late 50's
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Posted by rrebell on Saturday, August 21, 2010 11:30 AM

jwhitten

Capt. Grimek
They get a good ebay rating so I presume they're fine, but has anyone ordered from them? They're located in Denton, TX. Thanks.

 

 

Are we doing this one again?

 

John

Same thread, just came back to life!
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Posted by St Francis Consolidated RR on Saturday, August 21, 2010 4:57 PM

jwhitten
Are we doing this one again? This was just done a month or so ago.

 

 

You guys...ENOUGH ALREADY...........John, you're right, we just went through this this summer and a couple of other times I think, AS WELL AS questions about Al Kramer out in California!!!

The guys in Texas are GREAT, the fastest shippers on the internet, and the quality is always as promised! And, oh by the way, the prices can be real good sometimes.

 Okay then!!!

 

The St. Francis Consolidated Railroad of the Colorado Rockies

Denver, Colorado


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Posted by HarryHotspur on Monday, August 23, 2010 12:30 AM

 I've bought a lot of stuff from the Favorite Spot and they are terrific.  Once I received a loco that ran a little balky.  I called, and they asked if I wanted a refund or replacement.  I said replacement and they shipped it before I had returned the first one.

 Best dealer I've ever dealt with.

- Harry

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Posted by Medina1128 on Monday, August 23, 2010 7:03 AM

Margaritaman

My one experience with them was my first and last.  I realize you can't please all of the people all of the time, but 27 negatives and 30 neutrals is a but much for me.  There has been threads posted before on them and opinions vary from one end of the spectrum to the other.  Caveat emptor.  I'll stick with my LHS and MB Klein.

 

Yes, but compared to 46,338 positives I think speaks highly of this seller.

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Posted by rrebell on Monday, August 23, 2010 11:28 AM

Medina1128

Margaritaman

My one experience with them was my first and last.  I realize you can't please all of the people all of the time, but 27 negatives and 30 neutrals is a but much for me.  There has been threads posted before on them and opinions vary from one end of the spectrum to the other.  Caveat emptor.  I'll stick with my LHS and MB Klein.

 

Yes, but compared to 46,338 positives I think speaks highly of this seller.

Decided to see exactly what the negatives were for and the neutrals so I scanned back 5000 entries and found 2 negs for saying they had something and they didn't, instant refund, and a neutral for a refund taking too long (if the buyer did anything with the credit card on his end then that would more than explain the refund taking a couple of weeks).
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Posted by Texas Zepher on Monday, August 23, 2010 3:55 PM

I have purchased many items from them G to N.   I only had one issue where they were packed too well.  The plastic bubble wrap around the car squeezed one of the trucks out of shape. 

I can highly recommend them.

As near as I can tell they purchase large lots of stuff including sets then break up the sets selling the items separately.

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Posted by jwhitten on Monday, August 23, 2010 4:08 PM

Texas Zepher

I have purchased many items from them G to N.   I only had one issue where they were packed too well.  The plastic bubble wrap around the car squeezed one of the trucks out of shape. 

I can highly recommend them.

As near as I can tell they purchase large lots of stuff including sets then break up the sets selling the items separately.

 

 

I forgot all about the G-scale stuff. A couple of years ago I was looking for some G-scale hoppers. He said he was out of stock and I wrote back saying something like I was disappointed but understood-- not a bad comment, just a lament. And he wrote me back and asked if I would like to buy some hoppers from his personal collection. I was surprised but agreed to buy them-- I forget how many offhand, 10-12 something like that. They came in a huge box, all well-packed, and he had even tossed in loads for each gratis.

I've got nothing bad to say about 'em. 

 

John

Modeling the South Pennsylvania Railroad ("The Hilltop Route") in the late 50's
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Posted by TrainCollectorNM on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 12:07 PM

NOT A FRIENDLY PLACE (Ebay Store)

4 STARS? Not so fast... Customer Service is crucial for return sales and satisfied customers.

Everything is fine until you try to return a defective item.  When returning my defective item to the Favorite Spot for a replacement, the person working in Customer Service became impatient and rude, would not return Ebay messages, and was dishonest with me how he was going to resolve the issue.  His actions give me the impression that the Favorite Spot does not want to deal with customers needing to return defective merchandise.  Unfortunately, and due to his unprofessional nature, I will no longer purchase trains from their on-line store.

Buyer Beware: Before purchasing from the Favorite Spot, read all neutral and negative Ebay feedback!

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Posted by Burlington Northern #24 on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 1:56 PM

purchased one thing from them can't remember what but it was an overall good experience no problems or anything.

SP&S modeler, 1960's give or take a decade or two for some equipment.

 http://www.youtube.com/user/SGTDUPREY?feature=guide 

Gary DuPrey

N scale model railroader 

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Posted by joe323 on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 3:46 PM
I purchased a Bachmann GP-40 from them and was satisfied.

Joe Staten Island West 

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Posted by BATMAN on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 4:05 PM

I got a Bachmann Spectrum 4-4-0 through them. Thumbs UpThumbs Up

Brent

"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."

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Posted by Geared Steam on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 6:11 PM

Nothing has changed from my opinion given 3 years ago when this thread was originally started. Whistling

Favorite Spot is great for me.

"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein

http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/

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Posted by don7 on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 9:52 PM

I assume the person who re-posted this posting is looking to spread the word on how badly they were treated.

I have bought a number of items from them over the last three years and have run into no problems. I did return an item once and there was no hassle, the replacment item arrived before I had packaged the defective item to be returned.

I will continue to shop here for all of my Bachmann and probably Rivarossi items.

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Posted by herrinchoker on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 10:30 PM
I have purchased many items from them over the past several years, and have found them to have integrity of the highest order. I reciently had an order shorted, ordered six packages of roller bearing trucks, and only recieved five. Made a phone call, recieved an apology, and had the missing package of trucks overnighted to me, which was not necessary. I have been very satisfied with their product, and service. herrinchoker
Tags: FavoriteSpot
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Posted by rrinker on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 11:33 PM

 That poster joined, made the post, and hasn;t been heard from since, it is their first and only post.

        --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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Posted by andrechapelon on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 11:59 PM

rrinker

 That poster joined, made the post, and hasn;t been heard from since, it is their first and only post.

        --Randy

 

And in doing so, resurrected a 3 year old thread. Strange. Most of the entries were positive and then this guy shows up and uses the thread as a virtual outhouse. I guess that's the definition of "disgruntled".

Andre

It's really kind of hard to support your local hobby shop when the nearest hobby shop that's worth the name is a 150 mile roundtrip.
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Posted by BRAKIE on Thursday, February 7, 2013 5:32 AM

andrechapelon
Most of the entries were positive and then this guy shows up and uses the thread as a virtual outhouse.

------------------------------------------

Which  makes such a post  questionable to my mind  since there's always two sides to every story..

I have dealt with "The Favorite spot" and received my purchase quickly and without any problems.

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

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Posted by richhotrain on Thursday, February 7, 2013 7:40 AM

I have long felt that if a thread has remained inactive for at least one year, it should be automatically locked so that it cannot be revived years later.

It is also nearly inevitable that a long dormant thread will be revived by a first time poster, as in this case.

I find it troublesome that a guy would join the forum for the sole purpose of reviving an old thread just to blast an eBay seller with a near perfect positive feedback record.

Since a new forum member is moderated on his first few posts, why is this kind of action even permitted by the moderators?   We will likely never hear from this guy again.

Rich

 

Alton Junction

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Posted by Electriccharlie on Thursday, February 7, 2013 9:36 AM

I have also made numerous purchases from the auctions and from their E-Bay store. Everything went as good as it could. No substitute for carrying a new item out of the hobby shop, but there are no more hobby shops!

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Posted by BRAKIE on Thursday, February 7, 2013 9:59 AM

richhotrain

I have long felt that if a thread has remained inactive for at least one year, it should be automatically locked so that it cannot be revived years later.

Rich,As a moderator on three forums I have argued that point for years with no realistic reasons given in the replies from Admin  or other moderators..

I seen one 8 year old topic reopen praising a modeler's work..

The catch?

The OP had passed away.

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

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Posted by TrainCollectorNM on Thursday, February 7, 2013 10:01 AM

Hello Rich,

Not the case -- I am here and truly happy to see the comments regarding my post, that is what this forum is for.  The Favorite Spot is still selling trains; why not revive an old thread to share my buying experience?  Others have left their comments and I feel it is my privilege to do the same.

A little background.... I was introduced to HO scale railroading at a very early age.  Now, my son is 8 years old and I am introducing him to HO trains as well.  Needless to say, he loves his new hobby and spends hours playing with his train set.

Last year I spent a considerable amount of time researching HO train on-line vendors (including finding this site) due to the fact that I had to replace virtually everything I had when I was a kid.  Last year I found The Favorite Spot and invested a hefty amount of $$$ purchasing a new railroad train set. The diesel locomotive arrived damaged and instead of sending it back the FS, I returned it directly to the manufacturer.  They were happy to replace it including reimbursing me for the return postage.  Recently, I went back to the FS to purchase another train car.  It too arrived damaged and I decided to return it to them.

My last post details my return experience, nothing more, nothing less.  Yes, the vendor has nearly a perfect feedback record.  But for some, it was not a pleasurable buying experience.  Thanks for reading!

Randy

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Posted by richhotrain on Thursday, February 7, 2013 2:14 PM

Well, Randy, kudos to you for returning "to the scene of the crime".  LOL

This may be a first for this kind of situation, but it pleases me to hear from you.

This is a recurring situation on the forum.

New guy makes first post, revives old thread, disappears, never to be heard from again.

So your reappearance has to be appreciated by others as well.

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with the vendor.

I hope that you will stay on the forums and join us on a regular basis.

Rich

Alton Junction

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Posted by jeffrey-wimberly on Thursday, February 7, 2013 3:57 PM

If he gets corralled every time he revives a thread or asks a common question he probably won't.

Running Bear, Sundown, Louisiana
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Posted by richhotrain on Thursday, February 7, 2013 5:11 PM

jeffrey-wimberly

If he gets corralled every time he revives a thread or asks a common question he probably won't.

Stick out tongue

I still feel that if a thread has remained inactive for at least one year, it should be automatically locked so that it cannot be revived years later.

Alton Junction

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