Train buying and selling on ebay...

[jskerbaugh]

I had one experience with the purchase of a specific item that should have had very little value, a builder's photo. In this case I had the distinct impression that somehow bidders or "shills" jumped in at the last minute to increase the sale price far beyond what I felt was a realistic value. Merchandise was of good quality and delivery prompt, but I still felt that I had been duped. Yes, I know there are computer programs capable of entering competitive last minute bids. These bids,however, took place over the last half-day. Didn't smell right.

[Anonymous]

I recently wanted to bid on a Santa Fe loco, tried to log on to ebay but forgot my password, tried for a new password, no good, I had changed ISPs since joining ebay. tried to re-register and found these days you cannot join ebay unless you have a credit card or a debit card with 3 numbers on the back, I always paid for items on ebay by bank deposit, I dont realy know why ebay require these cards for ID but I will not divulge my personal finances to anyone on the internet and least of all to ebay, suits me realy though we have a great model railroad specialist within 20mins from home.

[Anonymous]

I have made many purchases on Ebay, but almost 90% are dealers that you can talk to and the articles have been very good.

Private parties are risky for sure, but there are honest people out there. I would not recommend buying on Ebay except for dealers that can be traced to a business address.

[waltersrails]

i've had good buying as well got everything just as they said.

[fwright]

trainluver1

Getting back to your original question, I offer full refunds (minus shipping) for 10 days after receipt. If it was my mistake or error, I'll refund the shipping both ways, too. I do insist on an e-mail explaining the problem before returning the item. I've never had anybody take me up on it.

I had one buyer complain that I misrepresented the wheel wear on a used HO steam locomotive. I explained the TCA grading system, excerpted the pertinent text, but offered a full refund, including shipping both ways. The buyer decided to keep the item, and provided no feedback. I guess no feedback is better than negative.

I do believe in posting feedback as soon as the buyer has completed his end of the transaction, normally (but sometimes get behind) posting the feedback at the same time I e-mail notification that the item has been shipped. I estimate 80% of my buyers eventually post feedback.

My wife has sold other collectibles and women's clothing on eBay. Her experience has not been nearly as positive as mine. A lot more instances of complaints with no basis and seeking of partial refunds. The return/full refund policy seems to help here, too.

It seems buyers and sellers in model railroading are more responsible (including making good on a too high bid, I've been there myself) and honest (descriptions) than in some other categories. The holding up of examples of ridiculous prices and fraudulent/mistaken descriptions on these forums has helped police the community. I am glad to be a part of this, because I use eBay as my preferred source for obtaining out-of-production and limited-production items, and as a venue to obtain reasonable prices for items I no longer want (I have a not-to-exceed number of locos, rolling stock, and untouched kits negotiated with the CFO in return for her support of my hobby).

my thoughts, your choices
Fred W

[ham99]

I have had very few problems with e-Bay and have got some items that I could not find anyplace else. I, too, avoid auctions with poor pictures, long lists of buying rules, or apologies for not knowing trains. Some buyers are crazy, though, paying two or three times MSRP for common items. I just bid on an Atlas roundhouse kit, but one seller had a kit described as RARE with a starting price $10 higher than MSRP for this item. So know what items are worth or get burned!

[Anonymous]

I have bought and sold many things on Ebay and have thoroughly enjoyed all of the transactions, for the most part. I did purchase a loco for $10 below retail because it was advertised as new. When I got it, I took it out of the box, and the drivers fell off. When I confronted the seller, he said to send it back at my expense for him to check it out, and he would let me know. I would be held responsible for shipping both ways. That isn't fair. If the sale has been under fraudulent conditions, the buyer should not have to pay a dime. Needless to say, I kept the loco and left negative feedback. It was cheaper than sending it back so I could get screwed again.

[fsm1000]

TA462 I see you are in Canada, I was wondering who you deal with and what the duty is like? Thanks.

[fsm1000]

QUOTE: Originally posted by GrayLoess

QUOTE: Originally posted by gvdobler

If the seller waits to see what the buyer is going to write, then the seller has no confidence in what they are selling. Once I have paid for an item I have done my side of the transaction and I expect the seller to leave positive feedback, if they wait to see what I'm going to say as the buyer then I don't leave any.

Oh, I absolutely agree, that's my personal policy exactly.

If I've paid on time, then I've lived up to my part of the bargain, and the seller should leave feedback at that time. If they don't, then I don't give them feedback, period.

The only reason a seller won't give feedback after they've been promptly paid is that they're holding it back so they can retaliate if you leave them a negative.

I suppose this might sound dumb to some but I give positive feedback if I get what I pay for and it works etc. If I don't then I give negative feedback. I don't base it on the actions of others.
Being a human and not an animal I find being able to rationally and intelligently act as opposed to just 'reacting' like a animal something to do. But to 'wait' for someone else like a dog waiting for a bone to me just sounds childish. But then again growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

[Anonymous]

I have purchased a few engines on eBay Australia recently and generally the experience has been positive. This topic has been an interesting read and I'll take on board some of the lessons learnt by others.

The one bad experience I did have was with a badly described and photographed 2 loco titem. 1 was an 440 american ( no drive shaft) and the other a 060 Penssy(completely in pieces)
The description was "cow catcher slightly damaged". I was going to leave neutral feedback but the eBay site kept asking me if I really wanted to do that. The locos were my 2nd purchase so I was new to the game. so I succumbed to the pressure. I wish I had "stuck by my guns" now.

Oh well ... Im a handy kind a guy and have managed to fix them both. Thanks in a large part to the great customer service shown by Bachmann Industries. They supplied me with exploded diagrams and a drive shaft for the 440 American free of charge.

Cheers

Rob

[Medina1128]

I've had NO bad experiences on eBay. I did buy a power pack that had a feature that didn't work. The solution? I emailed the seller, and when I sent it back, they refunded my money, including the return shipping! Needless to say, even with the bad power pack, they got POSITIVE FEEDBACK! There ARE still good, honest people out there.

[fsm1000]

knewsom One suggestion, the link doesn't work. Making it work might be helpful.

[fsm1000]

I have always asked for a phone number and talked to the person AFTER I get in writing an answer to my questions. I always keep all correspondance as my for of proof.
Hope that helps.

[jamnest]

I have had good experience buying on ebay. I agree with the advice above of carefully checking the item and seller. I find ebay to be a good source for out of production items and some good buys for current items. Several reputable MR dealers sell on ebay. I am amazed at the prices some buyers pay for items when they could buy the same item for 1/2 from an Internet hobby shop. I limit my bid including shipping cost, to not more than local retail or Internet retail cost. Shipping costs can kill you! I have purchased HO scale (plastic) rolling stock for $3.00 only to pay $10.00 SH.

Jim

[Anonymous]

Way to go stripes, I look forward to doing business with you - You know what it's all about!

[Anonymous]

Human error happens on ebay and in the real world. Sunday I sold an item on ebay,
only to find out I had accidently shipped the wrong item to a buyer the previous week.
I immediatly notified both buyers of the mistake.
Told the first buyer that he was welcome to keep the item I sent by mistake and shipped the right one at my expense.
The second buyer, I went out and paid retail for his item and charged exactly what he won the item for. He paid with pay pal and all is well.
I lost money on that auction, BUT my reputation is intact . I am starting a e-business and will always do business the way I would like to be treated and that is the only way to be succesful
Other than that I have never had problems on ebay, although I will not do any more auctions after my site is up, and I will accept paypal because it seems to be the safest and most conveniant way of recieving payments.

By the way; I click on the links to trainstotrade.com and get an error page!.
went to msn search and the domain name shows up on a drop list??

[Pruitt]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rlandry6

5 words... Ebay is a scam.

Actually - that's four words.....

[:o)]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by knewsom

If you are buying and selling on eBay, but would rather trade you can try http://www.TrainsToTrade.com . I built the site specifically for my fellow modeler's and it is free. You can list items, make offers through the site, and then rank the trade once it is made.

Another shameless plug, I know, but I am hoping this will catch on.

Thanks,
Kevin

It's actually a pretty good idea...

Thinking of posting some stuff on there soon.

I hope it works out for you.

Thanks,
Kevin

[Anonymous]

When my money is received, my part of the bargain has been fulfilled. If the money has been received in good time, I believe that the seller should immediately post positive feedback. If I do not receive feedback from the seller, the seller receives none from me.

I observe the same rules when selling: it encourages me to go a little further when describing the item.

[Anonymous]

If you never bid on items without a picture, then you may miss some pretty good deals offered by reputable sellers.

[Anonymous]

I disagree with RedGray62. The seller receives payment before shipping an item, which requires the buyer to trust 100 % that the seller is honest. The seller has negligible risk of non-payment after the buyer's funds arrive (never mind bogus check scams.) Under those circunstance, a seller has no right to withhold feed back and expect the buyer, who trustingly waited, or may be waiting, for an item to be delivered, to initiate feedback. A seller who demands to be paid "upfront" must post feedback first. If a buyer is displeased and the seller wants an opportunity to "make it right", that only has to do with what the seller sold or disclosed before the auction. That issue has nothing to do with whether the buyer paid the amount that was bid.

Tom Luikens

[RedGrey62]

QUOTE: Originally posted by gvdobler

If the seller waits to see what the buyer is going to write, then the seller has no confidence in what they are selling. Once I have paid for an item I have done my side of the transaction and I expect the seller to leave positive feedback, if they wait to see what I'm going to say as the buyer then I don't leave any.

I have to respectfully disagree. The buyer should always leave feedback first as they are receiving the service and if they are displeased, they need to give the opportunity for the seller to make it right. Furthermore, in my opion, the seller has more to lose with negative feedback than the buyer. I have great confidence in the items I sell but I rarely leave feedback for a buyer unless they leave feedback first. The real problem is trust, we tend to think the worst thing will happen if we leave feedback first and then don't have a chance to publically defend ourselves[:(] if the buyer or seller's expectations weren't met.

Rick

[Berk-fan284]

I have bought a number of engines off of ebay lessons learned: you can hide alot in photos, slow arrival can be due to time of year and shipping method (Canada post and customs at the end of the year are brutal), decide what you think it is worth and stick to it - if someone drives up the price so what if you are patient that type of item will come up again there is always more neat trains stuff than I have money to buy them.

[Anonymous]

OOPs,
One more thing,
If you can't see it, don't buy it!!

[Anonymous]

I recently purchase an Arnold GP9 where the seller had stated in "Like new condition"
There was a photo of the left side of the engine and it looked good.

When the item arrived, on the rightside, part of the handrail and front and back steps were missing.

I informed the seller of this (because I do not want to leave negative feedback without trying to straighten things out).
It was not until the fouth email where I threatened to leave negative feedback that I received a reply asking to return it for a refund.

After this incident I saw another Arnold engine where only one side was shown, it looked good so I emailed the seller questioning the condition of the other side.
He immediately sent me photos of front, back, right and left sides. I then bought the item.

In 115 transactions I have only experienced the one problem stated above, (I guess I've been lucky).
When I win an auction, I inform the seller when I will be either sending money order, or paying by Paypal.
When item is received I inform the seller, thank them and tell them feedback has been left.
A few times I have had to send requests for them to reciprocate, but I do get them.

The most Important things are to know your prices, check feedback of sellers and buyers and if not stated, get shipping charges before bidding and leave feedback, as reputations are built on this. It seems that these are simple things, but some cardinal rules bear repeating.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by 1train1

I am still waiting for a CN C44 (or my money through ebay) that I purchased and the seller did not ship. I paid through paypal and it's been 8 weeks. I negative experience is worth a thousand swearwords. Thanks alot to the a## from Columbus OHIO....You better hope we don't meet again or ebay finds you first.

If you paid thru' paypal, you can actually file a non-delivery claim within 45 or 60 days (not too sure which is applicable). And if the seller cannot provide proof of delivery, paypal will have the transaction reversed and penalises the seller. Got my money back on both occassions when I used this channel. Good luck

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by 1train1

I am still waiting for a CN C44 (or my money through ebay) that I purchased and the seller did not ship. I paid through paypal and it's been 8 weeks. I negative experience is worth a thousand swearwords. Thanks alot to the a## from Columbus OHIO....You better hope we don't meet again or ebay finds you first.

If you paid thru' paypal, you can actually file a non-delivery claim within 45 or 60 days (not too sure which is applicable). And if the seller cannot provide proof of delivery, paypal will have the transaction reversed and penalises the seller. Got my money back on both occassions when I used this channel. Good luck

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by 1train1

I am still waiting for a CN C44 (or my money through ebay) that I purchased and the seller did not ship. I paid through paypal and it's been 8 weeks. I negative experience is worth a thousand swearwords. Thanks alot to the a## from Columbus OHIO....You better hope we don't meet again or ebay finds you first.

If you paid thru' paypal, you can actually file a non-delivery claim within 45 or 60 days (not too sure which is applicable). And if the seller cannot provide proof of delivery, paypal will have the transaction reversed and penalises the seller. Got my money back on both occassions when I used this channel. Good luck

[rrinker]

Couple of things for some of the above posts:

Those 'games' on Ebay where peopel bit astronomical amounts at the end - as a seller, this is a PRIME REASON to use eBay - getting FAR MORE thant ha value of your item because some bidder had no self control. As a buyer - so what? If the final bid ended up above what you were willing to pay, who cares? If it did not - and you didn;t bid up to what you were willign to pay, well, maybe next time, huh?

As for problems with identity thefts - firstof all, NEVER EVER click those emaisl that sya they are from ebay - I STILL can;t believe with ALL THE ATTENTION these scams are getting all over the place, people still fall for it. EBAY NEVER SENDS YOU EMAILS LIKE THAT. EVER. Even after repeated warnings about that junk, my father in law fell for it at some point, his account was promptly hijacked, and used to list two bogus cars for sale - obvious fake auctions, brand new Porsche 911, $100 starting bid. Deposit due at auction close, car will be shipped into country...RIGHT. Only the scammers forgot one other thing - when you make a password change on your account, eBay sends a notification email -if you don't get that stuff you have an invalid email account registered with aBay and that alone is grounds for terminating your account. A simple message from MY acount including the item numbers of the two bogus auctions and my father in law's account was restored. No runaround, just quick action.
I've never had an issue with PayPal, either.


--Randy