On 27/05/2005 02:03, kim wrote,
Please don't associate the vast majority of eBay sellers with the likes of Aldo. As in all walks of life, you will get a dodgy minority, and they are easy to spot, usually. You can choose not to buy from someone you aren't comfortable with. For instance, there is no way I would buy a "genuine" copy of Microsoft Office from eBay, and expect it to be genuine. If all else fails, you have recourse to protection in the same way as for any other mail order - in fact even better. Having said that, one thing I have noticed is that I have seen (not experienced) more problems on eBay with the model railway sector than any other sector I have encountered. Some negative feedback I have seen appears to be down to the buyer expecting too much, or simply not reading the description properly. Hardly the seller's fault - I saw one negative because the item "was not mint boxed", but the advert didn't say or even imply that it was! Anyone who buys from aldo1080, for instance, must surely expect to be ripped off, because the feedback tells you even if his descriptions fool you!
Anyway, I'm very happy with eBay. I've sold stuff worldwide that wouldn't have sold by sticking an advert in the local paper. In 5 months of two way trading, I have a 100% score approaching 100, with no negatives and no neutrals, and I work hard to keep it that way. Perhaps that last bit is what some sellers are missing!