There are many things in this world that you should just know beforehand that they will be trouble. A trip to the DMV or returning an item to a store without a receipt would both be examples many would cite. But I have my own: buying anything off of eBay. It seems like every time I do it, something isn’t quite right and I swear to myself I will never do it again, but I keep getting sucked in by some deal like the Live.com cashback.

Anyway, here is my latest experience: I bought two Wii consoles yesterday afternoon using Buy It Now and paid immediately through PayPal. I bought these using Live.com search offering 25% cashback, and was going to turn around and resell the items on eBay later on (the cashback makes the deal workable, leaving a profit of about $50 per console based on my calculations). Because of other issues I’ve had (more on that later), I sent the seller a nice note requesting that they pack the items as not to damage the product box. A few hours later, I get a response saying that they will happily send the item in a gift box, however they only have one console to ship and asking if I wanted to complete the transaction for one. Something didn’t really smell right, so I searched the sellers other items and found she had an active listing for another Wii console as an auction (which is still active as I type this). Obviously she saw how quickly the original listing ended and decided she could get more for the Wii by relisting it. Wii consoles are pretty big, so it is not like an iPod shuffle where you could easily miscount the number you have on hand. I emailed her back citing the active auction listing and asking her to ship my two consoles and she continued to insist she only had one to ship, so after some messaging back and forth I eventually gave up and just asked for a refund of my money, which about 12 hours later I’m still waiting on. She is totally getting negative feedback and I’m reporting it to eBay.

Here is a sampling of the other fun transactions I have had on eBay over the last year:

• Bought another Wii console earlier in the year to resell. Instead of packing it properly, the seller simply wrapped the original box in craft paper and shipped it unprotected. The box arrived and was dented to hell. The console was okay, but it sure make it difficult to sell an item as new when the box has tears and is smashed in on one side. And this was after the seller charged $40 for shipping! I ended up trading out boxes with my Wii console I kept (bought from another eBay seller, but they thankfully packed it properly) and switching out the serial number sticker to resell it.
• Bought a large quantity of like items from a seller to give as Christmas gifts. The seller decided to send them as three separate packages, one of which was simply three of the items taped together with a shipping label affixed directly to the product box. They were shipped Parcel Post (why does anyone use Parcel Post, it is slow and expensive?), so the last of the packages took two weeks to arrive. Once we had them all, we found one of the items was broken and another was missing the AC adapter. Thankfully the seller sent a replacement for the broken one and a replacement AC adapter, and we were planning to keep a few of the items anyway so we don’t have to try and pass any of the ones covered in packing tape as gifts. But it ultimately took over a month and a lot of hassle to complete the transaction.
• Bought a plush fish for my daughter to replace one I ruined (who knew you couldn’t dry a plush animal in the dryer? Apparently not me.). The item arrived exactly as described, but shipping took forever! After a week and a half I finally emailed the seller who said she forgot it in the back of her car and shipped it out that day. It ultimately took two weeks to get the item.
• Bought an FM transmitter for my iPod shuffle. Cheap piece of Chinese crap that didn’t work. Seller would only refund the item price (not including shipping) and I would have to pay to ship it back, meaning it would cost me more money to return it than I would be refunded. Ultimately just filed a credit card dispute and got my money back through the credit card company.

I don’t get why in the hell every eBay sale has to be a problem. I sell on eBay as well (hate the fees and the policies, but it is hard to find another place to consistently find buyers online), and as far as I see selling is pretty simple. List your item using an accurate description, follow through on completed transactions, pack the item so it won’t be damaged in shipping, and send it off relatively quickly (2-3 business days, tops). If there is an issue, deal with it such that it is fair for both parties. If you cover those points, you shouldn’t have many dissatisfied buyers, and if you do it probably is something out of your control. It isn’t that hard! I have sold about 1,000 items through Half.com and eBay over the last 5 years, and have a feedback score of over 500 with no negative feedback. It is too bad the sellers I have bought from don’t take the same care I do in my own sales.

I’ve said it before, but this time I think I mean it. No more eBay buying. It just isn’t worth the hassle anymore.

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