ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Ebay

I doubt there is much in the way of stolen stuff there.

But how would anybody know? That's a common misconception. As an example:

Many of you may know we are a telephone interconnect and low voltage contractor. We are an Avaya dealer.

I can tell you that ANY new Avaya equipment for sale on Ebay (as well as anywhere else on the web) may not be stolen but it has been obtained illegitimately by the seller because no authorized dealer is allowed to sell to them. To do so will result in termination of their contract. Obviously there is no warranty on any such equipment.

That's one manufacturer I'm familiar with.

The problem of illegitimate goods being sold through such places as Ebay has become so pervasive that Panasonic will be instituting an authentication process for their telephone equipment. The way it works is the installer must call in and give their dealer number, the serial number of the equipment and probably the customer's name and location. Then they will be issued a password that must be entered before the equipment will function. I expect that something like this will become more and more commonplace with other manufacturers just as it is with software.

-Hal

That is a good idea Panasonic has got going, but you know that unscrupulous people will come up with programs similiar to keycode generators that will make up the password or code necessary to get the system or software working.

Just like money as soon as the new "counterfeit-proof" money comes out from the treasury there is already some guy in his basement with a fresh stack of crisp new funny money.
No matter what people do to safeguard themselves or their propert there is always a crook that is a step ahead with a new trick up his sleeve.


[This message has been edited by mkoloj (edited 10-10-2005).]

You know, there are a lot of sick people out there, people that have fun at other people's expense. Its those kind of people who rip off people on ebay, or who get around security systems just for the fun of it. Without people like that, there wouldnt be a need for security systems. But sadly there are too many people who cant be trusted for the system to ever work like that.

Ebay isnt all bad. The few things that I have gotten were exactly what I was expecting and exactly what I paid for. And the new thing ebay has is this thing that allows you to put in your max bid and it automatically bids for you. So you dont have to sit there and watch it, just put in how much you are willing to pay and if someone outbids you then you just dont have to worry about it. Its quite nifty if I do say so myself.
M@T

Check out this thread from the Mercedes Diesel forum www.mercedesshop.com/shopforum/showthread.php3?t=83554

Please take note that the events I will now relate do NOT involve ebay, but do show some of the "minefields' out there. The moral of this story is" know your seller.

I am currently involved in building a restaraunt. These folks, for reasons unknow to me, decided to buy their stuff all at once from some East-Coast "broker."

The ice machine came missing a remote condenser; a replacement condenser costs more than what they paid for the machine.

The ice-cream machine came improperly wired. The manufacturer was more than happy to help- but was stymied by the absolute lack of any nameplates or serial numbers on it. Even "concealed" serial numbers in obscure places were absent. The best guess of the manufacturer is that, at some point, the machine was stolen.

The vendor has been of litle help, beyond cashing the check. The money at stake is well beyond limits for most small-claims actions, and the customer isn't about to travel across the country to sue in any event.

This is why it is in your interest to deal with local providers, with whom you have a established a relationship. You need to be able to encourage them to care- they don't want to risk the damage to their reputation that an unhappy customer can cause. While it may seem that you are paying a few dollars more up front, you get the value back down the road.

What BigB posted would be a nightmare you would never wake up from. That guy sounds like a royal pain. All of my purchases on eBay have been fine except for one. Bought a motorcycle, sent deposit through Paypal with credit card and never heard from the seller again. Paypal wouldn't refund my money due to insufficient funds in the sellers account so the credit card company took it from Paypal. Paypal was not pleased. But overall, eBay has been a cheaper alternative to buying brand new tools at retail prices for a low income apprentice.

Cow,
When you bought the bike did you ever go to check it out before you bid on it ???

I recently bought a little fishing boat off Ebay, I was looking for a while and there were plenty of buyers I contacted to go and take a look at the boat they were selling before I bid on it that never responded to my requests, to me I treated those people like another scam-artist with a seat that is in need of an A@# to occupy it, and moved on.

I have seen heard of people that bought a vehicle or other big ticket item and never even went to inspect their prospective purchase.

IMO it is just plain crazy and\or stupid to put a down payment on something that you have never seen and is in unknown condition.

Buyer beware. You can get a really good deal on ebay, but you can really get stung too.

Mkoloj, no I didn't see the bike in person before I bought it. It was basically a new bike that only had a few hours on it. Purchased two more motorcycles and a Mustang also since then, sight unseen, with only a few minor problems. Bottom line, I would do it again. I really don't see the problem, Ebay motors has safeguards against sellers misrepresenting their vehicles. If they have great feedback, plenty of pictures and will answer all your emails promptly I don't have a problem buying sight unseen. But that's just me.

I've been using eBay on an occasional basis for a few years now, and have been fairly fortunate in that I can think of only two bad transactions. One I simply never received the goods and the other the idiot shoved equipment into an oversized cardboard box with absolutely no packaging whatsoever.

On the whole though, I've had no problems. Most of my transactions are for vintage equipment, old reference books, adding to my record collection etc. In fact I have one regular seller in the latter category based in Ohio who has been extremely helpful, willing to wait a couple of weeks to batch auctions together so I only get one overseas shipping charge.

We just need to remember that eBay has a cross-section of the good, the bad, and the ugly, just the like the real world.