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Re: Ebay Rantings

To: MG List <mgs@autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: Ebay Rantings
From: "Paul M." <rowman22001@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2003 08:38:42 -0700 (PDT)
> As a seller I will not leave feedback until
> the buyer has done so. If you do this as a
> seller, you back yourself into a wall and
> make yourself look like a fool if the buyer
> happens to be unhappy with their purchase.
> It is also a means of pressure for buyers to
> contact you before posting feedback to work
> out any problems, knowing full well that they,
> the buyer, have not received their feedback
> yet either.

Yeah, but isn't this kinda the whole point?  If the
feedback thing is used as some kind of freaky mutual
extortion that everyone holds over everyone else's
head to try to manipulate aspects of the transaction,
then that seems very lame to me.  If you leave
positive feedback for a buyer immediately becuase he
pays immediately, that makes sense.  If he gets his
part and doesn't like it and he leaves you bad
feedback, you only "look like a fool" because he
didn't like his purchase.  Which is his perogative,
right?

I'm not "super ebay boy" or anything, but I have
bought and sold something over a hundred items on
ebay.  Probably closer to two hundred.  I've found
that if I use my head and try to avoid being too
cynical, things have always been good.  I haven't yet
bumped into anyone who was clearly trying to screw me.

I mean, if I buy an aluminum MGB bonnet from someone
in California, I know I better make damn sure I ask
what the shipping costs are going to be BEFORE I bid. 
The same goes for wheels or cylinder heads or
whatever.  And I know that used parts are used parts. 
Even the seller might not have any idea that a head
has been skimmed.  Even the seller might not know
enough about wire wheels to check the splines
carefully.  As a buyer of a used part, I sorta take
that responsibility on myself to make sure that I get
what I want.

To be honest, I shy away from the big eBay "parts
selling warehouses".  I'll buy if they happen to have
something rare that I need, but buying from eBay
"professionals" is a lot less appealing to me than
buying from just some other MG enthusiast somewhere
who happened to take it off his car years ago and
doesn't want it clogging up his garage anymore...  I
mean, that's what eBay was originally all about!  A
big, worldwide garage sale.  But as eBay has turned
into the marketing avenue for thousands of backroom
operations who may very well have no idea what they
are selling or what they are doing, it rapidly loses
its appeal for me.

My biggest pet peeve?  The eBay "car dealerships." 
Jeez!  Nothing cracks me up more than reading a
listing for an MGB or something and having to wade
through: "Imagine the wind in your hair as you roar
through the mountains in this powerful European sports
car.  A potent four-cylinder, race-bred engine and
rack and pinion steering provides amazing performance
and exotic style..."

I mean, what the *&^% is all that about?  I NEVER look
any furher at cars like that...

Anyway, that was just my rant.

=====
Paul Misencik
1971 MGB Vintage Race Project
www.sopwithracing.com

Huntersville, NC  USA
www.paoloroman.com

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