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Author
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Topic: Kicking the habit (ebay)
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted November 23, 2008 04:33 PM
I've finally decided to end my association with ebay. There's just too many "hinky" things going on, and far too many charges, over and over again, that can't be mistakes.
Besides, I must admit, (in my own case), Ebay has become an addiction. I have a sizable Super 8 collection, already enough to almost watch a feature twice a week, (that's gives an idea) and too many cartoons to count, and I find that I end up bidding on ebay far to often addictively, when I really have no desire nor need for the items.
Besides this, the thing that kept me keeping my account has all but been destroyed anyhow, and that was all my feedbacks and sales. With the way the rules are today, No matter how good and reliable you are, and no matter how high your ratings are, one or two buyers who wish to be nothing more than asses can destroy your "good credit" in a heartbeat! I was amazed at just how quickly my 99 percent rating fell to 94 percent, and even more amazed at how many it takes to even start to build the raitings back up.
Nearly all my films are keepers, with no desire to sell and most of the films I do sell these days have been for other collectors who have downsized or ended thier collections completely.
So, I think I may, if I enter ebay again in the future, just have a membership to buy, and nothing more.
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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Christopher P Quinn
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 210
From: Bedfordshire
Registered: Sep 2008
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posted November 23, 2008 09:15 PM
I hate eBay and love it at the same time, i must have spent thousands on the thing. It is an addiction. An auction at your fingertips that sells everything you could possible think off, hard to keep off. Osi, i understand where your coming from, and yes eBay is now ripping us off left, right, and centre, but i fear you will find it hard to keep away, unless you burn your computer, and then we will never know if you gave up the addiction. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif) ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Chris.
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Chris Quinn Rides again.
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted November 26, 2008 03:04 PM
I'vr ran into that as well, in one case it was 13 people. In some cases, (especially if you make a link on this forum), they are fellow forum members just watching it.
With ebay though, there are a great number of collectors (Hey, I have to admit that I do this too), who are watching it just to see if you'll lower the starting price, and then they pounce if you do.
But sometimes, you'll have an item that it too rare and too good to allow a "pounce price", like that scope 1X400 ft BEN HUR digest last time.
The strangest thing was that only one person watched it, and I wonder if it's because of a certain quirk with ebay ...
One of my ratings fell to 4.1 (shipping, which is ironic, as I never gouge the customer in shipping, but then some buyers will bitch if they have to pay fifty cents to ship first class, and will leave you bad feedback anyhow, as I ran into!), and so, one of the things that they had stated was ...
Ebay may allow you to list but MAY LIMIT THE SEARCHES FOR YOUR LISTED ITEMS. This may be what happened in this case, as I know that this item (BEN HUR scope) was rather rare and at 22 dollars for a starting bid was fair, given the rarity of this title these days.
I wrote them about this quirk but have received no reply back.
All this series of posts does is just illuminate the curses of ebay. As I said above, I may sell again in the future, but I'll certainly still watch as, occasionally, something will pop up that I never knew existed on super 8 and I'll find myself playing the game all over again!
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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