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Hello All,
For those of you out there looking for computer parts or fixer-up systems I would just like to offer you this small bit of advice, NEVER USE EBAY or PAYPAL! Basically, I purcased a computer from a seller on Ebay, and he never sent me the computer. I filed a fraud complaint with Ebay and they did nothing, the same for PayPal. The PayPal agent told me this morning and I quote, "It is your fault for using our service, you chose to use our service".
Anyway, don't want to turn this into too much of a cry baby thread, but I don't want this to happen to anyone else. The seller had a very good rating, must just be going through a midlife crisis or something.
Paypal and Ebay are frauds, and I will never use them again. They have done nothing to help, and have stated that they can do nothing. (Why do I use you then?)If your looking for computer parts consider using Newegg or Pricewatch. I have never had any problems when using these services.
I now know better, and there will not be a next time.
A few months back a poster said the exact opposite. He had just been scammed by pricewatch and recommended ebay to everyone since it had always worked well for him.
A generalized conclusion can never result from a single or few data points.
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Old Chief is right. Any company or organisation that will nor take credit cards is to be avoided.
Under UK credit law the credit card company is as much responsible for the fulfilment of the order as the the seller.
I have never used E-bay or Pay Pal. It all it seems a bit to iffy for me.
Stuart
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The other poster was someone who ordered the wrong thing from Pricewatch if I remember correctly. Yes, pricewatch can be shady if you order from some Indonesian company, but with a little comman sense pricewatch is prety safe.
Ebay and Paypal just took my money and told me to get lost. That is hardly the same thing as getting an order mixed up, or accidentaly ordering the wrong thing.
These people took my money, and don't care about what happens to the customer.
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eBay's a great idea, but because they use (and own, actually) PayPal, I will never use them. If you're considering opening a PayPal account, please read the TOS before you do it. If you STILL want to open account, make sure it's hooked up to a credit card rather than your checking/savings accounts--about the only protection you'll have is through your card issuer. Also, go here for an admittedly one-sided view of PayPal's alleged business practices.
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I'm getting to be less and less of an ebay fan because I believe it takes more from a transaction than it deserves ..but I been involved in probably 300 tranactions on ebay and have only had one bad experience and that was as a seller not a buyer. I tend to be more suspicious of sellers and buyers who don't use or accept Paypal because it slows the whole process down to a crawl and you don't have any recourse if the item isn't as advertised.
I've purchased some computer accessories on ebay but think I would he hesitant to bid on a computer because of fereight a shipping damage issues. I've noticed too that people who sell things like used pcmcia cards tend to gouge bidders on shipping. You buy the modem for $1.99 and they sock you $15 for shipping.
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I have used paypal and ebay for over 2 years and have never had a problem, Paypal is the best thing I have ever used, I recommend ebay and paypal to everyone
Sometimes you get a bad seller, always read what other people thought of the seller before buying from them________________________
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I've also had good luck with both eBay & Paypal. You're always taking a chance with an internet transaction....whether it's with an online "store" or an individual. As for eBay, you should always check the seller's rating prior to bidding. The gripe about shipping costs is a valid one, however, it's always up to the buyer (or bidder) to decide if the cost is acceptable or not. In most cases, the shipping costs are provided...if you think they're too much, don't bid on the item...it's as simple as that. It all boils down to the old "buyer beware" thing.
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Ebay has some good deals but you really really have to be careful. Cant say much for paypal, Never use it. If you aint careful you will pay a lot more on ebay then what the product is worth. You got to keep your eye on the peoples ratings and know what you are buying! I would say that there are very few deals on ebay but there are a few. Face it, you pay for what you get. Most people arent going to vary in price too much than what the product is really worth. If it sounds too good to be true then it is and you are going to get screwed! I believe you can get screwed real easy using pricewatch vendors if you aint careful. You see cheap prices on stuff on pricewatch. Why, well its because they leave things out. You may not get a box or cables or you may be getting oem stuff. If you are paying less its because of a reason. Newegg seems to be a fair buisness to to buisness with. Just my mind on the matter!
May God forgive, and bless the United States.
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Why are you saying Ebay and Paypal took your money? They didn't, the person you bought it from took your money!
And the only thing you can do when something like this happens is give the seller a bad rating and that's it, Ebay is not responsible.
Symbios
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Ebay and Paypal are quick to take their cut and slow lift a finger to help a consumer. The truth is they really don't care one iota if you get screwed or not as long as they get their money. Anyone who says they have never had any trouble with either company has obviously not been a fraud victim OR ever tried to actually contact either of these companies.
Next stop should be the credit card company. They WILL do somthing and quickly.
Jimi_l
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Perhaps this experiece will shed some light on Ebay.
Wife wants to buy a quilters sewing machine. Is outbid at the last 60 seconds. Gets a email the next day from the seller saying the first person bowed out and was she still interested. Just send $2000 to this person via electronic money order.
It was a scammer and not the original poster. My wife was smart enough to contact the original seller directly to get the truth that the machine had been sold.
Ebay would do nothing. FBI wouldn't even take a report. You are on your own with Ebay no matter what the payment method is.
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I am saying they took my money because:
1. they facilitated the sale
2. they received a cut of the $$ from the sale
3. they make it appear as if it is safe by telling you there is a dispute resolution process
4. they are the website I went to when I purchased the item
5. they allow the seller to continue business
6. they allow the seller the opportunity to commit fraudNow they were happy to be involved up unitll the point they got what they wanted. As soon as that happened they all jumped from the burning ship and watched me go down without so much as offering to piss in my direction.
Sure, you can find good deals on Ebay. There are some good sellers out there. BUT if something happens, you are on your own. The seller had a GOOD rating, ebay tells me everything will be ok. WTF? I'm just the dumbest person in the world huh?
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Since there is little or no policing on eBay, the best way to prevent being ripped off is to avoid eBay or make all your purchases via credit cards so you can dispute the charges if things get ugly. Like a few people mentioned eBay is not the one committing these crimes but they are guilty by the same token for faciliting the crime by reporting inaccurate ratings on some merchants.
Another thing is the fact that eBay owns Paypal and the least they can do is hold whoever perpetrates a fraud accountable for his/her action, if they keep turning the other way then it becomes obvious how much they care about their name and reputation.
____________________________
The greatest risk is not taking one
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I will never but hardware on ebay again,
ever. A while back I purchased a 400 Watt
power supply from a seller on ebay. When it
arrived I found that someone had placed a
decal reading 400 over the manufacture
label which read 300Watt.
After I checked with the manufacture, I
found out that, that particular model
number was for 300 Watt models only!
If this person lives in the US, you can
contact the district attorney for the
county in which they live. Write a brief
one page letter (if you make it too long
they don't pay attention) and inform the DA
that these people are committing fraud.
Good Luck
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i have been a member of ebay, ie buying since the summer of 98. no problems. i have bought about 80 different things. 4blue led 80 mm fans for 3 bucks including s/h
i understand what wannabitch means
on one auction the seller took so long to respond. he sold the brake rotors i had won.. and i had to resort to contacting safe harbour it was a waste of time. no help really oh yes they gave me his name addy and phone number but left me on my own to collect
like wannabitch, i say ebay since they made monies, and the auction is sponsered by them, they should do all the work to right the auction. i feel ebay and safe harbour were of no help.i ended getting my rotors but it took the seller almost 2 months to deliver. i am in texas he is in canada. so i could not do much but wait. am glad he did not scam me. i could not have done anything else.
i have always paid with money order, mostly travelers express from ace , each mo was 29 cents but they have upped the price now to 79 cents
i like ebay but would not buy just anything esp computer parts, ie computers, hard drives, video cards ,e tc. one has to use common sense
my id on ebay is komputer if u want to check my feedback, history.
i just bought, ( not won as most ppl think cause u have to pay) a tagalog /english dictionary that would cost 25 bucks plus shipping on the net for 7 bucks on ebay including s/honce i was contacted by a buyer, saying i had sold them a computer and had never delivered. i figured it was a scam . i contacted ebay and they verified i had and have never sold anything on ebay. was told to tell them to contact them. never heard from them again..so it was a scam.. as far as i am concerned.
one must use common sense. if not then you will lose your monies, too many smarter ppl out there trying to take your monies.on one auction, 18 inch ADR wheels, i was the 3 rd or 4th top bidder, the seller contacted me and told me i had a second chance to buy at the price i had bid, would i do it. i did, paid with mo and got my wheels from california , check my auctin history.
i did not understand how or why i was given the chance to buy at that price since my bid was not the top bid, there were at least 3 or 4 higher bids. i got my wheels at my price. happy camper. yes at first i thought it might be a scam.
OVERALL I like ebay and will continue buying there but using common sense.
i know that ebay and safe harbour are of no help
i will never use paypal or anything like that.
i will not use my credit card .
i will only pay with money order. ie mailed thru usa post office..if anything goes wrong. mail fraud, federal offense. but never had any problems.
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I have never used ebay or gave my credit card number out on the web. And from the sounds of this post I never will. Thanks for the heads up everyone.
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The reality is that there are people looking to rip you off in every walk of life - ebay is no better or worse than anything else.
As myardor says, you just have to use some common sense. It's good to exercise caution but it's silly to be paranoid and say you're not going to use ebay just because there's the occasional fraudster out there.
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I have used paypal once ro register software, and it worked for me, but then i`m pretty careful and use a credit card so at least in the UK i`d have some comeback i9f anything went wrong
Woof
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