I just purchased a pair of HPM 100s on Ebay from a first time Ebay seller or buyer. He sent an invoice for $100 shipping from St Paul to Fort Dodge Iowa. I emailed him and said I preferred pick-up and would pay with whatever method he desired. He emailed back saying he would not allow local pick-up. I informed him I was concerned about shipping damage. His most recent response is that he would only accept Pay Pal(as opposed to cash)and he would deliver to my brother-in-law, who lives in Minneapolis and offered to pick-up, for 1/2 the original shipping quoted. Quote "this is my final offer". Any suggestions?

is he sending it via a taxi to your brothers? sounds like he has you in a around the hip weinie grip either way 1st time sellers don't you just love'm i aviod them like the plague

is he sending it via a taxi to your brothers? sounds like he has you in a around the hip weinie grip either way 1st time sellers don't you just love'm i aviod them like the plague

Yeah, the SOB! I am now worried that there is something wrong with the speakers since he is avoiding a cash pick-up. $250 for good HPM 100s isn't too much, but I don't like the chisel!

What did the auction say re: local pickup? Did you email him prior to ask? I'm not saying he is in the right - but I ALWAYS ask if it's ok - so there isn't any confusion at auctions end.

Some people just don't want to confront people, for whatever reason - but adding a surcharge, especially a $50 one, doesn't fly in my book either.

Cheers,
Russ

Steve pay him through Paypal use a CC if possible (doubling your chances of getting your money back if they are crap) And have him deliever them to your brother make sure it is at a specific time so either you or your brother can be there when delievery is made. If something is screwy contact Paypal and stop payment on your CC.

walk away from the deal, something is fishy here....

My gut reaction is that the odds are high you're gonna get a pair of duds, and you'll then spend a lot repairing them.

$100 doesn't sound too awful for a pair of big heavy boxes, especially if he's including good packing cost and bulk. What do others think? My first thought would be to notify him that it is a violation of eBay rules to charge more than actual shipping cost unless the shipping charge is specified in the auction. Offer to arrange your own shipping, or allow him to meet it at cost. All he has to supply is his ZIP code.

I keep hearing about "use a credit card" on paypal. I thought most credit cards will NOT refund paypal charges, because they view it as a cash advance. I know mine won't. In fairness, they shouldn't have to because they don't have a vendor agreement with your seller, and there's no account they can charge to get their money back. All you can do is a paypal dispute. What kind of a paypal account does he have? Do they all accept credit card-type payments? I thought only some do.

You know Steve VintageNut has a good point if you can walk away by agreeing to not bother with feedback. Then the next pair of HPM's just might have fewer headaches.

I just gave my son who just turned 21 (he's stationed in Japan an ET on board the USS Chancellorsville) some advice that included knowing that when the hair on the back of our neck starts to rise you should be listening!

This might be one of those times.

I just gave my son who just turned 21 (he's stationed in Japan an ET on board the USS Chancellorsville)

Enough of the stereo talk, what's the scuttlebutt on them Navy girls on board those ships?? Anyhing like the purty gals I used to see on that TV show JAG .... :no:

Don't hear ANYTHING about girls on my sons ship being it is a Guided Missile cruiser and considered to be the biggest thump in the US NAVY next to a Carrier and it is a front line ship (always ready for war) I would assume there were very few on board. I do know that women do serve on it though.

What I don't understand is I don't hear anything about those Japanese girls afterall he is home ported in Tokyo! I guess being he's newly engaged and his daddy brought him up in a house with one mommy he's not out looking.

His dad now that guy would most likely be in jail somewhere between Japan and Tailand within a few weeks of making port LOL.

But I will ask for ya.

My retired neighbor, he's about 65, has some very interesting stories of his time stationed in Japan in the early 1960's. The show JAG always cracked me up, just about every important character was so damn good looking, even the bad guys....

Take yr lumps now. Don't do *bay ever again.

Well another twist to it is that some people dont like all and sundry rocking up to their doorstep for a local pickup. Unfortunately you didnt ask him prior to end of auction if its cool to rock on over and pick em up. So really he is kinda in the right here. If he has offered to deliver them to your relations house then he is atleast trying to meet you half way so to speak. I'm not saying its the right way to do it or the wrong way as local pickup is fine by me when I sell. I'm not saying your some sort or strange person Steve but their are some wackos out there.
Just my 2 aussie cents
Ray

Well another twist to it is that some people dont like all and sundry rocking up to their doorstep for a local pickup. Unfortunately you didnt ask him prior to end of auction if its cool to rock on over and pick em up. So really he is kinda in the right here. If he has offered to deliver them to your relations house then he is atleast trying to meet you half way so to speak. I'm not saying its the right way to do it or the wrong way as local pickup is fine by me when I sell. I'm not saying your some sort or strange person Steve but their are some wackos out there.

Good points, but why not meet in a public place? There is no reason he couldn't do that - it is a helluva lot easier than boxin' 'em up and shipping them.

Walk away from it. It aint worth wasting that kind of money, and a $50 surcharge is insane. Even if he does give you a negative feedback - who the hell cares? Better that you aren't out $150+.

Oh, and Negotiableterms has a good point: It is a violation of eBay rules to charge more than actual shipping cost unless the shipping charge is specified in the auction.

What did the auction say re: local pickup? Did you email him prior to ask? I'm not saying he is in the right - but I ALWAYS ask if it's ok - so there isn't any confusion at auctions end.

Some people just don't want to confront people, for whatever reason - but adding a surcharge, especially a $50 one, doesn't fly in my book either.

Cheers,
Russ

Hey Steve,
Yep, I agree with Russ here. If you didn't contact him ahead of time, you should have. I have purposely NOT bought from individuals who do NOT allow a local pick up and there have been a few of them that are like that.

I also agree that the guy is being a dick, and maybe a phone call might help, that is, if he gives you a number to call. There is a way to get his number from eBay though.


Good luck,
Retro

The guy got real insulting via e-mails. I offered him my phone number and tried to explain that I just plain didn't want them shipped, that the money was not the issue. He made a demand of Pay Pal "TONIGHT". At that point I filed a complaint with E-bay. I am walking on these regardless of the outcome at this point. The guy is quirky and the hell with his feedback.

Good for you, I'd tell him to piss up a rope and take the neg from him. You can throw one right back at him with your explanation.

Steve I think you did the right thing in this case you protected your funds and you stopped (for the most par)t your mental stress.

Like I said there will always be another pair of HPM's along on ebay might take a while for a pair to be close enough for local pick up but heck you live in the middle of a lot of territory somethings bound to show up soon.

The guy got real insulting via e-mails. I offered him my phone number and tried to explain that I just plain didn't want them shipped, that the money was not the issue. He made a demand of Pay Pal "TONIGHT". At that point I filed a complaint with E-bay. I am walking on these regardless of the outcome at this point. The guy is quirky and the hell with his feedback.

you did the right thing. don't worry about the negative feedback. when i see folk on ebay w/99%+ positive feedback & >100 transactions, it tells me only one thing - they aren't honest about the feedback they leave others. ;) i have ~97% positive feedback cuz i have left negative feedback the few times i have gotten screwed, & i have always received a retaliatory negative feedback. oh well.

doug s.

Man you guys have to start doing your homework if you want to buy or sell anything on eBay, AudioGon or where ever.

1) New seller/buyer
a- You already know this guy has either changed his identity(danger) or he is so new (danger) that you must get your ducks in a row before bidding. Ask questions and never assume anything. Just because you think something will happen doesn't mean it will happen. Get it in writing up front. If you are a sniper fine but don't gripe if the deal goes south because of a misunderstanding.
2)- Get your information before bidding
a- Especially if the seller is unknown (danger)

3)- Pickup/No pickup
a- Some of these guys that sell on eBay have other jobs and can not meet you somewhere for a pickup. There is nothing worse than waiting all afternoon for a buyer to pick up a 100 dollar item. I have yet to find one on time.

4)- Feedback
a- I have never left anything other than positive. . . Period. . . If the deal goes south I leave no feedback. So far I am 100% positive with 344. FB is not a real good way of finding out how people do things only what they have done. If you read every comment you can get some idea of what the guy is all about. However what does "GREAT EBAYER" mean anyway??

5)- You get what you pay for. . .There is no free lunch. . . That "Too good to be true" deal most likely is. . .

Walk Away.

It's just feedback. You'll get more. And, you can always explain the bad one away.

Everyone gets dinged now and then. The only reason that there are some 100% feedback people is that those people are willing to kiss a crook's ass rather than receive neg feedback. Don't give in to that.

A lot of good advice has been related on this thread regarding Ebay transactions, so I'm not going to rehash a bunch of these points. I've only purchased one pair of speakers on Ebay, and this was my experience:

A seller had listed a "like new" pair of Timeframe 600's. This guy was close to me, so I was interested. He also had 100% feedback and was a long time Ebayer. I inquired about local pickup, BEFORE I bid on the item. He was asking a $90 flat rate to ship these. He was more than happy to have me come get them and avoid the hassle of packing them. I picked them off for $152. In my opinion, you have an advantage as a bidder when you can work around the large shipping charges that heavy, bulky items incur. I paid with Pay-Pal using my American Express card. AMEX treats a Pay-Pal payment as any other type of merchant transaction. If the item doesn't arrive or isn't as described, you have them on your side going through the dispute process. I've heard the Pay-Pal dispute process can be a nightmare. You can also pay that premium for the Pay-Pal buyer protection policy. You can go to their site, and see exactly what it covers.

Now getting back to my speakers........The speakers were cosmetically perfect when I dropped by to pick them up, and both speakers appeared to be functional. While doing an A/B comparison, I noticed that the highs were sort of "missing in action" on one speaker. Upon inspection of the crossover board, I found a blown fuse light. DCM uses a fuse light to protect the tweeter circuit on these speakers. I had DCM ship me a couple of these fuse lights, replaced the bad one, and now have a spare. Repair cost me ten bucks. Speaker now plays beautifully. I called the seller and explained the situation. He was apologetic for my inconvenience and not noticing the defect. He paid for the cost of the repair. He received positive feedback from me for his honesty and determination to have a satisfied customer. I received positive feedback from him.

So what's the moral of the story? I'm careful about who I am dealing with, and I still try to protect myself in case the deal goes sour. I would try to avoid getting into a negging war with this guy. Maybe you can both simply walk away from this deal gone sour and move on. There will be more HPM 100's popping up on Ebay. Good luck!

Walk Away.

It's just feedback. You'll get more. And, you can always explain the bad one away.

Everyone gets dinged now and then. The only reason that there are some 100% feedback people is that those people are willing to kiss a crook's ass rather than receive neg feedback. Don't give in to that.


Trick is not to do business with the crook in the first place. You can do this with the right amount of prework. Just think of every seller to be a crook and do the best you can to get a complete understanding before you bid or at least before you reach an amount that you cant afford to lose.

Watch for the triggers and don't do it if you are not 100% clear on every detail. I have no desire to kiss a crooks ass. If or when the time comes that I get tangled up with a crook I will use any and all legal means necessary to right the situation.

There are legitimate misunderstandings however. It is during those times you do not leave feedback unless you are comfortable doing so. Never leave feedback during the heat of the moment. Now-days there is much more protection than only a few months ago. Pay Pal does listen now and they will lock down a sellers account in a heart beat.

Trick is not to do business with the crook in the first place. You can do this with the right amount of prework. Just think of every seller to be a crook and do the best you can to get a complete understanding before you bid or at least before you reach an amount that you cant afford to lose.

Watch for the triggers and don't do it if you are not 100% clear on every detail. I have no desire to kiss a crooks ass. If or when the time comes that I get tangled up with a crook I will use any and all legal means necessary to right the situation.

There are legitimate misunderstandings however. It is during those times you do not leave feedback unless you are comfortable doing so. Never leave feedback during the heat of the moment. Now-days there is much more protection than only a few months ago. Pay Pal does listen now and they will lock down a sellers account in a heart beat.

BtW. . . There are tons of 100% positive FB sellers and buyers who earn every mark. Do the job correctly and with a little luck and 100% is not unrealistic. However I do agree it is only a matter of time that a negative shows its face.

I like JAG. I've tried to piece together Harm's life and never could but estimate he may have been 1 of the older guys ever to amke LT Commander. My kid who is working towards law school watches every so often and I had to explain to him that JAG and JAG are not the same. The real JAG is a law office but they do go on location infrequently. I school 1 member went to JAG. He was on probation from the 1st sememster to the beginning of the last. He would have been bounced from school but the student body almost as a whole would appear before the board every semester to plead his case. He would cut off an arm for a stranger but not sure I'd want him representing me in any matter.

As for the matter of having a stranger come into my house - I've gotten to a point that no strangers come through the front door. Can not think of a faster and easier way for someone to case the place. I have noticed that when I pick something up now the discussion stays at the door more and more. Life is not as wondeful and carefree as it was. Unless you asked in advance you should not expect to pick it up unless specified and so far it sounds like the disagreement as to the terms of the sale is 1 sided. If I were the seller and dealing with you I'd expect you to go forward with the sale or supply you with appropriate neg fedback.

Thanks for all the good advice. Live and learn.

Not to cause troble but it does say right above the pics (SHIPPING WILL BE DOUBLE THE PRICE OF THE CALCULATED SHIPPING) Item #5844890254. It was about $60.00 x2 to Des Moines. Sorry (not mine or anyone I know)

......give The Asshole Negative Feedback And Be Done With It.

The guy got real insulting via e-mails. I offered him my phone number and tried to explain that I just plain didn't want them shipped, that the money was not the issue. He made a demand of Pay Pal "TONIGHT". At that point I filed a complaint with E-bay. I am walking on these regardless of the outcome at this point. The guy is quirky and the hell with his feedback.

Ok then my points are now moot. There is absolutely no need to get abusive in emails or otherwise.
My recomendation is now that you walk away from it also like others have said dont leave feedback and maybe he will be scared to neg you and if he does do a feedback followup to say he quoted far to high for postage.
This guy is obviously pissed that it went for so low a price?

I recently bought a pioneer pl-430 direct drive off ebay and got stung bad as the guy hyped it up to be a fantastic machine. I saw through some of his BS and thought "ok its still a good machine" HA! when I got it it is the worst one i've seen. The lid you couldnt see through it was THAT BAD! Whats worse was that the counter weight was missing ARGHHHH!!!!! couldnt see from his picture (was darkish and the Ttable is black) not to mention the cut switch not working.
Well after many emails where he likes to type in capitals, a phone call, an ebay "item not as described" dispute I managed to get a partial refund out of him.
On the other hand I have scored some nice items cheaply from ebay and havent had any issues other than him.

Ebay??? take it or leave it its up to you.

/rant off :D

This saga finally ends and I have my speakers. Yesterday the guy called me saying he had thought it over and wanted to clear things up. We negotiated and made amends. I had filed a complaint with e-bay focusing on his rude and insulting behavior and then just forgot the whole thing. My sister and nephew picked up the speakers in St Paul just minutes ago. According to my nephew, who is audio astute, they appear to be in very good condition. $200 winning bid and $25 "handling". They will be delivered this weekend. I must say these speakers will always remind me of a less than fun experiance but at least I learned something. Anyway, I can't wait to try them out with my SX-5590.

That's good news Steve. Remember, you still have an open invitatation to swing by my place anytime you're ever heading to, or from, the Twin Cities.



Retro