Some eBay buyers/sellers are LOWER THAN LOW

[knifeaholic]

When eBay first came up with the idea of offering 30-day returns, my initial thought was - that with that 30-day window, someone could buy one of my knives, try to sell it for a couple of weeks, then return it to me for a refund if it did not sell for the price that they were looking for.

I eventually added 30-day returns to all of my listings and generally it was not an issue. Some percentage of buyers are always going to return items for made-up or false reasons. This type of return continued after I started offering the 30-day return, but it was usually within a one-week window anyway, so the 30-day return window was not an issue.

Then I had this happen with a dishonest buyer/seller.

I listed a 1976 Case "Razor Edge" 5172 SSP clasp knife at auction. It was a lightly used knife that had been cleaned and polished, so the original blade etch was almost gone - just barely visible up close. That is exactly how I listed it - not mint, but used and lightly cleaned, etch barely remaining.

This clown won the auction, then he listed the knife for sale - not mentioning that it was a used knife - implying that the knife was mint, but somehow missed the etch at the factory - this is his listing:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/394773055642?h ... R9CFnP7jYg

He sold it so someone, then that someone returned it to him due to the erroneous description.

So this clown then opened a return case on eBay to return the knife to me, based on a very trivial "made-up" reason. I sold him the knife on 7/16, and he opened the return case on 8/12, barely within the 30-day window.

As a seller who wishes to remain without eBay transaction defects, I had no choice but to accept the return. I did report him to eBay for return abuse, not that that means anything.

Overall a frustrating experience. Of course, I blocked this @#$%^&@#$ from making any further purchases.

[kennedy knives]

That's one of the reasons I don't do the Bay . had the same thing happen to me but they sold the knife for more money than I got for it. I blocked her from buying and now I just do AAPK much nicer people on here !!!!!!!!!

[herbva]

Steve, I feel you pain. I still buy and sell a bit on ebay, but the incremental changes they have made to their return policies have greatly diminished the value of their platform. I hope they will realize at some point that without sellers there would be no ebay.

[Sharpnshinyknives]

Steve, Ebay has been trying to lure me into the 30 day return trap for some time now. They keep dangling super preferred mega top seller, blah, blah if I would offer 30 day returns. I think 30 days is simply way too long to allow returns for knives. You know within a few minutes of opening the package if it’s right or not. I don’t let the top rated seller bother me one way or the other, whether buying or selling. I offer 14 day returns on eBay and have only had one problem with it, so far.
I’m surprised at this seller. I see his stuff all the time and thought he had a pretty good handle on what’s important. Makes me cautious of any dealings with him.

[btrwtr]

That's doubly low Steve. You try your best to be honest and treat buyers as you would want to be treated but when you are selling to a dishonest buyer all bets are off. 7-10 days should be long enough for a buyer to decide if they are happy with a purchase. 30 days is long enough for a dishonest buyer to pull a crap stunt like this guy did. He was happy with the knife until he found out his dishonest selling scam didn't work. Sorry to hear this happened to you.

For the record your eBay buyer was kasepatrol, just in case AAPK members want to put them on a list.

[herbva]

That's doubly low Steve. You try your best to be honest and treat buyers as you would want to be treated but when you are selling to a dishonest buyer all bets are off. 7-10 days should be long enough for a buyer to decide if they are happy with a purchase. 30 days is long enough for a dishonest buyer to pull a crap stunt like this guy did. He was happy with the knife until he found out his dishonest selling scam didn't work. Sorry to hear this happened to you.

For the record your eBay buyer was kasepatrol, just in case AAPK members want to put them on a list.

Thanks Wayne, that scum has been added to my "blocked buyer" list.

[CluelessNick]

My wife and I used to sell on Ebay years ago. It was great in the early years but it slowly got to the point where they treated their small sellers so bad it just wasn't worth the aggravation. I think some Ebay buyers make it a hobby to see if they can screw you over.

[edge213]

Let me start by saying "I am a knife BUYER not a knife SELLER".
I don't buy from ebay.

Guys are always posting on the evils of eBay, so why are guys still selling or buying on eBay.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.

Ps. Steve I believe this guy is a dirtbag.

[just bob]

Thank you, guys, for posting this information. I blocked this guy as well. I'm not speaking for anyone else but the reason I sell on eBay is two-fold. It is a huge marketplace, and you have a much better chance of getting high dollar amounts for your items there than anywhere else. Secondly 98% of all transactions go through smoothly - there are no issues with them. This problem child has found a loophole in the system and is using it to his advantage. eBay has metrics in place to close these loopholes and will in time. A wise man once told me that lawyers make a living by finding loopholes and taking advantage of them. It's just very frustrating when you're the honest victim of a con man.

[edge213]

Thank you, guys, for posting this information. I blocked this guy as well. I'm not speaking for anyone else but the reason I sell on eBay is two-fold. It is a huge marketplace, and you have a much better chance of getting high dollar amounts for your items there than anywhere else. Secondly 98% of all transactions go through smoothly - there are no issues with them. This problem child has found a loophole in the system and is using it to his advantage. eBay had metrics in place to close these loopholes and will in time. A wise man once told me that lawyers make a living by finding loopholes and taking advantage of them. It's just very frustrating when you're the honest victim of a con man.

Bob, thank you for the explanation

[hardman]

I recently had a bad experience as a buyer on eBay. I purchased what appeared to be a very nice looking Stag Muskrat from a seller. It was described as "mint or better" condition. That should have been my first clue. When it arrived I immediately noticed one of the blades was demonstrating quite a bit of peek. The tip was well above the frame. Worse yet, it was clear someone had tried to fix the problem by grinding down the kick on that blade. The knife was certainly not "mint or better." I immediately took pictures and sent them to the seller. He told me to return it. Two days passed after the return reached him and still no refund. Finally, I got a note from the seller. He said that the knife was not in that condition when he shipped it, that I must have altered it, and that he did not appreciate it. Yet, he said he made a mistake in the description (DUH!) so he gave me a refund, but deducted the cost of shipping from my refund. I am very ticked off by both his baseless accusation AND the loss of the shipping cost. He had no response to my question which was: "If the knife was in 'mint or better condition,' why would I want to alter it?

Later, I reviewed the pictures from the original listing. The modified (ground down) blade kick is obvious in one of them. So, I should have never bid on the knife to begin with. Bad written description, and visible damage in the pictures. And that cost me the shipping costs and having to endure a baseless accusation. I will be more careful from now on.

[tvic]

He said that the knife was not in that condition when he shipped it, that I must have altered it, and that he did not appreciate it.

Let’s face it - EBay is a haven for crooks! I won an auction - the only bidder, so I got it for the starting bid. The seller cancelled the sale. He claimed I didn’t give a correct address. Yep, that was the reason. EBay and PayPal have my address - it’s automatic when you pay thru PayPal! He just didn’t want to sell it for that price. Yes, I called and talked to someone at EBay, but do you think that helped? EBay isn’t going to do anything.