Ray you rascal- I just want you to know that your plans to sell off your bikes before your demise sounds a lot like mine, grand in vision, but uncertain in practicality and hopefully optimistic as well. This bike hobby can turn into a real obsession at times. Regarding your experience on ebay, it sounds like a nightmare and I sympathize with you only because I too have had similiar experiences,,,,and I will just leav it at that. On the other hand, don't give up on the feedback system. Ues, its flawed, but I personally believe its better than nothing. Cheers, Dave Anderson Cut Bank MT
****************************************************************************** ***************** Figured I would respond to two items recently posted here. As for the feedback controversy, I can tell you that I shy away from feedback but do leave it in bulk once in a while. This system is not a real good indicator of how a person is going to do business with you. In fact it is seriously flawed. Since you cannot be honest and post negative feedback on anyone without getting a revenge negative, I say what is the use. If you look at my rating I have over 600 transactions and only 1 negative. Now that one negative came from a fellow who paid me by check and insisted that I ship the product immediately upon receipt of the check. I politely asked him to allow me to wait till the check cleared. Three days later I got a nasty e-mail and the negative feedback. I wrote ebay but they were useless and refused to intervene. I wrote the person and tried to reason but they said that in their opinion I was a bad seller. I sent the product early even before the check cleared as it was less than $20. I then asked them to contact ebay and help me clear my name. He refused and was pretty nasty in the refusal. I had no choice but to rebuke the one negative and left him a negative explaining my position. For over a year after that this person threatened me via the web, bid my items up then wrote other buyers to tell them I was a crook, called my home and threatened me and all for a $20 transaction. Almost 6 months passed after the last contact and once again he sent me an e-mail just to let me know he was keeping an eye on me. I did some investigation and found that the person was actually a minister and a member of the Boston Symphony. I tried to reason my way out of this but that had no effect. I even thought of sending his profane e-mails to his congregation and the BS but I thought better of it. If a $20 transaction did this to him, me contacting his livelyhood might just send him postal. It has been another 6 months and luckly I have not heard from him. So you tell me is the feedback system worth it? Now for dispositioning my bikes after my demise. I hope to sell a lot of them prior to that day. I have to get started soon because with over 80 bikes I am afraid I might not outlast my ability to transact them all. My goal is to sell and consolidate into fewer but better bikes. I would say 10 or less is desireable. I just hope my time is not shorter then my outlook.
Ray Homiski
Elizabeth, NJ