Jerry wrote:
> Well, the eBay saga continues. After the previously posted problems with
> Cyclo_Network, I also failed to receive any goods 5 weeks after paying
> another German seller, charley's-auktionen. The seller claimed no
> responsibility because I had not paid for insured shipping, and stated he
> had shipped on Dec29, but offered no proof. I again filed eBay and PayPal
> complaints just before the 30 day PayPal deadline. I received notice today
> that PayPal had determined the seller was at fault and had obtained a refund
> of $153 of the $160 price. This seller was offering goods very similar to
> Cyclo-Network and the format of the auction pages was also similar, so
> perhaps this is just another Cyclo-Network alias. The mail from Germany is
> very slow just now - it took me a month to receive a Peugeot from list
> member Kim Klakow. But apparently PayPal found there was something more
> than slow mail involved in the charly's-auktionen case.
a) Charly's-Auktionen is most definitely not the same people as Cyclo-Network. b) The post from all of Europe is indeed working very slow of late.
c) Furthermore, every single package that I have received from Europe over the last 2 months has been opened prior to delivery .
> Being of German descent myself, it pains me, but I have concluded to avoid
> German eBay sellers in general, except for CR list members like Kim. The
> deals seem great, but the goods never arrive. I never had any doubts, on
> the other hand, that the bike from Kim would arrive. I've never been
> stiffed on a deal by a CR member, so I have a lot of trust in anyone who is
> an established list member.
d) I just went through my own ebay feedback report and was able to conclude that one quarter of the people who I have bought from are either from Germany or the German-speaking part of Switzerland. I have yet to have the slightest problem with any of them. I believe part of the reason for such a success rate is that I always communicate with them in their mother tongue and generally vet the potential ebay partner with either one of the German CR members or my friends. This has led me to avoid, among others Charley's-Auktionen (thanks to the report received from a German collector). e) Just like I do with new foreign ebay partners, I also check out potential North Americans ebay partners. If a seller/buyer is a contributing CR listmember, it makes verification easier, but I am sorry to say it does not guarantee success. I have heard of too many horror stories to blindly trust all CR listmembers. We are without doubt a more reputable group than the general ebay public but it always helps to be cautious.
--
Steven Maasland
Moorestown, NJ