In a message dated 1/10/04 9:20:47 AM Pacific Standard Time,
joebz@optonline.net writes:
> I tried this on a fraudulent transaction. My suspicion is that actual
> payouts from ebay almost never occur. The process is ponderous, the service
> horrible, the decisions capricious and non-appealable. Has anyone on the
> list ever been defrauded on ebay and collected?
>
> Old munitions factories for dangerous operations were laid out as long
> elevated sheds with a fast opening door and a slide down to the ground every
> 20 feet or so on both sides of the shed. In theory this was for the workers
> safety and they used the jump chutes when faced with an imminent explosion.
> My cynical take was that the purpose was to get the workers to go in, not
> get them out. That's also my take on ebay fraud protection. The purpose is
> to give the buyer a false sense of protection so that they buy and it is not
> to actually remedy fraud.
>
I successfully negotiated the process and collected. I bought a frame from an
Australian, the description made it sound that it was in the condition "it
was lovingly put away in". I paid something like $200 for it. The paint was a
rattle can respray, done sloppily, horrible and amateurish lug lining, other
areas were poorly daubed with a brush. After being told to "bugger off" by the
seller, I filed the claim paperwork, re-auctioned the item with an accurate
description and received bids of about $50 for the exact same item.
I think re-auctioning the item was key, but I also got a letter from a
professional restorer (Ed Litton in this case) stating that it was not
"professionally repainted" as the seller claimed.
I won, the seller was ejected from eBay, at least for awhile, but I think it
stopped him from selling to Americans. At one point, before it got ugly, I
told him he shouldn't touch these things with a paint brush, that American would
happily buy UNrestored frames like this, and that he could do a real service
by selling them as-is with a good description. It turns out he (not so)
secretly hates Americans and likes getting over on them.
Stevan Thomas
Alameda, CA