No way - sorry. "S happens" is a fatalistic view that I don't buy into. It makes you more likely to become a victim IMO. If you do your homework on eBay (it is *work* that takes time), you won't get burned, bottom line. If you "pays yer money and takes yer chances" then yes, you'll get burned eventually for sure (if not sooner)! 99% of the folks out there (on eBay and elsewhere) are 100% honest and well-intentioned (if not always well-informed).
I think what I'm saying is not that you shouldn't do due diligence, but in a medium like eBay, there is only so much you can control. You do the best you can, but if you play eBay enough, you will eventually come out on the wrong end of a deal, no matter how diligent.
The effort one puts in should be, I think, proportional to what the item should cost. I'm just not going to put that much time into something that's going to cost less than, say, $15 shipping included. I'd be better off putting time into figuring how to cut household wastage (e.g. the produce that goes bad because it was too old when purchased and left in the crisper too long), which probably costs more than that on a monthly basis.
It also comes down to what an individual considers being "burned" to constitute. Obviously, paying for something and not getting it is a given. But what else qualifies? Paying too much? Well, no one wants to, but eBay is still too much of a crap shoot to not occasionally fall into this, no matter how diligent. One should try to minimize the risk of this by questioning the seller and doing one's research, but everyone here (I'll wager) has seen the opportunity for a "deal" and wound up with something that, while serviceable, cost them more than it might have ought.
You may need to learn how to read more into FB - IMO, how a seller deals with the inevitable problems that arise is much more important than the fact that they come up from time to time. Additionally, FB left by a seller for others is far more important than FB received, and on and on and on.....
No, I don't have a problem with interpreting feedback, it's just that it is only so useful. It will always be a leap of faith, if only a small one. But I'm a reluctant and consequently not very good capitalist, so I tend to chalk my mistakes up to tuition in the College of Life and move on. There are so many more important things in life than worrying about where yesterday's dollar went.
As I said, it's all about risk - I don't like to take any if possible!!
But risk is what makes life worth living - and fun. Certainty is boring. :-)
Phil Sieg
Knoxville, Tennessee
Phil:
I don't think you know what I mean. If you used FB to its fullest extent, you would understand exactly what I mean! It is a very powerful tool, but you need to analyze it properly.....
My experience? maybe 1500 transactions, nary a significant issue had, ever. One negative feedback, received years ago from a one percenter. It's up to you to decide how much effort you want to put into eBay, just like any other facet of your life. You will get out precisely what you put into it!
Cheers,
Greg Parker
Ann Arbor, Michigan