# Horrid Ebay Sellers



## The USRA Guy (Apr 26, 2020)

Has anyone ever encountered one of those awful sellers that show you pics and give a description of an item, but send it in a horrible state? I bought a 2-8-0 Consolidation, and when it finally arrived it was wrecked! Gears were shot, bell missing, wheels binding, scratched paintwork, steps on tender busted. Man I was ticked! Then after I left feedback he contacted me and accused ME of breaking it! The nerve of it...anyway, I ranted at him and then, out of nowhere he just mentions that hes a millionaire that owns a successful business, yada, yada, yada...Its people like that, that make me unsure of Ebay purchases, usually in circumstances like that, its the seller apologizing, not making excuses and blaming the buyer. I salvaged whatever parts of it I could for another loco that I'm currently rebuilding.


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

Not as bad as yours, but I had a guy send me a repro cast iron floor train with virtually no padding. One of the axles broke in transit. The guy gave me a partial refund. Enough to but a spare car for its axle. This guy wasn’t awful, but I just can’t imagine sending something as heavy and brittle as a cast iron train without plenty of packaging to pad it on it’s trip.


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## The USRA Guy (Apr 26, 2020)

Lucky you! This guy is a real piece of work...I'm still trying to get a refund, but he won't do it just because I left some negative feedback on the condition of the loco...


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

The USRA Guy said:


> Has anyone ever encountered one of those awful sellers that show you pics and give a description of an item, but send it in a horrible state? I bought a 2-8-0 Consolidation, and when it finally arrived it was wrecked! Gears were shot, bell missing, wheels binding, scratched paintwork, steps on tender busted. Man I was ticked! Then after I left feedback he contacted me and accused ME of breaking it! The nerve of it...anyway, I ranted at him and then, out of nowhere he just mentions that hes a millionaire that owns a successful business, yada, yada, yada...Its people like that, that make me unsure of Ebay purchases, usually in circumstances like that, its the seller apologizing, not making excuses and blaming the buyer. I salvaged whatever parts of it I could for another loco that I'm currently rebuilding.


 The USRA Guy;

I have never used ebay and never intend too, unless its the only place where I can get some particular scarce item. Why? Because of all the horror stories I've read here. Yes, there have been success stories too, but I don't gamble, and that's what ebay is, a gamble. That's why some call it "fleecebay." 
I'd far rather pay more, to a reputable online dealer, who will stand behind their product. www.modeltrainstuff.com and www.allelectronics.com are two that I've used, and recommend. Sorry for your loss. Take it as a learning experience, albeit an expensive one.

Traction Fan 😕


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

The USRA Guy said:


> Lucky you! This guy is a real piece of work...I'm still trying to get a refund, but he won't do it just because I left some negative feedback on the condition of the loco...


Well that's another lesson. Don't leave feedback until you are done dealing with the seller. Usually they will offer a refund or a partial refund to avoid a bad review.


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## The USRA Guy (Apr 26, 2020)

Yes, I usually just go to my LHS or as TF said, a reputable online dealer like MTS, when I'm in the market for rolling stock or locomotives. Ebay is where I get most of my spare parts, but everything else comes mainly from reliable resources. Wise words from both of you!


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

I don't buy from any seller without thousands of feedback entries and a score of 99.7 or less.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Why didn't you just send it back? It certainly wasn't as represented, eBay is very buyer-centric, and you should have had no problem getting a refund.


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

You can elevate it to eBay and they will likely side with you. That said, never leave feedback until you contact the seller and inform them of the issue. I use email a lot and have had very good experiences when it.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk


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## Jscullans (Jul 8, 2019)

I buy a lot of my brass off of eBay. You can find reasonable deals on there and find some one off stuff you may not see at a train show or a hobby shop. My latest is a Santa Fe 2-10-4 I’ve been dreaming up for around 8 months now. My next eBay purchase will be a 2900 class Santa Fe northern so I have an example of all 3 big Baldwin’s the Santa Fe had coming up on the end of steam.


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## The USRA Guy (Apr 26, 2020)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Why didn't you just send it back? It certainly wasn't as represented, eBay is very buyer-centric, and you should have had no problem getting a refund.


Seller wouldn't accept returns, I did get an $80 refund in the end though.


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## The USRA Guy (Apr 26, 2020)

I've certainly learned my lesson with the whole feedback thing (he got pretty worked up over that). I've had several recent great deals on locos that went smoothly, but eBay seems to be like a hit or miss, and I would prefer to buy something that either I can see with my own eyes or is guaranteed brand new, fully functioning, and the retailer will take accountability for any damage. Don't get me wrong, eBay can be a great source, you just need to be very careful (as naive me wasn't).


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## Chaostrain (Jan 27, 2015)

I've done a lot of buying and selling on eBay and never had an issue that the seller didn't make right. I also never leave feedback until everything is said and done. I know mistakes are made, it's called being human, so I give the seller a chance to correct it and base my feedback on that.


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## Krieglok (Sep 7, 2013)

If the item wasn’t as presented in the auction, you can send it back even though the seller says they don’t accept returns. That’s an eBay rule.

I have bought and sold many things on eBay. Depending on what I am selling, there are many problem purchasers that flip out and don’t contact the seller before leaving feedback. Not so much with trains, but with diecast aircraft.

When working with a problem on eBay, take your time and communicate. It makes a huge difference...

Tom


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

The USRA Guy said:


> Seller wouldn't accept returns, I did get an $80 refund in the end though.


That makes no difference if it wasn't as represented, eBay will still force them to accept a return.


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## The USRA Guy (Apr 26, 2020)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> That makes no difference if it wasn't as represented, eBay will still force them to accept a return.


Thanks John, I've never had any issues like this with a seller before, I didn't know eBay would do that. Guess I need to read through the eBay "Help and Contact" section again😂. Overall I'm happy enough with my partial refund, but I'll keep that in mind for any future problems with other purchases.


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## Shdwdrgn (Dec 23, 2014)

I buy quite a lot of things on ebay. I'm getting electronics from China all the time, and I bought half the parts to build a motorcycle. Yeah some sellers are real jerks, but for the most part I've had good experience. I think by far the worst (and stupidest) thing I've ever seen a seller do was when I ordered a new front brake cylinder for the motorcycle. He sent it through the mail *still full of fluid*!!! When it arrived (and I was surprised they even bothered to deliver it), the post office had wrapped the whole box in plastic and taped it tightly. I left as much of a scathing review as I could fit in 80 characters, but I certainly had a lot more to say about it. Despite that, the unit itself has worked fine for several years.


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## cid (Jul 3, 2014)

He was just making it easy for you to bleed. Doing you a favor, and catching abuse for it. Probably one of those mask wearers...


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## cid (Jul 3, 2014)

OK, shadow, I was only kidding...


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## The USRA Guy (Apr 26, 2020)

Shdwdrgn said:


> ...*still full of fluid*!!!


Really??? Thats terrible, do you know if he/she packed it like that intentionally or was it an honest idiot mistake? It really is a shame about that 80 word limit...


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

I see a lot of cool train stuff for sale on Ebay, but you are swimming with the sharks shopping there.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

MichaelE said:


> I don't buy from any seller without thousands of feedback entries and a score of 99.7 or less.


Don’t you mean “or MORE”?


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## Railhead001 (Feb 12, 2020)

I have to disagree with the negative statements, I have had extremely great experiences. If you see the pix from my thread for cheap storage, over 75% of those trains and scenery items are all from Ebay. My mow collection would be impossible to have without Ebay. I only buy from highly rated sellers with at least a couple hundred sales under their belt. These are some of the items:


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

Railhead, I need some more info on those cars! If love to get some 1:87 cars but most of pretty cheap generic models. 

I have to agree with your eBay experience. I've done well with it.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk


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## SlomoPilot (Jun 18, 2020)

Not a train purchase but still a funny eBay story: bought a computer monitor. Seller had one excuse after another for shipping delay. Somehow I got the seller's address; called the police department in the seller's town. Spoke with a detective and gave him my story. He says, "Wait a second; what was the address again ?" I give it again and he starts to laugh. He says, "I apologize for laughing but . . . that's across the street from us. I can go to the window and see their shop !" He tells me to give him a few minutes. About ten minutes later, the seller calls me with the tracking #.....


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## TJ Engineer (Jul 24, 2018)

We all get burned by e-bay. But a lot of times we can avoid most disappointments. My suggestions:
1. Calm down and take a big breath.
2. Examine all the photos very carefully. Then ask yourself, what is not shown? Some are sneaky enough to not give a full shot or crop the pic altogether. Ask for further photos if you are not sure. If things look nice and shiny, suspect they have been sprayed down with a wax furniture spray. If the shots are all blurry, move on to the next item.
3. Examine the seller. The number of transactions, the positive feedback.
4. Read the description contents completely. If it is short with no further details, again suspect.
5. See what other items the seller is offering. True and honest will have multiple items of just one genre. 
6. Usually there will be the same item up for bid/sale the next week. If something draws a lot of interest, others will be digging through what they have and put it up as well.
7. Before getting upset, go through the process of opening a case with e-bay. Take pictures to compare with the listing photos. E-bay sides with the buyer most times.
8. Insist the seller uses USPS as a shipper. The refund process for damaged goods is very easy and money sent directly to the buyer. It is based on your appraisal of the value of the items, not the cost you paid. UPS is another story and one to avoid.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

The only things I buy on eBay are new items, from companies located in the US whenever possible. I quit buying from private individuals long ago. eBay is my second to last preferred place to shop, Amazon being the bottom of the barrel.


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## KBeyer (Jun 29, 2020)

The USRA Guy said:


> Thanks John, I've never had any issues like this with a seller before, I didn't know eBay would do that. Guess I need to read through the eBay "Help and Contact" section again😂. Overall I'm happy enough with my partial refund, but I'll keep that in mind for any future problems with other purchases.


i've been buying and selling on e-bay since 1998. It has certainly become much more favorable to buyers. With respect to returns, there is no question. If the item is not as described, and especially if you send a picture, e-bay will force the seller to accept a return. It's part of the seller's agreement. e-bay wants happy customers who keep coming back. They don't care so much about the sellers, especially when there is so much unsold stuff on there. The seller can say they don't accept returns, but that doesn't really mean anything since e-bay policy trumps that, and their "30 day money back guarantee" is advertiesed all over the site so that buyers feel confident they won't get ripped off.


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## The USRA Guy (Apr 26, 2020)

Its interesting to see all the mixed opinions here. I'm not anti-eBay or anything, but as I said above, I'll usually try to buy from my LHS or an online retailer before turning to eBay. Great deals can be found, and its even good for a laugh when you see one of those clueless guys trying to sell an old split chassis junker for $200...


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## Yoppeh7J-UPmp954 (Nov 23, 2014)

Not ebay but a hobby shop in Illinois. I bought the 2 BLI Merry Christmas Pacific engines, the red-green and the blue in 2 separate orders at very good prices.. Got a notice of pre shipment at the post office, then the second one finally started moving about 7 days later but from a different town. I found their facebook page which they were blaming the post office for holding the shipments. One guy said his was supposed to be shipped and had called their post office and the PO had shipped all the train store had sent them. There were also about 10 other complaints against them on FB about extremely slow shipping and not answering emails or getting nowhere on phone calls. There is a better business complaint not finalised from 2017 against them also. 
After waiting 30 days I explained to them in an email as an owner operator truck driver I had been through their town countless times and that I knew exactly where they were at. The next day the first one shows up moving from the town 25 miles away where the my other one entered the mail.


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## JCIS4ME (Jan 4, 2016)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Why didn't you just send it back? It certainly wasn't as represented, eBay is very buyer-centric, and you should have had no problem getting a refund.


I agree! E-bay stands behind the buyer 99 percent of the time! The sellers get charged more for their listings with every negative feedback! And I also agree with the post regarding don't buy from someone with 99.7 or less feedback as they do not really care about what they are selling except the "bottom" line their profit from yard sale finds! Most are truthful when saying "found in estate sale" and the seller lists it as such. But as always buyer beware research seller's feedback ask questions LOTS OF THEM if the seller is good they WILL answer all questions if they are really a good seller!
My buck 2 98's worth!


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## Red Oak (Jan 11, 2020)

Best watch what you say about eBay!!!!!


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## Trackjockey05 (Jun 30, 2020)

I've been buying and selling on Ebay for 21 years, I have 100% feedback rating, I've hit some bumps in the road along the way but was able to work things out, communication is key, I've gotten some excellent deals on there, but I always look at the feedback rating, and if they have any negatives I go read them to see what the issue was, sometimes its a vindictive buyer who just wants to bash someone, my biggest pet peeve on there are the people who list an item for a super great price, but charge $30 flat rate shipping, ask the price you want and charge real shipping, or the ones who refuse to combine shipping, I bought 3 Athearn RTR cars from a seller when I requested combined shipping I was refused, ended up paying $7 shipping per car, all 3 showed up in the same box , or even better they charge you $10 for shipping, item shows up and they paid $3 something to ship, you just have to be diligent overall I've had a good experience and managed to track down a lot of hard to find items I wanted that would have been nearly impossible otherwise


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## SlomoPilot (Jun 18, 2020)

While we're on the subject of eBay subjectivity . . . one thing that I do is look at the seller's other items to see if they are a 'train person'. If it's just something from an estate sale that a seller has no idea what it is, "in great condition" might not exactly mean great condition. The same goes for "shows some use". I think another poster mentioned that if there's only one or two photos (or they're dark or out of focus), that's a red flag. I bought a passenger car recently and when it arrived, one side had a noticeable manufacturer molding defect. It was a car that I really wanted and got it at a great price so I kept it; but I wondered that if in my haste, I'd overlooked this blemish. I went back and looked at the posting photos and the one that would have shown the blemish was taken so the light was dim at the spot. On purpose ? I don't know. But I do look closer at the photos now. . .


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## alaska railroad (Oct 20, 2015)

Yes i had that happen to me once with buying a locomotive, Back in 2012.
It was a 4-8-4 bachmann. It was listed new. Upon receiving and taking it out of the box. Instantly i seen it was very used. It had scuffs, smoke oil all over it. The wheels were very dirty where they run on the track. And worst of all, the wheels were all bound up do to the famous cracked bachmann plastic wheel centers. I did send it back for a refund.


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## Shdwdrgn (Dec 23, 2014)

I don't remember his exact reply, but it was something along the lines that he didn't think it would be a problem. Nothing honest about that idiot, just turning the unit over in your hand is enough to see that the open fluid lines are going to start dripping.

[EDIT] Oops, didn't realize there was another page of replies since my last post, otherwise I would have included a quote to what I was talking about.


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## blackz28 (Jan 6, 2013)

*I have bought & sold a lot on ebay 
I sold a bli 4-8-2 to a gentleman he had all kinds of issues with it .so i didn't argue with him i just refunded & took it back.
sold it 20 minutes later after receiving it.
the man who bought it loves it & we became friends 
on the buying end i have had no issues since 2000*


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## Railhead001 (Feb 12, 2020)

My latest MOW prize off ebay, for a bargain price of $28.00 plus $10.00 shipping. The deals are out there ....


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## billwiz (Dec 3, 2019)

I've sold some train items on Ebay. I try to take good pictures and tell of any issues. And if I have an issue (like a coupler that fell off in shipping recently), I try to handle it in a way that makes the buyer satisfied.


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## SlomoPilot (Jun 18, 2020)

OK since this is an eBay thread, I need some advice : I have to send something back for a refund and obviously have to pay the shipping back to the seller; and I've already paid to have it shipped to me. Do I ask for my return shipping cost also ? I bought an Athearn engine after I SPECIFICALLY messaged the seller and asked if it were a powered unit, as it wasn't clear in the listing. He told me that it was indeed a powered unit and he'd forgotten to mention that in the description; and subsequently amended the description to say 'engine runs'. I get the engine today and it's a dummy. Even says 'dummy' on the box. I messaged the seller saying "hey this engine is non-powered" and he replies that "The box it's in is wrong; I tested it for 20 minutes pulling cars prior to packing & shipping it. Send it back if you're not satisfied and I'll refund." I went back and really, really scrutinized the photos and I just can't tell if it's the same engine; but I think it is. There's NO WAY he tested this engine; it has no motor and all plastic wheels ! I want to believe that this guy just got his A & B units mixed up - I mean if I ask you if it's powered, you tell me yes, I get it and it doesn't even have a motor . . . don't you think I'll figure that out ? I hope this won't happen but I really hope he won't get it back and then claim that I swapped engines on him. . . . advice, all ?


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## Shdwdrgn (Dec 23, 2014)

The item is not as described, and you have the email to back up your argument. Seller is responsible for shipping costs in BOTH directions plus the full purchase price. If you want, you can send a picture to the seller showing the obvious plastic wheels and giving them a chance to make it right, but in the end ebay will stick behind the buyer (you) for all costs. You're not the one who made a mistake, so you shouldn't be held responsible.


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