RadioBanter - View Single Post

April 19th 05, 04:33 AM

wrote:
It boils down to,Let the Buyer Beware! or as some folks like to
say,Caveat Emptor.
cuhulin
.................................................. ................................
Supplement to online auctions guide.
OK, it's a jungle out there but the game is to figure out who the
good guys are and buy from them. I have bought about 50 radio and
computer items on ebay over the past three years and almost without
exception they were accurately described, well-packed, and promptly
mailed. (one vendor took six weeks to ship and I doughnuted him).
I tend to buy from people who are selling their own stuff and know it
well. I also check feedback and look for negatives and comments. I
avoid dealers who don't even know if an item is working but have pages
of legal boilerplate about paying and suing. Many vendors are honest
and go to great efforts to get that 100% rating.
While ebay may not be cheap, for those of us in the boonies mail is
much cheaper than driving 500 miles to a flea market and often not
finding anything. The variety of goods on ebay lets you pick exactly
what you want.
The greatest problem I find is the increasing use of computer bidding
by dealers where a choice item is sniped with one second to go. These
weasels will lurk in the the background with no bid for weeks and then
suddenly appear with the winning bid with 1 second left. Sometimes they
will rub your nose in it and beat your high bid by 50 cents. I don't
know how they do this, but it is discouraging.
A true auction goes on until the last and highest bid is heard. The
expiration time of the electronic auction means that big operators with
fast machines and super bid programs will always win if they are in the
game.
Gresham's Law states that the bad will drive out the good. Until
then, there are lots of good guys if you look for
them............73.......ken.........