justanolddigger
Well-Known Member
I agree with you 100%. Ebay is still the absolute best venue out there. Is it as good or fun as it once was?? NO! Has it gone downhill?? YES! Are they greedy?? YES! Is there much I can do about it?? Most of their rules have come about because of crooked sellers(forcing paypal, hidden identities, insurance options, just to name a few). It does hurt a lot of honest people, but that happens in life everyday.ORIGINAL: privvydigger
I ship USPS and have never had a problem...However you can usually drop my packages off a ten story building and they would be fine. The incident of which your showing would be covered cleary at any post office. I would have opened it there at the post office. eBay is eBay still the best place til something else comes along. eBay changes everyday everyday something moves or switches.
I can go to antique shops in my area for years and will never see a few good bottles, and yet I manage to pick one up on ebay at least once a week. My collection has grown tenfold in the last five years simply by buying and selling on ebay. I have met some great people on there, a few are on this sight. One great guy that comes to the top of my head is Mike Malanowski, a super dealer from New York, but there are many others also. I have met some crooks, but have learned for the most part how to avoid them, or how much to gamble with sellers I don't know.
I do not like how they rammed paypal down our throats, but overall paypal works very well for me. I hate having to make a special trip to the post office and then the extra time it takes for the seller to receive payment. I also have had successful claims from bad dealers, I put a lot of trust in their system.
I have also noticed a lot of new members both buying and selling lately. The number of bottles available is up a lot from about 4 months ago, and I have seen a resurgence in prices over the last few months on the middle range bottles. I have learned you cannot buy and sell low dollar stuff, there is no way you can make up for selling fees and paypal fees as a seller, and as a buyer, you cannot overcome the postage costs that are added to a low dollar bottle, I usually buy and sell those at shows.
Lastly, I learned a very hard lesson on insurance with UPS, they will not cover a damaged glass item, no way, no how. The USPS may be slow and difficult, but you can almost always get your money back...
Bill