Ya, I've been stiffed once on ebay, no emails, nothing, as if the guy
fell off the face of the earth. I waited and waited, then finally did
the non paying bidder thing. Right now I'm in the middle of a
situation that kind of sucks. I sold my turn coordinator that I
replaced with a new autopilot (Stec30). It was overhauled
about 2 years ago and was working fine. I sold it on ebay back
in April for about $120, stating everything about it-that it was
in good working condition, recently overhauled and by who,
but that there was no warranty, returns, or refunds.

2 months after the fact this guy writes me to tell me he finally
installed it and it doesn't work. Before I even get a chance to
respond he leaves me my first neutral feedback on ebay, I have
no negatives. Says I claimed it worked but was DOA. He also
says the package seemed to be delivered in good condition, I
had that thing pretty well packed and I paid more for postage
than what I stated in the ebay description.

I don't know what kind of plane or voltage he put it in, or who
put it in for him. It wasn't dead on departure. But even if it did
arrive DOA, which I'm still not convinced of, the neutral rating
is not deserved as I made no claims or guarantees or warranty
on the item, it was sold AS IS. And now if it magically starts
working, I'm still stuck with that rating.

With regard to Dudley's concerns: I've had people want to cancel
a bid for some reason or another. I think Jays point is his bidders
lack of communication, we're all fairly reasonable people. I've
let people out of a bid before, but I also make it pretty clear on
every bid description "make sure this is what you want BEFORE
you bid". As far as the guarantee of returning items, I expect that
luxury from retailers that sell through ebay, but not on used items
from individuals. The ebay fee and shipping back and forth doesnt
make it worth it for either party.

You have to look at it like a garage sale. You may get a good or
great deal sometimes, you may not. The times you do, you probably
are getting a big discount on something someone no longer needs
but you do. The other advantage, as a buyer, is getting things way
cheaper than any other method. This is usually with a retailer,
who has a fixed ebay price, Buy It Now, and possibly a seperate
retail website with another price. They'll also throw up a bid
on the same item, and often you can beat their other prices with the
bid if you're patient, it may take several bids. With retailers, I've
returned damaged merchandise.

I've sold over a couple grand worth of stuff lying around my house
that would otherwise continue lying around. So for that I love
ebay. I've bought mostly new items on ebay, rarely something
old or used. But if I did, it's the old 'buyer beware' or 'you get
what you pay for' situation. It's sometimes a gamble, especially
through an individual. But I never buy anything very expensive
anyway, just little things. I'd never buy a car or airplane without
the option to cancel a bid or some kind of warranty. That area I'd
agree with Dudley on.

Chris

As a buyer, I want cancellation privilege not only before the sale, but
AFTER the sale as well. If I'm thinking of buying something I don't need
anyone telling me I can't change my mind, even up to the point of sale.
Even AFTER buying something, if I have a problem with it, I want the
option to return it to where I bought it for full credit. I've been
buying this way for many years and have never had a problem.
Suppose this guy who won the bid on the transponder suffered a problem
that prevented his going through with the purchase.....hell, it could be
anything? On EBay, he doesn't have the option to cancel? Hell, that's no
way to buy something....at least as far as I'm concerned anyway. I've
obviously never used Ebay and never will. I guess it's ok for some, but
it's definitely NOT my cup of tea :-)
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/ CFI Retired
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