Anyone else been burned buying used?

[TubbsTru]

Well...it finally happened. I love buying, selling, trading etc., and have had great luck and fun generally speaking. But I figured sooner or later I'd have an ugly experience and last week it happened. Bought a used X-Ray off the big auction site, figuring I got a pretty good deal on the bag and accessories. Well, when I received it, not only was the bag missing several key components (stays, straps) and also one of the advertised pouches, the shoulder straps had been significantly altered and ultimately damaged and left in need of repair. Needless to say, I was a little upset that my "like new" bag (how it was advertised) was anything but.

Thankfully, to make a long story short, after contacting the seller and having a little back-and-forth, I was able to get a refund and ship the pack back...hopefully that's the end of it.

I must say, though, even though this was a negative experience, it was my first out of dozens of exchanges. That being said, gonna lay low for a while!

Anybody else been burned before?

 

[mtswampfox]

Have had to file fraud case with pay pal twice. Both times resolved in my favor, once within an hour of filing. Guess they have some sway with deadbeat sellers

 

[TubbsTru]

Have had to file fraud case with pay pal twice. Both times resolved in my favor, once within an hour of filing. Guess they have some sway with deadbeat sellers

Yeah...basically as soon as I told the guy I'd be in contact with eBay, he agreed to refund immediately.

 

[dotman]

Not yet but I really don't make too many purchases/trades anymore and it seems like when I do it is with the same handful of people here on rokslide, lol.

 

[Nalgene]

A big key is to not use the gift option on PP. If you do you cannot dispute because it was a gift not a transaction

 

[Hungarydog]

3% is pretty cheap insurance

 

[TubbsTru]

For sure...3% for peace of mind...I'll take it any day!

 

[MuleyFever]

I wouldnt say you had an ugly experience. You got your money back and seams like it was pretty easy.

We bought a generator off ebay last month and it never showed up. Didnt have any problem getting our money back from Paypal.

 

[dangerousD]

Agree, 3% is a small price for the added protection. While I don't agree with everything that PayPal stands for as a company, they do provide a nice service and I generally try to pay the fee for that service. In a way, the gift option is stealing. And while I'm not totally innocent, sometimes if I know the person well or have done several deals, I have used the gift option.

Don't recall being burned bad on the forums or eBay. I did buy a cheap rangefinder on here that was said to be good, but was kind of flakey in operation and then quit working altogether in a fairly short time, but it wasn't worth the hassle to create a dispute or argue with the seller to know if he was just unaware or actually trying to pawn defective goods. I had another deal on the forums where I bought a used bow and paid right away and then all communications (PM's, texts, phone calls) with the seller went un-returned for two weeks. Thought I was going to have to start the dispute with PayPal, but then the bow showed up one day in the mail unannounced. It was missing one small item that the seller said would be included but I didn't feel like fighting that battle. I probably should have left negative feedback in the forums, but I have a hard time doing that... Likewise when I do sell something, I try to take extra care to make sure they buyer is happy and I described an item correctly since everyone's perception can be slightly different. I'm happy to refund someone as opposed to leaving someone upset or making a bad reputation as a seller.

 

[Schnagelbagel]

Traded a nice mathews for a pse evo from a dude and was shooting my other bow so i just inspected it and looked good. Go to set it up a month or two later and the limb pockets kept popping during the draw cycle. Did some research amd found out the pockets were defective on this bow. Pse ignored me, felt it was to late to go after dude. Put money into it to fix it but nothing seemed to work. Ended up trading it and another older bow to a guy that said he knew the fix and it wasnt an issue. See ya buy!!!! Got a mint e35 in trade and still rockin it.

Seems i always get burned on trades. Must be cause im honest and take care of all my gear. I have high standards on what i bring in too. You learn after awhile what to ask and look for.

 

[JoshTX]

Do enough transactions, and you will eventually get burned IMHO. The thing I like about eBay is that they are serious about protecting the buyer so if you are on that side, you will most likely be good. Selling an item on eBay is a different story...they do not protect the seller..at all.

I sold a Mathews DXT on eBay a couple of years. It was a great bow and it was in good shape. The seller acknowledged receipt of the item and, at first, said he was pleased. 10 days later he changed his mind and said the bowstring "broke" and that I had sent him a defective bow. I suspect he dry fired it and tried to hang it on me. Had it not been for the numerous texts and emails he sent stating he was happy with the bow, I expect it would have turned out differently. In the end, he kept the bow and replaced the string.

Good point on not using the paypal gift...hadn't thought of that. I will add, that there are several times where an individual has wanted to communicate over the phone...I don't like doing this any longer. With email and text, there is a RECORD of what is said by whom and by when. Makes my case stronger if there is ever a problem down the road.

All of this said, I think most people are honest and will provide a good transaction but there are some s@#$bags out there..

 

[Luked]

I have done loads of buying selling trading and so on online. Only had a bad experience once and it turned out good in my favor.
I have sold everything from fishing lure to guns to boats and vehicles online and never had but the one problem really.

 

[wyosteve]

I had a bad Ebay experience on some Swarovski 8 x 30's years ago, but have never had a bad experience with Rokslide or Archerytalk members I've bought from.

 

[jm1607]

You don't have to pay the 3%. Just use a credit card, not a debit card. You have a much better chance of a good outcome with a credit card than paypal.

 

[lab-roamer]

How do you use a credit card when selling private??

 

[camping1601]

Only a couple small ones. Last one was a guy on AT that sold me a coat and bibs with some small tears not mentioned and full of dog hair. Did get a refund but it was a pain and I paid to ship them back.

 

[COlineman78]

You don't have to pay the 3%. Just use a credit card, not a debit card. You have a much better chance of a good outcome with a credit card than paypal.

You must pay the 3% if using a credit card. The gift option only allows bank transfers or debit card. You're right however that you can also choose to go through your credit card instead of paypal, but I would guess that they would just forward the complaint to paypal.

 

[IanF.]

The last few years I've found almost everything I've bought used is better then described. Couple times crappy packaging, but goods were fine inside. Few things I just won't buy used, but have found the interwebs a great place to find gear at reasonable prices

 

[pyroducksx3]

Been burned twice. Once on a lower unit for an outboard motor, guy said it was rebuilt and ready to install. After playing with the shift rod and it just not feeling right I took to marine mechanic he said it was junk and missing internal part, was useless as it was. Eventually got paypal to settle but they flipped back and forth for a month. Second was on a McMillan stock. Guy said it had only been bedded. When I got it he had hacked the barrel channel. Ended up selling for a loss and being upfront about the Steve wonder work done to it.

 

[The John]

I have only purchased hunting items used from here and another local board (ifish.net) and have had great results and met (thought email mostly) some great people. There have been a few minor issues, but buying used you have to expect some issues (but hopefully just small ones which I chock up to opportunity cost).

there will always be "those" people who misrepresent (knowingly or otherwise) what they are selling. I have complete confidence buying from people on boards such as rokslide as we are more of a community rather than Ebay where people are just selling stuff.