Counterpoint:
Alex Quintana wrote:
quoted 1 line I dunno what's with all these people posting Ebay auctions to the list,
> I dunno what's with all these people posting Ebay auctions to the list,
I have personally come to believe that if you want to post these things, you
should join whitezone and post them there. Then people who want to read about
music but not auctions don't have to join it, and everything is peachy-keen.
On the other hand, I believe such posts are "legal" on IDM so long as they're
not more than a screenful, so I guess we'll have to grin and bear it.
quoted 1 line Ebay SUCKS. and that is putting it nicely. :)
> Ebay SUCKS. and that is putting it nicely. :)
eBay is a service that serves a purpose. I'll get to that later.
quoted 2 lines 1. People lie worse than Bill Clinton about the rarity/popularity of
> 1. People lie worse than Bill Clinton about the rarity/popularity of
> items.
Well, in some cases this is true, but you should always keep "caveat emptor"
in mind. If you're on the Internet to begin with, you can do some research.
quoted 2 lines 2. More bad trades occurr there than could ever occurr in the entire
> 2. More bad trades occurr there than could ever occurr in the entire
> lifetime of the stock market.
That's what feedback is for. The stock market is handled by trading
professionals, so of course there's less likelihood of a bad trade. You're
comparing apples and oranges. In general, is there more fraud online than in
the "real world?" I suspect there is, just because it's easier. However, I
don't think that there's more fraud on eBay than there is online overall.
quoted 4 lines I have seen them post up the Windowlicker calendar for $50 within a week's
> I have seen them post up the Windowlicker calendar for $50 within a week's
> time of it coming out from Warp.. saying it was rare as shit and you
> couldn't get it anywhere.. I ordered mine from WarpMart for like $12 or
> so. :)
People will always try to exaggerate the greatness of what they are selling,
in any context. That's why you need to do your own research.
For some reason, people think that the Autechre mail-order 12" (WAP72) is
rare. It's still available on WarpMart for 4 UKP. It was auctioned off last
week for $77.00. The seller used the term "was available via mail order only
for a limited time." This is half true: it is only available via mail order.
As for the "only for a limited time" part, that was just false. A lawyer
could claim that "limited time" is a legitimate phrase to describe a period of
time meaning "limited from the time it was released to today," but that seems
like it wouldn't hold up in court. On the other hand, the seller may actually
believe that it's not available anymore. That's why it's up to the buyer to
do the research, which is the case in *any* transaction, eBay or not.
There's one currently up for $23.00, a relative bargain! The seller is using
the term "limited, mail-order only" to describe it.
quoted 2 lines I know some of that stuff on there seems like a goldmine, but I wouldn't
> I know some of that stuff on there seems like a goldmine, but I wouldn't
> touch EBay with a 100 foot pole.
There are so many terrific things I've gotten from eBay I can't even describe
it. My music collection has been greatly enriched, and not always at the
ridiculous prices you might think. Besides, the local used CD shop will only
give me a buck or three for my used CDs; on eBay I can usually get four or
five. That makes a big difference over time, and I think it's worth it.
quoted 2 lines Stick to auctions/fs lists from ppl on here, or other mailinglists
> Stick to auctions/fs lists from ppl on here, or other mailinglists
> like this.. don't bother with such commercialized trash like EBay.
Actually, I find eBay's service to be of tremendous value. eBay is relatively
transparent; you see every bid/transaction that happens out in the open, and
the rules are clear. If I run an auction, I can "reserve" the right to change
the rules on a whim, I can lie about bids that have come in, I can change the
time the auction runs, I can decide a particular person I don't like can't bid
(I never got your emails *shrug*), I can do anything I like, and you'll never
know. (Yes, you can "pump" auctions on eBay, but it's much easier to get the
evidence from out there in the open than it is from my personal inbox.)
quoted 3 lines It's not even commercialism this time. You are literally trusting
> It's not even commercialism this time. You are literally trusting
> your money with random members of a pool with a population
> of millions of people.
That's why i-Escrow is so cool. I use it for high-value transactions, or with
people with feedback too low for my tastes, and it's been great.
eBay has its upside and downside like anything else. Like any consumer
service, use it with care.
NP: The Shamen - En-Tact (UK version)
--
Adam J Weitzman, NewsEdge Corp. (soon RoweCom Inc.)
http://www.newsedge.com -
http://www.individual.com
"Humor is the best way of dealing with complete and
utter nonsense." - John Lydon
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