Please Post All Your eBay Issues Here (Please Read)

[centrehice]

You can't come on a public forum, state something that is at best controversial, and then say you're not going to get into a verbal confrontation. If you get on a "soapbox" and start antagonizing people, you will have to defend yourself.

He was not antagonizing in the least. Don't be so precious. There is an awful lot of dishonesty going on in the High-End card category, and "The Shill" is just one of them.

Why do so many posters on here take things so personal?, then get confrontational about it? Please show some restraint, and some wisdom.

Tony is one of the nicest guys on this site, state your piece, but leave the attacking aside.

[13stepper]

He was not antagonizing in the least. Don't be so precious. There is an awful lot of dishonesty going on in the High-End card category, and "The Shill" is just one of them.

Why do so many posters on here take things so personal?, then get confrontational about it? Please show some restraint, and some wisdom.

Tony is one of the nicest guys on this site, state your piece, but leave the attacking aside.

I think some people get agitated or take things personal because there are some members on here who have no clue how to communicate with some tactfulness. Telling people "don't be so precious" typically won't help to deflate a situation either.

[centrehice]

It's total preciousness, or I would not have stated so otherwise.

To back an actual dishonest Shill on eBay that you don't know, over a great guy on here, is asinine and needs to be called out, which I have done. I will always back an honest, great SCF poster over an unknown on ebay.

Nuff Said.

[subban7677]

I think some people get agitated or take things personal because there are some members on here who have no clue how to communicate with some tactfulness. Telling people "don't be so precious" typically won't help to deflate a situation either.

Of all the names I've been called, precious is actually one of the nicest! But honestly, the mere suggestion that shill bidding is an option that may or may not be valid was nothing more than an attempt to stir things up. Otherwise, why bring it up?

[Wickabee]

Timing, foresight and boatloads of luck, luck, luck is the only real honest way to make money in this game, outside of owning a shop.

I suppose it would be possible if one had an already existing, low-cost inventory.

[centrehice]

Of all the names I've been called, precious is actually one of the nicest! But honestly, the mere suggestion that shill bidding is an option that may or may not be valid was nothing more than an attempt to stir things up. Otherwise, why bring it up?

Why not? It's a serious issue on eBay, and this is all matters regarding what happens on eBay. I don't agree that the only way to make money is via The Shill, but it's his right to have the floor and make a general comment.

The amount of defending of eBay Crooks over SCF members on this site is alarming to me. This isn't your brother he's talking about, it's some stranger willing to rip you off. Don't defend that which you don't know.

I know Tony, so I will step in when somebody takes a shot at him for no apparent reason.

[subban7677]

Why not? It's a serious issue on eBay, and this is all matters regarding what happens on eBay. I don't agree that the only way to make money is via The Shill, but it's his right to have the floor and make a general comment.

The amount of defending of eBay Crooks over SCF members on this site is alarming to me. This isn't your brother he's talking about, it's some stranger willing to rip you off. Don't defend that which you don't know.

I know Tony, so I will step in when somebody takes a shot at him for no apparent reason.

This topic has most likely run its course now, so I'm going to leave with this. I have not "defended ebay crooks" in any of my posts, and I'm really not sure how you came to this conclusion. I just found the comment to be distasteful, as I don't like the idea of having money stolen from me as a bidder. Just as the OP has the right to make his statement, I have the right to state my reply. My opinion of what was said is, shockingly enough, just as valid as yours.

[RGM81]

What an odd statement to make. There are plenty of ways, within the guidelines of the site and following whatever proper moral code one adheres to, to make good money on eBay.

BIN/OBO - you set the parameters as to what price you will accept. You don't have to sell and you don't have to worry about that $100 BV card that came from a $200 box selling for $5 unless you want it to.

Do your research - there are a number of sites out there that allow people to enter information and calculate profit margins, acceptable pricing scales, and more. If you buy a lot at a discounted price and want to turn around and make a profit, there is absolutely no good reason why you cannot do so without spending a relatively short amount of time to get your ducks in a row.

Sell things that interest people - this can at times be difficult to do in this hobby. With so much filler content it can be tough to acquire and accumulate numerous items that will actually sell at a viable price. If you crack a box of 11-12 Pinnacle at $60 and don't hit a main rookie card or superstar auto, you're gonna be in trouble and will lose money. No way around that.

More thoughts to come later.

Returning to this discussion, the best way to ensure that you get good business on eBay is to treat it seriously and put yourself in the same context you would as if you were running an actual store. Be forthright with people, be willing to give the odd deal, throw in extras where you can, and don't stomp on people that may disagree with you. That stuff gets out there. Yeah it's a hobby, yeah it's something that most of us do for fun, but if you approach eBay with a solid business approach and give people the right amount of options and build up your reputation accordingly, you'll find yourself ahead.

Word gets around the hobby quickly. Hobby sites like this one play a huge part of that. How many people have a mile-long "block list" because of this site? Those guys, the ones that do themselves in via poor practices as either a buyer or a seller, they're the ones that have to cheat and thus further delegitimize themselves. Good guys will almost always come out ahead.

Case in point: Mark of BreakAwayCards - when he puts up a round of Cup ARP's on eBay, people pay a premium on those cards because they know they're buying legit cards from a truly top-notch guy. There's no worries about fake patches with him, and people are more than willing to put up an extra $20 on their bid just because they know he'll take care of them professionally and deliver the goods.

The key to building a reputation isn't just putting up decent cards for sale. Anybody with a computer can do that. To get ahead of the pack you have to do the little things and go the extra mile to deliver a good customer experience. I've always said when it comes to business that a good experience doesn't guarantee repeat customers, but a bad experience can guarantee you'll never see that buyer again. I just had an experience with a damaged Kane YG that was clearly ruined by the mail service - the buyer contacted me about it, I treated the guy fairly and honestly, refunded his money when the card was returned, and I got a positive feedback out of it. If I come across a Kane or Toews YG in the future, guess who I'm going to contact to see if he wants to give it another shot?

OK well that was long-winded but I hope it goes to show that no you don't have to cheat to get ahead, and I hope that people that utilize this community don't go down that path. I like to think that we've got a great member base here, and I'd be pretty disappointed if folks started engaging in under-handed tactics to make a couple extra bucks.

[centrehice]

I have made nothing but money in well over 10,000 eBay sales in almost 14 years. Never cheated at any of it. There's still money to be made, and I don't even deal in the easy category of "The Cup" or game-used cards for that matter.

[cygnusx1]

Hey everybody, I'm having some trouble accessing my ebay account for some reason, and I was wondering if someone would be willing to bid on a card or two for me? I'll pay you back and add a little extra as thanks.