Caveat emptor: ebay seller nitr-o

[cheez80]

I'm not sure where to put this rant, but I'll try the Buying and Selling forum:

Pete Testa treats his customers like crap. I left the guy a neutral feedback with a more-or-less neutral comment (because I thought the transaction deserved neutral feedback), and he sends me emails written with a pompous, higher-than-thou attitude. Whatever happened to customer service? If I had done that to any of my clients in my previous job as a retail salesperson, I would have been fired on the spot. Sigh.

Mods, please delete if this is inappropriate.

 

[rach2jlc]

Whatever happend to customer service, you ask?

Well, EBAY is what happened, simply put. "Customer Service" and "ebay" are quickly becoming things that simply should not or cannot be placed in the same sentence.

Sorry that happened to you, though.

 

[ezboy1000]

I've never expected service from ebay. If I want service I'll go to my local retailer, where I can be pampered and cared for. When I'm having a particularily bad day I'll sometimes still visit "my salesman" and tell him to "sell me something".

The thing that I hate about ebay is the feedback dillema. The system is horribly unworkable.

If you get crappy service or dishonesty abounds it should be revealed in the feedback. We all know, however, it doesn't work that way; if you leave negative feedback you begin a war. Furthermore, if you leave negative or even neutral feedback, you better hope you've already received your goods.

This is why I'll only buy on ebay if I'm getting something in the region of 80% off retail. Otherwise, I'll pay the premium at STP or my local stores.

 

[pkincy]

+2

Ebay is worse than a crapshoot excepting for a small handful of vendors, most of whom are fora members.

Nitro has always been a bit suspect to me for 2 reasons:

1) he lists $900 Gianluca (non Isaia) line suits as having retailed for $2300.
2) I saw a suit I liked some months ago and was in LA and he would not meet me so I could view the garment.

I do know of others that have dealt with him successfully however.

Perry

 

[DocHolliday]

EBay can be tough. Giving someone a neutral is almost as bad as leaving a negative, in the eyes of potential buyers. It sends the same message, that the transaction was difficult and unsatisfactory. Yet some folks want to use "neutral" as a default, to mean the deal was "OK but not outstanding." Part of the problem is simply differing definitions, and there's no real way for eBay to resolve this. I've already blocked one potential buyer because of his tendency to leave neutral or negative feedback without seeking resolution with the seller first.

As for meeting someone, there's no way I'd consider that with a random buyer. A SFer, maybe, but not someone I didn't know.

 

[zjpj83]

Feedback doesn't really mean anything on Ebay because of the fear of retaliation. I have had a number of non-positive experiences from people and have not given neutral or negative because they could retaliate. It's a really stupid system.

As a seller, as a matter of principle, once the buyer has paid, I give positive feedback, even before I know what the buyer's feedback for me is going to be. I just think that's the way Ebay should work. The buyer has completed his side of the deal once he has paid me, and feedback should be submitted then, not once I see whether I need to retaliate against him.

 

[California Dreamer]

I have left negative feedback and in return was stalked online by a person I could only describe as psychotic. He sabotaged an auction of mine by putting in a very high bid, purely so he could leave negative feedback about me. He didn't pay, but did post feedback that the goods I'd sent him were crap and that I'd refused to take them back. All this while the goods in question were still on my table at home. He used a charity as a front to try and cover his tracks on this, and launched a dispute with me. The supposed mediator refused to address the issue of his non-payment to me, and then claimed I was being obstructionist for insisting on being paid.

He claimed there was a legal opinion that meant no eBay bidder is bound to pay for any auction they win. (I don't know if this is true - I think it might only relate to certain big-ticket items. If it is true, then eBay is truly a castle built on a swamp.)

eBay even gave this flake my home phone number so that he could call me up from Canada and hassle me.

I will never try to sell through eBay again, and I will never buy except from vendors who have established reputations elsewhere, such as eHaberdasher.

On the general issue of feedback, another problem is that it is mostly useless even when positive, consisting of vacuous statements like "great eBayer", "AAAA++++" and other meaningless terms.

 

[mack11211]

If you, as a seller, leave negative feedback for someone, it is best to also add them to your blocked bidder list.

 

[LabelKing]

I have bought things on eBay, and some of the sellers had very nice service. They sent nice personalized messages via email telling me when the item had been shipped and the parcel was packed nicely with a pleasant note inside.

Regarding Nitr-O, as if his eBay pages weren't offensive enough.

 

[coatandthai]

I've never bought from Nitro and his pages are somewhat over the top (as are his "estimates" of MSRP) but nothing you've said would cause me to not buy from him. I assume yours was the recent scarf purchase in which the buyer said "Neutral feedback rating: Beautiful scarf, but indifferent seller, no communication. B-"

He has 99.2% feedback and he provides good descriptions and pictures of his products. Nothing indifferent about his descriptions. Not sure what the lack of communication means -- was the item as described and delivered on time? What does "no communication" mean? For myself, I prefer very little communication with the sellers on eBay, just send me the item as promptly as I pay for it, pack it well and describe it correctly.

 

[Full Canvas]

Even though you've been registered on eBay for nearly five years, it appears that you only began buying two years ago. Your rather scant feedback count total of seven might indicate a lack of familiarity with eBay in general on your part despite the elapsed time. There is a learning curve for buyers.

Did you examine the seller's feedback remarks from previous buyers before you bid? Did you read the seller's About Me page? His About Me page leads me to believe that his focus is cars not clothes. Nit-ro is probably a one-man band working from home.

As others have remarked, all eBay sellers are not created equal. Did you suggest that you were considering leaving the neutral feedback? Your neutral rating for him was probably a confusing slap for him if you didn't warn him.

If the item was in its advertised condition and arrived safely within a reasonable period of time . . . just be satisfied. After all, you saved a good bit of money and didn't have to drive to some store and fight the crowds.

I have given only a very few neutral feedbacks to sellers. This was always only after all other attempts to resolve issues were used and at least forty-five days had passed.

eBay is gamble. All of us eBay gamblers will "lose" on occasion. Spend more time on the clothing fora. The more you learn, the greater your odds of "winning" on eBay will be. Good luck!!
___________________________________

 

[California Dreamer]

Originally Posted by mack11211

If you, as a seller, leave negative feedback for someone, it is best to also add them to your blocked bidder list.
All very well, but he adopted a different id to get back at me. eBay's alleged protections are nearly all worthless and easily circumvented.

 

[A Harris]

I had a similar experience with Nitro last year. I didn't leave feedback - I merely requested a refund for a suit he sold me which was badly stained. Black grease marks all over a light colored suit... It was resolved in the end, but only after much wasted time and aggravation. I am not a fan. I'm not suggesting that Nitro sells a lot of damaged suits as the one I purchased was very cheap (probably for a reason in retrospect.) I just wasn't happy with how he handled the issue.

Fortunately if one is careful, experiences like these are the rare exception. I've done many thousands of transactions as a buyer and seller. I'd count the nightmare transactions at less than 10.

 

[tsherry]

I'm in the process of dealing with nitro now. Waiting to receive an Isaia tux.
Communication so far has been excellent. I've asked and he's answered right away.
Package is enroute. Will let everyone know how it turns out.

 

[foto010101]

please let us know.