Will you buy from a noob seller on ebay?

[sangeeth]

Not sure if this is the right section to put this thread...If you come across a listing of a super rare item for an unbelievable BIN price, but the seller is new with zero feedback and no other listings to boot, will you still buy or skip?

I'm in this situation right now, and don't know what to do. Part of me thinks, just go ahead and BIN it's not a lot of money. The other part screams possible scam, stay away!

For the record, it's not my little pony related

[moving to TS - kaoskat]

[Brandi]

If it's an item I want really bad I will. After all, we've all got to start somewhere! So far I've never had bad luck buying from newbie sellers.

[Shenanigans]

Nope, I did that before and was scammed. The seller was new, but had 10 positive feedbacks. I noticed all the feedbacks were for really cheap things like 50 cent packet of beads. She was buying cheap things really fast to get her feedback score up so people would trust her. I did and got scammed out of my Blueberry Baskets and TAF Milky Way So I don't take the risk any more. Of course I'm not much of a risk taker to begin with

[Binkyfinder]

I believe that as of now, eBay sellers who signed up within 6 months have their funds held for 21 days or 3 days after confirmed delivery for sales that are above $100.  I don't know if that rule applies to all sellers though in all countries.  (Keep in mind that PayPal does little when an item arrives not as described.) 

I've purchased from new sellers before and have been delighted more often than I've been disappointed.  However, if what they're selling seems suspicious or way under market value, I may hold off.  Also, if your gut feeling is telling you to stay away - listen.  I can't tell you how many times I've kicked myself for not listening to my intuition.

[sangeeth]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I'm still on the fence because it's too good to be true if real and I don't want to regret later. The item is something that would generally go for about USD 200/- +, and doesn't come up often.

In their listing it's at a BIN price of USD 12/- + shipping.  The seller has zero feedback, no other items listed for sale and they registered on ebay *gulp* this month. I'm tempted to take a gamble because it's not a big amount, even if it's a scam. As a 1st step, I've mailed them asking more product details...hope they respond before someone else snags it, and that I'll be able to gauge something of them from the way they answer :/

Would you BIN if you were in my shoes?

[Maniah]

I would BIN. Like you said, it's not a huge sum. If it didn't work out I would file a claim with eBay to get my money back since they seem to almost always side with the buyer anyway.

[sangeeth]

Crud...someone already BINd it and now I feel stupid for not acting fast enough

[fingerpaints]

I would buy from a noob ebay seller, everyone has to start somewhere, I just wouldn't pay a heap for it just in case.

One thing  you have to remember too is alot of people have different accounts as well and may already have a rating on another, but I have purchased in the past from ebay newbies and had no issues.

I am actually selling on an account at the moment with a rating of 2 as a buyer, and had a bid on one of the items within a few minutes of listing one of the items. I don't think it turns people off in general, especially if paying through paypal because if your item does not arrive you are entitled to a full refund

[goddessofpeep]

I have bought from low feedback sellers in the past.  I fact, I just did a few weeks ago.  The seller had only two feedbacks for selling and a few more for buying, and one was a neutral from a crazy buyer(buyer admitted that item was shipped quickly, packed well, and described accurately, but he still complained that the item wasn't actually better than the description indicated).  I find that if you've got a newbie seller who's actually trying to get a good reputation, you're more likely to get a seller who goes well above and beyond for you.  This seller did for me.  It was one of the best transactions I've had on ebay for a long time! 

That said, I know how to generally identify sellers like that.  I also have been around ebay long enough to spot a suspicious auction.  I always pay with my credit card and paypal for auctions, so even if I get "scammed", I can get my money back.   With all the things ebay has done to weight transactions in the buyer's favor, I actually have very little fear of getting truly scammed on ebay anymore.  I had to file a chargeback for a pretty hefty auction not too long ago($200+), and I got my money back in less than 24 hours from filing.  Only time I've had to do that in all my years on ebay, but it was surprisingly easy.  It's disappointing not to get the item you were waiting for, but you're really not out anything if you get your money back.  You just wasted some time on a headache of a seller.  It's not like a straight up pony trade where you send your end and you're actually out something if you never get anything back. THAT'S a scammer!  If you can recoup your money from Paypal, it's not a scam, it's a hassle.

New sellers can be good,  just as established sellers can go bad.  The worst transaction I've ever had on ebay was from a seller who at one point was a *very* well respected member of the pony community for many years.  She had been having some issues for a while(slow shipping mainly), and I knew to steer clear of her auctions due to the hassle. Unfortunately she started to use her husband's ID to sell because nobody was buying from her well known IDs.  Her husband's ID was well established with years worth of positive feedback and nobody knew it was connected to her in any way.  I eventually got my stuff($400 worth of ponies shipped media mail), but 90% of the "just need a wash to be great" ponies were really bait.   She left the community shortly after that, and hasn't been seen since as far as I know.

That's not to say that feedback is meaningless, but there are lot of factors to take into account when trying to figure out if a seller is a potential scammer or not.  I tend to factor in the feedback with my overall impression of the auction.  Auction pictures, descriptions, and even the terms of service the seller lists can all help flag a potential problem seller.  Some auctions just scream "problem seller" even if they have decent feedback.   I also like to look at what the seller leaves as feedback for others.  Sometimes you can identify some real nuts that way.

[Ringlets]

When it comes to buying from newbies I'll take a chance (unless my checks on them show up that they have another ID and its someone dodgy), since you can always make a claim and get your monies back (make sure you keep an eye on the 45 days deadline though ) . I would certainly think twice about trading with a newbie/person with no/low feedback  though since there is no way of getting your money back if things go wrong 

[RockinPrettyBeats]

Short Answer: No

[hokuspokus]

No. After multiple negative experiences (not on Ebay, but still with internet buying) i lost alot of trust. I need a seller with trustable feedback.

[babylicketysplit]

I just recently started to list a couple items on ebay.  mainly a few rare ponies super cheap BIN and free shipping.  perhaps this is the reason they arent selling?      

[RockinPrettyBeats]

I just recently started to list a couple items on ebay.  mainly a few rare ponies super cheap BIN and free shipping.  perhaps this is the reason they arent selling?      

Probably. Sometimes it all works out but it's not worth it to me. I think if they have a 50 or more feedback and excellent feedback then I start trusting.

If they have a 100 I usually feel secure.

And of course, there are lots of bad sellers that are regulars. For instance, I've learned the hard way to mostly buy Barbies from sellers that regularly sell Barbies. Otherwise they don't know what they are doing!

[Dragonflitter]

For me it would always depend on how much I'm risking. But if I saw an auction for $12 and it seemed too good to be true, I would definitely have snatched it up on the off chance that it was legit. The threat of losing $12 isn't a big deal to me, so the possible gain would definitely outweigh the risk. Heck that's pretty much what I pay for one lunch on workdays!