eBay

partsman330 · ‎05-21-2019

Had someone buy a front panel for their refrigerator. They got it and said "this did not include the handle" and demanded I send them the handle. The handle is a completely different part. Its like buying brakes and being confused when you don't get new tires with the brakes. What they want does not exist. They must buy both parts separately and this is how the manufacturer sells them. What they want does not exist (a panel with handle) and they will never find it but I must pay for the return shipping (which is costly bc its pretty big) bc they said it was not as described.

I wonder how many other people they will buy this from and claim they have been "ripped off" before they realize they must buy both separately?

myangelandmyprincess · ‎05-22-2019

@partsman330 wrote:
You are 100% correct. There is absolutely no need to see these parts at all. Its honestly a very difficult thing to sell on here. I sell other items on here (sometimes) as well as many different platforms without such headaches. To buy appliance parts you MUST first look up the correct part number either yourself using a distributor or manufacturer's database or have a distributor/repairman tell you what the part number is. You cannot go on here and search "MAYTAG REFRIGERATOR DOOR HANDLE" or "KENMORE DRYER TIMER" and attempt to eyeball the part (and believe me, people 10000% try and file SNAD's which is why I do not bother to take pics of the part anymore). You MUST know what you need before you even attempt to search for it (by exact part number) which makes an uneducated buyer very difficult to deal with (and there are many). All the pictures on earth will not help someone who does not know what they need in the first place in regards to appliance parts. Many on this forum seem very uneducated as to how it works as well and it is an excellent illustration as to how difficult to can be selling this type of item on here w the current Ebay policies.

Exactly what I was thinking the buyers who know what they are doing won’t need the pics of the item the buyers who don’t know what they are doing a pic can potentially increase risks.

“Birth certificates show that you were born. Death certificates show that you died. Photographs show that you have lived.” -Unknown

city*satins · ‎05-22-2019

...it is an excellent illustration as to how difficult to can be selling this type of item on here w the current Ebay policies.

OK. That made me laugh out loud. Using the term, excellent illustration when the subject is no illustration.

Sorry. Just tickled my funny bone.

I'm not in the market for an appliance part, so if you say that nobody needs to see what they're buying - I'll take your word for it and let you continue with bogus SNADs - it sounds as if it's risky with or without pics.

THIS SPACE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK

partsman330 · ‎05-22-2019

It really is a risk. Every transaction is a literal gamble selling these parts and may end with total loss. The best part is when someone buys electronic parts and installs them and then returns them bc that's not what was wrong with their appliance (bc they are just guessing and using my parts to troubleshoot) as SNAD. I must throw that part away and its a total loss. I cannot re-sell installed parts. I can no longer sell it as "new" and selling "used" parts (for a much lower price) is even MORE of a headache and it's "used" the second someone has installed it even for a second. All the pics on earth cannot stop that.

dqdnvwe0 · ‎05-22-2019

@partsman330 wrote:
It really is a risk. Every transaction is a literal gamble selling these parts and may end with total loss. The best part is when someone buys electronic parts and installs them and then returns them bc that's not what was wrong with their appliance (bc they are just guessing and using my parts to troubleshoot) as SNAD. I must throw that part away and its a total loss. I cannot re-sell installed parts. I can no longer sell it as "new" and selling "used" parts (for a much lower price) is even MORE of a headache and it's "used" the second someone has installed it even for a second. All the pics on earth cannot stop that.

Oh THOSE parts?

I used to think like you, now I don't take that route...

Today I take a part like that and when it's returned I test it (that's the toughest bit, often it requires I have the actual machine on hand, many electronics parts can not be conclusively tested "good" just with multimeters), and the sad is it takes time to test them, used to be I had a whole row of what I called "bench machines" that sat there basically for the sole purpose of plugging in returned parts...

Now, if it tests good?

Guess what?
That's what big box stores call "customer returns," and they DO sell for just a fraction below retail (so a $20 item becomes $16 or $17 and yes there are people who will buy "New Other" or "Open Box" items).

These people know the item may have been "touched" or handled.

So long it's practically good as new, I will resell these parts and people do buy them.

Here again, and someone else mentioned it but pictures, pictures...

Sorry if it seems dishonest but I got tired of taking a total loss.

That same someone here mentioned "mitigating" risk, that's what this is all about.

We can't cut it out completely but we can diminish its impact.

Because either we mitigate our losses or we raise our prices to intolerable levels.

Which do you believe the consumer will side with?

equid0x · ‎05-22-2019

@partsman330 wrote:
You are 100% correct. There is absolutely no need to see these parts at all. Its honestly a very difficult thing to sell on here. I sell other items on here (sometimes) as well as many different platforms without such headaches. To buy appliance parts you MUST first look up the correct part number either yourself using a distributor or manufacturer's database or have a distributor/repairman tell you what the part number is. You cannot go on here and search "MAYTAG REFRIGERATOR DOOR HANDLE" or "KENMORE DRYER TIMER" and attempt to eyeball the part (and believe me, people 10000% try and file SNAD's which is why I do not bother to take pics of the part anymore). You MUST know what you need before you even attempt to search for it (by exact part number) which makes an uneducated buyer very difficult to deal with (and there are many). All the pictures on earth will not help someone who does not know what they need in the first place in regards to appliance parts. Many on this forum seem very uneducated as to how it works as well and it is an excellent illustration as to how difficult to can be selling this type of item on here w the current Ebay policies.

I've been saying for years that eBay probably should have spun off some of the sellers and their inventory into a B2B site. Part of the problem is that consumers are able to purchase parts that historically, would only have been made available to service personnel, and often times the buyers do not have enough knowledge to select the correct part themselves.

coolections · ‎05-22-2019

@partsman330 wrote:
There is absolutely no need to see these parts at all.

You're mistaken. Even with the part number I would never purchase your item without seeing a picture first to make sure it matches my old part. Even going to the auto parts store I always have them open the box so I can see the part before purchase. Go ahead and keep doing what your doing though as it is totally up to you.

robot-hands · ‎05-23-2019

@itsjustasprain wrote:
@monster-deals wrote:
Mitigating risk on something that has relatively no risk is micro-management nonsense.

You cannot weed out buyers that shouldn't be on ebay before they find you.
Oh come on. Instead of showing the item itself like any seller would do - the OP showed a picture of a box - then got mad at the buyer for guessing incorrectly about what was in the box.

One photo - just ONE photo - of the item would of shown the buyer that there was no handle on it. Then none of this would have happened. This is not rocket science.

Maybe. Maybe not.

You cannot counteract things you can't conceive of.

Like a buyer not having a clue what they are buying, or a helicopter crash.

Trust me. For every precaution you take, there are 100 more instances of stupid waiting to befall you.

Saving yourself from one that is someone else's fault, is not something to have a parade of thumbs about.

itsjustasprain · ‎05-23-2019

@coolections wrote:
@partsman330 wrote:
There is absolutely no need to see these parts at all.
You're mistaken. Even with the part number I would never purchase your item without seeing a picture first to make sure it matches my old part. Even going to the auto parts store I always have them open the box so I can see the part before purchase. Go ahead and keep doing what your doing though as it is totally up to you.

Please promise us you wont act all surprised the next time you get a buyer returning something becuase he thought it was included and it wasnt. I cant believe you would take the time to take a totally pointless photo of the box but not the item insiide it. Youre even saying that its an open box sale so you wont even be breaking a factory seal. Closeup photo of the label is a great idea. Photographing the whole box is a waste of time. People want to see whats IN it.

This thread is going off on all these other tangents but the bottom line is that if you had taken ONE PHOTO of the item in the box then the buyer would of seen that it does not come with a handle and he would of gone off elsewhere to find the handle or look at the part number a second time. ONE PHOTO would have avoided this whole mess. Instead you photograph the box? What was that intended to show?

itsjustasprain · ‎05-23-2019

@robot-hands wrote:
Like a buyer not having a clue what they are buying, or a helicopter crash.

Trust me. For every precaution you take, there are 100 more instances of stupid waiting to befall you.

Saving yourself from one that is someone else's fault, is not something to have a parade of thumbs about.

The buyer was expecting a handle. One photo would of shown him that that item did not include a handle. This is not complicated.

lasantino · ‎05-23-2019

I imagine being a parts seller is nightmare,,

if you think about it,, for the most part,, people that knew to order a part by part number,,were usually professionals. repair people and the like,, with the proliferation of online information,, everyone thinks they can learn to fix anything with a short visit to youtube university...lol

The problem is,, you have different levels of skilled people.. I myself, love being able to order by part number and not have to pay 5 times the price for the same part at a local parts dealer... I can pretty much fix most things, and have always liked taking things apart and seeing how things worked.. HOWEVER.. i realized about 5 years ago.. most people aren't like that!.. most people aren't curious , most people know what they know and that's all they want to know.. and unfortunately,, those people also sometimes are cheap.. so they get online and think they know what they are looking for and well.. they don't go to an actual manufacturer for the part, they come to ebay, and try and find the part,, and well.. parts sellers on ebay have it tough,, i'm sure..

lasantino · ‎05-23-2019

for items that aren't that heavy,, you should definitely consider offering free shipping free returns.. because every single one of the parts that is returned that was tried in but didn't fit,, ebay absolutely lets the seller deduct up to 50% of the price..

if the parts are heavy,, its not worth it,, but for sure,, for control boards, and switches and stuff,, you should for sure consider doing the free shipping free returns.. imho

lasantino · ‎05-23-2019

I absolutely am a customer that always looks for open box, or customer returns ,,, I save a ton of money that way,, ,, i'm gotten some awesome power tools over the years that way.. ,,(before the internet had entire websites dedicated to selling reconditioned tools).. 🙂

robot-hands · ‎05-24-2019

@itsjustasprain wrote:
@robot-hands wrote:
Like a buyer not having a clue what they are buying, or a helicopter crash.

Trust me. For every precaution you take, there are 100 more instances of stupid waiting to befall you.

Saving yourself from one that is someone else's fault, is not something to have a parade of thumbs about.
The buyer was expecting a handle. One photo would of shown him that that item did not include a handle. This is not complicated.

Only complicated for some.

AGAIN. Maybe, maybe not.

Buyer is a numpty, who knows what they thought.