eBay buying risks???

[NickyKnack]

There's a lot of great peeps here! Feel free to ask lots of questions. But most of all, make yourself at home. I'm so glad you decided to join the BYC family. I look forward to seeing you around the run.

 

[redpennies15]

Did you buy a heat lamp? Or have you tried buying anything on eBay yet? If so, how did it go?

 

[RainForestBird]

Just because Ebay gives them a "Top Seller" rating doesn't mean that they are honest or their products are well made. I have had terrible luck with both poultry supplies and hatching eggs. I ordered an egg turner 2 months ago that took forever to get from Minnesota to Washington State. Then it was missing parts, the seller would not respond to my emails so I had to open a case. Ebay eventually ruled in my favor after making me wait the allotted number of business days for the seller to respond. They sent me a return postage paid shipping label. I checked in the resolution center and it said my item had been received by the seller. I received no refund, I finally checked the USPS website with the tracking number and it said that the item was undeliverable as addressed. Trying to contact Ebay is next to impossible because the website sends you in circles when the system thinks your item was not received yet by the seller. You need a confirmation number to get through and the number they give you only works for a few hours, you can't re-use the same phone number. PayPal tells you to report the problem to Ebay so you can't go through them instead, because their system routes you back to Ebay. Checking the seller's feedback is a very good idea, click on the number of negative feedbacks and you'll be able to read the comments. So a seller can sell thousands of items and the negative feedback gets lost because most buyers give positive feedback regardless of how bad the service is. I've read horrible feedback and the seller gives four stars. If they sell enough, Ebay rates them well regardless of how bad they are. They don't care as long as they are paying outrageous seller fees.

Likewise with the products that I receive that are basically junk if they aren't a recognizable brand, the hatching eggs are atrocious. I've received Button Quail packed in jumbo chicken egg cartons with no bubble wrap, or even tape or a rubber band around the carton. I'm all for re-using packaging, but to a point, if the product being mailed is not sacrificed in the name of eco consciousness. One seller put quail eggs in a plastic egg holder, but didn't bother to wrap them, he threw some shredded newspaper on top of them, and the eggs were broken and leaking all over the few eggs that managed to arrive whole. Even well wrapped eggs don't hatch. I prefer Craig's List. Finding a local person that cares enough to hand off a live item with instructions on how to take care of it, and where it actually came from-you see the parents- is far better when it comes acquiring to living things. Then you can always check back with that breeder at a later date if you like what you purchased, and the service you received. Buying online takes the humanity out of the quotient and I'd rather not buy a living thing from a machine.

I'm sorry for being so negative, what a bad day-3 dozen eggs and not a pip after 24 days of carefully turning and watching temperature and humidity. All of them Ebay eggs.