I like eBay, and don't see how they were part of the problem. I'd contact the seller and take care of it. No worries any further than that, actually- 

My roster (locomotives & equipment) has been almost exclusively purchased over the years (primarily) from here on the FS board as well as eBay with probably 99% positive results. Have made friends here with many transactions as a bonus too! Am not able to get to many trains shows other than the two annual regional shows where often I'm able to trade for items I want.

I started using eBay back in '98 or '99 with a feedback score of 888 at present. Have only had one negative complaint against me due to a high shipping charge before I left for a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii for 2 weeks. Didn't have a smart phone or internet back then to reply, but was able to make up for my mistake upon my return. EBAy wouldn't delete the report however but it disappeared after a year..

Fleabay encourages Bidders to ask the Seller all questions in advance to be sure the item or parts you bid are what you want.  However, the Seller can ban your Fleabay account and/or rescind your Bid for any reason or no reason at all - including Bidders asking simple and non-controversial questions to a Seller or obtaining Fleabay contact info the Seller already makes available to Buyers.  Private Sellers on fleabay now seem easily annoyed, unwilling to discuss items they are selling, and are more willing to ban fleabay bidder/buyer accounts.  Fleabay's lack of action to protect Bidders/Buyers that ask simple questions results in Buyer distrust, an unfriendly buying environment, and "Let the Buyer Beware!"

I recently was banned by a Fleabay Seller acting as an Auction Agent for an Estate Sale in Milwaukee, WI because I briefly mentioned by email her O Scale Brass Locomotive Kit was missing parts and was incomplete.  The Seller did not own the Brass Locomotives or parts she was selling on Fleabay and had no interest or experience in the Model RR Hobby other than how to maximize her profit margin.  She banned my account for no apparent reason and did not respond to my request to be reinstated.  She apparently wanted to avoid problems she had caused by her misleading/deceptive description, did not correct nor acknowledge her error, and tried to keep her supposed "100% positive rating" by banning my account.  The result is the Estate she claimed to represent lost money on that auction item and other sales by her stopping me from bidding and a possible purchase.

A second fleabay Seller in Dayton, OH also banned my Fleabay account from his auctions for the strangest of reasons... I had met the Seller before at the O-Scale National Convention at Indianapolis and he seemed friendly at that time.  I recently won a Fleabay auction item from this Sellers Auction, quickly paid for it, and the Seller shipped without any problems the CLW Diesel Truck to me from his home address (he listed his return address), even though I only live 50 minutes away from his location. I later bid on another of this Seller's auctions for a much larger and heavier O-Scale all-Brass Diesel Frame and I emailed the Seller asking if I could stop by to check the fit for a matching Brass Kit I own and/or for local pickup after the auction. I often travel through the area he resides, and he replied he was not available that week because he first said he was driving that week for his job and later claimed he was supposedly moving.  I obtained his telephone contact info from fleabay from the prior sale and then emailed asking if I could stop by the next week instead.  The Seller banned my account because I had obtained his personal contact info (telephone number) he chose to list with fleabay and make available to Buyers like me - even though I already had his personal address from the prior sale.  I later found out the Seller lied about moving out of town, lied because he is a School Teacher and not a Transport Trucker, and he seems to have a paranoid personality.

The bottom line is that fleabay only supports Sellers because they provide fleabay revenue.  Fleabay does not warn Bidders/Buyers the rules/regulations have changed where Sellers can ban Bidder/Buyer accounts for any reason. Sellers are now allowed to remove their fleabay auction items as "No Longer Available" after bids were already placed and the Seller can immediately relist that removed item for a higher starting price - a classic bait-and-switch deceptive action.

I have a Lionel 38079, GS2 that will be listed on there and I assure you I don't sell junk  I upgraded it to 4 chuffs per revolution, added the Super Chuffer, blacked out the white walls, and enclosed the dual Fat Boys. It does NOT have a tether 

I do not buy things on eBay, I just can't trust people anymore

One note of confidence when dealing with low feedback sellers...something thats not apparent to the buyer.

These days for new seller accounts - eBay/PayPal keeps all the money until the product is delivered and feedback is given.

Not sure how long this probation lasts - but it does ensure you won't have fly-by-nighters fleecing buyers.

SDIV Tim posted:

I do not buy things on eBay, I just can't trust people anymore

I don't disagree with your point, but you could extend that to anything second-hand. We've all heard horror stories of buying stuff at train shows and getting it home to find it isn't what you thought (either the model type, function or stuff missing)...

Questor posted:

Fleabay encourages Bidders to ask the Seller all questions in advance to be sure the item or parts you bid are what you want.  However, the Seller can ban your Fleabay account and/or rescind your Bid for any reason or no reason at all - including Bidders asking simple and non-controversial questions to a Seller or obtaining Fleabay contact info the Seller already makes available to Buyers.  Private Sellers on fleabay now seem easily annoyed, unwilling to discuss items they are selling, and are more willing to ban fleabay bidder/buyer accounts.  Fleabay's lack of action to protect Bidders/Buyers that ask simple questions results in Buyer distrust, an unfriendly buying environment, and "Let the Buyer Beware!"

I recently was banned by a Fleabay Seller acting as an Auction Agent for an Estate Sale in Milwaukee, WI because I briefly mentioned by email her O Scale Brass Locomotive Kit was missing parts and was incomplete.  The Seller did not own the Brass Locomotives or parts she was selling on Fleabay and had no interest or experience in the Model RR Hobby other than how to maximize her profit margin.  She banned my account for no apparent reason and did not respond to my request to be reinstated.  She apparently wanted to avoid problems she had caused by her misleading/deceptive description, did not correct nor acknowledge her error, and tried to keep her supposed "100% positive rating" by banning my account.  The result is the Estate she claimed to represent lost money on that auction item and other sales by her stopping me from bidding and a possible purchase.

A second fleabay Seller in Dayton, OH also banned my Fleabay account from his auctions for the strangest of reasons... I had met the Seller before at the O-Scale National Convention at Indianapolis and he seemed friendly at that time.  I recently won a Fleabay auction item from this Sellers Auction, quickly paid for it, and the Seller shipped without any problems the CLW Diesel Truck to me from his home address (he listed his return address), even though I only live 50 minutes away from his location. I later bid on another of this Seller's auctions for a much larger and heavier O-Scale all-Brass Diesel Frame and I emailed the Seller asking if I could stop by to check the fit for a matching Brass Kit I own and/or for local pickup after the auction. I often travel through the area he resides, and he replied he was not available that week because he first said he was driving that week for his job and later claimed he was supposedly moving.  I obtained his telephone contact info from fleabay from the prior sale and then emailed asking if I could stop by the next week instead.  The Seller banned my account because I had obtained his personal contact info (telephone number) he chose to list with fleabay and make available to Buyers like me - even though I already had his personal address from the prior sale.  I later found out the Seller lied about moving out of town, lied because he is a School Teacher and not a Transport Trucker, and he seems to have a paranoid personality.

The bottom line is that fleabay only supports Sellers because they provide fleabay revenue.  Fleabay does not warn Bidders/Buyers the rules/regulations have changed where Sellers can ban Bidder/Buyer accounts for any reason. Sellers are now allowed to remove their fleabay auction items as "No Longer Available" after bids were already placed and the Seller can immediately relist that removed item for a higher starting price - a classic bait-and-switch deceptive action.

I sell on eBay and here on the forum.  Please, don't ever bid or purchase anything from me.  I couldn't possibly survive the onslaught of your diatribe.  You are mistaken about what happens after a seller cancels the auction when there have been bids.  The seller must sell the item to the buyer with the highest bid.  It's an eBay rule.  I have done it for buyers when bidding slows and they are anxious to receive the item.  Thanks for looking in.

Questor posted:

The bottom line is that fleabay only supports Sellers because they provide fleabay revenue.  Fleabay does not warn Bidders/Buyers the rules/regulations have changed where Sellers can ban Bidder/Buyer accounts for any reason.

Actually, this is totally false.  If anything, eBay is buyer-centric.  If you had bought and sold as much as I have on eBay, you'd know that by now.  It's actually reasonably hard to lose money as a buyer on eBay, but really easy to lose money as a seller if you are not delivering what you promise in good condition.

As far as banning your account, why in the world would a vendor do that without a good reason?  That makes absolutely no sense, and any seller that does that willy-nilly is just cutting off his nose (and profits).

This all sounds like sour grapes over a deal gone south.  My advice is to build a bridge, get over it, and move on.  FWIW, I don't poke sellers over details unless they affect my potential purchase.  If a seller was to block my bidding for submitting a question or pointing out an omission, that's a seller that I wouldn't want to deal with anyway, so I'm all good with that.

Jeff78rr posted:

I like eBay, and don't see how they were part of the problem. I'd contact the seller and take care of it. No worries any further than that, actually- 

The voice of reason. I don't think many are listening.

Pete

gunrunnerjohn posted:

As far as banning your account, why in the world would a vendor do that without a good reason?  That makes absolutely no sense, and any seller that does that willy-nilly is just cutting off his nose (and profits).

Lots of eBay sellers do this. I know of one vendor who will ban you if you give any them feedback other than 100% perfect. It's happened to two friends of mine who dared not to give them perfect scores for either shipping charges or timeframes.

They are a good vendor, you just dare not give them anything but stellar feedback if you do it at all.

I have actually made some friends through ebay some of the messages here are completely wrong it looks like nobody is going to learn anything from this thread. I just received nine hoppers from the USA no problems thanks ebay and more coming. I will keep using you forever but I also buy from US hobby shops as well. (No O scale in West Australia) Roo.

Call it what you want if it makes you feel better, seems like the hostility is little over-hyped IMO...I've bought nearly 200 items, mostly train related, including most of my prewar switchers. Bottom line for me: I LOVE eBay. I've gotten some good bargains and items that I thought were pretty rare and unique -everything from a PRR Tower sign, PRR "weird science" laboratory test box and a cast iron PRR station seal embosser, etc. I only had one issue with a used bookstore about a used Bruce Greenberg prewar book. The seller said I could send it back, but I ended up keeping it.  

Yes, definitely stay away if you you are not a fan...less competition is always good. 

Tom  

The key is to not bid on stuff that is likely to cause issues. I mostly limit eBay purchases to antique stuff, like things for my WW2 collection.

That's why I would never bid on a running locomotive except from a couple of commercial vendors I've dealt with on eBay that have done me well.

A little common sense is all that is required buying or selling

Problem is not with ebay, it’s  generally all the uninformed buyers and sellers that use it.

 You have to be educated on the desired item inside and out, check photos closely or request additional information when in doubt. There are also protection safeguards built into the service as well. You also need to know how to fix and overcome any slight unexpected issue.

 Bought and sold thousands of items on the bay since 1999. It’s been the only way to go for me especially with automated shipping and PayPal. Print labels in my home office and place free USPS boxes at the door for pick up. It is an instant, easy and efficient service. I saved thousands over the years by buying items well below cost.

 A+ for ebay despite all the nay Sayers.

All of my EBay dealings have been thru the Buy It Now feature, except the last item.  I placed a bid and got sniped in the last minute, isn't worth the hassle to me.

Bob Severin posted:

Questor posted:

Fleabay encourages Bidders to ask the Seller all questions in advance to be sure the item or parts you bid are what you want.  However, the Seller can ban your Fleabay account and/or rescind your Bid for any reason or no reason at all - including Bidders asking simple and non-controversial questions to a Seller or obtaining Fleabay contact info the Seller already makes available to Buyers.  Private Sellers on fleabay now seem easily annoyed, unwilling to discuss items they are selling, and are more willing to ban fleabay bidder/buyer accounts.  Fleabay's lack of action to protect Bidders/Buyers that ask simple questions results in Buyer distrust, an unfriendly buying environment, and "Let the Buyer Beware!"

I recently was banned by a Fleabay Seller acting as an Auction Agent for an Estate Sale in Milwaukee, WI because I briefly mentioned by email her O Scale Brass Locomotive Kit was missing parts and was incomplete.  The Seller did not own the Brass Locomotives or parts she was selling on Fleabay and had no interest or experience in the Model RR Hobby other than how to maximize her profit margin.  She banned my account for no apparent reason and did not respond to my request to be reinstated.  She apparently wanted to avoid problems she had caused by her misleading/deceptive description, did not correct nor acknowledge her error, and tried to keep her supposed "100% positive rating" by banning my account.  The result is the Estate she claimed to represent lost money on that auction item and other sales by her stopping me from bidding and a possible purchase.

A second fleabay Seller in Dayton, OH also banned my Fleabay account from his auctions for the strangest of reasons... I had met the Seller before at the O-Scale National Convention at Indianapolis and he seemed friendly at that time.  I recently won a Fleabay auction item from this Sellers Auction, quickly paid for it, and the Seller shipped without any problems the CLW Diesel Truck to me from his home address (he listed his return address), even though I only live 50 minutes away from his location. I later bid on another of this Seller's auctions for a much larger and heavier O-Scale all-Brass Diesel Frame and I emailed the Seller asking if I could stop by to check the fit for a matching Brass Kit I own and/or for local pickup after the auction. I often travel through the area he resides, and he replied he was not available that week because he first said he was driving that week for his job and later claimed he was supposedly moving.  I obtained his telephone contact info from fleabay from the prior sale and then emailed asking if I could stop by the next week instead.  The Seller banned my account because I had obtained his personal contact info (telephone number) he chose to list with fleabay and make available to Buyers like me - even though I already had his personal address from the prior sale.  I later found out the Seller lied about moving out of town, lied because he is a School Teacher and not a Transport Trucker, and he seems to have a paranoid personality.

The bottom line is that fleabay only supports Sellers because they provide fleabay revenue.  Fleabay does not warn Bidders/Buyers the rules/regulations have changed where Sellers can ban Bidder/Buyer accounts for any reason. Sellers are now allowed to remove their fleabay auction items as "No Longer Available" after bids were already placed and the Seller can immediately relist that removed item for a higher starting price - a classic bait-and-switch deceptive action.

I sell on eBay and here on the forum.  Please, don't ever bid or purchase anything from me.  I couldn't possibly survive the onslaught of your diatribe.  You are mistaken about what happens after a seller cancels the auction when there have been bids.  The seller must sell the item to the buyer with the highest bid.  It's an eBay rule.  I have done it for buyers when bidding slows and they are anxious to receive the item.  Thanks for looking in.

Once again, a veiled threat - this time from eBay Seller Severin who says "don't ever bid or purchase anything from me" only because I discuss a current problem with 2 other Sellers and yet he accuses me of a "diatribe". 

I know about this "seller cancels the auction when there have been bids" because it happened to me with BOTH of the examples I provided where I was the only Bidder at that time. Both times the Sellers re-listed their auction items.

I telephoned Fleabay Customer Service to complain about the cancelled bids with re-listed items and then found out my account had been banned from any of those Seller auctions without notice from Fleabay or those Sellers. The Fleabay CSRs checked all my email communications with both Sellers and did not find any wrong or insulting with what I said or how I said it when I asked about these items being sold by the Fleabay Sellers.

Fleabay CSRs said they could not do anything about the account bans because the Seller can cancel an auction at any time for any reason.  Fleabay CSRs took my complaints and supposedly forwarded them for management review, but also said I would not receive any updates regarding my complaints or actions Fleabay may or may not take. 

Fleabay has gone downhill on customer support within the past 5 years and did not always ignore Bidders/Buyers the way they do now. I have been on Fleabay since 1996, still have the "100% positive rating", and now realize how arbitrary and inconsistent Fleabay really is for enforcing their own policies.

p51 posted:

gunrunnerjohn posted:

As far as banning your account, why in the world would a vendor do that without a good reason?  That makes absolutely no sense, and any seller that does that willy-nilly is just cutting off his nose (and profits).

Lots of eBay sellers do this. I know of one vendor who will ban you if you give any them feedback other than 100% perfect. It's happened to two friends of mine who dared not to give them perfect scores for either shipping charges or timeframes.

They are a good vendor, you just dare not give them anything but stellar feedback if you do it at all.

I can live without one seller just fine.  If he doesn't deserve 100% feedback, he doesn't get it!  I'm not that dependent on one ornery eBay vendor that having him block me is going to make a significant impact.  There are a thousand that will be glad to get the business he's turning away.

Questor posted:

Bob Severin posted:

I sell on eBay and here on the forum.  Please, don't ever bid or purchase anything from me.  I couldn't possibly survive the onslaught of your diatribe.  You are mistaken about what happens after a seller cancels the auction when there have been bids.  The seller must sell the item to the buyer with the highest bid.  It's an eBay rule.  I have done it for buyers when bidding slows and they are anxious to receive the item.  Thanks for looking in.

Once again, a veiled threat - this time from eBay Seller Severin who says "don't ever bid or purchase anything from me" only because I discuss a current problem with 2 other Sellers and yet he accuses me of a "diatribe".

HUH?  Why did you leave of the Please that Bob included?  If you consider that a threat, how in the world do you ever get outside your door without breaking out in hives?

Mr. Questor, there was nothing veiled in my post.  "Please, don't ever bid or purchase anything from me."  It was merely a request, or perhaps a plea.  I just don't think I could deal with a buyer, such as you describe yourself.  Methinks thou art experiencing much paranoia in your experiences at this popular auction site.  There are countless thousands, and perhaps millions of satisfied and happy members that have made, and continue to make great deals there.  And, this is done, for the most part, without much negative discourse.  

And, with that said, I bid you, adieu.   

Well I hope no one asks why this thread was deleted...and it was actually going pretty well.

Marty, now you've done it. Bye, bye.

Questor posted:

 Private Sellers on fleabay now seem easily annoyed, unwilling to discuss items they are selling, and are more willing to ban fleabay bidder/buyer accounts.  Fleabay's lack of action to protect Bidders/Buyers that ask simple questions results in Buyer distrust, an unfriendly buying environment, and "Let the Buyer Beware!"

The bottom line is that fleabay only supports Sellers because they provide fleabay revenue.  Fleabay does not warn Bidders/Buyers the rules/regulations have changed where Sellers can ban Bidder/Buyer accounts for any reason.

Something to consider.... With the eBay buyer protection policy, eBay will side with the buyer in disputes. Once I had to pay return shipping on a postwar transformer because the horn/whistle button didn't work. The buyer told me in email he had an MPC GP7 that never even came with a horn to begin with, so it would never matter what transformer he bought. The whistle button did work when I got it back and tested it. As a seller, I'll block any bidder for asking any stupid question or if I even get a hint that they'll be trouble as a high bidder when the auction ends. Complain all you want about how unfair it is, there are two sides to every story.

Bob Severin posted:

Marty, now you've done it. Bye, bye.

I've done nothing. A simple observation.  Hope I'm wrong.

Sometimes, the unsaid truths, are better left unsaid.

SDIV Tim posted:

I do not buy things on eBay, I just can't trust people anymore.

It is not just the bay,  those other auctions are not saints either. 

SDIV Tim posted:

I do not buy things on eBay, I just can't trust people anymore

Well then you better stop all buying period. as even some rock & mortar stores are just as bad. You look at a seller's feedback as a seller not a whole. You ask questions. Then if it is not as you had asked and he has stated you goto Ebay and he will have to refund all your money including the return postage if he wants it back. What brick and mortar store will do that? Not many. 

Yes there is untrustworthy people thinking they can get rid of junk on ebay, there everywhere. so either you stop buying completely or you find the ones that you trust as brick & mortar stores and to me Ebay as ebay has the buyers backs and actually will defend them and trash on the seller most times. I know as I had to pay return shipping once because someone lied about the product condition and there wasn't a thing wrong with it. The seller is actually more at risk then the buyer now days on Ebay.

Bob Delbridge posted:

All of my EBay dealings have been thru the Buy It Now feature, except the last item.  I placed a bid and got sniped in the last minute, isn't worth the hassle to me.

Bob, almost everything I sell there is a buy-it-now, with an option to make your best offer.  I think it's the way to go as a seller.  Some folks just use the BIN and never bother making an offer.  Perhaps, I'm making things too cheap?   

So, isn't this all about the risks we've assumed/embraced as a result of our growing penchant for buying stuff online?  ...Instead of getting off our gluteus maximus and attending live auctions...or 'brick & mortar' stores...to see firsthand an item we'd consider buying, to talk face-to-face with the seller, to increase the odds of having a satisfactory transaction?  ...And, now, having encouraged/embraced this new buying/selling paradigm, realize it has (GASP!) faults?  

In essence, isn't it true that...

????

IMHO, I think "Fleabay" has become a 'whipping-boy' for this relatively new marketing/retailing paradigm we're growing accustomed to.  Everything offered online is just so many picture(s), descriptive (?) words, two-dimensional blather, impersonal communication, Comme ci, comme ça, risky rewards, etc., etc..

Hey, it's soooooo enjoyable to push a few keys, have an item show up on our doorstep, ....all while padding about in our bunny slippers and pajamas..., and not have to drive those 20-200-2000 miles to see our prospective purchase firsthand, talk to a real, live knowledgeable (hopefully) human being face-to-face.  

Of course, there is this potential consequence.....

Rats!  Another perfect solution eludes us!....

Then you have ones like me. Closes train shop is at least 50 miles away ( and that one I would be afraid to go in lol) next closest is over 100 miles away. Auction for trains if you're lucky an auction may have them around here but don't count on it. train show about 150 - 200 miles from here when they have them. When I lived in VA. I mainly went to the train shop and got to know the owner real well. Even helped him out from time to time. But that isn't available around here. Also the south is not a very big market for trains like the west and the north is ( including areas like Mich., ohio )

And most I know would not drive 50+ miles to see if they have what you want. 

...Instead of getting off our gluteus maximus and attending live auctions...or 'brick & mortar' stores...to see firsthand an item we'd consider buying, to talk face-to-face with the seller, to increase the odds of having a satisfactory transaction?

LOL.... live auctions...... I've burnt myself a couple of times at live auctions. Didn't preview an item properly. Missed some damage. And I've never been to a live auction with a test track. Every thing is as-is. 
There is no buyer protection.

Yet I still attend the occasional auction.

I've had a long experience on ebay as both a buyer and a seller. There is no doubt at all that it is a market that provides more buyer protection than most. The tendency to protect buyers rather than sellers began when the feedback system was overhauled to prevent retaliatory feedback from sellers.

My worst experiences were when top bidders failed to carry through with the purchase. You don't loose money when that happens, but it's a real nuisance! And not uncommon, especially on big ticket items.

I've also had a credit card sale reversed on me. Again, ebay made that good but it takes time.

Also failure to ship after I made payment for an item. Once more, ebay makes that good, but another real nuisance for a buyer. 

While I don't do ebay much any more, that is because of atrociously high international shipping charges and the fact too many shippers refuse to ship to Canada at all.

Ebay is not the evil place so many here like to make it out as. 

Norton posted:

Jeff78rr posted:

I like eBay, and don't see how they were part of the problem. I'd contact the seller and take care of it. No worries any further than that, actually- 

The voice of reason. I don't think many are listening.

Pete

Thank you Jeff. You are correct about it being solely, the seller's fault and that's who I contacted. He was very professional and genuinely sorry I received the wrong item. 

NSDTrains posted:

Norton posted:

Jeff78rr posted:

I like eBay, and don't see how they were part of the problem. I'd contact the seller and take care of it. No worries any further than that, actually- 

The voice of reason. I don't think many are listening.

Pete

Thank you Jeff. You are correct about it being solely, the seller's fault and that's who I contacted. He was very professional and genuinely sorry I received the wrong item. 

 

I offered this view earlier on in this thread and yours is the perfect example of this.

Sometimes honest mistakes happen and those are the folks will typically go the extra mile to make it right as long as a good communication path is established.

Glad it went the way you wanted, and the way it should go- sounds like everything went in your direction. Thanks for posting the follow up to this-

Before this discussion gets closed,  I only had three bad experiences in ebay out of over a thousand. All were resoled. One the seller had photos of a NYC F3 AA 2344 in exc condition and when I received it it wasn't the locomotive pictured but a basket case. He tried telling ebay I switched them lol.  Incidentally he was getting negatives which I didn't check which was my fault and his account was closed shortly after. Two others wanted me to file a claim with the PO which was not the cause of damage so I returned for refunds. And a couple of brick and mortar dealer as well so you're taking a chance when you order online or by mail but your more likely to have  a good experience than bad.

I buy most of my stuff off EBAY, never had any troubles yet. Went to a train show, bought a nice in the box $100 Lionel loco, two power truck; got it home it didn't run. Drove it 90 miles and a tank of gas, plus food, to the nearest Hobby Shop, another $100 for 2 new power trucks. My $100 loco turned into about a $300 loco. So don't blame the Bay, it just buyer beware. If your land locked like I am, you rely on these places for your hobby needs. We have so little to choose from here in the boonies of Arkansas. 

Bob Severin posted:

Bob Delbridge posted:

All of my EBay dealings have been thru the Buy It Now feature, except the last item.  I placed a bid and got sniped in the last minute, isn't worth the hassle to me.

Bob, almost everything I sell there is a buy-it-now, with an option to make your best offer.  I think it's the way to go as a seller.  Some folks just use the BIN and never bother making an offer.  Perhaps, I'm making things too cheap?   

Actually Bob you're right on the money. Most of the items that I purchase are the BIN option, with a Best Offer also, if the price is fair I will not lowball the seller with a "Best Offer",  I look at items and  would truly feel bad if I made an offer lower than what he/she was asking. Some people like yourself price things right and there is no reason to submit any kind of an offer, but then there are those who will bargain with you right down to the last penny just to say I saved 2 cents! It's people like yourself that I truly enjoy doing business with.

Interesting thread. As  I am in the UK my only sources for purchases are on here, USA based stores or the Bay.

Of all the transactions I have done on Ebay for trains I have never been scammed, never had a problem that wasn’t quickly resolved and have got many a bargain.

Maybe i have just been lucky!!