Typical eBay VCR seller attitude!
We got this email last year, and I found it amusing: :laugh:
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He had 3 pitiful wrecked consumer VHS VCRs, and not even the suggested models. Just overpriced junk that probably came from an estate sale or garage sale. I didn't follow the auctions, but wouldn't at all be surprised if none had sold for even 99 cents. That is the typical attitude of many VCR seller on eBay. :rolleyes: - Facts about video/VCRs are inconvenient. - It "works" if the power LED lights up, or has any video/audio signal (even if poor quality). - Many never reply to questions, you're just a bother. - Many act as if they're doing you a favor by selling the unknown/broken condition deck. This isn't the 1st time something like this has happened in recent years. :screwy: In fact, in the past year, quite a few sellers are just plagiarizing posts they find on this site (many of them my writings), in order to sell their wares. I've reported a few of those, gotten the auction taken down. Our forum has almost weekly stories these days about getting burned on eBay, usually from a bad VCR, or TBC, or capture card. The stuff is almost never tested, often not working correctly. As a buyer, be aware of the problem. Ask questions, and move on if given no answers. Understand that many of these people know no more than you do, often less since you obviously are on this site (and have likely read up about VCRs). Buyer beware ... because many sellers are liars and pricks. :unsure: |
Thanks, but these disreputable sellers are shooting themselves in the foot if they sell a broken deck on eBay, which has a money back guarantee. Even if a seller does not offer returns, you can get your money back if the product is not in the condition stated. A listing with "no returns" just means you cannot return it for any other reason, like if the color of the VCR doesn't match the TV cabinet. Smart swindlers would be better off writing "for parts only".
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Bump. Still relevant.
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This was shared with me yesterday, text from an interaction with a seller:
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Important note: Sellers have groupthink, get together to discuss how to screw over buyers. There are literally seller forums on eBay where this happens, in public view, in the open. :2cents: This "as is" / "gamble" was $300 per VCR. Incredulous. :huh1: Just a person looking for money, zero knowledge of video, no care about the buyer, no desire to make sure any of us in the capture community have a good experience. This is why you buy from reputable sources, not fleabay. Thankfully, this person will be using one of my decks, not getting screwed over and wasting time on random garbage. |
Having said that, I don't blame sellers who sell a perfectly working VCR as "for parts", There are confused and clueless buyers who don't know how to use things and think they are defective, as well as parts scammers who take what they need from a piece of equipment and file a claim and have the VCR returned at the seller's expense.
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I'm not going to make excuses for bad sellers, or accept their lazy BS attitude. Video capturing has a community, and they prey on us with their lies and ignorance. To them, we're just a piggy bank, rather than fellow travelers in this niche hobby or DIY task. Unknown condition gear should not sell for $300+, and yet it does. In turn, all that does is drive up costs for refurb'ing, as it often takes 2+ decks to make 1 "new" good deck. Greedflation starts at the bottom, and these are the bottom dwellers/feeders of our corner of the internet. Those $15 Goodwill decks are a better buy, when the only alternative is $300+ e-waste. Better a lousy picture than no picture. But neither should be pursued, both are different shades of junk. I cannot write it enough: "tested" and "working" is total horseshit, at least 9 times out of 10. :hypno: So when you see "untested", it really means "THIS JUNK IS BROKE! (But I hope you're a sucker enough to buy anyway! Gimme yo money!)" |
Oh, I know, I know. Here is one junk's seller that promotes thrift store crap using high sold prices on eBay as if that's the average price to lure newbies into buying his crap, I was just referring to legit sellers who don't want to get burned.
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