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-   -   What to ask from eBay/Craigslist/etc VCR sellers? (https://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/video-capture/13386-ask-ebay-craigslist.html)

Sunk 03-21-2023 03:41 PM

What to ask from eBay/Craigslist/etc VCR sellers?
 
While I understand that this forum's marketplace is a better platform to get your decks from compared to Ebay and its clones, I've been holding on to this thought for quite a while now.

I hail from Russia myself, meaning that any sort of transaction via non-Russian forum members is strictly unavailable for me right now (and who knows when it will be...). Because of this, I have to rely solely on the flea marketplaces, local Ebay clones, so to speak. If I'll be getting a new VCR at some point in the future, what sort of questions should I ask the seller before buying the unit?

I know that simply having it play a tape is not considered a sign of it behaving correctly, nor is the seemingly clear picture (especially since most, if not all of them, film the footage on their phones), and I also fully understand that a very tiny percentage of them would be willing to waste their time to inspect the unit proper, since quick bucks are in priority. Another issue stems from the fact that many sellers are not tech-savvy and, again, simply want to get rid of their old stuff. I, however, am just interested in what would the "main" questions one should ask.

I feel this thread might be useful for those in the same sitch as I am at the moment.

lordsmurf 03-21-2023 04:27 PM

The problem here is that you don't know what you don't know. You don't know what questions to ask, and you don't know how to digest the responses given (if any). I know you asking here, but it's not that easy. It's never a simple 1/2/3 checklist, but requires some educated Q&A to move the conversation along the path of discovery.

I can ask questions, and the tiniest mention, even just a single word (literally), can be red flags to me. Note: Questions. You ask one, then get a response, then another, then repeat. The seller is rarely willing to do this, usually because they're afraid if being "found out" that it's junk.

So at the end of the day, buying VCRs is entirely about trust. Random eBay/etc sellers have not earned it, do not deserve it blindly. And almost none of them ever will earn it. Many (MANY!) bad dealings have shown this repeatedly, for too many years now.

Realize that most sellers are not the original owners. So they tend to know nothing about the decks. Most are lazy, and never even clean the exterior. Decks often come with dead bugs inside, spider webs, etc. I'm not exaggerating here.

If they plug it in, and see any lights, it's "working".

If "working", then these people will force in a random retail tape (Home Alone, Star Wars, whatever was $1 at the thrift store), and look for any sort of image and audio. Regardless of how bad it looks or sounds, it's deemed "tested" if they see/hear anything at all. When you ask your Q&A, assuming they answers at all, you'll usually get the most obtuse and unhelpful descriptions. For example: "I see some noise" or "It seems fine to me", both 100% useless replies. What noise? Why do you consider it "fine"?

So for starters, you can ask for details on exactly what was tested, and how. Odds are you'll get no response. At best, brushed off with a brief worthless reply (as you're not worth their time; they want to sell crap/stuff, not answer questions!).

Every now and again, you'll get a lie for a reply. However, those lies can be easy to spot, just copy/paste it in to Google. Odds are it was stolen text from other members of this very site. Again, not joking, not exaggerating, it's happen often in recent past years. You can tell this easily at times. When the reply goes from "let me check 4 u" to an actual educated response, you were copy/pasted. I've seen my own long writings copied word for word, used as eBay descriptions. DMCA there.

Being in Russia is quite the situation at the moment. Too many people, too many places, find themselves the victim of their own leaders stupidity, greed, narcissism, etc. I'm somewhat utopian minded here, due to Star Trek and Macross/Robotech. We have a true global community, and tribalism will be our undoing. I try to help whoever I can, wherever they are.

Sunk 03-21-2023 04:53 PM

I agree that it's always a gamble when it comes to buying from Ebay and similar websites.

Many sellers here sometimes refuse to send valuable tech via mail, citing that the responsibility in that case would be on them and that the buyer will be disappointed and is going to leave a negative review. Sure, we have our own buyer protection, but if something gets damaged or lost in transit, neither the seller, nor the buyer would be at fault. (unless the buyer blames the seller and not the mail first thing)

I scan video game covers as a hobby, so when I bought a scanner last year, I knew there might be damage like scratched glass. The person who sold me the scanner had insisted on me meeting in person first and testing it in their home, but since I live quite far from them, we agreed on shipping ONLY after I'd fully pay them in advance and all the responsibility from them would be lifted.

lordsmurf 03-21-2023 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunk (Post 89712)
refuse to send valuable tech via mail, citing that the responsibility in that case would be on them and that the buyer will be disappointed and is going to leave a negative review.

This is often due to ignorance from the seller. If we can buy a 75" HDTV from Amazon, they can certainly send a VCR without it getting damaged.

The main difference is
(A) how it's packed,
(B) how it's shipped.

If you throw it into a random flimsy Amazon or USPS flat rate box, then send it UPS Ground (yes, using USPS boxes for UPS is illegal, yet often done), then the item is almost guaranteed to arrive massively damaged.

Safety is about packing, time in transit, and method.

The most savvy sellers know which services are bad where, which is a skill I've learned over the past decades. For example, sometimes USPS Parcel (ground) is smarter than UPS overnight, to certain locations.

The largest of items need Fedex Freight, pallets, and special packing checks (like tip gauges).

Quote:

Sure, we have our own buyer protection, but if something gets damaged or lost in transit, neither the seller, nor the buyer would be at fault. (unless the buyer blames the seller and not the mail first thing)
This is why the eBay "buyer protection" is not flawless. There are loopholes that get exploited by scummy sellers, such as the Houston VCR scammer (multiple usernames), or the rude clueless electronics recycler in Oregon (tracktowntreasures). They try to exploit the system, prey on buyers suckers. Claims can literally drag on for months, and sometimes not in your favor, or not 100% in your favor. Furthermore, most people don't realize eBay has tiers of buyers and sellers. Most folks are in the lowest tier (really a non-tier), and don't get treated very well (or fast) from support.

Quote:

I scan video game covers as a hobby, so when I bought a scanner last year, I knew there might be damage like scratched glass. The person who sold me the scanner had insisted on me meeting in person first and testing it in their home, but since I live quite far from them, we agreed on shipping ONLY after I'd fully pay them in advance and all the responsibility from them would be lifted.
At the end of the day, none of that matters. It's about trust, and it's about the quality of the packing and shipping.

For example, for a scanner (assuming flatbed), you must have a thin non-scratch foam between the glass and lid, just like the manufacturer did.

In general, for expensive items (be it TBCs or MIB G1 Transformers), double box is ideal, and any damage/force to the outer box should not carry through to the inner. A non-tight buffer is needed. Same for the inner box. The item should have good packing material, but not so tight as to carry shock to the inner. But it also depends on the piece. When you truly know the hardware, you know the crumple zones, risk areas that need most protection.

That's what I do when I sell gear to other forum members. Many have joked that it took them 30 minutes to open my careful packaging. I refer to my work as "cardboard safes", and it requires time, special packing materials, and knowledge of the gear. You won't get that from John Q. Dipshit on eBay, Cragislist, or wherever.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunk (Post 89712)
I scan video game covers as a hobby,

BTW, I have all my game boxes and instruction books (and other documentation included), dating back before the Atari 2600. When you get older, you get money, so I splurged on games heavily in the 90s. So I not only have typical games like Atari and NES from 70s-80s, but also Atari Jaguar, Atari Lynx, Sega Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket, and others. (Yeah, lots of portables, had a job then with travel, lots of downtime, nothing to do but read, games. The era long before smart phones!) If you have any specific requests, PM me. I will not be fast at this, low priority. But it's something I could do, for example, when I set up my scanner in coming months, for a family scanning project.

Xhumeka 03-22-2023 08:52 AM

+1 about building trust with the seller and closely reading through all previous feedback. Also watch out for sellers with a bunch of positive feedback on low value items, but no previous sales for higher priced/fragile items.

After 6 months of searching locally, I took the risk and recently bought two VCRs from eBay that I couldn't find in Canada. One of them (an SDV-650 ) I was pretty confident in what I was receiving... I messaged the seller a few times and he stated "I purchased this VCR around 2002 and lightly used it for the first couple of years then put in storage for the past 18 years - I took it out recently and it's still in good working condition. Selling it because I no longer have a need for it." The seller had previously sold vintage electronics and had 100 percent positive feedback with almost 400 items sold.

The other one I took a bigger risk on, but luckily it paid off. An HR-S7900U - new seller (as of Jan 2023) with only a handful of feedback only related to small items such as DVDs etc. No history of the unit was provided, so based on the risk level, I put in a bid that I was comfortable with and I was surprised to win the auction. I guess everyone else was hesitant to bid for the same reasons.

So to sum it up in poker terms, consider your "pot odds" for risky auctions and always look for tells from sellers who may be bluffing!! ;)


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