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Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: mattv on July 21, 2004, 04:34:41 pm

Title: Uh-oh, I think I may have just been ripped off on ebay
Post by: mattv on July 21, 2004, 04:34:41 pm
You ever get that gnawing feeling in the pit of your stomach when you feel you have been had?

Well, I'm starting to get that feeling.

I was pretty keen to get some new arcade buttons to replace the slightly ratty ones in my newest cab but Happ have been a bit slack recently and shipping is V expensive, so I found this guy on e-bay selling them at a good price (new)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=13718&item=6109382211&rd=1 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=13718&item=6109382211&rd=1)

Sent him an e-mail to confirm shipping costs which worked out pretty good so I used the "buy now" to order 30 of them and paid with my CC via paypal

That was over a week ago and I haven't heard from him since - the guy has over 1000 positive feedbacks, why did he choose to pick on me?

Has anyone had to use the "safetrader" thing on ebay? If I don't hear from him in the next few days I guess that wil be my only choice.

Anyway - if anyone is thinking of buying buttons from this guy,  "tornadoterrysdot" you might want to hold fire and see what happens to me.

Title: Re:Uh-oh, I think I may have just been ripped off on ebay
Post by: Jakobud on July 21, 2004, 04:38:44 pm
Looks legitimate to me.  Just give it time.  Its probably in the mail.  Anyways, you probably have fraud protection on your credit card.
Title: Re:Uh-oh, I think I may have just been ripped off on ebay
Post by: darktemp on July 21, 2004, 04:39:22 pm
The guy is clearly a reputable seller.  Instead of posting here why not email him?
Title: Re:Uh-oh, I think I may have just been ripped off on ebay
Post by: SirPeale on July 21, 2004, 04:40:06 pm
You say that *you* haven't heard from *him* but have you tried contacting him again since then?

When you email, are you using a Hotmail or Yahoo account?  You might be getting filtered accidentally as Spam.

eBay will give you additional contact information, such as telephone numbers, to make it easier to follow up on such matters.  You may want to try that failing email.

Finally, email *does* get lost, and with the volume of business this guy appears to be doing, it could very well be that it just got shuffled off somewhere.
Title: Re:Uh-oh, I think I may have just been ripped off on ebay
Post by: rdagger on July 21, 2004, 04:45:47 pm
Contact him using Ebay to send him a message instead of emailing him directly.  Ask him to do the same.  This will insure that the emails are not getting blocked.  Ask him to confirm your address.
Title: Re:Uh-oh, I think I may have just been ripped off on ebay
Post by: SirPeale on July 21, 2004, 04:53:39 pm
Contact him using Ebay to send him a message instead of emailing him directly.  Ask him to do the same.  This will insure that the emails are not getting blocked.  Ask him to confirm your address.

The problem with this method is that eBay uses your address as the 'from' address.  It can still get blocked that way.  Had that happend a few days ago.
Title: Re:Uh-oh, I think I may have just been ripped off on ebay
Post by: zaphod on July 21, 2004, 05:05:20 pm
I ordered a fair number of buttons from him a month ago.  Had them in my hands three days after my purchase.  I'd try emailing him again.  Did he already leave you feedback?  As soon as I paid, he added feedback.  I assume your Paypal has been charged successfully?
Title: Re:Uh-oh, I think I may have just been ripped off on ebay
Post by: Nannuu on July 21, 2004, 05:06:38 pm
I've met Tornado Terry as have a few other board members.  Very very nice guy.  You shouldn't get ripped off.  He also has a very nice arcade :).
Title: Re:Uh-oh, I think I may have just been ripped off on ebay
Post by: MameMaster! on July 21, 2004, 05:08:06 pm
....many times busy ebay sellers just ship stuff out w/o responding to email.

Give it a couple of more days.....

Good Luck!

MameMaster!  8)
Title: Re:Uh-oh, I think I may have just been ripped off on ebay
Post by: Bgnome on July 21, 2004, 05:14:38 pm
yeah, its been a disturbing trend lately but it seems most ebay sellers dont really communicate with you.  i usually just get the generic "thank you for winning, gimme money" email and then nothing until the item shows up in the mail.
Title: Re:Uh-oh, I think I may have just been ripped off on ebay
Post by: RayB on July 21, 2004, 06:51:31 pm
Jeez. 1 week and you jump to the conclusion you've been ripped off? On what basis? Where is he located and where are you located? What's the exact date and time you placed your order?

I sell CD-ROMs online and I DO NOT contact my customers when they purchase a CD. I don't have time to write out emails to every customer. I just take the order then ship it out without contact. Maybe that's how he operates too.

~Ray B.

PS: I also don't process orders on the weekend.
Title: Re:Uh-oh, I think I may have just been ripped off on ebay
Post by: pointdablame on July 21, 2004, 07:08:08 pm
I'll have to agree with everyone else here.  A week ago would be last wednesday.  Assuming he got it in the mail thursday, you're only looking at 4 or 5 business days depending on who he shipped with.  He also may only ship once or twice a week so it may not have went out til Friday or some such.

Give it a few more days.
Title: Re:Uh-oh, I think I may have just been ripped off on ebay
Post by: mattv on July 21, 2004, 07:18:52 pm
Thanks for all your replies - I'm not feeling so worried now.

I did not realise that "ebay mail" picks up your e-mail address and sends via that, I had been using a yahoo account so its very likley that everything I sent to him got spam filtered.
I have changed my account to use a "proper" e-mail address to avoid this problem in future.

It wasn't the time that concerned me (i'm in NZ so shipping will probably take 10 days at the very  least), what had me worried was that I had not heard anything back from the requests for confirmation.
And by the sounds of it he had never received those requests thanks to my yahoo account.

I have taken your advice Zaphod and checked feedback which has been posted

So i'd say it's starting to look more and more like I've just made a fool of myself.

Will let you all know when the buttons arrive to CONFIRM that I have made a fool of myself


Title: Re:Uh-oh, I think I may have just been ripped off on ebay
Post by: quarterstringer on July 21, 2004, 07:21:47 pm
I purchased two separate items, a trackball and the same pushbuttons from tornadoterrysdot with Buy it Now. Both times the items arrived within a week. I wouldn't worry about it, I would buy from him again.
Title: Re:Uh-oh, I think I may have just been ripped off on ebay
Post by: Ken Layton on July 21, 2004, 07:24:55 pm
It's also summertime. If the guy is a large seller maybe he took a vacation for a week or two.
Title: Re:Uh-oh, I think I may have just been ripped off on ebay
Post by: GameDork on July 21, 2004, 08:41:20 pm
If I'm not mistaken, I bought a JAMMA harness from him a while back with no problems
Title: Re:Uh-oh, I think I may have just been ripped off on ebay
Post by: MasTequila on July 21, 2004, 09:01:27 pm
I got buttons from him as well and he didn't send an email after I don't think but I got a UPS tracking number to follow it, took 3 days.

~Mas
Title: Re:Uh-oh, I think I may have just been ripped off on ebay
Post by: mcdo15 on July 21, 2004, 09:36:52 pm
i almost brought from him...

he did answer all my question upon asking him.  

try 123gumby123 i think is his name...great ebayer... sells buttons for 1.59 or 1.69