Never buy from those who use stock photos for books. I sell books on eBay (mostly signed or First Edition) and I NEVER accept the stock photos for my listings. I take a photo of the front and back of the DJ, front and back panels, title page, and copyright page at a minimum. I also include a detailed listing of faults. Finally, I wrap every book in bubble wrap even if it goes in a box or a padded mailer afterwards.
P.S. eBay is very slanted towards buyers, so you should easily have gotten a full refund with no return shipping cost if you filed a "not as described" claim.
This is a pervasive problem on eBay - so much so that anytime I see a stock photo I usually just skip the listing even on new items. eBay policy is clear. My reply to that jerk seller would be to copy and paste eBay terms and say it’s been reported. Also it’s obvious that he has the time to send snarky replies and if he used that time he could post correct photos. The one you bought definitely needs to be reported. If enough buyers reported these sellers - they would lose their stores rating or store altogether. And as far as the poor packaging - I’ve got one of the worse - I bought something and the seller’s packaging was brown packing tape. He literally covered the item in brown tape ruining the items original vintage box.
All good points. I did report it but I haven’t got a response from eBay yet and the seller went silent when I did. I’m curious if eBay will back up their own policy with teeth. I think eBay has a bit of a conflict of interest because they are the main provider of stock photos when listing books. I get the sense they would rather turn a blind eye to the policy violations and get the seller fees than enforce this unethical practice.
Just came across your video. I avoid sellers with stock photos, only one photo, or vague descriptions. Because of those rules for myself, I avoid the big box sellers because you never know what you'll get. There's usually a reason why the book is cheap with free shipping. Don't be discouraged. There are book sellers on eBay who take pride in their books and business. Unfortunately it's hard to compete because a lot of buyers go for the cheapest price.
As a ebay seller in can tell you I ALWAYS take photos of the item and never use stock photos. I had no idea this was going on with used products. I also tend to over protect items it ship. Some sellers really make a bad environment for the rest of us.
My expectations on buying used books are very low. I was making 'junk' journals for a while and bought several books through another site. Being a bibliophile, the idea of taking apart a good book was difficult so I looked for books in poor condition. I was amazed to find that the sellers I dealt with sent me books in quite nice condition, especially when taking into account that they were at least from the 1940s and older and quite often came from Europe. I have since stopped buying them, and have only taken one of them apart. I was charmed by them. Sigh.
I just noticed how ebay is supplying the Chinese booksellers with stock photos for books that are sold lower than market value, with free shipping!.. Essentially trying to squeeze out any honest competition..
Ebay sellers like that are just lazy. I've sold many rare art books on there, and always provide several real photos of the book, and the buyer is confident in what they are actually buying.
I have never had anything from ebay actually arrive. I live in western Canada, so that might be the problem. Always end up cancelling and getting refunds. Haven't tried books, but I do have a lot of 2nd hand art books that I've bought, some of them duds. I find some of the best are written by UK artists/art profs.
You may have lingered on this subject probably a little to long. Lol But to be honest I do agree every eBay seller should take their own photos and whatever is displayed in the photos should be the exact thing your buying. It’s like having to read a fine print on a bottle but the further you read down the words start to get smaller type of situation haha Some sellers have a deceitful way in selling their products because it seems easier for them rather than having to get up off their lazy butts to actually put in very light work of taking their own pictures. Just leave a negative review this will counteract with eBay’s algorithm and deter sales on the sellers end for up to 72 hours possibly longer if he’s not smart about it. Ebay will ding you as a seller for having negative comments by slowing down traffic to your store. Your negative comment will be removed after 72hours though if the seller calls Ebay he’ll just simply say that you didn’t read the description which is viable for the comment to be removed. It’s like an EBay loophole for that seller for sure but he just doesn’t understand how eBay works. Eventually that sellers eBay sales will suffer in the long run from others that were tricked as you were. So depending on how many times this happens to this guy with getting negative comments he’ll eventually wonder why his sales are suffering. Especially if he never resolves his negative reviews in a timely fashion. The algorithm will eventually place him so low he’ll get next to no buyers. On eBay it’s best to be 100% transparent with items your selling. But human error is definitely plausible with Ebay on either side as buyer and seller.
Have you had a bad buying experience from a bookseller on eBay? What did you learn from the experience?
Never buy from those who use stock photos for books. I sell books on eBay (mostly signed or First Edition) and I NEVER accept the stock photos for my listings. I take a photo of the front and back of the DJ, front and back panels, title page, and copyright page at a minimum. I also include a detailed listing of faults. Finally, I wrap every book in bubble wrap even if it goes in a box or a padded mailer afterwards.
P.S. eBay is very slanted towards buyers, so you should easily have gotten a full refund with no return shipping cost if you filed a "not as described" claim.
You are the kind of seller I like to buy from. I deeply appreciate the care you take in your listings and shipping. Thank you for commenting.
@@CarlOlsonArt the best sellers are also buyers like me ..I know what I want as a buyer so I try to give that as a seller. Glad to find your video
This is a pervasive problem on eBay - so much so that anytime I see a stock photo I usually just skip the listing even on new items. eBay policy is clear. My reply to that jerk seller would be to copy and paste eBay terms and say it’s been reported. Also it’s obvious that he has the time to send snarky replies and if he used that time he could post correct photos. The one you bought definitely needs to be reported. If enough buyers reported these sellers - they would lose their stores rating or store altogether. And as far as the poor packaging - I’ve got one of the worse - I bought something and the seller’s packaging was brown packing tape. He literally covered the item in brown tape ruining the items original vintage box.
All good points. I did report it but I haven’t got a response from eBay yet and the seller went silent when I did. I’m curious if eBay will back up their own policy with teeth. I think eBay has a bit of a conflict of interest because they are the main provider of stock photos when listing books. I get the sense they would rather turn a blind eye to the policy violations and get the seller fees than enforce this unethical practice.
Just came across your video. I avoid sellers with stock photos, only one photo, or vague descriptions. Because of those rules for myself, I avoid the big box sellers because you never know what you'll get. There's usually a reason why the book is cheap with free shipping. Don't be discouraged. There are book sellers on eBay who take pride in their books and business. Unfortunately it's hard to compete because a lot of buyers go for the cheapest price.
As a ebay seller in can tell you I ALWAYS take photos of the item and never use stock photos. I had no idea this was going on with used products. I also tend to over protect items it ship. Some sellers really make a bad environment for the rest of us.
You are one of the good guys! Thank you!
My expectations on buying used books are very low. I was making 'junk' journals for a while and bought several books through another site. Being a bibliophile, the idea of taking apart a good book was difficult so I looked for books in poor condition. I was amazed to find that the sellers I dealt with sent me books in quite nice condition, especially when taking into account that they were at least from the 1940s and older and quite often came from Europe. I have since stopped buying them, and have only taken one of them apart. I was charmed by them. Sigh.
I just noticed how ebay is supplying the Chinese booksellers with stock photos for books that are sold lower than market value, with free shipping!.. Essentially trying to squeeze out any honest competition..
Ebay sellers like that are just lazy. I've sold many rare art books on there, and always provide several real photos of the book, and the buyer is confident in what they are actually buying.
I have never had anything from ebay actually arrive. I live in western Canada, so that might be the problem. Always end up cancelling and getting refunds. Haven't tried books, but I do have a lot of 2nd hand art books that I've bought, some of them duds. I find some of the best are written by UK artists/art profs.
You may have lingered on this subject probably a little to long. Lol But to be honest I do agree every eBay seller should take their own photos and whatever is displayed in the photos should be the exact thing your buying. It’s like having to read a fine print on a bottle but the further you read down the words start to get smaller type of situation haha Some sellers have a deceitful way in selling their products because it seems easier for them rather than having to get up off their lazy butts to actually put in very light work of taking their own pictures. Just leave a negative review this will counteract with eBay’s algorithm and deter sales on the sellers end for up to 72 hours possibly longer if he’s not smart about it. Ebay will ding you as a seller for having negative comments by slowing down traffic to your store. Your negative comment will be removed after 72hours though if the seller calls Ebay he’ll just simply say that you didn’t read the description which is viable for the comment to be removed. It’s like an EBay loophole for that seller for sure but he just doesn’t understand how eBay works. Eventually that sellers eBay sales will suffer in the long run from others that were tricked as you were. So depending on how many times this happens to this guy with getting negative comments he’ll eventually wonder why his sales are suffering. Especially if he never resolves his negative reviews in a timely fashion. The algorithm will eventually place him so low he’ll get next to no buyers. On eBay it’s best to be 100% transparent with items your selling. But human error is definitely plausible with Ebay on either side as buyer and seller.
That eBay seller is just lazy. I sold on eBay a few years ago and took photos with no problem and it was simple.
Indeed! The eBay app makes it so simple, too, to add photos.