Rarely can I buy a purchase without a problem!!!

[dewdrop24me]

I used to buy regularly on line but without a fib, 16 of my last 22 purchases have had problems. Problems have been - new set top box - description stated would record 2 shows at once. After buying, instruction book states clearly you can't do this. Bought chair to partly assemble - yet screw holes were around 15mm out of alignment. Bought necklace to trial for bridesmaid - arrived in 4 different pieces then seller swore at me and said I had deliberately broken it. Bought a size 14 top - that had size 14 on sewn label - but size 8 on swing tag (and WAS a size 8). Bought so called new dress - had clearly been worn. Shoes sold as leather - were cheap nasty vinyl, already cracking. Purchased genuine ink cartridges - they were recycled. Bought bag clearly stated as white - was a horrible light brown colour. Seller told me - 'it was white when I bought it', and was annoyed when I wanted to return it. Bought a tea caddy storage box with picture showing tea sachets in slots - arrived with smashed glass (had no packing material) and slots would not take a tea sachet. Bought an 8m long dog extender lead - sent a 5m long. Paid over $400 for a pool filter - 9 weeks later, still had not received it, with seller telling one story to me and other to Paypal (apparently they were only ordering the unit from overseas after making a sale here, And this was despite them saying immediate dispatch). Bought vacuum cleaner - suction was so poor, wouldn't even pick up a piece of paper. Bought B-B-Q cover - sent wrong size. Bought a size 14 dress, clearly noting seller was in australia. Arrived from China, and couldn't even get it over my head was so small. Seller replied saying that was 'chinese size 14'. Yet ad clearly stated Australian seller, and gave Aust measurements.

Buying less and less now, as just so sick and tired of dud purchases, and dreadfully unhelful sellers. of the few 'happy' purchases, could not fault the seller, just a pity there couldn't be more like that!  

[davewil1964]

Go to a shop.

[digital*ghost]

Just out of curiosity, of these purchases, what were the determining factors when you chose which item or seller to buy (from)?

*NB you're obviously not obliged to answer 😄 and this isn't intended to suggest any of these issues are your doing, I'm mostly just curious to know whether (lowest) prices where primary considerations, and/or whether FB was looked at prior to purchased. 

[book-of-hezekiah]

Oh no!! dewdrop that is awful, I'm so sorry all these duds have come your way 😞

I'm glad to hear you had some good experiences.

Do you need any help in sorting out the other transactions or are you ok with that?

[imastawka]

It would be sooooo much easier if people used paragraphs   

Just sayin'  

[davewil1964]

Save the paragraph.

And maybe look at buying from real shops.

[4green2000]

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@davewil1964 wrote:

Go to a shop.

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 i agree with dave. such a negative experience for you with ebay. go to a shop.

[audio-spot]

I just had a look at the last 20 items I have purchased.

Not sure if I've been lucky, but all arrived as described or better, and within the estimated delivery times.

I never buy clothing on eBay, so maybe that helps bump up my odds of a good shopping experience.

[springyzone]

I feel for you. That is a lot of really bad experiences & they should not have happened.

My own personal experience has been pretty much the opposite in that I am finding most of my purchases lately seem to be from professional rather than private sellers and they all hop to it. Years ago, I did have some bad experiences-items that didn't arrive, things clearly not as described etc, and there was no recourse, no paypal or money back possibilities etc

My advice would be

-where things go really wrong & a seller won't help, make an ebay or paypal claim.

-give objective negative feedback

For the future

- go very cautiously on any clothing/shoes purchases on ebay. Don't buy unless it is a brand you know very well, because getting the exact right fit is always a bit up in the air, even when the sellers do send the right size. Whatever you do, don't pay top dollar.There are enough sales in real shops. Also, I am not sure what brands you are after, but try looking up their aussie websites and you'll probably find they have their own clearance section.

-that $400 pool filter, never do that to yourself. That is a big purchase. Too much to risk on ebay in my opinion. There is some stuff just better bought from real shops so you know you are covered by a decent guarantee. Into that category I put just about anything electronic or with moving parts. Phones, cameras etc. Looks as if we can add set top boxes to that list too.

-don't trust ebay for brand name kitchen items eg nutribullet, thermomix either. more likely to be fake.

-even buying from a real shop, you can still strike problems with furniture you have to assemble yourself. Sometimes I think ebay is better if you are looking for good quality second hand furniture you can pick up.

[chameleon54]

This post got me thinking. My initial reaction was why would you buy a vacuum cleaner off of ebay and clothes from China ? As Dave said, go to a shop.   BUT

For many people the internet and ebay are the only way to purchase things. Think rural and remote, living in the city, but no car and no usable public transport. Disabled, old or for other reasons house bound. Living alone and Isolated from family and friends that could help.

If this is the case it may be worth contacting your local community health care workers. They often have transport services and people to assist with shopping, doctors appointments etc. My wife uses these services regularly and finds them invaluable.