[78-L] e-bay "Caveat Emptor"

[SUPRBATONE at aol.com]

I say no buyer has a right to complain about eBay disasters if he doesn't 
pro-actively handle his end of the transaction with care.  It's always "Buyer 
Beware" online.  I use my own best judgment about condition and grading.  A 
seller's photo is a damn valuable guide.  Often I can tell a record's condition 
down to a quarter of a grade based on the photos, despite anything the dealer 
SAYS.  As for packing and shipping, I ALWAYS communicate directly with the 
seller, by phone if necessary, proffering my "foolproof" packing instructions, 
making sure he reads and understands them.  If it's an important record, and I'm 
still worried, I will send a box and complete packing materials along with my 
payment!  Most of the time, the seller is very grateful for the help.  Sometimes 
key words in the ad betray a seller's ignorance; if he uses the word "vinyl" 
to describe an obviously shellac 78, I make sure he learns the difference 
before I pay.  In short, I do everything possible to communicate my needs, 
including getting acknowledgement of them.  If the seller STILL screws up after all 
that, only then do I feel fully justified in complaining.  At very least this 
taking care of bizniss on my end dramatically reduces the number of nasty 
surprises.    -Brad Kay   <BR><BR><BR>**************<BR>Check out smokin’ hot deals 
on laptops, desktops and more from Dell.  Shop Deals 
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