darrellandmelissa Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 I have not been to Ebay in a while and do look when soneone posts a link to something for sale there,but today i was brousing and i found this. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...mMakeTrack=true I found it slightly deceptive. and i did write to the seller and mention it is a fairly recent house and a kit. By the description it seems to imply that it was a custom build. Moderators and admins please feel free to delete this thread if it seems top be bashing. That is not my intention. I am wondering if this type of thing happens a lot? I often see things I would like but am not always sure i am getting a good deal or what is advertised. Melissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJEP Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 Melissa, I think that is what I personally am scared of on ebay. It is why it took me so long to make my first purchase (this November). I am always weary of things that may look too good to be true or not quite honest. And I tend to see the best in people when I meet them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minime Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 Melissa, I check ebay out quite a bit and I would say that this auction is pretty typical. The seller does not have to know much about what they are selling and can cover up any misinformation with "I believe". I never bid on anything unless I also believe what they are saying. Buyer beware!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hallowell Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 Another trick I've seen is when an item is going for a great bargain price they will get you with huge shipping fees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uppitycats Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 I dunno....maybe because I'm used to ads on eBay, but I really didn't find it deceiving. They DO say that "most of the furniture was hand made from kits", and while they say the house was STORED in an old Victorian house, they DON'T say that the dollhouse is "old Victorian". While it's not a "custom build", if it was intended to fit on a bookcase, it may have been "custom bashed". How much "bashing" can one do to a kit before it becomes "custom built" and not "kit built"? I guess what I'm saying is -- words can be bent to mean all sorts of things, either intentionally or unintentionally. And as someone else already noted, many of the folks on eBay are NOT specialists, or knowledgeable about what they're selling. They've found it, or bought it cheap at a garage sale, and resell it. So indeed, "buyer beware", ask lots of questions, and if you have doubts, pass it by.. or do like I did and take a risk (on my Brimble store), and hope that you can work out difficulties in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missymew Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 Carrie - Please don't let sellers like this one put you off Ebay. Like anywhere, buyers who are anticipating spending this kind of money on an Ebay item should know do their home work beforehand. I don't believe though that just because items are being sold for more than they're worth is necessarily wrong. Recently I paid an exhorbitant amount for an ebay item for my granddaughter's Christmas present. The reason I paid (four times the items original value) plus high shipping charges was because the item had been out of stock everywhere for over 4 months. This item came up at the last possible time for me to be able to win the auction and get it shipped to Canada before Christmas. The item was put up by a grandmother who had obviously planned better than I had. She'd bought 2 of them. So she put one up on Ebay. It was a first-time sale for her too. I know I could have found something else for Shalean, but I'd already bought her sister a "similar" item. So, not to disappoint I was ready to bid whatever it cost to obtain that item for her. The other grandmother took the time to package the item up very well and send it by the quickest mail to me. She was a godsend. MOST ebay sellers are deserving of our trust. There's a lot of good people on Ebay. Unfortunately, there are always weeds in the flowerbeds. -Susanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah handley Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 Hello to all, About e-bay.....I feel most sellers try to be honest, but sometimes there may be someone who is not. I have bought many items and have had no significant problems. But I am very careful. I have also bought 2 dollhouses and they were in fine shape, sealed in the original box. If you don't feel comfortable, ask the seller questions. One thing you can do before bidding, is to read the sellers feedback. Look for complaints, and read what the complaints are. You can even see on the feedback site, what the seller has been buying and selling, and comments made by buyers and sellers.. This works for me so far. There are things I would like to have, I will only find on ebay, so I will continue to shop. I find a lot of enjoyment in "window shopping", and sometimes finding a treasure. I try to remember.....if it looks to good to tbe true, it probably is. Nancy (People CAN bend words.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovecats Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 Hi have to agree with Susanne. I've made a huge number of purchases on ebay, both auctions and buy it nows.....not just for mini's, but in alot of different ebay catagories. I have had a few problems, but in the amount of transactions i've had, this is a very low number. I do alot of comparison shopping and i work with some of the same sellers as well. I think it's just a matter of keeping your eye out for the rip off artists. Most sellers seem to have the general idea that they want good feedback and return customers, so they are good to deal with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Mini Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 yes i def. find this buyer to be deceiving. thank you for pointing this one out.. buyers beware! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouchouch Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 some people who sell don't know what they have and that it can still be available... not "vintage". see when i sell something, i research ebay to see if it's a hot item or if there's other resources elsewhere and see how much it's retailed at. reason for researching is because i don't want to pay a fee for selling on ebay when it didn't sell. and an overpriced item won't sell. ebay has a lot of pros and cons. i've done a lot of shoping on ebay, especially minis and entertainment memoribelia only because you can't find it anywhere else. so don't let a someone's eagerness or ignorance, throw you off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 As always, it is buyer beware. I don't see a problem with whatever price someone wants to list an item for. Many times I have noticed the seller really has no clue what it is they are selling. So they guess or they go by what someone told someone they thought it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minis On The Edge Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 Melissa, I understood your feelings on this right away. We are educated buyers so the first thing we see is "Boy, some innocent buyer who sees this and don't know better can lose a LOT of money". That price IMO is over priced considering we can get the kit for about $100 and furnish it and wallpaper it for about another $300 (Or more, hubby is looking over my shoulder ) When ever I sell in a new area in ebay I always try and research the item and gett he average going price so I will know what ballpark I should be in as regards to price. This person has been selling only since April this year though, so they are kinda new to the ebay scene. The seller says this house was decades in the making. This can be true since the Mckinley kit had been discontinued for about 20 years (Maybe a little more) so this could be the older one and not the newer kit re-released. Because I have never seen this seller selling under dollhouse listings before, I would not be shocked if this is an honest mistake. This is why buyers really need to do there home work before they bid & or buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adallae Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 some people who sell don't know what they have and that it can still be available... not "vintage". I do a lot of browsing and shopping on ebay, and I agree that some people simply aren't aware when it comes to miniatures. I've seen a lot of auctions that I thought were overpriced, or where objects were being described as of vintage when they really weren't (please don't tell me 80s counts as vintage already ). Most often I think it's just a matter of being misinformed or uninformed. The world of miniatures, despite the number of builders and collectors, is pretty quiet an unknown if you're not a part of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 I looked at the other items the seller has listed, none of which are dollhouse related. Some of them are weirdly priced, too. I have an idea this seller is just basically clueless about dollhouses and going by what someone else told her. Is it deception? I'm not sure I'd go that far. She's certainly guilty of not knowing her merchandise and using vague generalities masquerading as description. If she were trying to deceive, she'd have done her homework better. Wouldn't surprise me to see this pulled or relisted at a more reasonable price when this auction closes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 It can't be worse than the "dollhouse show" I went to once where a dealer was selling un-retouched $Tree furniture for premium prices. It was a bit of a shock to see otherwise sane-looking people paying them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minis On The Edge Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 It can't be worse than the "dollhouse show" I went to once where a dealer was selling un-retouched $Tree furniture for premium prices. It was a bit of a shock to see otherwise sane-looking people paying them! I don't know what to think about that. All I can think is they were so excited to find something in there budget they paid for it not knowing they were dollar store items Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 It was a local show held in an armory, mostly dolls with one aisle of dh amerchandise & one dealer. I wouldn't have thought anything of it if the seller had refurbished the items, I've done that and had some of them turn out very well. Also these were the earlier pieces, with working drawers & doors, that you never see any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heidiiiii Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 It probably is someone that has no clue about dhs. They probably did their research with $$ in their eyes. You can find really ornate houses for sale and the price is high but it is actually worth it. They figured their house was up to snuff and that is why they are asking so much. When I buy or sell on ebay I do alot of research first. My friend had given me a toy singer sewing machine (either me or the trash). I held onto it for years. One day I just looked on ebay to see what they were going for. Needless to say, I sold it and I was able to fill my chest freezer with meat from the proceeds!! But I did my research... If something about a listing doesnt seem quite right, move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nameless1 Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 eBay is the land of "buyer beware," but I'd agree that this seller is more clueless than deliberately dishonest. Being complete 21 years ago (1985) is plausible for a McKinley, and I recognize some of the furniture as coming from House of Miniatures kits, which were extremely popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. So starting the house in the 60s is certainly wrong, but the seller's more firm dating in the early 80s is plausible. The price is crazy, of course, and bidders seem to recognize that. I've seen sellers claim houses like this are actually from the Victorian era, even at high-end auction houses, and it's not unusual for un-retouched dollar store furniture to show up at flea markets for considerably higher prices. You have to either know your stuff or be so firmly ignorant that you never find out you overpaid. Added: I also sent the seller an ASQ with the correct dating and ID of the house, furniture, and wallpaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonsaikathy Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 I don't really think the person is trying to be deceptive. It sounds more like she's stating what she understands to be the truth from what she's been told. The price is ridiculous but only if someone doesn't bid on it. :laughbounce: If they do, to that person it must be worth it not to go through all the trouble to build all that for themselves. There was a discussion once on one of my mini groups about folks that pay more for dollar store items than they are worth. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a dollar store where they can purchase these things themselves. Up until a couple years ago that was the case with me. To avoid driving to Knoxville it would have been worth paying a bit extra on an auction if I needed something. It would have cost me more than 5$ in gas to drive up there if the item was selling for 5$ in the auction. Now there was much dishonesty involved, or stupidity either way, when I recently saw someone auctioning off brochures from our area. According to her she wasn't selling the brochures themselves but the time and gas it took her to gather them together lol. Something people could have gotten for free including shipping from the chamber of dept. of tourism here in our area. Kat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 Something people could have gotten for free including shipping from the chamber of dept. of tourism here in our area. Kat Wish I had money to spend like that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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