The Official EBay Discussion Thread

[Perspect Scale Modelworks]

Actually September 1995, so 30 years.

[PatW]

Does complaining to ebay really make any difference?

[Ace-Garageguy]

16 minutes ago, PatW said:

Does complaining to ebay really make any difference?

I was having a recurring problem with one seller whose prices on model railroad stuff made dealing with him worth the hassle.

Specifically, I'd make arrangements with him to wait until I'd had several auction wins before billing me, with combined shipping.

Instead, what would usually happen is that it looked like he'd dump my earlier wins for "NON-PAYMENT" and eBay would give me disciplinary strikes...after a 100% perfect record on their damb site since 1999.

All the while HE said it wasn't HIM doing it, that he'd repeatedly set his account to let me run, and that it automatically reverted to the auto-dump routine after a day.

After a lot of persistent hoop-jumping, I finally got through to a live human who understood the software, the glitch, her job, and fixed everything.

I'm pretty sure my experience is NOT the norm. They don't care. One guy with a problem just isn't worth anybody's time when they have millions of quietly bleating sheep to fleece.

[DJMar]

On 12/1/2025 at 3:12 PM, Perspect Scale Modelworks said:

Actually September 1995, so 30 years.

eBay, as eBay.com, was registered in September 1997.

I wasn't counting its previous incarnation as AuctionWeb, because comparatively few people knew about it then.

Still, 30 years isn't 40+.

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 minute ago, DJMar said:

Still, 30 years isn't 40+.

Numbers are hard.

[PatW]

9 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

I was having a recurring problem with one seller whose prices on model railroad stuff made dealing with him worth the hassle.

Specifically, I'd make arrangements with him to wait until I'd had several auction wins before billing me, with combined shipping.

Instead, what would usually happen is that it looked like he'd dump my earlier wins for "NON-PAYMENT" and eBay would give me disciplinary strikes...after a 100% perfect record on their damb site since 1999.

All the while HE said it wasn't HIM doing it, that he'd repeatedly set his account to let me run, and that it automatically reverted to the auto-dump routine after a day.

After a lot of persistent hoop-jumping, I finally got through to a live human who understood the software, the glitch, her job, and fixed everything.

I'm pretty sure my experience is NOT the norm. They don't care. One guy with a problem just isn't worth anybody's time when they have millions of quietly bleating sheep to fleece.

I'm just trying to get back into my account to buy discounted kits as a pensioner I can't afford new kits. When going back in to try and re-connect with ebay and my account, why are the Americans like the Russians and Chinese wanting every possible piece of our supposedly secret information? 'Use a Smartphone' No we don't use one, show all your photo's and ID information, NO as scammers use this info all of the time! They are such a waste of time, having spoken to one of their staff over the weekend that have done nothing for me although I've been with them since they started in the UK! Is there anybody out there like ebay that I can use for cheaper model kits?

[stitchdup]

5 minutes ago, PatW said:

I'm just trying to get back into my account to buy discounted kits as a pensioner I can't afford new kits. When going back in to try and re-connect with ebay and my account, why are the Americans like the Russians and Chinese wanting every possible piece of our supposedly secret information? 'Use a Smartphone' No we don't use one, show all your photo's and ID information, NO as scammers use this info all of the time! They are such a waste of time, having spoken to one of their staff over the weekend that have done nothing for me although I've been with them since they started in the UK! Is there anybody out there like ebay that I can use for cheaper model kits?

kingkit have a second hand section and a salvage yard for partial kits, as well as new kits, or dave coley's emporium has good prices

[PatW]

13 hours ago, stitchdup said:

kingkit have a second hand section and a salvage yard for partial kits, as well as new kits, or dave coley's emporium has good prices

Cheers Les!

[Brutalform]

https://ebay.us/m/JFicSD

[Dave Van]

Nice kit.....but no

[Ace-Garageguy]

Nope.

[Brutalform]

Yea. I don’t get it either. I can’t break down and buy a $300 bottle of Scotch, when the $80 one will do me fine. In the end, it’s just a plastic model kit. 

[Perspect Scale Modelworks]

At that price the buyer's most likely a collector who will never build it.

[Brutalform]

Unbelievable!! 

[Brutalform]

$1130 now. That’s crazy. 

[Mark]

The person buying that GTX kit might own a real one.  The promos are hard to find, but a minty kit is even tougher.

I was watching an AMT "for 1968" Camaro kit the other day; that auction ended earlier today.  This one was in nice shape, even the box...but was missing the BODY.  This is an original kit from when the car was new.  But it's a "for 1968" kit, it doesn't represent a 1968 car.  It's a '67 with some changes to differentiate it from a '67.  I was looking at it as a source of parts for a couple of rebuilders, nice chrome and other unused parts.  But it fell off my radar when it hit $35 or so.  The thing ended at $99.  Apparently a couple of people are really looking for parts for one of those Camaro kits.

[A modeler named mike]

If we're talking crazy, this one's up for auction. It's sure to climb. The last one pictured hit a crazy high.

 

 

Edited Sunday at 11:07 PM by A modeler named mike

[PatW]

I'm trying to keep the prices as low as possible not as high as might be!

[Brutalform]

On 12/7/2025 at 10:32 AM, Brutalform said:

Unbelievable!! 

I took a look in the model pricing guide, and I could have missed it, but, I didn’t even see this kit listed in it. 

[PatW]

Well I've spoken to four people now for no obvious reason it seems, still blocked out! They and their stupid website keeps asking the same stupid questions. They keep telling me to picture all my identification, by smartphone when we don't use them! Why does no one listen? Why are they so stiff, showing no interest in their customers/account holders? Do we all have to have stupid teck that we know nothing about? Simple Discrimination against pensioners. They could revive my account themselves but are just not interested! WHY WHY WHY do they hound people who have been with them for nearly 20 years and blame us for not sending more and more Identification when they had it all 19 years ago? Can nobody there read? I keep getting phone calls and emails asking the same stupid questions! I know disconnect the phone! I shall write emails to all of the newspaper editors I know and tell them what a shambles ebay is and that no one in the UK should trust them!

Sorry folks I think I shall pack up model making as the prices are far too high for pensioners anyway.

GOODBYE!

Update 11.12.2025. Received an email, 'Thanks for updating your personal information' Tried to get in, waited for a security code, phone rang pick it up (remember it's a landline) line was dead so still no code to re-open account! Useless crowd! Why does no one at Ebay listen to our problems accessing our accounts, NOT MAKING THINGS WORSE!

Edited 16 hours ago by PatW