Unlike some, I quite like ebay, and have generally had pretty good experiences there.
I recently had a bad transaction, and since the item in question is up for auction again, I wanted to share my experience here.
On June 22, I bought a Kamaka Tiki Concert (the auction can be found under completed listings). I sent payment right away, as well as a "thanks for the auction" note to the seller, along with requests for careful packing of the ukulele. Several days later I had still not heard anything from the seller and wrote to them again, with the same message. Still no confirmation or any communication of any kind. Finally, I wrote to ask why the uke hadn't shipped, and I finally got a reply, simply stating that they shipped their items out once a week, and giving me the ship date (which happened to be after the estimated delivery date from ebay). When it did arrive, it was intact (which is a miracle, because the packing was woefully inadequate), but the condition was not as the seller described it: "Two Hairline Cracks Back in Back upper Left Side of Ukulele , also has some Fret wear from age". In fact the uke has 6 cracks, at least one of which could not be described as hairline. I wrote to the seller, and they said to send it back, which I did (in a bigger, better box, with much more packing material, and insurance). They never acknowledged receipt, and didn't reply to two requests for my refund (even after they had RE-LISTED the uke on ebay!). Eventually, I had to open a case, and let the wheels of ebay turn, while I waited. I just received my refund. Fortunately, I took pics of the cracks,and documented everything- shipped the uke back with insurance, and a tracking #... I lost out on the return shipping, which I don't think is right, considering the item was not as described. Even in the new listing, they've amended the description to THREE cracks, rather than six. They have a style 3K for sale now, too. It looks sweet, but just know who you're dealing with.
I recently had a bad transaction, and since the item in question is up for auction again, I wanted to share my experience here.
On June 22, I bought a Kamaka Tiki Concert (the auction can be found under completed listings). I sent payment right away, as well as a "thanks for the auction" note to the seller, along with requests for careful packing of the ukulele. Several days later I had still not heard anything from the seller and wrote to them again, with the same message. Still no confirmation or any communication of any kind. Finally, I wrote to ask why the uke hadn't shipped, and I finally got a reply, simply stating that they shipped their items out once a week, and giving me the ship date (which happened to be after the estimated delivery date from ebay). When it did arrive, it was intact (which is a miracle, because the packing was woefully inadequate), but the condition was not as the seller described it: "Two Hairline Cracks Back in Back upper Left Side of Ukulele , also has some Fret wear from age". In fact the uke has 6 cracks, at least one of which could not be described as hairline. I wrote to the seller, and they said to send it back, which I did (in a bigger, better box, with much more packing material, and insurance). They never acknowledged receipt, and didn't reply to two requests for my refund (even after they had RE-LISTED the uke on ebay!). Eventually, I had to open a case, and let the wheels of ebay turn, while I waited. I just received my refund. Fortunately, I took pics of the cracks,and documented everything- shipped the uke back with insurance, and a tracking #... I lost out on the return shipping, which I don't think is right, considering the item was not as described. Even in the new listing, they've amended the description to THREE cracks, rather than six. They have a style 3K for sale now, too. It looks sweet, but just know who you're dealing with.