The dangers of low prices and the risks of purchasing from sellers with no feedback

Should you trust a seller if they have no feedback and the price is temptingly low? Just a steal!!! Is it worth shopping on eBay yourself or turning to intermediaries? Perhaps it's better to buy what is already in stock? Think about these questions before buying anything. And I will tell you my story from personal experience

I have 5 years of experience shopping on eBay, and I tell you, it's a huge nerve-wracker if something goes wrong. It happened a couple of times that sellers, despite the auction being won, refused to ship the item; there were ones who even disappeared after payment, and I had to contact eBay so they would investigate the case and force the seller to refund the money. Of course, it wasn't often, but a couple of times for small amounts of 50-100 dollars, it happened.

Recently I stumbled upon a good offer on eBay for a Fender American Custom Shop Stratocaster; it was a Custom Classic model - the price was 900 dollars + paid shipping within the USA, there was even a Make Offer option, but I bought it via Buy It Now, here is the link if anyone is interested http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fender-Custom-Shop-Stratocaster-/181915121204 . I will explain that these guitars cost at least 1300-1500 dollars in the USA, and 2000-2500 here. So everything is fine, but the seller had no feedback on eBay. Before paying, I contacted him, asked to send additional photos - I received all the photos, even received answers to all questions about the guitar, moreover, the seller seemed quite pleasant. But as soon as I sent the money and wrote to him, he no longer answered; I wrote to him every day for a week via eBay messages and to his personal email - silence. The guitar was paid for by me immediately on October 27th. I couldn't open a complaint against the seller before November 7th, because eBay takes into account both the delivery time and force majeure, any reasons why the seller might not have shipped the guitar. As soon as November 7th arrived, I immediately opened a case against the seller, indicating that I still wanted to receive the guitar, but if it was not possible, I requested a full refund of the funds I had paid. eBay gave the seller another 5 days; during this period, eBay commits to urging the seller to communicate with the buyer. No signs of life from the woe-begone seller ever appeared; I even wrote a few more letters, but silence. I didn't argue with him and didn't write to him 'you such-and-such', I just wanted to get a tracking number. November 12th: silence; on the 13th I contacted eBay for the second time, and since the seller still hadn't contacted me, I requested a Full Refund. eBay ruled in my favor, and a day later all the money arrived in my PayPal account, and 3 days after that, the money returned to my card, and only now, on November 16th, I got back my money that I spent almost a month ago.

And now, having read this, think about what it is like to sit and wait for a resolution, if only to get your money back. Some gray hairs were added... Is it worth dealing with sellers without feedback on eBay or just on a forum or the internet in general? eBay at least returns money, others are unlikely to, and even on eBay, it's a nerve-wracker. Think 300 times why the price is such a steal?? Isn't someone standing behind you with soap at the very moment a hundred bucks is lying on the floor? Free cheese is only in a mousetrap! Undoubtedly, there is a chance that you will buy a guitar or amplifier from a seller without feedback very cheaply, and everything will be ok, but what is the percentage of such luck? I think it is minimal. Unfortunately, there are a lot of such jerks in the world. Should you 'import' anything from eBay yourself? Try it)) It's not as simple as it might seem at first glance; don't forget that besides very high moral resilience, you also need to have a good command of the English language. It will be easier to turn to an intermediary who, for 10-20%, will bring you everything in the best condition. And of course, if this concerns me - if you want something on order - I am always open - but if a similar guitar or amplifier is in stock, believe me - it's better to take what is already in Dnipropetrovsk, I will deliver it anywhere. What is in Dnipro has already been checked, set up, there are no risks, just pure pleasure. Peace to everyone!