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why are sellers to be trusted, but buyers are not?

We buy and sell on sites like this so there is an exchange of 2 things that  have  an agreed upon equal value

  1. the item being sold from a seller
  2. money from a buyer

in all cases, the seller must be trusted to send the item as described, but the buyer is not trusted to send the money. And more and more, sellers are insisting to be paid in ways that have no recourse for the buyer, like PayPal F&F, Venmo, etc.

The item and the money are of equal value.. so why is one party to be trusted and the other is not? Why does the seller always insist on waiting to get paid before they ship? Why doesn’t the buyer insisting on getting the item before they will pay for it?

I have hundreds of perfect feedback going back over 20 years  on multiple platforms, but the seller always insists I pay them first even if they have much, much less feedback. Why should I trust them if they don't trust me?

just curious

 

 

herman
jwei
255 posts
 

Yeah, buying used is a risk.

I bought a second subwoofer once.  Unpacked it, and it worked fine in my system.  But I noticed the driver looked different from my other sub.  Upon inspection, the driver was a replacement from a different manufacturer.  So just for peace of mind, I eventually replaced it with the proper OEM driver.  Still cheaper than buying new.

audition__audio
1,773 posts
 

Is this a serious question?

Buyer uses credit card or service to pay for item. Seller paid item shipped. No show full recourse.

Buyer promises to send payment. Seller ships. No show no recourse

Simple solution. Never send a cash type payment to a seller that you dont know or trust.

I have little sympathy for those that send cash to an unknown and them get burned.

 

 

gjfalls's avatar
gjfalls
53 posts
 

I find it ironic that this subject came up today as I received my first oversees transaction from a seller for an old tape deck that I’ve wanted for, literally decades. The online experience was good, the communications with the seller, was good. There were verbal assurances that great care would be taken in preparing the tape deck for shipping…

I paid for it, in full plus shipping costs…It arrived today 5/11/26 DAMAGED. That in-and-of-itself was a great disappointment but it was obvious to me (and anyone else who could see the packaging) that the seller had no clue when it comes to knowledge of how to ship a heavy (44 lbs.) tape deck internationally. The tape deck came from a seller in Austria through the site Reverb.

Can you imagine my disposition and mindset when I read the follow up email today from Reverb, “Enjoy your new gear! It’s officially yours!”

Obviously there are now issues to be worked out…

I’m just about to go into uncharted watered of wanting to return an item and get a full refund.

That’s what I love about this forum. The information gathered from the members is invaluable. Albeit this tread came just a little late for me.

But, “I have learned Grasshopper!!”

secretguy
1,981 posts
 

I am seeing more and more sellers demanding F&F. No way. Not now. Not ever.

goodlistening64
399 posts
 

I sent nearly 2K via F&F for a component this year on USAudioMart who had 100% positive deals. I buy tubes on eBay with sellers who have 100% positive as well. I also bought tubes from a member here on Audiogon and he sent me the tubes to try before I bought them. All have gone off without a hitch. Reputation and trust. 

2K is about my limit however, and anything above that would be risky in my estimation. Escrow service lawyers, if shown to be experienced in that work, does sound like a good solution.

Personally, I would trust a lawyer who was also an audiophile like moto_man as this trade is a community and, for whatever reason, I feel comfortable with others who share my interest in this hobby. 

 

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