Is ebay feedback worth anything on Audiogon?

July 2, 2005
Yes, It is worth something but no nearly as much as Audiogon. More importantly the Audiogon site is worth a lot more than ebay to buyers (but is likely not as profitable to the sites owners as Ebay is.)

On ebay there are no standardized condition listing or standard list of what is included in sale (box, manual remote, etc etc.)It is very much a "caveat emptor" kind of place despite what ebay would have you believe.

Many of the ebay sellers are in a home business trying to make a profit on items that they do not own personally but bought and are trying to resell. Audiogoners, in contrast are mostly trying to sell used items they bought for personal use and sell to recoup some of their investment.
Questions get answered much more promptly on Audiogon and shipping is not inflated as it is on ebay which, I suspect, is to recoup ebay fees. Audiogoners know a lot more about the equipment they are selling than ebayers do. Ebayers may have never actually used the equipment they are selling.

Celebrate your independence this Independence Day. Don't use ebay when you can use Audiogon.

While I might have liked more of the wrath of god sort of thing when attempts to rip me off were made, and was quite annoyed that the only way to remove unjustified negatives was to agree to withdraw my highly justified negative feedback, I have found Audiogon more interested in getting things corrected than Ebay. Two attempts to rip me off were made in each marketplace, but only the ones on Ebay were successful, because they just don't care. I say if it's ebay, to hell with it.

feedback is feedback. What I care about for an online purchase is 1)is the person selling or buying legitimate?, 2) is the person credible?, 3) Is the condition of item clearly and honestly described, and 4) of course price, terms, etc.

Proving #1 and 2 to me is done as effectively with ebay feedback as it is with A'gon. Indeed, a seller with 100 transaction feedback on ebay is more impressive to me than one with 5 transactions on A'gon, depending on WHAT the feedback says.

Proving #3 can't be done with feedback IMHO. For that it requires a conversation. I've done deals on both sites and when interested in an item ask VERY expilicit questions about the condition. If I receive equally explicit answers, I feel more confident. My experience is ebay sellers are more often than A'gon sellers terse in their response (leading me to believe they are dishonest, when they may simply be lazy or dumb). I say adios in these cases. I've also received terse replies on A'gon though.

for #4, well, we all have to work that out, and roll the dice.

If it's under the same username then I like to know about it if the person here has little feedback. It helps. My Ebay feedback is 260 and I use the same username at all sites so everybody will know it's me. I've not had any significant problem on Audiogon and have had only 2 on Ebay. Fortunately most people are honest but I'm always wary. Last deal here this guy actually sent me the amp before he got any money which made me feel good that he trusted me. We talked on the phone a couple of times and phone conversations I think are worth alot to both parties.

What if the scammer uses a screename of an Ebay'er that has a reputable rating?