Question for all you Ebayers out there...

[fiberaddict]

OK, so here's the deal:

I found an auction for 1.5 pounds of chocolate Shetland lamb's fleece. (#8226867418, if you want to play along) I wrote the seller, kj_ohio, to see if he/she would be willing to wash it for me (for a price - I don't mind paying extra for extra service) She replied no, so I thought about it..the opening bid was only .01, so I decided to go ahead and bid on it - my maximum was $12, because I was hoping it would be a nice fleece, and that's not excessive for shetland wool.

This was on Oct. 22..the auction ended Oct. 25. There had been no activity on the auction before I bid (there was no picture - and when I asked for one, the one she sent was very dark, and you couldn't make out any details.) On the 24th, I noticed the price had gone up to $4 - so I checked out the competing bidder(s). It was only 1 - and the name was bj_ohio. Hmmmmmmmm, that's odd, I thought. So, I checked his/her info...same state. Even Odder. (Yes, I often check out the competitors - if it's someone I know, I *usually* won't up my bid. That's just me, though. *g*)

Oh, well, I won the auction - $4 for the fleece. $10 for shipping (a bit high...but - oh well.)

The fleece arrived yesterday. Low and behold, Her name is Karen...and her husband's' name is Brian.

So, now what? Should I notify Ebay? (Shill bidding is prohibited on Ebay). Not worry about, but mention something in my feedback?(like: Item OK, but watch other bidders). I mean, it's only $4, for an ok fleece. It'll work for what I wanted it for, which is what matters.....

The fleece is OK. Not prime, IMHO, but not trash. More VM than I expected, but again - it's not infested with it (scant means different things to different people..I'm spoiled.). It washed up quickly, and is a lovely chocolate brown, and very soft. No obvious dung tags, and I haven't noticed any felting (I haven't teased it open yet - I took it out of the box, plunked it into 6 net bags, and dunked them immediately into the washer. Mustn't let Himself's asthma know a raw fleece is in the vicinity!)


The fleece is definatly worth the $14 I paid (it would NOT be worth $22, which I would have paid if my max bid had been reached.) She's a new-ish Ebayer (well, under this screen name, anyway) with only 26 feedback, so maybe they/she doesn't know all the rules. Maybe I'm just paranoid.....

What should I do? I may or may not take ya'll's advice, but I'm not sure what the next step should be.

Comments

[gypsybaby1.livejournal.com]

So, now what? Should I notify Ebay?

yes, notify them immediately. Inflating the price is not only against the rules, but it's just bad form. I wouldn't be leaving a glowing feedback either.

on an aside, I was searching for llamas (don't ask...) and ran across some black raw llama wool... thought of you until I saw it was unwashed and had VM(?) in it

[fiberaddict.livejournal.com]

VM = vegetable matter, ie: weeds, stickers, hay. Icky stuff. Lots is bad, moderate is not as bad, but not good, some is....usually OK.

In Llama, it's not too much of a problem, because they have no lanolin or grease in the fibers, and the VM will (usually) shake right out. Wool....not so much. The grease/lanolin holds it in and won't let go. You gotta pick it out with your hands.

Thanks...I think I'll go see Ebay now.

[szara.livejournal.com]

IMO, You shouldn't necessarily leave something like that in the feedback unless you've gone to lengths to straighten things out with the seller/with ebay first. Just don't leave feedback till it's settled.

And yes, do talk to Ebay. That's totally against the rules, for them to do that, whether you wound up with a decent price or not.

[(Anonymous)]

I've been scammed like that on eBay by a husband and his wife, so good price or not I would still report them. -- Kae

[enjayk.livejournal.com]

I agree, I'd go ahead and contact ebay, let them investigate and sort it out. I wouldn't contact the seller about it, nor would I leave feedback about what you think might have been going on, just about the purchase itself. you know, the whole stand up for the right side, but don't invite trouble either thing.