UBB.threads Forums Edged Weapons SS Dagger Forum What the heck is wrong with the people on Ebay?

I recently listed one of my chained M36 daggers on Ebay. It lasted about 24 hours! I hate to be selling it, but I need to free up some cash to purchase some other things I have had my eye on. I swear that some of these F-ing idiots request pictures just to go and tattle to the Ebay police. How childish! Are we in junior high here? I show NO markings in the listing, and have sold a few 33s and some other German items there in the past without a problem. I don't get it. I have seen several other recent listings for 33EM daggers go just fine. Is it jealousy that I am selling a 36 or what? There is a piece of crap (totally messed with) M36 on there right now. That has not been cancelled. I put in a lengthy and HONEST description and have 100% positive feedback and over 5 years as an Ebay member. I was even asking well under $6000 for a decent type 1! What is wrong with these people? Have any of you guys had people go after you on Ebay about your listings? This thing just stinks! There are dozens of other German daggers on there right now that are plastered with "offensive symbols" and nobody messes with them. I am thinking about re-listing it and thoroughly screening the people who request pictures. Maybe even send all the good pictures with the swaz and all the runes covered or not shown at all. What do you guys think? Any suggestions? I guess that being a collector of German WWII items makes me some crazy criminal nazi freak or something. I hope this was the proper place to post my rant, I don't want to p-off the moderators here. I just think Ebay is really going down the toilet!

Hi Krause i think i was highest bidder on that before it got pulled from memory. If you are looking for who dobbed you in - i imagine it was the first person to offer to buy it after it got pulled. As far as ppl going to ebay with your pics i have had that on auctions before. I guess there will always be ppl out there who are bottom feeders!!

krause,
you will find that the real items get pulled well before the fakes, there have been many threads on this subject. what i would do, is offer to sell it in our FOR SALE SECTION, or put in our classifieds. if you plan on selling alot of things, maybe the paid membership is the way to go, if not, maybe a one shot price for listing in classifieds.
just my two cents, many daggers have sold this way. did you have pics? maybe someone here is interested, but then again, its that time of year.....good luck!
ps,
if i remember, you were having problems with pic size, try this program, its very easy. browse the files of pics, upload them to site, and it will give you the code to click and paste on most forums. if the pic shows up small on forum, click on the thumbnail and it will enlarge on forum thread, post! if you have a problem, send me a email, and try to help you post
click here

It is quite simple when you think about it:


Reproduction and garbage daggers/swords: Ignored by most E-Bay collector surfers


Legitimate and highly desirable daggers/swords: Are "reported" to E-Bay by numberous unscrupulous collectors who want the auction pulled so they can get a back-door deal and "take it off their hands."

Krause...

Be extremely careful if you're thinking about relisting the dagger so soon after it's been pulled. The next time you get caught, it's pretty well an automatic suspension from eBay for a month.

You're best to wait 3 months after your listing has been pulled, as this is when eBay closes off their old information, like being able to see what people have sold under their feedback section.

I'm really tired of eBay's double standards, stupidity and ignorance too:

http://daggers.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/217096573/m/7560027593

Here is how to sell SS daggers on Ebay:

1) Display one clear closeup of the maker mark and one photo of the back of the grip showing that it is indeed black. If it's a chained dagger this is the only photo you need. Do not show ANY part of the chain.

2) Abide by ALL rules in the description. Do not use words like Nazi, swastika or abbreviations like RZM and SS. Read the rules on Ebay for a complete list.

3) The description should be brief. "Original black handled German chained dagger" will be enough for serious bidders.

4) In the listing tell bidders to email you for additional pics and information.

5) When you are contacted for additional pics the question will show in the "Messages" section of your Ebay account. Do NOT respond by sending photos.

6) Respond to the inquiry by requesting that they email you at your personal email address.

7) The next time you are contacted the request will come to your private email account. Now you can send a nice group of photos and a detailed description.

Ebay cannot do anything about a private contact outside of their operation. Even an Ebay insider who contacts you at your private email account cannot do anything to get your auction pulled. The "offensiveness" of your item must take place within the Ebay system, incuding their message system.

Hmmm... the fact of the matter is that eBay doesn't want any Third Reich memorabilia sold on the site, no matter how well we disguise our pictures or wordings in our descriptions.

Skyline... my last listing was pulled and I did everything you stated in your guidlines. Somebody obviously advised eBay and they delisted it as "there was a possibility that I was selling a Nazi item".

If you stick to Skylines guide, you have got a pretty good chance of making it through to the end of the auction but from my own experiences and what I have read from others, you just gotta be lucky to make it all the way through.

Why even bother with Ebay? There are other auction sites such as Epier that permit 3rd Reich items. Or better yet list it for sale here. If you have a nice item it should readily sell.
Jim

I got a gravity knife pulled once. I relisted it with a german canteen a week later. I had listed pics of the gravity knife but I did something special with it. When you list with turbo lister if you enter html text where you type the description the address where the pic is hosted will show up and not the pic. All the person has to do is cut and paste the address of the pic into the url and BANG there is the offensive stuff. It is perfectly legal ebay rules no offensive pics are being shown. I also did this with LIVE shotgun shells that were sold to canada. I was more worried about the customs than the freaking nazi ebay police. I am trying to build up more feedback until I list some hateful things on there. I always got away with this under my other userids. Just a thought. Cant wait until something better than eban is out there.

Hi Krause, I personally bought two 36 model daggers from members who simply listed them here on this free classified site. I am very pleased with both transactions and so are the sellers I must assume. Serious collectors will snap them up in a heartbeat.

I never really trust e-bay stuff anyway...but that's a different story.

Good luck and I hope to see it soon here!

Mark

Just to add to what Kingtiger posted; the banning of 3rd Reich items on Ebay has IMO, become the scam artists best friend. At best all anyone can post are fuzzy pictures and very limited descriptions. If you don't contact the seller for better pictures and ask a lot of questions you're setting yourself up to get gyped. I look at the 3rd Reich items as a source of entertainment on Ebay and for a while I was posting links to the worst or funniest examples. Unless you are willing to dig items out of the woodwork you are better off buying from dealers or fellow collectors who are known to you.
Jim

Thanks for all the support and suggestions guys. I still have not received the email from the person that likely ratted my auction out. I thought about emailing the people who asked for pictures and asking them if it was them. I won't though as they will probably forward that to Ebay too. I sent pics to about a dozen people and the listing had at least 300 views in the 24 hours it was up. I am thinking about rolling the dice and listing it again. Will have to see. I am awaiting a response from customer service as to exactly why the thing got cancelled. I listed in on Ebay in the first place because I wanted to sell it sooner rather than later. I know that the honest, REAL pieces do command a decent price on Ebay. I am seriously considering taking you guy's advice and listing it here though. Bad time of the year. I was asking a fair price under full dealer's retail, but above wholesale. What should be a fair price to a collector, but probably a little high for a dealer looking to re-sell. I don't know what to do, I will have to think about it and figure something out soon. I hate to sell any of my pieces but I do occasionally so I can get some fresh stuff. I always feel like I've lost a loved one after parting with something. I still have not gotten over the near mint later RZM 33EM I sold a little while back. The only way to get over a sale is to acquire some new things to look at! I will keep you guys up on what happens with Ebay. I'll mention it here if I do plan to list it here on GDC.

Krause... you would be best off trying to sell your dagger on this site first. I saw it and I don't think you would have any problems.

I reckon I could safely say that your response from eBay will look something very similar to this:

Your item #xxxxxxxxx, entitled, "xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx," was ended
because it was in violation of our Hateful or Discriminatory- Other Nazi
Materials policy.

The overall content of your listing implies that this item may be Nazi
in nature. Due to the legality of enforcing these items in our global
community, we will not allow items that imply this.

As you might be aware, eBay does allow coins and stamps, and historical
books regarding the period to be sold on the site. What we mean by
historical books would be say a history book that would be used in
college. We understand that other items from this period are highly
collectable in many parts of the world, but they are also prohibited in
other parts of the world. As a global community we have to enforce our
strongest stance across all sites.

That said, we must respectfully request that you please refrain from
listing this particular item on the site going forward. I sincerely
apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

For more information on our Offensive policy, please view the following
page:

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/offensive.html

As always, my goal is to help you with your questions as quickly and
accurately as possible. I appreciate your patience and understanding
regarding this matter and wish you continued success on eBay.

sdp- Yes, that pretty much sums it up as to what Ebay said. They kind of accused me of "covering or altering symbols" which I did not do. I had a shot of the motto on the blade and a very distant shot of the dagger in the scabbard. 2 pics only. No mention of SS or anything in the description. They must be covering for the rat by not disclosing to me that he forwarded them the pics that I emailed to him. Even zooming the pic to the max you could not make out the swaz on the eagle, runes button, or the SS chain links. What do you guys think is the best way to sell here? Should I get the premuim membership, or should I just put it in the classifieds? Which is more effective? I know I have not been a member here for long, and I wish I had found you guys years ago! I have over 5 years on eBay with 100% positives (85 total positives) and almost as long on Gunbroker with 100% positive. Does my length of time here hurt my credibility much? I tried Ebay first because I am well-established there. I know the risks involved in a purchase of this magnitude and would fell the same way about buying from someone that I don't know. Feedback and reputation means a lot. I do assure you guys that I am here to stay though!

Krause... although it's Christmas and many are probably no doubt a little short of cash, I don't think you would have any problems selling your dagger on this site.

Why don't you start a new thread to show off your dagger? I'm sure there's plenty of members here that would love to see it. At least you will gain allot of interest.

Why not become a member and support this site? You can then place your advertisement in the classified section. The members here will know if you have a good dagger or not.

Thanks sdp. I think I will do that. I did show off the piece a little ways down the forum. Was looking for opinions when I was trying to decide whether or not to sell. It is the thread titled "Honest opinions please" for the M36. Got a few responses, but not too many. That is another reason I thought I would try Ebay first. this place did not strike me as a place where a lot of people were buying and selling, rather mostly discussing and learning. Thanks again for all the ideas and support guys!

I HAVE SOLD A LOT OF DAGGERS TO OUR MEMBERS AND DID VERY WELL ON OUR CLASSIFIED, AND FAST!

How much does the classified cost? I was trying to figure out if it is more worth it to post in the "free" for sale section after becoming a paid member, or trying the classifieds. I can't find any information about the cost for that.

Here is what those little S-heads over at Ebay had to say most recently. I did fire back a response stating that I was referring only to the motto on the blade as "not displaying offensive symbols". I said that I was just trying to be cautious since the item was from WWII and german, and that some of these items do contain bad symbols, but that mine does not. Will have to see what they say about that.

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to write us. We know your time is valuable
and we appreciate your taking a moment to express concern over this
particular item.

Upon my review, your auction was removed correctly. In your auction
description, you stated "Ebay: This listing DOES NOT display any
offensive or prohibited symbols". This implies that there could be
offensive symbols present but the picture you posted is not displaying
the offensive symbols. Also if there are no offensive symbols, you
wouldn't need to state the disclaimer in the first place. We had no
choice but to remove this item from our site. We ask you kindly not to
relist this item on eBay.

Again, thank you for writing in. We appreciate your help in keeping eBay
a safe and reputable forum to conduct business.

Happy Holidays,

Rafe

Krause,

The best deal is to sign up for a Premium Membership - $32.95 per year. Here is a link.

http://www.germandaggers.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=P...PM&Category_Code=GPS

Regards,

Dave

Sounds like the right idea Dave, I just got a new membership but don't really have anything I want to sell. This site is worth $32.00 alone without the for sale area.

For the guys who have read my rant, and have heard my story... Check out this latest response from Ebaby's customer support:

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to write us. We know your time is valuable
and we appreciate your taking a moment to express concern over this
particular item.

If the item absolutely has no offensive symbols on it, you may relist
the item. You do not need to state the disclaimer "Ebay: This listing
DOES NOT display any offensive or prohibited symbols". I'm sure there
will be no violation if you list the item in this manner.

Again, thank you for writing in. We appreciate your help in keeping eBay
a safe and reputable forum to conduct business.

Happy Holidays,

Rafe

Hi I can't comment for others but just for myself. I used to watch Ebay regularly for listings that clearly violated Ebay's inconsistantly applied rules. I would bid and then contact the seller to let them know that they stood a good chance of getting cancelled by ebay and for what reasons. I indicated that if this happened that I would still be interested in buying the item in question. Some times I was contacted and sometimes not. Picked up many a good deal this way but NEVER cancelled or complained to Ebay about a listing. If this was opportunistic so be it but has no one else here done the same? I am sorry but I do not see any particular problem with it. I do see a problem with complaining about an item in order to get it cancelled only to try to swindle the seller out of it at a lower price. This is unethical but so to is our hobby sometimes. At the end of the day there are other avenues for selling and the seller decides to whom they sell and for what price. cheers, Ryan S

Good point Ryan. That is why it is so important to request pics early, and that way you have their email address in case it does get cancelled. I have done the same thing you mention, but not had much luck with it. It always seems to be a nasty dagger or an unreasonable seller, or someone else has beat me to it. I am surprised that none of the buyers that I sent pictures to has contacted me yet. I am thinking I might just re-list mine on Ebay and see what happens now that customer service has given me the green light. I will probably post the dagger here also once I figure out how to sign up for the paid membership. For some reason my username and password does not work in the sign-up process. It seems to work here for posting though! Maybe some goofy computer issues that have yet to be worked out on GDC. Merry Christmas guys!

Well, I broke down and tried listing it again on Ebaby. I followed Skyline's rules as well as Ebay's rules/suggestion from customer service. Will have to see what happens... I did get an offer that is close to my reserve, but I thought I would let the thing just play out. Wish me luck guys!

Krause,

While I understand that you want the highest possible price for your dagger, you should be well aware of eBay's rules. Why would you support them, and keep them in business by paying their fees, when they do not want to do business with you? I would think that the better thing to do is to support this site with a few dollars for a membership, and then sell to a fellow collector that supports this site as well.

It's just my opinion, but if you won't support this site, and you do support eBay, then don't complain about eBay's rules. Live with them.

Chief

Hi C'mon chief a guy has the right to rant.Concerning your point about offerring items to members here.Forum member Dave posted a thread asking where he could obtain a nice conditioned M-33 SS dagger for a decent price. I answered his question by offerring a nice conditioned M-33 dagger that met his expectations. He emailed me a reply that abruptly asked how I obtained his email address (from his member profile) I have emailed him several times about his interest in the dagger and he has ignored me. I am not desperate to sell as I have many members in line for this piece. I explained whom I was and that I have sold to many forum members, with total satisfaction. Rather rude to ask for something and when it is offered refuse to even give a response.Many members buy from Ebay and sell on Ebay. It is unfair to single out any one person. Perhaps it would have been better and less confrontational to have explained the benefits of selling through this forum's classifieds and have offerred pointers on doing so. Just my opinion. cheers, Ryan

i offered dave several 33`s and he didnt even bother answering my e-mail a dreamer?

Ryan,
I also posted to this member images of an M36 that I may be selling in the "New Year" but didn't get a responce either!
I posted them just prior to the Christmas break and assumed that he may have finished work for the holiday period and his PC could be at his office.But you said he gave you a short shift on mail you sent with the added bonus of an E P dagger.
This situation reminds me somewhat of a past business partner some weeks ago,when (briefly) after gaining controle of my e-mail/personel addresess at the office and for a short time actually posting as me with a view to commit mischievas dealings in my name.Luckely a few business friends got the wind of it and contacted me after a business trip to Boston,USA.I failed to log off on this forum and other militaria sites which also helped this person along the way,I have it seems an apology to a member on this site for this persons stupid dealings.
Nickn,
I would also be interested in daggers you have for sale,,,,,Regards Stephen

Hi Stephen I would always like to extend the courtesy of hearing the other person's point of view. Perhaps Dave had a change of heart or is not able to fulfil his desire to purchase at this time. Either way those that rose to the occasion deserve at least the courtesy of a reply, even if only in the form of a generic post. Stephen, that was a terrific chained dagger at a reasonable price. I remember a few short years back at a Max show when Wolfe-Hardin offered a mint conditioned Type 1 M-36 for the princely sum of $6000.00 and a collective gasp arose from the dagger community. Would seem a bargain these days. cheers, Ryan S

I know I shouldn't whine too much about Ebay, but I know there is a much larger audience there. That is why I went there to sell. I have bought and sold many SS daggers there in the past. It is a rip-off with their fees and rules. The only good thing about it is the HUGE audience. A part of the deal I made with myself when deciding to sell is that I will be looking for another M33, either early or transitional, but must be nickle silver fittings. Another item I have had my eye on, as well as a business venture are the other parts of the deal. I guess I have recently been in ultra-conservative mode with money, and that is why I had hesitated to get the paid membership here.

Ryan,

Ok, I will give him a break.
I guess it's OK to rant once in a while.
But I just feel that if you choose to deal with eBay, then deal with them, don't complain about it.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Chief

You have a good point Chief. I should not have got mixed up with Ebay with this dagger in the first place. I just did not know much about this forum as I just recently discovered you guys. I wish I had years ago! Should have just listed it here and been done with it. I am not going to let Ebay steal my listing fees without it being sold now though. I would lose the reserve price fee and listing fees if I cancel it, or let it go without being sold and not re-listing it. I guess we all make mistakes once in a while! You guys are great, and I am glad I found you!

This is the piece in question....

2

3

4

Well, I finally did it! I listed my dagger here on GDC in the free classifieds. I might re-list it on Ebay at some point, so I don't get screwed out of my $60+ in fees from the first auction (the reserve price fee is refundable if it sells). Will have to see... Was going to do it (with Ebay) tomorrow, but I felt like I should support this forum and give it a shot here first. Thanks for all the input in this thread guys, I really appreciate it!

I dont care for ebay either,i think they suck,but they do have a huge audience and from what i have seen items bring more money than they ever would on forums.I know this is true on collector gun forum classifieds, as compared to putting a gun on auction sites like Gun Broker etc.(dont know if this applies to ss daggers but seems to apply to most things) What could be better than a huge audience out there fighting over your stuff versus a small audience that know exactly what your item is worth and if your like me, like to buy at wholesale not retail.Nothing wrong with that and theres nothing wrong with trying to get a premium for your stuff either on ebay or any other auction site.I have sold things on forums classifieds and did ok,but if i dont get offered what i feel its worth ,then i put it on an auction.Epier does not have a problem with nazi items,but there again they dont have near the audience ebay does either.I know people that literally make a living buying and selling items on ebay,seems if you want to get top doller for your stuff,ebay has you by sack.

quote:

Originally posted by Krause:
Well, I finally did it! I listed my dagger here on GDC in the free classifieds. I might re-list it on Ebay at some point, so I don't get screwed out of my $60+ in fees from the first auction (the reserve price fee is refundable if it sells). Will have to see... Was going to do it (with Ebay) tomorrow, but I felt like I should support this forum and give it a shot here first. Thanks for all the input in this thread guys, I really appreciate it!

Good on you Krause!