Feeling meh about eBay

He buys a lot of stuff, I genuinely wonder how many Omega’s he’s up to now because it’s definitely a LOT

Maybe there’ll be some good deals to be had there after the intervention

Feel like another eBay rant after getting off the phone with customer service.

A couple weeks ago I ordered some parts from one of those 'collections' Where one needs to request combined shipping. Somehow the system billed me twice. I wrote to the seller and heard nothing back.

Contacted customer support and they said the additional items should self cancel. I waited a week and contacted customer service again. The phone person was not at all curious saying it was up to the seller to cancel the order. I escalated things up the chain. After some effort I learned I can 'save' the items in my shopping cart. Which sort of removes the nag reminder. I also want to make sure if I purchase something else that I am not charged for the incorrect order which I have already received.

Also feeling frustrated. That the Swiss center wheel is the wrong one and it does not fit. A risk one takes. I now see someone else received wrong parts in the last month. Of course this is nothing eBay can do about. Other than it makes me frustrated that I now have to wait another month for a part. And the part is going to cost more. I kind of lit into the customer service person. Who kept asking if there was anything else they could help with. Well OF COURSE eBay is going to want to sell the item again at a higher price. And they are going to get the fees and shipping for the botched order.

Really I should be mad at the watch cartel what does not make spare parts available. Although these parts have not been made for 30 years. (Other than the short runs collectors and gray market manufactures produce with the old equipment and sell on the side.) Too bad this gets abused like that serial number what messed up the archives. There will always be people who want to work outside the law and society. I still am unclear as to why some people have 'Rights' to other peoples ideas and industry. Like the master in the old guild system who would destroy the apprentices work, as it made the master look bad. At least I am lucky to live in the 21st century. In the old day they had the right to enter my house and smash stuff because I am a woman. Do we really need tariffs and cultural territories? I was raised as a globalist. I thought we were all done with that.

The thing is I still need a stem. For this and other watches. Now I have to order another center wheel. Or wait for this to resolve.

None of this is really anyone's fault. Such is how the system works now. I just need to work this out of my system, so I can get back to typing command R looking for more junk to quicken me once more.

It is the waiting that irks.

Yes eBay is a necessary evil. Why I am addicted to it. I like stuff that does not fit into the probability and statistics of modern trade.

Where eBay fails is to make the resolution the business of the seller, who could be in a different time zone. The shipping is quite awkward as it favors small businesses with shipping departments. I had to get a USPS account and a scale. The only way to do anything on eBay is through volume. Sure it works as an alternative to the dump. Never did anything with CL. It got too big and complex before I learned how to use it. The dump or a charity shop is good for those sorts of things. Too much buyers remorse for there to be otherwise.

The failure I had with ebay is purchasing multiple items often from the same seller. Watches are often split up into lots where one can order individual items. Then one has to 'Request' combined shipping. Yet the option to combine the shipping is grayed out. This really is screwed up when buy it now offers are used and there is a list of items one wants to purchase with a SINGLE shipping fee. Ideally shipping should be totally under eBay, as this is a loophole too many sellers use to nickel and dime the customer. There should be a TIME window. where all the items purchased in during that window are done with a single shipping fee. Like when one does a check out at the cash register. And it should not matter items come from multiple sources.

Adding stuff to the cart is not the same as committing to a purchase. Waiting for totals is not acceptable in this day and age of instant gratification. If I do not need the part now, do I really need it an hour from now. A day from now a week from now? Most of the stuff I work with I have had for 30 years. Sorting it is as much fun as anything else. So finding a puzzle piece can lead to anticipation for those times when one can relax and sort through the stuff.

Mistakes are made. Items do not match the picture shown. This is understandable when one is ordering from a bulk seller with multiple accounts selling the same stuff sold on amazon. I have learned one rarely gets the item as photographed. Especially when accepting discounted offers through buy it now. It does not matter if the bait and switch is intentional or not. If one feels scammed.

With scrap parts there are a few 'dealers' I seem to follow what plead ignorance. Probably charity shops or estate consignment dealers that know enough of what sells. The problem is there is no way to tell the difference. Especially when emotion is involved.

Usually I pais the money and takes the chance. This time I lost. Of course I got right back up and paid the money again on another chance.

I do this for fun. I like speculating on future projects. I like difficult things. Most of what I do is window shopping. Yet when I want something I want it. Cost never the object. Well I have no cash flow, so price is the main factor. I used to spend part of my lunch hour browsing the old electronic stores. So I am always looking for 'interesting.' things.

eBay and Amazon put such places out of business. And feed the need. In some ways it becomes a feedback loop.

And at the end of the day I still need a Val-22 watch stem.