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I made $100K from a dick joke

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Re: I made $100K from a dick joke

#231

Post by wood_spirit »

oaththrowaway wrote: post #19

I sold a laptop on eBay once long, long ago. Someone did the "Buy it now" option but never paid. I'm trying to remember the exact situation (probably more than 10 years ago), but I had exchanged messages with him several times and he always had an excuse to not pay. Then I noticed he was selling the exact same model of laptop so it was easy for me to realize that he had just "bought" my laptop to remove the listing s…

“Then I noticed he was selling the exact same model of laptop so it was easy for me to realize that he had just "bought" my laptop to remove the listing so it wouldn't compete against his”

If he got the laptop but didn’t pay, then he is probably selling it.

If he didn’t get the laptop, then he was trying to sell it on (for a profit) before he even got it from you?

Re: I made $100K from a dick joke

#232

Post by chrislongss »

accrual wrote: post #123
rgovostes wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just remember eBay has almost no way to report scam listings, hacked seller accounts, obviously fraudulent buyers, etc. They don’t want to clean up their act. Caveat emptor. Two executives were recently imprisoned over harassing a journalist, to give you an idea of the corporate culture. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EBay_stalking_scandal

There must be at least some minimal way scam listings are handled. I stumbled across an RTX 4090 going for $600 the other day (actual selling price is $1-2k), seller claiming to have 10+ of them with 90+ watchers/in cart, but no reputation. Account was gone the next morning. Curiously on Mercari, which seems to be more pro-seller, I've seen some GPU listings with "this is a scam" type comments attached to them. Very…

Seller reputation is the only reason I still use eBay (when no other options are available). Even when I am desperate, a seller with fewer than 10-100 relevant positive reviews (depending on how expensive the item is) is a deal breaker.

Re: I made $100K from a dick joke

#233

Post by chrislongss »

throw10920 wrote: post #223
rgovostes wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just remember eBay has almost no way to report scam listings, hacked seller accounts, obviously fraudulent buyers, etc. They don’t want to clean up their act. Caveat emptor. Two executives were recently imprisoned over harassing a journalist, to give you an idea of the corporate culture. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EBay_stalking_scandal

What alternatives are there to eBay? Craigslist seems sketchy and Amazon doesn't support the auction model as far as I'm aware. I want to use good alternatives and encourage my family, friends, and co-workers to do so as well. eBay seems unsalvageable and I think the best thing for us is for it to die due to economic starvation.

Some niche markets have alternatives - like Reverb for music gear - but other than that eBay still has the best selection, unfortunately.

Re: I made $100K from a dick joke

#234

Post by panick21_ »

oaththrowaway wrote: post #19

I sold a laptop on eBay once long, long ago. Someone did the "Buy it now" option but never paid. I'm trying to remember the exact situation (probably more than 10 years ago), but I had exchanged messages with him several times and he always had an excuse to not pay. Then I noticed he was selling the exact same model of laptop so it was easy for me to realize that he had just "bought" my laptop to remove the listing s…

Just 'buy' his and also don't pay. And the resell the one he has.

Re: I made $100K from a dick joke

#235

Post by ANewFormation »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #224
ANewFormation wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Btw, 'informal' agreements, even oral only, are legally binding, though it may (?) vary by state. For example an email is legally binding. In a case like this,there's not even the need for small claims - if you just contacted the better business bureau, you'd have gotten reimbursed the shipping and then something reasonable on top as 'an apology for the misunderstanding.'

The Better Business Bureau is a private organization with zero power to enforce any agreements or judgments. At most, it was Yelp before the internet.

BBB accreditation is a big deal for most major companies, and it includes an obligation to resolve issues (exactly like this one) with their arbitration. I've used them 3 times, with 3 positive (and rapid) outcomes.

Next time you have a straightforward 'they're wrong' issue with a company where you're getting outsourced flowcharts for support, try out the bbb. They're great.

Small claims would obviously also work, but that's a major investment in time/bureaucrazy, while a bbb complaint can be completed online in 10 minutes with maybe one or two brief follow-ups, but usually all it is, is them getting in contact with a human who can do things - and for cases like this, they obviously try to make it right.

Re: I made $100K from a dick joke

#236

Post by lotsofpulp »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #155
nosioptar wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If there was ever someone worthy of getting a bag of glittery dicks, it's Bezos.

The Amazon HQ address is public knowledge, but I doubt he opens his own mail: Mr. Jeff Bezos, CEO Amazon dot com, Inc. 410 Terry Avenue North Seattle, Washington 98109-5210 (206) 266-1000

Bezos has not been the CEO for 3+ years, and he moved to Miami a while ago.

Re: I made $100K from a dick joke

#237

Post by fckgw »

jrmg wrote: post #189

This really surprised me: from a paragraph near the end: It's one of the reasons I've stuck around Imgur so long - there's an extremely diverse, and supportive community. I had no idea that there was this kind of community on Imgur.

Imgur is basically an image based social media site now, similar to Instagram but with a more Reddit style lean to it.

Re: I made $100K from a dick joke

#238

Post by Beijinger »

ANewFormation wrote: post #222
Beijinger wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I found ebay more reliable, interesting and smoother than Amazon. Amazon screwed me over for 40 USD now they are nagging that I should sign up for "Prime" (I ordered a bunch of stuff, maybe 800 USD. They decided the order is fraudulent, and canceled it, without ever telling me. When I moved into my new place, there was nothing. No sheets, no nothing from Amazon. That this order was "canceled" without any email seemed…

Btw, 'informal' agreements, even oral only, are legally binding, though it may (?) vary by state. For example an email is legally binding. In a case like this,there's not even the need for small claims - if you just contacted the better business bureau, you'd have gotten reimbursed the shipping and then something reasonable on top as 'an apology for the misunderstanding.'

I would have to file in small claims court. And for 40 USD I am not willing to do this.

I think you don't need even an oral agreement for a contract to be valid. Conclusive action is enough. Take a newspaper, but 2 USD on the table, leave. No words exchanged but valid sales contract established.

Re: I made $100K from a dick joke

#239

Post by popcalc »

lmm wrote: post #102
scrollaway wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A stripe account requires a legal entity of some sort behind it. This can be a "physical person" (eg a freelance activity), depending on the country, but that still requires registration -- and if it's millions per year, it's usually a terrible idea to do it as a freelancer. The money has to go somewhere. That somewhere needs to be banked. That banked entity needs to be incorporated, or treatable as a corporation.

> This can be a "physical person" (eg a freelance activity), depending on the country, but that still requires registration Not necessarily. Many countries do not require sole proprietors to be registered. > if it's millions per year, it's usually a terrible idea to do it as a freelancer. In the US with its liability lawsuit culture yes. Elsewhere operating as a sole proprietor is not always such a terrible idea. > T…

>In the US with its liability lawsuit culture yes. Elsewhere operating as a sole proprietor is not always such a terrible idea.

It's a terrible idea because as a non-American you can easily hire a firm like Appleby to evade nearly all taxes if you're rolling in millions.

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