To All Interested eBay Electronics Buyers:

As you may note from my Feedback,  for a number of reasons, none of which involve resale, I purchase my fair share of electronic equipment on eBay and through other venues.

Sadly, our Great Country was struck by yet an almost indescribable evil known as Hurricane Katrina.  All of my family, and  anyone having a beating heart and soul ,  were, are and continue to be saddened and seemingly helpless by the massive destruction and great loss of life and property.  Events like this shake the core of our belief systems. 

Equally sad, but much more diabolical and evil are those "individuals" that walk among us that have sprung to life to take advantage of this unspeakable, ongoing horror.

Namely, I wish to make ALL GOOD & HONEST eBUYERS aware that not only are flooded, useless and otherwise salvaged trucks and automobiles  now flooding the market with illegally forged titles, but the completely unregulated field of Electronics has now fallen victim to other low-life, shameless,  scam-artists and liers selling any and all types of electronic goods completely ruined by the waters of Katrina.

The scope of this deception is vast.  Millions of televisions, computers, IC boards, radios, scanners, cameras, transmitters and receivers, and even batteries that fell victim to both fresh and salt water have been rendered useless!  The "individuals" selling these items know this very well.

To my knowledge, eBay, and other large-scale consumer oriented venues HAVE NOT gone out of their way to warn their respective "community members" of this growing deception and outright fraud.  The same members they allegedly care so much about!

You cannot and should not place your faith on any photograph or series of photographs posted within the description!!!  Copying and pasting is now so rampant that I'm surprised eBay has not placed specific filters in their system to prevent it.   It can and should be done!

Also, you cannot now make your decision solely based on where the item is originating, since these low-life rodents have scattered their merchandise all over the country and for that matter, the world.

I would advocate that when a Seller is posting any electronic item, that eBay REQUIRE  the Seller to check one of a series of  options which specifically designate the item: 1) Never subjected to a flood or fire event, 2) Unknown to Seller, 3) From an area involved in a  flood or fire event.  This would be a start! The checking of this box would be required and legally binding and would expedite any dispute.

Next, I strongly urge all prospective Buyers, when considering any electronic goods, to use Paypal and pay with a Credit Card for your own protection.  There are more protections provided to the Buyer using a Credit Card through Paypal than simply using any other Paypal payment method.  Trust me.  I know!!!  

During the process, ask questions of the Seller.  Ask specific questions.  Don't worry about questioning their intelligence. Don't worry about hurting thier "feelings".   If the Seller is HONEST and FAIR that Seller will answer any and all of your questions promptly and fully and will understand why you are asking.

If you don't receive a reply, or if you receive a reply within an hour of the end of the Auction,  UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES place any bids for that item with that Seller.  Eventually, another one of what-ever you're after will come along.  Usually the wait is not very long.  Don't get carried away.  Let your brain take over and allow the instinctive human brakes to be applied.

If this information helps just one prospective HONEST Buyer, I will feel justified in taking the time to write this.

Kindly message me and let me know if it has helped you.

We, the " Members of the eBay Community"  must stick together, which means we MUST help one another.  Do not solely rely on eBay or Paypal or the Chamber of Commerce or the Better Business Bureaus to pull you back out of a raging fire.  Once your money is gone, usually is is gone.  Lip service from those dishonest Sellers who have lost nothing means nothing.

Thank you for taking your time to read this,  but always remember:  even if you are a victim of a scam originating out of such a disaster, you are still way ahead of the game.  Members of your family did not die, huddled in attics or washed out to sea.  Your pets and livestock did not drown.  Your home still stands.

There awaits a very special place in Hell for those that take advantage of such catastrophes.

Bob