I wrote a long update on this earlier today, 12/6/06, which was sadly lost due to an eBay software snafu.  I will try to recreate it later, and will write it as a separate review which includes the words "Chapter Two" and, if possible, will put a link at the bottom of this page.

Please be careful when buying from Liquidation.com.  I first started using them in about April or May 2006.  By the end of September 2006, I had made about $40,000 in purchases.  At first, all went well.  They arranged shipping quickly and the shipments overall were good.  When they weren't, Liquidation.com quickly and appropriately either adjusted the price or paid for return of the defective merchandise and refund of my money.  However, that business-like approach soon ended, and then came the first of 8 auctions that were cancelled after I'd already paid for them.  These 8 auctions were cancelled within a 2 month period.  Liquidation.com's cancellation notice states that cancellations "rarely" happen, and also stated the cancellations were due to "unforeseen circumstances."  However, 8 cancellations within 2 months is not rare, and Liquidation in two cases put the very same lots up for bid after they cancelled on me, auctioned the second time in smaller lots, perhaps because either the seller or Liquidation.com, or both, didn't like the final bid they received.  Tough luck for me, hey?

I of course complained about this treatment, but never got a called back from anyone, including their Buyer Relations manager who had, up until then, been a pretty good contact.  So I wrote an email, and tried calling several more times, followed by yet another email.  No response.

Instead they cancelled the next two auctions I had won, also after they had been paid for (and after the seller had already put in a shipping order with UPS, according to the UPS website and the tracking numbers provided by Liquidation.com).  I wrote to Liquidation.com again.  And again received absolutely no response.

I have currently stopped buying from Liquidation.com, and am finding new sources.  I am also working with my bank to make sure they refund all payments for which goods were cancelled. 

I am watching to whether Liquidation.com takes any further retaliation, and hope they take none.  I am considering what to do next, if anything, including contacting regulatory agencies.

Liquidation.com was a good source for the two months it worked well for me.  Unfortunately, they seem to know they are the only similar game in town - for now.  They seem to forget that the customers - you know, the ones spending all that money through the Liquidation.com website - are their lifeblood.  Pissing off someone who spends $40,000 in 4 months may not amount to a hoot to them, but I wonder if they've considered what effect pissing off 10 or 20 such buyers might have on their business.  Can any business really snort at the loss of half a million to a million in revenue each year?   And what about word of mouth?  That kind of reputation seems to grow.  And so I'm passing the word:

Be extremely careful when dealing with this company. Don't count on actually receiving the product, and be ready to have your money tied up by (and probably earning interest for) Liquidation.com until they are good and ready to release it back to you, without interest.

*****

FOLLOW UP on my review of Liquidation.com:

Persistance sometimes pays off.  I finally got in contact with Liquidation.com, but only after extensive research and a little ingenuity put me into the voice mail of the CEO himself.  I left a detailed message pretty much containing all the information and commentary above, and asked for at least a courtesy call back.  The next day, I heard from a higher-up in the organization, who promised to look into the situation and agreed the 8 cancellations seemed a little "much."  A couple days later, I heard from another guy to whom the task had been delegated.  He did assure me they were working through my account to make sure all payments had been refunded.  (Next week I will check again with the bank to make sure this happened.)  He apologized again, and said Liquidation.com has been having a problem with sellers who refuse to ship if they don't like the final auction price.  He said they are looking into new methods for making it hurt the seller who does this.  (However, this did not help my situation with the 8 cancelled shipments of lovely, low-cost, product.)  He did apologize for the lack of response, and I told him I would try them again if he could promise better communication and customer service. 

I am trying them again, with a few "test" bids.  In the meantime, I've found two other sources, and continue to look for more.  All in all, though, Liquidation still has some really good deals out there, so I'm bidding again.  But this time with my eyes open:  I'm tracking the shipments carefully, and not counting my product before it's hatched. 

I will follow up on this guide if there are further developments.