That's an interesting notion, Cal. In all the cases I've purchased over the
net, I've always had to pay first and then cross my fingers and hope that I
was dealing with a reputable person. And you're right, sometimes this
involves hundreds of dollars.
Obviously it would have to be voluntary, there's no way to regulate usage.
And someone would have to be willing to do it. Pay would come from where, a
surcharge on all transactions? Would people be willing to pay that for the
peace of mind and security it adds? I would be tempted to use an escrow
agent, especially for higher-ticket items. But then again, for many
transactions it might be unnecessary. Also, what if someone returns an item
that they used and/or damaged, who will be responsible for the dispute
between the vendor and purchaser as to whether money should be refunded?
Would there be enough transactions to make it worthwhile? I just don't know
if the volume is high enough to warrant someone committing resources to it.
My $.02
- Alex
> From: Cal Hyer <clhyer@hom.net>
> Reply-To: dakota-truck@buffnet.net
> Date: Sun, 04 Mar 2001 05:37:34 -0800
> To: dakota-truck@buffnet.net
> Subject: DML: DML, Trust & a Thought for Discussion : Please Read
>
> I am going to ramble for a few minutes, but I hope that you will stay with
> me.
>
> I do a substantial amount of my purchasing over the net. And until last
> year, I had my own Internet business with custom woodworking. I have
> purchased many (100+) items from ebay ranging from a few dollars to over
> $100. I have been burned twice on small ticket items. I have purchased
> used tools from $100-$300 from individuals that ran classified ads on my
> favorite woodworking site: Woodmagazine.com without a problem.
>
> This brings me to my Dak and the DML. I have upgraded and added accessories
> that I have purchased through ebay and online businesses. Without problem.
> I have traded trinkets and advice with many of you - without a catch.
> Unfortunately, when it comes to a business deal with "some" fellow DML'ers I
> cannot say the same thing. Why is this? In no particular order, consider:
>
> 1. The number of people "unhappy" with QuickD recently due to a lack of
> communication and no parts being shipped and the DML messages.
> 2. The number of people "unhappy" with R&D Performance for past (and
> recent) transactions.
> 3. I recall 1 or 2 other incidents with folks on the DML having a tough
> time getting parts ordered from other DML'ers.
>
> Generally, I believe that we are talking about items over $100 here. A
> throttle body, an intake, shift kit, core charge or whatever.
>
> I have an idea to throw out. Patterned after ebay's "Tradenable". If you
> want to do business with someone (be it Tony, Patrick or anyone else) but
> you are uncomfortable because of reputation or simply because of the amount
> of money involved - we establish the following: A third party to act as an
> escrow agent. If you are unfamiliar with this type of process, it would
> work like this:
>
> 1. You place your order with (for illustration - R&D) for the part and
> notify R&D and our escrow agent that payment will be placed in escrow.
> 2. You send payment to the escrow agent, depending upon payment type, the
> escrow agent will then:
> a. with a personal check, wait a given number of days (Tradenable uses
> 10 days) for the check to clear and then notify R&D that payment has been
> received.
> b. with certified funds, immediately notify R&D that payment was
> received.
> 3. R&D ships the product, upon receipt,
> 4. You notify the escrow agent to issue payment to R&D, or
> 5. If you are unhappy you send the product back and notify the escrow agent
> to refund your money.
>
> You can immediately see the advantages. The escrow agent is a disinterested
> third party. If you get your product you are happy and the seller is happy.
> If you don't get your product, you can at least be assured that you will get
> your money back. If you are interested to see the info at ebay, check this
> link: http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/escrow.html
> You will note that there is a fee for this, depending upon the amount of the
> transaction. We would also have to pay for this. The escrow agent would be
> devoting time, postage, and a bank account (which are not cheap in this
> area) to the process. This would be a totally optional service, but for a
> fee to the buyer. Also, the seller would have to agree.
>
> The only downside that I can see is that it might slow up a transaction, but
> then it may not.
> What do you all think? Would you use it if it was available? Our vendor
> choice for good accessories is a very small pool. This may help us to get,
> and keep, more.
>
> Please give me some feedback!
>
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 11:59:55 EDT